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Does your favorite series have a clearly defined best game or is it hotly contested?
- Thread starter Exploratory
- Start date
For Souls, I don't think so. My personal favorite of them is Bloodborne, like a lot of people, but there is still a large margin that hold Dark Souls as the pinnacle of Souls, or Demon's Souls because its the original. Maybe a select few will argue for DS2 and DS3.
For Fallout, fortunately in one way, it differs between the original Fallout, Fallout 2 which improved upon the first tremendously, and Fallout: New Vegas which stayed true to Fallout while remaining modern. Unfortunately in another way, there is a whole other breed of Fallout fans that are just in it for Bethesda sandbox open worlds. I'd love to think New Vegas is considered the best since its equal ground for both kinds of fans in a way, but that would not be true.
I don't think there is a real solid on the original Halo trilogy either. People love each one for different reasons. Halo: CE for being the original, Halo 2 for its multiplayer and kickstarting the hit that was Xbox LIVE, Halo 3 for being an all around great package. Hell, some people like Halo Reach or even Halo 5 (bizarrely enough).
The only series I'd say there is a clear one that most consider the best is The Witcher with TW3, for obvious reasons. TW3 took the series in a whole new direction that made it a hit for a whole new audience, the previous games are rather dated in some areas so of course the third is considered the best in a lot of ways, and simply most people haven't played the other games and can't say whether they like it best or not. They should be played though, as even the first Witcher does some things better than the third.
For Fallout, fortunately in one way, it differs between the original Fallout, Fallout 2 which improved upon the first tremendously, and Fallout: New Vegas which stayed true to Fallout while remaining modern. Unfortunately in another way, there is a whole other breed of Fallout fans that are just in it for Bethesda sandbox open worlds. I'd love to think New Vegas is considered the best since its equal ground for both kinds of fans in a way, but that would not be true.
I don't think there is a real solid on the original Halo trilogy either. People love each one for different reasons. Halo: CE for being the original, Halo 2 for its multiplayer and kickstarting the hit that was Xbox LIVE, Halo 3 for being an all around great package. Hell, some people like Halo Reach or even Halo 5 (bizarrely enough).
The only series I'd say there is a clear one that most consider the best is The Witcher with TW3, for obvious reasons. TW3 took the series in a whole new direction that made it a hit for a whole new audience, the previous games are rather dated in some areas so of course the third is considered the best in a lot of ways, and simply most people haven't played the other games and can't say whether they like it best or not. They should be played though, as even the first Witcher does some things better than the third.
ASHES IN THE HOURGLASS
Banned
Gen 3 and the battle frontier says hi.
Amongst long time fans of the series, I'd say it can differ greatly. Me personally, I find they all excel in some areas and are weaker in other areas compared to one another, and don't think there is a true best.
For most though, I think the answer is Skyrim.
The Line was a reboot to old PS1 milsim games. They were notably awful lol.
I actually wouldn't want a sequel to The Line. It would detract from the open ended storytelling.
Judge Magister Zexion
Banned
Kingdom Hearts Series
Ton of people love KH1, Hate KH2. BBS was great but it didn't match to KH1 to some people.
I also thought Dark Souls
was the best one
Ton of people love KH1, Hate KH2. BBS was great but it didn't match to KH1 to some people.
I Like KH2
I also thought Dark Souls
2
Exploratory
Banned
Skyrim clearly most successful. I'd personally consider it the best too.
For me, the original MediEvil is my favorite game of all time. MediEvil: Resurrection, on the other hand, is one of my least favorite games. MediEvil 2 is somewhere in the middle.
InfiniteCombo
Banned
At this point, Resident Evil is not a single series, gameplay wise.
Most people agree that RE4 is a masterpiece (which it is). The vocal fans of the original REs go for REmake instead. Yet another subset claim that RE7 belongs with the greats.
So, there.
Most people agree that RE4 is a masterpiece (which it is). The vocal fans of the original REs go for REmake instead. Yet another subset claim that RE7 belongs with the greats.
So, there.
Exploratory
Banned
TenCentCoast
Banned
I meant that Morrowind isn't the most successful, my apologies for that not being clear. I am genuinely surprised by the support for Skyrim being best in the franchise, though. What would you say lead you to that? Don't get me wrong, like I said, I like all of the Elder Scrolls games, but I think Skyrim is only second best.
Astral Dog
Member
Everybode loves Resident Evil 4 💋
TenCentCoast
Banned
Resident Evil 4 is one of my favorite games of all time and even I know that there are people who think 2 is better
2 is not better
IdreamofHIME
Member
but not as much as REmake.
Vault Dweller 111
Member
For some reason Uncharted 4 isn't universally considered the best in the series. I'll never understand that.
ME2 is correctly assumed by most to be the best.
Bioshock 1 is best, most agree.
ME2 is correctly assumed by most to be the best.
Bioshock 1 is best, most agree.
Tarextherex
Banned
Yeah, remember how ALTTP had you traveling through time where you had distinct abilities as a kid and an adult. Or that world full of life and memorable NPCs that drastically changed once you went to the future, it was so surprising when your uncle became a sage. OOT didn't have vertical dungeons that took advantage of the hardware at all, it only used 3D for the cutscenes
Sure, FF7 has no originality, FF6 was basically the same game, remember how it had a very clear main character? Or how the first few hours was in that very fleshed out city that was only a part of the huge overworld? It was so sad when the most involved party member suddenly died mid-game, you couldn't do anything about it
Fucking ridiculous, the lengths people go to belittle the actual merits of whatever game is the most popular in their favorite series smfh
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
Kingdom hearts 2 final mix it's not up for debate keep it moving Xp
ArkhamFantasy
Member
Final Fantasy.
I've seen passionate arguments made for VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, Tactics and XIV.
I've seen passionate arguments made for VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, Tactics and XIV.
Don't forget FFT.
JustSomeone
Member
Diablo 2 is the best in the series
The Dear Leader
Banned
Dark Soul II is best and always will be, MGS4 is best and always will be, GTA IV is best and always will be.
ArkhamFantasy
Member
Oh yeah, forgot about that. Added it in, NINE different games that people would go to bat for as the best of the series. Thats insane.
colonelpork
Neo Member
For the Paper Mario series, even though the first one has always been my favorite, it seems the general consensus is that Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door was the peak for the series. And I don't think I could disagree with that notion just based on how it improved upon everything that made the first so great.
Soapbox Killer
Grand Nagus
Since when did Lttp = OOT? I completely missed this memo.
MastaKilla
Member
SOCOM 2
This should never be questioned.
This should never be questioned.
GGNKovalski
Member
The Wicther. While many people think certain aspects of 1 or 2 are better than three, everyone is pretty much in agreement that 3 is the best.
Mass Effect. 2 seems to be clear favorite though I do see some people make compelling arguments for 1.
Metal Gear Solid. Toss up between 1 and 3.
Mass Effect. 2 seems to be clear favorite though I do see some people make compelling arguments for 1.
Metal Gear Solid. Toss up between 1 and 3.
Exploratory
Banned
mhayes86
Member
Definitive best games in the Zelda, Final Fantasy, Souls/Borne series (if you consider Bloodborne to be part of the Souls series) are contested frequently. MGS 1 and 3 are contested a lot, too.
I think most Star Ocean fans prefer Second Story (my favorite), and I'm not sure about the opinion of the Tales of series, but Phantasia was my favorite.
Another favorite series of mine is Lunar, but between the 3* games, I'd imagine most people preferring Eternal Blue.
*
Edit: Oh, and I don't think anyone but a very small minority would argue that Baldur's Gate 2 is the best in the series.
I think most Star Ocean fans prefer Second Story (my favorite), and I'm not sure about the opinion of the Tales of series, but Phantasia was my favorite.
Another favorite series of mine is Lunar, but between the 3* games, I'd imagine most people preferring Eternal Blue.
*
Fuck Dragon Song.
Edit: Oh, and I don't think anyone but a very small minority would argue that Baldur's Gate 2 is the best in the series.
What?? I was under the impression that the majority considers KH2 the better game.
{insert code here}
Member
THe Souls franchise. My fav is DeSo but I've seen others claim Dark SOuls or BloodBourne as their favorites.
RE. My favorite is RE2 but there are solid arguments for 1 and 4 as well.
FF. My favorite is VII and I usually see arguments for IV, VI, VII, and/or XII as being the best in the series.
MGS. My favorite was 4 but I usually see the discussion centered on 1 & 3 as being the best of that series.
RE. My favorite is RE2 but there are solid arguments for 1 and 4 as well.
FF. My favorite is VII and I usually see arguments for IV, VI, VII, and/or XII as being the best in the series.
MGS. My favorite was 4 but I usually see the discussion centered on 1 & 3 as being the best of that series.
QuixoticNeutral
Member
I have to scroll down the list of series that are important to me for one with a clear leader to emerge. Zeldanot a chance. 2D Mariodebated in perpetuity between SMB3 and SMW. StarCraftas with SSBM/SSB4, it really depends on what your priorities are, and how much you treasure oddities in the original game that emerged into competitive techniques. Sid Meier's Civilizationwell, the best is obviously IV, but now there's a whole generation brought up on Civ V that loathes unit stacks and writes off the older entries. Fire Emblemha.
The clearest one I can think of: it's rare to see anybody dispute that the first Viewtiful Joe is the best, but we don't have much of a sample size to draw from (only two main-line gamesthe second one underrateda DS game, and a spin-off multiplayer fighter nobody cares to remember).
After that, as mentioned earlier in the thread, The Thousand-Year Door is the aspirational exemplar for Paper Mario.
Other than that, there isn't much. If you split 2D and 3D Metroid, I think there's a well-defined standard backing for Super and Prime 1, respectively. Then there's 3D Mario, where the Galaxy games stand out as beloved by both the 64/Sunshine and 3DL/3DW crowds, and for good reason. And most players recognize by now that WoW's golden age peaked with Wrath of the Lich King, though that certainly wasn't clear back when the expansion was active, and grumbling about quality-of-life concessions to casual players was as commonplace as it is now. (People's opinions of WoW will always depend on when they were themselves most committed to the game.)
When Mario Kart 8 Deluxe comes out, it stands a good chance of solidifying a consensus, as MK8's Battle Mode was really the only serious obstacle to the game's universal consideration as the best in the series, even if it lacked certain features or modes that distinguished earlier games like MKDS or Double Dash.
The clearest one I can think of: it's rare to see anybody dispute that the first Viewtiful Joe is the best, but we don't have much of a sample size to draw from (only two main-line gamesthe second one underrateda DS game, and a spin-off multiplayer fighter nobody cares to remember).
After that, as mentioned earlier in the thread, The Thousand-Year Door is the aspirational exemplar for Paper Mario.
Other than that, there isn't much. If you split 2D and 3D Metroid, I think there's a well-defined standard backing for Super and Prime 1, respectively. Then there's 3D Mario, where the Galaxy games stand out as beloved by both the 64/Sunshine and 3DL/3DW crowds, and for good reason. And most players recognize by now that WoW's golden age peaked with Wrath of the Lich King, though that certainly wasn't clear back when the expansion was active, and grumbling about quality-of-life concessions to casual players was as commonplace as it is now. (People's opinions of WoW will always depend on when they were themselves most committed to the game.)
When Mario Kart 8 Deluxe comes out, it stands a good chance of solidifying a consensus, as MK8's Battle Mode was really the only serious obstacle to the game's universal consideration as the best in the series, even if it lacked certain features or modes that distinguished earlier games like MKDS or Double Dash.
elshoelace
Member
Well my favorite two series are Zelda and Soulsborne. Clearly the best two are Majoras Mask and Bloodborne.
D
Deleted member 465307
Unconfirmed Member
I'm pretty sure the game is currently on sale in the eShop. It might be worth looking into. Personally, I really enjoyed the game. It's probably not my new favorite, but I liked it a lot.