Top 5 game franchises most special to you

[time gear]

This topic is about which game series you consider the most special to you for whatever reason. This isn't necessarily about which games are better games than each other, it's about what they mean to you; why they resonate with you personally.

Here's my list:

1. Mega Man Zero/ZX
I remember when I started playing the Zero games back around 2004 or 2005. I remember I got them in reverse order. Zero 4, then 3, then 2, and finally 1. These games were the second coolest thing ever to me back then, second only to Sonic. When ZX came out, I ended up getting that too, though at first I found it too confusing and gave up trying to find my way around, concluding that the Zero games were superior. I nonetheless gave ZXA a try when it came out, and ended up adoring it. This inspired me to go back and give ZX another try. I dusted off the game and committed myself to beating it, even if I had to resort to google for help on occasion. Ultimately, I fell in love all over again, and all 6 of these games are my most treasured possessions to this day.

2. Sonic the Hedgehog
Back when I was a kid, Sonic was easily my number 1 favorite thing. I used to watch AoSTH before going to school as a kid, and eventually found out about the games from some friends of mine, as well as my sister. What eventually ended up knocking it down to number 2 for me was a drop in the quality of animations and writing around and after the time of Sonic Colors. Gone are the days of gorgeous pre-rendered cutscenes and characters other than Sonic, Tails, and Eggman being written as anything more than a slab of cardboard assigned a role. Nonetheless, the connection to the series I already established after ages of Sonic being my favorite is enough to keep it solidly at my number 2 slot.

3. Borderlands
My Borderlands journey began around the time I graduated high school, when I purchased a copy of Borderlands 2. I have since completed my collection on Steam. While I do adore the gameplay in this series, the story and characters is what really makes this series special. There's a special human element to the characters in this series, from their struggles to their ambitions and the way they think, to just how they choose to live their lives. The gay/lesbian representation is on point, with them being people first and foremost, and their preferences in lifestyle never really getting shoved down your throat or portrayed in a hateful manner. Athena and Sir Hammerlock are two fantastic examples of this. Additionally, Handsome Jack is probably one of the most interesting and compelling villains in any game series.

4. Crash and Spyro
Before I became a solid fan of the Sonic series, there was these two franchises for me. I've always considered them to be sister franchises, so I bundle them together. I've always found it hard to pick a favorite between the two of them. All the way back when I got a PS1 for Christmas as a kid, Crash 2 was the game I got with it, and I eventually went on to collect all the Crash and Spyro games on PS1, minus Crash 1. It wouldn't be until the remakes that I would finally play through Crash 1 properly.

5. Team Fortress 2
While I haven't been active since around 2015, this game is probably the one I used to play online with my friends the most. The three classes I ended up playing most were Sniper, Scout, and Pyro, in that order. I also would occasionally play medic if need be. I always really wanted to get good with Spy, but try as I might I was never able to. By the time I stopped being active, I had accumulated over 1200 hours in game, and I have no regrets.

 

[SilverVortex]

in no particular order:

1. Super Mario Bros
ah mario, the literal groundwork of my childhood. mario holds a lot of my videogame firsts, the first videogame i ever played (new super mario bros on the ds), the game i played when my friends first came over (mario kart wii), hell, it was even the first videogame mascot i had received for my birthday back in 2017 (super mario odyssey). i have so many good memories of this franchise over most of his games that i've ever played, whether it be by myself looking for a new platforming experience, with friends and family just looking for a fun time for a couple of hours, or online when i'm gushing about how much i love the series with people who feel the same way. like now!
mario may have gotten a few dubious titles over recent years, but he's iconic for a reason. the heavy hitters are absolute masterpieces of game design, and are extremely enjoyable on even fifth playthroughs.

2. Sonic The Hedgehog
rewinding back to 2011, i was a nintendo guy, no doubt. super mario, kirby, the legend of zelda, super smash bros, i was even interested in series like pikmin and chibi robo that i have never played (and still haven't). however, i did get some birthday money in november of that year, and i was looking for a nintendo ds game. what did i choose? sonic classic collection, my first exposure to a series that i still hold as one of my favourites. never got past the second or third levels in each game, sadly.
sonic is one of the most controversial series on the planet. some say he was never good, some say he has some masterpieces and hidden gems. i've fallen into the latter category recently. sonic is just an absolutely great series, i love most of the games i've played, and even the ones i didn't like still had discernable qualities that i can appreciate, like the big defined world of adventure 1, and the soundtrack of sonic cd. sonic takes several spots of my "favourite games of all time" list, and for good reason. sonic generations, sonic mania, sonic 3 and knuckles, sonic rush adventure, sonic colors ds, even more divisive games like sonic 1 and 2 i still find myself coming back to for one reason or another, and don't even get me started on the fan creations. there's just too much to cover there. i love this series so much despite its shortcomings that i will always look forward to what sega has to show, regardless of prior games' quality.

3. The Legend of Zelda
i haven't played nearly as much of this series as i really, really want to. i've only played a short chunk of link's awakening and a link to the past, only halfway through spirit tracks and phantom hourglass, hell i haven't even touched wind waker, twilight princess or skyward sword. but the games i have played, and the parts of the ones i haven't...this series is a masterwork of action-adventure. ocarina of time was my first foray into the world of more mature stories and cemented my love for mystical themes and fantasy, as well as just being a great game, with excellent dungeons and boss fights as well as a very expansive world and engaging sidequests. not as good as everyone says it is, but great nonetheless. however, the game i've played the most, and the one i'd consider to be my favourite in the series, is breath of the wild.
breath of the wild is within the top 5 of my favourite games of all time. it's a complete reinvention of the open world action-adventure videogame that i still enjoy as much on subsequent playthroughs as i did on my first. it may not be a masterpiece, but i hold it in the same regard as i would hold one. i just enjoy playing it that much, even if all i'm doing is roaming around the world aimlessly.

4. megami tensei
in recent times i've tried a good few new series to add to the list of games i've played, but i've never completed any of them, nor did they engage me very much. games like pokemon, final fantasy, dragon quest, i recognise these as good series, but they never pulled me in properly, like mario and luigi did. i do consider myself an rpg guy, but those never really hooked me.
that being said though, megami tensei and its series branches (devil survivor, devil summoner, shin megami tensei, persona etc) have to be some of my favourite games of all time, a few of them even taking first and second place. these games tell masterfully written stories taking place in almost constantly apocalyptic eras, and giving us characters that feel like real humans trying to adapt to what is essentially the end of the world. this isn't even getting into the other aspects of the games that i adore, the gameplay is turn-based JRPG at its finest, forcing you to manage your demons and skills so that you're constantly prepared at any given moment. it's almost required to exploit enemy weaknesses at all times, making the most of your limited turns and dealing truckloads of damage whenever you can, and that's only half of what the series has to offer. the amazing soundtracks, ranging from hard rock and electric guitars, to pop and rap, i consistently listen to all of them whenever i have a chance.
shin megami tensei: devil survivor and persona 3 are two of my favourite games of all time. if you like JRPGs at all, please play them.

5. none

none? yeah, i can't think of any other series that resonates with me as much as the four i've listen above. i haven't played games like spyro, xenoblade, pikmin, crash, not a lot of pokemon, i haven't even tried punch out yet. i still have a long ways to go in terms of videogame experiences, but what i've listed are by far my favourites from when i started playing videogames as a four year old in 2008, up until now.

 

[Reddispenser]

1. Tf2

Just read my name, Tf2 is just amazing, the art style is so different from other shooters and that's what got me in the game, the gameplay is chaotic and fun, the comics are also good, it just feels like a sandbox for shooter games with how much you can do

2. Portal

The portal series is probably up there with half life fighting for the title of Valve's best franchise, I like half life but portal is just a masterpiece, the characters have fun dialogue, especially wheatley, and the puzzles are kind of fun, the story is good too I guess

3. Sonic
Sonic started out as Sega's way of defeating Nintendo and to show off their very cool new console, and it worked for a few years, now sonic has ok games and sometimes good games like the difference between forces and mania

4. Mario
Mario is the most iconic video game character ever, why? becuz his games are so good, like really, if you were to sit down and play Oddysey and then come to me and say you don't like it, you aren't real, you are just a robot without any emotions

5. Pokemon
Pokemon is on 5 becuz while I love the games and miss when I could just get my gameboy advance or my brand new ds and play them in the morning, you gotta be honest, pokemon games are kinda boring, but they have a special place in my childhood, except for Cynthia's garchomp, I hate that dragon piss head

 

[Nitro Turbo]

In my opinion :
1-sonic the hedgehog
I don't know why but there are something innate that I can't explain it my body that he says to me to follow that hedgehog !
2-grand theft auto
Out of mature ! GTA series is really an Excellent from the story ...
I really love to drive car , exploring the city , using fire guns ..
install heros mods , real cars .....
3-need for speed
I love that series it contains many amazing and action games to play ! Doing street racings and going on pursuit chases !
I love cars and most of racing games video games
4-mario
I don't like him so much ! I just respect and like him normally not like a big fan He is really one of legendary video game chaeacters ! I don't have nothing to say about him !

 

[Nicolas618]

My one has an order, to "best to worst"

1.Life Is Strange series, LIS1 broke me one and again and again, its a series full of emotion, and its 80% chance its gonna make you cry or feel so sad, every decision you make is vital in the future. I've played LIS1 and i can confirm its one of the most well made games in my opinion, (and now its getting a remaster!!)

2.Sonic The Hedgehog, no need to explain this one right? It was my childhood, i've started playing Sonic when i was 6, so pretty much i know the franchise for a long time.

3.Street Fighters, i LOVE fighting games, especially the ones where you can mix up some amazing combos with certain skill, its just too good to see a nice combo with Ken, or the others.

4.Super smash brothers, yes i like the franchise, i only played Brawl out of the originals, but still i really like it.

5.No other one, i mean im gonna start playing Metroid on emulators if i can, (if someone can tell me what game is suited better for newbies, that would be great)

 

[room man]

1. Plants Vs. Zombies (I'm not a huge fan nowadays because the franchise is basically dead)
2. Sonic (I love Sonic but and I do enjoy it more than PvZ but PvZ is just more special to me)
3. Subnautica (I love it even in only 3 years)
4. Forza Horizon (Way better than Forza Motorsport)
5. Hearts of Iron (I love history)

 

[Chezi]

My Top Five from Worst to Best
1. Splatoon - Splatoon’s got fantastic music and a surprisingly deep and dark lore within it’s story and Splatoon 3’s trailer already has me theorizing on what the future of the series will be like. Inkling is actually my secondary main in Smash. The only reason why it’s so low on my list is because it’s only existed for 6 years now.
2. Mario - I grew up on Mr. Video Game. Those games taught me that you should prioritize gameplay over aesthetics, which is something that all developers need to learn from. Aside from that, the series has always been there to give me a good time, my favorite moments being from Luigi’s Mansion and the M&L games.
3. Smash - I got super competitive playing Ultimate and, unfortunately, Covid has prevented me from being able to attend tournaments. The amount of detail and passion that goes into the games, especially Ultimate, has led me to idolize Sakurai as a role model. I look up to him as he’s more than a game designer, he’s a man with a heart.
4. Sonic - I actually didn’t become that big of a Sonic fan until last year when I redownloaded Sonic Mania and Generations. Being the first Sonic games I’ve played in years (the other two were Colors and Unleashed about 7-10 years ago), I instantly fell in love with the franchise. After seeing Alpharad, a SmashTuber, play SRB2, I decided to give it a shot after buying my laptop. I eventually discovered the Discord and now I’m somehow well known in the community. Of course, Sonic could never beat my number one pick...
5. Kirby - Holy heck where do I begin? Kirby has very simple gameplay in its main modes and very complex lore everywhere else. The games aren’t usually heavy on storytelling until the very end, which is such a great tactic. You think you’re fighting for one until something else happens and you realize that’s the bigger threat. I just absolutely love the characters as well, Dedede being my most favorite of all time and my Main in Smash. I could go on and on and on about the series, but that would take literal months to do