My All Time Favorite Video Game Series

This is the type of thing that may change a bit with time, so I guess it would be better to call this the 2014 version of this list. Anyway, there are a ton of video game series out there that I absolutely love. Some have as few as three games (when I consider it to really be a series), and some have 20+, or even more than that. Here is my list.

30. Mass Effect
A lot of people are probably unhappy to see this franchise so low, but to be honest, while I think it's a very good game series with very good gameplay and a strong narrative, each game in the series just lacks a bit of character for me, despite the diversity of some of the characters and so forth, it's probably just me, but then again, this is my list. Still, with the number of games I've played in my lifetime, this is a very good spot.

29. Dead Space

I'm a big fan of horror games, and Dead Space brings some of the best one of the past generation. The first one was a lot of fun and very creepy, but the second one, to me, is the one that really helped the series to take off. The third one seems to be pretty underrated, as it's another very good game.

28. Street Fighter

This one takes me back, but it also remains fun today. This is a much more playful fighting game series than the Mortal Kombat series, and the characters are much more fun as well. This is a series that took a bit of a hit not too long ago, but came back strong with Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV.

27. Grand Theft Auto

Never has a game series eaten up so much of my time without me beating any game in the series. I loved playing these games so much, but at the same time I would always get distracted and never make it anywhere. Still, this is a series that has delivered similar, but changed up enough gameplay in a few different settings and continues to bring the fun.

26. Bioshock

This is only a 3 game series so far, but all of the games have been very good games. I'm not huge on first person shooter games, but this is such a great game series as far as personality and narrative goes. There are some serious mind twists throughout these games.

25. Mortal Kombat

I'm not much of a fan of fighting games, but the first 3 Mortal Kombat games were not only so much fun for me when I was younger, they also had a part in revolutionizing the industry, creating the rating system for video games, which ultimately opened the door for much more mature games out there. Not only that, but it was a fun series of games, and although it took a bit of a fall for a while there, it came back big time in 2011.

24. Sonic The Hedgehog

I know, this looks low for this series, especially with how great it was through most of the 90's. However, it took a very hard fall throughout the "aught" decade, and really hasn't totally recovered, although I feel like Sonic Generations is the best game in the series, probably since Sonic CD.

23. F-Zero

This is by far my favorite non-cart style of racing game out there. The first was very interesting for its time, and the series adapted very well as it went to other systems like the N64 and Gameboy Advance. F-Zero GX really launched the series into the next level, although it was an unbelievably difficult game, and then it just seemed to stop right there. I would love to see what they can do to this series using the visuals they can get out of the Wii U.

22. Star Fox

This series has been horribly ignored recently. The original on the Super Nintendo was unlike anything anyone had seen previously and even required a new type of chip in the cartridge that Nintendo had to develop. The N64 version is legendary, and although it can be very short, it can also eat up plenty of time if you want to play every last level. Star Fox Adventures is a horribly underrated game that really isn't what you'd think a typical Star Fox game would be, but it's a very fun game. Assault was kind of meh to me, not great, but not terrible I don't know if I ever even made it all the way through that game. Outside of that there's only the Star Fox 64 remake and the upcoming game that's been hinted at for the Wii U. I can't wait for that to come, but it's about time.

21. Resident Evil
 
This is what most people think of anymore when they think of horror games. It's good enough that I keep coming back. The first several games don't hold up great to today's standards, but for their time were outstanding. Resident Evil 4 saw a major change to the series, and it is one of the better horror games ever. Resident Evil 5 continued with this, although it wasn't quite as good, and both 6 and Revelations are very good games. I could do without Operation Raccoon City though.

20. Punch Out

As a Nintendo kid growing up, Mike Tyson's Punch Out actually went as far as to make me want to be a boxer when I grew up. I never did chase that dream, because it was a short one, but this game, when it came out, was one of the most fun games I had ever played. Super Punch Out on the Super Nintendo was even better, taking where Punch Out left off and adding many more elements to it and making the gameplay more complex. It was left at that for a while until Punch Out for the Wii came out. This breathed new life into the series, adding a choice between motion controls or regular controller controls. It continued the series standard of straight up fun.

19. Assassins Creed

This is a series that does a great job of combining stealth gameplay with action. It gives you a mostly open world, but at the same time doesn't give you many distractions either. The first game wasn't much better than solid, but 2 and Brotherhood were both excellent games. Since then the series has stayed afloat, some games even being very good games still. It's been pretty consistent since 2.

18. Final Fantasy

This is one of the original RPG series, or at least as we think of them today. The first Final Fantasy games were a ton of fun, but once 7 hit the series took on a new direction, doing a great job of keeping the series modern and really upping the narrative. This hasn't been the most consistent series out there, as 3 features an obscene amount of grinding, way too much, and some of the more recent ones haven't been great either. However, every game has some great moments and features at least one or two good characters.

17. James Bond

I'm being pretty broad with this, but it's any of the Bond games. Goldeneye alone is worth making it a top 20 all-time series. Still, games like Nightfire, Goldeneye Reloaded, and several others were also a lot of fun, even if they were not the "best" in their group, they were fun games to play.

16. Metal Gear

The original Metal Gear was a game that I loved as a kid, but I don't think I ever finished it, because stealth gameplay was not my forte back then, I was a more rambunctious kid, the type who if fighting wouldn't even try to block and would just run in swinging. That was just how I rolled, my style. However, as I got older I got better and better at it, and the original Metal Gear Solid was a major reason for it. As the series went on the games got better and better. Although I haven't played Ground Zeroes yet, so I can't speak for it. Even Metal Gear Rising was a whole lot of fun, although a bit short.

15. Saints Row

I was never a huge fan of open world type games, but Saints Row was one that kept my attention. When Grand Theft Auto 3 came out I absolutely loved it, but found myself always just wanting to mess around instead of getting things done. Don't get me wrong, GTA 3 was a huge part of my late teen/early 20's, and I love that series, but with Saints Row, the missions were almost as absurd as the rest of the game, at times even more absurd, making me want to play on to see what they would come up with next, and I was rarely disappointed. Mainly this was the case with the Third, but 2 and 4 are also both great games, and I have barely touched the first one.

14. Contra
 
Despite how difficult the games in the series are without cheat codes, this is one of the most fun game series that I've ever played. It was never overly complex, in fact, it was a very simple concept, but it just remained so much fun from the original through Contra 4. To my knowledge there hasn't been any games since then.


13. Timesplitters

Throughout the last 10-15 years the first person shooters that have gained all of the fame have been ones like Duke Nukem, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Killzone, and Halo. However, the best one out there was always the Timesplitters series. The first one was a good start, but it was Timesplitters 2 where things really took off, that was one of the best video games I've ever played. The third one was just about as good too. The difference between easy and hard is huge, giving the game appeal to a large number of fans too. What makes this game better is the quirky types of characters, the diverse time periods, and just the overall character. Instead of being another boring war FPS, you get something much more complex and unique every time.


12. Mega Man

I won't lie, I fell away from this series for a long time and still haven't gotten totally caught up even in what has happened. However, I remember the first two games being staples of my childhood, especially Mega Man 2, which in both gameplay and music is among my top games ever. The formula, for the most part, is simple, pick a robot, fight their stage, beat that robot, get their weapon. Things would change up later on, but there were still many of those elements, and the narrative has grown a lot since the start. It did get a bit over saturated at points, but the series has been mostly very strong.


11. Prince of Persia

I won't lie, I didn't even know about this series before Sands of Time. However, that series alone is enough to make it one of my all time favorites. I have since played the first couple of games, and they're actually really fun platformer type of games, more like the parts of the more recent games where you're in the halls avoiding the traps. Anyway, the Sands of Time trilogy is a ton of fun, and I love how Warrior Within throws a bit of a curve in there as a game that's quite different from the other two. Then you also have the one that's just simply titled Prince of Persia, with the cell shading graphics, it's a very different type of game with almost all platforming and very little combat, but it's still a lot of fun, and the combat that is there is mostly very good. Then there was a return to the Sands of Time series with Forgotten Sands, which, in my opinion, was a great game that featured some really cool new mechanics. There's not a ton of games in this series, but the ones that are there are good games.

10. Donkey Kong

I'll warn your right now, there is going to be a ton of Nintendo on here. The Donkey Kong series up to the early 90's was a fun series with some fun little games, but was a bit of a primitive type of thing. Then in 1994 it all changed, and changed for the better. Donkey Kong Country was such a good run of games on the SNES, my favorite still being the first, but 2 and 3 were admittedly more complex. The mechanics were perfect, the music was unbelievable, and it was just a fun bunch of games to play. The Country series would continue later on the Wii and Wii U, but before that there was the very strong Donkey Kong 64 game as well. There were also rhythm games that went along with it, and suddenly this was a series that was more diverse in different game styles than just about any other series out there.

9. God of War

The narrative behind these games isn't anything that will twist your mind, but it is incredibly epic. I had so much fun with the usually mindless hack and slash gameplay in these games, and loved how over the top the violence really was, as it wasn't anything where I could say "oh cool, blood!" to, it was actually hilarious what they were able to come up with. The game also actually has some solid puzzles in it as well as a few well hidden things throughout.

8. Heroes of Might & Magic

Another genre that I'm generally not a huge fan of as far as being a turn based strategy/RPG type of game, but this is one game that just somehow was always a ton of fun to me. I was never very good at it, but I always would find myself spending hours upon hours playing these games. It just never failed.

7. Dragon Quest

I'm not a big RPG guy either, but the Dragon Quest series has always done the trick for me. Sure, there's a lot of the things that I usually don't like about RPGs that are signatures of this series, mainly grinding, but at the same time, the stories are always top notch, there's no doubt about that. Also, it doesn't try to do too much, like many RPGs of this generation especially. It has been also been easily the most consistent RPG series out there.

6. Uncharted

This was probably the most consistent series last generation. The three PS3 games were outstanding games, each and every one of them. The first one was much more combat based, but the next two were much more diverse, and they did a great job in keeping the story diverse in the three, keeping the main theme of searching for a legendary treasure, but while the first one was about him growing an relationship with Elena while trying to save Sully, the second one was based around the back-stabbing he got early on and if he can trust Chloe, the last was based around his personal relationship with Sully. The controls are very well done and this is one of those few series where I am actually able to marvel at how beautiful the visuals are, which is something that goes beyond just graphics for me.

5. Silent Hill

It's a shame that this series seems to becoming a slowly forgotten series. This is, in my opinion, the scariest series of games throughout all of video gaming. Before you say, "He obviously hasn't played series X or Y," I probably have.The big thing about the Silent Hill series, to me, is that it rarely relies on jump scares, instead it sets the table beautifully with very creepy atmospheres, the feeling of just not knowing what's going on, and disturbing characters and enemies. It also, especially early on, utilized system shortcomings better than any other series I've ever seen. Some of the more recent games have been unfairly criticized if you ask me. Downpour is a great game that just has issues with bugs. The PS3 version of the Silent Hill 2 and 3 remakes is great, I guess the 360 versions had their issues though, either way, those were both always great games. There's a couple of lulls in the series, but for the majority of the series things are great.

4. Castlevania

The Castlevania game series, early on was mainly known for frustratingly difficult games. Looking at the first two games in the series, it's hard to believe the series really took off due to the difficulty. The first game mainly due to the dreaded Medusa heads, and it wasn't going to be easy without those. The second one was largely due to the whole lack of continues thing, having to start over completely after losing 3 lives. This made for an action game where, if you wanted to get anywhere in it, you would have to grind quite a bit. It still holds a ton of nostalgic value with it. Castlevania 3 is where the series really took off, then IV on the SNES really took it to the next level before it blasted off into the stratosphere with Symphony of the Night, largely considered to be the best in the series. Outside of that it's remained pretty strong. There were 3 very good GBA games in the series as well as 3 more excellent DS games. Beyond that, PS2 and PS3 both released a strong duo, and there were 2 games as well on the N64. I still haven't hit everything, but the bottom line is that this is a series where almost every game is great, and there are a ton of those great games. The storyline throughout the series is incredible as well.

3. Metroid

This is a series that hasn't released a ton of games, but almost every single one of them is outstanding. The only exception to that, in my opinion, is Other M. The original, especially for its time, was outstanding. While it hasn't aged the best, mostly due to the password system, it's still a very fun game that really brought exploration to a new level in action games. Super Metroid is still, in my opinion, one of the best games I've ever played. The same goes with Metroid Prime 1 & 2. Hunters and Corruption are both still very good games. Also, don't forget about the GBA duo of Zero Mission and Fusion, both outstanding games as well. Zero Mission adding a whole new twist to the original.

2. Mario

When a series has a game that is given credit for almost saving the entire video game industry all by itself, then has multiple games later on that are widely considered to be among the best games ever, you know the series is great. That's what it is with the Mario series. I'm not just including the platformers either here. I'm including the Mario sports games, Mario Kart games, and the RPG games (which I admittedly know less about, as I'm not an RPG guy for the most part). Still, for me, Super Mario 3 and Super Mario World are still favorites of mine. Super Mario 64 and the Galaxy games are considered by many to be among some of the better games ever, and Super Mario 3D Land/World games are also very highly rated games. The new Super Mario Kart 8 has breathed new life into the Wii U as well. This is one series that just constantly delivers fun games.

1. The Legend of Zelda

I don't think anyone who's read anything video game related from me in the past is surprised by this. The Legend of Zelda is one series that has seriously delivered every time. The only rare exceptions are the two Four Sword games, with Adventures actually still being a pretty solid game. Even Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass were both fun to me, although not without their frustrating moments. The game series has a level of diversity (despite popular misconception) that keeps it interesting, and just the whole dungeon/overworld element to it is done perfectly. From when I was a young child to now in my 30's, these games are always insanely fun for me.

Honorable Mention and Near Misses

Devil May Cry

Maybe one of the reasons I don't find the reboot to be blasphemous is because while I thought it was a good series before, I wasn't overwhelmed with it. Rather it's the original games or the rebooted one, they're all good games still.

Kid Icarus

I would have put this on there if there were more games in the series. The was the original NES game, then there was the second on the Game Boy, and then Uprising came out just recently on the 3DS. It does reach the minimum requirement, but I feel like it was just ignored for too long, and the Game Boy game is too easy to forget for me. Still, if this had been a bit more consistent of a series it would easily be in that top 30.

Sports Games

I'm being about as broad as possible here. Still, I've spent so much time playing so many great sports games over the years. RBI Baseball, Base Wars, Super Bases Loaded, Baseball Stars, Bulls vs. Blazers, Live '95, Live '03, NBA Jam, Madden '94, Tecmo Bowl, Tecmo Super Bowl, Blitz, NHL '94, NHL '14, WWF No Mercy, WCW/nWo World Tour, WCW/nWo Revenge, and the list continues. I spent so much time playing so many games.

Portal

Doesn't reach the 3 game minimum, but if it did it may even be in the top 10.

Doom

One of the most influential FPS games ever, and I played the original a ton when I was a kid, but it just didn't continue on strong enough.

Darksiders

Another series that doesn't reach the minimum. It would be pretty high up on my list if it had, but it's also one that has a few things to go before it reaches its high point.

Half Life

It technically doesn't reach the minimum, but even if you do count the extra episodes as another game, I haven't barely played the first Half Life, so I wouldn't be able to honestly put it in my top 30 series.

Far Cry

I haven't played the first one at all, but 2 and 3 are both excellent games. Like with Half Life, with only playing 2/3 of the series, I don't think I would be able to give a really honest look at how good the series is, especially when it's only 3 games.

Max Payne

It's a fun group of 3PS games, but at the same time, they're not great games and a bit generic. I actually liked the third one the most and felt like it brought more character to the series than any of the previous games.

Fatal Frame

This is another one that I haven't played all of, in fact, I've only played the first one. Based on the first game, it's second to the Silent Hill series as far as creepiness goes, and the first one was also a very good game, but like I said, I've only played one game in the series.

Thief

This is a highly underrated stealth/suspense series that has been mainly a PC series. I have yet to play the last game in the series, but the games before were all very good games, although none of them were overly spectacular.

Magic Carpet

To my knowledge there are only 2 games in this series, but the first was another PC game that I played to death when I was much younger. When I got a bit older and Magic Carpet 2 came along, I fell in love with the series all over again.

F.E.A.R.

This is an excellent series of first person shooter horror games. While I'd prefer something more 3rd person for my horror games, I really can't complain about this. It's a very creepy and very fun series.

Double Dragon

This was a very fun beat 'em up type of series a long time ago, but outside of Neon, I don't know if there's been anything new to the series since then.

Earthworm Jim

The first two games in the series were great, but then it got bad and went away forever.

Ninja Gaiden

The first couple of games were very difficult, but fun games. Since then there's been more games, but I haven't had a chance to really play too far into them. They do seem like good games, but I'll have to actually play them first. I own them and do plan on playing them eventually.