So I saw this on Reddit the other day and thought I would post it here as well, mostly because I am intrigued to see what you guys would pick. I know the image says no explanation is needed, however, for the sake of discussion, it wouldn't hurt to give one. With that said, which of the above three gaming franchises do you pick to keep?

I'll have my three posted in a bit, I already know what two of my three series would be, choosing the third one is slightly more difficult to do though.

Blindy , Big Pete , @ness , c , System , sandylea , Emperor , RagnarokMike

Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Country gets played fanatically in my family. Between us we have probably finished the three DKC games over a thousand times. Wasn’t huge into DK64 but absolutely loved returns & tropical freeze. If Diddy Kong Racing counts then I’m set as it smokes Mario Kart any day of the week.


Street Fighter
It is what I’ve play the most of in recent years, easy choice.

Final Fantasy
Countless hours of fun to be had and new story each time with different characters.
FFXIV alone you could pump hundreds of hours into, plus you factor in all the spin off games.

As I mentioned in the above post, the first two picks were pretty easy for me...

Super Mario: This was an easy first pick for me, Super Mario World is my all-time favorite game, so that's definitely sticking around. Throw in all the other Super Mario games and spin-offs (not counting Smash Bros.), and this one was really a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned.

Pokémon: It's Pokemon, for better or worse, I've been a lifelong fan of the franchise. Much like, how Super Mario World is a yearly playthrough, so is Pokemon FireRed for me, they are about as perfect a pair of games as you can get.

Mortal Kombat: The Mortal Kombat franchise is my favorite fighting series, so I'm leaning toward that as my third pick.

I hate passing up on Donkey Kong, Castlevania, Metroid, and Super Smash Bros. though, as they are all great series in my opinion and all three can easily take that third spot for me.

Mario
GTA
Final Fantasy

Ratchet & Clank- Favorite Platformer fun weapons with a ton of games.

Final Fantasy- Some of the best stories in RPG. Can replay 7 & X so many times.

Grand Theft Auto- Vice City, III, and San Andreas, some of my most favorite games ever.

Fallout
Resident Evil
Tomb Raider

Jun 29, 2023 5:37:41 GMT sandylea said:

Fallout
Resident Evil
Tomb Raider

To elaborate further
Fallout 4 - I didn’t actually know much about this series before I played this, and it was one of the first games that I actually got super into wanting all the achievements. I got every trophy, got multiple endings, platinum’d the game. I played this game for days on end. I seriously adore it, and it’s one game that has never been deleted from my console because I’ve always wanted to go back and play more of it.

Resident Evil - one of the OG horror games. Grew up watching Dad play it, and then I eventually played it myself. While not every single RE game has been a masterpiece, it has always tried to do something different and while it’s not necessarily about zombies anymore it is the godfather to zombie games. Also while everyone shits on the movies I love them.

Tomb Raider - Lara Croft is a bad ass, and the games are hella fun. Another one I grew up watching my Dad play until I eventually grew up to play it myself. While I haven’t played a lot of the originals, I have played a lot of the new ones. She’s an iconic character, and the mode in the anniversary collection where you could run around in the mansion and practice climbing tricks - I spent so so so much time with that mode. Also if it wasn’t for Tomb Raider I don’t think I would have Uncharted so another great reason for it.

I'll let PW guess my three before I reveal all.

Jun 29, 2023 15:52:51 GMT Emperor said:

I'll let PW guess my three before I reveal all.

I'm probably way off but...

Castlevania
Final Fantasy
Persona

I'm the ultimate Nintendo fanboy so Mario, Zelda & Pokemon.

Emperor

Final Fantasy

Crash Bandicoot

Spyro

Explanation: FF is a given. Like RagnarokMike, I'm doubling down on the last two. I think you're into your Sony platformers, and they have that right mix of gameplay, personality and difficulty.

So the way I interpret this thread is that I'm in some draconian society where I can only have access to three series moving forward.

Super Mario
I'm going to make this tougher and presume Mario Kart, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis etc. aren't included in the package. That's fine because to this day if I'm grabbing the Switch to quickly play something, it's usually a Mario game. Even before this thread popped up, I found myself playing Mario World and Mario 64. 64 for me is one of the most replayable games of all-time because it's so skill intensive and the better you get at the game, the better the game becomes. Whereas Mario World for me is pure muscle memory, so much so, I find myself struggling with the GBA port because of the slightly different controls and level lay-outs. There's so much variety to Mario and there's a few games in the series like Galaxy etc. I'd be keen to go back to.

The Legend of Zelda
Every holiday season, I'm playing a Zelda game it's a no-brainer. While I've played OoT to death, there's still a few entries I wouldn't mind going back to, namely A Link Between Worlds which I haven't played since it's release. What makes Zelda so appealing to me is that it strikes a perfect balance between story and interaction. When I play Wind Waker, I feel like I'm on a swashbuckling adventure. When I play Twilight Princess, it's like I'm playing a dark fantasy with more mature themes. Even the latest games like BOTW and TOTK I've only scratched the surface and would love to replay them properly and pick out different paths for them.

Pokemon
There is just always something to do in Pokemon. Whether it's building competitive teams and battling online, hunting down legendaries or playing through the campaign with different line-ups, the game just gives the player enough freedom to make each game enjoyable. Each entry usually has a unique component that's always fun to go back to, and I actually find myself even going back and playing the older titles because of how differently they play now. The series also has a consistent release schedule, so I won't have to wait long until a new adventure and I think Scarlet/Violet set up a good base for the series moving forward and I'm curious to see what they do to make the world more alive.

While Emperor keeps us in suspense...

I'll take a stab at other posters

Blindy
Mega Man
Ratchet & Clank
Resident Evil

My impression of Blindy is being a huge fan of Capcom, but also having a soft spot for R&C. If there's one series that has everything you like Blindy, I feel it's R&C with it's share of charming characters, fun action set pieces and a consistent quality on multiple platforms.

@ness
Super Smash Bros
Super Mario
Kirby

I feel confident locking down SSB for you Ness. The others are rough though, but I'm leaning towards more Nintendo-y games that have a sense of humour about themselves. I'm going out on a limb with Kirby with the idea that you love the little homages it has to other games, plus his/its transformations are always fun to keep up with.

c
Kingdom Hearts
Persona
Dark Souls

I'd feel more confident if Disgaea was there because that's the series I know you're into. Dark Souls is more a guess because of it's story-telling and how it rewards research and fan theories online. Probably moreso Bloodborne than Dark Souls, but they always tend to get lumped in.

RagnarokMike
Dark Souls
Castlevania
Metroid

I'm just going all in with action/adventure Metroidvanias/Dark Souls-likes. I'm pretty sure SOTN is that one game you keep going back to so I feel confident in Castlevania, Metroid I'm not as confident about, but I'll toss it against the wall and see if it sticks.

Final Fantasy

The no-brainer. If I were to list my Top 10 favourite video games of all time, at least half of them would be Final Fantasy games. So many hours in a game and so much replayability. There are a couple of FF games I've 100% completed, and I told myself I never need to play them again, but as the years go by I could easily see myself playing again and enjoying the experience just as much. Plus it's the gift that keeps on giving. New games coming out, a brilliant remake of the best of the series, MMORPGs.

Crash Bandicoot

An easy second choice. Crash Bandicoot is the perfect switch-your-brain-off game. Sure I won't be able to get as many hours out of them as Final Fantasy, but the three core games of the series is platforming perfection. Plus you have spin-off titles like Crash Team Racing. Great casual gaming fun.

The third series is a much more difficult choice. I don't want to repeat genres, so Spyro and Sly are out of the question. Pokemon is a tempter. Yes it technically is a JRPG but I consider it distinct from the Final Fantasies and Dragon Quests. It really is its own beast. However I'm too hot and cold with Pokemon, the formula gets pretty repetitive and the smattering of new features each game brings is rarely enough to bring me back in.

Therefore, a series that will surprise some...

Grand Theft Auto

I'm not known for being a GTA guy, but I've had a ton of fun with the GTA games over the years. From the 2D top down GTA2 to the Playstation 2 titles. GTA3 and San Andreas are both brilliant. Vice City is still on my endless backlog, and GTAV is a game I have my eye on.

Well done to Big Pete for getting 2/3. Lony got just the one, but Persona would be pretty high on my list too.

Yeah, I wouldn't have ever guessed Grand Theft Auto, as one of your games Emperor.

Big Pete

I'll have a real answer soon but I'm not sure what we're even picking... desert island and you only get 3 franchises for the rest of your life?

I'm currently playing through Kirby's 3d World game but honestly I could probably live without them. I play through every mainline game, but that's it. Granted that's how I game in general but still. Probably wouldn't waste a spot for him if I'm already snagging Mario just for the variety.

Good shout for SSB and sure it was my rep on PW for a long time... even my username because let's be honest only the most nerd stank BO infested GEEKS played Earthbound before 99...

That said I think I'm more of a fan of Super Smash Bros. than I am a fan of Super Smash Bros. if that makes sense. Most of my love and admiration comes from the OG N64 version and playing endlessly after school/work with my brother, neighborhood friends and my Dad. By time Brawl came around we were mostly playing Kart Wii (I didn't see it on there... are these our only options?) and I honestly didn't really like the direction it was going after Melee. I put an ungodly amount of solo hours into Melee and it's likely where the BULK of any fan fic lore I wrote came from... but something has always been "off" about the evolution since the heyday of N64 for me. I just liked the feel and the vibe of what originally was produced. Once they moved to 50+ Fire Emblem sword guys, super chaotic items and stage hazards that were more dangerous than seasoned fighters and I just lost interest. But that's also because without local coop it just isn't as fun. I did buy Brawl on release and faced SM. Outside of that I really haven't touched it.

See I'm tempted to pick Pokemon as the token JRPG since it checks all the boxes despite it literally being the same game with a new paint job. I'd pick it over FF which has sorta lost me as it moved to more "real" people and away from the fantasy element. Gotta get with the modern era sure and my first one was 7... but as the characters started looking like love interests from a shoujo anime... I just couldn't get into it anymore.

A lot of the options I just don't care for and don't wanna pick 3 platformers.

But I'll go with Mario, Pokemon and Mortal Kombat. Maybe it's just nostalgia but I don't really care about MK as a fighting game so much as I just adore the lore and all the characters. It peaked with UMK3 for me.

Jun 29, 2023 2:18:24 GMT System said:

Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Country gets played fanatically in my family. Between us we have probably finished the three DKC games over a thousand times. Wasn’t huge into DK64 but absolutely loved returns & tropical freeze. If Diddy Kong Racing counts then I’m set as it smokes Mario Kart any day of the week.


Street Fighter
It is what I’ve play the most of in recent years, easy choice.

Final Fantasy
Countless hours of fun to be had and new story each time with different characters.
FFXIV alone you could pump hundreds of hours into, plus you factor in all the spin off games.

This is a good one. Despite how people feel for '64, the series really hasn't produced a ton of games so they all feel fresh in their own way. Not saying make them like Madden or anything, but it wouldn't hurt.

Nov 18, 2022 2:32:51 GMT @ness said:

Good shout for SSB and sure it was my rep on PW for a long time... even my username because let's be honest only the most nerd stank BO infested GEEKS played Earthbound before 99...

That said I think I'm more of a fan of Super Smash Bros. than I am a fan of Super Smash Bros. if that makes sense. Most of my love and admiration comes from the OG N64 version and playing endlessly after school/work with my brother, neighborhood friends and my Dad. By time Brawl came around we were mostly playing Kart Wii (I didn't see it on there... are these our only options?) and I honestly didn't really like the direction it was going after Melee. I put an ungodly amount of solo hours into Melee and it's likely where the BULK of any fan fic lore I wrote came from... but something has always been "off" about the evolution since the heyday of N64 for me. I just liked the feel and the vibe of what originally was produced. Once they moved to 50+ Fire Emblem sword guys, super chaotic items and stage hazards that were more dangerous than seasoned fighters and I just lost interest. But that's also because without local coop it just isn't as fun. I did buy Brawl on release and faced SM. Outside of that I really haven't touched it.

That's a good point. I'm not sure what it was about Brawl either because it was a good game (PW's GotY from memory) but I spent far less time with it than Melee. I just think it's a case of playing Melee to death to the point where Brawl felt stale and inferior. Having played through Melee so much, I was so used to the way that game was balanced, that subconsciously it just made Brawl feel like a drag.

Granted there was a time and place aspect to it and I've always wanted to go back and give it a better shot. It certainly didn't help that we got the game three months after the US so a lot of the hype had already died down online.

It's actually cool to see the N64 scene is still alive and well. They've been making a lot of strides in the emulation community making new characters and stages centered around the N64 era.



Being able to play this on real hardware is sick. The Everdrive is one of the best gifts I ever bought myself.

Honestly I think it's the look and feel of said games that did it for me. There's a distinct difference between the way the characters look and feel in SSB vs. Melee. With Brawl and 4 they all just kinda feel like Melee but shinier. Maybe they perfected it with Gamecube, but the last 2 installments felt like enhancements rather than new games to me.

After you pick 3 what happens to the others ones in the theory? Can you only play the three you pick? Do the others one no longer get sequels?

The others get [DELETED]

I interpreted it as you can only play games from those three series, and I assumed sequels would continue to be made. Even if not I'm still happy with my choices.

Final Fantasy I have logs months of game time on the series especially 14 so this one is an easy one. And 16 can also give me my DMC fix as well.

Fallout if I can get more like New Vegas with less bugs. I love it when games have multiple ways you can solves problems. And where genders actually effects some of the solutions. Got to love games where you offer to sleep with someone and stab them in their sleep as a viable solution. And while 76 had a rocky launch it did get better with time.

Street Fighter because I love fighting games and while I have played some RPGs here more then that I need a little variety. This could have easily went to MK as well but World Tour has push SF ahead.

And because I don't know where else to put it.

www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxjH6TwEhs4X7tjkemZPGnJzBRpZZSdyo8

Jul 3, 2023 20:18:40 GMT Emperor said:

I interpreted it as you can only play games from those three series, and I assumed sequels would continue to be made. Even if not I'm still happy with my choices.

Pretty much yea, I can't remember from when I saw it on Reddit, but def how I was viewing it for the PW thread.

Jul 1, 2023 13:01:39 GMT Big Pete said:

While Emperor keeps us in suspense...

I'll take a stab at other posters

Blindy
Mega Man
Ratchet & Clank
Resident Evil

My impression of Blindy is being a huge fan of Capcom, but also having a soft spot for R&C. If there's one series that has everything you like Blindy, I feel it's R&C with it's share of charming characters, fun action set pieces and a consistent quality on multiple platforms.

@ness
Super Smash Bros
Super Mario
Kirby

I feel confident locking down SSB for you Ness. The others are rough though, but I'm leaning towards more Nintendo-y games that have a sense of humour about themselves. I'm going out on a limb with Kirby with the idea that you love the little homages it has to other games, plus his/its transformations are always fun to keep up with.

c
Kingdom Hearts
Persona
Dark Souls

I'd feel more confident if Disgaea was there because that's the series I know you're into. Dark Souls is more a guess because of it's story-telling and how it rewards research and fan theories online. Probably moreso Bloodborne than Dark Souls, but they always tend to get lumped in.

RagnarokMike
Dark Souls
Castlevania
Metroid

I'm just going all in with action/adventure Metroidvanias/Dark Souls-likes. I'm pretty sure SOTN is that one game you keep going back to so I feel confident in Castlevania, Metroid I'm not as confident about, but I'll toss it against the wall and see if it sticks.

I like the original Mega Man but I really like the Mega Man X games, well X1, X2 and X4. Mega Man Legends is cool too! Still diving into the Mega Man Battle Network & Mega Man Zero games. 

Oddly enough, not a Resident Evil diehard but I cherish RE4 mightily. I like R&C too, maybe a borderline top 5 pick TBH but the PS3 games sort of let this series down maybe outside of A Crank In Time. 


My top 3 based off this would be

Dark Souls
I am including Bloodborne here since it's all From Soft. I have played all of the Souls games and absolutely would rank them as Bloodborne>Dark Souls>Dark Souls III>Demons Souls>Dark Souls II.

Donkey Kong 
Outside of 3, I really like if not love all 5 of the games of this series(3 was good but not on the same level as the others). DKC1, and DKC2 and heck DKC:Tropical Freeze are fucking fantastic platformers and I pray we get another DKC game in the near future. DK64 I wish to do another revisit but it is a controversial game at best. I can play but not really go crazy over the old Donkey Kong NES games. 

Mega Man
I'll probably say Mega Man etches over some of the others. I adore all 4 of the Sly Cooper games but Sucker Punch not going back to this series for anything recently hurts it's standing here. Zelda has games I like, Final Fantasy has games I like, same with the Castlevanias. All have games I like and games I either have not played or didn't really stick with me much if at all. 

the 3rd one is tricky as those two are undisputed practically with DKC probably being my favorite series with Dark Souls behind it. 

This one is tough, been racking my brain over it. My short list:

Super Mario
Zelda
Metroid
Resident Evil
Castlevania
Dark Souls
Metal Gear
God of War

Now, I can take Super Mario right off the top, Super Mario World is one of the few games I see as legitimate perfection, and as a whole Mario rarely fails me.

Then, it gets pretty tricky, Symphony of the Night is my all time favorite game, but as a franchise, the earlier titles are more just nostalgia than legitimately fun. And Simon's Quest is probably the worst main franchise game of any of that list (so, ignoring RE side games, like Survivor). But post Symphony is pretty much straight greatness.

But even the worst Dark Souls, obviously part 2, is an above average game...but can I put it highly with just 3 entries? From's catalog as a whole would certainly make it, but just Dark Souls specfically? I'm not so sure.

Now Zelda is fairly consistent in the games always being good, but really, outside of OoT and Majora's Mask...I've never felt compelled to replay most of them. Sailing in the Wind Waker lost me, Twlighight Princess I think I just sold my Wii, and the BotW games are great...but are grindfucks to the degree that I'm not as interested in playing them again (if only TotK didn't patch out the best glitches). Korok seeds are still the worst collectible in video game history, and they did that shit twice. Horrible games as a completionist.

Resident Evil, god damn that's a strong contender, I adore the fixed camera era, and RE4 is amazing. But RE5 and RE6 I hated, though RE5 I found some fun factor in playing with my nephew, but still a shit RE. Then they bring it around somewhat with the Revelations game, but then all the way around for 7 and Village. Then you have the REmakes, the very first and 4th being amongst the greatest remakes ever, second and 3rd being decent fun but underwhelming as remakes. If they nailed the 2 and 3 REmakes, this'd be an easy in.

Metroid creates the critical design for my favorite genre, Metroidvania, really nothing bad to say outside Other M. But I may still like other franchises more.

Metal Gear has been gold since the 80's, none of the main titles being bad, only spinoffs like Acid and Survive to avoid. Amazing franchise with more diversity from entry to entry. Just a pity MGS5 ends up being an unfinished masterpiece.

And then finally, God of War...Ascension was the only title I didn't love, still okay enough. But the rest are some of the most epic games of all time. The sense of scale is astounding.

I just don't know which way to go with it all...which do I need more?

So, trying my best:

1. Mario: Every main Mario is a banger, a lot of great side stuff too, like Luigi's Mansion. And Super Mario World is just too damn good.

2. God of War: I've been in love with this franchise since the very first time I booted it up, Ascension being the low point, is still not a bad game...but the rest of the franchise is uniquely epic. From the rage filled originals to the regret filled older Kratos. Few franchises have stayed as consistent for so long. Even the PSP games are surprisingly solid, better than Ascension, some of the best of the platform.

3. As much as I despise RE 5 and 6...RE2 is one of my most replayed games of all time. I could practically walk through it forward and backward at a point. Though those middle REmakes are disappointing, still fun as hell, and 1 and 4 are gold standard amongst ALL remakes.

Hurt to leave off both Castlevania AND Metroid, both offering top 10 titles, just ultimately, as complete franchises...I'd take these. Or not, Mario is really the only sure thing as a franchise.

Mario - It’s fuckin Mario. Tons of games, virtually all are great

Fallout - Deep single player game. Less formulaic/railroady than FF

Street Fighter - I need a game I can play with my friends. Growing up we spent many, many hours having Street Fighter tournaments.

Outside of maybe excluding Mario, Zelda and Sonic, this was actually pretty easy. Final Fantasy/Resident Evil are vastly overrated and other IP's I love like Mass Effect/Kingdom Hearts lack depth by comparison.

Assassin's Creed - I'm a sucker for it, no matter the redundancy of the gameplay. It also has one of my favorite video games ever, regardless of genre or title (Odyssey). I do realize its flaws but I still love it regardless. Always instant nostalgia for me, no matter the entry.

Fallout - Up until 76, it was pretty much the perfect series. I've admittedly never played the OG top-down titles, but 3, New Vegas & 4 were and still are absolute classics.

Pokemon - Personal GOAT. King of nostalgia. That iconic theme song is literally 8-bitting in my ears as I'm typing this out. I played Blue, Silver, Platinum (skipped a few eras in high school/early 20's) and then Moon once the urge came back. Spent hours upon hours glued to my GB Color in the backseat of our 96 Chevy Lumina getting freaked out by Lavender Town and fist bumping when I finally kicked Gary's edgy incel ass. Wish I still had it just so I could see how far my progress was again.