All Time Favorite Video Game Franchise

[Mat Mattitude]

Splinter Cell. Unlike alot of games, Splinter Cell makes you go without a gun half the time. That makes the game extremely hard. You also have to stay in the dark, go through air vents, hack doors and computers, and last but not least...
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[Dave]

Originally Posted by The Todd

Football Manager (or the Sports Interactive created Championship Manager). I have bought damn near everyone of these since 1997. It is the only game I have ever bought on the release date and it is the only game that has ever took over my life. From taking Middlesbrough to the League title on CM 00/01 to avoiding relegation with Norwich from the Premiership in FM 07, I have lived every minute of a game.

Other series I have quickly gotten tired of. The replay value of most games is not that high. Football Manager lasts forever. One guy on my course claims to have gone up to the 2032 season (he really doesn't have a life, yet I still feel pissed off the most I've managed is only four seasons).

You can start the game over again infinite amount of times and and each run through is completely different. There isn't really any need to buy any new versions of the game, yet they make them sound so good, and they deliver eveyr year, you can't help yourself.

Football Manager, by a LONG way.

I have to agree with this. I am the exact same when it comes to Football Manager. Over the last 5 or 6 years, I have bought every single one on the released date. It is such an addictive game that you cannot help but be taken over by it as you search for supremacy in your chosen league and then in the Continental competition. It is a great game and doens't deserve some of the flak it gets from some aspects of the games review media. I think it is a great series of games and one of the most fun things I have ever done.

There is no feeling that can be expressed by taking Hereford from the conference South to winners of the Champions League 4 years in a row in under 15 years. That was my greatest achievement and something that I still talk about to my friends. A greatly addictive game that can consume everything in your life and you just don't care.

I have still to pick up the latest one but it is not for a lack of trying. I just cannot find it in games stores.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Jackie Williams

Obviously, the one I've been a fan of is WWF/E Video Games. I love wrestling.

Another franchise game that I play every single year is the DBZ games. When they went from Gameboy Advance to main consoles, I was so happy. No more did I have to use such a small screen. And now, I buy DBZ game religiously... getting the newest one this weekend.

The DBZ games have never held any appeal to me whatsoever. I'm not trying to sully your choice but I never thought of them as really good games. I mean, myself and a few of my friends played it one night when one of my friends got it. He likes DragonBall Z and picked up the Budokai 3 (I think). We played it all night and had a really good laugh with it. However, when we went back to play it on another occasion, we were just bored with it and found it tedious.

I think if it isn't your thing, you are not going to like it very much for a prolonged period of time. Add that to the fact that there is plenty of other fighting games that have done the genre a lot better than DBZ and you really don't have a great thing to hang your hat on.

[hatehabsforever]

I am very surprised, shocked in fact, that no one before me has mentioned Pokemon. These games have been around for years and are still excellent and addictive.

Whether it be Battle Revolution for Wii, Colosseum and XD for GameCube, Diamond/Pearl/Platinum for DS, Rangers 1 & 2 for DS, several others for DS which I've not played, Emerald, FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby and Sapphire for GBA, not to mention the earlier games before these, and the ways these games all tie in together, makes for a successful and popular gaming series. With HeartGold and SoulSilver on the horizon, plus I'm sure it won't be long before there's a new Wii game or more remakes of older classics.

Definitely honourable mention to Mario, as several of you have already said, as well as Donkey Kong.

[xfearbefore]

Without a doubt it has to be the Grand Theft Auto franchise. No franchise has ever taken up more of my free time than GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas in specific did. A close runner up would be the Halo franchise in terms of sheer hours spent playing, especially the original, but even that still doesn't compare. When GTA 3 came out it was like a global revolution in gaming; everyone was playing it, literally every person you could imagine with a slight interest in video gaming was playing that game, and for good reason. No other franchise has given you that feeling of living in your own distinct and different universe like GTA does.

I could go on and on about my love for the franchise but I've done that many times, without a doubt thought GTA gets the nod here from me.