Rank the Genres!

[Dagger Dias]

There are so many games out there, and several different genres that they can be sorted by. There's Platformers, Shooters, Adventures, RPG's, Puzzles, Simulation, Strategy, Party games, Music games, Sports and more.

I would like to see this in our discussion in this thread:

How would you rank these genres from best to worst?

Do NOT simply just list them. You must share your reasons why you like certain genres more than others. You may use other genres not included in my list as long as you cite an example of a game within that genre.

I'll go first.

1. RPG
This should be painfully obvious to anyone who knows me. I love everything there is to this genre. Turn based combat, action based combat, epic stories, gaining experience points, character development.... All of the above.

2. Adventure
This is my second favorite. They tend to share the good qualities of RPG's minus the battle systems to be replaced with more realistic fighting and generally one person instead of a party of heroes. Lots of great games in the adventure genre.

3. Platformer
Can't go wrong with a classic SNES or NES platformer. Always fun to keep trying to do "just one more level!". New ones such as Mario Galaxy have also been great with all sorts of new controls and innovative gameplay to try out.

4. Puzzle
These games are so addicting, hours can be taken up on nothing else but one little puzzle game when you are bored. Just look at Tetris.

5. Party Games
These can be almost as addicting as Puzzle games but show their true colors in multiplayer mode. Hence the name Party Games. They are not as fun in single player which lost them some points in my ranking.

6. Music Games
I'm not that good at these but I still enjoy them due to having a great selection of songs included in most of the games.

7. Simulations
I'm fairly neutral on this genre. It can be fun but they get old after a while and I don't find myself playing them too often.

8. Shooters
Back in the day this would probably be 3rd or 4th for me but this genre has gone downhill so badly it's not even funny. Terrible controls and boring stories in most of its games makes it bottom tier.

9. Strategy
I find these to be incredibly boring. There have been a few gems along the way such as Ogre Battle but I just cannot get into these games. However they are still better than....

10. Sports
Dead last for me is Sports. Granted most WWE games would be considered sports games but that novelty is not enough to save the genre. I can't tell you how upset it makes me when people claim to be gamers but only play stuff like Madden. It is torture for me to even watch these games (other than WWE games), let alone play them.


So? Your turn. Disagree with my ranking or someone else's? Feel free to debate. Now let's see how the gaming genres rank for the rest of you. Discuss!

 

[Fizzy]

1. RPG- My favorite genre. Give me a game with a good story that is told in an addicting manner with thousands of random battles and a nice, strategic battle system and I will be engulfed for weeks at a time. Nothing beats a good RPG in the gaming universe for myself and nothing comes close to touching it as first place.

2. Platformer- How can somebody not love games like Mario. Just mindless fun that anybody can enjoy and even requires a great amount of skill to beat. Everybody has played a platformer game in their lifetime and it's one of the most popular genres thanks to Mario.

3. Strategy- Gotta love these things. It takes a great amount of reaction time, skill, brainpower, and concentration to get anywhere near decent at these games. Starcraft and Command and Conquer are the gems of this genre and both are some of the most intense video games i've ever seen. The sheer difficulty of this genre is enough to put it at #3 for me.

4. Adventure I feel like this is being placed to low on my list because I love Adventure games such as Zelda. The one thing that detracts it's position is the lack of battle system. I enjoy a good battle system over most other things. That doesn't mean I dislike the open combat because I enjoy it very much. I just prefer a good battle system over open combat.

5. Sports- Not a huge fan of the major sports games such as Madden and NBA 2k, but I love me a good Hockey, UFC, or Tennis game. I was enthralled in UFC 2010 for a few days just because it was mindless fun even though the game could use some improvements. I don't like the major Sports genre franchises, but I love quite a few games from this genre.

6. Shooters- I feel this is the most overrated genre with COD leading the front, but you cannot deny how fun they can be at times. Most of them have slipped and only focused on Multi-Player leaving the single-player to suck some dicks, but there are a few gems lodged in this overrated genre. Gears of War really hit home with me and i'm impartial to Halo.

7. Music- I'm fairly decent at Rock Band on guitar and am alright on drums. I do find it very fun to play these games, and if I showed the dedication to be good at the instruments, i'd probably enjoy this genre a lot more, but it just hasn't hit home yet. I enjoy the genre very much, but I just haven't gotten into it like I should.

8. Party Games- Mario Party is fun, but they overdid it with the constant additions to the series. Other than that, they're very fun with friends but not something you can have an enjoyable time with in single player.

9. Simulations- Don't know much about the genre besides playing a few flight simulators before. They aren't bad and I don't have much experience with them but they're still better than Puzzle games.

10. Puzzle- Fuck this genre. I hate nearly every Puzzle game. I find it fucking repetitive and boring. Sure there are gems like Puzzle Quest and Portal 2 which I am impartial to, but as a whole, I hate them with a passion.

 

[Cracka Jack]

1. Platformer - The Mario series is easily my favorite of all-time, and anything that feels remotely similar is a game I want to play. Platformers are just plain fun.

2. Adventure - I'll assume this includes Zelda and third-person shooters, along with Survival-Horror. There's plenty of versatility in this genre and modern developers are really getting a lot out of it, so it's definitely high on my list.

3. RPG - Love me some RPG's. I give anything Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest a shot, and I absolutely love Action-RPG's like Kingdom Hearts.

4. Puzzle - A good puzzle game is an addicting thing, but they can get pretty repetitive at times. Still, I'm always willing to play some Tetris.

5. Shooter - Talk about an over-saturated genre. The market's filled with plenty of half-assed-money-grab attempts, but the good ones usually stand out.

6. Music - Like shooters, there were way too many music games on the market for a while until just recently. Still, when a new and innovative game comes around it can feel fresh and exciting, so I'll always give the genre a chance.

7. Sports - Haven't played many Sports games lately, but they can be fun every once in a while. Usually best to play with friends.

8. Party - I typically avoid these, but with the right people they can be very fun, as long as no one takes it too seriously.

9. Strategy - A genre I've barely touched. It's placement on this list is likely my own fault, but I doubt I'll ever get around to being a fan of it.

10. Simulation - Keep these away from me. I've never found fun in one of these, other than Sim Tower, and the Sims has always bored me to death.

 

[Sean Valjean]

I'm going to rank these as favorite to least favorite, since I don't believe one genre to be "better" than another. That said:

1. Adventure: Nothing gets me going like exploring countless dungeons, traversing diverse environment or discovering hidden locations. These games tend to encompass many genres and are almost always a blast to play so that is why it's my top pick. Adventure!

Standouts: The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Castlevania, Tomb Raider, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Okami, Prince of Persia

2. Platformer: A test of reflexes, skill and wit. These games are probably the purest in terms of pitting you against the game. These games don't rely on a story to push you along, allowing all of the focus to be put on some extremely polished gameplay.

Standouts: Mario series, Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis era), Mega Man/Mega Man X series, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Crash Bandicoot: Warped, Ratchet & Clank series, Sly Cooper series, Braid, Limbo, Outland

3. Fighting: Like the platformer, I love the amount of raw skill this genre emphasizes. Most are easy enough for anyone to get into but can take hours of practice to master all of their intricacies and nuances.

Standouts: Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Tekken, Soul Calibur, Marvel vs Capcom, Smackdown vs Raw

4. Role-Playing: I love the amount of control these games give me in terms of character development. I can be anything I want to be, whether it be the mightiest warrior, the most cunning rogue, or the douchiest asshole. Add in some larger-than-life stories and settings and you have a genre that has taken more of my life than any other.

Standouts: The Final Fantasy series, Chrono Trigger, Kingdom Hearts series, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, Fallout 3, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Dragon Age: Origins, Valkyria Chronicles, Disgaea series

5. Action: Fast-paced, mile-a-minute, heart-stopping adrenaline rush. These games don't let up and keep you on the edge of your seat from the start screen to the end credits.

Standouts: Devil May Cry series, God of War series, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden (3D games), Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

6. Shooter: There are few things more satisfying than nailing that perfect headshot or shooting the ever-present red barrel to take out scores of enemies. While I'm not too big on military shooters, I do enjoy sci-fi and other more creative takes on the genre.

Standouts: Goldeneye 007, Resistance, Bioshock, Dead Space, Galaga, Space Invaders, Super Stardust HD, Borderlands, Singularity, Pixel Junk Shooter, Bulletstorm

7. Puzzle: They may lack the high production values and epic moments games in other genres have, but these games can be just as fun and addicting if not more so. Puzzle games are a welcome break from the constant action and set-pieces of most games- just chill out and test your mind.

Standouts: Tetris, Dr. Mario, Lumines, Professor Layton series, Picross

8. Brawler: Forget a grandiose presentation-sometimes you just want to punch dudes in the face. These games are great for checking your brain at the door for some mindless (not to mention stress-relieving) action. These games are at their peak in multi-player as you and your buddies take on every thug, mutant, robot and alien that gets in your way.

Standouts: Streets of Rage 2, Final Fight, Golden Axe, The Simpsons/X-Men arcade games, Viewtiful Joe, TMNT Turtles in Time (The original and Re-Shelled) Castle Crashers, Scott Pilgrim vs The World

9. Racing: Tons of fun that is at it's peak when playing with friends. Racing simulators are good, but I tend to lean toward more chaotic games like kart racers.

Standouts: Mario Kart series, Wipeout series, Modnation Racers, Blur

10. Sports: With some exceptions, I'm not too big on sims like Madden or the 2K series, but will hop on anything that's ridiculous and unconventional.

Standouts: Mario Tennis, NBA Jam, Top Spin series, NFL Blitz, Hot Shots Golf