In no particular order. Here's 10 game series that bring the goods to their respective audience every single time. Fans of the franchise can buy the game without a single review, and know that they're going to be satisfied. And no. Side stories and spin-offs don't count. Also, there must be at least THREE games in their core series (so, no God of War or Gears of War).
1.Super Mario: Shut up. Super Mario Sunshine kicked ass!! If it's a Mario platformer, it's the best of its genre. Plain and simple. Next up is Super Mario Galaxy 2 to make gamers swoon and fall in love, all over again.
2.Gran Turismo: No racing game series is as consistently mind-blowing as the legendary Gran Turismo series. The first one took the world by storm with its awe inspiring realism and great soundtrack (I still listen to "Heaven is Wide"). From that point on, the series hasn't stumbled yet. More cars, more realism, and most of all, more fun with each entry. Expect GT5 to deliver as well.
3.Halo: The most hated series in gaming? If you were a message board lurker, you'd probably think so. But there's a reason that an uninspired character like Master Chief stars in one of the most consistently best selling series around. The games are good. Really good. Halo is among the biggest names in first person shooters because Bunjie knows its audience. Expect Halo: Reach to recieve criminal amounts of hate on the internet.....and infinite amounts of love from people playing it, worldwide.
4.Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Warrior Within, and the Two Thrones (even though the second was heavily criticised for its "emo-Prince") are among the best platformers that you can find. The way the story unfolds was a breath of fresh air in 2003. Play them again, now and they still hold up to the best games of the current gen. 2008's entry into the series was praised industry wide, as well. Fans can pick up the next Prince of Persia game and watch the movie at the same time.......but for once, the movie tie-in is going to rock! Trust me.
5.Ratchet and Clank: Has there ever been a bad Ratchet and Clank game? The correct answer is no. No there hasn't. Will there ever be a bad Ratchet and Clank game? The correct answer is no. No, there never will be. Look into my eyes. You can see that I'm not kidding.
6.Metroid: The last Metroid was in captivity. The galaxy was at piece. Fuck that! Metroid is probably the most under-appreciated series in gaming. Every single entry in the series raises the bar. Metroid set a standard (screw you, Kid Icarus!). Super Metroid was the first Gameboy game that allowed battery backed saving. Super Metroid blew away everything that came before. And don't get me started on the Gameboy Advance games, or the Metroid Prime series. Expect big things from Metroid: Other M, later this year (I hope). The excellence will continue. No doubt about that.
7.Splinter Cell: When the Splinter Cell series launched on the Xbox back in 2003, most people wrote it off as a poor man's Metal Gear. Most people were wrong. It only took a few minutes to get past Splinter Cell's complex controls to find that it was another (and in some people's opinion, superior) take on a tried and true formula. People who liked their espionage with a little more grit and realism had found their franchise. With Splinter Cell: Conviction hitting store shelve in a couple of months, expect even more gamers to find out why Splinter Cell is the real deal.
8.Metal Gear Solid: But as good as the Splinter Cell series is, the hearts of the gaming community belong to Solid Snake. The man has been kicking ass since 1987, but most people learned of him in 1998's Metal Gear Solid. From there, he's gone on to (co-)star in the contreversial MGS2: Sons of Liberty, Snake Eater, and Guns of the Patriots. Like Halo, the series has its share of detractors, but for its audience, no other series delivers like Metal Gear Solid. Will Raiden's game continue the franchise tradition of awesomeness? I believe the new guy has what it takes.
9.The Legend of Zelda: Once upon a time, a young boy saved the kingdom of Hyrule from evil. And the rest was history. Over the years and generations, the story has been told, retold, and told again. The tale of Princess Zelda and her saviour, Link, has been a staple for Nintendo console gamers for over two decades. And amazingly enough, every single game has been legendary. Zelda Wii is on the horizon. Gamers know what to expect: bombs, boomerangs, bow and arrow action, and tricky dungeons. And, we wouldn't have it any other way.
10. There is no number ten.....or is there? What franchise delivers ten times out of ten? It's gotta have at least three entries. Every single entry has to be awesome. Side stories and spin-offs don't count.
*edit* Final Fantasy isn't on the list because I never played 1,2, or 11, and I couldn't beat part 3 on the DS. Besides, my main reason for making this list was so that YOU GUYS could name some series that you think have always lived up to their hype.
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