Metal Man on 08 July 2016
I think Mario is the best option here. It has the combination of quantity, quality, and variety that no other franchise can really measure up to. It isn't my favorite franchise, but it is pretty high on my list. Not only do you get great platformers, but you also get some great racers, puzzlers, RPGs, party games, sports games, etc.
I really wanted to say Mega Man, which is my favorite franchise, but ultimately I had to go with Mario. Mega Man has about 70 games total, so it definitely has the quantity and quality covered. However, I feel like Mario fares a bit better when branching out from the core platformer genre. So I'll give Mega Man the runner-up position.
