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Off-Topic Discussion => Gaming Discussion => Topic started by: Mongoose on February 21, 2021, 09:31:44 pm

Title: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Mongoose on February 21, 2021, 09:31:44 pm
Random shower idea for a thread: if you had to choose, what would be your personal favorite game series when taking all of its entries into account? (Besides FS, obviously.)

For me, it has to be The Legend of Zelda. I never had an NES or SNES growing up, so I got into the series somewhat later in the game, with my first entries being Oracle of Ages/Seasons on the Game Boy Color. I picked up a used N64 to play Ocarina of Time a couple of years later, and the rest is history.  I'm not sure what I like the most about them, whether it's the solid basic gameplay loop used for most of the series that still allows for unique variations, or the vaguely-defined overarching time of an endless cycle of destined heroes being called to fight against an ancient spirit of evil. It certainly helps that almost every entry in the franchise is one of the best releases for its particular console, and at least four or five of them belong on any short list of the greatest games of all time. I've played and beaten every main-line singleplayer title in the franchise, and even after all of that, Breath of the Wild still managed to be one of my all-time favorite single games. I don't know what form the sequel will take, but it's a safe bet I'll love the hell out of it.

(It doesn't hurt that both Zelda and Metroid started out the same year I did. Good year to be born.)
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Scourge of Ages on February 21, 2021, 10:10:52 pm
Interesting question... much more answerable than "Favorite Game" would be.

I'm trying to think of a series that I've played every or almost every one of, and enjoyed every one I did, and it's harder than you'd expect...

Would Supergiant Games games count as a series? If so, then that, definitely.

Otherwise... I've played a lot of Total War and while I haven't finished many campaigns, I always have a good time.

I like every Fire Emblem game I've played, though I haven't played I think even half of them.

XCOM is generally excellent, but unfortunately includes Interceptor, Enforcer, and Declassified (which was not bad but not exactly gooood.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: MP-Ryan on February 22, 2021, 02:14:50 am
Dishonored is utterly fantastic.

Half-Life is a classic.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: The E on February 22, 2021, 03:18:29 am
* Ace Combat. No other series I've been playing has been this consistently my jam.

* Red Dead Redemption. Both of these games are amazing

* Saint's Row. Sure, SR1 was a bit dodgy, but everything else has been interesting at the very least.

* Metal Gear Solíd. Yes, even Phantom Pain with all its dodginess was still pretty good.

* Uncharted and the Tomb Raider reboot: These are practically the same, but I quite like these rollercoaster rides so...

* Homeworld. Yes.

* HBS' Shadowrun games. As a long time fan of the Shadowrun TTRPG, these did hit the spot.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Novachen on February 22, 2021, 05:19:20 am
• Star Cruiser
- Get known to it only a few years ago. It was actually mind-blowing for me. Even the first one was released in 1988, it was a better space game than Elite, and better first person shooter than the later released Hovertank 3D, that say enough. Sure, the sequel did not set any new standards, and its graphics was not even good anymore. But apart from it, it was also a good game. This series played itself right into my heart ❤️, over 30 years after its release :).

• Airforce Delta
- I like all three titles of Konamis take on with the Ace Combat series. Have to admit, that i did not need the Anime visual novel plot with countless branches and endings in the third game. But hell, Airforce Delta Strike becomes a space combat game in the end.
How a Freespace fan can not like that? 🚀

• Star Trek Bridge Series (Starfleet Academy, Klingon Academy, Bridge Commander & Bridge Crew)
- Well, Klingon Academy is by far my favorite game in this series. I had many fun hours in Bridge Crew aswell, even it is a game with massive wasted potential. 🖖

• Colony Wars
- Yes, Red Sun misses all of this originality of the first two games. But i liked the Plot, too. Even it was the weakest title in this trilogy...

• StarCraft
- I simple like all five games. Enough said.

• Star Wars: X-Wing/TIE-Fighter
- Good standard. Even if you count Squadron to it, there is no game in this series i actually disliked.

• Xenus
- Unfortunately this game series could never show its true glory in the west. It is actually a quite decent russian RPG series. However my favorite is "The Precursors" which was actually some kind of Sci-Fi/Space version of Xenus: Boiling Point.

• StarWraith
- Space Combat quality for over 20 years, now. I do not like it from a technical perspective... but i am most impressed nevertheless as most of the series is an One-Person dream. I had fun with every one of them after they got released. Of course, the older ones have not aged well. That was one of the things i actually also like, every game adapted to the corresponding zeitgeist.  🛸

• Uncharted
- As said above. A good and fun series of playable adventure movies.

• The Secret of Monkey Island
- I love all five of them. The fourth one was a pain in the ass due to its controls (back then, only years later i realized that this game is good playable with a game pad :lol:). But i loved all these flashbacks to the previous titles and most of all other references in the fourth nevertheless. 🏴‍☠️

• I-War
- What i had fun with all three games. Well, especially the first two games were hard and tough cookies because of a big simulation impact. But I-War is always a great time to spend. My favorite is actually its last entry. Edge of Chaos: Independence War 2 ❤️.

EDIT:
Some further additions. There are some series i like actually...
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: spart_n on February 22, 2021, 10:21:10 am
i have an unhealthy emotional attachment to the halo franchise and that sort of attachment hasnt quite replicated with any other vidya franchise
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Colonol Dekker on February 22, 2021, 11:16:51 am
Oooh tough,  I love me some (in no particular order).
+C&C (inclusive of all universes RA, generals, etc)
+Wing commander
+Homeworld (since the demo on the half life CD, through to cataclysm)
+Battlefield series
+I-war ("clear the bridge" makes my eyes leak)
+90's Lucasarts as a whole
+Freespizzle
+SNES killer instinct / mortal combat/SF Alpha 2
+Metal Gear up to 5 (peacewalker included)
+some sweet marvel vs capcom
+Dead or alive (Jan Lee is my spirit animal, but Tina is my original waifu)

@Novachen.... 5 starcraft games??  Are you including the terrible terrible expansion packs for the first game? (no not brood war, the other onesl
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Scourge of Ages on February 22, 2021, 11:44:36 am
Quote from: Colonol Dekker on February 22, 2021, 11:16:51 am
@Novachen.... 5 starcraft games??  Are you including the terrible terrible expansion packs for the first game? (no not brood war, the other onesl

WHAT? Other expansion packs?
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: TopAce on February 22, 2021, 11:57:47 am
Maybe he means Warcrafts I through III and the two StarCrafts?
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: 0rph3u5 on February 22, 2021, 12:09:09 pm
Quote from: Scourge of Ages on February 22, 2021, 11:44:36 am
Quote from: Colonol Dekker on February 22, 2021, 11:16:51 am
@Novachen.... 5 starcraft games??  Are you including the terrible terrible expansion packs for the first game? (no not brood war, the other onesl

WHAT? Other expansion packs?

I'd guess...

- StarCraft (vanilla)
- StarCraft: Brood War
- StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty
- StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm
- StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void

considering each of the expansions' single player content is roughtly in keeping with the first outing, you can make it 5 games. Also, with the exception of Brood War, I am sure each is stand-alone.
That count begs the question why the Nova Ops DLC didn't make the count - it's good even if the story is a rehash of the SC vanilla's terran campaign.

And there were thrid party mission disks to SC1 vanilla that were sold commerically - anthology stuff of rather poor quality.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Novachen on February 22, 2021, 12:39:26 pm
Yes, i mean both StarCraft and the three StarCraft II titles.

I do not forgot Nova Covert Ops... but that is only a DLC, but not a full fledged out expansion pack... so i do not count that as an own game.
If i do, then i would need to count the Enslavers campaigns for StarCraft also... as they were official free campaigns by Blizzard... so to speak free DLCs.

Never digged in too much in unofficial stuff unfortunately. Sure, StarCraft: Mass Recall is great (so much better than the official remaster). Legacy of the Confederation was also quite good... but that is everything i remember to have played  :D
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Colonol Dekker on February 22, 2021, 02:39:33 pm
Starcraft had three expansions,
Brood war, needs no further explanations.

Insurrection, and retribution...both were simply terrible.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarCraft:_Insurrection

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarCraft#Retribution
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: starlord on February 22, 2021, 05:56:26 pm
Ok, my turn. Time to go for some lesser known stuff maybe:

-Archimedean dynasty/aquanox series, with my absolute adoration of the first. In my opinion, an almost perfect blend of story, immersion and innovative gameplay back in 1996. Germans know the first as schleichfahrt. While the recent deep descent has been somewhat of a departure, i wonder what thq Nordic will do with the series now.

The epic/inferno series by digital image design. Epic was to be the answer to origin’s wing commander, and the very first title to propose both space and planetary battles. While it could have been much more than it turned out to be, it was still notable. Inferno corrected the situation by proposing much more and being one of the first space sim to propose a dynamic campaign.

-echelon/echelon: wind warriors: a definite go to for immersive planetary combat. The first one looked beautiful back in 2000.

-virus/virus 2000: David braben games. Because despite calling myself an absolute masochist for playing those games (the camera in those games is infuriating) I still thoroughly enjoy their quirks. V2000 in particular took this to a new level and mercifully knocked down the difficulty a peg (the game still remains murderously hard).

That’s all I can think of for now. No doubt there’s lots more.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: CP5670 on February 22, 2021, 08:39:31 pm
C&C, Dishonored, Deus Ex and Freespace all come to mind, but I would say the best series of all is Mass Effect 1-3. The individual games were not flawless, but the way they all tied together and the story carried over across games was unmatched anywhere else.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: manwiththemachinegun on February 22, 2021, 09:42:10 pm
Really a toss up between Metal Gear, Ace Combat, Final Fantasy and Fallout. Those are the games that meant the most to me growing up, and games I still get excited about playing and replaying.

Freespace is up there, but I don't quite have those same kind of feels.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Novachen on February 23, 2021, 04:27:49 am
Quote from: starlord on February 22, 2021, 05:56:26 pm
Ok, my turn. Time to go for some lesser known stuff maybe:

-Archimedean dynasty/aquanox series, with my absolute adoration of the first. In my opinion, an almost perfect blend of story, immersion and innovative gameplay back in 1996. Germans know the first as schleichfahrt. While the recent deep descent has been somewhat of a departure, i wonder what thq Nordic will do with the series now.

So you actually liked Deep Descent?

I not, that is the reason I could not list that :-(.
I mean as a fan of a series in a whole I have to like all games in a way  :nervous:


Quote from: CP5670 on February 22, 2021, 08:39:31 pm
C&C come to mind.

Really?

You are fan of Tiberian Twillight?
I am surprised by the Deep Descent statement... But here I am totally in shock  :lol:
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: X3N0-Life-Form on February 23, 2021, 04:35:23 am
Well, this is about game series as a whole, I think you're allowed to dislike single entries ;) (C&C is what, 8 games ?)
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: starlord on February 23, 2021, 05:12:35 am
@novachen: technically I thought aquanox inferior to AD. Does it mean I shouldn’t list the series? Deep descent is unfortunately flawed in many many ways, but at least it’s an attempt to do something with the franchise. That alone is notable. Now if only thq Nordic could do something more, perhaps more in the setting of AD, I’d be all aboard.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Novachen on February 23, 2021, 05:27:42 am
Well, i do not know if you should list it.

Maybe i misunderstand this thread, as i only listed the series, where i liked all official games in a way... as the entries of a whole series.

But for sure it interpretable... as you could also say, that you count several series within a universe. Did not thought through that actually, as C&C could also mean Red Alert, which can be count as a game series on its own...  :nervous:

I mean, i do not listed Aqua because of Deep Descent, i do not listed Metroid because of Other M, Tomb Raider because of the Reboot etc. pp.
But again, maybe i simple see it the wrong way :).


At least it was better to see it that way for myself, as i listed more than enough series already :D
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: 0rph3u5 on February 23, 2021, 05:42:57 am
Quote from: X3N0-Life-Form on February 23, 2021, 04:35:23 am
Well, this is about game series as a whole, I think you're allowed to dislike single entries ;) (C&C is what, 8 games ?)

Seconded. I think it would be next to impossible to like a series with any kind of history without taking a stand both pro and con some of the entries; e.g. I am a fan of the Warhammer 40.000 - Dawn of War-series* but only Dawn of War: Dark Crusade and Dawn of War II including Chaos Rising were good (multi-balancing not withstanding).

* full listing of stand-alone entires:
- Dawn of War
- Dawn of War: Winter Assault (originally not stand-alone)
- Dawn of War: Dark Crusade
- Dawn of War: Soulstrom
- Dawn of War II
- Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising (originally not stand-alone)
- Dawn of War II: Retribution
- Dawn of War III
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Mongoose on February 23, 2021, 09:15:36 am
Yeah, I mean I could probably rightly be called a Zelda fanboy, and while there wasn't an entry in the series I've flat-out disliked, there are a few I'd easily list as not being as enjoyable as others. It's a lot to ask for any long-running series to please everyone all of the time.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Iain Baker on February 23, 2021, 10:48:35 am
In no particular order:

FS - obvs.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Half-Life
Crysis
Homeworld
Turrican
Streets of Rage
Street Fighter
F.E.A.R. (Only the first game and it's two expansion packs Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate - F.E.A.R. 2 sucks monkey balls)


One-off favourites inc.


Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (recent events make me question VTMB2 will get finished)

Void Bastards

Carrion

Cave Story

Hurrican (unofficial Turrican remake)

Unreal Tournament GOTY '99 (Love it, didn't like 2003/4, haven't bothered with UT3)

Subnautica (Subnautica: Below Zero doesn't count until it leaves beta/early access etc.)

System Shock (technically there are two System Shocks, but I couldn't get on with the antiquated controls of the original or the special edition, so I have only played SS2 - bring on the SS1 remake and SS3!!!)

I may add Control to the list due to its sheer insane bat$h1tterY IF they patch the XBGPC version so it stops crashing ALL. THE. FECKING. TIME!!
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Scourge of Ages on February 23, 2021, 03:34:39 pm
I kind of feel like a series shouldn't qualify if there's only one good game/actual game in the series...
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: starlord on February 23, 2021, 05:47:49 pm
If we are speaking beyond space sims:

-tomb raider: although to be fair, I’m mostly reminiscing on the old ones I had, which are 1 through 3.

-cyberia and cyberia 2: resurrection from Xatrix. I enjoyed them at the same time as descent. Enjoyable cyberpunk stories.

Ah, how could I forget:

The terminal velocity “series”, comprising terminal velocity, but also its win95 successor fury3 (as well as its extremely rare add on f-zone) and true sequel hellbender (which took a simplistic story and made it into something much darker).
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on February 23, 2021, 09:53:10 pm
Doom stands as my favourite game series as a whole. Every single game in it has its moments, even Doom 3, and both the 2016 reboot and Eternal are quite entertaining to watch, so even though I don't own or play them, they still pique my interest. With id mentioning that they are creating a Doom universe, as well as the release of The Ancient Gods Part One DLC for Eternal, this is the only remaining game series that I am still observing with great interest.

The memes help too.


Other game series I considered, with the reason why I've overlooked them in favour of Doom, are:
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Deathsnake on February 24, 2021, 02:21:04 am
- Wing Commander 1-4, Privateer, Armada
- Freespace 1+2
- X-Wing Series
- Mass Effect 1-3
- Battlefleet Gothic 1+2
- Crusader - No Remorse & No Regret
- Battlezone 1+2
- Mechwarrior 2-4
- System Shock
- Homeworld Series
- Doom
- Halo Series PC
 
Lone Games
- Strike Commander
- Bioforge
- Battlestar Galactica Deadlock
- Freelancer
- Starlancer
- Terminator Resistance

2D Space Arcade Games
- Turrican / T2002 / Hurricane
- Raptor
- R-Type
- Katakis
- Skyforce Anni and Reloaded

Fun Fact-  those games are also complete several times while over 1k other games just sitting on a high tower of shame. Even AAA Games - not space - not on my List. Maybe i never even start them.

Non Space Game i play - World of Warships
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Strygon on February 24, 2021, 05:18:49 am
-Trauma Center
-System Shock. First one moreso than the second one, actually.
-Metal Gear
-Half-Life
-Homeworld
-Sly Cooper
-Touhou
-Gran Turismo
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: 0rph3u5 on February 24, 2021, 06:13:59 am
Quote from: Scourge of Ages on February 23, 2021, 03:34:39 pm
I kind of feel like a series shouldn't qualify if there's only one good game/actual game in the series...

There is no objective metric here ... attachment to a series can start and end for a variety of reasons irrespective of qualitiy...

Speaking of which, I think I owe this - no particular order:

- Freespace (Freespace 1 & 2)
It's basically Space Sim crossed with some of the best of Kajiu movies - esspecially Freespace 2. Also pretty baseline for here

- Larian's Divinity-series (Divine Divinity; Beyond Divinity; Divinity 2: Ego Draconis + Flames of Vengance; Divinity: Dragon Commander; Divinity: Original Sin; Divnity: Original Sin 2)
Granted they have not been good as games before Original Sin - when they actually introduced a good combat system instead doing boilerplate ARPG stuff - but it has been a joy and priviledge to have been along for the ride since the first game.

- Relic's Warhammer 40.000 - Dawn of War-series
Despite mostly being focussed on the most boring aspects of WH40k - the Imperium of Man and its Astartes defenders (although it gave us two (https://youtu.be/BZzbAaHHidg) of the (https://youtu.be/c2ujVI5CPjk)  greatest (https://youtu.be/wqd4U-BGQPw?t=100) Chaos (https://youtu.be/mOwu8j_KeeA) Champions (https://youtu.be/JL6LNePez0U) of all (https://youtu.be/ae6Fao42aHE) time (https://youtu.be/FFHMf-nSIic?t=343)) - they rise from the pack of RTS games for me; esspecially Dawn of War 2 which brought some of the mechanics from the Company of Heroes-games to the brutal combat of the 41st Millenium - emphasis on cover and the battlefield control over the annihilation of the enemy - and jettisioned the cumbersome base building in favour of managing an force to be effective in the field, it was RTS perfection. Dawn of War III in many ways was case study of one step foward, two steps back - which is not entirely the fault of Relic as they didn't make the RTS audience.

- Relic/Blackbird's Homeworld-series
While the mission design and quite frankly the AI never quite lived up to the promise, the RTS genre moved in a different direction and all immitators failed at basic hurdles - it is not only one of the most important RTS landmarks, but also one of the game series I will forever credit for making me think much for three dimensionally for gameplay - and it I think it some times shows in my mission design when I was last playing one of the games.

- Tindalos' Battlefleet Gothic: Armada-series
While similarly afflicted as Dawn of War with a focus on the most boring and stagnant aspects of the WH40k IP in their single player content and bound to 2D spaces, the rendition of the table top game is powerful in its presentation. Also, it is loads of fun to apply submarine tactics to the multiplayer (sadly the AI is not greatly affected by the stealth mechanics). The Necron campaign of Armada 2 was particularly fun - Trazyn the Infinite is one magnificent bastard.

- Bioware's Mass Effect-series (including and with special mention of Andromeda)
It goes without saying that Bioware's honed technique of establishing a player's ownership over their playthrough is at full display here. However the original series and its world building has some dire faults (e.g. the very 19th century zero-sum game approach to galactic politics), and adressing those is partially to blame for how overstuffed, underdeveloped and directionless Andromeda eventually turned out.

- Bioware's Dragon Age-series (with special mention of Dragon Age II)
While on the gameplay front there is plenty fault to be head with each entry of the franchise, e.g. all the damn flailing - it is another good example how powerful owning your playthrough can be. Plus, more more than ME DA has a lof of contemporary ideas on its mind, which makes it that bit much more valuable as exercise in self-relfection. The rushed and often-maligned second mainline game also did some really cool things as bucked western RPG conventions, e.g. by emphasising the passage of time rather than the traversal of space.

- Nihon Falcom's Trails of Cold Steel-series
I admit, I am not a fan supporting the status quo in games I play - I've a seemingly build-in tendency to defy authority which I can let run wild in games, and much of my love of RPGs is rooted in the fantasy of toppling a status quo by whatever means I have at my disposal. But ToCS really does masterfully blend an engaging narrative with fowards momentum with connecting you to its world (even if that requires some tolerance to anime tropes); rarely did I feel it was so right to put a world back to what it was. The final game, in all its "all star game"-glory, flaters greatly in the second half and there lack continuity between 1/2 and 3/4 produces really have cringe at times.

- Capcom's Monster Hunter-series
This series is epitome of grind, but that also means it is one of the games that is really relaxing to play as a group, if all players have an affinity for playing asmetrically and complimentary roles (many of the people I game with sadly are not that calliber).

- From Software's Dark Souls-series
I enjoy the games' dark atmosphere and gothic stylings, but most of all I enjoy the control they give you to engage with the game as you see fit.

- Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda-series
The series has its highs and lows, but that is a function of the fact that it is never needed to truely repeat itself (funny to say that about a series that a returning constellation of characters across generations baked into its deep lore).

- Black Isle/Bioware's Baldur's Gate-series
While going back with the Enhanced Editions has put things into stark perspective as to how far RPGs have come, these were among the titles that allowed me to see RPGs as more than dungeon crawlers and ignited the wish for companion characters to be more than "complementary ability packages".

- Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity-series
Both games have major pacing issues but when stories are at full momentum they are awesome play through. Also the second game has bespoke sea chanties :)

There are of course a few which didn't make the cut to the list, e.g. Altus' Persona-series, mostly because I got into contact with them in later entries and therefor am not sure if I can endorse the series yet. And there are others where outside events have cast a shadow that warrants investigation before I re-endorse them, e.g. Fallout 1+2+New Vegas.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: CP5670 on February 24, 2021, 08:30:33 pm
Quote from: Novachen on February 23, 2021, 04:27:49 am
Really?

You are fan of Tiberian Twillight?

Okay, that one was pretty bad. I actually liked the gameplay and it would have made a good spinoff game, but the story was garbage. The first three games were all excellent though.


Quote from: 0rph3u5 on February 24, 2021, 06:13:59 am
- Bioware's Dragon Age-series (with special mention of Dragon Age II)
While on the gameplay front there is plenty fault to be head with each entry of the franchise, e.g. all the damn flailing - it is another good example how powerful owning your playthrough can be. Plus, more more than ME DA has a lof of contemporary ideas on its mind, which makes it that bit much more valuable as exercise in self-relfection. The rushed and often-maligned second mainline game also did some really cool things as bucked western RPG conventions, e.g. by emphasising the passage of time rather than the traversal of space.

I liked these games a lot, but they were not quite as cohesive as a series as Mass Effect, especially since your player character was different each time. I agree that the second game had some great aspects despite its issues, like Hawke (by far the best player character) and the friendship/rivalry system.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: 0rph3u5 on February 25, 2021, 02:00:00 am
Quote from: CP5670 on February 24, 2021, 08:30:33 pm
[re Dragon Age]
I liked these games a lot, but they were not quite as cohesive as a series as Mass Effect, especially since your player character was different each time.

I actually think that having a different player character each time is one of the strong points of the series - It breaks with the idea of the "indispensible man" (masculine is no accident here) and it structurally encourages you to play each role with committment to a course of action that is right. If it Dragon Age ever does an "all-star-game" it would be intersting so see what comes of it, esspecially if you bring your PCs into ideological opposition or agreement.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Scourge of Ages on February 25, 2021, 11:13:36 am
Quote from: 0rph3u5 on February 25, 2021, 02:00:00 am
I actually think that having a different player character each time is one of the strong points of the series - It breaks with the idea of the "indispensible man" (masculine is no accident here) and it structurally encourages you to play each role with committment to a course of action that is right. If it Dragon Age ever does an "all-star-game" it would be intersting so see what comes of it, esspecially if you bring your PCs into ideological opposition or agreement.

What I especially loved about DA:O, that I had never seen in a game before, the choice at the end
Spoiler:
to literally sacrifice your character. Who would then be dead. For good. DLC doesn't count...
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Iain Baker on February 26, 2021, 04:34:54 am
Quote from: Deathsnake on February 24, 2021, 02:21:04 am


2D Space Arcade Games
- Turrican / T2002 / Hurricane
- Raptor
- R-Type
- Katakis
- Skyforce Anni and Reloaded





Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Mongoose on February 27, 2021, 05:37:20 pm
Heh, I figured this would be people making a case for their single favorite series or two instead of just listing off a bunch of titles, but so goes the thread.

If we're doing more than one then I'd be remiss if I didn't mention what would probably be my second-favorite series: Myst. The original game was included in one of those assorted software bundles that came with our new Gateway 2000 in 1996 or so, and my 10-year-old self was curious enough to try it out. I'm glad he did, because I was instantly blown away by being dumped into this beautiful, surreal world. (I was also inexorably lost until I eventually got a good ol' Prima strategy guide.) The sequel, Riven, was even more astonishing, and to this day its  pre-rendered graphics are still stunningly beautiful, an all-time achievement in world-building. In my mind Cyan Worlds are unrivaled masters at creating digital spaces that feel real, actually lived-in, with internal logic and mechanisms that feel concrete and plausible. Myst III and IV were outsourced to other studios (the former notably Presto, who created the Journeyman Project adventure games), and I liked Myst III in particular, but Cyan themselves were busy working on something I don't think anyone else has ever attempted: Uru Live, an MMO adventure game that told its story via real-time interactions with "actors" controlling game avatars.  It was beautiful and incredibly ambitious, yet Ubisoft (as publishers do) essentially killed it before it even had a chance at a proper release, and then after a short-lived revival on the GameTap subscription service in the late 00s it died yet again...except it didn't. Cyan is currently hosting a free donation-supported instance f the game and released its source code, and the community has been contributing bugfixes and improvements. Most excitingly, last year saw the first release of fan-created content on the official instance, with the promise of more to come in the future. The Myst fandom is small but incredibly enthusiastic and dedicated, much like our own, and I'm looking forward to seeing this little game that could continue to live on and grow.

More recently, Cyan Kickstarted and released a fantastic game called Obduction, which was essentially a Myst title in all but name and was a great burst of nostalgia. They're working on another game called Firmament right now, and I can't wait to get sucked back into one of their worlds.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: AdmiralRalwood on March 13, 2021, 04:19:47 pm
I think it's honestly a tossup between Monkey Island and Devil May Cry; the former for being completely linear and yet inspiring me to replay the entire series on a regular basis (not to mention its profound impact on my childhood), and the latter for... well, honestly, just for scratching an itch that somehow none of its "inspired by" successors ever managed to scratch in quite the same way.

Yet I also feel it's important to note that my top Steam games by playtime are largely not part of a series; the number one game is Factorio, with more than twice as many hours as the second-place game (which is Terraria, which itself has twice as many hours as Starbound). Although if you add up hours spent in Skyrim and Skyrim Special Edition they'd beat out Starbound, so perhaps I should also consider The Elder Scrolls, especially given the thousands of hours I spent playing Morrowind pre-Steam.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: CP5670 on March 14, 2021, 08:27:26 pm
Quote from: AdmiralRalwood on March 13, 2021, 04:19:47 pm
I think it's honestly a tossup between Monkey Island and Devil May Cry; the former for being completely linear and yet inspiring me to replay the entire series on a regular basis (not to mention its profound impact on my childhood), and the latter for... well, honestly, just for scratching an itch that somehow none of its "inspired by" successors ever managed to scratch in quite the same way.

Monkey Island was awesome. The first four games are really good, while the newer Telltale ones were hit or miss but had some good episodes. I have them all set up in ScummVM and ResidualVM. You can run ScummVM on a phone or tablet these days, and the games are well suited for a phone.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Akalabeth Angel on May 31, 2021, 12:38:11 am
Any game from Ninja Theory - Heavenly Sword, Enslaved, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - haven't played DmC.  Love what they do and hope microsoft doesn't mess them up.

Other than that?
new Tomb Raider series is great.

Bethesda Fallout & Elder Scrolls games (SP)

Will also always love the first two Thief games, though never played the ones that came after.

Also Deus Ex (new ones)


Basically love any series where I can be a sneaky bugger.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Iain Baker on May 31, 2021, 01:12:28 pm
Quote from: Deathsnake on February 24, 2021, 02:21:04 am
- Wing Commander 1-4, Privateer, Armada
- Freespace 1+2
- X-Wing Series
- Mass Effect 1-3
- Battlefleet Gothic 1+2
- Crusader - No Remorse & No Regret
- Battlezone 1+2
- Mechwarrior 2-4
- System Shock
- Homeworld Series
- Doom
- Halo Series PC
 
Lone Games
- Strike Commander
- Bioforge
- Battlestar Galactica Deadlock
- Freelancer
- Starlancer
- Terminator Resistance

2D Space Arcade Games
- Turrican / T2002 / Hurricane
- Raptor
- R-Type
- Katakis
- Skyforce Anni and Reloaded

Fun Fact-  those games are also complete several times while over 1k other games just sitting on a high tower of shame. Even AAA Games - not space - not on my List. Maybe i never even start them.

Non Space Game i play - World of Warships


Shot in the dark, but did you ever encounter the bug in T2002 - and seemingly all of the campaigns based on it - where if you reach a certain stage and exit out the game reverts back to the first level thus wiping out everything you had done? If so, did you find a fix or a workaround?
I just don't have the time to complete such long expanded campaigns in one sitting ;-) Cheers.
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: starbug on June 01, 2021, 09:21:50 am
hmmm The series i love as a whole would be,

-Diablo (i've enjoyed all the games and expansions)
-Starcraft (again love this series)
-Warcraft 1 to frozen throne (my 1st foray into strategy games. Never played WOW. The series needs another singleplayer game!)
-Knights of the Old Republic (even SWtoR)
-Elderscrolls series (even ESO)
-System Shock
-Silent Hill
-DOOM (still go back to the OG with Brutal DOOM)
-Freespace
-Darksiders
-Dawn of War (hate 3)
-Mass Effect ( i even enjoyed Andromeda)
-Dragon Age
-Total Warhammer
-Hexen(heretic)
Title: Re: What's your favorite game series as a whole?
Post by: Assassin714 on June 01, 2021, 06:58:20 pm
IDK, maybe Final Fantasy?