Top 10 Best Video Game Franchises
2) Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy is without a doubt one of the most successful RPG franchises in history. If you have ever wondered why it is called Final Fantasy when there are currently 14 numbered entries in the series, it is because Square Soft was close to going bankrupt in the late 1980's. They believed the Final Fantasy would be the last game they would ever produce and so the title of the game was changed from 'Fighting Fantasy' to 'Final Fantasy.' Luckily for Square, and for gamers, it became a hit.
Like other franchises on this list, one game stands out in the series as its crown jewel and that game is Final Fantasy VII. Final Fantasy VII has been called the best RPG ever made. It captured the essence of exactly what an RPG should be and holds a special place in the hearts of gamers who can still remember when a certain someone dies. Final Fantasy VII was voted the "Reader's Choice Game of the Century" in an IGN poll in 2000 and gamers have been begging Square-Enix and Sony to make a high definition remake of the game for years. Hopefully this never happens. Expectations for the remake would be so high it could do nothing but tarnish the game's legacy. Perhaps that is why one has never been made despite the high demand?
Square has strayed from their original formula in recent years which has made the franchise suffer. Every Final Fantasy game from VII to X had aggregate review scores on Metacritic over 90. People eagerly anticipated each next game in the franchise. Things were good. Then Square decided to make Final Fantasy XI an MMORPG and that is when it all started going downhill. Final Fantasy XII was another well received game but XIII is usually described as one of the worst games in the series. Yet Square has continued making sequels to XIII for some reason including XIII-2 and the most recent release Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. The PS3 version of XIII sold over five million copies while XIII-2 only sold 2.5 million. The fact the sequel sold less than half the original should go to show gamers didn't really like the game. Square should really go back to their roots of what made the original Final Fantasies so great; turn-based combat.
Halo before ZELDA?
Mario
Pokemon
The Elder Scrolls
Wolfenstein
Half-Life
GTA
Fifa (Madden? C'mon..)
Diablo
and some long dead franchises:
Quest for Glory
Monkey Island
Quake
Good choices!
No Grand Theft Auto! That franchise is the second best video game franchise ever.
And Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is best video game of all times
not a fan of this list,mine would be:
1. Mario (has to be)
2. Sonic (without sonic mario may not be what he is today)
3. Zelda
4. GTA (i don't even like these games but cant be ignored)
5. Half Life (this can include team fortress, portal etc)
6. Wii Sports (this got non-gamers gaming)
7. Street Fighter
8. Fifa
9. Resident Evil
10. Metroid
The big ones Ive missed are COD (no major changes ever year) and Pokemon (too many remakes/masters)
Horrible list, you need to distinguish between "best" and "most successful". Call of duty maybe a hot selling game but it's far from being the best. Why are there also no racing games and fighting games?
No Dragon Age, Witcher, Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, Or Elder Scrolls? A laughable list.
NO SONIC SONIC WAS AND IS A GREAT GAME FRANCHISE IT WAS THE CLOSEST TO BEATING MARIO BACK IN THE DAYS, I KNOW HE HAD HIS BAD GAMES LIKE SONIC 06 AND SONIC DRIFT AND MORE BUT STILL MARIO WAS THE BEST GAME AND SONIC WAS THE CLOSEST TO BEATING IT. I THINK SONIC DESERVES NO.2. AND TO BE HONEST I AM GLAD FIFA IS NOT ON THE LIST BECAUSE EVERY YEAR IT IS THE SAME THING EVERY TIME FOOTBALL MATCH AFTER FOOTBALL MATCH AFTER FOOTBALL MATCH EVEN WITH ULTIMATE TEAM I GET BORED OF FIFA EVERY 20 MINUTES. IF IT WASNT FOR SKILL GAMES SOMETHING DIFFERENT INSTEAD OF A MATCH I WOULD NOT PLAY FIFA AGAIN.
Madden NFL?!
FIFA and PES surely have better sales worldwide and these 2 franchises are a lot older and bigger.
Putting Halo over Zelda quickly removes most credibility this paltry list had to begin with, leaving out Metroid tossed out any remaining shred of credibility there was left.
Besides Mario and Zelda, other successful and also best selling franchises are GTA and The Sims. Where are they? :(
No Sonic? I agree with the rest though.
Assassins creed is terrible
glad,mario is 1st.No other franchise could beat mario
Im just happy metal gear is on this list
same
What the has this ever heard of Kingdom Hearts... And srysly no sonic, mario, or zelda
No assassins creed... No devil may cry... U gotta b kiddin me...
The list should have
2)Mario
1)SONIC FTW
COD and Madden are BS, there are a dozens of better titler, where is Metroid, GTA or Sonic, all better frachises and games
NO Castlevania
NOOOOO I hate this network
What are Madden and cod doing here ???
No Elder Scrolls? No GTA? Put in actual games not Madden or COD
No GTA?
No Tomb Raider?
No Street Fighter?
No Sonic?
No Need for Speed?
No FIFA?
No Asassain's Creed?
This list is totally bias. And Ground Zeros wasn't very good. It was too short.
No no no no legend of zelda is not 5 it is 1 and castlevania should not be on this list no has ever even heard of it
No Battlefield?
No GTA?
Screw this article!
Zela ALWAYS beats ALL of these for me, of course, I don't have qualms with you if you put Mario as the one exception. Anything else is unacceptable.
Silent Hill and Baldur's Gate!!!
Call of Duty shouldn't be on this list at all. And the Legend Of Zelda is the best game franchise ever created.
Madden but no FIFA, America isn't the world you know.
No Grand Theft Auto?