[Podcast Feature] Your favourite Gaming Series

[stu]

This thread will be used in next weeks podcast, where we will talk about your choices along with ours.

So please, tells us the gaming series you adore most, and the reasons why it holds a place in your hearts.

For me, it would have to the the Zelda series of games.

All the main games to bear the name of Zelda (not including the CDi ones) represent milestones of their eras.

Probably the most perfect and well crafted game around at each ones time of release.

Nothing much changes in them, however, the fact that this is the case only serves to endorse the feeling that these are all part of a series, a collection of different visions of the same story almost.

When you hear about a Zelda game you get tingles down your spine, as you know what you will be getting, and you damn well know its going to be a hell of game, and good few hours of your life will be spent in these worlds.

It's always intrigued me that more features of these games aren't nicked by other developers, but to me that proves that even the enemies hold these games up as masterpieces.

Only Okami has ever come close in my opinion.

[relmatos]

There's Mario, Sonic, Zelda, Megaman, Bomberman, Warcraft and tons of other sagas that I love but the ones that automatically came to mind were Monkey Island and Leisure Suit Larry(ignore Magna Cum Laude cos that piece of crap never existed to me).

I have to go with Larry.

[Centy]

Well no surprises im going with the Fire Emblem series well the 3 ones that are in english atleast

[DANGERMAN]

I'm going to disallow myself Football Manager as I used that in the desert island disc thing.

Instead I'll go with Shining Force. That's Shining Force, not Shining in the Darkness, Shining Soul, Shining Force Neo etc etc Just Shining Force 1, 2, and 3 (parts 1-3).

It's a Strat rpg , a bit like Advance Wars in the way it's really just a series of fights, but there's more to do between battles. There's all the usual srpg guff about certain types of land making you stronger, and even a relationship building dynamic that increases your stats if you're stood next to a mate in battle. There's stacks of hidden characters too, these vary from dragons, to werewolves, to monks, flying robots, penguins, and even (in SF3 part 3) the developers

Without doubt my favourite part of the series is the way SF3 parts 1-3 woked. What you did on the first part affects the rest of the games, so if you save someones life they may just appear in the next game. There's a moment in the first game where you have to split your force, it's entirely for the purposes of the first game, or so you think. In the next game you bump into the second half of your force from the first game, so if you hammered the level grinding in the first, you've not got a chance against them in the second.

I'd love to see a DS collection of the series, especially as the second 2 parts of SF3 didnt get translated, or even to have SEGA hurry and release them on the VC.

[SlyEnemy 2.0]

I'm goin with 3D Sex Villa on this one. I've never played it, but it's in 3D! It's got to be good right? Hopefully there'll be a 2D Sex Villa so I can catch up with the plot so far before moving onto the 3D version.

3D Sex Villa FT indeed W.

[Shin_Seffron]

Monkey Island was definitly one of my favorite series' ever!

[moggymatt]

As eveyone's already mentioned plenty of my favorite games

I'll have to got with Street Fighter 2 There's plenty of good gaming hour's both multi and single player.

Its a huge series From championship Ed/Turbo to Alpha, Even SF3 Third Srike (if it counts as one series?)

I have fond memories of Snes party's and playing round robbin on SF2, It ass kickingly good!

[Hendo]

I know this wil sound silly, but what are we calling a series here?

Is 2 enough? 3 just a trilogy?

Looking at my collection for inspiration I can only find two series that really comes close, but I can't decide between them, as they both have amazing games in them and truly awful ones, but then I suppose that's par for the course.

[James]

Ben wrote:

I'm going to disallow myself Football Manager as I used that in the desert island disc thing

Ah but is it a series or just one game with multiple updates? :ohmy:

To be honest I can’t think of a full on game series that I’ve loved. It’s the same with favourite music groups or film directors, sometimes I like their work, sometimes I don’t, I don’t love the new releases just because I loved the older ones because even the ones I liked best a few weeks back could be total shit to me now.

That said, and needing to keep this on topic, if I really had to pick then I'd go for Resident Evil for its near epic list of characters, history and locations or Call of Duty for making WWII FPS games feel like fun again.

[DANGERMAN]

James wrote:

Ben wrote:

I'm going to disallow myself Football Manager as I used that in the desert island disc thing

Ah but is it a series or just one game with multiple updates? :ohmy:

I'd say it was as much a series as Pro Evo or Street Fighter (or Zelda?) It progresses enough each year to be more than just a stat change. But it's undoubtedly one of those games where you only notice the changes if you play it (and often when you go back to an old version), and it never really looks much different

[Hendo]

Funny you should say that because admittedly I'm no big fan of fighting games, but I got lost on Street Fighter around the PlayStation era due the overwhelming ammount of SF's. They all seem the same to me.

Having said that, for my choice I'm gonna have to go with the Tony Hawk's series, although that can be accused as much as anything as churning out the same thing with only as much difference as they can get away with.

It can be argued that the only big change was adding the manual, as that opened up a whole new load of possibilities for play.

I even found the Underground games to be ok, but trying to add a story to a Tony Hawk game is brave at best, but pointless at worst.

[Sambob]

I am going to put the Knights of the Old Republic series, even though there has only been two of them. The first one won game of the year deservedly and the second one could have but for the fact that fans had to create their own ending with material cut from the game but left on the disk.

A great blend of good star wars stuff, enjoyable force powers, a nice level of customisation and some of the best RPG elements that games have had. It never gets too tough but is consistantly challenging and the fact that you are actually a jedi and can train others too is fantastico, again shame about the ending being cut.

Its not the best ever series but I think is quite overlooked. (plus zelda was taken)

[stu]

thanks for all your comments, make sure you listen to this weeks podcast to hear us talk about your choices, along with ours

[Chinzon]

Did I mention CIVILIZATION? I'm fairly sure I did, oh yes.

Edit: Legacy of Kain series just misses out on account of having at least one really poor entry.

[Centy]

I think i may have to go with Ouendan/EBA now it can actually be called a series though i am a whore for Fire Emblem and of course Final Fantasy Tactics and Quake and... this could go on for a while so i'll save it for the podcast