Franchising a video game into a series is always a great idea. When a great game is released, the name of that title carries weight, and gamers will instantly be interested in buying anything else that has the same lofty name. That is why sequels and spin-offs are a necessity for the gaming industry, and many beloved games are expanded into vast franchises with multiple entries.
Unfortunately, the name of a series can be diminished over time when players encounter a poor entry. This happens a lot, but it is no one’s fault. It is just a natural occurrence when rolling the dice on a project multiple times. However, there are still some great video game series with no bad entries.
While every game franchise has definitely had its low points, this list will consider franchises where even the lowest-ranked game on Metacritic has still been above 60.
5God Of War
The Hack And Slash Series Naturally Evolved Into A Story-Telling Masterpiece
God of Waris a video game series that is still talked about in revered tones. The latest games in the series continue Kratos' journey in the action-adventure genre, while also focusing on tight story-telling and excellent visuals. The last twoGod of Wargames in the modern era of gaming have been so great that they are constant winners during the awards season. However, the franchise was hardly on its knees before this series revamp in 2018.
TheGod of Warfranchise debuted in 2005, and the PlayStation exclusive featured tight hack-and-slash combat mechanics in an expansive story setting. The following six games in this era only built on this initial concept, and although each game has been met with varying opinions,God of Waris still one ofthe best-reviewed gaming series of all time.
4Animal Crossing
This Laid-Back Series Does What It Intends And Does It Well
It may not seem like it, but one of the most consistent gaming franchises out there is theAnimal Crossingseries by Nintendo. Appearing on a variety of Nintendo consoles throughout the years since the first game in 2001, these social simulation games know exactly how to please their fan base.Animal Crossingsimply places the player in a new world and tasks them withperforming activities at their own leisureto improve the surrounding area.
The activities inAnimal Crossingtake the form of mini-games, and they are hardly challenging. Still, fans love to keep coming back to this franchise to meet new characters and gently explore new regions.
3Grand Theft Auto
The Open World Crime Simulator That Changed Gaming
As anyone who has picked up a video game controller before knows,Grand Theft Autochanged gaming forever. The first games in the series were top-down, 2D crime simulators set in an open world, but Rockstar Games decided to move things in a new direction for the third game and developed a full 3D world for players to explore. It appears rudimentary by today’s standards, butGTA 3inspired hundreds of copycats, and open-world environments have been a must-have in games ever since.
TheGTAfranchise has continued to produce excellent open-world games full of freedom ever since, and the nextGTAgames are normally milestone eventsthat break records. As such, the game in the series that is regarded the least is a small spin-off game that was released to help promote the Game Boy Advance.
While the remastered trilogy was a disappointment at launch, the original games published forGTAhave all been excellent.
2The Legend Of Zelda
The Fantasy Franchise That Keeps Evolving To Survive
There are few gaming icons as instantly recognizable as Link fromThe Legend of Zeldaseries. The character first debuted in 1986 on the NES in an action/adventure puzzle game, and the protagonist has endured ever since. TheZeldaseries is one of the longest-running gaming franchises in history, and it survived the jump to 3D and modern consoles effortlessly.
Part of the reason for Link’s success is that his games have not drastically changed their identity for nearly forty years. Players know that they can jump into a Zelda game and experience some great action-adventure gameplay in the world of Hyrule. What’s more, the series has slowly updated its mechanics to compete with newer titles, while still retaining much of the original charm. That is whyThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis one of the best titles on the Nintendo Switch, and why fans eagerly await Link’s next appearance.
1Super Smash Bros.
Throwing Familiar Nintendo Characters In A Brawler That Suits Everyone
It is no surprise to anyone that a game that brings together all of Nintendo’s most popular characters was going to be a hit. The company has one of the longest legacies in the industry, and players have been picking up franchises likeMario, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, andPokemonfor decades. However, pitting these characters against each other in a fighting game is something that should not have worked.
Fortunately, the light brawling-type mechanics in theSuper Smash Bros.franchise areso charming and innovative that it works.There was no denying thatSuper Smash Bros.is a Nintendo title, and it says a lot when the least favored game in the series is the first to be released. It also helps that the game supports up to four players in a multiplayer experience suitable for families and friends.Super Smash Bros.has continued to return on new consoles with updated rosters, and its lack of bad games indicates that the series is going to continue for a long time to come.
