Each day this week we'll reveal five more games on the list, leading up to Friday's crowning of the #1 videogame franchise. We hope our list sparks as much debate amongst gamers as it did among the editors. If you're really riled up, post your thoughts on IGN's message boards.
Notable Games
Virtua Fighter 2
Virtua Fighter 3tb
Vritua Fighter 4: Evolution
When Gordon Freeman shot up the PC scene in 1998, he proved the First-Person Shooter genre could consist of more than mindless running-and-gunning. Half-Life's variety of gameplay mechanics and disregard for genre conventions revolutionized the single-player FPS experience, while Counter Strike and Team Fortress did the same for multiplayer. The latter extensions of the franchise were excellent fodder for the homebrew/modding community. Half-Life 2 continued Valve's standard of excellence, and now the Episodes are making strides in episodic gaming, giving us a new way to consume videogames. The newest addition to the Half-Life family, Portal, looks to extend the franchise even further, and should provide gameplay possibilities never seen before.
Notable Games
Counter-Strike
Half-Life
Half-Life 2
Donkey Kong has always walked a fine line between a life of crime and a life of do-goodery. Originally catching the public eye in 1982 for kidnapping a certain plumber's girlfriend, an apparently reformed DK then devoted his time to helping children learn math. The 90's saw the big ape return with a serious makeover for the Donkey Kong Country series, and he's always up for a friendly game of soccer/golf/baseball/tennis/kart racing/boardgaming/basketball. Apparently tormented by inner demons, the big ape often finds himself engaged yet again in criminal activities, as in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong handheld series.
Notable Games
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong 64
Deceptive in its simplicity, Tetris became a phenomenon. Though at first glance, Tetris sequels appear as little more than polished ports of the original. While that may be partially true, the little variations created new strategies for one of the most addictive games ever made. Take Tetris Attack, which offered multiplayer competition. It may not seem like much, but it helped to fuel not only the continuation of the Tetris franchise, but inspired new puzzle games for years to come.
Notable Games
Tetris Attack
Tetris DS
The Next Tetris: On-Line Edition
Westwood Studios' Dune II really broke the real-time strategy genre out into the gaming spotlight but their next series, Command & Conquer, helped give the genre the charmed existence it lives today. Modern weaponry mixed with futuristic designs to create an exciting theater for gaming. One of the most interesting thing about the franchise is its diversion into three unique universes. Tiberium is set in a world ravaged by an alien substance and religious fanatics, Red Alert brought megalomaniacal villains into a wildly imaginative modern sci-fi combat setting, and Generals rounded the franchise out with the most "realistic" take on combat. Also fondly remembered are the corny live-action cutscenes from Tiberium and Red Alert. If it wasn't for the disappointing Command & Conquer: Renegade first-person shooter, the franchise would have a clean sweep with some superb real-time strategy titles.
Notable Games
Command & Conquer Generals
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun
Notable Games
Mega Man
Mega Man X
Mega Man Zero
The early '90s saw the introduction of one of gaming's most enduring icons, Sonic the Hedgehog. Star of more cartoons than any videogame character ever, Sonic was once more recognized worldwide than Mickey Mouse. Designed to be the complete antithesis of Nintendo's happy-go-lucky Mario, Sonic was the epitome of a '90s-era bad-ass, right down to his red sneakers and smug 'tude. The 2D Sonic games were hugely popular due to their incredible sense of speed and open-ended levels. Although recent 3D entries in the series have been somewhat lacking, there is no denying the power of this franchise.
Notable Games
Sonic Adventure
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic & Knuckles
While many out there may not quite consider this an actual franchise per se, the Chrono games made our list based purely on the indisputable quality of the original SNES game. Considered by many to be the pinnacle of 2D RPG gaming, Chrono Trigger was widely beloved due to its quirky characters, deep gameplay, and engrossing storyline. Despite having only two RPG games released (along with racing and music spin-offs), this franchise still has the power to lure in gamers everywhere. Back in 2001, Square registered a trademark for "Chrono Break," and rabid Chrono fans worldwide went into a tizzy. In spite of this furor over a possible sequel, plans for the game were eventually scrapped leaving despondent Chrono Trigger fans with nothing to look forward to in their lives.
Notable Games
Chrono Cross
Chrono Trigger
Pokemon is one of the rare videogame franchises that has grown beyond the world of gaming to incorporate movies, cartoons, card games, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The brainchild of Nintendo's Satoshi Tajiri, the series capitalizes on kids' obsession with collecting and trading crap. Almost single-handedly keeping Nintendo afloat in the late 90's, Pokemon could also be described as a money-printing service that assures Nintendo will always be in the black (even when it's in third-place in terms of market share). Of course, the basic gameplay premise boasts solid, addictive play mechanics, and several of the handheld RPGs deserve to be in every gamer's collection. Hey You, Pikachu!: not so much.
Notable Games
Pokemon Gold/Silver
Pokemon Red/Blue
Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire
Tom Clancy is the true king of all entertainment media. After numerous best-selling novels, the Clancy franchise spread to movie theatres. Even before Harrison Ford was done kicking ass as Jack Ryan, Clancy games were making headway in the videogame world. From Splinter Cell to Ghost Recon to Rainbow Six, the Tom Clancy brand is responsible for some of the best action games of the past decade. Each year, at least three new Clancy games can be expected to hit the market and almost all become critical and commercial successes. The Tom Clancy series is a franchise that should stay strong throughout the next generation of gaming consoles.
Notable Games
Ghost Recon
Rainbow Six 3
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
Notable Games
John Madden Football '92
Madden NFL 2004
Madden NFL 2005
Dungeons & Dragons is perhaps the most extensive franchise on PC. It began to boom with a series of well-regarded and highly-successful games based on Forgotten Realms. It has since grown to include some of the best games of the past ten years, including Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights and Planescape: Torment. Aside from dozens of great games, D&D has heavily influenced North American RPGs. BioWare and many other developers continue to create games with combat systems based off Dungeons & Dragons. We can even see the influence of choosing your alignment on RPGs today. Games such as Fable and Knights of the Old Republic asking you to choose between good and evil is no different than when players first decide if they want to be Lawful Good or Chaotic Evil.
Notable Games
Baldur's Gate
Neverwinter Nights
Pool of Radiance
Grand Theft Auto drove onto the gaming landscape back in 1998, although it hardly resembled the sandbox, do-whatever-you-want game it is today. The first two GTAs were top-down driving games that focused almost entirely on stealing cars. But then Grand Theft Auto III came along and changed everything. The third entry in the series took the franchise into the third dimension and created the mold that countless, lesser games would copy for years. Of course, it also gave politicians the bulls-eye they needed to blame videogames for the downfall of civilization. No other gaming franchise has been more in the public eye the past five years, for better or worse.
Notable Games
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
When Street Fighter II hit in 1991, it changed the face of arcade games for nearly a decade to follow. Street Fighter II introduced, among other innovations, combos (by accident, nonetheless!) and the now-standard half/quarter circle and charge moves found in countless other fighting games. More than any fighting game, Street Fighter created a cast of memorable characters and attacks. Who doesn't think of bulbous thighs and flurries of kicks when hearing the name Chun-Li? Street Fighter may not have been the first fighting game ever, but it certainly established the paradigm that the genre has stuck to ever since it was first released. Games like Mortal Kombat, King of Fighters, and Virtua Fighter all borrow heavily from the franchise. The original Street Fighter II is a game that we still play daily around the office (until our arcade cabinet broke, that is).
Notable Games
Street Fighter II
Street Fighter III: Double Impact
Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting
When it comes to the world of videogames, few franchises have been as prolific as Star Wars. Every new Star Wars game that gets released is a sure-fire hit, partly due to the strength of the brand name, but also due to the indisputable quality of many of the games in the series. The first Star Wars game, The Empire Strikes Back for the Atari 2600, expertly captured the essence of the snowy Hoth sequences despite the technical limitations of the system. Later entries in the series expanded on the ideas in this game to encapsulate the entirety of the expanded Star Wars Universe. Despite the fact that (hopefully) the movie series has ended, the videogames will continue drawing audiences for years to come.
Notable Games
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader
X-Wing Vs. TIE Fighter
Notable Games
Alpha Centauri
Civilization II
Civilization IV
Brainchild of Will Wright, the Sim franchise has proven one of the most influential in gaming history. It began in 1989 with the release of SimCity. The Sim games challenged players intellectual, rather than testing their dexterity. These were rare games that could not be won or lost, merely experienced. Eventually, Sim left the realm of the inorganic and tackled simulating normal life. When EA released The Sims in 2000, it became an instant hit and became the best-selling PC title of all time. Wright's design ingenuity created a powerful franchise that continues to be among the most popular in gaming.
Notable Games
The Sims
SimCity
SimEarth
When it released in 1987, Metroid introduced gamers to the original strong female protagonist. The game was beloved not only for its intense shooting mechanics, but also its expansive alien planets that could be explored in a nonlinear fashion. With Metroid Prime, the series made its transition into 3D for the first time -- and in first-person no less! Hardcore fans were wary of this shift until they were placed inside Samus's formidable powersuit and saw the world through her visor. Immediately, gamers everywhere were enthralled by the game's immersive worlds and gargantuan bosses. Metroid may not quite have the same name recognition as Mario or Zelda, but it is inarguably one of the strongest franchises of all time.
Notable Games
Metroid Prime
Metroid: Zero Mission
Super Metroid
Few franchises on this list can claim to have almost single-handedly created a new genre in videogames. But that's what Resident Evil did when it debuted on the PlayStation in 1996. The series has since spread across every platform available and even into movie theatres with two (surprisingly) successful films. Many games have imitated Resident Evil's formula, but none have truly captured its unique blend of spooky exploration and head shots. And just when the franchise seemed to be running out of steam, Resident Evil 4 reinvented the genre it created with one of the finest examples of modern gaming.
Notable Games
Resident Evil
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 4
A successful and beloved series of fantasy RTS games, Warcraft became a phenomenon with the release of the MMORPG World of Warcraft. Set in the same universe as the original three RTS titles, WOW vividly brought the world of Azeroth to life. Now boasting more than 7.5 million subscribers worldwide, World of Warcraft has become enough of a pop culture phenomenon to merit the satire from Comedy Central's South Park. Warcraft's RTS history certainly earned it a place as one of the top 25 franchises, but it's WOW that propelled it into the top 10.
Notable Games
Warcraft
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
World of Warcraft
Notable Games
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Loosely based on Dracula folklore, the Castlevania series was one of the progenitors of the gothic-horror genre in videogames. The earlier games were platformers focusing on the exploits of the whip-wielding, vampire-hunting Belmont Clan as players struggled to eliminate every last trace of the supernatural from this world. The series saw a large change when it made the leap to the 32-bit era with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. That game introduced what has been dubbed the "Metroidvania" style of gameplay (due to its similarities to the Metroid series), as well as RPG elements such as hit points, level progression, and spell casting. This formula has further been expanded with the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS iterations in the series. Although Castlevania has yet to make a fully successful transition to 3D, it is unquestionably one of the most consistently jaw-dropping franchises in the history of videogames.
Notable Games
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Super Castlevania IV
Final Fantasy helped popularize RPGs and set the standard by which all other games in the genre are measured. Though each game bears the same name and some similar aspects, each Final Fantasy in the main series is a unique world unto itself. The series has spawned a number of spin-offs, but never a true sequel until the 2003 release of Final Fantasy X-2. Square's RPG series has dominated for two decades and on numerous consoles. Famed for spectacular FMV cut-scenes, evocative music and engrossing stories, Final Fantasy is easily one of the greatest franchises in videogames.
Notable Games
Final Fantasy III (US)
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy Tactics
When discussing notable gaming franchises, few are as well known for their indisputable quality as The Legend of Zelda. When the first game came out in 1986 it introduced not only the revolutionary ability to save game files, but also the first open-ended world that could be tackled in any way the player saw fit. Zelda created the action-adventure game genre and inspired game design for decades to come. In the mid-1990s the series made its transition into 3D with the Ocarina of Time, and the gaming world was changed forever. With the recent release of Twilight Princess on the Wii, the franchise has further cemented itself in the annals of history. The Legend of Zelda franchise truly has become a legend in its own right.
Notable Games
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
What else must be said about Mario? Without this plumber, none of us would be playing videogames today. Super Mario Bros. is the game that brought the entire industry back from the dead in 1985. And though Nintendo continues to plumb this guy for all he's worth, the game's in which he appears have been consistent enough to keep us all Mario fans for two decades. Next year will see the release of the first proper Mario game in five years: Super Mario Galaxy. When IGN Direct-to-Brain compiles its list of top game franchises in 20 years, expect Mario to be back in the number one spot.
Notable Games
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Super Mario 64
