So that's the exercise here. I'll try to keep this preamble short (something I'm terrible at). I'm ranking video game series by how much I care about them, think about them, and have played them. If a series only has one or two games that I love, I'm not counting it (with deepest apologies to Chrono, Portal, NieR, Skies of Arcadia, Lunar, Suikoden, and Heroes of the Storm). Other than that, this list is basically off the dome, which series I like the most or think about the most.
In each entry I'll give an abridged story on how much I like the series, where and/or when my "peak fandom" lies for that series, and how I feel about the future and potential of the series. It's also essentially an anthology of a lot of my personal stories about getting into specific video games, organized by series. And of course, it wouldn't be a Sollosi list without breaking the rules and adding a few honorable mentions. So let's get to it:
Ys
Disgaea
Ratchet & Clank
Devil May Cry
Mario
Donkey Kong
Diablo
Tales Of
Yakuza
Civilization
Pokémon
Street Fighter
Castlevania
Monster Hunter
Persona
Mega Man
Dragon Quest
Final Fantasy
Sollosi's Top Twenty Favorite Video Game Series
Honorable Mentions
Bravely
Danganronpa
Dragon Age
Fire Emblem
God of War
inFamous
Kirby (pictured)
Mana
Professor Layton
Rayman
SNK / Garou / King of Fighters
Soul Calibur
Trails / Kiseki
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Zero Escape
Fifteen honorable mentions is already a lot, and I could've easily made it twenty-five. These are my second- and third-favorite series of visual novels (DGR and ZE), my favorite series of modern puzzle games (Professor Layton), my favorite story-driven WRPG (Dragon Age), two of my favorite character action / open world series (God of War and inFamous), one of my favorite strategy RPG series (Fire Emblem), two of my 2010s RPG obsessions (Bravely and Trails), my fifth- and sixth-favorite platforming series (Kirby and Rayman), my second- and third-favorite fighting game series (SNK and Soul Calibur), my favorite edutainment series of my youth (Carmen Sandiego), and an RPG series that I like and appreciate, but only LOVE one game therein (Mana, and Trials of Mana). Damn. Look at all that. All of these almost made the list somewhere in the 17-20 range, and the closest was probably SNK. I would've liked more fighting game representation on the list, but ultimately I chose games where I had a larger time investment. Alas. So let's get to the real list:
Number Twenty
Ace Attorney
How It Started
I first became aware of Ace Attorney by reading reviews of the first DS game online (series started out on GBA in Japan, then the GBA games received DS remakes released worldwide) and being very curious about what a narrative-driven lawyer-puzzle game might be like. Then at my university alma mater's gaming club a few of my friends praised the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney quite highly. My curiosity piqued, I picked up that first DS game a short time after I bought a DS Lite in 2006. Did not take long for me to get hooked.
I first became aware of Ace Attorney by reading reviews of the first DS game online (series started out on GBA in Japan, then the GBA games received DS remakes released worldwide) and being very curious about what a narrative-driven lawyer-puzzle game might be like. Then at my university alma mater's gaming club a few of my friends praised the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney quite highly. My curiosity piqued, I picked up that first DS game a short time after I bought a DS Lite in 2006. Did not take long for me to get hooked.
The Best of Times
The first four DS Ace Attorney games (plus the first spinoff Miles Edgeworth game) released sporadically in the 2000s, and after playing that first one I essentially played a new one every year from 2006 to 2010 and had an absolute blast. The series doesn't break any new ground with how it navigates (it walks the line exactly between visual novel and puzzle adventure), but is so specific with its melodramatic writing, contradiction-hunting logic puzzles, and absurd sense of humor that I am delighted every time I have a new Ace Attorney experience to drink in. I enjoyed the 3DS duo of games and recent Switch collection very much, but the zenith of my Ace Attorney journey was playing those DS games for the first time.
How It's Going
I have no idea what series creator Shu Takumi is doing right now, and that's kind of exciting! He finished work on the second Great Ace Attorney game at least three years ago, and whatever project he's working on is something I'm *very* interested in. Ghost Trick, his DS departure from Ace Attorney, is one of my favorite DS games full stop. I don't think Ace Attorney is over, per se, but it's been awhile since we've heard an update and I'd definitely be down for more in 2022 or beyond, even after hardcore binging The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles just a few months ago, heh.
Number Nineteen
How It Started
Astoundingly, my first exposure to Ys left a very negative impression (this is also true for one series in the top 5 below). In the early 2000s when I was endeavoring to play all the most acclaimed SNES and PS1 RPGs, I played the early stages of Wanderers from Ys (aka Ys III) and didn't like it one bit. Over the next 13-ish years I knew of Ys as an oldschool action RPG series with good music, but didn't deign to try any of them again. Then in 2013, I bought four Ys games on a Steam sale (Ys I, Ys II, Ys: The Oath in Felghana, and Ys Origin), imported the Ys vs. Trails fighting game, bought Ys Seven off a friend, and played all six of those games over the course of about four months. I was hooked.
Astoundingly, my first exposure to Ys left a very negative impression (this is also true for one series in the top 5 below). In the early 2000s when I was endeavoring to play all the most acclaimed SNES and PS1 RPGs, I played the early stages of Wanderers from Ys (aka Ys III) and didn't like it one bit. Over the next 13-ish years I knew of Ys as an oldschool action RPG series with good music, but didn't deign to try any of them again. Then in 2013, I bought four Ys games on a Steam sale (Ys I, Ys II, Ys: The Oath in Felghana, and Ys Origin), imported the Ys vs. Trails fighting game, bought Ys Seven off a friend, and played all six of those games over the course of about four months. I was hooked.
The Best of Times
I was having the most fun with Ys as I was playing each of them for the first time. The aforementioned blitz into the series was awesome, around a year later I secured a PS2 copy of Ark of Napishtim, and I played each of Memories of Celceta, Lacrimosa of Dana, and Monstrum Nox as they released in English. It was fun as hell. I've since replayed Oath in Felghana and Origin, and it's a matter of time before I revisit Ys Seven or go achievement-hunting in Celceta or Monstrum. These are awesome action RPGs and they have my attention basically forever.
How It's Going
Nihon Falcom's output is dominated by their more-popular Trails series of RPGs, which is too bad because I've noticed the Trails influence infiltrating Ys over the past 5 years or so. Instead of short- or medium-sized RPGs they're now sprawling epics, and there is an excess of dialog and world-building with maybe 5-10 too many characters in between the dope dungeons and awesome bosses. This writing and mythologizing isn't *bad*, but part of why I love classic Ys of the 2000s is that they're so brisk and never waste your time. When Ys X or an Ys V remake or another Ys prequel happens I'll get excited to play them again, of course, but I was occasionally discouraged by the path Ys VIII and Ys IX took. We'll see what happens.
Number Eighteen
How It Started
I'm pretty sure I first learned about Disgaea on game review publications in 2003, some combination of GameSpot, Game Informer, IGN, RPGFan, and RPGamer. By all accounts this was a completely insane parody of RPG narratives and mechanics, and as a superfan of Final Fantasy Tactics I was definitely interested. When I got a PS2 in 2004, tracking down a copy of Disgaea 1 was a priority, and I loved it but didn't go deep into the postgame. I bought Disgaea 2 on PS2 as well, but barely played it (!). When the PSP remakes for D1 and D2 came out a few years later, I played the BEJEEZUS out of them and my hardcore Disgaea fandom was born.
I'm pretty sure I first learned about Disgaea on game review publications in 2003, some combination of GameSpot, Game Informer, IGN, RPGFan, and RPGamer. By all accounts this was a completely insane parody of RPG narratives and mechanics, and as a superfan of Final Fantasy Tactics I was definitely interested. When I got a PS2 in 2004, tracking down a copy of Disgaea 1 was a priority, and I loved it but didn't go deep into the postgame. I bought Disgaea 2 on PS2 as well, but barely played it (!). When the PSP remakes for D1 and D2 came out a few years later, I played the BEJEEZUS out of them and my hardcore Disgaea fandom was born.
The Best of Times
When I eventually got a PS3 in 2009, I picked up Disgaea 3 within a year, and played Disgaea 4 and Disgaea Dimension 2 as each of them released; Disgaea also had at least three PSP spin-offs (a visual novel called Infinite and two Prinny side scrolling action games) and I played those as well. But let's be real: I have 400+ combined hours into Disgaea 1 PSP, Disgaea 2 PSP, and Disgaea 4 PS4. Those are the three Disgaea games that I love, and the second-biggest reason why I played so many games on PSP that I broke two handhelds. The best Disgaea titles are hilarious and surprisingly poignant anime stories built around truly insane strategy RPG mechanics that encourage exploitation and over-the-top power creep. I loved getting deep into those games 10+ years ago, and I miss that feeling.
How It's Going
Sadly, this is one series on the list that I've fallen off of somewhat. I have yet to play Disgaea 5 or 6, despite their decent reviews. I just can't find the energy for a long-ass strategy RPG that requires a lot of focus unless it's for a future podcast recording. My enthusiasm was seriously tempered when I played Disgaea Dimension 2 and was disappointed by a main-series Disgaea for the first (and only) time. I'm not ruling out playing more Disgaea or revisiting an older favorite some day, but it'll probably be when a lot of other options have exhausted themselves, or I feel that very specific need. I can't deny how much Disgaea I played the past 16-17 years though, which cemented its spot in the top 20.
Number Seventeen
How It Started
In the summer of 2006 I was browsing a local GameStop for old PS2 games and found the first Ratchet & Clank on sale for *very* cheap, I think $5. I got it and a few other games, and Ratchet 1 was a hit from the very start. I finished the game in a few days (it was summer and I had plenty of time on my hands) and not long after I returned to GameStop to pick up the other three Ratchet PS2 games, and they were even better than the original! I was in love with the combination of solid platforming, over-the-top weapons, and wry humor from the get-go. Good times all around.
In the summer of 2006 I was browsing a local GameStop for old PS2 games and found the first Ratchet & Clank on sale for *very* cheap, I think $5. I got it and a few other games, and Ratchet 1 was a hit from the very start. I finished the game in a few days (it was summer and I had plenty of time on my hands) and not long after I returned to GameStop to pick up the other three Ratchet PS2 games, and they were even better than the original! I was in love with the combination of solid platforming, over-the-top weapons, and wry humor from the get-go. Good times all around.
The Best of Times
I love the PS2 run of Ratchet games, but the best was yet to come. After I got a PSP, I played the two PSP Ratchet games as they released (they're OK, not great). After I got a PS3, I played all six (!?) Ratchet main-series games as they released, but a few of these were much better than others. 2009's Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is the apex. The Future trilogy were among the earliest purchases I made for my then-new PS3 (which came with Uncharted 1 and inFamous 1, not bad at all), and the story culminating into the best Ratchet game with ACIT was the climax of an 8-year run for the ages.
How It's Going
I decided to revisit Ratchet earlier this year (April 2021) by playing my long-backlogged copy of the PS4 remake of Ratchet 1 (it was good!) and breaking in my new PS5 with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (it was awesome!). Rift Apart lived up to the best of the PS2 and PS3 Ratchet games - it's in my personal top 3 Ratchets with A Crack in Time and Up Your Arsenal - and I'm excited for ANYTHING Insomniac Games has in store for the future. More Ratchet? Of course. Another Spider-Man game? Gimme. PS5 port of Sunset Overdrive? Why not. Insomniac is doing just fine.
Number Sixteen
How It Started
Similar to the Ratchet & Clank story above, but around a year or two earlier. I got my PS2 somewhat late in the console's lifespan, in 2004. When I was searching for cheap games to fill out my library, Devil May Cry 1 was an early selection, as I knew it was a well-reviewed Capcom game with cool character, weapon, and monster designs. And it was exactly that! I picked up DMC2 and DMC3 in quick succession, then played DMC4 not long after I got a PS3.
Similar to the Ratchet & Clank story above, but around a year or two earlier. I got my PS2 somewhat late in the console's lifespan, in 2004. When I was searching for cheap games to fill out my library, Devil May Cry 1 was an early selection, as I knew it was a well-reviewed Capcom game with cool character, weapon, and monster designs. And it was exactly that! I picked up DMC2 and DMC3 in quick succession, then played DMC4 not long after I got a PS3.
The Best of Times
I love DMC 1, 3, and 5, don't like DMC2 much at all, and thought DMC4 and the Ninja Theory DmC were OK, but not at the level of my three favorites. I think that's consistent with the feelings of most of the fandom. Weirdly I think the time I loved DMC the most was after finishing DMC3 and experiencing the hype surrounding DMC4. I was a regular on an online community called Devils-Lair and was watching combo videos, writing speculative essay-sized forum posts, and doing silly forum games and chats with the D-L crowd for quite awhile. It was a fun time, and mostly predicated on how much I adored DMC1 (which is a little dated, but good) and DMC3 (which is one of my favorite PS2 games).
How It's Going
Devil May Cry 5 dropped in 2019, and holy smoke I loved it. It lived up to the action, design, comedy, and excesses of the best of Devil May Cry(s) past, and it's a contender with DMC3 to be my favorite in the entire series (I think DMC3 still has a slight edge). The current team at Capcom knew exactly what they wanted out of a DMC sequel, and even with very few of the team from 15+ years earlier still around they completely delivered. I don't know when another DMC game will appear or exactly what it'll be (DMC6? A prequel? A spinoff?), but when the time comes I will buy into the hype once again. Let's rock, baby.
Number Fifteen
How It Started
Super Mario Bros. is one of the first video games I remember playing, as part of the NES library of my next-door neighbors when I was a child aged 4 or 5. Mario as a series is almost unsurpassed in agile platforming and colorful world and character design, and there have been SEVERAL great Mario games every decade from the 1980s to the present day. I have owned Nintendo systems since the early 1990s when I got a Game Boy and an NES a year or so apart, and every Nintendo console and handheld I've ever owned has had a Mario game or two (or three) feature prominently.
Super Mario Bros. is one of the first video games I remember playing, as part of the NES library of my next-door neighbors when I was a child aged 4 or 5. Mario as a series is almost unsurpassed in agile platforming and colorful world and character design, and there have been SEVERAL great Mario games every decade from the 1980s to the present day. I have owned Nintendo systems since the early 1990s when I got a Game Boy and an NES a year or so apart, and every Nintendo console and handheld I've ever owned has had a Mario game or two (or three) feature prominently.
The Best of Times
I'm not the biggest diehard Mario guy, but I've played and liked so many games in the series over the years that his presence and influence is undeniable. I think the time which I was most excited about Mario was in the late GBA to early DS range in the mid-2000s; around then I finished Yoshi's Island and Mario 3 for the first time (I played them a lot as a kid but never finished either), got into New Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart DS and loved both, and was neck-deep in Mario RPGs like the Mario & Luigi series on handhelds and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door for the GameCube. Love all of those. Most recently I played Super Mario Odyssey in 2020 and thought it was excellent.
How It's Going
I'll never quit on Mario, but I almost never play new Mario games right when they come out. Mario isn't high on my priority list like many other series on this list, and I know that Mario games will always be available years down the line. I haven't touched the last two or three Mario RPGs, even though that's my favorite Mario spinoff genre. Mario isn't even my favorite character in the Mario extended family (more on that fella in a second). But there will definitely be a time I want to play more Mario again, and when that time comes I have at least two or three Mario titles backlogged and ready to go. Next one is probably the Switch port of Super Mario 3D World (which looks dope).
Number Fourteen
How It Started
My favorite guy in the Mario mythos is one of the plumber's first opponents, Donkey Kong. The three DK games for the NES were among my favorite short-time games for that system, and the 1994 Donkey Kong for the Game Boy is one of the most underrated Mario games. But those aren't really "Donkey Kong" games, are they? It was the colorful stages, beautiful music, and solid platforming mechanics of the Donkey Kong Country games for the Super Nintendo that really got me rooting for the greatest video game gorilla. Those are three of my favorite SNES titles, especially in the non-RPG division. I rented all three of them multiple times in the 90s, replayed all three in the 2000s on the Game Boy Advance, and have fond memories of all of it.
My favorite guy in the Mario mythos is one of the plumber's first opponents, Donkey Kong. The three DK games for the NES were among my favorite short-time games for that system, and the 1994 Donkey Kong for the Game Boy is one of the most underrated Mario games. But those aren't really "Donkey Kong" games, are they? It was the colorful stages, beautiful music, and solid platforming mechanics of the Donkey Kong Country games for the Super Nintendo that really got me rooting for the greatest video game gorilla. Those are three of my favorite SNES titles, especially in the non-RPG division. I rented all three of them multiple times in the 90s, replayed all three in the 2000s on the Game Boy Advance, and have fond memories of all of it.
The Best of Times
I didn't get into DK64 (never owned an N64), but I've been a DK fan since those mid-90s beginnings, even playing the Donkey Kong Land games on Game Boy (I recognized DKL2 in an episode of Murder, She Wrote that I saw in 2020, ahaha). I have the Donkey Konga games plus the bongo controller. I have two versions of Donkey Kong Country Returns (which is very, very good). DK is my main in both Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 DX. I love the guy. I think my favorite time playing Donkey Kong games was in the GBA / Gamecube era, because revisiting the DKC trilogy on GBA was a delight and playing music on Donkey Kong bongos felt surreal.
How It's Going
I played the Switch port of DKC: Tropical Freeze in 2018, and it was as good or better than my memories of the SNES games with 20+ years of perspective. That's astounding. Retro Studios is a worthy successor to Rare to handle the Donkey Kong license, and if they're still on tap to make more Donkey Kong, then I'm on board. The only reason that Donkey Kong isn't higher on the list is quantity. I love him as a character, but he doesn't have a ton of games or a very long hour count for any of them, while for all of the series below I have a time investment in the hundreds of hours. But when another Donkey Kong platformer happens, I'll be there with more excitement than I would for a similar Mario or Kirby platformer.
Number Thirteen
How It Started
I first got into Diablo when my university gaming club decided to do an 8-player run of Diablo II, and for me the timing seemed right (this was 2005). I already was a fan of Warcraft and Starcraft (neither of which even made honorable mention, which maybe indicates just how many video games I really like), and had always been Diablo-curious, with multiple friends crazy about the first two games. So I bought the D1-D2-LOD Battle Chest and got way into all of it. I finished that multiplayer run as a Barbarian with 3 or 4 of the original 8 players - people started to drop out during Act III of the story, heh.
I first got into Diablo when my university gaming club decided to do an 8-player run of Diablo II, and for me the timing seemed right (this was 2005). I already was a fan of Warcraft and Starcraft (neither of which even made honorable mention, which maybe indicates just how many video games I really like), and had always been Diablo-curious, with multiple friends crazy about the first two games. So I bought the D1-D2-LOD Battle Chest and got way into all of it. I finished that multiplayer run as a Barbarian with 3 or 4 of the original 8 players - people started to drop out during Act III of the story, heh.
The Best of Times
I love the dark story tone, awesome selection of jobs/classes, skill tinkering, and frantic combat of Diablo, even if most of it is rapid-fire clicking. After finishing Diablo Dos with a few classes and beating Diablo Uno once (which was enough), I followed the release and rollout of Diablo Tres with great interest and got into the Reaper of Souls version a few years after it came out. My love of Diablo III is 90% of why it finished so high on this list. From 2014 to 2016 Diablo III was one of my most-played games, as my main PC distraction and favorite game to play while listening to podcasts. I did multiple ladder seasons and got into postgame content with all six classes. I feel Diablo III is one of the best action-focused PC RPGs -slash- loot games ever made, and both Diablo and Diablo II were excellent, influential RPGs for their time and place.
How It's Going
Blizzard has had a troubled few years, to say the least. I deleted Battle.net from my PC following the 2019 Hong Kong eSports scandal (SO MUCH Diablo III and Heroes of the Storm attached to my account there) and basically swore of playing future Blizzard titles following the sexual harassment lawsuits of 2021. So while Diablo IV has my attention, I will not play it until Blizzard gets their act together somewhat AND I have multiple friends interested in playing it. That might not be for awhile. I debated even including Diablo on this list at all, but I have too many fond memories of Diablo II and III (especially III) to completely ignore it, and it wavered on my list from the 10 to 20 range before landing on lucky 13. So while I feel my Diablo fandom is taking a break right now, I won't permanently shut the door on rolling a demon-slaying Barbarian for the third decade in a row.
Number Twelve
How It Started
When I was emulating every SNES and Super Famicom RPG under the sun around 2001 or 2002, I encountered the fan translation of Tales of Phantasia and was blown away. This was a 1995 Japanese RPG that played like a fighting game, and I was hooked instantly. Not long after, I tracked down PS1 copies of Tales of Destiny and Tales of Destiny 2 (nee Tales of Eternia) and loved one of them. From then on, I bought and played nearly every Tales Of game that released in English, and also imported a few Japan-only games. To date, I think I own 13 or 14 Tales Of games, and have completed 6.
When I was emulating every SNES and Super Famicom RPG under the sun around 2001 or 2002, I encountered the fan translation of Tales of Phantasia and was blown away. This was a 1995 Japanese RPG that played like a fighting game, and I was hooked instantly. Not long after, I tracked down PS1 copies of Tales of Destiny and Tales of Destiny 2 (nee Tales of Eternia) and loved one of them. From then on, I bought and played nearly every Tales Of game that released in English, and also imported a few Japan-only games. To date, I think I own 13 or 14 Tales Of games, and have completed 6.
The Best of Times
Those numbers (under 50% completed) seem low, but really it's because these games are long and involved, and I've played through parts of a dozen-plus of the Tales series but have only finished around half. But I don't want to diminish my Tales Of appreciation here. Phantasia, Eternia, Symphonia, Abyss, and Vesperia are all among my all-time favorites on their respective systems and that counts for quite a lot. I think my favorite time in Tales was my late-2000s run during and just after my time at university. I played through Symphonia, Abyss, Legendia, and Vesperia roughly back to back over 3 or 4 years and had a great time. (Around then I also played a translation of Tales of Innocence and had a less-than-great time).
How It's Going
I'm in the middle of playing Tales of Arise right now and I'm enjoying the hell out of it. I really, really want to get to Berseria, Xillia, Graces F, and Hearts R in my backlog eventually, and one of them is tentatively on my 2022 Gaming Goals list. My Tales hype cooled off a bit in the 2010s, but replaying Abyss and Vesperia in the 2017-2019 range got me fired up again. Tales Of is a consistently good-to-great series of RPGs, and the only reason I haven't played more of them (and why Tales isn't way higher on this list) is my lack of time and patience. But my feelings are still positive about the series overall. Of course, it helps that I never touched Symphonia 2 or Xillia 2.
Number Eleven
How It Started
By far the entry on this list most informed by recency bias, I first got into Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's games when I tried out Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise in late 2019 and thought it was mediocre. Then I gave these Sega open worlds a second chance in May of 2020 with Yakuza 0 and my newest video game obsession was born. In those ~19 months since, I've finished seven of the eight main-series Yakuza games (all of them except Yakuza 6) and have the Judgment spinoff on my shelf, ready to play in 2022 (probably).
By far the entry on this list most informed by recency bias, I first got into Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's games when I tried out Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise in late 2019 and thought it was mediocre. Then I gave these Sega open worlds a second chance in May of 2020 with Yakuza 0 and my newest video game obsession was born. In those ~19 months since, I've finished seven of the eight main-series Yakuza games (all of them except Yakuza 6) and have the Judgment spinoff on my shelf, ready to play in 2022 (probably).
The Best of Times
I'm in it right now. I was blown away by Yakuza 0, Yakuza 7 (aka Like A Dragon), and most recently Yakuza 5, and thought the other four I played (Kiwami, Kiwami 2, Yakuza 3, and Yakuza 4) were all very good with different strengths and weaknesses. I love Yakuza's blend of open-world action, RPG elements, and whiplash between deadly-serious and super-wacky tones. Kazuma Kiryu should be considered one of the great video game protagonists of the past 20 years, and new guy Ichiban Kasuga is probably my favorite new video game character of the young 2020s. A potential Ryu Ga Gotoku 8 / Yakuza: Like A Dragon 2 is probably the new game announcement that would get me THE MOST excited, short of something improbable like Chrono 3.
How It's Going
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is having a weird time right now, as founder Toshihiro Nagoshi left Sega following a 30-year career (!!!) alongside a few other key Yakuza developers, joining Chinese tech giant NetEase for a new game project. This is not a devastating loss, as Nagoshi hadn't been involved in core Yakuza development since Yakuza 4 (but he did write Judgment and its sequel) and the series is in good hands, but it's still noteworthy. But regardless, I have so much trust in RGG Studio that I am 100% going to continue playing their games (prioritize them, even) in the foreseeable future.
Number Ten
How It Started
Maybe this is the most surprising entry on the list for most readers? At least those of you who know me through podcasts, reviews, or social media? Regardless, Civilization is so important to me that it felt wrong ranking it outside the top 10. My parents carefully monitored what games we had on the family PC in the 90s, and approved me playing a "historical strategy sim" game when I asked about Civilization II at age 11 or 12 and received it as a gift on Christmas. I was hooked from VERY early on. From the very beginning, I was never a challenge hound with Civ games - I typically like to play them on medium or low difficulties and just watch my empire grow without much stress.
Maybe this is the most surprising entry on the list for most readers? At least those of you who know me through podcasts, reviews, or social media? Regardless, Civilization is so important to me that it felt wrong ranking it outside the top 10. My parents carefully monitored what games we had on the family PC in the 90s, and approved me playing a "historical strategy sim" game when I asked about Civilization II at age 11 or 12 and received it as a gift on Christmas. I was hooked from VERY early on. From the very beginning, I was never a challenge hound with Civ games - I typically like to play them on medium or low difficulties and just watch my empire grow without much stress.
The Best of Times
I played a ton of Civ II in the 90s and a moderate amount of Civ III in the 2000s, but my Civ apex is definitely during my time playing Civilization V, which is 2012 to the present day. I got it on a Steam sale that year, and have since logged in over 300 hours. I've beaten the game with every World Leader and have done a couple of special scenario maps, but I usually like starting from scratch with one of my favorites (Greece, Babylon, Persia, Egypt, or Korea) and navigating the tech, culture, and progress trees over several hours. Alongside Diablo III, Civ V is tied for my favorite podcast game.
How It's Going
I bought Civ: Beyond Earth and Civ VI on sales in recent years, and thought they were good, but not special to me like Civ II or Civ V are. But playing these games off and on since the 1990s is a level of longevity that no other series above can claim other than Mario or Donkey Kong. I will probably keep playing Civ V on occasion until further notice, or it gets replaced by a different strategy / 4X game. Possible, but I'm not looking very hard.
Number Nine
How It Started
I heard about Pokémon from a few friends in elementary school just before Red/Blue came out in North America in 1998 (which would've made me 12 years old) and got it as a Christmas gift that year. Pokémon was my introduction to monster-collecting RPGs, and its unique aesthetic and story framework was *so* exciting to young me. And hey, it's endured for 25 years worldwide and is one of the biggest moneymaking intellectual properties in history, so Nintendo really has something going for them. I've played all of the main-series Pokémon games, most of the remakes, and a handful of spinoffs. Frankly, I don't want to estimate what the total hour count is.
I heard about Pokémon from a few friends in elementary school just before Red/Blue came out in North America in 1998 (which would've made me 12 years old) and got it as a Christmas gift that year. Pokémon was my introduction to monster-collecting RPGs, and its unique aesthetic and story framework was *so* exciting to young me. And hey, it's endured for 25 years worldwide and is one of the biggest moneymaking intellectual properties in history, so Nintendo really has something going for them. I've played all of the main-series Pokémon games, most of the remakes, and a handful of spinoffs. Frankly, I don't want to estimate what the total hour count is.
The Best of Times
This is probably not true for many other Pokémon players my age, but my favorite time with the series was during the DS era. I got very deep into Pokémon Diamond and Heart Gold as each of them released, and after a break of a few years went back to play the Black/White/2 duology, and they remain my favorite Pokémon games to this day. The fact that Diamond introduced online trading and battling was a factor, and that Gold/Silver and Black/White have my favorite Pokémon settings and cities is important as well. And hey, during its heyday I was just excited to play games on the DS, one of my all-time favorite game systems. If you want to see what some of my favorite monsters in series history, are, you can check my list here. It's from three years ago, but I stand by it.
How It's Going
I played quite a bit of Pokémon Sword Version in late 2019 through parts of 2020, but it didn't become a new favorite. I loved several of its monsters and that it's fostering a new Pokémon community on the Switch, but the setting, story, and new gameplay gimmicks weren't great (I wish they had expanded Mega Evolution and Z-Moves instead of adding Gigantimax transformations). I'm intrigued by the recent Diamond/Pearl remakes and the open-world Pokémon game coming next year, but for now I'm content with playing a new Pokémon game once every 3 years or so and breeding Grookeys for my friends.
Number Eight
How It Started
I love arcade games, but the majority of my arcade experience has come from console ports (for shame...). My first exposure to fighting games were old SNK games at the arcade of the beach town my family visited every year when I was very young, and playing a LOT of Street Fighter with my best friend David a short while after. We started (I think?) with Super Street Fighter II around 1996, and then many, many versions of SF2, SF Alpha, Capcom's Marvel games, and others. I've had a lifelong love of fighting games ever since, and it all started with Street Fighter II.
I love arcade games, but the majority of my arcade experience has come from console ports (for shame...). My first exposure to fighting games were old SNK games at the arcade of the beach town my family visited every year when I was very young, and playing a LOT of Street Fighter with my best friend David a short while after. We started (I think?) with Super Street Fighter II around 1996, and then many, many versions of SF2, SF Alpha, Capcom's Marvel games, and others. I've had a lifelong love of fighting games ever since, and it all started with Street Fighter II.
The Best of Times
I think the late 90s and early 2000s were when I started to "get gud" at fighters, being old enough to grasp the mechanics of Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Capcom vs. SNK 2 (my two favorites from that era), but the advent of decent online for console fighting games and the huge popularity of Street Fighter IV were massive to me. I put more time into learning Honda and Blanka in Street Fighter IV than just about any other characters in my fighting game journey. And getting more comfortable with charge moves in doing so inadvertently made me better at SF2, SFA3, and CVS2, hahaha. So that's probably the peak. 2009 to 2012 range.
How It's Going
I didn't get deep into SFV, but I watch streams and highlight videos of it (and other Street Fighter games) multiple times per week. And I think that an announcement of Street Fighter VI is imminent, probably sometime in 2022. And hey, I'm down for all of it. Even if I liked SF4 more than SF5, I'll always be down to try a new Capcom fighter. All thanks to playing Super Street Fighter II in elementary school with the guys.
Number Seven
The Legend of Zelda
How It Started
Zelda 1 was one of the games my next-door neighbors had on the NES, and I found it somewhat entrancing (like all video games when I was that young), but it wasn't an overall favorite. I think I got Link's Awakening for the Game Boy when I was aged 6 or 7, and shortly afterward tried A Link to the Past on a friend's SNES, getting it for myself a few years later on my own SNES. Those two games became all-time favorites and kicked off my Zelda fandom. I love the combination of exploration, puzzle-solving, and item-driven combat. And I'm not alone - Zelda is one of the most popular series in the world.
Zelda 1 was one of the games my next-door neighbors had on the NES, and I found it somewhat entrancing (like all video games when I was that young), but it wasn't an overall favorite. I think I got Link's Awakening for the Game Boy when I was aged 6 or 7, and shortly afterward tried A Link to the Past on a friend's SNES, getting it for myself a few years later on my own SNES. Those two games became all-time favorites and kicked off my Zelda fandom. I love the combination of exploration, puzzle-solving, and item-driven combat. And I'm not alone - Zelda is one of the most popular series in the world.
The Best of Times
Spoiler alert: this is the last Nintendo franchise on the list, because Zelda is my favorite Nintendo IP. I don't always play Zelda games right when they come out, mostly because I didn't always have the right system to play them on - I never had an N64 and got a GameCube late, so I never finished Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, or Twilight Princess until the early 2010s. And this is probably weird, but I think my favorite time in Zelda was in middle school, around 1999 to 2000, when I was playing the two Oracle Zelda games and probably also Link's Awakening DX for the first time. My other best friend, Diane, and I played our copies of Ages and Seasons (I had Seasons), then swapped, using codes to play the bonus storyline, then swapped back. It's a memory I treasure.
How It's Going
Two of the most recent Zelda games, A Link Between Worlds and Breath of the Wild, are two of my favorites in the entire series, as evidenced by this post from three years ago. I also loved the Switch Link's Awakening remake, even if it's mostly the same game from 28 years ago. So yes, I'm excited for the future of Zelda, I can't wait for Breath of the Wild 2 (or whatever it's eventually called), and I hope they continue making both 3D and 2D Zelda games.
Number Six
How It Started
I rented a few Castlevania games for my NES in the early and mid 90s, but definitely couldn't beat any of them. I thought they were cool, like a supernatural Mega Man, but definitely preferred Mario, Kirby, and Capcom's suite of NES platformers. Then, many years later right around 2000, I read about the cult hit Castlevania: Symphony of the Night when I was looking into games for my recently-bought PS1. In a chain-combo of events, I play SOTN, start emulating and finishing older Castlevania games on my PC (and loving a bunch of them), and start playing the Game Boy Advance Castlevania games. I was off to the races.
I rented a few Castlevania games for my NES in the early and mid 90s, but definitely couldn't beat any of them. I thought they were cool, like a supernatural Mega Man, but definitely preferred Mario, Kirby, and Capcom's suite of NES platformers. Then, many years later right around 2000, I read about the cult hit Castlevania: Symphony of the Night when I was looking into games for my recently-bought PS1. In a chain-combo of events, I play SOTN, start emulating and finishing older Castlevania games on my PC (and loving a bunch of them), and start playing the Game Boy Advance Castlevania games. I was off to the races.
The Best of Times
That first intense push into Castlevania was fun, and Symphony of the Night has endured as one of my favorite games ever made, but the most fun I had with Castlevania was during the DS run. I played the three GBA Castlevanias back to back in 2003 or 2004, and played each of the DS Castlevania games as they came out in the 2000s, and each of them was a certified banger. That's the peak for me. 2003 through 2008. The best (and sadly, last) good time I had with one of my all-time favorite series.
How It's Going
Get ready for maybe the most depressing paragraph in this whole article. Konami released three Castlevania game collections over the past three or four years, but has no interest in developing a new Castlevania game anytime soon unless it's a low-effort mobile game. That breaks my heart. I love basically every era of Castlevania (80s platformers, 90s messy mix, 2000s Metroidvania games) other than their weaker 3D entries (I liked Lament of Innocence, but I'm not an N64 or Lords of Shadow guy), so I'd welcome more Castlevania in my life in the 2020s. I just don't think it's happening. Castlevania is dead, and I'm losing hope it may yet become undead.
Number Five
How It Started
My brother-in-Capcom, David, came back from a long vacation in early 2008 telling me I had to buy this PSP game he played with his cousins for hours and hours the prior month. I obliged, and 12 months later I had 200 hours into Monster Hunter Freedom 2 and was excited to upgrade to Freedom Unite later that year. I couldn't get into the third generation of MonHun games, but many years later David and I reconvened to commit hour counts totaling in the high hundreds or low thousands into Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise. MonHun is a combination of multiplayer co-op action, beautiful maps and monsters, and equipment crafting that speaks to me at a deep level.
My brother-in-Capcom, David, came back from a long vacation in early 2008 telling me I had to buy this PSP game he played with his cousins for hours and hours the prior month. I obliged, and 12 months later I had 200 hours into Monster Hunter Freedom 2 and was excited to upgrade to Freedom Unite later that year. I couldn't get into the third generation of MonHun games, but many years later David and I reconvened to commit hour counts totaling in the high hundreds or low thousands into Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise. MonHun is a combination of multiplayer co-op action, beautiful maps and monsters, and equipment crafting that speaks to me at a deep level.
The Best of Times
My Monster Hunter career really hinges on those three binges: Freedom 2/Unite in 2008-2009, World in 2018, and Rise in 2021. I imported one Monster Hunter game (Portable 3rd for the PSP) but didn't get far due to the language barrier. In multiple stints between 2017 and the present day I messed around with Monster Hunter Generations and its Ultimate expansion and really liked it, but I didn't put in hard time at the level of those first three. As to my favorite era of playing Monster Hunter, it's the present day. Rise is a masterpiece and my only complaint is that I wish there was more of it. Which brings me to...
How It's Going
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. Definitely my most anticipated video game of 2022, and certain to give me at least another hundred hours of multiplayer wyvern-trapping and dragon-slaying joy, a large portion of which will be with the same hunting partner that convinced me to buy a weird PSP game almost 14 years ago. For the foreseeable future, I'll play Generations Ultimate when I want a taste of Old MonHun, and Rise Sunbreak when I want to play Modern MonHun. Both flavors are delicious, and I'm still hungry for more.
Number Four
How It Started
Persona is my third-newest obsession in this top 20, less recent than only Yakuza and Ys, and its rise to be one of my favorite series is... strange. I rented Persona 1 on a whim around 2001-2002 and thought it was bad. In 2004-2005 I bought a copy of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment for cheap and thought it was... better than Persona 1, but I didn't really understand what was going on so I gave up on it. Fast forward to around 2010, I willfully ignore the extreme hype surrounding Personas 3 and 4, and a friend gives me a copy of Persona 3 FES for my birthday. A few years later I decide to finally bite the bullet and try Persona again for the first time in almost a decade, and whoops, I loved it. An RPG about Japanese teenagers battling their inner demons by... literally battling demons is a hell of a premise.
Persona is my third-newest obsession in this top 20, less recent than only Yakuza and Ys, and its rise to be one of my favorite series is... strange. I rented Persona 1 on a whim around 2001-2002 and thought it was bad. In 2004-2005 I bought a copy of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment for cheap and thought it was... better than Persona 1, but I didn't really understand what was going on so I gave up on it. Fast forward to around 2010, I willfully ignore the extreme hype surrounding Personas 3 and 4, and a friend gives me a copy of Persona 3 FES for my birthday. A few years later I decide to finally bite the bullet and try Persona again for the first time in almost a decade, and whoops, I loved it. An RPG about Japanese teenagers battling their inner demons by... literally battling demons is a hell of a premise.
The Best of Times
Look, I enjoyed Persona 4 so much that it's become one of my all-time favorite games. I played it for the first time in (I think) 2013, then immediately played a New Game Plus (this is a game with an 80+ hour runtime). Then one year later I bought the PS Vita remake and played it twice back to back AGAIN. Then I think I replayed Persona 3 via the PSP version (!?). In my first few years of Persona fandom (2012 to 2015-ish) I was a little out of control. Most recently, I played Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth and two of the three Persona Dancing games in 2020 and liked all three. My total Persona playtime is probably alarming.
How It's Going
I might replay Persona 5 via the Royal version soon-ish, but nowadays I'm content just to play new Persona games as they come out. I was Persona-preoccupied for several years there, but I've since cooled down enough where I don't play them over and over anymore (this is a healthy choice). I am going to try and finish that copy of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment I bought 15+ years ago in the next few weeks (I have about 10 hours to go). And hey, they just announced a modern port of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and getting back into that game doesn't sound half-bad.
Number Three
How It Started
Remarkably, my first Mega Man was one of the Game Boy titles; when I was aged 6 or 7 and amassing a pretty impressive Game Boy game collection, I picked up Mega Man IV because I was intrigued by the cover art. I quickly grew to love the combination of platforming, shooting, and powering up, and after I got a NES a year or so later I rented multiple Mega Man NES games over the years. Discovering that the renamed Rockman changed colors when he used different weapons BLEW. MY. MIND. When I met David in 1996, he and I first became friends because I saw him drawing Mega Man characters in school recess, and before long we were designing and drawing OC Mega Man characters together.
Remarkably, my first Mega Man was one of the Game Boy titles; when I was aged 6 or 7 and amassing a pretty impressive Game Boy game collection, I picked up Mega Man IV because I was intrigued by the cover art. I quickly grew to love the combination of platforming, shooting, and powering up, and after I got a NES a year or so later I rented multiple Mega Man NES games over the years. Discovering that the renamed Rockman changed colors when he used different weapons BLEW. MY. MIND. When I met David in 1996, he and I first became friends because I saw him drawing Mega Man characters in school recess, and before long we were designing and drawing OC Mega Man characters together.
The Best of Times
I've been playing Mega Man main series, sub-series, and spinoffs every year since 1993, but my favorite of the lot was Mega Man X, which I first got into when I bought my SNES in 1996. My most exciting time with Mega Man was from 96 to 99, playing my copy of Mega Man X, renting X2 and X3 multiple times, and checking out the PS1 Mega Man and Mega Man X games at David's house (I got my own PS1 in 2000). X1 is one of my favorite games of all time, and MMX is maybe the one older series in all of video games I wish would get revived the most.
How It's Going
I had a good time with Mega Man 11 in 2018, beating it in a single weekend because, well, short runtimes are one weakness of the Mega Man formula, I guess. I got the PS4 version of the X Collection recently and beat Mega Man X in one sitting because... that's just how I roll. You put Mega Man X in front of me, I will finish it. But regardless of how Capcom treats the Blue Bomber in the 2020s, I will be here for it. Mega Man was my first favorite video game character, and I will root for the blue robot boy who always tries his best for my entire life.
Number Two
How It Started
I rented a few of the Dragon Warrior games during my NES days when I asked a video store clerk about "games like Final Fantasy, but for the NES." I didn't get terribly far into any of them, but I remember DW2's dramatic opening and generally liking Ragnar and Alena in DW4. Then around a decade later I started getting into NES and SNES emulation and finished DW4 for the first time (like it) and played DQ5 and DQ6 for the first time (love it). Then, I think a year or two after I beat those three, Dragon Quest VIII came out in North America (gotta have it).
I rented a few of the Dragon Warrior games during my NES days when I asked a video store clerk about "games like Final Fantasy, but for the NES." I didn't get terribly far into any of them, but I remember DW2's dramatic opening and generally liking Ragnar and Alena in DW4. Then around a decade later I started getting into NES and SNES emulation and finished DW4 for the first time (like it) and played DQ5 and DQ6 for the first time (love it). Then, I think a year or two after I beat those three, Dragon Quest VIII came out in North America (gotta have it).
The Best of Times
Dragon Quest was probably my overall favorite series of the 2000s. My dormant interest re-ignited in my early-2000s emulation days, then caught fire following DQ VIII on PS2 and the DS versions of DQ IV, V, VI, and IX. Somewhere in the middle of those I bought the Game Boy Color versions of Dragon Quests I, II, and III and finished those for the first time. That period from the mid 2000s to early 2010s was my favorite time in Dragon Quest, and in days since it hasn't slowed much, with the 3DS remakes of VII and VIII and the brilliant Dragon Quest XI holding it down.
How It's Going
Dragon Quest XI was my favorite game of 2018 (2017 release date in Japan, 2018 worldwide) and I couldn't be more excited for Dragon Quest XII, even though right now it has nothing more than a fiery logo and subtitle, "The Flames of Fate." At the same event that they announced DQ XII they revealed a few other Dragon Quest remakes and spinoffs, and I'm pumped for those as well. When DQXII or DQX Offline or that HD2D remaster of DQIII lands, each becomes a top priority. My Dragon Quest outlook is optimistic.
Number One
How It Started
At a sleepover in 1995 at my friend Jason's house, I played through parts of Final Fantasy IV, but I thought it was called Final Fantasy II at the time. It was a backseat-gaming, pass-the-controller group effort, but I was CAPTIVATED. I had played a bunch of video games and read YA fiction and fantasy novels about groups of heroes; but seeing gameplay driven by menus and decisions telling a fantasy adventure story? I needed to play more. I bought Final Fantasy I at a Funcoland not long after this sleepover, and made finding Final Fantasy games a priority when I eventually got a SNES, PS1, and PS2. Final Fantasy, Mega Man, and Street Fighter were the three big factors for why I got a PS1 and not an N64 in 2000, with apologies to Zelda.
At a sleepover in 1995 at my friend Jason's house, I played through parts of Final Fantasy IV, but I thought it was called Final Fantasy II at the time. It was a backseat-gaming, pass-the-controller group effort, but I was CAPTIVATED. I had played a bunch of video games and read YA fiction and fantasy novels about groups of heroes; but seeing gameplay driven by menus and decisions telling a fantasy adventure story? I needed to play more. I bought Final Fantasy I at a Funcoland not long after this sleepover, and made finding Final Fantasy games a priority when I eventually got a SNES, PS1, and PS2. Final Fantasy, Mega Man, and Street Fighter were the three big factors for why I got a PS1 and not an N64 in 2000, with apologies to Zelda.
The Best of Times
Let's say all of 1995 through 2005. The dawn of my RPG obsession, I played or replayed or emulated every Final Fantasy game I could track down. Final Fantasy was my gateway drug to all other RPGs, it directly led to my (very formative) experiences with online gaming forums from 2002 to the present day, and to my love of every above series that's an RPG or borderline RPG (I count 9 out of 19). For a long time Final Fantasy was my favorite series beyond a shadow of a doubt, and those doubts only arose when I had a long Final Fantasy hiatus between my early years of the PS2 (mid-2000s) until the mid-2010s. Which brings me to...
How It's Going
My personal history with Final Fantasy XIV began in 2016, when I binged it hardcore for about 5 months, and continued with two other long binges in 2019 and 2020. I'm currently at the end of Shadowbringers content, but probably won't get Endwalker until the fervor dies down a bit (because holy shit). Final Fantasy XIV is one of the best games of the 2010s, and is a never-ending celebration of what Final Fantasy is, but with solid MMO mechanics and modern storytelling ideas. When I play FFXIV, all of my 26 years of Final Fantasy love comes flooding into me and I feel like a kid playing Final Fantasy IV for the first time again. And now you're telling me that FF XVI is being helmed by key members of the FFXIV dev team? Square-Enix has my curiosity, attention, enthusiasm, and money. Fantastic.
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I am 99% certain this is the longest single article I've written on this blog, and while I wrote all of it in October, November, and December of 2021, it's been percolating as an idea for at least two or three years. I'm glad it's over, and if you read or skimmed through the whole damn article, I hope it was at least a little entertaining and illuminating, as an illustration of what video games I love. Now back to Yakuza 6 (11th series on the list above) and Tales of Arise (12th). Happy gaming.
I am 99% certain this is the longest single article I've written on this blog, and while I wrote all of it in October, November, and December of 2021, it's been percolating as an idea for at least two or three years. I'm glad it's over, and if you read or skimmed through the whole damn article, I hope it was at least a little entertaining and illuminating, as an illustration of what video games I love. Now back to Yakuza 6 (11th series on the list above) and Tales of Arise (12th). Happy gaming.
This is a great list
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