Most Popular, Storied Video Game Franchises of all Time
Long since the debut of Pong back in 1972, the video game industry has grown to several different styles of games – adventure, science-fiction, fighting, sports and more. While there are so many games that have been developed for various gaming systems to be played on a television, computer screen and even a mobile device, there are only a select few franchises that have lasted for generations of gamers since the 1980s and early 1990s.
The following are a few of those franchises and are not listed in any specific order except that they are, by many experts, considered the cream of the crop.
Super Mario
Even though he was a supporting character under the 1981 Donkey Kong arcade game as “Jumpman,” Mario and his brother Luigi made their debuts on the Nintendo Entertainment System’s (NES) Super Mario Bros. four years later – which was famous for being part of a dual pack with Duck Hunt. Since then, there have been several games on various consoles which have shown the true evolution of games.
Mario and Luigi have helped save the Mushroom Kingdom through side-scrolling missions and into the current platforms where players have the ability roam freely wherever they wish in the separate worlds. There have also been several spin off games, including Luigi’s Mansion – a launch title for the Nintendo Gamecube in 2001.
While many hardcore video game enthusiasts prefer the classics like Super Mario Bros. 3 (SNES) or Super Mario World (Super NES), several Mario characters have also helped make the Super Smash Bros. fighting game series one of the more popular games as well.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Switching from the Nintendo universe, sort of, Sega’s biggest star was Sonic the Hedgehog with a debut in the 1991 self-titled game on the Sega Genesis console. What made this franchise extremely popular is the side-scrolling adventure that featured a game focused on speed running through various stages in an efforts to save his animal friends from being turned into robots by Dr. Robotnik – now currently named Dr. Eggman.
The games have evolved through the Sega consoles and even in arcade machines across the globe. His first 3D title was Sonic Adventure, one of the launch titles for the Sega Dreamcast in 1998. There was a sequel released in 2001 as one of the last games for the console before Sega eventually shifted into becoming a third-party developer.
Despite that change, Sonic and his friends still lived on in the Nintendo universe with new adventures including Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (2015) for the Wii.
Mortal Kombat
Starting in 1995 in arcade machines and various consoles, Mortal Kombat was a groundbreaking fighting game that brought players an early sense of blood, gore and fatalities. Over the years, the game evolved with improving graphics and correlating deaths that would become more graphic and more over-the-top thanks to Ed Boon and his team at Midway.
It was one of the first controversial games that created a parental uproar as kids would try to use the fighters to decapitate, impale and blow up their opponents. In recent years, the franchise has featured several guest characters – including Jason Vorhees (Friday the 13th movies) and Predator in the latest Mortal Kombat X that was released earlier this year.
The game has its iconic cast members like Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Sonya Blade and Raiden. It has also inspired several cartoons, mini-series and even a couple of movies from the 1990s (the games are much better, but the thought was worth the attempt).
Legend of Zelda
Since its first chapter released for the NES in 1986, the Legend of Zelda was one of the most unique and groundbreaking video games of its kind at the time – allowing players to have the ability to free roam to the different temples and missions in any order they choose. Sure, there was a set path they “should” follow, but that didn’t mean the player couldn’t find that out on his/her own.
Several games followed the story of Link – who wore the iconic green tunic and hat – in an attempt to save Hyrule and Princess Zelda. One of the best parts is that there are several different variations of the tale that span over different timelines following different generations of the hero known as Link in his fight against Ganondorf.
Even in the 1980s and 1990s, players had a unique view from above looking down as Link would go through different lands, castles and temples. But recent versions have included the same 3D graphics that since the Ocarina of Time (1998, Nintendo-64) and has continued through to Skyward Sword (2011, Wii).
While these video game franchises are continuing their legacies on modern day titles that are continuing to build their own legacy similar to the ones mentioned above. The Halo series for Microsoft’s Xbox series have provided a fun multiplayer, first-person shooter experience that have been enjoyed at parties for more than a decade.
The last few years have seen an interest in the recent Batman Arkham series (Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC) where the “Caped Crusader” fights enemies in a chained-style of offensive play mixed with 3D platforming. Other honorable mentions include Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, World of Warcraft and Minecraft – all available not only on regular consoles, but also personal computers.
At the same time, there seems to be more of a growing interest for independent video games made for mobile devices and PC gamers. One example includes Telltale Games creating a variety of point and click games where the stories depend on the choices made by the player – include The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us and Tales from the Borderlands.