Top Three video game franchises of all time.

You can't say the word "video game" with out thinking of Mario. Try it.

That alone makes the Super Mario series the most influential in all video game history.

Why are Mario games the absolute number 1 influence over all video game history? Uh....do I really have to explain? Tell you what, how 'bout YOU give me reasons why it isn't.

....................


That's what I thought.

While the Super Mario Bros. for NES wasn't the first video game, nor the first to star the Mario Brothers, it remains today as nostalgic gamings biggest title of all time.

Of course, it spwaned many offspring. Mario 3, Super Mario, Yoshi's Island, Mario 64, Mario Sunshine, Mario Tennis, Mario Baseball, Mario Basketball, Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart Double Dash, Mario Kart DS, Mario teaches typing, E-F-ing-CT!!

No video game character will ever come close to Mario. Just like hot objects cool down, like daytime turns to night, like clean carpets become dirty, like the price of gas doubles every ten years.......That's just the way things are.

Don't try to argue. Mario has already 1up-ed your ass.

Twice.



Now let's talk about the Number 2 contender.

What should we list?

Well, Mario has the precedent of all side scrolling action. This means, to encompass a second slot, one must embrace a new perspective: Overhead View.

Role Playing Games, or, RPG's, classicly shared a "top down" perspective, with a turn based, side-viewed battle system. There were many early contenders. But VERY few had stood the test of time. The very pinnacle of the genre? Final Fantasy. No question about it.

Squaresoft, a fading nostalgic gaming company, was going out of business. They devoted themselves to one last project. A "Final" game. That game was Final Fantasy for the NES.

An amazing game which presented gamers with an unheard of customization over the characters they begin with. A massive world, with a fairly solid storyline, challenging gameplay, and many secrets to uncover, all in the quest to make your characters as strong as possible.

As an added twist, halfway through the game, each of your characters changes into a higher class. Suddenly you are an elite, and new power and attacks open up for you.

And somehow, through what must be the divine providence of God, (or an eternal blood-contract with Lucifer), that "last" squaresoft game became the longest running, most influential, most groundbreaking series home gaming has ever seen.

Final Fantasy 7 for the PS1 introduced more North American gamers to RPG's than any game before it.

Although many final fantasy games were available in North America, namely for the Super Nintendo, Final Fantasy 7 bridged the gap with an unprecedented amount of game play. Deep story lines, combined with some of the best graphics ever seen, created 100 hours of game play over 3 discs. (Though you can beat the game in 60-75 hours).

Then there was final fantasy 8. And 9. And 10. And the online 11, and 12. And spin-offs like "Final fantasy Tactics", "Crystal Chronicles".

Each game deserves, nay, even commands their own group of followers. And one could devote thousands upon thousands of words describing.

Suffice it to say, the Final Fantasy series is the only series of games you can always confidently buy without first playing. They always push the graphic boundaries of any system they inhabit. And you can always count on an original, yet familiar story line.

And soon, Final Fantasy 13 will be available for the PS3.





There are hundreds of RPG's out there that are amazing. That are brilliant! That are every bit as fun to play, arguably more, than the final fantasy games.

But this is a Top Three video game franchise list. And Squaresoft, now known as SquareEnix, has dominated the world with it's revolutionary computer animation. As far as CG is concerned, it's pretty much second to none.







Now.... For the most highly debatable THIRD BEST VIDEO GAME FRANCHISE!

Stay tuned. Trust me.