Top 10 Video Game Franchises With The Most Games
For some franchises, the games just keep on coming... and coming, and coming. Depending on quality, this can be a good thing or a bad thing. Characters like Mario have been around forever, and we always love seeing more Mario games. While not every game in these franchises might not be good, we are looking at those franchises with the most games and ranking them based on the overall quality of the series. So join http://www.watchmojo.com as we count down our picks for the top 10 video game franchises with the most games. Special thanks to our user John Nolan for suggesting this topic using our website's suggest tool at http://www.WatchMojo.comsuggest.
#10: “Resident Evil” (1996-)
Survival horror certainly hasn't seen a long runner like this. As one of Capcom's flagship franchises, this mash-up of B-movie horror and adventure game-style puzzles has endured for nearly twenty years. It's also resulted in more than 30 games under the “Resident Evil” name, ranging from classic horror to on-rails shooting and third-person gunplay and that one GBA game nobody ever talks about. Yet the series' love of grotesque mutants, widespread conspiracies and clever puzzles endures to this day.
#9: “FIFA” (1993-)
Time to kick around the ball, again and again. Starting in 1993 with “FIFA International Soccer”, this game series intended to simulate association football has come into its own as a long-lived brand. Spanning well over 30 titles across 39 different consoles, if you’re more into the organizational/taking bribes sorta thing, you can always try the increasingly popular Manager series. You need not worry about the main series, though; yearly releases ensure no one will have too long to wait before the next game.
#8: “Might and Magic” (1986-)
Well past the forty game mark, and still going strong. “Might and Magic”, a role-playing game franchise, distinguished itself from other series in two respects: using a first-person perspective in gameplay, and combining elements of science-fiction with fantasy. This combination has resulted in a cavalcade of games with grandiose open-worlds and fascinating mythologies, including the equally popular turn based spinoff series Heroes of Might and Magic. More to the point, it's ensured that no one will forget this storied franchise any time soon.
#7: “Castlevania” (1986-)
To think, this all began with a guy whipping monsters. Yet that was enough to spawn a decades-long franchise based on classic literary creatures, Gothic imagery, and a unique blend of combat and platforming. In its twenty-plus years of existence, the series has put us through quite a lot: countless generations of Belmont men, vampires battling for good, hidden sky castles, and even Dracula himself acting as the hero. The forays into 3D have been met with mixed reviews, but the series seems to still enjoy an immortal legacy.
#6: “Dynasty Warriors” (1997-)
Who knew ancient history could be so... fun? This cathartic hack-and-slash series, itself a spin-off of “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”, has found its place in gaming as the go-to franchise for no-bars-held action. From the outset, “Dynasty Warriors” established its interest in the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, filling its games with plentiful characters based on real people. Add to that combat focused on cutting through wave after wave of enemies, and there's a nice balance of action and storytelling across the franchise's forty-plus games. Essentially creating a genre for itself, longitme fans might be surprised to know that the first game in the series was a 1 on 1 fighting game – hardly the case anymore.
#5: “Pokémon” (1996-)
Gotta buy 'em all, as they say. Beginning in the mid nineties with 151 of the titular Pocket Monsters to capture and to train, the role-playing series has since grown into a multi-media franchise sporting over 700 species – and more than 50 games to date. And it's not just the core titles anymore; the side outings have introduced more complex narratives, handheld-to-console Pokemon trading, and stadium-based combat to the series. People just can't get enough of this franchise, especially since they’re still waiting for a sequel to Pokémon snap.
#4: “Sonic the Hedgehog” (1991-)
He's the fastest thing alive – and still running after twenty years. Our blue speedster Sonic made his debut on the Sega Genesis, before seguing into numerous sequels expanding on the firstgame's speed-based platforming. Then there was the shift from 2D to 3D with 1998's “Sonic Adventure”, when Sonic's universe began to fill up with colourful realms and even more colourful characters. From side-scrollers to three-dimensional platformers, and even the odd Bioware made RPG, this hedgehog has quite the line-up, even if his recent titles haven’t really kept up the pace.
#3: “Final Fantasy” (1987-)
Is it tired at this point to joke about the “final” part of “Final Fantasy”? Regardless, here's what you need to know: this series developed by the legendary company Square Enix is expansive. Starting with a relatively straight-forward role-playing game, it grew into a years-long franchise renowned for elaborate storytelling and constantly innovating game mechanics. At first glance there only appears to be 14 self-contained games... until one counts the direct sequels, tangential spin-offs, compilations, and occasional remakes. Nowhere close to being final, if we're being honest.
#2: “Mega Man” (1987-)
The Blue Bomber sure isn't lacking for games. The robot hero Mega Man's adventures started in 1987, introducing challenging side-scrolling levels and bosses whose weapons allowed for a rock-paper-scissors approach to combat. Since then, developer Capcom has run wild with the idea; in addition to 10 direct sequels, Mega Man has seen the creation of many acclaimed side series expanding on the original game's design. From X to Zero each new game has built on this massive and inspiring legacy.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
“The Legend of Zelda” (1986-)
“Pac-Man” (1980-)
“Dragon Quest” (1986-)
“Worms” (1995-)
“Need for Speed” (1994-)
“Tomb Raider” (1996-)
#1: “Mario” (1981-)
When it comes to size, only one franchise can claim to surpass them all. The adventures of the titular plumber began in 1981's “Donkey Kong”, and have since branched off into three decades' worth of sequels and spin-offs. On top of the ongoing “Super Mario” platforming games, Mario has found his way into other genres: kart racing, golf, tennis, soccer, even medicine. Factor in the games starring Mario's allies and associates, and you have a series with more than 200 games to its name – and counting.
Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite franchise with lots of games? For more sizable Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.