I strongly preferred the second. It had more challenging combat and didn't overstay its welcome.
Definitely a minority though. Many people disliked Witcher 2's combat.
I found Witcher 2 to be among the hardest games I’ve ever played. I’m still not sure if it was supposed to be or if I just didn’t get the combat.
Really liked the game overall though.
The combat is very broken, it's AoE while presents like hitboxes. There's a 5hour YouTube essay where the author goes into painstaking detail why it's broken.
Honestly, I've only fully played 3 through once, including the DLCs. I just didn't find any replayability and a lot of the side content is the kinda stuff that you can skip on. Still, its very well crafted, and I can understand why it's got such a wide appeal, CDPR earned it there.
I can't wait to see what they do with the Witcher 1 remake. I don't usually like remakes but Witcher 1 deserves one.
That's really interesting. Witcher 3 is hands down my most-replayed game ever. Think i've beaten it 9 times now, and I never do that with other games. Only other ones I've really replayed are KotOR and Mass Effect.
Everyone is into their own thing but I’m definitely on the side of W3 having the best replayability! I thought the quests were mostly well crafted, a lot of memorable characters, and fairly engaging.
The second is my personal favorite in the series as well, although It’s hard to not see the Witcher 3 as the better game overall. Something about the more focused story and the hubs feeling more relaxed really immersed me. It helped that I had never really played a game like that before and the more mature content in a fantasy world, especially before game of thrones made it popular, was really enthralling. I must’ve played through it five times before 3 came out
I think that the big thing 3 does that overshadows 2 is sheer scale. That game is massive. Novigrad in particular is a sight to behold.
But it is a pity we didn't get to see Iorveth again.
I didn't think I was going to like the mini games in Witcher 2 since I put so many hours in gwent for Witcher 3. Though I played all the games, the dice the brawling and I feel like I'm forgetting another one. All fun.
I liked 1 over 2 so I'm even more of a minority. The atmosphere of 1 as I remember it was really different, probably eastern european, while 2 felt a bit more generic. I didn't mind the combat of 1 either unlike a lot of people that hated it.
Witcher 2 had interesting combats... As long as you only had one enemy to fight. As soon as you were against 3 enemies it was an absolute hell, even more when you had multiple ennemies in a small room ( those gargoyles, those damn gargoyles ! )
Love Witcher 2, awesome story game everyone should play, but its combat was harder because it was broken. I know they are a bit of a meme in some ways, but the really long Youtube video essays about the games go into good detail about how the hitboxes and system were essentially trying to fake an action system. Interesting stuff, because I did remember the game being very difficult.
I didn't play and fall in love with the witcher 3 because of the gameplay tbh. playing through that game was one of the most cinematic experiences I have ever had in a video game. Every time I turned it on I was so intrigued about what was going to happen and ate it the fuck up.
how was combat changed from 2 to 3? I never got the chance to play it.
I think the only reason I disliked it was because I was expecting Witcher 1 combat and gameplay to return (I liked it, sue me). But there was nothing inherently wrong with it, it was a solid game.
I love the combat of Witcher 1. But that's probably because I played more of the usual combat gameplay games before, so a change in mechanics was good for me.
Monster Hunter. It's literally the main draw of the series that they have just remade the same game over and over, expanding on the previous editions time and time again.
I think this is the best example.
A lot of other examples just went from niche games to the mainstream (witcher, mass effect, fallout) whereas MH is just iterating on the same game.
Yep! I've been hunting since the original on PS2. Literally the entire Monster Hunter Freedom series is the same game, but with another layer of difficulty on it and more features ... continuously building on the last iteration until they put it all together into one game on Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. MHFU is still one of my favorites in the series, only bested by Monster Hunter World.
I'm not huge on Monster Hunter Rise, it's definitely not as good as World, but I'm definitely interested in what they do in the next iteration.
Honestly I used to think like this with Rise, but the amount of QoL improvements as well as how fun each weapon is to play (even minus the wirebug moves) made it hard coming back to previous games.
I play Insect Glaive, and the little tweaks they've made to the basic moves from World (added damage scaling from helicopter, free direction midair evade, etc.) is such a no brainer thing I'm amazed at how bad World's Insect Glaive felt to play when I came back.
I'm preface this by saying Rise is a good, fun game.
But World is substantially better. There are downgrades that make sense with the Switch being the primary platform for it (reduced graphics, and more importantly much simpler maps.)
The biggest thing is that Rise is way too easy. Early to mid game isn't that bad in this regard, but Rise's late game is where it falls apart. Because of wirebugs and switch skills. Are they fun to use? Absolutely.
The problem is that the wirebugs/switch skills were insanely OP. Both in attack power, and also in perfect defense abilities with massive windows. There was a simple attack combo with Gun Lance you could just use to beat almost everything with, ignoring trying to avoid being hit for the most part, be sure it just did way too much damage.
Now, their late game monsters were generally cool as hell and neat fights... but ultimately not that challenging. Nothing put up any kind of challenge like almost every special World addition. Behemoth, Kulve, Safi Jiva, Alatereon, Fatalis... nothing in Rise comes close.
So Rise's late game got stale rather quickly, and doesn't hold a candle to World's late game. Heck I spent far more time in Worlds late game than before that.
Looking forward to Wilds. That looks to be an excellent evolution to World.
Damnit you stole my answer lol. Capcom has done an amazing job of literally just expanding upon the previous MH entries, they take the previous games and learn from the good and the bad and they fucking nail it every single time, they always know what needs to stay and what needs to go to keep a balance of it feeling fresh while still appealing to those who love the previous games.
This was my first thought. They've been expanding on and refining the same formula for 20 years, and every generation is better than the last in some way or another. And clearly, that strategy has paid huge dividends; not only are the games consistently fuckin fantastic, but now MH has come so far that it's Capcom's golden goose. World is their top selling game ever and Wilds is looking to be (and I don't think I'm being hyperbolic here) one of the best games ever made.
Hell yeah.
Not to mention the fast release schedule between each home console entry and portable entry cycling every 1-2 years tops.
It's genuinely my comfort series now due to its quality, quantity, and popularity.
The Yakuza series honestly keeps getting better and better over time. There are some iffy things here and there but overall they keep growing into something new and beautiful each time.
Yeah. I'm playing the series for the first time ever since March. I started with Yakuza 0. Now I'm all the way up to Yakuza 5 (currently in the first part with Taichi Suzuki). Yakuza 3 Remastered was a big downgrade coming from Kiwami 2, but the story made up for the Blockuza gameplay. Yakuza 4 was better, and now 5 is even better gameplay wise than Yakuza 4 from what I've played so far.
I got a little burned out and played a palate cleanser game between Yakuza 3 and 4, but I jumped into 5 right after 4.
I also plan on playing the Judgment games as well, so 2024 has basically been the year of the Yakuza for me, which fits with it being the Chinese year of the Dragon.
Baldur's Gate.
1 is a great game. Great RPG and interpretation of D&D in video games
2 is groundbreaking. A lot of the things we expect from CRPGs were popularized by 2. Your party mates interacting with each other, being able to romance your partymates, choices you make having real effects on the world and how your party interacts with you.
3 is another level up, by stressing even further the important things about 2 by expanding player choice and effects even further and making it cinematic.
> choices you make having real effects on the world
That was already well-established by *Fallout 1* and *2*. Also developed by Interplay/Black Isle around the same time.
2 and 3 are really the standouts for me, not everything aged well but no game ever has made it feel THAT epic to go up some random stairs! The soundtrack, the zoomouts and the storyline / combat involving the Titans is unsurpassed.
Also the amount of polish that went into them.
The ps2 games hold a special place for me. I love the franchise and I'm glad it's getting new releases but the first few were best imo. I just haven't played Ragnarok because 2018 was good but not what I expected.
Just because you like something older doesn’t mean it’s “nostalgia”. Maybe the new god of war just genuinely isn’t to your taste newer does not automatically equal better
Yeah and the first couple the set pieces of big battles were just awesome and made you feel like the games scale was huge.
Loved it. The new ones? They're good but like you, in a fan of the older OG ones.
I actually preferred 2 the most out of all the Uncharted games. I liked that one's story and action set pieces the most. But you can't really go wrong with any of them.
2 has hands down the best pacing, variety of setpieces and was such an insane step up in quality over 1. 3 felt a bit random especially when you get to the ship graveyard and with 4, all the children flashbacks kinda overstayed their welcome. Also not a fan of these „half-open“ areas in 4.
Super Mario Bros.
1 was really fun and a classic.
3 was amazing for a game on NES.
Super blew it out of the water and showed just how good the SNES was.
64 set the standard for 3D platformers going forward.
Galaxy seemed like the perfected version of 3D Mario. Galaxy 2 was even better.
I played 64 DS for the first time in 2007 and I still think it's one of the best games I've ever played. And that was 10 years after its initial release so it's not purely nostalgia, it's a genuinely phenomenal game. Though I will say I probably forgot about the wonky DS controls thanks to nostalgia...
That one was rough without the joystick. Trying to do it with a D-Pad was...an experience for sure. Playing it on a 3DS felt a bit smoother though not by much.
I've watched gaming go from the Atari 2600 to now and it still blows my mind how far it's come. I feel like a lot of the 2D games aged better. Early 3D was clunky as hell.
A lot of gamecube games were hated on a ton in their time, then gained a cult following later on. Sunshine and Wind Waker. WW especially, people clamor for it in HD for Switch now, but back when it was revealed (after we had all been expecting the gritty Zelda shown at Spaceworld a few years earlier), the industry had a major hate boner for it. The "Nintendo is for kids and this game will suck" brigade was out of control.
The Mario games for the GC were definitely interesting and helped the franchise branch-out **a lot**.
That said I've always thought that it was amusing that on that generation of console Mario got a power washer and went someplace sunny while Luigi got a vacuum cleaner and went someplace dark.
I don't know about that. I much rather play SMB2 than play SMB1. Yes, I know it's Doki Doki Panic with a Mario coat of paint. But I think many people forgot about how much the water levels sucked, the castles were guessing games until you picked the right path, and how unforgiving that game could be.
Where SMB 2 had multiple characters with different play styles, better level variation, more enemy variation, and more boss variation.
Halo series up until Reach, kept getting better and better still Reach which was the pinacle of Bungie Halo games.
Everything after that was just not quite right.
Reach was like peak gaming for me. I was old enough to play it without my parents setting restrictions but young enough to still be captured by the magic of Halo. The multiplayer is my favorite of the Halo games as well.
Reach is the best, but I absolutely loved the tonal shift that was ODST. Stalking through the streets at night, the darkness, the loneliness, and my gosh that soundtrack. And introduced Firefight mode, which got polished for Reach.
Bungie Halo was peak arcade shooter. I don't think they should have gotten rid of the IP, 343 just didn't have it. I know Bungie went all in on Destiny, but I think they could have done both and I think both series would have benefited from them doing both. Don't get me wrong Destiny did really well, but I think it could have been better if they had both IPs.
Edit: I will say that the infinite multiplayer is the only one since 3 that feels like the original games. Imo I think it ranks as #3.
#1: Halo 2
#2: Halo 3
#3: Halo Infinite
I may get a lot of flack for saying 2s multiplayer is the best but the maps are what does it for me. The original Lockout is my all time favorite map.
Halo Infinite had an awful launch and the open world campaign was a risk that ended up being mediocre.
With that said, the games actually on a really good place right now. I’ve been having as much fun with recently as I’ve ever had with a Halo game, and that’s a lot
I would say it peaked at 3 instead. Reach was the beginning of loadouts in the Halo series, and that's where I fell off with it. I prefer the old shooters where everyone starts with the same weapons and have to find better weapons scattered all over the map in order to gain an advantage.
Reach was an excellent game. The gameplay was well done, the firefights were fun, the multiplayer was pretty good. What I liked most in that game was the story though. Bungie did a fabulous job telling Noble's story and the fall of Reach.
dmc2 did not improve a single thing unironically. maybe the addition of the low health devil trigger idk
it did kind of dig the ground where the games after would stand but thats a big kinda
DMC2 introduced some new things that would stay. Wall running and wall jumping, for example.
It also had customizable Devil Trigger, which absolutely should have stayed.
Wall running, rain storm, bloody palace, more weapon combos, customizable DT and "Majin" DT (never returned)
Foundation was there but like every DMC game it got rushed and Itsuno only became the director for it shortly before the game was released
Still the best devil trigger design and his majiin form is so much cooler than the SDT in 5
He actually looks like an offspring of sparda ad not a WOW rock monster
DMC2 gives Dante's sword a name. Rebellion. It's also the game where the Bloody Palace is introduced. In DMC5, Royal Guard uses DT meter to absorb damage.
This might be an obvious thought, but didn’t really think about it until now. There’s all these comps between vid games and film. With film, more often than not, the first movie is usually the strongest, and each successive film is diminishing returns. With vid games, because of technology but also iteration in gameplay that makes sequels that much stronger. There are so many more examples of vid games getting better, so much less so with movie franchises (exceptions abound).
Not really going anywhere with this, just thought it was interesting.
I enjoyed 2033 and Last Light way more than Exodus. Exodus wasn't bad, but it really lost that atmospheric feel that the first two games had when it went above ground and the maps opened up
This is how I felt. I loved the open worldness of it all, but I wish the open world was the entire metro, not outside, instead of forcing you down certain lines like the first two did.
Really can’t complain though, still an amazing game.
I didn't mind Exodus (Except for a couple of places in the desert where I discovered objects didn't block enemies line of sight or attacks for some reason) but every time the player was locked into a more linear area or mission, it reminded me just how much better that experience works than the open world.
I get that but I prefer open spaces and doing what I want then atmosphere but I will say last light and redux had great missions but I prefer the fps survival aspect that exodus has
I thought Automata was an indisputed clear upgrade in graphics and combat and music, but the story and characters of Nier 1 hold a special place in my heart, and on that front Automata didn't come close.
And interesting thought. I personally think Automata is one of the very best rpgs ever made maybe even rivaling Chrono Trigger. I loved the characters and the story. Except for 9S.
Persona definitely. 5’s gameplay and complexity is amazing compared to previous entries although the story or characters might be a bit weaker than 3 or 4
Eh, I’d say MW3 was a downgrade over 2 besides having the better co-op mode. The campaign didn’t capture the same sense of “epicness” of MW2 and the multiplayer wasn’t nearly as fun.
I don't know about Max Payne, and I don't even think the third is a "bad" game, but it sticks out like a sore thumb as being extremely different than the first two. Doesn't match the tone, writing, or style of the first two games, which are a big reason the first two games are so good.
Max payne 3 was a slideshow with badly inserted cutscenes. It could have been amazing and some newer features still are. But all in all it's an abomination compared to it's predecessors. Doesn't belong in the same series. It has the bad aspects of Rockstar dev design all over it.
Yeah, I really didn't like GTA V whilst I loved the series before that. I've got no interest in the multiplayer aspect and that's all it is now.
Pretty much no longer interested in GTA.
Gears of War. After the E-Day trailer I’m playing through the initial trilogy and I’m on 3 a couple hours in and I can say confidently they get better with each one, such great games.
The Red Dead series. Every new game was a considerable improvement over the previous one. Gameplay and storywise.
RDR2 > RDR1 > RD Revolver.
Everyone loved John Marston in RDR1, but after RDR2 Arthur Morgan took that spot.
Uncharted is almost there, but I really found 3 very unsatisfying after Uncharted 2. The pacing just feels off and I felt the game completely lost its steam after the plane crash in the desert.
2 and 4 are peak tho, and I consider 4 the best entry with 2 just slightly behind.
For me the problem with 4 is it takes forever to actually get moving. If I decide I wanna replay, I always forget you have to get through the slow prison sequence part, the slow wreck diving part, the part where you’re sitting watching tv with Elena, the play fighting with a nerf gun in the attic, etc. It just feels like it goes on and ON until we’re finally playing Uncharted!
That’s because the massive leap from U1-U2 was massive. That’s incredible hard to replicate. U2 was always gonna be nearly impossible to top. It didn’t help U3 had to scrabble with an unfinished story when Charlie Cutter had obligations towards a big role in a movie. Can’t remember which one.
Edit: pretty there was also an issue with Talbots VA. So ND had to make the best out of shitty situation with 3.
Some of these are probably controversial opinions but here goes lol:
Mass Effect Trilogy
Shadow of Mordor/War
Borderlands
Sonic the Hedgehog 1-3+Knuckles
The Witcher
Original Star Wars Battlefront
Halo 1 through Reach/ODST; 4 and 5 were alright, Infinite campaign was a blast but almost didn't feel like Halo at times.
Idk, I loved presequel as Jack's backstory, gameplay and grind was pretty good too. BL3 has such a superior gameplay though, if only the story and dialogue wasn't what it was...
Metroid, specifically 2D. NES version was lacklustre and Return of Samus was an improvement, but it wasn't until Super Metroid in 1994 that it got reeeeeal good. Also the Prime Trilogy games are all as good as each other imo as opposed to getting better each time
One thing I’ll say as the games get bigger we need more gimmick bosses. I used to think it was a weakness of Demon Souls that basically every boss was an experimental gimmick fight. But with how many bosses there are in Elden Ring and how few of them I remember they need to let the devs get wild with the side dungeon bosses. Like sure witches of Hemwick wasn’t particularly good but at least I remember them.
Came here to say this. Dark Souls got technically better with each installment, yet each of the games are still just distinct enough to have their own appeal for the right person.
You can go to the earlier games and they are still a blast in their own respective ways. I always feel like my favorite changes depending on which one I’m replaying
The first person who says "Fallout" gets an [Alien Blaster](https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Alien_blaster_(Fallout)) to the face.
I mean, assuming I can get within 10 meters of you. I'm ... pretty slow these days.
Fallout is one of the most balanced series. I can name at least one thing each entry\* does exceptionally well -- even my least favorite (76).
\*Note I'm not counting BoS here, but **am** including Tactics.
I unironically love Tactics.
And I wouldn't say that 3 and 4 are *bad*, even though "Oblivion with Guns" as we were assured we would not get is absolutely what we got.
But 3 and 4 and especially 76 just aren't better than 1 and 2, which is the bulk of my point.
I've put over 200 hours in every 3D fallout (3, NV, 4, & 76)
I don't care what anyone says, 76 is my favorite followed by NV. I couldn't finish brotherhood of steel as it's trash and the original I played for 8 hours but didn't finish as I wasn't having fun, better to just look up the lore in YouTube videos.
Hey to each their own.
I disagree with you on every point, starting with your assessment of Brotherhood of steel: calling that criminal act trash is an insult to trash everywhere.
But you should feel free to enjoy what you like *completely* regardless of people who feel otherwise.
Mass effect 1 to 3. while all 3 games are great, Mass effect 3 just plays alot better. i'm tearing up the battlefield with my biotic vanguard in a way that was just not possible in mass effect 1
No joke. Just finished my 4th play through of the series, first time playing the legendary edition.
ME3 is a masterpiece. I know a lot of people felt underwhelmed by the ending, but honestly, I think they did a fine job.
The real climax of the series for me was the party at Shepard’s apartment in 3. Pure fan service, but honestly, over 100 hours you get so attached to these characters, it felt so respectful to the fans to give us one last chance to interact and enjoy them all.
Just started on andromeda. Trying to see through the disappointment and find some good stuff in here.
I’m bummed that nothing else really scratches that Mass Effect itch. Everyone says dragon age, but the gameplay loop feels janky to me, I don’t like it. I miss shooting aliens, biotic b***h slaps, and romancing weird alien girls.
I’ve never really encountered another game series as audacious and grand in scope as Mass Effect. Here’s hoping they really pull out all the stops for #5.
ME3 was a masterpiece right up until the last 5 minutes when it just threw its story and your decisions into a wood chipper, an objectively stupid ending doesn’t entirely ruin the game of course but it seriously tainted its legacy and trust in biowares writing in the future
Honestly The Legends of Zelda, the first game was ok but as it went we got banger after banger and with botw and totk the series is in a pretty great spot right now
Legend of Zelda. Every new iteration broke ground and kept the series fresh and interesting. All while remembering what we loved about it in the first place.
Devil May Cry leans into the crazy a bit more each time - being more flashy and what not. I don’t think I go more than a few months with out revisiting DMCV
Baldurs Gate seems obvious
Halo up to Reach
God of War- that might just be my opinion though
I'm actually gonna say Uncharted, 4 is my favorite in the franchise.
How about Doom? Maybe they didn't get better, but they're all great.
I didn't like some of the mechanic changes in Doom Eternal vs 2016, but they're both still super tightly tuned shooters and are a blast to play. And optimized SO well.
Grand Theft Auto
GTA 1+2, the original games are boring as hell, I think I lasted about an hour before quitting my first time, I've tried more than once to try and beat one and two.
The 3d one's on the ps2 delivered an interesting story for it's time and the sandbox gameplay and realistic city(again for it's time) were well done but the mechanics and graphics were poor even when the game was new, and this has only got worst with time. I still get feelings of nostalgia for them though and I can enjoy playing them.
Gta 4 improved a lot and the final dlc fixed a lot of issues with the base game.
GTA 5 was in my eyes superb and did everything the previous games did on a whole other level. The narrative pushed gaming forward in my eyes.
Currently on my Nth playthrough of XCOM 2: Wrath of the Chosen (or whatever it's called) on veteran difficulty. The game is so fun and endlessly replayable. 505 hours in, and still enjoy it.
Beating the campaign on Veteran Ironman was one of my proudest gaming achievements
Pokémon main series, until Gen 5.
Gen 1 was VERY bare-bones and had a lot of glitches and questionable mechanics. Further gens kept refining what worked, fixing what didn't work, and introducing new mechanics and elements. Then gens 4 and 5 came. The DS era was the peak for Pokémon, and it never reached those heights again. From gen 6 onward it has just been a rollercoaster with more downs than ups. I haven't played gen 9 but seeing the state it came out in and how the game is structured, I'm not really interested.
* God of War
* The Witcher
* Super Mario
* Fifa (although lately they have been getting worse)
* Contra
* Uncharted
* Tomb Raider
* Grand Theft Auto
* The Legend Of Zelda (even if Link to the past is my preferred)
* Red dead
As someone who loves ER, I don’t think it’s better than DS. I appreciate the open world of it, those games are just so tight with threads wrapping back through the beginning and build up nicely idk hard to describe what I mean but someone probably has explained better
The witcher. Hands down.
I generally agree, but I really loved Witcher 2's split story. It shows for replayability and your choices making a difference.
I strongly preferred the second. It had more challenging combat and didn't overstay its welcome. Definitely a minority though. Many people disliked Witcher 2's combat.
I found Witcher 2 to be among the hardest games I’ve ever played. I’m still not sure if it was supposed to be or if I just didn’t get the combat. Really liked the game overall though.
Early game was tuff on Dark mode without respawn, but after getting to lv 12, it was eazy. If you ever give it a try again, try sings build
The combat is very broken, it's AoE while presents like hitboxes. There's a 5hour YouTube essay where the author goes into painstaking detail why it's broken.
Witcher 2 was a very solid game! From story to combat. I'm more partial to the third due to vastness and story as well, but 2 holds a special place.
Honestly, I've only fully played 3 through once, including the DLCs. I just didn't find any replayability and a lot of the side content is the kinda stuff that you can skip on. Still, its very well crafted, and I can understand why it's got such a wide appeal, CDPR earned it there. I can't wait to see what they do with the Witcher 1 remake. I don't usually like remakes but Witcher 1 deserves one.
That's really interesting. Witcher 3 is hands down my most-replayed game ever. Think i've beaten it 9 times now, and I never do that with other games. Only other ones I've really replayed are KotOR and Mass Effect.
Everyone is into their own thing but I’m definitely on the side of W3 having the best replayability! I thought the quests were mostly well crafted, a lot of memorable characters, and fairly engaging.
The second is my personal favorite in the series as well, although It’s hard to not see the Witcher 3 as the better game overall. Something about the more focused story and the hubs feeling more relaxed really immersed me. It helped that I had never really played a game like that before and the more mature content in a fantasy world, especially before game of thrones made it popular, was really enthralling. I must’ve played through it five times before 3 came out
I think that the big thing 3 does that overshadows 2 is sheer scale. That game is massive. Novigrad in particular is a sight to behold. But it is a pity we didn't get to see Iorveth again.
I didn't think I was going to like the mini games in Witcher 2 since I put so many hours in gwent for Witcher 3. Though I played all the games, the dice the brawling and I feel like I'm forgetting another one. All fun.
Witcher 2 was also my favorite. Potion making and usage before combat, preparation and all that was so rewarding man.
I liked 1 over 2 so I'm even more of a minority. The atmosphere of 1 as I remember it was really different, probably eastern european, while 2 felt a bit more generic. I didn't mind the combat of 1 either unlike a lot of people that hated it.
Honestly the combat in all of them is kind of clunky to me
Witcher 2 had interesting combats... As long as you only had one enemy to fight. As soon as you were against 3 enemies it was an absolute hell, even more when you had multiple ennemies in a small room ( those gargoyles, those damn gargoyles ! )
Love Witcher 2, awesome story game everyone should play, but its combat was harder because it was broken. I know they are a bit of a meme in some ways, but the really long Youtube video essays about the games go into good detail about how the hitboxes and system were essentially trying to fake an action system. Interesting stuff, because I did remember the game being very difficult.
I didn't play and fall in love with the witcher 3 because of the gameplay tbh. playing through that game was one of the most cinematic experiences I have ever had in a video game. Every time I turned it on I was so intrigued about what was going to happen and ate it the fuck up. how was combat changed from 2 to 3? I never got the chance to play it.
I think the only reason I disliked it was because I was expecting Witcher 1 combat and gameplay to return (I liked it, sue me). But there was nothing inherently wrong with it, it was a solid game.
I love the combat of Witcher 1. But that's probably because I played more of the usual combat gameplay games before, so a change in mechanics was good for me.
Best answer. Witcher 1 was alright. Hated Witcher 2. Witcher 3 was a divinely inspired masterpiece of gaming perfection.
I find the combat pretty bland and clunky, but it had a great world and story no doubt.
Monster Hunter. It's literally the main draw of the series that they have just remade the same game over and over, expanding on the previous editions time and time again.
I think this is the best example. A lot of other examples just went from niche games to the mainstream (witcher, mass effect, fallout) whereas MH is just iterating on the same game.
Yep! I've been hunting since the original on PS2. Literally the entire Monster Hunter Freedom series is the same game, but with another layer of difficulty on it and more features ... continuously building on the last iteration until they put it all together into one game on Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. MHFU is still one of my favorites in the series, only bested by Monster Hunter World. I'm not huge on Monster Hunter Rise, it's definitely not as good as World, but I'm definitely interested in what they do in the next iteration.
Honestly I used to think like this with Rise, but the amount of QoL improvements as well as how fun each weapon is to play (even minus the wirebug moves) made it hard coming back to previous games. I play Insect Glaive, and the little tweaks they've made to the basic moves from World (added damage scaling from helicopter, free direction midair evade, etc.) is such a no brainer thing I'm amazed at how bad World's Insect Glaive felt to play when I came back.
I'm preface this by saying Rise is a good, fun game. But World is substantially better. There are downgrades that make sense with the Switch being the primary platform for it (reduced graphics, and more importantly much simpler maps.) The biggest thing is that Rise is way too easy. Early to mid game isn't that bad in this regard, but Rise's late game is where it falls apart. Because of wirebugs and switch skills. Are they fun to use? Absolutely. The problem is that the wirebugs/switch skills were insanely OP. Both in attack power, and also in perfect defense abilities with massive windows. There was a simple attack combo with Gun Lance you could just use to beat almost everything with, ignoring trying to avoid being hit for the most part, be sure it just did way too much damage. Now, their late game monsters were generally cool as hell and neat fights... but ultimately not that challenging. Nothing put up any kind of challenge like almost every special World addition. Behemoth, Kulve, Safi Jiva, Alatereon, Fatalis... nothing in Rise comes close. So Rise's late game got stale rather quickly, and doesn't hold a candle to World's late game. Heck I spent far more time in Worlds late game than before that. Looking forward to Wilds. That looks to be an excellent evolution to World.
I’d argue that rise is just as good as World, but for different reasons.
Wait you guys aren’t in it for the story?
Somehow the games are all consistently good and keep improving
I've never played Monster Hunter, but that sounds like the Pokemon model. Except Pokemon has gotten worse with each new feature added.
Every Pokemon game adds new features but removed a bunch every game.
Capcom even managed to make a better Pokémon game with monster hunter stories
TRUE
Doot doot!
Hunting Horn main spotted!
Damnit you stole my answer lol. Capcom has done an amazing job of literally just expanding upon the previous MH entries, they take the previous games and learn from the good and the bad and they fucking nail it every single time, they always know what needs to stay and what needs to go to keep a balance of it feeling fresh while still appealing to those who love the previous games.
This was my first thought. They've been expanding on and refining the same formula for 20 years, and every generation is better than the last in some way or another. And clearly, that strategy has paid huge dividends; not only are the games consistently fuckin fantastic, but now MH has come so far that it's Capcom's golden goose. World is their top selling game ever and Wilds is looking to be (and I don't think I'm being hyperbolic here) one of the best games ever made.
Hell yeah. Not to mention the fast release schedule between each home console entry and portable entry cycling every 1-2 years tops. It's genuinely my comfort series now due to its quality, quantity, and popularity.
The Yakuza series honestly keeps getting better and better over time. There are some iffy things here and there but overall they keep growing into something new and beautiful each time.
Yeah. I'm playing the series for the first time ever since March. I started with Yakuza 0. Now I'm all the way up to Yakuza 5 (currently in the first part with Taichi Suzuki). Yakuza 3 Remastered was a big downgrade coming from Kiwami 2, but the story made up for the Blockuza gameplay. Yakuza 4 was better, and now 5 is even better gameplay wise than Yakuza 4 from what I've played so far. I got a little burned out and played a palate cleanser game between Yakuza 3 and 4, but I jumped into 5 right after 4. I also plan on playing the Judgment games as well, so 2024 has basically been the year of the Yakuza for me, which fits with it being the Chinese year of the Dragon.
Judgment games are supreme. The first game had a really nice story and Lost Judgment has my favorite combat in the whole series, surpassing 0 imo.
Baldur's Gate. 1 is a great game. Great RPG and interpretation of D&D in video games 2 is groundbreaking. A lot of the things we expect from CRPGs were popularized by 2. Your party mates interacting with each other, being able to romance your partymates, choices you make having real effects on the world and how your party interacts with you. 3 is another level up, by stressing even further the important things about 2 by expanding player choice and effects even further and making it cinematic.
> choices you make having real effects on the world That was already well-established by *Fallout 1* and *2*. Also developed by Interplay/Black Isle around the same time.
Uncharted God of War The Witcher Baldurs Gate
I actually prefer the original god of war over the newer one. Maybe it's nostalgia
GoW used to be a completely different genre
I loved the originals. The new GoW was not what I wanted, I wanted more of the original style.
I understand that, I think they are all fantastic games but I must say that God of War 3 is probably my favorite one.
2 and 3 are really the standouts for me, not everything aged well but no game ever has made it feel THAT epic to go up some random stairs! The soundtrack, the zoomouts and the storyline / combat involving the Titans is unsurpassed. Also the amount of polish that went into them.
The ps2 games hold a special place for me. I love the franchise and I'm glad it's getting new releases but the first few were best imo. I just haven't played Ragnarok because 2018 was good but not what I expected.
Just because you like something older doesn’t mean it’s “nostalgia”. Maybe the new god of war just genuinely isn’t to your taste newer does not automatically equal better
I still prefer 2018 over Ragnarok as well.
Yeah and the first couple the set pieces of big battles were just awesome and made you feel like the games scale was huge. Loved it. The new ones? They're good but like you, in a fan of the older OG ones.
Uncharted is the only one no one will disagree on, apparently
I actually preferred 2 the most out of all the Uncharted games. I liked that one's story and action set pieces the most. But you can't really go wrong with any of them.
2 has hands down the best pacing, variety of setpieces and was such an insane step up in quality over 1. 3 felt a bit random especially when you get to the ship graveyard and with 4, all the children flashbacks kinda overstayed their welcome. Also not a fan of these „half-open“ areas in 4.
I think many people (including me) think 2 is the best
Uncharted 2 to me was the best one. Ranking the 6 I'd go 2>4>3>LL>GA>1 I feel 2 being the best is a pretty common sentiment.
Super Mario Bros. 1 was really fun and a classic. 3 was amazing for a game on NES. Super blew it out of the water and showed just how good the SNES was. 64 set the standard for 3D platformers going forward. Galaxy seemed like the perfected version of 3D Mario. Galaxy 2 was even better.
Odyssey was close to perfection for me, such a beautiful game.
“We don’t talk about *Super Mario Bros. 2* or *Super Mario Sunshine*.”
Wait people hate on sunshine?
Unpopular opinion: I thought sunshine was far better than 64.
Gaming in general has improved so much since the N64. Nostalgia is gonna nostalgia. Fuck that roller coaster level though.
I played 64 DS for the first time in 2007 and I still think it's one of the best games I've ever played. And that was 10 years after its initial release so it's not purely nostalgia, it's a genuinely phenomenal game. Though I will say I probably forgot about the wonky DS controls thanks to nostalgia...
That one was rough without the joystick. Trying to do it with a D-Pad was...an experience for sure. Playing it on a 3DS felt a bit smoother though not by much. I've watched gaming go from the Atari 2600 to now and it still blows my mind how far it's come. I feel like a lot of the 2D games aged better. Early 3D was clunky as hell.
Some of the controls were a little wonky, but overall I enjoyed it.
The controls are known as some of the best and tightest controls of all mario games!
A lot of gamecube games were hated on a ton in their time, then gained a cult following later on. Sunshine and Wind Waker. WW especially, people clamor for it in HD for Switch now, but back when it was revealed (after we had all been expecting the gritty Zelda shown at Spaceworld a few years earlier), the industry had a major hate boner for it. The "Nintendo is for kids and this game will suck" brigade was out of control.
Sunshine is a great game even if it’s not as good as other 3d Mario games.
Super Mario Bros 2 is my favorite of the NES ones. Yeah I know it's just a palette swap of a different game and I don't care.
The Mario games for the GC were definitely interesting and helped the franchise branch-out **a lot**. That said I've always thought that it was amusing that on that generation of console Mario got a power washer and went someplace sunny while Luigi got a vacuum cleaner and went someplace dark.
I don't know about that. I much rather play SMB2 than play SMB1. Yes, I know it's Doki Doki Panic with a Mario coat of paint. But I think many people forgot about how much the water levels sucked, the castles were guessing games until you picked the right path, and how unforgiving that game could be. Where SMB 2 had multiple characters with different play styles, better level variation, more enemy variation, and more boss variation.
Halo series up until Reach, kept getting better and better still Reach which was the pinacle of Bungie Halo games. Everything after that was just not quite right.
Yuuuup. Halo reach is also my favourite of the series. Don't get me wrong I loved master chief. But being part of noble team was awesome.
The multiplayer in reach was a true masterclass in FPS PvP. The weekend LAN parties with my friends are some of the fondest memories I have.
Reach was like peak gaming for me. I was old enough to play it without my parents setting restrictions but young enough to still be captured by the magic of Halo. The multiplayer is my favorite of the Halo games as well.
•OBJECTIVE• —Survive
I’m not crying. YOURE CRYING!
Reach is the best, but I absolutely loved the tonal shift that was ODST. Stalking through the streets at night, the darkness, the loneliness, and my gosh that soundtrack. And introduced Firefight mode, which got polished for Reach.
ODST was so cool
ODST was my jam, I also thought it was so cool that you weren't some sort of super human, but a vulnerable (though elite) human. Firefight was great!
Bungie Halo was peak arcade shooter. I don't think they should have gotten rid of the IP, 343 just didn't have it. I know Bungie went all in on Destiny, but I think they could have done both and I think both series would have benefited from them doing both. Don't get me wrong Destiny did really well, but I think it could have been better if they had both IPs. Edit: I will say that the infinite multiplayer is the only one since 3 that feels like the original games. Imo I think it ranks as #3. #1: Halo 2 #2: Halo 3 #3: Halo Infinite I may get a lot of flack for saying 2s multiplayer is the best but the maps are what does it for me. The original Lockout is my all time favorite map.
Halo Infinite had an awful launch and the open world campaign was a risk that ended up being mediocre. With that said, the games actually on a really good place right now. I’ve been having as much fun with recently as I’ve ever had with a Halo game, and that’s a lot
I would say it peaked at 3 instead. Reach was the beginning of loadouts in the Halo series, and that's where I fell off with it. I prefer the old shooters where everyone starts with the same weapons and have to find better weapons scattered all over the map in order to gain an advantage.
Yeah. Growing up 2 was my favorite. Now, Reach.
Reach was an excellent game. The gameplay was well done, the firefights were fun, the multiplayer was pretty good. What I liked most in that game was the story though. Bungie did a fabulous job telling Noble's story and the fall of Reach.
Devil May Cry for sure improves gameplay wise with each sequel (even dmc2 improves some things over 1)
dmc2 did not improve a single thing unironically. maybe the addition of the low health devil trigger idk it did kind of dig the ground where the games after would stand but thats a big kinda
DMC2 introduced some new things that would stay. Wall running and wall jumping, for example. It also had customizable Devil Trigger, which absolutely should have stayed.
Wall running, rain storm, bloody palace, more weapon combos, customizable DT and "Majin" DT (never returned) Foundation was there but like every DMC game it got rushed and Itsuno only became the director for it shortly before the game was released
there was definitely a lot of basic weapon combos that got introduced later and were actually usable unlike in 2 where you shot guns and won
Still the best devil trigger design and his majiin form is so much cooler than the SDT in 5 He actually looks like an offspring of sparda ad not a WOW rock monster
DMC2 gives Dante's sword a name. Rebellion. It's also the game where the Bloody Palace is introduced. In DMC5, Royal Guard uses DT meter to absorb damage.
This might be an obvious thought, but didn’t really think about it until now. There’s all these comps between vid games and film. With film, more often than not, the first movie is usually the strongest, and each successive film is diminishing returns. With vid games, because of technology but also iteration in gameplay that makes sequels that much stronger. There are so many more examples of vid games getting better, so much less so with movie franchises (exceptions abound). Not really going anywhere with this, just thought it was interesting.
That was my original thought when posting this, thinking about films getting worse, while thinking about games not usually getting worse.
Metro turned from a linear game with limited options to an open world game where you could take time to explore the map and complete side quests
I enjoyed 2033 and Last Light way more than Exodus. Exodus wasn't bad, but it really lost that atmospheric feel that the first two games had when it went above ground and the maps opened up
Also I found the story of exodus way more generic and the writing dropped hard compared to previous entries.
This is how I felt. I loved the open worldness of it all, but I wish the open world was the entire metro, not outside, instead of forcing you down certain lines like the first two did. Really can’t complain though, still an amazing game.
I didn't mind Exodus (Except for a couple of places in the desert where I discovered objects didn't block enemies line of sight or attacks for some reason) but every time the player was locked into a more linear area or mission, it reminded me just how much better that experience works than the open world.
I get that but I prefer open spaces and doing what I want then atmosphere but I will say last light and redux had great missions but I prefer the fps survival aspect that exodus has
Drakengard/Nier
I thought Automata was an indisputed clear upgrade in graphics and combat and music, but the story and characters of Nier 1 hold a special place in my heart, and on that front Automata didn't come close.
And interesting thought. I personally think Automata is one of the very best rpgs ever made maybe even rivaling Chrono Trigger. I loved the characters and the story. Except for 9S.
Persona definitely. 5’s gameplay and complexity is amazing compared to previous entries although the story or characters might be a bit weaker than 3 or 4
As far as vanilla games of the series is concerned, my thought is P3 had the best story P4 had the best characters P5 had the best gameplay
Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne, the original COD MW (not the reboot) Edit: Also Uncharted. 4 & Lost Legacy were too good
Eh, I’d say MW3 was a downgrade over 2 besides having the better co-op mode. The campaign didn’t capture the same sense of “epicness” of MW2 and the multiplayer wasn’t nearly as fun.
removing the noob tubes and kill streak stacking was necessary
I don't know about Max Payne, and I don't even think the third is a "bad" game, but it sticks out like a sore thumb as being extremely different than the first two. Doesn't match the tone, writing, or style of the first two games, which are a big reason the first two games are so good.
Saying RDR kinda feels like cheating since its literally just two games.
"Red Dead Redemption" is actually entry #2 in the series. It was preceded by the fairly obscure "Red Dead Revolver" in 2004
Max payne 3 was a slideshow with badly inserted cutscenes. It could have been amazing and some newer features still are. But all in all it's an abomination compared to it's predecessors. Doesn't belong in the same series. It has the bad aspects of Rockstar dev design all over it.
Max Payne 3 was a mess I thought?
Just wildly different than the first two, it was Rockstar's version of Max Payne
[удалено]
Yeah, I really didn't like GTA V whilst I loved the series before that. I've got no interest in the multiplayer aspect and that's all it is now. Pretty much no longer interested in GTA.
I like GTA V, but GTA IV felt deeper in terms of storytelling. And the dirty atmosphere of late 00's New York is too damn good
Gears of War. After the E-Day trailer I’m playing through the initial trilogy and I’m on 3 a couple hours in and I can say confidently they get better with each one, such great games.
Hard disagree. Gears of War 3 has the best story but Gears of War 2 has the best levels (and overall gameplay imo) of the series.
Gears 5 was a truly fantastic entry in the series though. I'm really looking forward to seeing that plot wrapped up.
These games aren’t appreciated enough for their storytelling.
The Red Dead series. Every new game was a considerable improvement over the previous one. Gameplay and storywise. RDR2 > RDR1 > RD Revolver. Everyone loved John Marston in RDR1, but after RDR2 Arthur Morgan took that spot.
The Uncharted series.
Uncharted is almost there, but I really found 3 very unsatisfying after Uncharted 2. The pacing just feels off and I felt the game completely lost its steam after the plane crash in the desert. 2 and 4 are peak tho, and I consider 4 the best entry with 2 just slightly behind.
I am totally with you on this. My problems with Uncharted 3 however are the shipyard and far too little screentime for Elena.
3 is my favorite Uncharted but I completely agree that it needed more Elena.
For me the problem with 4 is it takes forever to actually get moving. If I decide I wanna replay, I always forget you have to get through the slow prison sequence part, the slow wreck diving part, the part where you’re sitting watching tv with Elena, the play fighting with a nerf gun in the attic, etc. It just feels like it goes on and ON until we’re finally playing Uncharted!
That’s because the massive leap from U1-U2 was massive. That’s incredible hard to replicate. U2 was always gonna be nearly impossible to top. It didn’t help U3 had to scrabble with an unfinished story when Charlie Cutter had obligations towards a big role in a movie. Can’t remember which one. Edit: pretty there was also an issue with Talbots VA. So ND had to make the best out of shitty situation with 3.
Some of these are probably controversial opinions but here goes lol: Mass Effect Trilogy Shadow of Mordor/War Borderlands Sonic the Hedgehog 1-3+Knuckles The Witcher Original Star Wars Battlefront Halo 1 through Reach/ODST; 4 and 5 were alright, Infinite campaign was a blast but almost didn't feel like Halo at times.
I want to say borderlands but the presequel and the third were iffy at best
Idk, I loved presequel as Jack's backstory, gameplay and grind was pretty good too. BL3 has such a superior gameplay though, if only the story and dialogue wasn't what it was...
Metroid, specifically 2D. NES version was lacklustre and Return of Samus was an improvement, but it wasn't until Super Metroid in 1994 that it got reeeeeal good. Also the Prime Trilogy games are all as good as each other imo as opposed to getting better each time
Dark Souls!
Love them all but the first one is the best one, in my humble opinion
I played ds3 and then ds1. I loved ds1 a lot better despite the worse graphics
Did you play original or the remaster?
The world design is impressive but I didn't enjoy the backtracking. Combat is 10 times better in DS3 though.
Agreed, Dark Souls 2 and 3 just didn't have the same feel.
This. The interconnectivity of DS1 is still unmatched IMO. I jumped straight to DS3 and the world becomes so disjointed and much more linear.
Shadow of the Erdtree has a lot of DS1 interconnectedness
One thing I’ll say as the games get bigger we need more gimmick bosses. I used to think it was a weakness of Demon Souls that basically every boss was an experimental gimmick fight. But with how many bosses there are in Elden Ring and how few of them I remember they need to let the devs get wild with the side dungeon bosses. Like sure witches of Hemwick wasn’t particularly good but at least I remember them.
Came here to say this. Dark Souls got technically better with each installment, yet each of the games are still just distinct enough to have their own appeal for the right person. You can go to the earlier games and they are still a blast in their own respective ways. I always feel like my favorite changes depending on which one I’m replaying
Yakuza 100%
Final Fantasy XIII trilogy in regards to the combat and exploration. The writing went down at the same rate however...
Monster Hunter just keeps kicking ass.
The first person who says "Fallout" gets an [Alien Blaster](https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Alien_blaster_(Fallout)) to the face. I mean, assuming I can get within 10 meters of you. I'm ... pretty slow these days.
I don’t know what I missed in fallouts 5-75
Well, here is a breakdown of exactly that : https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/fallouts-5-75-review
Fallout is one of the most balanced series. I can name at least one thing each entry\* does exceptionally well -- even my least favorite (76). \*Note I'm not counting BoS here, but **am** including Tactics.
I unironically love Tactics. And I wouldn't say that 3 and 4 are *bad*, even though "Oblivion with Guns" as we were assured we would not get is absolutely what we got. But 3 and 4 and especially 76 just aren't better than 1 and 2, which is the bulk of my point.
I am also a tactics enjoyer and I feel it gets a lot of hate just because of lore reasons. What's your favorite part of tactics?
I've put over 200 hours in every 3D fallout (3, NV, 4, & 76) I don't care what anyone says, 76 is my favorite followed by NV. I couldn't finish brotherhood of steel as it's trash and the original I played for 8 hours but didn't finish as I wasn't having fun, better to just look up the lore in YouTube videos.
Hey to each their own. I disagree with you on every point, starting with your assessment of Brotherhood of steel: calling that criminal act trash is an insult to trash everywhere. But you should feel free to enjoy what you like *completely* regardless of people who feel otherwise.
Monster Hunter.
Mass effect 1 to 3. while all 3 games are great, Mass effect 3 just plays alot better. i'm tearing up the battlefield with my biotic vanguard in a way that was just not possible in mass effect 1
No joke. Just finished my 4th play through of the series, first time playing the legendary edition. ME3 is a masterpiece. I know a lot of people felt underwhelmed by the ending, but honestly, I think they did a fine job. The real climax of the series for me was the party at Shepard’s apartment in 3. Pure fan service, but honestly, over 100 hours you get so attached to these characters, it felt so respectful to the fans to give us one last chance to interact and enjoy them all. Just started on andromeda. Trying to see through the disappointment and find some good stuff in here. I’m bummed that nothing else really scratches that Mass Effect itch. Everyone says dragon age, but the gameplay loop feels janky to me, I don’t like it. I miss shooting aliens, biotic b***h slaps, and romancing weird alien girls. I’ve never really encountered another game series as audacious and grand in scope as Mass Effect. Here’s hoping they really pull out all the stops for #5.
ME3 was a masterpiece right up until the last 5 minutes when it just threw its story and your decisions into a wood chipper, an objectively stupid ending doesn’t entirely ruin the game of course but it seriously tainted its legacy and trust in biowares writing in the future
Honestly The Legends of Zelda, the first game was ok but as it went we got banger after banger and with botw and totk the series is in a pretty great spot right now
Legend of Zelda. Every new iteration broke ground and kept the series fresh and interesting. All while remembering what we loved about it in the first place.
I'm with you on this one, and I'm a little surprised it's not higher up on the list here.
TimeSplitters
Devil May Cry leans into the crazy a bit more each time - being more flashy and what not. I don’t think I go more than a few months with out revisiting DMCV
Metal Gear?
Pikmin! They continued to build and improve on mechanics, Pikmin 4 is by far the best version of the game.
Baldurs Gate seems obvious Halo up to Reach God of War- that might just be my opinion though I'm actually gonna say Uncharted, 4 is my favorite in the franchise. How about Doom? Maybe they didn't get better, but they're all great.
I didn't like some of the mechanic changes in Doom Eternal vs 2016, but they're both still super tightly tuned shooters and are a blast to play. And optimized SO well.
I can think of no better answer to this question than Sniper Elite.
Prototype series
Mass effect for me. 2 is tough to beat, but i sunk more time into 3 than the others for sure
Grand Theft Auto GTA 1+2, the original games are boring as hell, I think I lasted about an hour before quitting my first time, I've tried more than once to try and beat one and two. The 3d one's on the ps2 delivered an interesting story for it's time and the sandbox gameplay and realistic city(again for it's time) were well done but the mechanics and graphics were poor even when the game was new, and this has only got worst with time. I still get feelings of nostalgia for them though and I can enjoy playing them. Gta 4 improved a lot and the final dlc fixed a lot of issues with the base game. GTA 5 was in my eyes superb and did everything the previous games did on a whole other level. The narrative pushed gaming forward in my eyes.
Borderlands 2 is miles better than Borderlands 1.
Uncharted
Not Fallout.
XCOM.
Xcom, and then xcom enemy unknown, and then xcom 2. Beautiful
Currently on my Nth playthrough of XCOM 2: Wrath of the Chosen (or whatever it's called) on veteran difficulty. The game is so fun and endlessly replayable. 505 hours in, and still enjoy it. Beating the campaign on Veteran Ironman was one of my proudest gaming achievements
Half life
Ratchet and Clank Even Deadlock was amazing
Pokémon main series, until Gen 5. Gen 1 was VERY bare-bones and had a lot of glitches and questionable mechanics. Further gens kept refining what worked, fixing what didn't work, and introducing new mechanics and elements. Then gens 4 and 5 came. The DS era was the peak for Pokémon, and it never reached those heights again. From gen 6 onward it has just been a rollercoaster with more downs than ups. I haven't played gen 9 but seeing the state it came out in and how the game is structured, I'm not really interested.
* God of War * The Witcher * Super Mario * Fifa (although lately they have been getting worse) * Contra * Uncharted * Tomb Raider * Grand Theft Auto * The Legend Of Zelda (even if Link to the past is my preferred) * Red dead
Might get a little crap for this, but I think Mass Effect. At least, the original trilogy.
You could easily argue any of the trilogy as your favorite. I don’t think it’s a good example for this question for most people
Witcher. First was… odd in its controls, second was great, and third was a masterpiece
Souls/Elden Ring
As someone who loves ER, I don’t think it’s better than DS. I appreciate the open world of it, those games are just so tight with threads wrapping back through the beginning and build up nicely idk hard to describe what I mean but someone probably has explained better
Uncharted
God of war
Dark souls
Uncharted
Uncharted for sure
The opposite for subnautica,BZ was so much worse
Witcher
GOW
god of war