So as we come to end of the PS3/Wii/360 generation let's take a look at what were the best new franchises created during this time.
I'll say the only limitation is that it has to be a new franchise (not a spinoff or something) and needs to have released at least 2 games. I'm going to break mine down into different tiers.
Top Tier
LittleBigPlanet - This is a special franchise for Sony. The main games are whimsical and fun to play through and users keep the game/s alive with fresh content. Those blokes at Media Molecule really know what they're doing.
Wii Sports - The original Wii Sports and the upgraded Resort were a showcase of the Wii's potential. Say what you want, but these two games were well made and proved Nintendo still was at the top of their game.
BioShock - In a world dominated with realistic military shooters, Bioshock was like a refreshing drink of water on a hot summer day. It packed in atmosphere, story and memorable moments. I don't always play FPS, but when I do...they're Bioshock.
Uncharted - Holy crap...Naughty Dog really upped their game with Uncharted. Perfectly blending Tomb Raider gameplay with Summer Blockbuster story and style, these games are highly enjoyable.
Lower Tier
Gears of War - While I'm not a huge fan of the series I can appreciate how big this franchise has become. Gears took the over the shoulder camera of Resident Evil 4 and the cover system of Kill.Switch and created their own unique game. People have been taking cover at chest high walls and shooting alien scum ever since.
inFAMOUS - An openworld game that lets you play superhero/super villain? Sign me up. Sucker Punch delivered a very polished experience in a world that actually felt unique.
Assassin's Creed - After an average 1st game this series really took off to become one of the biggest, most successful franchises of this generation. It's a mixture of Hitman and GTA set in historic times. I bet for some this is in their 'Top Tier'
Saints Row - The creators of this game are clearly fans of GTA Vice City and San Andreas. They took those over the top games and added even more crazy crap to the formula. You don't play these games for story or emotional impact. You play them to run around as a pink haired chick dressed in only a thong that runs around melting people with a flame thrower...
Best New Franchises From This Generation
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Best New Franchises From This Generation
Saints Row is definitely in my top tier, as is the Modern Warfare series.
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Best New Franchises From This Generation
Gotta agree with Bioshock and Uncharted awesome new IP's for this generation.
Lower tier
Motorstorm - good if not brilliant race series.
I've just noticed excluding the above 3 series nearly all my PS3 and Wii games are from existing IP's ! That Isn't a good thing.
Lower tier
Motorstorm - good if not brilliant race series.
I've just noticed excluding the above 3 series nearly all my PS3 and Wii games are from existing IP's ! That Isn't a good thing.
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Best New Franchises From This Generation
I definitely agree with Uncharted and Wii Sports.
Some of my other favorite franchises from this generation:
Blazblue
Deathsmiles
Darksiders
Blue Dragon
Hyperdimension Neptunia
Geometry Wars
Valkyria Chronicles
And one series that I haven't played but I really want to play and I'm pretty sure I'll like it: Mega Man Star Force.
Some of my other favorite franchises from this generation:
Blazblue
Deathsmiles
Darksiders
Blue Dragon
Hyperdimension Neptunia
Geometry Wars
Valkyria Chronicles
And one series that I haven't played but I really want to play and I'm pretty sure I'll like it: Mega Man Star Force.
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Best New Franchises From This Generation
I think the best ones were already listed but these are some other big new franchises released this generation:
Dead Space (1 and 2, haven't played 3) were quite fun as well.
Assassin's Creed
Mass Effect
Borderlands
Demon Souls/Dark Souls
Portal (although the first one was a PC release, most people played the first Portal on the Orange Box which was this generation).
Resistance
Monster Hunter series
Raymin Raving Rabbids
Trauma Center/Team series
Batman Arkham series
Lost Planet
Dead Space (1 and 2, haven't played 3) were quite fun as well.
Assassin's Creed
Mass Effect
Borderlands
Demon Souls/Dark Souls
Portal (although the first one was a PC release, most people played the first Portal on the Orange Box which was this generation).
Resistance
Monster Hunter series
Raymin Raving Rabbids
Trauma Center/Team series
Batman Arkham series
Lost Planet
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Best New Franchises From This Generation
Great topic and I like the distinction of "Essential" vs. "Good." Here's what I think.
TOP TIER
Dead Space - I also haven't played part 3, and I've heard it's more of an action game and not as good as the first two. But the first two are SOLID, especially the first one. When I look at my modern game collection, if I can't think of a new game to play, I always grab Dead Space 1. Probably my most played game on either PS3 or 360, and this generation's Resident Evil 4.
Uncharted - These games are virtually flawless, sans a few forced motion control gimmicks in the first one. While I still say Dead Space 1 and the Tomb Raider reboot are the best action games of the generation, no series has been as consistently outstanding as Uncharted on any system. If you haven't played these games yet, you are SORELY missing out. Uncharted 3 alone is worth getting a PS3 for.
Bioshock - One of the most memorable gaming experiences of my life was playing the first hour of Bioshock. The premise of the game alone elevates it to the status of legendary. The second game wasn't nearly as scary, but the combat was *much* better and I've recently said in another thread that the ending actually made me cry. Bioshock Infinite is an interesting counterpoint to the first two, as I almost wonder if it would make a better movie than a game. Great series, one of the best.
SECOND TIER
Assassins Creed - The first game was too repetitive, but the world Ubisoft made was undeniably cool. Lots of developers had made huge cities and soaring buildings, but no one had thought of what would happen if you could climb those buildings. AC 2 and Brotherhood are essential 7th gen gaming, while the others are more inconsistent.
InFAMOUS - I'll level with you guys; I don't like Grand Theft Auto. I never have. It turns out that in sandbox games, my personal level of enjoyment depends entirely on how good the combat is. And InFAMOUS 1, 2, and Festival of Blood has the BEST combat in any sandbox series... ever. Better than Assassins Creed, better than Far Cry 3, better than Sleeping Dogs, and definitely better than GTA. And as a third person action game, I'd take any of the InFamous games over any of the Gears of War games. The sometimes sticky controls and a pedestrian story and world keep it just shy of being a top tier series for the seventh generation.
Mass Effect - Bioware doesn't really understand the concept of brevity, but I wish these games were a little more focused and less sprawling. Bigger isn't always better. But even the first Mass Effect game with its incredibly dated graphics and somewhat antiquated combat is still head and shoulders above most RPGs and Sci-Fi action games. Mass Effect (along with Valkyria Chronicles and Ni No Kuni) are the only new RPGs this generation worth the effort. Well, actually there's one more...
The Souls Series - Demons Souls and Dark Souls are the perfect marriage of Western and Japanese game development. They are, essentially, Western RPGs made "from the outside looking in" by Japanese developers. And they nailed it. I'm only subtracting points because the games are so hard. They're TOO hard. A lot of gamers love the series for that, saying it brings back the difficult games of our youth. But for me, I need a guide to get anywhere in these games, and I never needed a guide to beat Mega Man and Castlevania. Still, I'm excited to see what they do with Dark Souls II.
TOP TIER
Dead Space - I also haven't played part 3, and I've heard it's more of an action game and not as good as the first two. But the first two are SOLID, especially the first one. When I look at my modern game collection, if I can't think of a new game to play, I always grab Dead Space 1. Probably my most played game on either PS3 or 360, and this generation's Resident Evil 4.
Uncharted - These games are virtually flawless, sans a few forced motion control gimmicks in the first one. While I still say Dead Space 1 and the Tomb Raider reboot are the best action games of the generation, no series has been as consistently outstanding as Uncharted on any system. If you haven't played these games yet, you are SORELY missing out. Uncharted 3 alone is worth getting a PS3 for.
Bioshock - One of the most memorable gaming experiences of my life was playing the first hour of Bioshock. The premise of the game alone elevates it to the status of legendary. The second game wasn't nearly as scary, but the combat was *much* better and I've recently said in another thread that the ending actually made me cry. Bioshock Infinite is an interesting counterpoint to the first two, as I almost wonder if it would make a better movie than a game. Great series, one of the best.
SECOND TIER
Assassins Creed - The first game was too repetitive, but the world Ubisoft made was undeniably cool. Lots of developers had made huge cities and soaring buildings, but no one had thought of what would happen if you could climb those buildings. AC 2 and Brotherhood are essential 7th gen gaming, while the others are more inconsistent.
InFAMOUS - I'll level with you guys; I don't like Grand Theft Auto. I never have. It turns out that in sandbox games, my personal level of enjoyment depends entirely on how good the combat is. And InFAMOUS 1, 2, and Festival of Blood has the BEST combat in any sandbox series... ever. Better than Assassins Creed, better than Far Cry 3, better than Sleeping Dogs, and definitely better than GTA. And as a third person action game, I'd take any of the InFamous games over any of the Gears of War games. The sometimes sticky controls and a pedestrian story and world keep it just shy of being a top tier series for the seventh generation.
Mass Effect - Bioware doesn't really understand the concept of brevity, but I wish these games were a little more focused and less sprawling. Bigger isn't always better. But even the first Mass Effect game with its incredibly dated graphics and somewhat antiquated combat is still head and shoulders above most RPGs and Sci-Fi action games. Mass Effect (along with Valkyria Chronicles and Ni No Kuni) are the only new RPGs this generation worth the effort. Well, actually there's one more...
The Souls Series - Demons Souls and Dark Souls are the perfect marriage of Western and Japanese game development. They are, essentially, Western RPGs made "from the outside looking in" by Japanese developers. And they nailed it. I'm only subtracting points because the games are so hard. They're TOO hard. A lot of gamers love the series for that, saying it brings back the difficult games of our youth. But for me, I need a guide to get anywhere in these games, and I never needed a guide to beat Mega Man and Castlevania. Still, I'm excited to see what they do with Dark Souls II.
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Best New Franchises From This Generation
I think Dead Space 3 is every bit as good as the first two.
Also love the ME series(though I disagree with the first one looking "outdated")
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Best New Franchises From This Generation
My Favorite New ISP's:
Uncharted
Saints Row
Bioshock
Dead Space
Resistance
Infamous
*I really enjoyed the Modern Warfare and Batman Arkam games, but I feel they probably should fall under the "spinoff or something" category seeing how there are a lot of Batman and Call Of Duty games.*
*My list might have been bigger if I chose to game on more than a PS3 out of this generation, because there are games on the Xbox 360 that really intrigues me such as Gears Of War and Left For Dead.*
*Possible addition of games I haven't played yet*
Boarderlands
Gears Of War
Left For Dead
*Just missed the cut*
The Darkness
Uncharted
Saints Row
Bioshock
Dead Space
Resistance
Infamous
*I really enjoyed the Modern Warfare and Batman Arkam games, but I feel they probably should fall under the "spinoff or something" category seeing how there are a lot of Batman and Call Of Duty games.*
*My list might have been bigger if I chose to game on more than a PS3 out of this generation, because there are games on the Xbox 360 that really intrigues me such as Gears Of War and Left For Dead.*
*Possible addition of games I haven't played yet*
Boarderlands
Gears Of War
Left For Dead
*Just missed the cut*
The Darkness
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Best New Franchises From This Generation
I would like to nominate both Bioshock and Portal.
Bioshock rocked my world, and its thrilling gameplay combined with its revolutionary artistic atmosphere made it a personal favorite of mine. And yes, those Big Daddies scare the hell out of me!
Portal 2 (360 version) blew me away when I first played it. I became obsessed with solving its complex puzzles, exploring different possibilities, and the 2 player co-op is one of the greatest things in video game history. The new gameplay features (such as gels) work amazingly and the controls are perfect. Add in a very well designed post apocalyptic atmosphere, creative level designs, and hilarious voice acting, and you have the best game of the decade thus far! Few games have captivated me as much as Portal 2 has, and I even bought a t-shirt!
Bioshock rocked my world, and its thrilling gameplay combined with its revolutionary artistic atmosphere made it a personal favorite of mine. And yes, those Big Daddies scare the hell out of me!
Portal 2 (360 version) blew me away when I first played it. I became obsessed with solving its complex puzzles, exploring different possibilities, and the 2 player co-op is one of the greatest things in video game history. The new gameplay features (such as gels) work amazingly and the controls are perfect. Add in a very well designed post apocalyptic atmosphere, creative level designs, and hilarious voice acting, and you have the best game of the decade thus far! Few games have captivated me as much as Portal 2 has, and I even bought a t-shirt!
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Best New Franchises From This Generation
BioShock series
Gears of War series
Dead Space series
but the one I like best is, yes.... Plants vs. Zombies. Just a brilliant game! I can't wait for part 2!
Gears of War series
Dead Space series
but the one I like best is, yes.... Plants vs. Zombies. Just a brilliant game! I can't wait for part 2!