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The Big Three - Your Personal Genre Trinities

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TOP 3 FRANCHISES WITHIN A PARTICULAR GENRE. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT BEST ENTRIES OR FAVOURITE GENRES, BUT THE BEST THREE WITHIN A SINGLE ONE. PICK A FAVOURITE ONE OUT OF THE THREE AS YOUR CHOICE

We're endowed with tremendous variety and options within our beloved medium, so much in fact that entire genres have spawned subdivisions as a result of influential releases. Doom changed the gaming landscape upon launch, as did Grand Auto III soon after the turn of the millennium, producing numerous imitators and competitors often branded as "Doom/GTA clones" due to the undeniable influence. This phenomenon still survives in recent time with the emergence of "Soulslike" games enjoying tremendous success within the console market. The point being is that competition is an unavoidable aspect of games development and in some respects it is desirable, because it pushes studios to create superior products and in doing so separate the posers from the genuine articles. Usually three will emerge within a particular genre and often they will compete for market capital and popularity, innovate and redesign their own products as a result of one another, and hope their competitors meet an unfortunate end.

This thread is my contribution of focusing on those particular franchises that have not only won admiration of gamers worldwide, but have created necessary divisions within the market for the purposes of competition and culture breeding. A similar principle also applies to gaming consoles with the PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo all having their own cultures, separate libraries and diehard adherents. The difference however lies in the fact that multiplatform titles allow for more choice and experimentation within a genre, with a personal preference emerging the more you scrape away the layers after hours of play. Let us explore those personal preferences and share them with one another without fear of judgement nor alienation, but open-mindedness and appreciation, regardless of the outcome.

Rules:
  • Games must be from the same genre.
  • Must have released near one another.
  • PC or console exclusives are welcome.
  • Submit three, choose one as favourite.
Mine:

Genre: Western Role-Playing

1920px-The_Elder_Scrolls.svg.png

220px-Elder_Scrolls_Arena_Cover.jpg
Daggerfall_Cover_art.gif
220px-MorrowindCOVER.jpg
220px-The_Elder_Scrolls_IV_Oblivion_cover.png
The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim_cover.png


Logo_of_Dragon_Age.png


220px-Dragon_Age_Origins_cover.png
220px-Dragon_Age_2_cover.jpg
220px-Dragon_Age_Inquisition_BoxArt.jpg
Dragon_Age_Dreadwolf_Logo_2022.jpeg


logo-en-56023b29..webp


220px-The_Witcher_EU_box.jpg
220px-Witcher_2_cover.jpg
220px-Witcher_3_cover_art.jpg

Favourite: The Elder Scrolls

As a long time Elder Scrolls fan this was somewhat of lopsided battle, though it wasn't due to it being the oldest. I prefer the games as they're easily accessible and whilst this may be called dumbed down to some, I believe there's hidden complexity in the mechanics and difficulty levels. Dragon Age was a close second as the production values on the whole are better than TES, but the second game was a little rough and the jury is still out on Dreadwolf. Naturally The Witcher takes the last spot as the third game was tremendous, but the other two are somewhat meh. The first is the very epitome of jank and the second whilst being an improvement didn't hold my attention long.

Ideas For Lazy Ba***rds:

Survival Horror - Resident Evil, Silent Hill & Fatal Frame.
Stealth - Metal Gear Solid, Thief & Splinter Cell/Hitman.
Fighting - Street Fighter, Tekken & King Of Fighters.
Strategy - Age Of Empires, Total War: Shogun & Company Of Heroes.
MMORPG - World of Warcraft, Asheron's Call & Everquest/Ultima Online/Shadowbane.

Genre List:

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Twin Stick Shooters
Robotron 2084
Nex Machina
Smash TV
Geometry Wars
Super Stardust HD
Loving the enthusiasm smoky boy, but the emphasis is on the concept of "the big three" so only three submissions maximum. Though I'm pretty sure those games are classed as "bullet hell" which is an official subgenre.

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Why they must be released near each other?
Well isn’t it natural to have franchises released around the same time for a fair comparison? I’m not sure to be honest with you, perhaps removing this rule will allow for experimentation? Pick an RPG franchise from the 80s like Ultima or Wizardry vs The Witcher or Dragon Age? Let me know what you think.
 
For the very specific genre of PS2 3D platformers that started to incorporate more action adventure elements:

Jak and Daxter
Ratchet and Clank
Sly Cooper

Overall I think Jak was my favourite. Though I'd vote for Ratchet and Clank 2 as the best single game across all 3 franchises.
 
For the very specific genre of PS2 3D platformers that started to incorporate more action adventure elements:

Jak and Daxter
Ratchet and Clank
Sly Cooper

Overall I think Jak was my favourite. Though I'd vote for Ratchet and Clank 2 as the best single game across all 3 franchises.
Solid selections dude. Though there was another one if I recall, the protagonist wore a beige/cream outfit and so did his sidekick. I can’t remember it though.
Platformer
Survival Horror
Character Action
You completely missed the point 😂. You have to pick a genre and then choose 3 franchises which you think are the best and then pick one. I’ll make it easy for you, you’re going to pick survival horror, your options are Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Fatal Frame. You will pick Resident Evil for obvious reasons. #You’rewinner!
 
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Solid selections dude. Though there was another one if I recall, the protagonist wore a beige/cream outfit and so did his sidekick. I can’t remember it though.

You completely missed the point 😂. You have to pick a genre and then choose 3 franchises which you think are the best and then pick one. I’ll make it easy for you, you’re going to pick survival horror, your options are Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Fatal Frame. You will pick Resident Evil for obvious reasons. #You’rewinner!
My bad, posted based on the title only, next time I'll read the OP before posting
 
Though there was another one if I recall, the protagonist wore a beige/cream outfit and so did his sidekick. I can’t remember it though.

Hmm struggling to think what that might have been. Billy Hatcher maybe?

Also realising I forgot about Psychonauts. Might have to swap Sly out for that.
 
Competitive Games:

Counter Strike, StarCraft, Dota
“Competitive Games” isn’t a genre dude as pretty much every game can be competitive when you think about it. Your genre should be “MOBA” with StarCraft being the obvious choice.
 

Tg89

Member
“Competitive Games” isn’t a genre dude as pretty much every game can be competitive when you think about it. Your genre should be “MOBA” with StarCraft being the obvious choice.

Nah, actually legitimate competitive games.

And StarCraft ain't a moba, lol.
 

Laptop1991

Member
J
An essay, it's two paragraphs you lazy bas**rd. I'm out here pouring my heart to the people of NeoGAF and showcasing my creative souls with nobody bothering to read it. Choose the top 3 franchises in a genre, pick the best one. Simple.
Just a joke, im not triggered, doesn't matter
 

killatopak

Member
Survival Horror

RE1
RE2
RE3

Favorite is RE3. I love the natural progression of how open the world is from a single mansion to roaming the streets of Raccoon city. Very replayable because items and enemy placements are random. Add that to the live selection system, epilogues and mercenary mode. It’s a wealth of content. On PC, the randomizer is extremely fun due to how open the game is at least pre railway.
 

AJUMP23

Gold Member
Great post.

Mario platformers
Zelda adventures
Wing Commander space adventure.


I play elder scroll, dark souls, halo, and many others.
 
Survival Horror

RE1
RE2
RE3

Favorite is RE3. I love the natural progression of how open the world is from a single mansion to roaming the streets of Raccoon city. Very replayable because items and enemy placements are random. Add that to the live selection system, epilogues and mercenary mode. It’s a wealth of content. On PC, the randomizer is extremely fun due to how open the game is at least pre railway.
Great post.

Mario platformers
Zelda adventures
Wing Commander space adventure.


I play elder scroll, dark souls, halo, and many others.
Oh my flipping god, people really don't read opening the post. I have to rectify this mistake whilst this heap is still afloat.
 
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AJUMP23

Gold Member
Great post.

Mario platformers
Zelda adventures
Wing Commander space adventure.


I play elder scroll, dark souls, halo, and many others.
Oh my flipping god, people really don't read opening the post. I have to rectify this mistake whilst this heap is still afloat.
After reading the extra bolding in the main post. My post still stands.

Mario best platformer
Zelda best adventure
Wing commander best space adventure.
 

Fuz

Banned
Many will feel butthurt about Metal Gear Solid not being there, but screw them as it's your trinity. You have to pick one as your favourite though, I have a feeling I know which one it is...
743697.jpg
I played only MGS1, but I don't really consider it a "stealth game". Those games mentioned by Brian (and also Styx) are WAAAAAAAY better in that regard.
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
Action adeventure, Spider-Man is brilliant, Skyward Sword is one of the best, and Uncharted 4 took on uncharted 2 as the best in its genre.
 

winjer

Gold Member
Same again with the "immersive sims" label. Deus Ex is an RPG, Dishonoured a stealth game and so on.

What are you on about. Immersive Sim is it own genre, that goes back a couple of decades. And it incorporates several gameplay mechanics for the player to choose.
Deus EX is not just an RPG, it can be played as a shooter, as a stealth game, and exploration. Same thing for Prey and Dishonored.
 

Daneel Elijah

Gold Member
Rogue like:
FTL
binding of Isaac
Rogue legacy
I know thay Rogue legacy is not at that level , but the 2 is out and needs all the love it can get.
 
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