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My first Game in a Franchise is my favorite 42.4% of the time

I once read an argument made that the first game you play in a series is likely going to be your favorite. So I decided to see if that was true for me. At least from what I can tell for me it isn't. More than half the time so far my favorite game is played second or later. Firsts listed at the top.

updated 1/19/17-So I've noticed a trend in the additions. For series that I don't particularly like, I usually like the first one best. Not sure if that says something about me or the series. Old 38.9% - New 42.5%

Updated 3/2/17 -Old score 42.5% - New 41.6%

Updated 2/19/18 - Old 41.6% - New 43.4%

Updated7/6/20 - Old 43.4% - New 42.4%

List items

1. Mega Man 2

I did play this one first. It's Mega man II. Who doesn't like Mega Man II the best?
2. King's Quest

Played First. Pure Nostalgia here, clearly not the best in the series objectively.
3. The Curse of Monkey Island

Played First. Like them all, but I like the cartoony style best of the third one.
4. Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits

To be fair I haven't played any of the other good Arc the Lad games. End of Darkness is bad bad BAD
5. Ninja Gaiden

First. So good. So hard!
6. Final Fantasy Tactics

series got weird after game one
7. Kingdom Hearts

series got weird after game one
8. Dragon Age: Origins

do 2 game franchises really count? It doesn't seem fair to compare this to DA II....
9. Professor Layton and the Curious Village

1st, but have only played 2 so far.
10. GoldenEye 007

first i think
11. Dreamfall: The Longest Journey

1st. Hard call Longest Journey was a great game
12. Super Mario Kart

1st- no other Mario kart ever got battle mode right again
13. The Legend of Zelda

first, I used to say OoT but recently I think the OG has re-become my favorite. Probably Nostalgia talking, although the first one had a solitary brutalness no Zelda since really has had.
14. Max Payne

first. I frankly saw no need for the story to continue. Once the Norse stuff started getting involved Max Payne kinda lost me. I guess you could say the first half of the first game I liked best.
15. Myst

1st. No game Myst game since has recaptured the zeitgeist of the first. Kind of a game of its' time and a series that overstayed its' welcome.
16. Dino Crisis

1st - like 1&2 about the same
17. Parasite Eve

1st. The story and setting really worked. The second never clicked for me
18. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

1st. I like happy fun prince and the banter he had with his original lady friend. Emo angst Prince was silly, his scantily lady friend was even sillier.
19. Quest for Glory I: So You Want To Be A Hero

first. The VGA versions was perfection. the rest of the series was great too, but nothing tops 1.
20. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron

1st. Man those missions were intense! 2 and 3 felt oddly tacked on retreads of the same events. Not too mention weird on foot modes and such.
21. Shadow Hearts: Covenant

first. Really great game I should go back and finally finish it.
22. Suikoden III

first. I should note I have not played I or 2 so this could easily change if I do. Update 1/17- I have played 1. I still like this the best
23. Double Dragon

first. no other double dragons matter
24. Vandal Hearts

first. Wonderful SRPG I have not played 2, three is amateur-ish rubbish.
25. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

first. Fellowship of the Rings stunk, retrun of the king was more of the same. Man this game amde my fingers hurt.
26. Dynasty Warriors 2

first. I think everybody's first dynasty warriors games might be their favorite and maybe their last. At the time though at PS2 launch this was my jam for about a month. That was a was a sparse launch and the crowds were huge!
27. Chrono Trigger

first. Well Chrono Cross is just strange
28. Xenogears

1st. Does this even count as part of the Xenosaga series?
29. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

I recognize Bowser's Inside story is probably better, but I found too many of the mini games in that one to be frustrating rather than fun. Always had a good time in ML:SS
30. The Book of Unwritten Tales

1st- Only played Critter Chronicles besides this one and that was pretty dull. I think this series is pretty overrated
31. Batman: Arkham Asylum

1st- I go back and forth on this. I actually really like the riddler puzzles in City. Asylum is the better story though.
32. Deponia

1st- I hate them all. So tough call.
33. Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3

1st- Played these out of order and I guess this one is mostly tolerable since at least the combat is engaging at times. For guys who sure claim to love videogames their series sure stank.
34. Saints Row 2

1st- I know. I'm one of those people
35. The Witcher

1st- Boy this is tough. Ask me again later and I may change my mind. Objectively this one had major pacing problems but I loved it anyway. But witcher 3 is so good...
36. Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore

1st- To me this series hasn't improved much. I don't care that much either way.
37. Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent

1st-Is this really a franchise or two halves of a game? Either way definitely got bored of this one fast so we'll go with the first one.
38. 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors

1st- VLR has a pretty terrible plot and is way too long
39. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars

This is a tossup. It's the first game I've played in the Ghost Recon series, but not the the first Tom Clancy game I've played by a mile. I guess I'll count it as part of Ghost Recon (wildlands is meh) so 1st. But man it sure doesn't play anything like the other Ghost Recon games, so hmmmm
40. Super Mario Bros. 3

Played third definitely my favroite
41. Paper Mario

I actually played this after Thousand Year Door. Even though it definitely shows it's age I liked it better. It felt more novel than what came later.
42. Red Dead Redemption

Far far better than Red Dead Revolver.
43. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

played 4th. I feel like it will never be topped.
44. Final Fantasy VI

played third (well it was called three in the US). Favorite game of all time at times
45. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Played second. Lot more fun than GTA III. better music too.
46. Ms. Pac-Man

second. How can anybody like regualr pac-man more than Ms. Pac-Man?
47. Mortal Kombat II

Second. This is a very hard pick for me. I like 1-3 a lot as well as 9
48. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

I think I played this third after FE and FE: Sacred Stones.
49. Advance Wars: Dual Strike

2nd
50. Super C

2nd. I played more of Contra, but this just felt cooler.
51. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

third. I hated the original metal gear as a kid. Metal Gear Solid 2 was like the worst animes on Adult Swim, but this one was just right
52. Madden NFL 2002

I have no idea, not first
53. Tecmo Super Bowl

2nd
54. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

2nd or 6th depending on rigidly you count the series
55. Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter

third. Bof was an also ran in my mind until this game. Sadly they never made another right when the series got really interesting.
56. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

4th, this one probably won't hold up because there are lots of Castlevania games I need to play
57. Sid Meier's Civilization IV

third. They are all basically the same to me, so prettiest graphics I guess.
58. F-Zero GX

3rd. So fast, so japanese metal, so many racers.
59. Gauntlet: Dark Legacy

2nd , but I don't really "like" any of them for more than short stretches
60. Maximo: Ghosts to Glory

If counted as part of Ghosts N' Goblins then third
61. Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb

second. Infernal tomb was not real good
62. Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend

5th. The right mix of seriousness, gorgeous scenery, campy lara and platforming.
63. Jak II

2nd. One was a generic platformer, three lacked a good plot and was super angsty so that makes 2 my favorite I guess. I like them all though
64. Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny

2nd maybe. I have a hard time remembering one from 2. These games were easy and super short.
65. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

third. Stealthily goodness before Sam Fisher's personal trubs derailed the series
66. Secret of Evermore

second I guess. Is this part of the mana series?
67. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

second. Tough choice. Single Player SC an Sc:BW have much stronger stories, but the campaign mode in WoL is so cool even if the story is like a bad fanfic. The multiplayer ate a year of my gaming life and is what puts this over the top
68. Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne

Third or fourth depending on how you count expansions.
69. Diablo II

second. better than diablo 1 in every way
70. Super Smash Bros. Brawl

second. really liked the single player
71. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

second- the definitive turtles game.
72. Wave Race: Blue Storm

second. Like the first Wave Storm but purtier waves.
73. MVP Baseball 2004

second I think
74. NCAA Football 2004

have no clue, not first. my sports phase is a blur.
75. Kessen II

second,but virtually indistinguishable from the first
76. Summoner 2

second. Didn't really like either
77. Resident Evil 4

I don't like RE games much but I guess this is the best. 3rd
78. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES

second. I find the characters and story more affecting than P4
79. Dota 2

I consider DotA mod for Wc 3 to be a game. DOTA 2 is just straight up better and it should be given the way it was created.
80. Blackwell Unbound

2 was played second and is my favorite. I like Lauren much better than Rosangela Blackwell. not saying Rosangela is bad, I just enjoyed Lauren quite a bit.
81. XCOM 2

Close call as I like both roughly the same, but I like the create a character in this enough to make it my favorite
82. Hitman

I actually hated Hitman games until this one
83. Maniac Mansion

Played both at the same time as this was buried in Day of the Tentacle. DoTT is definitely more fun by modern standards although a pretty standard affair by Tim Schafer standards, but MM's gameplay I felt was a lot more interesting how open ended it was. Maybe just because I'm not as familiar with Ron Gilbert's stuff.
84. Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut

2nd - A step up over Shadowrun returns in every way. Wow amazing game.
85. Far Cry 3

3rd- I can see the genius in two but those respawning checkpoint suuuuuccck. Plus Far Cry to me has always been aabout graphics and 3 is gorgeous.
86. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies

5th- Honestly each new entry I play in this series becomes my favorite it seems.
87. Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China

3rd- I've barely this series, but I actually finished this one and didn't come to close to doing so for Ac 1 or 2.
88. The Room Two

2nd- pretty hard call since it's basically more of the same, but I felt this one was more interesting puzzle wise
89. Super Metroid

Update 8/17 - 5th (what? I played these in a weird order) and definitely my favorite
90. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Third and now I know why Uncharted games haven't clicked with me previously. Nathan Drake just didn't do it for me
91. Street Fighter V

update 2/18 (replaces USFIV) Definitely did not play first, 4rd? 6th? not really sure how to count all the weird SF2/Alpha versions
92. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!

update 7/20-Kinda funny on a second attempt not only did I end up liking PS (first try hated it), but I actually now like it best