Successful+Video+Game+Franchises

 Overview
First let me guide you to g4tv.com and take a look at a tournament they have going on right now, Videogame Deathmatch: Best Franchise. G4 decided to make a tournament which includes the best selling video game franchises and have the public vote on which is the best. Currently there is 21 hours before round one ends and the votes are closed. I am a gamer and have played a good portion of these games so I wanted to take a look at a few of my favorites and talk about why they are so successful. Each link below leads to either a gameplay or trailer video for that game. Assassin's Creed- This game franchise takes place in the past but it also has a science fiction futuristic aspect to it too. What makes this game so popular is the rich environments. The first game took place during the crusades in the 12th century. The second took place in Rome and features Leonardo Di Vinci. Each game has these cities very detailed. The overarching story of the whole series is set in the future with the main protagonists entering a "time machine" while each game is set in a different point in the past. The unique story arch design and detailed landscapes is what makes this series so popular. Legend of Zelda - This is a franchise that started back in 1986 so it is quite old. Each game features Link, the protagonist, set out usually to rescue Princess Zelda. What makes this game interesting is the perfect blend of puzzles and combat. Link retrieves a number of gadgets and weapons along the way which become very useful and fun to use. This game is a good example of how graphics are not always necessarily important. This franchise is a Nintendo exclusive and has never been released on another system. Nintendo is not up to date with recent graphic technology while Xbox and Play Station are. I would say that it is the gameplay that makes this one successful. Mass Effect - This franchise has two games out already with a third on the way. This game series was made by Bioware. Bioware is known for their terrific story-telling and character development in games. Mass Effect is a science fiction role-playing game that features a main protagonist that gathers a team to save the universe. What makes the game so successful is the mix of a fantastic story and engaging conversations with characters in which the player can choose responses to get different results. This creates a very high replay value too because you want to see what the full game has to offer by picking different responses each time. The only similarity I see in all these games is that they are entertaining and fun to play. Each game features something new to add to the video game market. I would say to make a successful video game franchise you need something unique and creative because people do not want to play the same shoot-em-up violent video game over and over again. (nfoltz).

**History**
(There is no text here yet.)

**Opinion**
(There is no text here yet.)

**Future Trends?**
(There is no text here yet.)