VGPOTW s2 #1 - Anniversary Showdown!

So, to start the proceedings, our poll of the week question!

Five series are celebrating major anniversaries this year: Pokemon is turning 20, Sonic the Hedgehog is turning 25, and The Legend of Zelda, Metroid and Castlevania are all turning 30. Which of these series is your favourite series, and why?


Sticky me please? :D Thank you!

While I think this anniversary showdown poll is a good idea, but I am disappointed that the Metroid series and the Castlevania series are not listed in the poll. They are both celebrating their 30th Anniversaries this year as well. As for the three choices in the poll, I am undecided between voting for either Pokemon or The Legend of Zelda.

Ay, that's a difficult choice...

My favorite Sonic game is 06, so I guess that pretty much explains how I feel about that series. Pokemon...

Yeah, I'm gonna go Zelda. It's not often that the games grab me, but the ones that do are among my favorites. I don't think any Pokemon game, other than the side games, has consistently given me as much fun in my teen or adult life as something like Wind Waker or Majora's Mask. Also, the music is no contest. And the overall design of Zelda really grabs at me even when the games don't...it's kinda strange hearing me say this when I've always fancied myself a fan of the series as a whole, playing every entry. Lately, though, I've been more honest with myself about this series, and I can't quite say that every, or even most of the entries strike gold with me. But the ones I like, I LOVE.

So yep, goin' Zelda!

EDIT: I haven't actually voted for an entry yet. YES ITS NOW IN THE CHOICES!

I now voted for Metroid since its everything I want in a game -> Alien blasting, exploration, exploring the unknown, getting lost, and playing as a super powerful and sexy super space bounty booty hunter.

I voted for Metroid because its the series that I've always wanted to grow up with, and fortunately i did. Metroid in classic form, delicious. Metroid Prime turning it into a genre that i love? HELL YEAH! A BANQUET OF GLORY! Metroid II: Return of Samus was the metroid game i first played and it was a great headstart. Then the rest came, i played them, some i finished, some I'll be going back to, and as for Metroid Prime, which i really enjoyed, I'll be prying my friend's Gamecube out of his possessions and claiming it as my own.

And the other great thing, no matter how crap people are already shanking Federation Force will be, I'll still be getting it, since its going to have its release a day after my Birthday. I guess its a nice dark-chocolate flavored gift. Its bittersweet, but its better than a foul taste ;)))

It also helps for me that among of Wintendo's IPs, Metroid has some of the best track records.

Lack of Metroid and Castlevania (which I had noted down in bold red lettering before I went to sleep) is what comes of me cutpasting something and posting it at six in the morning. Sorry about that guys, thanks to our benevolent mod the options are in the poll...like they would have been if I had of actually posted this when I was awake. Derp.

Aaaanywhos. Explanation aside, here comes my answer!

Which is, amusingly, Castlevania. The one I forgot to add in my comatose state. I have yet to play a Castlevania title I haven't enjoyed. Which is more than I can say for any of the others, even though on balance I have put more hours into all of them (even Sonic; I grew up with Sonic) than I have Castlevania. But I love this series. The ambience of each castle is at once immediately familiar yet brand new at the same time, the soundtrack is above and beyond spectacular - Michiru Yamane's score in particular - and...well, it's a classic, uncomplicated tale. It has iconic villains, monsters from the basic to the wacky and creative, and a fair bit of challenge, at least in the earlier titles.

The handheld Castlevania years were some of the highlights of my youth, and I even enjoyed Lords of Shadow to a degree; it was a fresh take on the series and it had absolutely stellar voice work. Even though I doubt I will ever get to play another satisfying Castlevania again, because Konami is Konami and Iga is out on his own project, that doesn't erase years of fond memories. So, a firm vote for Castlevania here.

Had to pick Pokemon. Some of the other series I haven't played more than 5 minutes of, like Sonic and Zelda. Easy choice.