Is the first game you play in a series always your favorite?

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Only count in series with at least three games I played:

• Fire Emblem: Radiant was my first game and is my favourite
• Persona: Started with 3 but 5 Royal's my favourite
• The Legends of Heroes: Started with Sky FC (which is my least favourite) but Cold Steel IV's my favourite
• Ys: Started with Origin but VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana's my favourite
• Xenoblade: started with 2 but 3's my favourite
• Tales of: started with Abyss but Berseria's my favourite
• Mario: started with Super Mario World but Odyssey's my favourite
• Kirby: started with the very first one but Planet Robobot's my favourite
• Donkey Kong: only could finish Tropical Freeze which is my favourite logically
• Atelier: started my first Ryza game but third Ryza game's my favourite
• Shin Megami Tensei: IV was my first game and is my favourite
• Mario Party: started with the first one but 3's my favourite
• Shantae: Seven Sirens was my first one and I pretty love it as much as Half-Genie Hero

[Fabulously Olivier]

My observation is that this correlation tends to happen because the best games are the ones likely to draw in new people, whether that be through impressive footage or positive word of mouth. No one sees something, and says "that looks like shit, I'mma try it."

[Lightcosmo]

29 minutes ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

No one sees something, and says "that looks like shit, I'mma try it."

Y'know, I knew I was doing something wrong. lol

Jokes aside, your observation is pretty accurate, and I can't say I disagree.

Edited January 8 by Lightcosmo

[Integrity]

58 minutes ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

No one sees something, and says "that looks like shit, I'mma try it."

fuckin watch me mate

[Zanarkin]

I played PoR, but Radiant Dawn is my favourite. I played pikmin 3, first but prefer Pikmin 4. Valkyria chronicles 1 was also my first, but then Valkyria chronicles 4 is even better. My first Zelda was OoT, but I much prefer Majora's mask, although I haven't really given too much thought to how the Zelda games all fit among each other in my mind. Pokemon I played blue slightly, and remember getting through big chunks of gen 3, but my favourite is Gen 4. I'm conflicted between both HG/SS and Platinum, both are so good.

It might be true of other series I have played though. Idk.

[ARMADS!!!]

On 1/1/2024 at 10:23 AM, Noctis51 said:

One thought I had a long time ago about trilogies (in movies or games, etc) in like college or something was like, in art, 1 is the creative get everything started hard work to get a good result, 3 is the get serious have to make a final statement, and 2 is just a party in between. 

That's exactly what I think of the first Ace Attorney trilogy, although in this case AA2- the "party in between"- ended up feeling like a filler and AA3 was such a good ending that I like it better.

 

On 1/7/2024 at 4:13 PM, Yexin said:

Inazuma Eleven, played them in release order (1, 2 both versions), 3 all of the 3 versions, Go, Go 2, Go 3 is still japan-only), and my favorite overall is IE3, although I really like how the endgame of IE Go 2 plays

 What the hell? Are there Inazuma Eleven games?

 

 

11 hours ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

No one sees something, and says "that looks like shit, I'mma try it."

 Then why did I know a bunch of shit throught TV tropes' examples No, but I agree with your point, if you wanna get into a game series you're most likely to play the first one by recommendation (and people are gonna recommend you the most popular, unless if it's a game series that is better if played by order because of the plot or whatever), but I still think that it's not just this, sometimes it really is mostly because of nostalgia or because of that "this was my first game on this series" feeling.

I played Sonic Adventure DX when I was a kid because my dad randomly put in on my computer, no fucking clue where he heard of it  (although I'm pretty sure he just saw a 3D Sonic game and thought "cool, I think my kids will like it"), and I admit that almost half of the game is terrible to go throught (all of Amy's and Big's levels), then I played Sonic Adventure 2 only a few years ago and I reconize the quality (and levels) is better but DX still has a special place on my heart because I remember all the hours I spent on the chao garden and on the Sound room (or replaying the opening of the game because it was sick), all the time me and my sister spent trying to reach unreachable places on the hubs, we trying to figure what we had to  do next because we didn't understand english so we had to keep guessing, all the times we got stuck on a boss with either Sonic, Tails or Knuckles so we stopped playing with that character and played with the others until the 3 of them were stuck on the same boss so we inevitably had to beat it to avoid playing with Amy and Big. How we suffered throught Amy's and Big's levels all at once and beat them all on the same day after beating the game with the other characters, so we could see the final boss at once, I remember when our first chao died, and how we only learned what was the actual story years later (since we didn't speak english). Sonic Adventure 2 is better but DX has a special place for me because of all the memories it gave me not because it's the better game, had my dad gotten Sonic Adventure 2 instead of DX I know my feelings for each of the games would be different. (Not to say that DX isn't good or doesn't have a good story, not at all, it sure is not considered one of the best Sonic games story-wise for nothing but you get the point).

 

[Lightcosmo]

12 hours ago, ARMADS!!! said:

and I admit that almost half of the game is terrible to go throught (all of Amy's and Big's levels)

It's not as though Amy's levels take a significant amount of time to complete, though. Big's on the other hand... are god awful, no denying that. The fishing is not the best implemented, we'll just say. XD

[Original Alear]

On 1/8/2024 at 9:20 AM, Fabulously Olivier said:

My observation is that this correlation tends to happen because the best games are the ones likely to draw in new people, whether that be through impressive footage or positive word of mouth. No one sees something, and says "that looks like shit, I'mma try it."

I disagree with your saying "no one" unless you mean like Odysseus or something. Actually even if you do mean Odysseus I sometimes empathize with him somewhat. Personally, I tried Fingerbones and The Static Speaks My Name on steam. I think both were free, but they still had an opportunity cost.

Also, isn't that basically what Jesus did?

Quote

(Not to say that DX isn't good or doesn't have a good story, not at all, it sure is not considered one of the best Sonic games story-wise for nothing but you get the point).

DX has that robot guy. DX's story is awesome.

Edited January 10 by Original Alear

[Sire]

Hmm...

For Fire Emblem, my first was Sacred Stones. While it does still hold a special place for me, my favorite has to be Shadows of Valentia, even with its terrible map design and certain story points. Shadows of Valentia had the polish and presentation that no title I've played matched since. If the map design were more like the Rise of the Deliverance DLC, I wonder how great SoV would have been...
-- I have not touched Engage yet, something about that title still bothers me to this day. I do plan on playing it eventually though...

For Advance Wars, my first was the OG on the GBA (from a friend, no less), and then I got into the series myself from there, playing all of the games. Seeing Reboot Camp is great, but my favorite probably has to be Days of Ruin (Dark Conflict in EU). While I did have to get used to the change in art style, especially for the unit graphics, I fell in love with its gameplay and expanded map editor. 

Command and Conquer? I think my first was Red Alert, and I believe it still remains my favorite despite the other C&C games like Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2. Granted, I am including my time with OpenRA as a part of that, but I still love the first game all the same.
-- Special shoutout to Mental Omega, a mod for Red Alert 2 that I know a lot about but haven't actually played myself. Honestly, I consider it a canon game despite its fanmade status.

Warcraft is Warcraft III, although I also dearly love Warcraft II. While I didn't truly appreciate the regular skirmish until much later in my years, all the custom maps people made for Warcraft 3 were amazing. 

Mario Party... I was an avid Mario Party enthusiast back in the day, but then they released 8 and butchered the series with 9. Since then, the franchise has been dead to me. My favorite is probably still Mario Party 3 as I loved the larger maps (something they got rid of as the games progressed), although Mario Party DS was also really awesome. Special shoutout to Mario Party 7 probably being the most well-rounded of the Gamecube Era games.

Mario Kart 64 was my first Mario Kart game, and probably still remains my favorite although I probably put more time in Double Dash and Mario Kart DS. I missed the Wii and 3DS era of Mario Kart, picking up Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U (base game only), and missing 8 Deluxe for the Switch. While I do have good memories of Double Dash (it was my first Gamecube game and I remember playing it fondly), something about 64 feels even more special to me.

Smash Brothers, gotta go for Brawl. While I loved the original and Melee, Brawl's Subspace Emissary mode was the best thing ever and I absolutely loved the music for Brawl. While I played a bit during the Wii U/3DS era, and even a bit of Ultimate, my prime was during the Brawl days. 
-- Speaking of Smash Brothers, Smash Remix is something I came across recently that is essentially a love letter for the N64 version, and I remember enjoying Super Smash Flash 2 for a bit.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 won out for me in the Xenoblade Chronicles franchise, as my favorite previously was the first title. That said, I love all the games, including X, but if I had to pick one, it'll probably be 3. I just wish 3 had NG+ options like 2 did...

...and I'll stop here before I start coming up with more stuff.

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

Judging by series:

Pokemon: Silver was my first, while my favorite is Crystal. ...Which is basically Silver, but improved. So I guess it counts. 1 and 0.

Ace Attorney: Justice for All was my first, but Trials and Tribulations is my favorite. 1 and 1.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon was my first, while my favorite seems to rotate between Radiant Dawn, Genealogy, and Three Houses. 1 and 2.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door was my first, while my favorite is... also TTYD. Yeah, I know, least creative millenial on the Internet over here. 2 and 2.

Super Smash Bros: Melee was my first, but for favorite... I guess I'll give it to Brawl. Loved that Stage Builder. 2 and 3.

Spyro the Dragon: The first was my first, but I'd pick Year of the Dragon as my favorite. Assuming we're not counting the Reignited trilogy. 2 and 4.

Crash Bandicoot: I... think the first was my first? But my favorite is actually Wrath of Cortex. Again, disregarding the N Sane Trilogy. 2 and 5.

Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was my first, but for favorite, I'm going with Twilight Princess. 2 and 6.

Sonic the Hedgehog: I had the original on Genesis, when the Genesis was already retro. But my favorite is certainly Adventure 2 Battle. 2 and 7.

Wario Land: The first (or, was it the third Super Mario Land?) was my first, while the second one is my favorite. 2 and 8.

I could do more, but... yeah. Turns out, my favorite is rarely the one I started with. Instead, it's the technically superior one that I played shortly after the one I started with.  Perhaps the nostalgia bug bites harder the second time? None of these "favorites", save for 3H, are ones that I first played within the last decade. Huh.

[Ruy]

No, I can't think of a single example where the first game I played is my favorite, because I think it's safe to assume most secuels improve upon the original. But, if you play several games in a series, surely is because that first one had something special.

 

These is my opinion:

Fire Emblem: First was FE7, favorite is Radiant Dawn

Castlevania: First was Super Castlevania IV, favorite is Order of Ecclesia. But, if we separe classic and metroidvanias, IV might still be my favorite.

Zelda: First was A Link to the Past, favorite is Majora's Mask

Metroid: First was Fusion, favorite is Dread

Mario: First was Super Mario Bros, my favorite is SMB 3

Paper Mario: First was the 64 original, favorite is Thousand-Year Door

F-Zero: X was the first, GX is my favorite

 

 

[AzureEmperor]

On 1/25/2024 at 4:51 PM, Ruy said:

No, I can't think of a single example where the first game I played is my favorite, because I think it's safe to assume most secuels improve upon the original. But, if you play several games in a series, surely is because that first one had something special.

 

I think a lot of it also has to do with the age you start a series  since growing alongside it obviously causes you to form more of an attachment, and how the series differs from entry to entry. Example: if someone nowadays starts off with Shadow Dragon (FE11) and then moves onto engage they'd probably find the change so jarring and be turned off from that entry.

Series for me

Fire Emblem: First was FE7, favorite is Echoes

Sonic: First was Shadow the hedgehog, favorite is Heroes

Mario Kart: First was Super Circuit, favorite is 8 Deluxe

Smash: First was Melee, favorite is 3ds

Pokémon: First was Sapphire, favorite is Ultra Moon

Street Fighter: First was Super SF4 3D edition, favorite is 3rd strike

Tekken: First was Tag, favorite is 6 bloodline rebellion  

Edited February 1 by AzureEmperor

[Sidereal Wraith]

It depends on many different factors. Blazing Blade was my first FE game but Genealogy is my favorite. What I’d say is the first game you play may color your future expectations and hopes for a series. For example starting with Awakening or Fates as your first FE game versus starting with one of the GBA games. These games were made at different times during the series’ history and there is a clear distinction between the tone and art design of the pre-Awakening and post-Awakening eras.

[Samz707]

It's happened for a few:

Devil May Cry: Only played the HD Collection, DMC1 was my favourite as I felt it was well designed and extremely fair outside of two bosses, I played it first and really liked it, DMC2 was flawed but at least not too frustrating, DMC3 I felt was awful, it had alot of the same issues as Devil May Cry 2 plus new ones like a unfair difficulty and somehow even worse designed enemies. (I hate 3 so much that I'm genuinely considering dropping the series if this is the "best" one for the post DMC-1 games and I don't want to replay it for Vergil mode despite the fact I did both characters in DMC2.) 

ARMA/Operation Flashpoint: The original ARMA/Operation Flashpoint (There was a name-change post-release)  has one of the strongest campaigns in the series and is ironically one of the more stable games in the series, later campaigns suffer from feature creep, buggy mission scripts and some awful at times design.

Sniper Elite: The first game has a unique atmosphere and game-play design that the sequels pretty much abandoned, they also adopted an over-the-shoulder camera which I really, really hate.

Resident Evil: I can't remember which I exactly played first but I know the Wii ports of Zer0 or Resident Evil 1 remake (not sure which I got first) and Darkside Chronicles were my first Resident Evil games and I love both Resi-remake and Zer0.

And of course not at all for a few:

Tomb Raider: I started with Tomb Raider 3 but it's honestly one of my least favorite now, I prefer most games in the series over it, it's simply badly put together with some unfair traps. (It got different developers internally compared to the previous two and it shows.)

Fire Emblem: I started with Awakening, I hated it then and I only hate it more now with my second game, Blazing Blade being what actually got me into the series.

Edited February 27 by Samz707

[avensis]

This happened to me with Fire Emblem and Zelda, the first ones are my favorites

 

Tutuapp

Edited May 31 by avensis

[Original Alear]

4 hours ago, avensis said:

This happened to me with Fire Emblem and Zelda, the first ones are my favorites

You mean the very first of each series is your favorite? Or the first one you played? Or both? Sorry I don't mean to question you overmuch, I'm just curious to know for sure.

Edited March 30 by Original Alear