Board 8 > first thing that comes to mind 4: "strongest western franchise"

(+) Yeah! (+)

start dropping suggestions for future topics, put them in spoilers though so we don't get people thinking too early, this is supposed to be kneejerk reactions

making this one early cuz the last one was such a shutout

Previous results:
1) Strongest non-Noble Niner: Zelda (Tifa, Squall, Bowser)
2) Weakest Noble Niner: Sonic (Crono, Sephiroth, Mega Man)
3) Fodder Line: Vyse (Isaac, Pac-Man, Revolver Ocelot)

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Mass Effect

That's probably not it but it was the first thing that came to mind.

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when I first thought of this topic "Witcher" popped into my head

which i immediately felt was wrong but Witcher 3 might be strong enough now that it carries the franchise on its back. If we had Best Series II I wonder how it would do with the other two games weighing Witcher 3 down

2 is good but it's not held in the same high regard as 3 and 1 has not aged well on top of not being more than "pretty good" upon release

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Fallout

I bet Witcher 2 would be at least alright. But it's either Fallout or Elder Scrolls most likely.

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Red Dead Redemption

Yes, that's really what I thought of first even though it's obviously not the answer. Screw you for posting this topic in Discord when I'm somehow still awake tbh.

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Witcher

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Halo popped in my mind first

i dont think anyone has posted the actual right answer yet


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Elder Scrolls
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Mass Effect

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th3l3fty posted...

Elder Scrolls

https://i.imgur.com/9zQ21D8.gif


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Witcher

Yah obviously it only has one game worth a damn, but that game is rubbing shoulders with elite Nintendo and Square. In a second Series contest the third game alone would probably carry the series to a decently deep run

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First thought was Witcher, but the answer would be different if you didn't ask the question so close to the last contest.

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Mass Effect

it doesnt have the single strongest game, but I think its third strongest game probably beats any other western series third strongest game
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Mass Effect

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Fallout

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Witcher

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Witcher
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Mass Effect

The only Fallout games worth anything are 3 and New Vegas.

Witcher 1 & 2 would flop so hard

Halo craps the bed pretty regularly

And Skyrim didn't look great this contest. So I'd expect Oblivion and Morrowind to be even weaker now.

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I thought Elder Scrolls tbh even with skyrim's loss

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Marvel.

It was the first thing :(

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Mass Effect. In a games contest you can argue some others, probably (although MoogleKupo141 makes a good point about ME having more depth), but in a character contest? How many other western series have gotten more than 2 characters into a contest?

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mass effect
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Witcher. My first thought was about a best series contest rather than overall strength of each game/character/female villain quote, though.

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Witcher

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BetrayedTangy posted...

And Skyrim didn't look great this contest. So I'd expect Oblivion and Morrowind to be even weaker now.

On a mano-a-mano basis, Elder Scrolls beats Mass Effect every single time, with Skyrim > ME2, Oblivion > ME1, and Morrowind > ME3. Plus, the other games in each franchise actually matter in this comparison, thanks to Andromeda turning the ME brand name into dirt.

A character comparison would obviously be a different story, because Mass Effect is infinitely more character-focused, but Shepard only looked a little better than Dragonborn last contest.

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Witcher. Think it would beat any other Western series in a Series contest just because its baggage is just "early game jank" and not "the fanbase actively is divided/hates it".

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Kamekguy posted...

Witcher. Think it would beat any other Western series in a Series contest just because its baggage is just "early game jank" and not "the fanbase actively is divided/hates it".

This is actually a fair point of view, while 1 didn't age well you dont see the Witcher fanbase having civil wars about it, the most controversy I have ever seen was a few people not liking the netflix show and being told to shut up

Way better tha people actively wanting to kick Todd Howard in the dick or sending ironic cupcakes to bioware to protest the bad ME3 ending

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First thought was Mass Effect, although it's probably not as strong as it used to be.

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You know what, I just realized we are more than halfway thru the first page and not even a passing mention of GTA

Its almost comical how little we give a shit about the franchise now

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well we all know it isn't GTA

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ZenOfThunder posted...

when I first thought of this topic "Witcher" popped into my head

which i immediately felt was wrong but Witcher 3 might be strong enough now that it carries the franchise on its back.

Exactly this.
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Kamekguy posted...

Witcher. Think it would beat any other Western series in a Series contest just because its baggage is just "early game jank" and not "the fanbase actively is divided/hates it".

I think Witchers baggage is actually only one of the games is worth anything on this site

Fallout and Mass effect may have some negative reactions, but they still managed to get two games into GotD. Witcher 2 couldnt make the cut.
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Mass Effect

LeonhartFour posted...

well we all know it isn't GTA

We also all know it isnt Mass Effect and yet!

Seriously, its The Elder Scrolls.

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Mass Effect has had more success than Grand Theft Auto ever has, so no, they aren't comparable.

Elder Scrolls is probably the "right" answer, although only Oblivion and Skyrim matter.

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Witcher

Im not sure any Elder Scrolls games besides Skyrim actually would do well
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Hbthebattle posted...

Im not sure any Elder Scrolls games besides Skyrim actually would do well

Oblivion has done well!

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Fallout

Might not be that way anymore, bur Fallout 3 alone was significantly stronger than any other western game at its peak and outperformed Skyrim on Metroid Prime. Surprised so many people are saying Mass Effect when its never been in the running at any point in time.

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KamikazePotato posted...

Surprised so many people are saying Mass Effect when its never been in the running at any point in time.

the reason is pretty simple actually

we really like Mass Effect

although Fallout and Mass Effect are probably the only western series with three games capable of winning matches in a contest

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Elder Scrolls too. Morrowind won a match once!

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MZero posted...

Mass Effect

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Call of Duty

Which I've never played, mind you. But it was my first thought

KamikazePotato posted...

Elder Scrolls too. Morrowind won a match once!

oh right it barely beat Warcraft III once didn't it

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I obviously never meant that GTA was on the same level as Mass Effect (Mass Effect is probably closer to GTA than Elder Scrolls though), but...

There are like five GTA games capable of winning matches. If thats your main criterion then maybe it is GTA!

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This is true! It is in the top ten for total votes for a series, too.

But the point was that if we're talking about "strongest series," it needs to be more than just one or two good ones.

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Elder Scrolls

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I will say also, GTA probably was the strongest western series for the first era of contests. III, Vice City, and San Andreas all finished at least top two in their GotY polls with San Andreas winning, beating some major contenders along the way, and Vice City looked like a monster in 2004. If we went over time it probably looks something like this:

2002-2006: GTA
2007: Halo (Believe)
2008-2010: This is a mess, one of CoD, Half-Life or Fallout
2011-present: Elder Scrolls

I think it was a combination of GTA fatigue and IV leading to some of the anti-voting GTA gets now.

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Elder Scrolls

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Yeah, GTA was legit in the early years. When the demographics shifted in 2005, GTA started going downhill. I don't know if I'd agree that GTA was stronger than Halo in 2005 or 2006. GTA lost to Warcraft in the Series Contest in 2006, after all.

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Yay Vyse! <3

Mass Effect was the first that came to mind, but since this site is so stuck in the 90s it might be Doom or Mortal Kombat.

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