Gaming's most Important Franchise?
You've got to have the Mario franchise up there as most important. At one point the only figures more recognizable than Mario to kids were Ronald McDonald and Santa Claus. Before Mario, video games were hardly marketable. The fate of Nintendo is inextricably woven to that of Mario. So from that standpoint:
After that it's Final Fantasy and beyond that you have a bevy of other franchise heavyweights that have left their indelible marks on the gaming industry. In no particular order:
The Legend of Zelda
Metroid
Metal Gear
Mega Man
DooM
Castlevania
Double Dragon
Madden
Street Fighter
Mortal Kombat
Sonic the Hedgehog
Tetris
You've got to have the Mario franchise up there as most important. At one point the only figures more recognizable than Mario to kids were Ronald McDonald and Santa Claus. Before Mario, video games were hardly marketable. The fate of Nintendo is inextricably woven to that of Mario. So from that standpoint:
After that it's Final Fantasy and beyond that you have a bevy of other franchise heavyweights that have left their indelible marks on the gaming industry. In no particular order:
The Legend of Zelda
Metroid
Metal Gear
Mega Man
DooM
Castlevania
Double Dragon
Madden
Street Fighter
Mortal Kombat
Sonic the Hedgehog
Tetris