3 Video Game Series That Are Absolutely Terrific From Beginning to End

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Even though Mario is incredibly popular, not every game in the series has been a success. While it has a better track record than most franchises, titles like *Super Mario Sunshine* and *Super Mario Run* aren’t fan favorites. This is common – most long-running series have at least one game that disappoints. For example, *God of War* has some strange mobile spin-offs, and *Fallout* had a weak tactical game and a rocky launch with *Fallout 76*. However, some series consistently deliver high-quality games, either because they release fewer titles or because they manage to maintain their quality over time.

Here are the three video game series that are consistently great from beginning to end.

3) Red Dead

While not as polished as later entries, *Red Dead Revolver* was a fun third-person shooter for the PlayStation 2 and first introduced the popular Dead Eye targeting system. Mostly, only Dead Eye and the game’s Wild West setting carried over to future *Red Dead* games, though a handful of characters have made appearances in both *Red Dead Redemption* titles.

Rockstar has created two truly iconic games. While *Red Dead Redemption 2* can feel a little slow at times, it’s undeniably one of the most powerfully told stories in gaming history. Rockstar went all-out with its production, building on the original *Red Dead Redemption* to deliver a massive and immersive Western experience.

I haven’t even mentioned *Undead Nightmare* yet. This story expansion for *Red Dead Redemption* remains a fantastic example of quality downloadable content, even after ten years. And although *Red Dead Online* didn’t achieve the same popularity as *Grand Theft Auto Online*, it’s still a fun experience. Simply put, the Red Dead series has consistently improved since its beginning.

2) Warcraft

Warcraft stands out as a gaming series that has successfully reinvented itself, even changing genres multiple times. It began as a pioneer in the real-time strategy genre, playing a key role in making multiplayer gaming popular. Following the initial success of *Warcraft: Orcs and Humans*, the developers at Blizzard released two more real-time strategy titles, including *Warcraft 3*.

Man, *Warcraft 3* is seriously one of the best RTS games ever made. But it’s more than that – it basically *created* a whole new type of game! People started making custom maps, and then they added these powerful hero units, which led to something called Defense of the Ancients, or DotA. That’s where the MOBA genre really took off. It took Blizzard a while to catch on, but honestly, without *Warcraft 3*, we wouldn’t have games like *League of Legends* or *DOTA 2* today. It’s a legendary game for a reason.

Blizzard then revolutionized the gaming world with *World of Warcraft*. It quickly became the most popular massively multiplayer online game ever, attracting millions of players each month. While *WoW* has experienced both successes and challenges, it remains a leading title in the MMO genre.

Blizzard successfully changed direction with *Hearthstone*, transforming Warcraft into a hugely popular card game. While its popularity has waned recently, it was a major hit when it first came out. More recently, *Warcraft Rumble*, a mobile tower defense game, didn’t achieve the same level of success, and has now been discontinued because it didn’t perform as well as hoped. However, it wasn’t a bad game, and tower defense players generally enjoyed it for what it was.

1) Metal Gear Solid

To be completely accurate, a full list would include every *Metal Gear* game, even the poorly received *Metal Gear Survive* from 2018. But we’re focusing specifically on the *Metal Gear Solid* series, which lets us skip that one. We’re also leaving out the very first two *Metal Gear* games and *Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance* for the sake of simplicity.

The Metal Gear Solid series is remarkable because every game has been well-received. This is especially noteworthy considering it includes titles designed for portable systems like *Peace Walker* and *Portable Ops*, plus even some unusual turn-based card games (*Acid* and *Acid 2*). Critics even gave a thumbs-up to *Metal Gear Solid Mobile*, which was originally only available on mobile phones.

Honestly, it’s not even about the spin-offs – the main Metal Gear Solid games are incredible! Hideo Kojima’s five titles are some of the most cinematic games I’ve ever played. The level of detail and realism is just mind-blowing, and you can really see how Kojima and his team were always leading the way with graphics and visual storytelling.

Okay, so Konami really surprised me with *Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater*. It’s a fantastic game, and honestly, it showed they can still deliver even without Hideo Kojima and his team. I don’t think we’ll ever see *Metal Gear Solid VI*, but in this industry, you just never know. If they *do* make another one, I’m hoping they don’t mess it up too badly. But hey, even if they do, there’s always *Physint* to look forward to, which is still a cool experience!

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2025-09-27 18:15