How often is your first in a series your favorite?

[mαrkαsscoρ]

You see and hear this a lot where a person's favorite game in a series was typically their first. How much of this applies to you though? Off the top of my head, for long running series at least, Zelda and Rayman are some of the few ones where I would say this applies. Of course this comes down to how good the first game in that series you played is compared to the rest of them. But this statement can also come down to nostalgia in that you played that first game when you were young and as such, it remains your favorite b/c of that. But in an overall sense, do you typically favor your first game in a series or do you usually find a better installment later on?

 

[Farore's Chosen]

Good question. Let's see here
Double Dragon
Contra
Kid Icarus
Kirby's Adventure
Ecco the Dolphin
Sonic the Hedgehog
Streets of Rage
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
Earthbound

 

[thePlinko]

Tbh never,

Mario:
First- SMB3
Favorite-Galaxy

Zelda:
First-OoT
Favorite-WW

Pokémon:
First- gen 3
Favorite- gen 5

Smash:
First- Brawl
Favorite- Ultimate

The only real exception is Metroid, but that’s only because I’ve only played 2 games, and out of super Metroid and Metroid prime I’d probably pick the former.

 

[Hero of Pizza Time]

Usually, but that's just because I start with the first game in a series most of the time and originality usually means no wacky, experimental mechanics that butcher the game, like Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin's dual character mechanic.

 

[Spirit]

What a lovely thread topic.

I don't think my first of anything has ever been my favourite.

I am notoriously hard to please though...

 

[Mido]

Usually I find that I can go both ways on this, but I would probably say I lean towards the firsts of a series I've played not staying my favorites barring exceptions like Sonic Adventure, Dynasty Warriors 4, and Star Fox 64. Games like Tony Hawk's Underground, Halo: Reach, and Mario Kart 8 are my favorites in their respective series despite not being the first one I've played as far as examples are concerned.

 

[Mellow Ezlo]

Not often. Although there are a lot of series of which I have only played one game, so I suppose you could say those are my favourite.

In terms of series that I have played a lot of, I can only think of two examples of the first one I played being my favourite, those being Smash (Melee) and Pokemon (Gen III, although technically Emerald is my favourite game while Sapphire was my first).

If it counts as its own series, however, my first Super Mario game is still my favourite (Sunshine), but it isn't my first Mario game overall.

 

[A Link In Time]

Zelda - OoT

Kid Icarus - Uprising

Can't think of any other case off the top of my head.

So not very often.

 

[Spirit]

Oh! I thought of one!

Tales of Xillia! How did I forget that?!

Even though I think Berseria is the better game, Xillia holds a special place in my heart.

 

[the8thark]

I think it's not "the first" game is a series that is people's favourite. In my opinion it is "the first game people play in an IP" that is their favourite.

How well does the latter apply to me?

Games I played first that are my favourite
Zelda 2 - my first Zelda game and only of my favourites.
Earthworm Jim 2 - again the first game I played in the series and my favourite.
Master of Orion 2 - again the same. However it's the only good game in the series so I guess I was lucky to have it as the first I played.
Star Fox - Yes I do think it's a better game than SF64. Only marginally though but for totally different reasons. I did play SF back in the SNES days and a lot of SF64 on the N64 when it came around.
Commander Keen 4 - Secret of the Oracle - The first Keen game I've played and it is my favourite.
DKC 2 - Diddy's Kong Quest - I actually got the DKC2 SNES pack. As in standard SNES with the game all in a box. Was the first SNES game I ever played. I know I got my SNES late. It's still my favourite DKC game. Not even Returns and Tropical Freeze come close.
Secret of Monkey Island 2 - I thought Gybrush always had a beard when I first played this game but no he does not, it's exclusive to the classic loof of this game and it's a good look. I played the first game after this and later on the rest but I just like Monkey 2 the most. Monkey probably has the least jokes of any Monkey game, it's more humorous things you have to do in the game, more subtle humour. That always aoppealed to me more.
Tales of Phantasia - I know it's blasphemy but honestly out of the few Tales game I have played, the SNES game is still my favourite. I really like Chapter 2 in the past the most. Chapter 3 in the future I like but I try to limit my use of flying on the overworld map, though required does break the flow of the game somewhat. Still my favourite Tales game and first one I played.


Games I played first that are not my favourite
Super Mario Bros - Not my favourite, SMB3 is and I played it later on.
Blaster Master - The NES game is amazing, but I just think the Switch game is much more forgiving, better balanced and just more fun overall. Though the NES game has the better soundtrack. I played the NES games back in the day but I like the Switch game more.
Doom - As great as classic Doom is, I just think Doom 2 is the slightly better game. More open areas and better level design tech to draw from. Though I do think classic Doom has the better music and new Doom is graphically better (obviously)and Doom 3 was hot garbage. I do think Doom 2 is my favourite even though I played Doom first.
Mega Man 3 - My first Mega Man game. Progably my 2nd favourite overall. But Mega Man 2, I just like it more.

I could go on and on here but I'll leave it at that.

 

[Vanessa28]

To be honest; never. I haven't played many franchises yet but from all franchises I played the first game wasn't my fav at all.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

I think it's not "the first" game is a series that is people's favourite. In my opinion it is "the first game people play in an IP" that is their favourite.

....that's what I said?

 

[CynicalSquid]

Of all the ones I can think of I don’t think there are many that the first one I’ve played is my favorite.

Some examples:
Zelda - first: ALTTP Favorite: Majora’s Mask
Mario - First: World Favorite: Sunshine
Dark Souls - First: Dark Souls 3 Favorite: Dark Souls
Halo - First: Halo CE Favorite: Reach
Resident Evil - First: REmake Favorite: 4
Elder Scrolls - First: Oblivion Favorite - Skyrim
Fallout - First: 3 Favorite: New Vegas

The only franchise I can think of where the first one I played was my favorite was the first Bioshock game. That game is so much better than 2 and Infinite.

 

[Cfrock]

My first is my favourite every now and then. Rayman, Morrowind, Payday 2, and Spyro the Dragon are all my favourites from those franchises while also being the first ones I played. There are a lot of examples where my first isn't my favourite, as well, like Zelda, Crash Bandicoot, Resident Evil, Halo, and GTA. I want to say my first isn't my favourite more often than not, but I'd have to go through my brain space and think about it, which makes my head hot so I won't.

 

[DeletedUser8]

Usually never to be honest, but let's find out how many times it does happen. Going in the order of when I first play the series:

Crash Bandicoot: First-CNK, Fav-TWoC.
Scooby-Doo: First-No100F, Fav-No100F.
SpongeBob: First-BfBB, Fav-BfBB.
Sly Cooper: First-2BoT, Fav-1SCatTR.
Mario: First-SMW, Fav-PMTTYD.
Zelda: First-WW, Fav-TP.
Pac-Man: First-PMW2, Fav-PMW2.
Ratchet: First-R&C, Fav-Deadlocked.
Sonic: First-Heroes, Fav-Heroes.
Pokémon: First-Daimond, Fav-Colosseum.
Pikmin: First-P1, Fav-P1.
Ókami: First-Ókami, Fav-Ókami.

6, that's more than I was hoping for, granted I don't own that many games in the them many games in the Pikmin series, only the first and Hey! Pikmin, and I did get Pac-Man World 2 and Pac-Man Fever at the exact same time, but still, 6.