Guinness names the Top 50 Franchises

Posted by Greg Picken on May 6, 2010

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The Guinness Book of World Records, that august tome that I buy for the bathroom whenever the book store puts one on clearance, has named its Top 50 Video Game franchises. Based on more than 13,000 reader votes, the list features a top five of Halo, Call of Duty, Legend of Zelda, Guitar Hero and Metal Gear.

“We decided to take a different approach with this list than we did in the previous edition,” said Guinness World Records Gaming Editor Gaz Deaves. “Instead of asking developers, industry insiders and journalists to rank their favorite titles, we approached a different kind of expert: the players themselves! We are confident that this ‘top 50′ more accurately reflects the tastes of the average gamer and not just the critics.”

Unfortunately, average seems like a good word to use. Halo at #1? Really? #1 for multiplayer, sure I can give you that one. But out of all the great video game franchises? #1? I don’t think I can get behind that one. Though, since it’s a popularity contest, and not any kind of empirical ranking, it doesn’t really matter. It’s all fodder for conversation.

But really, Super Mario Bros only makes #6 on the list? The first Super Mario Bros reinvented the side-scroller. Super Mario World is still one of the greatest games to play. Mario 64 took video gaming successfully into the third dimension.

And how the heck does GoldenEye, a single game for the GameCube, get listed as a best FRANCHISE of all time? Same with LEGO Batman. It’s one thing to recognize the whole series, but there’s only one Batman title. Runescape better than Final Fantasy? Grand Theft Auto, the most influential series in the last 10 years is only #10? And who the heck voted for Crash Bandicoot?

Anyway, here’s the full list for your perusal and head-shaking: