Okay, so I’m off by a day.  To make it up to you guys, I’m including a bonus mini-list, completely free of charge.  Here’s the top five reasons I didn’t do my list yesterday

5 – Too busy playing Assassin’s Creed

4 – Family nonsense

3 – Sleeping.  Lots and lots of sleeping

2 – Too busy playing Beautiful Katamari

1 – I plum forgot

Okay, on to the festivities.  With the year winding down, I figured it was time for a major list.  Something a little more substantial than Greatest Giant Enemy Crabs or Greatest Fictional Games.  Something that would really spark some heated debate among the Gamervision faithful.  I present to you my official Top Ten Video Game Series of all time.  Please to enjoy.

10 – Mega Man

Admittedly, the series has dropped off significantly in recent years, but the first 8 Mega Man adventures were pure gaming joy.  With rock-solid platforming and fun-but-challenging boss battles, the franchise, known as Rockman in Japan, enjoyed a long, successful run on the NES and SNES.  Also, Mega Man was really the first game character other than Mario, Donkey Kong and Pac-Man that had any staying power.  To this day, Mega Man toys and comic books still sell relatively well.  Sadly, the shift from 2D to 3D proved too much for the little blue blaster to handle, and his games have gotten increasingly worse as console technologies have improved.  Otherwise, Mega Man would be near the top of this list.

9 – Tony Hawk Pro Skater

No video game series has been as beneficial for its source material as THPS has.  Millions of fans of the Tony Hawk series have translated into tens of thousands of new skaters out there on real boards, doing real tricks.  Every year, a new Tony Hawk game is released and every year, a new feature rears its head.  First it was the manual, then the revert, then flatland tricks, Natas spins, Nail-The-Trick, Nail-The-Manual, etc, etc, etc.  It seems that Activision and Neversoft are never satisfied with what’s already working, nd that’s a good thing.  The years of fine tuning have made every new iteration in the Tony Hawk series into a must play.  EA’s Skate has provided some stiff competition, but Hawk is still the king of the thrashers.  For now.

8 – SimCity

Will Wright is a straight up genius.  The creator of the best selling game of all time, The Sims, is one of the most talented and prolific minds in the gaming industry.  Among his many brainchildren is SimCity, the original world-building simulator.  SimCity and its many sequels introduced an entire generation to the joys of PC gaming with its easy to understand mechanics and addictive gameplay, teaching millions of gamers about light residential areas, police and fire coverage and the importance of a good water system.  It hasn’t fared as well on other platforms, but for the PC, SimCity is without peer.

7 – Metroid

Possibly the only series on this list without a single bad entry, the Metroid franchise is as consistent as games get.  For 21 years, gamers have had the pleasure of guiding one of the industry’s greatest heroines, Samus Aran, through countless alien worlds in pursuit of space pirates, Ridley, Kraid and Mother Brain.  Featuring infectious music, memorable baddies and some of the best shooting action ever mapped to a controller, Metroid has made the jump from 2D to 3D with grace and style, trading tight side scrolling action for equally tight FPS combat.  Even the handheld games in the series don’t disappoint.  Which Metroid game would I recommend?  All of them.

6 – Castlevania

Its glory days are certainly well behind it, but early on, Castlevania offered some of the best side scrolling action out there.  Continuously challenging, consistently beautiful and always fun, the adventures of the Belmont clan showed gamers what ambience can do for the gaming experience.  As the series progressed, more and more role playing elements were introduced, helping to usher in the age of action RPGs.  While some of the newer, 3D entries are decent enough games, they pale in comparison to the 2D classics of the 80’s and 90’s.  

5 – Final Fantasy

It may not be the most action-packed franchise ever, but the combination of emotionally charged storytelling, unforgettable characters and breathtaking cinematics make Square’s flagship series one of the finest of all time.  Devotees of the franchise have been treated to some of the most memorable moments in digital entertainment; the death of Aerith, the revelation of Tidus’ origins, Bahamut decimating Queen Brahme's fleet.  The list goes on forever, just like the games themselves.  They’re wordy, melodramatic and distinctly Japanese.  And we wouldn’t have them any other way.

4 – Madden NFL

With a few exceptions, Madden gets better every year.  Sure, there’s the occasional misstep, especially when new consoles arrive, but overall, EA Sports does a fantastic job of upgrading their big money franchise on an annual basis.  It might be the best multiplayer franchise ever, whether you’re playing online or at home with friends, and it’s probably the best sports title ever to boot.  It also happens to be one of the best selling titles in all of the entertainment industry.  

3 – Grand Theft Auto

It started out as a cute little overhead pc game, but eventually mutated into a global phenomenon that raised players’ pulses and critics ire equally.  The first open-world sandbox game has been copied more than any other game, but certain trademark elements like top-notch voice work, caustic humor and the best soundtracks in the industry make the GTA series stand well above its clones.  It’s politically incorrect, hyper-violent and it indulges our basest instincts.  It’s also a hell of a lot of fun.

2 – Legend of Zelda

The gamer’s games.  Zelda is perhaps the most beloved franchise of all when it comes to hardcore gamers.  Over the course of 21 years, there have been 17 different entries in the Zelda legacy, and only the non-Nintendo produced CD-I releases, Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda's Adventure, have been disappointments.  Many consider the first game, The Legend of Zelda, to be the first real role playing game on home consoles, and several entries are consistently listed among the best games of all time.  The series has also spawned multiple cartoons, action figures and comic books.

1 – Super Mario Bros.

Was there any doubt?  Seriously, the little plumber who could is the reason that video games became successful.  Since the days of the NES, Mario has been exciting gamers like no other series out there.  Zelda has charm, Mario has more.  Mega Man has great platforming, Mario’s is better.  GTA has dead hookers, Mario has...mushrooms?  Okay, bad example, but the point stands.  SMB is the greatest game of all time, hands down.  Also in the top ten-fifteen ever?  SMB 3, Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Land.  New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Galaxy are no slouches either, not to mention the spin-offs, like the Paper Mario, Mario Party and Mario Kart series’.  The best franchise ever just keeps on pumping out extremely high quality titles year after year.