The video game industry is home to some of the most iconic franchises across all media. Mario, Grand Theft Auto, and The Legend of Zelda were all fundamental in showing that the industry's days as a niche form of entertainment were long gone and that video gaming was going to become a true competitor to film and sports. One similarity that the gaming industry has with other entertainment forms is that a franchise's first entry is often one of its best.
There is a saying in the music industry that goes, "you have your whole life to write your first album and only six months to write your second." This saying applies to the gaming industry in many ways, as the first game is where studios look to set the tone for their franchise and consequently tend to implement the largest amount of fresh ideas and mechanics. The games on this list embody this idea, as they've all kicked off with what is still their franchise's strongest release.
8 Sonic The Hedgehog
Sega certainly can't be criticized for lacking effort when it comes to trying to recapture the magic of the original Sonic The Hedgehog; the mascot platformer has been rebranded and repackaged many times, though no game has managed to reach the immense quality of the original release.
Sega had a clear goal in mind with Sonic The Hedgehog: they wanted a mascot character that would be the driving force behind their attempt to topple Nintendo and Mario. It's no secret that Sega failed in this mission, though 1991's Sonic The Hedgehog was a fantastic first attempt.
7 Tetris
The original Tetris was originally released in 1984 on the Elektronika 60. It has come to almost every console under the sun since, which is a fundamental reason behind the game's status as the best-selling video game of all time.
Many games have tried to rejuvenate the classic Russian game, such as Tetris 99 and Tetris Evolution. These games have implemented features such as online multiplier and impressive visual effects, but the core gameplay has remained the same. Simply put, it can't be topped.
6 Pac-Man
The Pac-Man franchise is uniquely responsible for both taking the gaming industry to new heights with the iconic arcade game, as well as contributing to the industry coming crashing down in 1983 following the disastrous Atari 2600 port.
The Pac-Man franchise tried to compete against mascot platformers of the 90s with games like Pac-In-Time and Pac-Man World, though the games weren't able to find anywhere near the success of the classic original. Fans of the original game have recently had some great news as Pac-Man 99, a battle royale game similar to Tetris 99, has been announced for the Nintendo Switch.
5 Banjo-Kazooie
When the Nintendo 64 was released in 1996, it became clear that side-scrolling platformers would be seen as outdated, and mascot characters like Mario and Link would need to be reinvented in the world of 3D. To say that Nintendo succeeded in reinventing their flagship characters would be an understatement, as their first adventures, Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, were soon regarded as two of the greatest games ever.
Although these two games deserve every bit of praise that they get for inspiring a generation of 3D titles, Rare's Banjo-Kazooie also deserves to be mentioned in the conversation. Much like Super Mario 64, the game amazed players in the 90s with its open levels filled to the brim with secrets to find and new gameplay mechanics to learn.
4 Space Invaders
Space Invaders is another entry on this list that has a place among the most iconic franchises in the gaming industry's history. The game debuted in arcades back in 1978 and first hit home consoles in 1980 on the Atari 2600.
Studios have tried to improve upon the original Space Invaders formula in numerous ways, such as by adding power-ups, expanding the enemy variety, and implementing boss fights. However, nothing has been able to top the legendary original.
3 Paper Mario
Paper Mario is one of the many spin-offs to Nintendo's flagship Mario franchise. The game was originally going to be a direct sequel to Super Mario RPG, though inspiration from cel animation convinced the game's creators to change direction.
The Nintendo 64 role-playing game was a huge hit with fans and critics, exemplified by its whopping 93 Metascore and 9.0 user score. There have been six other releases into Mario's paper universe since the original game, though none have been able to hold a candle to its quality.
2 Bioshock
There are enough franchises that peaked with their original game in the 70s, 80s, or 90s to talk about for days, but for the sake of variety, it makes sense to include a couple of more modern titles into this list.
The original Bioshock was released in 2007 and immediately encapsulated players right off the bat by putting them in charge of the playable character when they're underwater, something that catches many people off guard when they first boot up the game. After swimming to a nearby lighthouse, players will see the stunning city of Rapture before quickly releasing that it's not a place they want to stay. Bioshock Infinite is another excellent entry in the series, though it didn't quite top the original game.
1 Dark Souls
Despite releasing just under one decade ago, FromSoftware's Dark Souls has already had an enormous impact on the gaming industry. This is certainly not something that people saw coming, as the game was released with a marketing campaign that considerably undersold its scale and value.
Much like the aforementioned Bioshock series, the third entry into the Dark Souls franchise came close to matching the original's quality. However, in the case of Dark Souls, the third game was fell short as it lacked innovation and felt like less of an adventure than the original due to its linearity.