I like Galaxy a lot more than 64.
But I never was big on the 64 series of each franchise except Star Fox 64. (And Wave Race.) I think Mario Kart 64 is the worst for example.
I don't really count
Majora's Mask whenever I think of them since it came late, I think of OoT, which didn't really grab me as much as the 2Ders ever did. Actually 3D Zelda in general hasn't ever really.
The Wind Waker's mystery did a lot for it. And gotta admit the graphics whore in me was lovin that shit.
Maybe I should go back to TP or something some day.
God of War III
Because HOLY SHIT THAT OPENING
This is a funny series for me too. Because you think the first one or the third one usually for one or more of these reasons. But for the scale, design and plot I love II so much more. It goes balls out in Greek lore and references, it fixes all the Gods by making them total manipulative jerkasses unlike the first game which even with a plot centered around it only really lets Ares be so and leaves Kratos semi-justified rather than just as bad as the rest, it has a completely nuts plot that holds together despite multiple trips through time with no plot holes, and the scale of some of those setpiece shots are amazing even on PS2. Like the fucking horses, oh my god. And I knew III could never live up to the ending of II even though it almost seemed it was going to. That fucking ending of II. And the DVD extras with Cory Barlog.
I'm still convinced he was like, ha, no way I can actually pull that war off, see ya guys I'm gonna make Mad Max with the Just Cause guys instead, good luck.
The ICO inspiration for the series I think shows off more in II than it does in I, way more static camera shots that present an impression of something of epic scale since they couldn't pull off as an actual sight on the PS2. (And does it better than the select ones in the first game.)
I blew through that game too but I rarely recall being pumped with an ending of a game like I was with II, like blowing my mind here, we're going back and getting the Titans and bringing them forward to have a fucking war over Olympus, it's like you said let's do the best thing ever after what you just showed me in II with all the characters and Greek lore. The only downer is that it's a cutscene.
Saints Row: The Third pulling out "Holding Out For A Hero" is the comparable "wait, we're doing this? we're actually doing this?!? WE'RE GONNA DO THISSSSSSSS OMGGGGG" but you get to play it.
II's time travel not creating plot holes by embracing paradox, is one thing that has kept Chrono Trigger on my list above other RPG's, because Chrono Trigger pulls off the same thing somehow. And I like how both games make pretty clear that, like dude, you fucking can't do this because paradoxes, and the answer is "why fucking not?"
Now if you're actually reading this drivel you're wondering so much, but here's where I tie it all together as if the whole thing was leading somewhere. Saints Row IV's "true ending" which reveals the narrator. One of the greatest endings of all time.
And God of War II does the same thing with the narrator, and retrospectively for the first game. (She also is an unreliable narrator and manipulative and Kratos is warned about this multiple times which makes it even better for the third game.)
