Best Trilogy pre-launch discussion

[Kong Wen]

Hey team! I'm going through the nominations for Best Trilogy, and I wanted to raise a couple to give them a chance to be discussed and justified before axing them.

In general, I've been giving nominations a lot of leeway for how they fit the category: three games in a row on the same platform, by the same publisher, continuing the same story arc, etc. But there are some that are hard to fit into those trilogy-paths, so I wanted to bring them up here.

GOOD EXAMPLES

• Resident Evil - the first three were tightly-packed PS1 releases - later games that continued the series came out on other systems
• Halo - even though there are more than three in the numbered series, the first three were Bungie-developed and concluded their narrative arc - later games picked up a different story
• Banjo-Kazooie/-Tooie/Nuts & Bolts - even though these games span console generations, there are only three in the "main" series, so it counts

BORDERLINE CASES?

• Devil May Cry - I assume this is the same kind of situation as Resident Evil above, where the PS2 trilogy can be considered on its own - leaning towards including
• Uncharted - While we could consider the PS3 entries under the precedent set above, the main difference is Uncharted 4 continues and concludes their narrative arc rather than reposition or resituate things. Because of that, I'm inclined to consider this a 4-game series rather than a proper trilogy - leaning towards removing

READY TO BE REMOVED

• Mega Man 1-3 (NES) - There are 6 NES Mega Man games and nothing to distinguish the first three as a discrete trilogy.
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS) - Someone needs to convince me that the trilogy formed by the first three games in the series stands apart from Apollo Justice and the 2 Phoenix Wright games after that. Is it because they all came out in 2001-4, Apollo Justice is a different main character, and the later Phoenix Wright games came out in 2013 on 3DS?
• Batman: Arkham - There are actually 4 games in this series (Asylum, City, Origins, Knight) that follow the same narrative arc and were all released within a close span of time on the same systems, so I can't think of any excuse to consider this a trilogy.
• Half-Life - As amazing as this nomination is, and as much as I want it to get public recognition and appreciation, I'd rather not give people the option of a gag vote in the polls.

[SkyPikachu]

Half life is either 2 or 4 games depending on if the episodes count or not. 100% not a trilogy.

Edit: I'd 100% vote for it though

Uncharted seems fine they even released a trilogy version on Ps4.

I don't understand the reasoning behind nominating mega man

Batman I don't know enough about the first 3 games.

Phoenix Wright and DMC I've never played so I know nothing about.

Also I don't think the 3 games should have to be on the same system that's a weird requirement that just makes fantastic series ineligible.

[Spore]

Is Half-Life not referring to the Half-Life 1 trilogy?

Half life is either 2 or 4 games depending on if the episodes count or not. 100% not a trilogy.

There are 3 Half-Life 1 games and 3 Half-Life 2 games.

[SkyPikachu]

Is Half-Life not referring to the Half-Life 1 trilogy?

Half life is either 2 or 4 games depending on if the episodes count or not. 100% not a trilogy.

There are 3 Half-Life 1 games and 3 Half-Life 2 games.

Im so confused.

Edit: pluvius nominated as a joke iirc

[Kong Wen]

Also I don't think the 3 games should have to be on the same system that's a weird requirement that just makes fantastic series ineligible.

That's why they don't have to be on the same system.

But in addition to totally kosher, non-debatable trilogies across multiple systems, I'm also generously allowing leeway for series that aren't trilogies to be sliced up into pseudo-trilogies based on them being on the same system.

Uncharted is the outer limit of that generosity, because the 4th game isn't just a later tack-on: it's the conclusion of the first three games' main narrative drive.

Is Half-Life not referring to the Half-Life 1 trilogy?

There are 3 Half-Life 1 games and 3 Half-Life 2 games.

The person who nominated them also included the note "it's real to me dammit!" so I don't think that's what they were aiming for. My understanding of the HL1 games is that it was one game and a bunch of expansions.

If Valve surprises us with an official teaser for HL3 before Monday, I'll include it.

[Kiwi the Tortoise]

Kill em' all with fire!

I didn't nominate anything for this cartegory because I couldn't think of any series that would be a real, closed off trilogy.
One could argue the Mass Effect 1-3 are one, but there's Andromeda. Not directly related as 1-3 have their own connected plot... but I struggle calling Mass Effect as a whole a trilogy.
Same with most other series e.g. Ultima 4-6 follow a main plot, as does Ultima 7-9 which is however build on the foundation of the previous ones.
In addition, what isn't a Trilogy may still become one in the future and what is a Trilogy now will most likely not stay one forever.

I just think that the Trilogy definition doesn't sit well with me in general, in regards to games leastways.

[Kong Wen]

Kill em' all with fire!

I didn't nominate anything for this cartegory because I couldn't think of any series that would be a real, closed off trilogy.
One could argue the Mass Effect 1-3 are one, but there's Andromeda. Not directly related as 1-3 have their own connected plot... but I struggle calling Mass Effect as a whole a trilogy.
Same with most other series e.g. Ultima 4-6 follow a main plot, as does Ultima 7-9 which is however build on the foundation of the previous ones.
In addition, what isn't a Trilogy may still become one in the future and what is a Trilogy now will most likely not stay one forever.

I just think that the Trilogy definition doesn't sit well with me in general, in regards to games leastways.

Right, so knowing that, we come up with half-decent rough rules about how to group games into threes. BGE doesn't predict the future, so we go based on what are trilogies right now, not based on what games could come out to continue the series. Otherwise we'd have to vote on speculative non-existent games and not have the contest every few years.

Metroid Prime is current a stand-alone trilogy because 4 doesn't exist yet. Unless you seriously include Prime Hunters and Prime Pinball as anything but spinoffs.

Metal Gear Solid is another one like Uncharted that I'm inclined not to include because MGS4 is a numbered main game in the series.

Even though SaGa is a bigger series, only three of them were released as The Final Fantasy Legend (GB series numbered I-III).

[SkyPikachu]

Even if prime 4 launched I think its fair to call it a trilogy considering its been marketed as one for 10+ years

[Sharecrow]

Uncharted 4 is definitely a continuation of the first three games in terms of arc. It’s four games. And that’s if you exclude Golden Abyss just because it’s missing a number or due to it not being on the PS3.

[SkyPikachu]

Uncharted 4 is definitely a continuation of the first three games in terms of arc. It’s four games. And that’s if you exclude Golden Abyss just because it’s missing a number or due to it not being on the PS3.

I personally think numbers are important in deciding what is and isn't in a trilogy the devs putting a number in or excluding it says a lot.