Konami has a tarnished reputation these days, but there was a time when its logo popping up at the start of a game meant a great, polished experience. The series detailed in the entries below bear this out. Konami's games were varied, heartfelt and often innovative on Wednesday.
While some of these series are hard to come by these days on modern hardware, Konami has at least been kind enough to release collections of some of them. Which franchise is the absolute best is a matter of personal taste, but there's no denying that each one consists of great games.
We indicate how many games are in each series, but only distinguish between additional products when it is clear that they are additional. Some older franchises don't number their titles or stop numbering after a few entries.
7 Enders Zone
Futuristic mech combat with an emphasis on story
Because it only has two games and one spin-off, Zone of the Enders claims only the highest place on the list. On the plus side, both games are hard-hitting action games where players control mechs in a futuristic setting.
Both the debut record and its follow-up are remarkably short, but that only means there's no padding. continuation 2nd runneruses its mechanics particularly well to make each mission feel different.
The first
Zone of the Enders
famously came from the demo for
Metal Gear Solid 2
which some people played more than the purchased game.
6 Deadly forces
The Light-Gun series, which used motion recognition technology
- Platform(s): Arcade, SNES, Genesis, Sega CD, PlayStation
- Released: 1992 year
- The developer: Konami
- Genre: A light shooter
Light weapon games aren't as exciting as they once were, but they used to easily draw a line at the arcade. Deadly forces took players through an urban environment, taking down ruthless criminals using digitized sprites as graphics.
The console versions had a special peripheral that looked like a small revolver. As the series progressed, Konami released Police 911which cleverly added a motion detection feature so that players' movements are reflected in the game. It's not impressive today with VR and similar games Super hotbut it was a neat trick when it was released and it worked well.
5 Against
The most iconic side scrolling shooter
It's hard to go wrong with 2D Against. Even the debut record has a simple, irresistible charm. However, the franchise becomes less reliable once it adds a dimension. PS1 Against the games are infamously clumsy, but A broken soldier on PS2 is a prime example of updating a classic genre for a new generation.
Relatives
Every Contra game, rating
Many great Contra games have been made over the years. Here is an overview of all of them in the ranking.
The intense side-scrolling will give players countless plays, but it's this complexity and trial-and-error that makes it the best Against such exciting games. The one thing that hasn't been around for years is a tried and true AAA game.
4 Dance dance revolution
Rythmn's innovative gaming peripheral for Guitar Hero
Before Harmonix appeared along with Guitar hero and revolutionized rhythm games, Konami innovated the genre with games such as Beatmania, Guitar Freakand Dance dance revolution.
Especially the latter has become an independent phenomenon. The cabinets had a commanding presence in any arcade where they sat, and people would gather around the machine to watch when the master was behind the wheel.
The home console versions had a peripheral in addition to supporting regular controllers. You can look Just dance as a successor, but nothing compares to the physicality of dancing on those trademark boards.
3 Castlevania
Transformed from an action game into an innovative Metroidvania genre
Castlevania started life on the NES as a very challenging side-scrolling action game. continuation Simon's Questadded more adventure game elements, while the next two games returned to a more rational approach.
It's impossible to go through every title in the series, but Symphony of the night deserves special praise for the way it incorporates RPG elements and an interconnected map that resembles Metroid. He didn't have the same wealth and fame in the 3D era, but Lords of Shadows the 2010 game is fondly remembered. Plays classics today in Castlevania Collection shows how the simple gameplay ages along with the art design.
2 Silent Hill
Revolutionized the Survival Horror genre
Silent Hill on the original PlayStation was already distinguished from its counterparts by its fully three-dimensional graphics. Silent Hill 2 opened the door to what's possible in video game storytelling. The third game completes the trilogy, but the franchise isn't done yet.
Records after Silent Hill 3 become less reliable, but there are still some interesting additions, e.g Broken memories on the Wii, where conversations with the therapist change parts of the game. Silent Hills, famous canceled collaboration between Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima and director Guillermo del Toro promised to restore some prestige to the series, but gamers will never know if that would be the shot in the arm they needed.
Each game changed the formula in some way
Metal Gear did not start since 1998 Metal Gear Solidbut this third game is what many fondly remember as the introduction to a series that would go in many wild directions. Metal Gear Solid 2 perfected stealth mechanics while also telling a fascinating story about the coming digital age.
From there, each subsequent entry did something a little different with the genre, never quite giving gamers what they expected, but usually leaving them satisfied. Since 2015 Phantom painit's hard to know if the series will ever regain its former glory. Series creator Hideo Kojima founded his own studio and made Death Stranding. However, what fans now have is one of the best series of any video game franchise.
