Most untarnished big-name franchise (can be any type of media)?
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To be honest, the Indiana Jones series. Yes, yes the latest one wasn't that great but the original trilogy is just so good that I can easily disregard the existence of the fourth movie. And for what they were, the video games weren't half bad. Even the TV series were pretty good, if a little corny.
Game of thrones. I haven't played any of the games, but the books and the series are both genius.
That's not really true, not yet. Reach was just as a big of deal as Halo ever was, and Halo 4 still has a while before the Microsoft marketing engine does it's thing and anyone can accurately say it's declined, although yes, it's definitely taken a backseat to CoD.Terminate421 said:
What is it that's appealing about the series? I'm not trying to bash anyone or anything but I got the first 4 of the series of A Song of Fire and Ice and I didn't like the first book, I couldn't even find the will to force myself to read the second book. Season 1 was meh. It's just boring to me. Little action, nothing very "fantastic" about it, and don't get me started on Martin's method of character development.Counterwise said:
Hmm. Interesting question. A question with many possible answers, even from just my point of view. I think I'll break it down by category:
Films = Harry Potter - While not all of the films are as great as the others, they're all still fantastic. Quite a feat considering how many there are.
I almost put Lord of the Rings in here, but there've been some pretty awful adaptations over the years, especially in the animated department. So I just couldn't.
Games = Half-Life - I know there are other choices for this one, but this is one that just stands out to me. Not a single entry in the series has been half-assed (ba-dum tish) or phoned-in to bank on the popularity of the brand. Not to mention each entry is highly critically acclaimed. There really aren't many series in the gaming industry that can claim that. Even ones as "timeless" as Mario Bros.
Literature = The Lord of the Rings - I couldn't put it in the film section, but it deserves a space in this one. The Tolkien novels are masterpieces; ones untouched and unblemished by time or corporate greed. They remain timeless classics. Even if adaptations in other mediums have been...less than stellar.
Television = Star Trek - While not perfect the "batting average" of this series, in terms of characterization and quality writing, is WAY above the curve. It's still one of the most timeless and most influential sci-fi series ever created. With the advent of the new films and a recent increase in interest it looks to be coming back. Time will tell how it'll pan out.
EDIT
Comics = Calvin and Hobbes - Forgot to add this, primarily because the OP brought it up, but I felt I should maybe say why it should be added. Waterson so cherished his story of an obnoxious kid and his stuffed tiger that, even after he retired, he made sure his series would never be tarnished by bad adaptations or remakes. He turned down every offer he received to have Calvin and Hobbes reimagined by another cartoonist or to have it animated for a film or cartoon.
Hell, even those stickers you used to see on peoples cars weren't "official". They were spoofs or rips made by others simply to cash in.
Films = Harry Potter - While not all of the films are as great as the others, they're all still fantastic. Quite a feat considering how many there are.
I almost put Lord of the Rings in here, but there've been some pretty awful adaptations over the years, especially in the animated department. So I just couldn't.
Games = Half-Life - I know there are other choices for this one, but this is one that just stands out to me. Not a single entry in the series has been half-assed (ba-dum tish) or phoned-in to bank on the popularity of the brand. Not to mention each entry is highly critically acclaimed. There really aren't many series in the gaming industry that can claim that. Even ones as "timeless" as Mario Bros.
Literature = The Lord of the Rings - I couldn't put it in the film section, but it deserves a space in this one. The Tolkien novels are masterpieces; ones untouched and unblemished by time or corporate greed. They remain timeless classics. Even if adaptations in other mediums have been...less than stellar.
Television = Star Trek - While not perfect the "batting average" of this series, in terms of characterization and quality writing, is WAY above the curve. It's still one of the most timeless and most influential sci-fi series ever created. With the advent of the new films and a recent increase in interest it looks to be coming back. Time will tell how it'll pan out.
EDIT
Comics = Calvin and Hobbes - Forgot to add this, primarily because the OP brought it up, but I felt I should maybe say why it should be added. Waterson so cherished his story of an obnoxious kid and his stuffed tiger that, even after he retired, he made sure his series would never be tarnished by bad adaptations or remakes. He turned down every offer he received to have Calvin and Hobbes reimagined by another cartoonist or to have it animated for a film or cartoon.
Hell, even those stickers you used to see on peoples cars weren't "official". They were spoofs or rips made by others simply to cash in.
It thought it was. But yes, Reach has declined in the past year as far as online goes, since it has only reached around 100k (still a feat in and of itself) online compared to the couple or so million of Call of Duty (for shame). I didn't like Reach. I understand how Bungie wanted to go back to an old ip so they could quickly (or at least have a good base to start and) get a title out of the door before they switched publishers.Jadak said:
Reach would have been good as its own spin-off series but I was just still butthurt over Chief still being alive (AND NOT SEEING HIS FACE!). I still wanted to see my old friend Arby!
While I agree with assessment of the franchise as a whole, I disagree with your assertion that it has remained untarnished. I think the Dragon Ball franchise gets tarnished with each and every video game that gets made based on it, even the relatively good ones. And let's not even talk about Dragon Ball: Evolution.SycoMantis91 said:
For the sake of opening up the field, I'd like to suggest that Half-Life is tarnished by the joke that was originally called episodic content. We've got all the enormous interest from the dedicated fan base, including some proper campaigning and yet Valve won't even acknowledge that it's a franchise that is still alive. Does that count as tarnish? A bit?
If you count Portal as part of the Half-Life world, there was that business with the AR game that came to nothing. OK, I'm stretching now. I realise none of this affects actual content, so probably doesn't count, but Valve wins far too easily otherwise.
While I'm here, I want to point people to the bit in the title where it says "big-name franchise" and also the clarification which says "mainstream." That means idiots have to have heard of it.
If you count Portal as part of the Half-Life world, there was that business with the AR game that came to nothing. OK, I'm stretching now. I realise none of this affects actual content, so probably doesn't count, but Valve wins far too easily otherwise.
While I'm here, I want to point people to the bit in the title where it says "big-name franchise" and also the clarification which says "mainstream." That means idiots have to have heard of it.
Ratchet and Clank, every game from that series has atleast been decent, the worst one was probably Deadlocked, and that was still an alright game.
Don't worry, I'm with you, let's combine flame shields! I honestly think that each game gets better than the last, and even the remakes bring something new to the table. Sure they could improve it vastly between games but I think it makes it better that we have to wait.LeonLethality said:
It's hard for me to think about this. I'm not sure if it's because I'm pessimistic, that quite a few of my beloved franchises have hit rocky edges (Hitman, Mass Effect, Spider-Man, Warhammer 40K,to name a few), or that my conditions for "untarnished" are nearly impossible to satisfy (not even Valve is perfect in my eyes).
But then of course if one can forgive the imperfection of a franchise because it is so beloved, it doesn't really matter.
That said. I will name two of favorite anime franchises Bakemonogatari of the -Gatari series (though its just aired second season left a lot to be desired, with even the author admitting that the original novel was not his best) and more recently Madoka Magica.
In terms of Western Animation: The DC Animated Universe (notably the Justice League) and the 90's Spiderman animated series have aged well.
For games: the work of Edmund Mcmillen.
But then of course if one can forgive the imperfection of a franchise because it is so beloved, it doesn't really matter.
That said. I will name two of favorite anime franchises Bakemonogatari of the -Gatari series (though its just aired second season left a lot to be desired, with even the author admitting that the original novel was not his best) and more recently Madoka Magica.
In terms of Western Animation: The DC Animated Universe (notably the Justice League) and the 90's Spiderman animated series have aged well.
For games: the work of Edmund Mcmillen.
Pretty much what OP said. There are a few LotR related things that we don't talk about but they are mostly unknown. Calvin and Hobbes has stayed untarnished due to Bill Watterson's complete refusal to allow any licensed merchandise, TV shows or films. Valve is very strict over the quality of their work so Half-Life is to be expected.
I would like to add Gran Turismo to the list. All the games have been good so far. Exactly what they promised to be.
I would like to add Gran Turismo to the list. All the games have been good so far. Exactly what they promised to be.