[ENG/ESP] My top 3 videogame franchises | Mi top 3 de franquicias de videojuegos

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**Greetings, Hive!** Throughout my life I've played dozens of video games, action, platform, strategy, role-playing, etc. Logically there are certain franchises that I have enjoyed more than others, and far beyond technical reasons (such as its graphics) I think that a game is good or special simply by what it leaves in you and how much you enjoy playing it. That's why today I decided to talk about my Top 3 video game franchises, to do this I took into consideration only one thing: that the franchise in question has at least 3 installments in its catalog. So without any further ado, let's start! 

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 Although it may not seem like it, I'm a big fan of the pocket monster games. Pokémon is a role-playing game franchise developed by Game Freak and distributed by Nintendo, in which we take the role of the Pokémon trainer of the day to embark on an epic adventure through the region where we find ourselves to become a Pokémon Master. For me, the best thing about this franchise is its easy to learn but difficult to master gameplay concept, what do I mean by this? Pokémon is a turn-based combat RPG in which each creature we control has a type, this type defines what it is weak or resistant to; for example: a water type Pokémon is weak against a grass type, a grass type is weak against a fire type, and a fire type is weak against a water type, so we could say that the combat system is a kind of rock scissors paper but in macro, as there are 18 different types of Pokémon each with their own weaknesses and strengths, that's not counting those that are dual type, such as the beloved Charizard that is a fire/flying type. Aside from this, each Pokémon has its own set of stats that determine its strength, speed, defense, attack power, etc, moves that alter the stats of opponents, evolutions, mega-evolutions, items, abilities, moves that alter the weather and strengthen or weaken certain types of attacks, double battles, and the list could go on and on... There are so many mechanics that nowadays Pokémon is considered an e-sport. Although I'm out of date since the 6th generation due to the fact that I never bought a Nintendo 3DS, back in the days of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and Pokémon Black and White I was quite active in the competitive side of the game. Nowadays I constantly play through emulators Game Boy Advance or Nintendo DS versions, like the amazing FireRed version which is one of my favorites, and more recently trying different hackroms that extend the experience even more. ^{*The funniest thing about Pokémon is that its plot is basically that of an orphaned and underage boy who practices animal exploitation and also earns money and prestige based on this.*}

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 If you have visited my blog before this is surely not a surprise. Since I knew about the existence of Kingdom Hearts I was extremely attracted to this concept of mixing the Disney universe with the Final Fantasy universe, since I am a great lover of Japanese role-playing games. The plot of Kingdom Hearts revolves around Sora, a boy who lives in the Destiny Islands with his friends Riku and Kairi, after a quite disconcerting series of events, Sora discovers that he is the bearer of a mysterious weapon known as the Keyblade and also that he must embark with Donald and Goofy on a crusade to save the world from darkness, simple, right? Well, it's going to get complicated... very complicated. Throughout its multiple installments it has maintained a 3D gameplay system that allows us to explore with relative freedom scenarios of our favorite Disney movies as well as interact with the characters of these films and help the resolution of their own plots. The combat system has maintained its essence but has managed to adapt over the years to feel increasingly fluid and spectacular. I think what I like most about this franchise is that it feels loaded with magic, it's hard to describe and can be seen as a simple story of good versus evil, but each installment makes you feel full of hope, that no matter what happens everything will be okay, that there will always be those who care about you. I’m currently playing Kingdom Hearts III, the denouement to the complicated plot of this saga, so far my experience has been generally positive, I hope to bring soon my review and tell you which things I liked and which ones not so much.

First person shooters have never really appealed to me for one simple reason: I suck at them, and apart from that I felt a kind of "superiority" because I saw them as "inferior games" to RPGs that had "deeper" stories (please don't judge me, I was 14 years old), so I deprived myself of enjoying many amazing games in this format. Fortunately, BioShock wasn’t one of them. The first game of the franchise takes place in the year 1960, in a dystopian underwater city known as "Rapture", through different documentation we get to know how life in Rapture was supposed to be and how those who lived there supposedly had a utopian life. Our goal will be to discover the mysteries behind this underwater city while we manage to get out of there alive. On the other hand, BioShock Infinite tells us the story of how Booker DeWitt has to save a girl named Elizabeth (who has mysterious powers) from a city located in the skies called Columbia. This is the general premise of both games, and both retain a fairly similar gameplay, in which we will combine shooting elements with abilities that alter the genetics of our protagonists, allowing them to have access to a variety of quite interesting powers. The point where the saga shines is in its plot, full of unexpected plot twists that will blow your mind, it also has strong inspiration in dystopian works such as 1984 by George Orwell. A jewel for the industry.

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 What happens when a half-demon-half-human with the most badass attitude in the history of video games decides to make a living as a demon exterminator for hire? Devil May Cry is born. This is a hack-and-slash action game in which we will control Dante (and associates) through a series of events that will take us from fighting an ice Cerberus to stopping a demonic invasion. This franchise presents an extremely fast and challenging gameplay, our protagonist Dante will have at his disposal a whole arsenal of weapons and abilities that will help him face the horde of demons he will confront. Although during most of the games a jocular tone is maintained (and even mocking on the part of Dante) the franchise has a quite interesting story with gothic overtones that can hook more than one. 

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 Oh... Surprise! I bet you weren't expecting that, huh. What can I say that I haven't already said about The Legend of Zelda? This franchise is a before and after in my life, it is the one that introduced me to the world of videogames and the one that motivated me to choose my professional career. Throughout this saga we are told the story of the kingdom of Hyrule and the endless struggle of good against evil to which Ganon, Link and Zelda, bearers of the Triforce of power, courage and wisdom, respectively, are subjected. There are plenty of reasons to talk about why The Legend of Zelda is such a beloved franchise in the industry, it may be for its history, for its music, for its gameplay, or simply for the historical importance it has in the world of video games, the legacy of The Legend of Zelda is present from its first installment to the last, each game has been the pinnacle of quality in their respective console and several of them considered as "the best game ever created" depending on who you ask; we have Ocarina of Time, a game that we have all heard about at least once in our lives, and that defined the way of making 3D games in the industry; then we can talk about The Wind Waker, a game that redefined the concept of adventure that was already established, throwing us into the sea (literally) to make us live an epic journey across an ocean that we can explore with absolute freedom, and speaking of freedom... Last but not least, Breath of the Wild, one of the most ambitious video games ever created, a world of overwhelming proportions which we can explore at our leisure. As well as these examples there are many others, there are for those who prefer old school games, for those who prefer more linear adventures, for those who want colorful adventures or sad and darker stories, The Legend of Zelda has something to offer to everyone. Whether you like the saga or not, there is no denying its importance in the world of video games and pop culture in general.

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**¡Saludos, Hive!** A lo largo de mi vida he jugado decenas de video juegos, de acción, plataformas, estrategia, de rol, etc. Lógicamente hay ciertas franquicias que he disfrutado más que otras, y mucho más allá de las razones técnicas (como por ejemplo sus gráficos) creo que un juego es bueno o especial simplemente por lo que este deje en ti y lo que disfrutes jugándolo. Es por eso que el día de hoy me animé de hablar acerca de mi Top 3 de franquicias de video juegos, para hacer esto tomé en consideración solo una cosa: que la franquicia en cuestión tenga en su catálogo al menos 3 entregas. Así que sin más preámbulos, ¡comencemos! 

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 Aunque no lo parezca, soy un gran fanático de los juegos de los monstruos de bolsillo. Pokémon es una franquicia de juegos de rol desarrollada por Game Freak y distribuida por Nintendo, en ella tomamos el papel del entrenador Pokémon de turno para embarcarnos en una aventura épica a través de la región donde nos encontremos para convertirnos en un Maestro Pokémon. Para mí, lo mejor de esta franquicia es su concepto de jugabilidad fácil de aprender pero difícil de dominar, ¿A qué me refiero con esto? Pokémon es un juego de rol de combates por turno en el que cada criatura que controlamos tiene un tipo, este tipo define a que es débil o resistente; por ejemplo: un Pokémon de tipo agua es débil contra uno de tipo hierba, un tipo hierba es débil contra un tipo fuego, y un tipo fuego es débil contra un tipo agua, por lo que podríamos decir que el sistema de combate es una especie de piedra papel y tijeras pero en macro, ya que existen 18 tipos de Pokémon distintos cada uno con sus propias debilidades y fortalezas, eso sin contar los que son de tipo doble, como el querido Charizard que es un tipo fuego/volador. A parte de esto, cada Pokémon tiene una serie de estadísticas propias que determinan su fuerza, velocidad, defensa, poder de ataque, etc, movimientos que alteran las estadísticas de los adversarios, evoluciones, mega-evoluciones, objetos, habilidades, movimientos que alteran el clima y fortalecen o debilitan ciertos tipos de ataques, batallas dobles, y la lista podría seguir y seguir… Hay tantas mecánicas que al día de hoy Pokémon es considerado un e-sport. Aunque estoy desactualizado desde la 6ta generación debido a que nunca compré un Nintendo 3DS, en los tiempos de Pokémon Diamante y Perla y Pokémon Blanco y Negro estuve bastante activo en el ámbito competitivo del juego. Hoy en día juego constantemente a través de emuladores versiones de Game Boy Advance o Nintendo DS, como la increíble versión FireRed la cuál es una de mis favoritas, y más recientemente probando distintos hackroms que amplían aún más la experiencia. ^{*Lo más gracioso de Pokémon es que su argumento es básicamente el de un niño huérfano y menor de edad que practica la explotación animal y además gana dinero y prestigio a base de esto.*}

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 Si han visitado mi blog con anterioridad seguramente esto no es una sorpresa. Desde que supe acerca de la existencia de Kingdom Hearts me sentí sumamente atraído hacia este concepto de mezclar el universo de Disney junto con el de Final Fantasy, ya que soy un gran amante de los juego de rol japoneses. La trama de Kingdom Hearts gira en torn