I simply don't have the time to play video games I used to, sadly, especially in the summer. Between watching baseball games and going out, I just can't game like I used to. I've had Super Paper Mario for close to two weeks now and haven't gotten the time to play past the first save point.
With that in mind, I said I tend to stick to specific series, not that I play games just because they're part of a series. I've never touched a Madden game (Which I wouldn't call a series as much as an updated franchise), haven't cared for GTA in years and am not particularly big on FPS to begin with, and even at that, Halo's relatively subpar of a shooter. I just tend to stick with stuff that's got a proven track record. With how expensive games are these days and the amount of time you have to put into them, I don't have the luxury to expand too far. Sometimes, this'll bite me in the ass (I love Legacy of Kain, but Blood Omen II was generic garbage), but most times, the big series tend to deliver (Zelda, Resident Evil, Metroid, etc).
I won't specifically skip something over for not being part of a series. One of my top games of last year was Bully. I enjoyed the idea of sandbox gameplay without having to go around beating cops to death (Something I never got that much pleasure out of). I've been dying to play Katamari Damacy, but I haven't had the leisure without a PS2 (I need to buy myself a modded one sooner or later).
When you look into it, though, it falls down to the matter that most of the best games to come out, sadly, are part of a series. Outside of the DS (I still need to finish Hotel Dusk), nobody really releases creative new ideas en masse anymore. If I'm gonna get the same crap over and over, I'm going to go to guys like Miyamoto to shovel feed me it.
I'm also waiting on the Wii version of RE4 since I skipped on the Gamecube and PS2 versions. It's also going to only be 30 dollars when it does come out, so that's a bonus! But Johnny, do you not have Twilight Princess or WarioWare?
Seconded. Last year was the first year in a while where I had trouble making time for every game I was genuinely interested in and Twilight Princess came out at the top of the pack for me, easily. I was enamoured in FF XII, Suikoden V, Wii Sports, Bully and Gears of War, but nothing owned my soul quite as bad as Twilight Princess.
Also, for those not aware, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is, technically, budget priced at $30. I've bought this game twice already (My pitbull managed to get my original copy out of the case and devour it) and am still gonna buy it again.