9. Max Payne Franchise
In these neo-noir third person shooters the titular character Max fights off his own personal demons amongst an intriguing conspiracy surrounding the murdering of his family. This is another series with fantastic writing but what makes it stand out even more are Maxs constant inner monologues over comic strip stylized scenes drawn beautifully. Max suffers through loss after loss throughout the franchise but has now found peace, and truthfully no other character deserves solace this much.
8. Legacy Of Kain Franchise
If you want to take a trip down memory lane back to when Vampires werent lovers sparkling in the sun but rather actual vicious beings that drank blood then play these games. Both protagonists over the years are fan favorites but what the franchise truly nails is something most mediums fail at repeatedly; time travel. There isnt a single lapse in logic in this franchise (aside from Blood Omen 2 which isnt canon) and theres super sharp writing with awesomely quotable bits like this-
Kain: Thirty years hence, I am presented with a dilemma... let's call it a two-sided coin. If the coin falls one way, I sacrifice myself and thus restore the Pillars... but as the last surviving vampire in Nosgoth, this would mean the annihilation of our species... Moebius made sure of that. If the coin lands on the reverse, I refuse the sacrifice and thus doom the Pillars to an eternity of collapse. Either way, the game is rigged. Raziel: We agree then that the Pillars are crucial and must be restored. Kain: Yes, Raziel, that is why we've come full-circle to this place. Raziel: So after all this, you make my case for me. To end this stalemate, you must die so that new Guardians can be born. Kain: The Pillars don't belong to them, Raziel... they belong to us. Raziel: Your arrogance is boundless, Kain. Kain: There's a third option, a monumental secret hidden in your very presence here. But it's a secret you have to discover for yourself. Unearth your destiny, Raziel. It's all laid out for you here. Raziel: You said it yourself, Kain... there are only two sides to your coin. Kain: Apparently so, but suppose you throw a coin enough times... suppose one day, it lands on its edge.