[Dark Stranger]

So I was at Best buy a couple days ago deciding on getting Mass Effect 3 or not when the guy working the department came up to me and asked if I needed anything. After saying I was fine we started talking about games and whatnot and came upon the subject of Max Payne 3. When he was telling me about it I said, "man, it's been so long I"d have to go back and play the first two to remember the story perfectly." And he said something along the lines of "oh it doesn't really matter. My one friend hasn't even played the first two and loved it." Now while I won't be all mean to this guy cuz I know he's trying to sell the game as well as just have a good converstaion, that mindset really bugs me when it comes to games. Games like Mass Effect, Assassions creed, Max Payne, even the modern warfare trilogy to a extent all have a big story with different characters that you are suppose to go along with them. This isn't some tom clancy game or sports game, or random zombie killing game where you can just pick up one of the stories and just jump right in without any difficulties understanding.


That's something that really hinderd the writing for Mass Effect 3 I think, because they wanted to somehow bring in a "new audiance" they had to write the story in a way where newbies wouldn't be confused. Which is really stupid in my viewpoint because this was suppose to the grant finish to a epic tale. If this was a play or a movie, they wouldn't start over just because 5 people walked in at the last 30 minutes. It's their fault for not coming in at the begining. Plus there isn't a excuse when it comes to games either, either your friends already have the begining ones you need or you can buy it for cheap because the new one is out. That's why I bought the Darkness after I knew there was a second one coming out. I wanted to be caught up before I got it (whenever that will be).

Does this bug you too? Or am I just being another "video game elitist" again?

[JujuFox]

In ME3's defense, I watched my husband play through the whole game having never played any ME game, and I was often thoroughly confused. I had to ask him about the back stories of the characters, why they do the things they do, the relationships between characters, the whole universe(Mass Relays? The Citadel? What species is Thane and what is wrong with him? How many species are there? Why do Elkor talk like that?). I've finally watched a play through of the first ME, and ME2, so now I finally understand what is going on and why.

I'm not sure about Max Payne(having never played any of it), but in the case of ME3 you have to had played the first two games or you will be lost. The writing wasn't very forgiving of noobs, I know because I was one!

BTW, love me some Mass Effect! What a great series. I wish it would have ended better though, but overall very enjoyable.

[obakasan]

I can't speak overly concerning games as I'm not a huge game player, but I know I much prefer to read manga/books or watch anime in order, if possible (sometimes you just can't due to availability). However I have to say it's a person's choice what all they want to do.

[STVO]

I prefer to play in order however it's not the end of the world if you don't. Especially considering stuff such as companies making prequels to their series and such. I beat Resident Evil 2 first and then 1. Doesn't effect me on how much I love the series. I guess people should try the first of the series then go forward, but whatever.

I never played any Far Cry game but I'm actually tempted to pick up Far Cry 3 because I thought the trailer looked phenomenal.

[NinjaJedi007]

I think that playing the first or second title in a series adds way more depth to the experience. Since we have mentioned Mass Effect, I loved seeing how the gameplay, graphics, story, etc improved over time. The nuances like jokes or cameos are a nice touch if you understand these things from the previous titles.

[The Fujoshi]

Depends on the series:

Example 1) Star ocean 1 vs Star ocean 2, 3, 4. You do not have to play SO1 to enjoy SO2 but they do have shout outs, such as Claude being one of the character's son as well as a shout out to characters in SO3. It's not required but it adds on the experience.

Example 2) Any final fantasy game. Besides FF4 and the "2" parts, there is no direct sequel to many of the FF games and you do not have to play FF1-12 in order to enjoy the games. You can play FF7 and go play FF10 and don't have to worry about that.

Example 3) Fighting games and shooters. Many fighting games and shooters have storyline but it's not required to play X game in order to enjoy X game. You can play one and pick up another or the previous one without being confused. Like Metal Gear solid; one game in the series is actually a prequel.

EDIT: So it doesn't really matter for me. It would be like someone getting mad because how dare they enjoy SO4 without playing So3 because I enjoyed it that much. It's their money and their time/game system so I don't have to be a stick in the mud.

Or on a similar note, it would be like me getting mad for someone enjoying the anime Trigun because it was made/finished after the manga was finished, or enjoying Eureka seven the manga over the anime.

This post has been edited by The Fujoshi: 31 May 2012 - 06:58 PM

[STVO]

The Fujoshi, on 31 May 2012 - 06:56 PM, said:

Depends on the series:

Example 1) Star ocean 1 vs Star ocean 2, 3, 4. You do not have to play SO1 to enjoy SO2 but they do have shout outs, such as Claude being one of the character's son as well as a shout out to characters in SO3. It's not required but it adds on the experience.

Example 2) Any final fantasy game. Besides FF4 and the "2" parts, there is no direct sequel to many of the FF games and you do not have to play FF1-12 in order to enjoy the games. You can play FF7 and go play FF10 and don't have to worry about that.

Example 3) Fighting games and shooters. Many fighting games and shooters have storyline but it's not required to play X game in order to enjoy X game. You can play one and pick up another or the previous one without being confused. Like Metal Gear solid; one game in the series is actually a prequel.

EDIT: So it doesn't really matter for me. It would be like someone getting mad because how dare they enjoy SO4 without playing So3 because I enjoyed it that much. It's their money and their time/game system so I don't have to be a stick in the mud.

Or on a similar note, it would be like me getting mad for someone enjoying the anime Trigun because it was made/finished after the manga was finished, or enjoying Eureka seven the manga over the anime.

Agreed, if it's a series like Ratchet and Clank, you'll be fine if you start with a newer title as opposed to an old (I started with the second game, played the first, then the third. They were all funny to me!) If it's something like Mass Effect or Shenmue (that you should play in order) then yeah try to start with the first game if you can. Comedies/platformers/etc. you can go out of order, the more serious games you should try and stick with chronological order. Now the Final Fantasy series I personally think you can play in whatever order you wish as there's different stories/characters/etc. Same goes with other titles such as Grandia. I usually try my best to play in order but sith happens sometimes, right?

[Dark Stranger]

The Fujoshi, on 31 May 2012 - 06:56 PM, said:

Depends on the series:

Example 3) Fighting games and shooters. Many fighting games and shooters have storyline but it's not required to play X game in order to enjoy X game. You can play one and pick up another or the previous one without being confused. Like Metal Gear solid; one game in the series is actually a prequel..

While Metal Gear 3 is a prequel i belive it's the only one out of order (not sure about the PSP titles cuz I haven't played them.) Playing that game out of order would be extremely confusing though. Heck the second one alone get pretty messed up at the end by itself. lol.

[The Fujoshi]

Dark Stranger, on 01 June 2012 - 02:19 AM, said:

While Metal Gear 3 is a prequel i belive it's the only one out of order (not sure about the PSP titles cuz I haven't played them.) Playing that game out of order would be extremely confusing though. Heck the second one alone get pretty messed up at the end by itself. lol.

It's possible to play it out of order and get it.

From what an old friend told me you suppose to play them:

Old NES/GENESIS Metal gear
Metal gear solid 3
Metal gear solid 1
Metal gear solid 2
Metal gear solid 4

Not including spin offs, etc. since Snake in Smash is non canon.

The game that IS confusing in order placement is DMC because Nocturne is canon and part of the storyline. So which ones you play first? The prequel, SMT, then the actual series or SMT in the actual series?

[myrla]

I've played FF11 for years and never played any other Final Fantasy.

However, I am VERY MUCH THIS WAY ABOUT BOOK SERIES.

[FlyingElf]

Final Fantasy is a bit different as none of the games really play off the previous ones except for the rare sequel.

Overall, I'm pretty much with Fujoshi. Depends on the series. Mass Effect, yeah, you should probably play 1 and 2. Max Payne, not as much of an issue as the action can carry the game.

This post has been edited by FlyingElf: 01 June 2012 - 07:32 PM

[Dark Stranger]

JujuFox, on 31 May 2012 - 03:21 PM, said:

In ME3's defense, I watched my husband play through the whole game having never played any ME game, and I was often thoroughly confused. I had to ask him about the back stories of the characters, why they do the things they do, the relationships between characters, the whole universe(Mass Relays? The Citadel? What species is Thane and what is wrong with him? How many species are there? Why do Elkor talk like that?). I've finally watched a play through of the first ME, and ME2, so now I finally understand what is going on and why.

I'm not sure about Max Payne(having never played any of it), but in the case of ME3 you have to had played the first two games or you will be lost. The writing wasn't very forgiving of noobs, I know because I was one!

BTW, love me some Mass Effect! What a great series. I wish it would have ended better though, but overall very enjoyable.

Well with that though, I'm assuming he imported his character from the last games. I do wonder what would happen if you played without a character from the first two. Since they did change the story if people didn't play the other two.

[The Fujoshi]

myrla, on 01 June 2012 - 01:56 PM, said:

I've played FF11 for years and never played any other Final Fantasy.

However, I am VERY MUCH THIS WAY ABOUT BOOK SERIES.

This also varies. Stuff like the Night huntress series would be recommended to read in order from 1-6, but they do provide enough recap for the people who haven't read the previous ones to be utterly confused. The books do provide shoutouts/hints for the people who did as well as inside jokes. That's a sign of a good writer.

For comic books, due to recons, this isn't recommended. You can read all the Spiderman, Avengers, etc. you want but the Iron man back in the 70s is a lot different than the Iron man of the movie and the Iron man of today so it's mostly based on matter of opinion and who does it rather than canon, compared to manga. Same with Batman, who used to smile, etc. but then turned dark/grim over the years.

A series that is sadly not needed to read past issues: Legion of Super heroes.

[JoeSomebody2]

This reminds me a bit of The Spoony Experiment's Ultima IX (Part 1) review. Oh noes! I'm linking to a review without having you go through the other reviews which lead up to this game! *ahem* Anyway, he pointed out that it wasn't really necessary to know the history/plot/drama of the previous games, because they not only rewrote (or forgot) a lot of it, but the main character, the freaking AVATAR, couldn't remember anything as well. To the point of asking what the Codex of Infinite Wisdom was. The book which granted him knowledge to become the bad-butt he is.

And I'm sure they took this route to help new players understand the world a little better, all the while alienating the fan-base. And this could have been fixed with a very simple action: make an in-game encyclopedia/wiki which the player could look into now and then to learn about certain people/items/etc. to catch up on what they missed in previous games. Forget being easy on the gamer. make them read like an adult!

[Visadin the insane]

I am shocked no one brought up the GTA series at least with the first 3. the first 2 didn't grab people and where really forgetable. then 3 came out it became one of the biggest game in that decade with only wow and wii sports in term of impact.

also most games that don't really relay on story you can play out of order like mario, zelda depending on the game most of the post OoT games are connected in some way.

This post has been edited by Visadin the insane: 20 June 2012 - 12:17 PM

[Dark Stranger]

Visadin the insane, on 20 June 2012 - 12:16 PM, said:

I am shocked no one brought up the GTA series at least with the first 3. the first 2 didn't grab people and where really forgetable. then 3 came out it became one of the biggest game in that decade with only wow and wii sports in term of impact.

also most games that don't really relay on story you can play out of order like mario, zelda depending on the game most of the post OoT games are connected in some way.

Hey....I liked GTA 2. :/

Mario doesnt' really have a story persay. I mean I'd still tell someone to play the paper mario series starting from the N64 just so you know how the game works. And while zelda does have a story its not as solid of a story compared to a Mass Effect or Gears of War.

[The Fujoshi]

Dark Stranger, on 20 June 2012 - 01:38 PM, said:

Hey....I liked GTA 2. :/

Mario doesnt' really have a story persay. I mean I'd still tell someone to play Super mario brothers 1 just so you know how the game works. And while zelda does have a story its not as solid of a story compared to a Mass Effect or Gears of War.

Fixed XD

Another game I thought of is Persona. You don't have to play them in order but it helps if you play them to get a feel and relation between them. There is a shout out of the MC from P2 in P3 and P4 takes place after P3 but doesn't have anything from P3 except for the Velvet room and some after events from P3.

Also P4A is after P4 but I haven't played it yet so I have no idea if it has tons of events from P3, which requires you to play it or not.

[Naoya Toudou]

However its highly recomended you play Persona 1 before you play P2 cause P2 actually has tons of characters and a story connecting slightly to P1. Also play Persona2: innocent Sin before you play Persona2: Eternal Punishment.

[The Fujoshi]

Naoya Toudou, on 29 June 2012 - 11:29 AM, said:

However its highly recomended you play Persona 1 before you play P2 cause P2 actually has tons of characters and a story connecting slightly to P1. Also play Persona2: innocent Sin before you play Persona2: Eternal Punishment.

For your pleasure both are out on the PSP~ So no excuses on "Oh I don't want to switch systems for sequels or other parts."

[MeltedGeneral]

It just depends on the series really. Something like the Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect series you should play in order but games like the Metal Gear and Deus Ex franchises should be played based on where they are in the timeline.


Now if it's a game like the Left 4 Dead series, where its more of the "what stage/campaign do I play first to understand the story" than what game to start off on then I'm slightly more picky about it. I actually played the Blood Harvest campaign out of order.

[Dark Stranger]

I think most FPS's fall under the catigoery of "doesn't need to play in order, but helps to know already established characters/monsters/villians, etc." I know nobody really plays the single player of Call of Duty but could you imagine how lost someone would be if they didn't play the other modern warfares and started playing 3? They'd have alot of questions. Course it all gets solved with bullets anyway.