fumanstan

Hope the title/question makes sense... but after running through Fallout 3, I remember that there were a bunch of folks there that were interested in the game but never played the originals, or commented that they ended up playing and loving the game without playing the originals since they don't play PC games.

So my question is, have you guys picked up a sequel to a game without ever playing any of the original games in the series? Like play Fallout 3 but not Fallout 1/2? And if so, have you had enough interest to go back and play any of the older games? I can't think of any of mine, but I had been interested in Devil May Cry 4 but had never played the older ones and felt like I would be missing out.

pinata242

I honestly can't think of any instance off the top of my head. I do know I played Mega Man 2 before the first, but I'm not sure if that counts.

Dragon Quest (Warrior) I played 1-4 and 7-8, as well as many of the spin-offs while 5 and 6 were never available in the states legitimately. But they're stand-alone and that didn't matter.

If I did get into a game series after the start, I would have no problem back-tracking for the older titles, though it may be harder to enjoy earlier efforts if there was a big change in gameplay/style/graphics/whatever.

The Bus

Sure. The Elder Scrolls games, Final Fantasy, Megaman, Fallout, most Sports Games, SSX, Tony Hawk, etc. It's a pretty long list.

nemein

I remember trying the original Ghost Recon but not liking it until GR2 and then esp. GW:AWF

fumanstan

Final Fantasy's are all stand alone, unless you played something like X-2 before X, so that doesn't really count. Sports games don't really have much to do with each other either, at least the ones that come out on a yearly basis.

I bet a lot of folks started the GTA series with #3, but never played the originals on PC or PS1.

Anyone go back and play earlier games? I wonder if folks that played Fallout 3 were compelled enough to play Fallout 1/2.

Michael Corvin

Guitar Hero II and everything since on the 360.

Ratchet & Clank: Future Tools of Destruction

GTA III & IV

Rainbow Six: Vegas

Splinter Cell: Double Agent

Tomb Raider: Legend, Anniversary & Underworld

Call of Duty 2

Imprint

Warcraft III

pinata242

Are we distinguishing between sequels and series? I mean, I don't see Madden, Guitar Hero, SSX, or even Mega Man as having a running narrative.

Stuff like Wing Commander 3 or Kingdom Hearts 2 are more appropriate to this conversation I think. Like watching RotJ before ANH or ESB.

fujishig

Yeah, I never picked up Guitar Hero 1 or Rock Band 1... I had to soften the wife up for a year each time to get her to agree to more plastic instruments.

I never played Fallout 1/2. It's probably common for a lot of series that successfully made the transition to 3d gaming, like GTA, Ninja Gaiden, or Prince of Persia.

I don't remember playing or even being interested in Call of Duty before the 360 version of 2 came out.

The earliest one I can think of is Goonies II. I think Goonies 1 was only an arcade game, right?

Another one I can think of is Metal Gear Solid... how many really played the original Metal Gear (the MSX2 one, not the NES remake) or Metal Gear 2?

I think a lot of people who played Warcraft 2/3 or WOW never played Warcraft 1.

Dorsalphin

I can think of a bunch off the top of my head.

I'm one of the people who never played Fallout 1/2 but I absolutely loved Fallout 3. I doubt I'll ever go back and play either of the first two games, but that has more to do with not having enough time to play the games I already have more than anything else.

I bought Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal and after playing the first level I immediately stopped because I liked it so much. I went out and got the first two, played those through completely, and then started the 3rd again. I have to say, I enjoyed the 3rd game that much more after playing them back to back to back. I remember how much I appreciated the advances Insomniac had made with the control scheme and the way the weapons upgraded from the first to the third game.

Resident Evil 4 on the Wii was my first experience with the Resident Evil franchise (at least as far as the games are concerned). Until a few years ago I had played very, very few shooting games on consoles b/c I'm more of a keyboard and mouse guy. But I have to admit, the controls for this game on the Wii were close to perfect. I loved the game but I don't know if I'll ever go back and play any of the earlier versions.

I've had MGS4 since its release but I've actually refrained from playing much more than the opening scene b/c I've never played any of the other games. This is one of those games where I feel I'd be missing a TON of the story if I just jumped in with the 4th installment. I have a copy of Twin Snakes from the Gamecube and I plan on making my way through that game someday before starting on MGS4.

DVDChris

I played Halo 2 before Halo 1. Does that count?

Kicker_of_Elves

I played Resident Evil 1 and 2 and completed them, but i never did finish/play RE: Nemesis, Code Veronica, or 4 and now that 5 is coming out soon I'm wondering what exactly it is that i missed storywise from those 3 that i mentioned. I will definitely be playing threw 5 since i love playing co-op games with my friends.

Also never played GTA 1 or 2 before diving into GTA 3. And Metal Gear Solid was the first in the series that i played as well.

PopcornTreeCt

Fallout 3
Grand Theft Auto 3 and everything going forward
Guitar Hero II and everything going forward

lordwow

Fallout 3 and GH2 are the only ones that come to mind for me.

Michael Corvin

I don't think a running narrative matters. Zelda or GTA don't have a running narrative either. Hell, most franchises don't, as each game generally stands on it's own. Otherwise this would simply be an RPG discussion. In essence it just points to the tipping point of a franchise as to where people finally got on board. The Call of Duty games stand on their own, but did anyone in the console war take notice before the 360 game?

Sports games are obviously their own beast, but something like the best selling franchise of all time (Guitar Hero) very much applies.

fumanstan

I remember playing the first Call of Duty on PC. I remember that and Medal of Honor being big deals when they came out.

That said, there aren't really any parameters. I think it's more interesting to hear games that folks have picked up that are a part of a running story, like getting into the later MGS games, or picking up in the middle of Resident Evil.

Mikael79

Medal of Honor on the PSX was mind-blowing to me, back in the day. The audio (music and effects) were miles ahead of other games, and I remember playing the multiplayer to death with friends.

I have probably played a portion of almost every Final Fantasy game, but the only one I've ever played all the way through was FFVII.

lordwow

Now that I read through the thread, I've never played the originals:

Resident Evil
Warcraft
Burnout

edstein

I never played Half-Life. I jumped right into Half-Life 2.
I had Elder Scrolls for the Xbox but never played it much. Oblivion was my first game in this series.

Michael Corvin

I'm sure there will be a lot of people that could put Killzone 2 down on their list as well when it comes out.

starseed1981

Warcraft 3
The Jak Series
Onimusha 2 & 3

lordwow

Ya, the Elder Scrolls is another good one. I played Morrowind and Oblivion but not the first two.

Walker Boh

First games I played in these series; may have played later ones since then, but haven't gone back to play earlier ones:

• Resident Evil 4
• Grand Theft Auto III
• The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion (though I did play the demo of Daggerfall)
• Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
• Final Fantasy II U.S. (IV Japan)
• Ultima VI: The False Prophet
• Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula

DVDChris

Just thought of another, played Half-Life 2 but never the original. I ended up having a lot of questions, like who the heck is the guy in the end.

fujishig

Star Control II
Fire Emblem
Advance Wars (Nintendo Wars)

edited to add:
Super Robot Wars OG
Shin Megami Tensei series
Thunder Force II

and not personally, but others I can think of:
I'm sure Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved was the first game in the series for many
Dynasty Warriors 1 was so different from every other (cloned) Dynasty Warriors game after it, that I'm sure it deserves mention as well. And while we're on Koei, I don't remember which was my first, but I know I didn't start on Romance of the Three Kingdoms with the first iteration.

Panzer Dragoon
Soul Calibur (Soul Edge/Blade)

I'm sure a ton of people started with Street Fighter II

In fact, since I didn't even have a Saturn, pretty much any game series that started on the Saturn.