Sequels with noob-friendly storylines

[Cronozilla]

Don't play Golden Abyss. It's not very good. Made by entirely different people and is lacking a lot of what makes Uncharted good.

Uncharted 3 is probably the only one that talks about loose plot threads from the previous games. And, yes, 2 is the best one. I would also say, 1 is very good, but would be harder to enjoy if you had already played the significantly improved sequels.

[Retrogamer0001]

Dark Souls II can be played without a previous experience with the story/world. It's the most accessible so it works out nicely. I also don't see any reason you can't play Borderlands 2 out of order either.

Good call Stark, beat me to it.

[dsheinem]

Don't play Golden Abyss. It's not very good.

I'd say it isn't as good in comparison but it is still decent. The games in the main trilogy are all top-tier, highly regarded experiences. Golden Abyss is more like a spin-off that just couldn't hope to compete but is still enjoyable in its own right.

FYI, Metacritic:

Uncharted: 88
Uncharted 2: 96
Uncharted 3: 92
Uncharted Golden Abyss: 80

That seems about right to me, too. GA isn't a bad game, it just isn't near as good as the games that preceded it.

[Stark]

Don't play Golden Abyss. It's not very good.

I'd say it isn't as good in comparison but it is still decent. The games in the main trilogy are all top-tier, highly regarded experiences. Golden Abyss is more like a spin-off that just couldn't hope to compete but is still enjoyable in its own right.

FYI, Metacritic:

Uncharted: 88
Uncharted 2: 96
Uncharted 3: 92
Uncharted Golden Abyss: 80

That seems about right to me, too. GA isn't a bad game, it just isn't near as good as the games that preceded it.

Yeah I would say that GA is totally worth playing, I just wouldn't start there.

[aaron]

starting 3 tonight, then. thanks fellas.

[Sload Soap]

I'd say Arkham City and Origins would count. There are obviously characters that carry over from Asylum but the actual plots of both are unrelated. Far Cry as well. GTA games would qualify.

You might be better off asking which series don't have noob-friendly storylines IMO.

[Cronozilla]

I don't think Golden Abyss is a terrible or bad game. But it really isn't a good game. There's a lot of problems with how the main shooting mechanics work ... and that's the primary thing you're doing in the entire game, more so than in the other Uncharted games.

I'm not saying don't play it ... but if you have the option, play the other Uncharted games first. Even the first one is significantly better than Golden Abyss.

Half-Life 2 is a pretty noob friendly game, it'll get you up to speed on things even fans of HL1 weren't aware of ... because they didn't happen in HL1. The game injects a lot of story retroactively, so even if you have played HL1 a lot of the story elements will feel foreign. If you hadn't played HL1, HL2 gives the impression that a lot of story stuff happened in it, but it didn't. Very little of HL1 is actually relevant to HL2.

Any God of War game is pretty much fair game, since they all recap what you need to know.

I think the Ratchet and Clank and Sly Cooper games are like that as well.

[Forlorn Drifter]

Dark Souls II can be played without a previous experience with the story/world. It's the most accessible so it works out nicely. I also don't see any reason you can't play Borderlands 2 out of order either.

Good call Stark, beat me to it.

From what I've gathered, Dark Souls II is more of a sequel to Demon's Souls gameplay wise, although not at all related story wise.

I think the Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings works pretty well. There's a recap for the first game available, although really and truthfully they aren't nearly as connected as their made out to be. I pretty much understood what was going on, and if you play it as though your character has amnesia, it all works out.

[TSTR]

I'd say Arkham City and Origins would count. There are obviously characters that carry over from Asylum but the actual plots of both are unrelated. Far Cry as well. GTA games would qualify.

You might be better off asking which series don't have noob-friendly storylines IMO.

Eh, I think there's a few plot points in Arkham City that would be missed out on if you hadn't played Asylum first (Joker and Quincy Sharp for example).

EDIT: Although I guess you could read the comics instead if you're really interested.

[aaron]

starting 3 tonight, then. thanks fellas.

i wanted to chime in here and say that i lied and started playing Remember Me instead of Uncharted 3 the other night. i didn't have the single player campaign downloaded and rather than wait an hour i figured i'd start a new game instead. please forgive me.