Do you like continuity in your games?

[BogusMeatFactory]

Is the "Alisa" (I'm using the unofficial English translation here) in Phantasy Star Gaiden supposed to be the same person as Alis from the first game? I have no idea. I should play it again.

Yes the phantasy star gaiden and phantasy star Alis are the same.

[Nemoide]

I just finished Dragon Quest VIII and I have to say - Dragon Quest does "loose continuity of themes" the best. The games feel a lot more connected than Final Fantasy, but beyond the first three, they are all totally separate stories/settings. Still, you can expect sound effects, music, items, locations, enemies, spells, the cartoony Akira Toriyama aesthetic, and a silent protagonist. They're not tied down by a story-continuity, but the series consistently delivers Dragon Quest being Dragon Quest. I love it!

[Xeogred]

I like both direct and indirect (Zelda, etc examples mentioned).

Suikoden is a really good example of direct continuity I'd say. A lot of characters crossover, events are mentioned, and it all takes place in the same world, just in different countries or something (it was awesome being able to revisit a few places from Suikoden 1 in 2). Same with the Tactics Ogre games I believe, one huge world with the games taking place in various different places. I absolutely love when games have massive narrative and builds upon its own history.

I think I once saw a funny comparison with Zelda and the Bible/flood. It can be the same story, but every culture has its own touch and differences and their own spin on it. So I never really tire of some of the same tropes and enjoy the different interpretations on key points.

Metroid is an interesting one. It's direct continuation with a timeline, but I'd still say it's pretty subtle. Though subtle is the nature of Metroid all around, anyways.

I'd say Metal Gear is a HUGE one, especially at this point. I've been there from the beginning and have loved them all and maybe it's just me, but I simply cannot see anyone randomly jumping into the newer games and having the same level of experience that us long time fans get, who have been living through its history as it goes. The games are a stand alone experience for the most part, but... it's just different. Not sure if this fits or not. And I always love when a franchise takes it time and we're only really up to 5 here. Whereas others would probably have 20 sequels by now, especially with how franchises are thesedays.

[Exhuminator]

One of my favorite examples of this is Matsuno's Ivalice world. Many of his games take place within it (as do other SQEX games he did not helm). The more games you play that take place in this world, the deeper the lore gets, continuously building a deeper and more robust experience each time. Also when you go back and play older Ivalice games a second time after playing new ones, things that didn't make as much sense are suddenly crystal clear. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivalice

A different example I'm fond of is how CiNG intermixed the worlds of Kyle Hyde and Ashley Mizuki Robbins at times. Even though their games took place in separate time periods, CiNG managed to put references between the two characters' lives and experiences in subtle ways you'd only notice if you'd played both series. This made it clear that both characters lived in the same universe after all.
http://anothercode.wikia.com/wiki/Ashley_Mizuki_Robbins
http://anothercode.wikia.com/wiki/Kyle_Hyde

[Hobie-wan]

You don't have to have played Borderlands 1 to enjoy 2, but you get a lot more out of appearances and references in 2 if you have played the first one.

[Retrogamer0001]

You don't have to have played Borderlands 1 to enjoy 2, but you get a lot more out of appearances and references in 2 if you have played the first one.

The Souls games are similar to this as well, with character and item references included in the lore of all three games.

[emz998]

I prefer when there are recurring themes, items, etc but as far as actual story it depends on how the franchise is. It fits perfectly with a universe as expansive as Fire Emblem but feels completely unnecessary for Sonic the Hedgehog.

It all depends on the games.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Another great series that I feel has mastered the art of world building and keeping continuity in both direct and indirect ways is the Myst franchise. Myst 1-4 all feature the same main character, "The Stranger," visiting Atrus and helping in the main issue all throughout one continuous timeline. You visit them years apart and things really start to change and shape the characters that you start to grow to love and understand.

When Myst V and URU come out, the world gets flipped turned upside down as time has passed considerably and the world of D'ni and the story of Atrus and his family has changed dramatically. No longer do you take the role of, "The Stranger," but in URU, you play as a character of your own creation and explore the city of D'ni and many of the worlds that they had linked to that give an inside look to some of the various behind-the-scene operations they partook in. It took the world that they had hinted at in 1-4 and expanded on it in a monumental way, utilizing the written and spoken language they created and their math system in big ways as major features in the game itself.

Myst V continued that idea and had the story take place during the time of URU as you played one of the characters found in the storyline of URU. Again D'ni was its focus as you learn that D'ni was not all roses as their idyllic civilization came at a cost.

What they did after the initial game was lay out a culture. Richard Watson was in charge of getting the culture, language and math system set up for D'ni during the development of Riven and up and he made sure that everything created fit to his designs of what D'ni was and the overall themes presented in the games.

This is the type of stuff that I salivate over. World-building in such a way that you have a wealth of information to draw from through your game series that connections and continuity stay in tact throughout. It doesn't feel like they made the games up as they went along and that there was always a course laid out.