Play them in order?

[eggman]

Do you think its best to experience an RPG franchise in release order? What are the benefits?

If I have Wild Arms 3 (PS2) should I buy Wild Arms 1&2 to play before 3?
Should I play Xenogears before Xenosaga?
Which Breath of Fire should i play first?

This list could go on and on....

I realize that many RPG's have evolved considerably over the various platforms and releases, but is there added enjoyment to a modern RPG by playing is predecessors?

[AppleQueso]

Only if sequels are continuing a story started in the previous games.

Otherwise, it doesn't really matter.

[eggman]

Ok. Story is definitely something to consider.

How about if I am playing Shining Force 2 Together RPG, have I missed anything in Shining Force 1? If SF 2 is considered better than 1 then have I ruined the SF 1 experience by playing 2 first? Same goes for Phantasy Star 2 and 1 for a later Together RPG?

See what I am getting at?

[Frerix]

Reminds me of a conversation with a friend of mine.

Friend: Meh. I'm not starting with Final Fantasy VI/VII
Me: Why? Tell me why!
Friend: I don't feel like starting all the way with FFI just to catch up with the story

/end conversation

[BoneSnapDeez]

In general, I like to play RPG series in order.

In the case of together RPG - I can tell you for a fact that playing Phantasy Star II before I won't cause any issues. I'm pretty sure the same can be said for Shining Force.

[cward24]

It really (at least in my case) going to depend on the RPG series. For the Wild Arms series it is not necessary to play them in order as each game is independent of each other like Final Fantasy is. However in a game series such as Xenosaga if you do not play them in order you will most likely be totally lost on what is going on (and still can be lost if you do). Even though they are separate games the story builds on the previous games (i.e. Final Fantasy X-2 and Final Fantasy XIII-2)

So it really depends on the series.

[Nemoide]

I'm pretty hardcore about playing all the games in a series in order. Spin-offs I treat as optional, and I count ports/remakes as being the same as the original for series purposes.

But yeah, that's the big reason I'm playing Final Fantasy XI right now... I started with the first one and wanted to play all the numbered ones through XII... I KNOW I'M A LITTLE INSANE. Even though the stories aren't connected, it's interesting to see how the games evolved. How chocobos and moogles started appearing in titles, when steampunk elements started showing up, the way a job-system is in some games but not others; it's kind of interesting! (The only element among ALL the core Final Fantasy games? An airship.)

And since some series (I'm thinking Dragon Quest especially) work with a lot of nostalgia in terms of graphics/musical cues, playing them in order can be extra-satisfying.

[Jmustang1968]

Ok. Story is definitely something to consider.

How about if I am playing Shining Force 2 Together RPG, have I missed anything in Shining Force 1? If SF 2 is considered better than 1 then have I ruined the SF 1 experience by playing 2 first? Same goes for Phantasy Star 2 and 1 for a later Together RPG?

See what I am getting at?

When I played SF2 the first time I played it before I played 1. There are a few references but very small details.

Actually, playing 1 first can be confusing due to some translation differences between the 2 such as dark dragon and darksol.

[BoneSnapDeez]

@Nemoide

That's pretty much how I feel. Even if the games' storylines are only tenuously connected (or not connected at all) it's still interesting to see how the series developed in terms of graphics, music, gameplay, etc.

Some series I have played in order, start to finish:
Ys
Dragon Quest
Dragon Slayer
Final Fantasy

[Dylan]

The only real concern I have with playing games out of order is if later entries improve, I might be tempted to just skip the earlier ones. For example if you were to play Shining Force 1 after Shining Force 2, 1 would just feel like a downgrade because of your experience with the series so far. It just might eliminate your chance to enjoy (even just a little) the earlier entries in the series.