Why I can’t play a game series backwards

Tony and I approach videogames very differently. He likes to play a series backwards, starting with the newest release first, and then going back to play the originals afterwards. It bothers me a lot that he does this – perhaps a touch of gaming OCD – because I can never play a series out of order, ever. There’s a couple reasons why.

I also have gaming OCD about this. and pots. and scanning planets. and trophies.

1. It messes the storyline up

I’ve been playing Mass Effect 2 (for a while now – shame on me for not finishing it) without having played the original. And it REEAALLYYYY has bothered me. Friends who have played it ask me what I think of Wrex and I have no idea – because he doesn’t exist in my world! I have no idea who Ashley is, and have no real grasp on why everyone feels the way they do about FemShep. Slightly frustrating. It makes the storyline a little bit confusing, which is a shame because it’s the main draw to RPG’s for me, and I can’t talk about it to other people who did play them in the correct order because things are different based on decisions they made. Sigh.

we could have been good buddies.

2. I don’t care as much about the characters

This kind of goes hand in hand with my first point, especially with games that have flow throughout the sequels. Sure Kratos is an angry guy, but you can’t understand his angst as much if you’ve never played the first God of War games. I mean, that’s a lot of anger. He needs several games to develop it.

there are LOTS of reasons to be angry.

3. It’s just not right!

They put them in that order for a REASON! Tony.

this is a man who doesn’t play by the rules. bothersome.

I guess maybe I feel like I owe it to the game developers to play it in the intended order. I don’t know but there’s just a compulsion to do it the right way. This September I have Borderlands 2 pre-ordered, which will be my first step into playing the newest game first.

if i’m going to go crazy and play things backwards, this is the game to do it!

It might not always be the best system. If Tony had played Assassins Creed first and not Revelations, he probably wouldn’t have liked the series as much as he does. And if I could just let go of my obsession with everything being played in order, I may one day play a video game within the first 6 months of it being released.

Maybe.

its creating a slight gaming backlog. just slightly though.

Until next time!

CeraTopz (@Cerajoy)

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