Just bought the steam bundle-worth playing through 1-4?

[sully]

Title pretty much says it all. I liked the demo way back when, but never bought the game and lost track of it once I had money. So I'm glad to see it, and 4 sequels on steam.

 

Just wondering if it's worth playing through 1-4 though. Or should I just play 5? Some games age better than others, and some games relate to their prequels better than others.

 

So! Play them all, start at an arbitrary point, or just play 5?

 

What do y'all recommend?

[Aoslare]

Try starting with 1. If it feels too aged, move on to later games. You can probably be safe starting with 4 even if you want something very recent and updated.

 

Generally, 1 is considered the most original and engaging, and 3 the least. 2 is relatively open-ended whereas 4 is gritty.

[Dikiyoba]

I just finished replaying G4. The interface is still streamlined and non-clunky. (In some ways, the engine is even better than that of G5. Fewer sparkles to slow the game down.)

 

Dikiyoba does miss the Avadon junkbag, but such is life.

[Randomizer]

The interface and spells changes with each game so find one that you can tolerate. It took me a while to get used to Geneforge 1 and I never finished 2 and 3. Generforge 5 is the easiest to play because you can reach a higher character level giving you more options on how to develop even a weak character build.

[Death Knight]

Honestly, in my opinion, dont start with 1 or 2 as they will drive you crazy with how hard they are. I barely managed to beat 1, i loved the story but couldnt stand the difficulty. 2 was even worse with that regard. Start with 3, there is an actual balance to the game unlike the previous ones and the item crafting and enhancing is there. Geneforge 4 is another good one to start at as well. Or if you want to play a game that is like the original 2 with multiple sides, try 5 as ive heard its great.

[A less presumptuous name.]

I'm with Slarty on this one. I've played all games (but only the demo of 3) and enjoyed all of them. Going back recently to play the older games is hard with the older interface, but the story is great.

 

I would try to play each game in order. If you can't get passed interface issues, that's fine; each game is great. You have the games, so you may as well try them, but don't feel obligated to play each one. You can pick up the series wherever you want (although I wouldn't recommend skipping 4 and going to 5). Just remember to enjoy the game. If you don't like 1, move on and try 2.

[Alorael at Large]

I've played the demos of all and finished G4 and G5, and I really do mean to get around to G1 at some point. Even its demo is really the most engaging, I think, despite the engine.

 

—Alorael, who will go ahead and say that you want to play G1 to understand where everything starts. You can also jump into G4 and G5 and get the major part of the war that dominates the late series. All the games stand fine on their own, but there's an overarching story of power, secrets, and rebellion that builds from one game to another.