Haven't played CoJ 1 yet - should I?

[Rangoon]

I browsed the topic titles in this forum and didn't see any mention of CoJ 1.  I purchased CoJ 2 but haven't played it yet.  Should I start with CoJ 1?  Or is it not worth the time? 

I realize how subjective this question is, but figured I'd bounce it off ya anyway.   :)

[Art Blade]

Good question, I'm interested in a reply, too :) (haven't played either one)

[fragger]

Rangoon, I've played CoJ2 without playing 1, and as far as I can tell it appears to be a stand-alone story, ie. there weren't any allusions to anything that took place in the first game, if that's what you mean. I could be wrong, but if there were any references to anything that happened previously, I didn't detect them. I didn't feel as though I had missed anything, put it that way.

I too would be interested to hear what any players of 1 have to say about it.

[Rangoon]

Right.  I think, story-wise, it's a prequel to CoJ 1.  The reviews say CoJ 2 is the story of the Reverend Ray character from CoJ 1.

Nice to know there are no confusing references. 

I guess one thing I'm wondering is whether the gameplay is much worse in 1 for some reason, if it is a good game to play (versus someone saying "don't bother").  It's nice to see the evolution sometimes, but not if it's just a big disappointment compared to the newer game.

Thanks for the reply!

[PZ]

I too did not play COJ1, and like fragger did not feel like I was missing anything from a story line.  I'd say that you'd be fine going it now, especially if you like replaying games a second (or more) time through.  I personally will replay many times if I like the game, but then again, I like watching the same movie repeatedly (as long as it is good).

[JRD]

I guess that what Rangoon might be asking is:
Is CoJ1 worth playing?
As in "will I have a good time playing the original game, being it needed to follow up CoJ2 or not"?
I cannot say because I never played either games... but what I usually do when I'm wodering if I should get a game or not is to take a good look at lots of gameplay vids at youtube... you will certainly get a feeling of how the game looks and plays!

[Art Blade]

indeed, youtube vids are a great way to look people over the shoulder while they are playing a game.

[Rangoon]

Yes, it's true.  And I've watched a number of them.  I'm inclined to go ahead and play it, but thought I'd check in here first to see if anyone who's played it had an opinion. 

If I got a "yes, it's awesome you don't want to miss out" or a "naw, it really stinks compared to Bound in Blood" I'd probably be swayed.  As it is I think I'll wait for a good sale price and pick it up before installing Bound in Blood.

[Art Blade]

Maybe you should just play CoJ2. If you really liked it, you might still think it over and pick up CoJ1 for nostalgic and "completionist" reasons, to have played them both.

I did that with HitMan, played two of them and bought the first one last, for the above reasons. Although the game wasn't up to today's level of detail etc, it was still nice to know what the origins were like, and I finished a complete playthrough :)

[Rangoon]

And oddly enough, since CoJ 2 is the prequel, it would be the "correct" sequence in time.   ;)

[Art Blade]

hehe, good point  ;D