Non-Linear Sequel: Difference between revisions

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== Action-Adventure Games ==
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' is a bit of a mess, as [[Fanon]] persists in trying to find some coherent continuity between the games. [[Word of God]] stated the [[Time Travel]] shenanigans in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time]]'' actually ''split'' the timeline, giving twice the elbow room for [[Fan Wank]]-ery. Though thanks to Shigeru Miyamoto's occasional nonsensical statements, nobody's sure if [[Word of God]] knows what it's talking about at any given time anyways.
** The situation becomes even more complicated, as [[Word of God]] has a tendency to contradict itself on this matter. ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|The Legend of Zelda a Link To T He Past]]'' is before the original two games, then it's after; ''[[Ocarina of Time]]'' has gone in and out of being considered the [[Backstory]] to ''Link To The Past''. About the only constant has been that ''Ocarina'' is the major series starting point, giving a definitive origin to Ganon, the series [[Big Bad]]. Though even that position is being usurped by ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword|The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword]]'', which is giving a definitive origin for the [[Sword of Plot Advancement|Master Sword]] (which was already in play during ''Ocarina'').
** The series timeline has been recently revealed in the book "Hyrule Historia", turns out the timeline was split in 3 branches in OOT.
* The ''[[Legacy of Kain]]'' series plays around with the [[Timey-Wimey Ball]] and as a result only the first two, ''Blood Omen'' and ''Soul Reaver'', are in normal order. ''Soul Reaver 2'' picked up where ''Soul Reaver'' left off with the main characters travelling back in time to a couple decades before ''Blood Omen'', then they travel forward to several centuries after ''Blood Omen'', then back to centuries before ''Blood Omen''. The fourth game, ''Blood Omen 2'', takes place between ''Blood Omen'' and ''Soul Reaver'' in an altered timeline caused by the fifth game, ''Defiance''. Defiance picks up right where ''Soul Reaver 2'' left off and switches between the two heroes who are in different time periods, one is still in the time period centuries before ''Blood Omen'' and the other is exactly in the same timeframe as ''Blood Omen'', the events of that game occuring unseen at the same time as the events of ''Defiance''. If you followed all that, congratulations, you just mastered one of the most complex time travel plots ever known.
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** ''[[Sonic Chronicles]]'' then takes place two years after the last game of the series. However its ending {{spoiler|has Robotnik take over the world.}} This doesn't sit well with the next game in the series, ''[[Sonic Unleashed]]''.
*** Unless that's the reason Sonic is trashing an Eggman armada at the start of Unleashed.
** In ''[[Sonic Battle]]'', Shadow has his memory back, or at least remembers the events of ''Sonic Adventure 2''. ''[[Sonic Heroes]]'' contradicts this, with Shadow having contracted amnesia thanks to his fall at the end of ''SA2'' ([[Laser-Guided Amnesia|and maybe some other factors]]) and he still doesn't have memory of ''SA2''{{'}}s events by the end of ''[[Shadow the Hedgehog]]'', making ''Battle''{{'}}s place in continuity very iffy.
*** Are you sure? IIRC, he was pretty well-informed by the end of ''[[Shadow the Hedgehog]]''.
*** ''Battle'' occurs after ''Shadow'' (as Shadow clearly remembers his past) but was released slightly before ''Heroes''. Where it falls into the overall timeline is unknown, but it is referenced heavily in ''Chronicles''.
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* ''[[Fable II]]'' is set 500 years after ''[[Fable (video game)|Fable I]]'', with a different protagonist.
* Each ''[[MOTHER]]'' game is set in a different time period, with mostly new characters and locations. In fact, the only connection between the first two is the name of the [[Big Bad]], [[Spell My Name with an "S"|Giegue/Gyiyg/Giygas]], plus a few items and attack names. The connection between the second and third ''seems'' even more tenuous, going from [[Eagle Land|a good-natured parody of modern America]] to a mysterious frontier town in the "Nowhere Islands", {{spoiler|until the [[Big Bad]]--Giygas's returning [[The Dragon|henchman]]--explicitly references the events of #2.}}
* The ''[[Wild ArmsARMs]]'' games were assumed to be non-linear at first, but [[Word of God]] says that they all take place on the same planet. This doesn't make much sense.
** If that's the case, the games take place at least multiple millennia apart with [[Fridge Logic]] mass-reconfiguration of the planet's continental crust fragments. But hey, if the planet's center is filled with supernatural blue mud, you can [[Hand Wave]] just about anything.
** Actually, it was set in the same "universe" but not the same planet.
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== Stealth-Based Games ==
* All the numbered ''[[Metal Gear]]'' sequels followed a linear chronology with one notable exception: ''[[Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater]]'' serves as a prequel to the entire ''Metal Gear'' canon, being set decades before the events of the very first ''[[Metal Gear 1987(video game)|Metal Gear]]''. ''[[Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops]]'' and ''[[Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker]]'', both for the PSP, serve as sequels to the plot of ''MGS3'' and follow Big Boss' further adventures before the first ''Metal Gear''.
 
== Survival Horror ==
* The ''[[Resident Evil]]'' games release order mostly matches the chronology of the series, except for the prequel ''[[Resident Evil 0Zero]]'' and, weirdly, ''[[Resident Evil 3: Nemesis]]'', which takes place both before and after ''[[Resident Evil 2]]'' (''[[Resident Evil Code: Veronica]]'', despite not having a numbered title, is the true continuation to the events of ''Resident Evil 2'').
** The spin-offs are a bit looser with chronology—the two ''[[Resident Evil Outbreak|Outbreak]]'' games take place roughly concurrently with ''2'' and ''3'', the final chapter of ''[[Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles|Umbrella Chronicles]]'' takes place a year before ''[[Resident Evil 4|4]]'', and ''[[Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles|Darkside Chronicles]]'' is set to include a scenario showing Leon in South America two years before ''4'' that'll show what happened between Leon and {{spoiler|Krauser (before his [[Face Heel Turn]])}}.
** The 3DS game, ''[[Resident Evil: Revelations]]'', is set before ''[[Resident Evil 5|RE5]]'' and ''[[Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City]]'' takes place just before and during ''[[Resident Evil 2]]''.
 
== Third-Person Shooter ==
* ''[[Dead to Rights]]'' was released in 2002 and follows Jack Slate, a cop in Grant City. ''Dead to Rights 2'' was released in 2005, and despite it being a numbered actually takes place before the original game. A third game ''Dead to Rights: Reckoning'' was released for the PSP shortly after #2. It actually precedes 2. There is a fourth game announced for release in 2010. With luck, it will feature Jack as a fetus.
** Judging from the Wikipedia page (and change this if I'm wrong) it seems to be a remake with a slightly different storyline of the first game. So, Yeah, four "sequels" and we haven't even got past the first storyline. Whoopie...
* The ''[[Armored Core]]'' series is a great example of this. Each successive game takes place several years, sometimes even decades after previous one and casts the player in the role of a new [[AFGNCAAPFeatureless Protagonist]] with no connection to the previous one. Usually [[Capcom Sequel Stagnation|the presence of a number in the title indicates]] a [[Continuity Reboot]]. So far, ''Armored Core'', ''Project Phantasma'', ''Master of Arena'', ''Armored Core 2'' and ''Another Age'' take place in one continuity. ''Armored Core 3'', ''Silent Line'', ''Nexus'', ''<s>Nine Breaker</s>'', and ''Last Raven'' take place in a second continuity. ''Armored Core 4'' and ''for Answer'' take place in a third. And it's yet to be seen where ''Armored Core 5'' will fit in.
** There's also the [[Gaiden Game]] ''Formula Front'', which uses elements from the ''Armored Core 3'' universe, but it clearly not set in it. It's really just a [[Fighting Game]] [[Humongous Mecha|with Robots]]... [[Virtual On|No, not that one]].
 
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* ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'' was written with each story assumed to be the last (as admitted by the author) so as such several of the later ones answer questions rather then continuing the story. As such The Magician's Nephew was written and published 6th but takes place first. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe which was first is second. A horse and His Boy was written fourth, published fifth, and set during a timeskip in LW&W. Though with those three sorted out the rest follow order of publication: Prince Caspian (Which is set centuries after LW&W), Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Silver Chair, and Last Battle. Plus in world the time shifts because Narnia is a parallel world not perfectly synced with ours.
* ''[[The Scorpion King]]'' is a prequel to ''[[The Mummy Trilogy]]'', the second film of which introduced the scorpion king and showed his final fate. They then made ''The Scorpion King 2'', which was a prequel to the prequel. There are also plans for ''The Scorpion King 3'' which will be a sequel to the prequel of the prequel.
* The "[[Road To|Road Pictures]]" of [[Bob Hope]] and [[Bing Crosby]]. Hope, Crosby and [[Dorothy Lamour]] play different characters with different names in each, and at least one is set in a wildly different time period, but they all have the same cast, the same style of madcap humor, substantially the same cast, and much the same formula. It is common for there to be references to their past adventures, albeit usually during one of the many instances of [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]].
* ''[[Kamen Rider Agito]]'' explicitly takes place in the same universe as ''[[Kamen Rider Kuuga]]''; the only on-screen references to this are a couple of off-hand mentions of the Grongi (Kuuga's enemies) and the G3 suit being built by the police based off of data taken on "Unidentified Lifeform #4" (the Tokyo Police's callname for Kuuga). There was also said to be a [[Great Ofscreen War]] where the Grongi were killed off by the Lords, Agito's enemies.
** This all gets referenced in ''[[Kamen Rider Decade]]'', where the [[Alternate Universe]] Agito World they visit is also an alternate Kuuga World, with the [[Great Offscreen War]] actively happening and an alternate version of Decade!Kuuga's [[Cool Big Sis]] mentor showing up as the head scientist behind the G3 Project.
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[[Category:Non-Linear Sequel{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Derivative Works]]
[[Category:Videogame Culture]]
[[Category:Sequel]]
[[Category:Non-Linear Sequel]]