Should I play the first one? (Gaming)

by Korny , Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Friday, November 17, 2023, 17:05 (162 days ago) @ kidtsunami

It’s not 100% necessary. While there are returning characters from the first game, and several events are referenced here and there, you should be fine, and you play as a completely new character, so it works in the sense that the new character also has no idea what the deal is with some of these folks.

That said, the first game is still pretty amazing, and holds up completely even after playing through the second one a few times.
You (and your friends) may already own it if you’ve consistently cashed in your PS+ offerings as well. And it was on Gamepass, though I’m not sure if that’s still the case.