I'm interested in finding out what these games are about but I don't want to waste time playing through the earlier games if the story doesn't matter at all. I do remember accidentally loading up a later game at one point because there are a couple without numbers and there was a cut scene with some story stuff which sounded important. Should I pull a Vinny and play through them all or is it more of an Elder Scrolls/GTA situation where the story has no bearing? Maybe the nature of the games just removes the feasibility of playing through them all. I'm not expecting any fast replies, so be sure to @reply so I can see it.

According to TV Tropes: "Though there is an over-arching narrative to the games, a lot of the replay value comes from the sandbox mode where you pick your starting circumstances and are dropped into the universe to run amok." Sounds a lot like The Elder Scrolls. I think I'll just jump into the latest and see how it goes.