History ContinuitySnarl / VideoGames

* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction'' introduced the idea that Ratchet's race, Lombaxes, were functionally extinct, and Ratchet was the LastOfHisKind. Many fans pointed out that this didn't make sense, because ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando'' had seemingly featured a different Lombax, Angela, without any implication that she and Ratchet were the last of their species. ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime'' attempted to patch this by having a pair of radio announcers acknowledge that Angela exists and is indeed a Lombax. However, one of the main reasons given in ''Tools'' to prove Ratchet was the last one was that he'd never seen another one, a claim he didn't contest. Prior to this, one could maybe assume that this meant the ''Future'' trilogy was a SoftReboot and Angela didn't actually exist in its continuity, but now she does, so the whole thing no longer works. Even worse, ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankRiftApart'' shows a female Lombax, Rivet, that is much smaller than Angela and sports a tail, something the radio broadcast specifically mentioned as an indicator of male versus female Lombaxes. Fans have given up trying to find a solution that makes sense at this point.

** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' established that at some point Imoen dual classed to a mage/thief, ignoring if you never dual classed her in first instance. Many players complained through the years the lack of choice in this, but bg2 was released in 2000 after all, when transfer of savegame statuses was in its infancy (the fact you could export your protagonist was already seen as an incredible achievement back in the day). Then comes ''VideoGame/BaldursGateSiegeOfDragonspear'' in 2016, made by Beamdog. This expansion for Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition (not the original game by Bioware) establishes that Imoen decided to practice magic on her own with duke Jannah after Sarevok's death, and that's also the plot reason for why she can't follow you through the campaign. Unless you did indeed dual class her during bg1, even reaching the max level possible as a mage to sling powerful spells until the final battle... only to see the new campaign start with Imoen suddenly not being anymore available because she has to study magic otherwise she would only be a burden.

** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'' by Larian introduces [[spoiler:Orin, who is a Bhaalspawn, granddaughter of Sarevok and result of incest]] and the [[spoiler:Dark Urge, a possible origin for the player character, who is a Bhaalspawn too]]. This despite ''Throne of Bhaal'' showed that children of Bhaalspawn didn't carry on the essence - it wouldn't even be [[FridgeLogic a good plan]] to stir Bhaal's resurrection otherwise. All while having to acknowledge that the events of ''Murder in Baldur's Gate'' are canon, thus [[spoiler:Bhaal is already alive]] (and this is explicitly referenced in the game, so [[spoiler:all his essence already returned to him and there couldn't be more Bhaalspawn]]).
* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar'' tries to establish a SharedUniverse between the Black Ops continuity and ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019'' with the appearance of a young Zakhaev. The problems with this? ''Cold War'' takes place in 1981, and we were shown a picture of Zakhaev in the ''Modern Warfare'' dated 1982, and he looks much, much older in the latter. The fact that ''Cold War'' is still supposedly in canon with ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII'' also means that Captain Price's world (2019) has only six years to change all its technology and turn into that of ''Black Ops 2'' (2025), which strains credibility.

** Continuity in ''Pokémon'' games is usually thought of as being based on how the Pokémon themselves are traded from game to game, but this can get a bit confusing when you factor in ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'' and its sequel, ''VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness''. The latter takes place five years after the former, but both games are only compatible with the GBA games, which are assumed to take place at the same time. The Gen IV games (the Sinnoh-based games and Johto-based remakes) take place three years after the GBA games (the Hoenn-based games and Kanto-based remakes). The ''Black and White'' games take place further into the future (Since an [=NPC=] from the Gen II games/Gen IV remakes settled down and now has a school-aged child, it's thought to be at least 5 to 8 years) and their direct sequels are set 2 years after. ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' is thought to take place at the same time as ''Black 2 and White 2''.

*** Lastly, ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' have been released on the UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole and the Pokémon obtained in these games can be transferred to ''Sun and Moon'' via ''Pokémon Bank''. Making the original Gen 1 games compatible (and therefore canon) with the rest of the series from Gen III onward. Later releases of ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' for the Virtual Console would also bring the original Gen II games into the mix as well.

*** The biggest difference is the appearance of the Ultra Recon Squad, a group of [[spoiler:[[HumanLikeAlien Human-Like Aliens]]]] who come from Ultra Space. [[spoiler:Necrozma, who is a Pokémon that comes from Ultra Space (or their part of Ultra Space) is threatening to consume all the light in the universe. Necrozma eventually takes over as the main antagonistic force in these games rather than Lusamine.]]
*** The postgame features a different side story: Episode Rainbow Rocket. [[spoiler:Using Ultra Wormholes, Team Rainbow Rocket is comprised of all the Team Leaders from the past main games who come from universes where they won, all led by Giovanni. This includes Maxie and Archie, who have their original ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' designs as opposed to the "Mega Timeline" versions. In addition, Archie has his ORAS personality and manner of speech.]]

** The ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles Chronicles]]'' [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheDarksideChronicles games]] are rather bad about this, adding new events and filling in holes in the established canon (most notably between ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica Code: Veronica]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 RE4]]''), while at the same time also contradicting quite a bit of it. Fans however argue about whether the "retellings" chapters are intended to be canon, whilst the ''Chronicles''-unique stories don't actually contradict anything. UnreliableNarrator and UnreliableExpositor might also be in play, particularly with ''The Darkside Chronicles''[='=] FramingDevice of Leon recounting events he could have only learned secondhand (like Claire's experiences on Rockfort Island).

* The ''VideoGame/StarRevenge'' series of ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' ROM hacks. Seriously, just [[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzs1FL5re-t2R3JtbG5lSFFUTXc/view look at this]]. A lot of the confusion comes from remakes of the games having different stories than the original and the story splitting between both versions. Also, TimeTravel is involved. The timeline is a mess and that picture even {{lampshade|Hanging}}s it. [[note]] Furthermore, notice how [=SR6.9=] happens multiple times[[/note]]

** A lot of it is because ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterII II]]'' become an iconic landmark revolutionary sea-changing event of events which changed the universe forever and ever (to the point where everyone [[CapcomSequelStagnation got plain sick of it]]). If this weren't the case, Creator/{{Capcom}} ''probably'' would've just relished their success and quietly released ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha]]'' as a fun, inconsequential one-off featuring the unselectable fighters in [[VideoGame/StreetFighterI the first game]], then made a full break with ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterIII III]]''. As it is, ''II'' and its continuity has reached such an enormous Shuma-Gorathian level that it's ''dragged the rest of the ''Street Fighter'' universe into it''. Hence, ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV''. With Makoto, Dudley, and Ibuki (and now Yun and Yang) at the same age and with the same motivations as in a game that canonically isn't supposed to happen for at least another three years. With a hopelessly convoluted plot involving M. Bison ([[spoiler:who ''does'' die for real [[VideoGame/StreetFighterV eventually]]]]) and a Korean hellion we've never even heard about before. With Adon seemingly stuck in the distant past. With Rose around for no apparent reason. Before, there would be retcons; now, Capcom isn't even trying to hash it out anymore.
** ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Street Fighter Alpha 2]]'' basically treated the SNES ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' sequels, particularly ''Final Fight 2'', as if they never happened. They did so by introducing Zeku as Guy's Bushin Ryu predecessor, ignoring the fact that Genryusai from ''Final Fight 2'' was precisely introduced to fill that role. The ''Alpha'' series continued with no reference to Genryusai's existence until Maki, Genryusai's daughter and a fellow Bushin apprentice, was introduced to the portable versions of ''Alpha 3'', where she was Zeku's other student. The developers didn't bother to explain where Genryusai fits in within the Bushin Ryu hierarchy, but some fans believe that Zeku was actually Genryusai's student.
** Capcom plays so fast and loose with continuity that now we have [[VideoGame/CapcomFightingEvolution Ingrid]], a character who [[ClockRoaches deals with continuity snarls]]. [[CrypticBackgroundReference Maybe]]. Between having few appearances and Capcom's refusal to ever clear anything up, she's more likely to turn into a snarl herself.

*** The confusion was finally cleared up in 2012, with Takashi Iizuka stating that Blaze is from an alternate dimension, while Silver and Eggman Nega are from the future. Her Sonic Channel profile also states that the Sol Emeralds can take her across time and space, apparently explaining how and why she was in the future.

** This is even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in a banter in the expansion ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'', where it is established that the soul of a former Bhaalspawn can be resurrected through special means but would not carry anymore divine essence and be a normal mortal. [[spoiler:Imoen]] asks to [[spoiler:Sarevok]] how it feels to die, and he sarcastically answers that she should already know considering how weak he sees her, after which she acknowledges that her experience is a different thing as it is like simply seeing black and then suddenly awakening somewhere else (even if during your playthrough she never died at all!). She is still a Bhaalspawn that can die and be resurrected infinite times, anyway, until the epilogue when [[spoiler:she chooses to relinquish her divine essence]].

** When a Bhaalspawn dies, the body dissolves and the divine essence goes to fuel Bhaal's resurrection. This is showed by the cutscene when the protagonist dies, and the epilogue of the first ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' [[spoiler:Sarevok's death]], with both turning to dust. Comes ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' and we discover that [[spoiler:Imoen is a Bhaalspawn too]], despite she chould have died and been resurrected many times in the first game as any other normal character. Even more egregious is that the regular mechianics continue anyway, even after [[spoiler:her soul was stolen]]. While you must reload if you die, because you can't be resurrected, she can undergo the process whenever you want.

** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' by Bioware established that at some point Imoen dual classed to a mage/thief, ignoring if you never dual classed her in first instance. Many players complained through the years the lack of choice in this, but bg2 was released in 2000 after all, when transfer of savegame statuses was in its infancy (the fact you could export your protagonist was already seen as an incredible achievement back in the day). Then comes ''VideoGame/BaldursGateSiegeOfDragonspear'' in 2016, made by Beamdog. This expansion for Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition (not the original game) establishes that Imoen decided to practice magic on her own with duke Jannah after Sarevok's death, and that's also the plot reason for why she can't follow you through the campaign. Unless you did indeed dual class her during bg1, even reaching the max level possible as a mage to sling powerful spells until the final battle... only to see the new campaign start with Imoen suddenly not being anymore available because she has to study magic otherwise she would only be a burden.

** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'' by Larian introduces [[spoiler:Orin, who is a Bhaalspawn, granddaughter of Sarevok and result of incest]] and the [[spoiler:Dark Urge, a possible origin for the player character, who is a Bhaalspawn too]]. This despite ''Throne of Bhaal'' showed that children of Bhaalspawn didn't carry on the essence - it wouldn't even be [[FridgeLogic a good plan]] to stir Bhaal's resurrection otherwise. All while having to acknowledge that the events of ''Murder in Baldur's Gate'' are canon, thus [[spoiler:Bhaal is already alive]] (and this is explicitly referenced in the game, so [[spoiler:all his essence already returned to him and there can't be more Bhaalspawn]]).

** When a Bhaalspawn dies, the body dissolves and the divine essence goes to fuel Bhaal's resurrection. This is showed by the cutscene when the protagonist dies, and the epilogue in bg1 after [[spoiler:Sarevok's death]], with both turning to dust. Comes ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' and we discover that [[spoiler:Imoen is a Bhaalspawn too]], despite she chould have died and been resurrected many times in the first game as any other normal character. Even more egregious is that the regular mechianics continues in bg2 anyway, even after [[spoiler:her soul was stolen]]. While you must reload if you die, because you can't be resurrected, she can undergo the process whenever you want.
*** This is even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in a banter in the expansion ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'', where it is established that the soul of a former Bhaalspawn can be resurrected through special means but would not carry anymore divine essence and be a normal mortal. [[spoiler:Imoen]] asks to [[spoiler:Sarevok]] how it feels to die, and he sarcastically answers that she should already know considering how weak he sees her, after which she acknowledges that her experience is a different thing as it is like simply seeing black and then suddenly awakening somewhere else (even if during your playthrough she never died at all!). She is still a Bhaalspawn that can die and be resurrected infinite times, anyway, until the epilogue when [[spoiler:she chooses to relinquish her divine essence]].
** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' established that at some point Imoen dual classed to a mage/thief, ignoring if you never dual classed her in first instance. Many players complained through the years the lack of choice in this, but after all bg2 was released in 2000, when transfer of savegame statuses was in its infancy (the fact you could export your protagonist was already seen as an incredible achievement back in the day). Then comes ''VideoGame/BaldursGateSiegeOfDragonspear" in 2016 which establishes that she decided to practice magic on her own with duke Jannah after Sarevok's death, and that's also the plot reason for why she can't follow you through the campaign. Unless you did indeed dual class her during bg1, even reaching the max level possible as a mage to sling powerful spells until the final battle... only to see the new campaign start with Imoen suddenly not being anymore available because she has to study magic otherwise she would only be a burden.
** ''Siege of Dragonspear'' also made you travel into [[spoiler:Avernus]] at some point, which makes all your travels in [[spoiler:Hell or the Abyss]] in bg2 not look as surprising and unprecedented as they are portrayed in the latter game.
** When the ''Murder in Baldur's Gate'' tabletop campaign was released, it totally ignored whichever epilogue the saga had. At the end of ''Throne of Bhaal'' the protagonist was the last carrier of Bhaal's essence left, and this is stated by a divine being who then asks you what you want to do: you could choose whether to [[spoiler:embrace all the divine essence and ascend to godhood, or relinquish your part and become a normal mortal while Bhaal's essence was to be sealed forever]]. The plot ignition of ''Murder in Baldur's Gate'' is that the original protagonist survived as a mortal, became duke of Baldur's Gate, and then was assaulted by Viekang, a surviving Bhaalspawn. However, both transform into the Slayer, until only one survives. The players must kill the remaining one, which triggers Bhaal's resurrection because all of his children [[XanathosGambit are now dead]] and so their essence fuels his return.
** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'' introduces [[spoiler:Orin, who is a Bhaalspawn, granddaughter of Sarevok and result of incest]] and the [[spoiler:Dark Urge, a possible origin for the player character, who is a Bhaalspawn too]]. This despite ''Throne of Bhaal'' showed at least one son of Bhaalspawn, possibly two if you [[spoiler:romanced Aerie]], but never hinting that children of Bhaalspawn could carry on the essence - if anything, implicitly assuming that they don't, as otherwise Bhaal's plan for his resurrection would never be successful. All while having to acknowledge that the events of ''Murder in Baldur's Gate'' are canon (and so [[spoiler:Bhaal is already alive, and this is explicitly referenced in the game, so all his essence already returned to him and there can't be more Bhaalspawn]]).

** ''Siege of Dragonspear'' also made you travel into [[spoiler:Avernus]] at some point, which makes all your travels in [[Spoiler:Hell or the Abyss]] in bg2 not look as surprising and unprecedented as they are portrayed in the latter game.
** When the ''Murder in Baldur's Gate'' tabletop campaign was released, it totally ignored whichever epilogue the saga had. At the end of ''Throne of Bhaal'' the protagonist was the last carrier of Bhaal's essence left, and this is stated by a divine being who then asks you what you want to do: you could choose whether to [[spoiler:embrace all the divine essence and ascend to godhood, or relinquish your part and become a normal mortal while Bhaal's essence was to be sealed forever]]. The plot ignition of ''Murder in Baldur's Gate'' is that the original protagonist survived as a mortal, became duke of Baldur's Gate, and then was assaulted by Viekang, a surviving Bhaalspawn. However, both transform into the Slayer, until only one survives. The players must kill the remaining one, which triggers Bhaal's resurrection because all of his children [[AccordingToPlan are now dead]] and so their essence fuels his return.

*** This is even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in a banter in the expansion ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'', where it is established that the soul of a former Bhaalspawn can be resurrected through special means but would not carry anymore divine essence and be a normal mortal. [[spoiler:Imoen]] asks to [[spoiler:Sarevok]] how it feels to die, and he sarcastically answers that she should already know considering how weak he sees her, after which she acknowledges that her experience is a different thing (even if during your playthrough she never died at all!). She is still a Bhaalspawn that can die and be resurrected infinite times, anyway, until the epilogue when [[spoiler:she chooses to relinquish her divine essence]].
** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' established that at some point Imoen dual classed to a mage/thief, ignoring if you never dual classed her in first instance. Many players complained through the years the lack of choice in this, but after all Bg2 was released in 2000, when transfer of savegame statuses was in its infancy (the fact you could export your protagonist was already seen as an incredible achievement back in the day). Then comes ''VideoGame/BaldursGateSiegeOfDragonspear" in 2016 which establishes that she decided to practice magic on her own with duke Jannah after Sarevok's death, and that's also the plot reason for why she can't follow you through the campaign. Unless you did indeed dual class her during bg1, even reaching the max level possible as a mage to sling powerful spells until the final battle... only to see the new campaign start with Imoen suddenly not being anymore available because she has to study magic otherwise she would only be a burden.

** When a Bhaalspawn dies, the body dissolves and the divine essence goes to fuel Bhaal's resurrection. This is showed by the cutscene when the protagonist dies, and the epilogue in Bg1 after [[spoiler:Sarevok's death]], with both turning to dust. Comes ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' and we discover that [[Spoiler:Imoen is a Bhaalspawn too]], despite she chould have died and been resurrected many times in the first game as any other normal character. Even more egregious is that the regular mechianics continues in Bg2 anyway, even after [[spoiler:her soul was stolen]]. While you must reload if you die, because you can't be resurrected, she can undergo the process whenever you want.
*** This is even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in a banter in the expansion ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'', where it is established that the soul of a former Bhaalspawn can be resurrected through special means but would not carry anymore divine essence and be a normal mortal. [[Spoiler:Imoen]] asks to [[Spoiler:Sarevok]] how it feels to die, and he sarcastically answers that she should already know considering how weak he sees her, after which she acknowledges that her experience is a different thing (even if during your playthrough she never died at all!). She is still a Bhaalspawn that can die and be resurrected infinite times, anyway, until the epilogue when [[spoiler:she chooses to relinquish her divine essence]].
** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' established that at some point Imoen dual classed to a mage/thief, ignoring if you never dual classed her in first instance. Many players complained through the years the lack of choice in this, but after all Bg2 was released in 2000, when transfer of savegame statuses was in its infancy (the fact you could export your protagonist was already seen as an incredible achievement back in the day). Then comes ''VideoGame/BaldursGateSiegeOfDragonspear" in 2016 which establishes that she decided to practice magic on her own with duke Jannah after Sarevok's death, and that's also the plot reason for why she can't follow you through the campaign. Unless you did indeed dual class her during Bg1, even reaching the max level possible as a mage to sling powerful spells until the final battle... only to see the new campaign start with Imoen suddenly not being anymore available because she has to study magic otherwise she would only be a burden.
** ''Siege of Dragonspear'' also made you travel into [[spoiler:Avernus]] at some point, which makes all your travels in [[Spoiler:Hell or the Abyss]] in Bg2 not look as surprising and unprecedented as they are portrayed in the latter game.

* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', when a Bhaalspawn dies, the body dissolves and the essence goes to refill the Throne of Bhaal. This is showed by the cutscene when the protagonist dies and the epilogue after Sarevok's death, with both turning to dust. Comes ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' and we discover that [[Spoiler:Imoen]] is a Bhaalspawn too, despite she chould have died and been resurrected many times in the first game as any other normal character. Even more egregious is that continues in Bg2 anyway, even after [[spoiler:her soul was stolen]]. While you must reload if you die, because apparently you can't be resurrected, she can undergo the process whenever you want. This is even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in a banter in the expansion ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'', where she ackwnoledges the thing (even if during your playthrough she never died at all!).

** ''[[VideoGameRemake Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]]'' can't seem to decide where they fall in the continuity. On the one hand, they're explicitly stated to take place before ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' (the latter of which is concurrent with ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2''), which would put them at the same time as [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire the originals]] (parallel to the Kanto games). However, there are a lot of {{Mythology Gag}}s to the original ''Ruby/Sapphire'', which explicitly point out a ten-year gap (such as an NPC mentioning how Pokémon Centers had a second floor 10 years ago). Some believe they imply a ContinuityReboot for the entire series, with the existence of Mega Evolution as the [[ForWantOfANail nail]].

*** The postgame segment also all but states that the remakes take place in an AlternateTimeline from the originals, and that the portal the scientists were planning to send the meteor through would have sent it to the universe containing the original games (which would not have had the means to deal with the meteor). The [[ForWantOfANail nail]] is not Mega Evolution itself, but [[spoiler:the firing of AZ's ultimate weapon--which ran on the "Infinity Energy" that induces Mega Evolution--three millennia prior to the events of ''X/Y'']].

* ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' created an interesting continuity snarl when it {{retcon}}ned the prison books of ''Myst'' and ''VideoGame/{{Riven}}'' into actual ages. That is, the books themselves were not intrinsically special or different from other linking books. ''VideoGame/MystIV'' goes into great detail as to what the Red and Blue ages (named Spire and Haven) are like. While this works for ''Myst'', it violates the events as they unfold in ''Riven''. To beat ''Riven'', you have to trap Ghen in a prison book. This book was presented as a special "one man prison" book, which is a very important plot point. Ghen's no fool; he isn't going to go into any random book some guy brings him. To ensure it's safe, he asks ''you'' to go through the book first. This works out in the end because it is a ''one man'' prison; when he comes through the book after you, you are freed and he is trapped. If that book were a regular linking book, you'd be trapped with a very pissed-off Ghen... who had the sense to bring a gun.
** [[WordOfGod The official version]] is that that the "[[DirectLineToTheAuthor real]]" Stranger talked his ([[FeaturelessProtagonist or her]]) way out of it, which the player [[HeroicMime can't really do]].
** It isn't the only retcon in the game's canon that poses problems for ''Myst''. When the official rules for linking books were more clearly established, they included the fact that sound doesn't travel through a linking panel. This means that the stranger couldn't have talked to Sirrus and Achenar, regardless of whether they were in prison books or prison ages, nor could he have talked to [[spoiler:Atrus through the linking book to D'ni at the end of Myst]]. This is compounded by the fact that Sirrus, Achenar and [[spoiler:Atrus]] definitely shouldn't have been able to see the Stranger, as although the linking panel lets you see an Age, you clearly can't see back through a linking panel even inside Myst ([[spoiler:including the D'ni book, since when you get to D'ni you can't see back into the library, so how did Atrus see the stranger?]]).

* Given the series' overarching reliance on strange conspiracies and convoluted plots, it's actually surprising how infrequently this trope pops up in ''Franchise/ResidentEvil''. But, there are a few areas where the continuity gets tangles...
** The biggest series-wide tangle is the precise details on what happened in Raccoon City; the game is visited in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'', and ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak'', and there are some details that arguably don't line up, although the one that everyone agrees on is a window that is unbroken in ''[=RE2=]'' but which ''should'' be broken, given that Nemesis leaps through it in ''[=RE3=]''.
** The ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles Chronicles]]'' [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheDarksideChronicles games]] are rather bad about this, adding new events and filling in holes in the established canon (most notably between ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica Code: Veronica]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 RE4]]''), while at the same time also contradicting quite a bit of it. Really, figuring out the true continuity of ''Resident Evil'' is only slightly easier than ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''. This is, however, debated, since there are fans who argue that the "retellings" chapters aren't intended to be canon, whilst the ''Chronicles''-unique stories don't actually contradict anything. UnreliableNarrator and UnreliableExpositor might also be in play, particularly with ''The Darkside Chronicles''[='=] FramingDevice of Leon recounting events he could have only learned secondhand (like Claire's experiences on Rockfort Island).

** Surprisingly averted in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2''; though the game has two completely separate stories in it, the ContinuitySnarl was avoided by the simple expedient of subsequent games invoking elements that only come from one story. Namely, Sherry Birkin's infection with the G-Virus, which only happens in the Claire A/Leon B story. Arguably, the trope is featured in a downplayed format, in that some puzzles that a character solves in their A scenario will appear in the other's B scenario, which is supposed to be happening concurrently.
** In contrast to the original, the 2019 ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake'' has become infamous for its continuity snarls, which result in a wide array of {{Adaptation Induced Plot Hole}}s. Whereas each linked A/B scenario pairing in the 1998 original game produced a distinct story, the Leon and Claire campaigns in the 2019 remake are virtually identical -- worse, the story of each character remains fundamentally unchanged, barring the removal of the interactions with Marvin, in the 2nd Run game mode. Which is supposed to display the "what the other character was doing when you didn't see them" tale, just like the B scenarios in the original game. This results in the character who is supposed to come along chronologically afterwards having to solve the exact same puzzles and having the exact same boss fights as the character who chronologically came along first. Specific problems:

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard'' has its main story and documents found at various parts of the game explain that the infection that turned the Bakers into insane monsters takes time to do so (with Marguerite Baker, in particular, resisting the infection long enough to grow concerned about it, get an MRI, and recieve its results). Then the ''Daughters'' DLC released, and showed the Bakers transforming into these insane monsters the very same night they were infected.

** ''VideoGame/TheSims4'' pulls an outright {{Retcon}} on the backstory of the Caliente sisters, turning their mother from Nighat Caliente, who died when they were children, to Katrina Caliente, who is raising them as a single mother. Additionally, the devs have stated that [[TheCasanova Don Lothario]] has a crush on Katrina Caliente, which means that between games he became older than the Caliente sisters, who were exactly his age in ''The Sims 2''.[[note]]Of course, ''The Sims 4'' takes place in an [[ContinuityReboot entirely different universe]] than the other three games, so it's more forgivable in this case.[[/note]]

*** In ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Rush|Series}}'', Blaze is from an alternate dimension. In ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic '06]]'' she's found in the future with no explanation. And the events of ''Sonic '06'' were erased from the timeline in that game's ending, making things more confusing. Additionally, due to that fact she was apparently from the future, she could be REAL version of Blaze, who isn't born until later. The other one DID come from an alternate universe...

*** And ''then'' there is ''[[VideoGame/SonicGenerations Generations]]''. Blaze is first seen at Sonic's birthday party interacting with Cream and her in-game character profile notes that she's from another dimension, indicating that this is the same Blaze from ''Rush''. As a ContinuityNod ([[ResetButton of sorts]]) to ''[='06=]'', Blaze is found in Crisis City. Here's where things get wonky. After Sonic completes the Crisis City Act 2 mission "Blaze: Piercing the Flames," Blaze will remark, "I never thought I'd find myself in Crisis City again," bringing up the question of ''how'' exactly Blaze knew of a place that existed in a timeline that was ''erased from history''.
*** Additionally, both Silver and Eggman Nega (characters with prominent ties to Blaze, but connected to her by different games) are drawn into this snarl as well, as the two appear in the ''[[VideoGame/SonicRivals Rivals]]'' series -- ''sans'' Blaze. Here, Silver is still from the future, but Nega (established in ''Rush'' as Eggman's [[AlternateSelf parallel self]] from the same dimension Blaze is from) is now a ''descendant'' of Eggman, embittered by how Eggman's failures have tarnished the family name in the future and is now an ''enemy'' of Eggman instead of working with him. Later on, Nega would reappear in ''Rush Adventure'' and ''Rivals 2'', each game continuing the conflicting backstories of his appearances in the first ''Rush'' and ''Rivals''. It's implied that, due to ''[='06=]'' slamming down on the ResetButton until it ''cracked'', Silver now hails from the ''Rivals'' future and Blaze is from ''Rush'' (with no official word on Nega with his lack of appearances since), but Silver is still the Rival Battle for the Modern era of ''Generations'' (which takes place in Crisis City, no less) and [[spoiler:the ending of ''Generations'' has him and Blaze briefly chatting it up before everyone says their goodbyes to Classic Sonic and Tails]].

** In ''VideoGame/SonicForces,'' Tails instantly recognizes Classic Sonic as an alternate universe counterpart to Modern Sonic, rather than explicitly being his time displaced younger self like ''Generations'' portrayed him as. This is due to [[DubInducedPlotHole a mistranslation]] involving the Japanese word ''sekai'' which means the world and Classic Sonic is supposed to be from another time period as was the case from the beginning in ''Generations''.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManXCommandMission'' is set in 22XX, which is the {{Fanon}} assumption for when the ''Zero'' series takes place. Bosses regularly refer to Zero [[UnderestimatingBadassery "Century-Old Junk"]] (literally, not figuratively), and given how the ''X'' series takes place in 21XX, things don't fit, especially considering the time needed for the Elf Wars and such. This discrepancy is explained away by two facts: ''Command Mission'' is a non-canon GaidenGame and ''Zero'' is given no exact date in-series, with WordOfGod merely stating that it takes place a century after [[GreatOffscreenWar the Elf Wars]] (which in turn are set sometime after the currently LeftHanging ''X'' titles). Of course, with ''Command Mission'' releasing after both ''VideoGame/MegaManX7'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManZero1'' but before ''VideoGame/MegaManX8'', this raised ''a lot'' of questions, especially when it came to [[spoiler:what exactly happens to Axl given his SequelHook-inducing injury at the end of ''X8'', his apparent healthiness in ''Command Mission'', and his status as a SequelNonEntity throughout the entirety of ''Zero'']]. The snarl only worsened with ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZX Mega Man ZX Advent]]'', wherein [[spoiler:Model A is clearly based on Axl in the vein of the other [[SoulJar Biometals]] yet isn't actually "Model Axl" -- it's Model ''[[BigBad Albert]]'']].

* ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'': Demons are... Drastically different between ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' and ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'', and ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld'' does not help matters despite being an attempt at reconciling any inconsistencies between the two games but managed to bungle this point further. The game flat out stating demons are allergic to mana... Despite the presence of several demonic spirits in ''Phantasia'', which are ''made'' of mana as a rule. Demons are also neutral at worst in Phantasia, willing to help save the world provided they are approached with the right pact ring like any other spirit, whereas in both Symphonia games they are implied to be an AlwaysChaoticEvil race.

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'': The PC-98 games ''mostly'' seem to have been stricken from canon, but occasionally there'll be a reference to them, leading to headache-inducing attempts by fans to reconcile them with the Windows games. And the setting as described in the first few Windows games doesn't really match later what'd later get nailed down in ''[[AllThereInTheManual Perfect Memento in Strict Sense]]''... which would cause problems itself when the things it covered that weren't in existing games would turn out different when they actually appear.

* ''Compilation of VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'': The Nibelheim incident. The original game alone provides about three different versions of the event because of the people involved [[spoiler:(Cloud's memories are messed up, Sephiroth deliberately manipulates him and Tifa doesn't know all the details)]]. While at some point we ''do'' get what seems to be what actually happened, when the other parts compilation retell the events each version is different and multiple details don't match up. For example, in ''[[Anime/LastOrderFinalFantasyVII Last Order]]'' [[spoiler:Sephiroth deliberately jumped into the Mako shaft]], while every other version has [[spoiler:him thrown into it by Cloud]]. Also, ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' has Genesis present during the events, something that doesn't happen in any other version.

** Even out of its relation to [=WoW=], Hearthstone can't avoid this. In the ''Galakrond's Awakening'' adventure, players play through separate good and evil campaigns that have a linear story until the last chapter, which has split good and evil endings. That is except for the third chapter's airship battles. The evil campaign has Captain Eudora defeat the Explorer's ship The Wanderer, then Rafaam sends her to distract the Dragonflights so he can complete the ritual to summon Galakrond. In both endings, he successfully performs the ritual, so this definitely happened. However, in the Explorer's campaign, the Wanderer ''wins'' against Eudora and the League of Explorers makes it to Dalaran to intercept Rafaam. This also definitely happens since they face off in both continuities. The answer is a big shrug.
* ''VideoGame/JakIIRenegade'' establishes that Baron Praxis's rule has been going on for a while - Ashelin mentions looking down from the palace and dreaming of a better way when she was a little girl, and since she's in her early twenties at the time, which indicates that Praxis's dystopia lasted at least fifteen years. The heir to the throne, aged somewhere between five and seven, had presumably been raised in secret. Makes sense? No, because ''VideoGame/Jak3'' establishes that the city's rightful ruler, Damas, was overthrown by Praxis after his son, the heir, had been born, instantly shaving a decade off Praxis's actual rule and making Ashelin's definition of "little girl" look very questionable.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' suffers immensely from this. In [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI the very first game]], Riku tells Sora that there can't be two Keyblade Masters and takes the Keyblade from him. The letter that King Mickey sends to Donald and Goofy also implies that Sora is THE Keyblade Master by telling them to find the one person with the key, but what happens at the end? We see [[spoiler:King Mickey]] with a Keyblade of his own just like Sora's. It doesn't help that while possessed, Riku wields another type of Keyblade and that [[UniquenessDecay now virtually everyone in the series has one]]. One could easily say that he just made a mistake, but that isn't even hinted to be the case.

* Even Nintendo has joked about ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' continuity being a bit confusing. Until the franchise's 25th anniversary, we didn't even ''know'' the official timeline, with fans having spent years debating over how everything fits together outside the explicit sequels. ''Literature/HyruleHistoria'' cleared everything up by confirming a fan theory that the timeline split in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'', but also admitted that the final version still plays things a bit fast and loose, and noted that it's subject to change if anyone comes up with a better theory; this indeed happened a few years later, with ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening Link's Awakening]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames the Oracle games]]'' switching spots.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' is the most confusing example yet, as it was seemingly designed to be impossible to give an exact placement on the timeline, due to having countless elements and plot details that originate from all three timelines. The only thing that could be said for certain is that it takes place in the distant future of the series; but when it comes to ''which'' timeline it's in (or even the possibility of a MergedReality of all three), the developers have only given a ShrugOfGod and said that they prefer for the players to decide for themselves. The sequel ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'' establishes [[spoiler:a new Ganondorf and a different origin for the Kingdom of Hyrule with the inclusion of the Zonai (and a few borrowed plot points from both ''A Link to the Past'' and ''Ocarina of Time''), suggesting that [[SoftReboot it's a unique timeline altogether]]]].

* ''Franchise/MegaMan'' has a real weird timeline. ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' was supposed to end after ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'', but didn't, leaving a complicated mess of the continuity of its series.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManXCommandMission'' takes place during 22XX, which is when the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series does. Bosses regularly refer to Zero [[UnderestimatingBadassery "Century-Old Junk"]] (literally, not figuratively), and given how the ''X'' series takes place in 21XX, things don't fit, especially considering the time needed for the Elf Wars and such.
*** This discrepancy is explained away by two facts: ''Command Mission'' is a non-canon GaidenGame and ''Zero'' is [[{{Fanon}} commonly assumed by fans]] to occur in 22XX but is actually given no exact date in-series. It's only said that it takes place a century after the Elf Wars, which in turn are set sometime after the currently LeftHanging ''X'' titles.

** There are more straight examples of snarls in the actual story, mostly the result of the lead writer shift after ''[=MK4=]''. The two which stand out the most are Scorpion's oath to protect Sub-Zero (started in his ''MKII'' ending, supported in the official comic and ''[=UMK3=]'' ending, then ignored completely in ''[=MK4=]'', with following games being ambiguous about the whole ordeal, or portraying him as an AxCrazy [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge revenge-seeker]]), and Kintaro's fate after ''MKII'' (with 3 different sources, all of the debatable canonicity, stating different and contradicting fates for the Shokan).
** Another big snarl is that at the end of ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatII MKII]]'', Shao Kahn is KilledOffForReal, but in ''3'' [[UnexplainedRecovery he returns alive]] and well to take over the world.

** ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' directly contradicts ''Persona 3'' and ''Persona 4'' with the characters' choices of Personas. All of the ''Persona 4'' characters are stuck with their Initial Personas, despite the game referencing Chie and Yosuke’s completed Social Links (meaning they should have their Ultimate Personas instead), and too little time has passed for them to have regressed. Teddie is the most glaring example as his Star Social Link is one of three that levels up automatically in ''Persona 4'' and must be completed in order to reach the True Ending (which ''Arena'' explicitly follows). Also, Aigis has Pallas Athena, although in ''P3''[='s=] "The Answer" [[spoiler:Aigis inherits the ''P3'' protagonist's Wild Card and Pallas Athena is changed into Orpheus. "The Answer" is canon because Erebus appears in Elizabeth's story and Aigis is stated to possesses the Wild Card.]].

** In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'', the official canon is that both of the protagonists, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, and both of the secondary characters, Barry Burton and Rebecca Chambers, survived the events of the Arklay Mansion. There are just two problems. The first is that nobody knows just which character was actually exploring the mansion; the game itself (at least in its 2002 remake) tries to alleviate the problem somewhat by claiming that only one protagonist was exploring the mansion, and the other spent the time imprisoned in the final hidden lab. Which then becomes problematic because there's no official word as to which protagonist was free and which was imprisoned. The second problem is that the player only encounters one secondary character in-game, depending on their chosen protagonist. So that leaves players struggling to figure out how the Arklay Mansion incident really "went down" to explain how [[MergingTheBranches all four characters survived]].

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': The Blaze/Silver/Eggman Nega issue. In ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Rush|Series}}'', Blaze is from an alternate dimension. In ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic '06]]'' she's found in the future with no explanation. And the events of ''Sonic '06'' were erased from the timeline in that game's ending, making things more confusing. Additionally, due to that fact she was apparently from the future, she could be REAL version of Blaze, who isn't born until later. The other one DID come from an alternate universe...
** Later on, in the DS version of ''[[VideoGame/SonicColors Colors]]'' (which may or may not be canon), Blaze appears alongside Silver during the third mission on Sweet Mountain and, should the player receive an S rank in their side mission, after a battle with [[BumblingHenchmenDuo Orbot and Cubot]] Silver claims to have felt like they'd fought together before, a nod to ''[='06=]'' Blaze (who was Silver's best friend). Tails comments that perhaps they had been partners somewhere, some time.
** And ''then'' there is ''[[VideoGame/SonicGenerations Generations]]''. Blaze is first seen at Sonic's birthday party interacting with Cream and her in-game character profile notes that she's from another dimension, indicating that this is the same Blaze from ''Rush''. As a ContinuityNod ([[ResetButton of sorts]]) to ''[='06=]'', Blaze is found in Crisis City. Here's where things get wonky. After Sonic completes the Crisis City Act 2 mission "Blaze: Piercing the Flames," Blaze will remark, "I never thought I'd find myself in Crisis City again," bringing up the question of ''how'' exactly Blaze knew of a place that existed in a timeline that was ''erased from history''.
** Additionally, both Silver and Eggman Nega (characters with prominent ties to Blaze, but connected to her by different games) are drawn into this snarl as well, as the two appear in the ''Rivals'' series -- ''sans'' Blaze. Here, Silver is still from the future, but Nega (established in ''Rush'' as Eggman's parallel self from the same dimension Blaze is from) is now a ''descendant'' of Eggman, embittered by how Eggman's failures have tarnished the family name in the future and is now an ''enemy'' of Eggman instead of working with him. Later on, Nega reappears in ''Rush Adventure'' and ''Rivals 2'' with the conflicting backstories of his appearances between ''Rush'' and ''Rivals''. It's implied that, due to ''[='06=]'' slamming down on the ResetButton until it ''cracked'', Silver now hails from the ''Rivals'' future and Blaze is from ''Rush'' (with no official word on Nega with his lack of appearances since), but Silver is still the Rival Battle for the Modern era of ''Generations'' (which takes place in Crisis City, no less) and [[spoiler:the ending of ''Generations'' has him and Blaze briefly chatting it up before everyone says their goodbyes to Classic Sonic and Tails]].
** The confusion was finally cleared up in 2012, with Takashi Iizuka stating that Blaze is from an alternate dimension, while Silver and Eggman Nega are from the future. Her Sonic Channel profile also states that the Sol Emeralds can take her across time and space, apparently explaining how and why she was in the future.
** In ''VideoGame/SonicForces,'' Tails instantly recognizes Classic Sonic as an alternate universe counterpart to Modern Sonic, rather than explicitly being his time displaced younger self like ''Generations'' portrayed him as. This is due to a mistranslation involving the Japanese word ''sekai'' which means the world and Classic Sonic is supposed to be from another time period as was the case from the beginning in Sonic Generations..

** Most notably, even though Bishop in the third film is aware that there was a facehugger onboard the ''Sulaco'' (due to being connected with the ship's flight recorder beforehand), he is unaware that another ship (the USS ''Legato'') docked with the ''Sulaco'', that [[spoiler:Corporal Hicks]] was woken from cryosleep or that the pods were ejected due to a firefight in the hypersleep chamber.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' is the most confusing example yet, as it was seemingly designed to be impossible to give an exact placement on the timeline, due to having countless elements and plot details that originate from all three timelines. The only thing that could be said for certain is that it takes place in the distant future of the series; but when it comes to ''which'' timeline it's in (or even the possibility of a MergedReality of all three), the developers have only given a ShrugOfGod and said that they prefer for the players to decide for themselves.

** Whether or not ''Persona 5's'' rerelease ''Royal'' and ''VideoGame/Persona5Strikers'' contradict each other is a major source of contention among fans. ''Strikers'' is a sequel to the plot of ''Persona 5'' and started development before ''Royal'' (but was ultimately released after it,) so the characters of Kasumi[[spoiler:/Sumire]] and [[spoiler:Goro Akechi (because he is only suggested to have survived in the re-release)]] do not appear and are not referred to at all. Some fans believe this means that ''Strikers'' is a sequel to the original only and so ''Royal'' is not canon...except for the fact that ''Strikers'' briefly mentions [[spoiler: the group entering a palace in the month of February]], something that only happened in ''Royal.'' This could be continuity nod towards ''Royal'', a mistake, or too vague to even worry about. Until Atlus releases another followup clarifying the issue the continuity of all three ''Persona 5'' games is slightly unclear.

** ''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee'' is an odd one as their remakes of ''Pokémon Yellow'' but instead of Red and Blue appearing as the player character and rival, they're separate characters that are already accomplished Trainers, meaning that they've gone through Kanto without encountering Team Rocket. [[spoiler:And Green/Leaf finally makes her appearance in a game as a full-fledged character as opposed to a (non-canon) player character [[SchrodingersPlayerCharacter selectable]] only in ''[=FireRed/LeafGreen=]''.]] There's also an appearance by Mina from ''Sun and Moon'', but she appears to be about 13 to 15 according to an official character artwork, meaning that the ''Let's Go'' games take place only 3 or 4 years before ''Sun and Moon''/''Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon''. [[note]]Mina is a Trial Captain in the later games, but they are forced to retire when they turn 20.[[/note]]

** The after-mentioned also applies to a Warden who romances Zevran, as they left to reunite with him in Antiva and join him in his personal war against the Antivan Crows, taking them to places far outside of Ferelden. It is very unlikely the Warden would have had the time or means to be leading an organization in another country.

*** The postgame features a different side story: Episode Rainbow Rocket. [[spoiler:Using Ultra Wormholes, Team Rainbow Rocket is comprised of all the Team Leaders from the past main games who come from universes where they won, all led by Giovanni. This includes Maxie and Archie, who have their original ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' designs as opposed to the "Mega Timeline" versions. In addition, Archie has his =[ORAS]= personality and manner of speech.]]

* ''VideoGame/JakIIRenegade'' establishes that Baron Praxis's rule has been going on for a while - Ashelin mentions looking down from the palace and dreaming of a better way when she was a little girl, and since she's in her early twenties at the time, which indicates that Praxis's dystopia lasted at least fifteen years. The heir to the throne, aged somewhere between five and seven, had presumably been raised in secret. Makes sense? No, because ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'' establishes that the city's rightful ruler, Damas, was overthrown by Praxis after his son, the heir, had been born, instantly shaving a decade off Praxis's actual rule and making Ashelin's definition of "little girl" look very questionable.

*** The postgame features a different side story: Episode Rainbow Rocket. [[spoiler:Using Ultra Wormholes, Team Rainbow Rocket is comprised of all the Team Leaders from the past main games who come from universes where they won, all led by Giovanni. This includes Maxie and Archie, who have their original ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' designs as opposed to the "Mega Timeline" versions.]]

** In ''VideoGame/SonicForces,'' Tails instantly recognizes Classic Sonic as an alternate universe counterpart to Modern Sonic, rather than explicitly being his time displaced younger self like ''Generations'' portrayed him as.

** ''VideoGame/TheSims4'' pulls an outright {{Retcon}} on the backstory of the Caliente sisters, turning their mother from Nighat Caliente, who died when they were children, to Katrina Caliente, who is raising them as a single mother. Additionally, the devs have stated that [[TheCasanova Don Lothario]] has a crush on Katrina Caliente, which means that between games he became older than the Caliente sisters, who were exactly his age in ''The Sims 2''.

* ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'':
** ''VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon'': In the manual, it's stated that dragons are an AlwaysMale OneGenderRace; new eggs are brought to the dragon realms by fairies once every twelve years, in what is called the [[TitleDrop "Year of the Dragon"]], but where the fairies get these eggs is never explained. The problem is two-fold. Firstly, in the game, many of the hatchling baby dragons are confirmed to be female by either their name, TertiarySexualCharacteristics, or both. Secondly, in the opening cutscenes, Zoe the fairy explains that Spyro has to be the one to rescue the eggs because ''the eggs are too heavy for the fairies to carry''.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'': The first game, ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyroANewBeginning'', opens with a cutscene referring to the Year of the Dragon, implicitly in the manner it was depicted in the original ''Spyro: Year of the Dragon'' manual... but there are multiple female dragons in the entire trilogy, starting from ''A New Beginning'' -- in fact, ''A New Beginning'' is the first game in the entire ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'' series to depict female adult dragons!

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'': the first game, ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyroANewBeginning'', opens with a cutscene referring to the Year of the Dragon, implicitly in the manner it was depicted in the original ''Spyro: Year of the Dragon'' manual... but there are multiple female dragons in the entire trilogy, starting from ''A New Beginning'' -- in fact, ''A New Beginning'' is the first game in the entire ''Franchise/{{Spyro}}'' series to depict female adult dragons!

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': The Blaze/Silver/Eggman Nega issue. In ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Rush|Series}}'', Blaze is from an alternate dimension. In ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic '06]]'' she is from the future. And the events of ''Sonic '06'' were erased from the timeline in that game's ending, making things more confusing. Additionally, due to that fact she was from the future, she could be REAL version of Blaze, who isn't born until later. The other one DID come from an alternate universe...

** The confusion was finally cleared up in 2012, with Takashi Iizuka stating that Blaze is from an alternate dimension, while Silver and Eggman Nega are from the future.

* The ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series has its share of them
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' can't make up its mind on who its protagonist is. In the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Famicom]] original, the main protagonists were [[FeaturelessProtagonist four nameless Onion Kids with simple personalities and no individual identities]]. The UseFulNotes/NintendoDS remake rebooted them into four distinct characters with different backgrounds: Two village boys named Luneth and Arc, a blacksmith's daughter named Refia, and a knight named Ingus. However, in the cross-franchise fighting game ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'', the representative for ''III'', much like the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI Warrior of Light]], was a single [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Onion Knight]] who looked and acted little like the remake characters. Ever since then, adaptations of III tend to use the remake cast while spinoffs (particularly those related to ''Dissidia'') prefer using just Onion Knight and, aside from Onion Knight having costumes that make him resemble two of the heroes, the only interactions both protagonists have with each other are a few rare throwaway lines and a Soul Break animation in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyRecordKeeper''
** The Nibelheim incident in the ''Compilation of VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. The original game alone provides about three different versions of the event because of the people involved [[spoiler:(Cloud's memories are messed up, Sephiroth deliberately manipulates him and Tifa doesn't know all the details)]]. While at some point we ''do'' get what seems to be what actually happened, when the other parts compilation retell the events each version is different and multiple details don't match up. For example, in ''[[Anime/LastOrderFinalFantasyVII Last Order]]'' [[spoiler:Sephiroth deliberately jumped into the Mako shaft]], while every other version has [[spoiler:him thrown into it by Cloud]]. Also, ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' has Genesis present during the events, something that doesn't happen in any other version.

*** ''Persona 2'' also has a plot point of Persona users being able to easily identify other Persona users from an aura they emit. No such thing is mentioned in later games, as they would have made it trival for the characters to uncover their respective games' antagonists.
** ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' directly contradicts ''Persona 3'' and ''Persona 4'' with the characters' choices of Personas. All of the ''Persona 4'' characters are stuck with their Initial Personas, despite the game referencing Chie and Yosuke’s completed Social Links (meaning they should have their Ultimate Personas instead), and too little time has passed for them to have regressed. Teddie is the most glaring example as his Star Social Link is one of three that levels up automatically in ''Persona 4'' and must be completed in order to reach the True Ending (which ''Arena'' explicitly follows). Even more confusing is Aigis, who has Pallas Athena even though in ''P3''[='s=] "The Answer" [[spoiler:Aigis inherits the ''P3'' protagonist's Wild Card and Pallas Athena is changed into Orpheus. "The Answer" is clearly canon because Erebus appears in Elizabeth's story and Aigis is stated to possesses the Wild Card. It is unlikely that Aigis was able to re-fuse Pallas Athena since Igor tells Aigis that she has the access to the same number of Personas through the Wild Card as her predecessor did]].

* ''VideoGame/Ratchet&ClankFutureToolsOfDestruction'' introduced the idea that Ratchet's race, Lombaxes, were functionally extinct, and Ratchet was the LastOfHisKind. Many fans pointed out that this didn't make sense, because ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando'' had seemingly featured a different Lombax, Angela, without any implication that she and Ratchet were the last of their species. ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime'' attempted to patch this by having a pair of radio announcers acknowledge that Angela exists and is indeed a Lombax. However, one of the main reasons given in ''Tools'' to prove Ratchet was the last one was that he'd never seen another one, a claim he didn't contest. Prior to this, one could maybe assume that this meant the ''Future'' trilogy was a SoftReboot and Angela didn't actually exist in its continuity, but now she does, so the whole thing no longer works. Even worse, ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankRiftApart'' shows a female Lombax, Rivet, that is much smaller than Angela and sports a tail, something the radio broadcast specifically mentioned as an indicator of male versus female Lombaxes. Fans have given up trying to find a solution that makes sense at this point.