Niche communities full of useful info. The subreddit for a game I'm playing rn was the one of the largest sources of information for the game, and now the subreddit is privated and all that info is inaccessible
I think the story is standalone enough that you don't need to play them, but I actually think the first 2 games are kinda underrated bangers. Super janky and weird but if you can learn to appreciate them for what they are there's a lot to enjoy
My favourite fromsoft game! Struggled a ton my first playthrough but once it clicks it clicks forever. I came back to do another playthrough a couple years later and I never forgot the parry timings, was able to take down every boss in only a couple tries
I did the exact same thing with my password at work