Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-7218168-20140902024919/@comment-1504072-20140902093837

Release date order all the way. Prequels may be set earlier chronologically, but they almost always build off the stories and characters presented in the previously released games. The development of the gameplay and graphics as the series progresses is also easier to adjust to if playing in release date order.

I would liken it to the Star Wars movies; watch the original trilogy first, then the prequel trilogy (if at all, lol).