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Caros posted:Uhhh... this might be a let me believe edit: Also yes, that is 
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Dec 20, 2017 04:51
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SirSamVimes posted:let me believe Oh good. I was worried you'd only played this one and not the original. 
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Dec 20, 2017 04:54
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Caros posted:Oh good. I was worried you'd only played this one and not the original. Though come to think of it, would there be much of a problem with someone playing this before playing the original? The only real spoiler I can think of is the ending teaser but that really only tells us a little more information than we got at the end of LiS Episode 1. Speaking of the original, the scene where they find her in Episode 4 is probably going to hit even harder now that we actually got to know Rachel personally (and as an aside, Kylie Brown did a fantastic job portraying her to the point where I almost hope they find some excuse to bring her back again one day).
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Dec 20, 2017 05:02
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I think that final ending would have been really cool if it was done without us having played the original series yet. Mysterious, threatening but not a blatant “you are going to feel bad now” moment that wa really heavy handed while the ending up to that point was subtly bittersweet. Edit: also heavy handed since that wouldn’t have even been possible (no phone signal there)
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Dec 20, 2017 05:04
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Larryb posted:Though come to think of it, would there be much of a problem with someone playing this before playing the original? The only real spoiler I can think of is the ending teaser but that really only tells us a little more information than we got at the end of LiS Episode 1. It gives away a little bit of extra info. I can't remember when they show off the photo binders in episode one, but this plus the fact that she is missing in episode one pretty much guarantees a murder (Though the narritive hits that heavily anyways) and tells us that whoever murdered her was taking photos of her before she died, which might lead people to suspect Jefferson sooner rather than later. Not a big change, but it is there
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Dec 20, 2017 05:08
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I have one more question about the stats at the end. I did the tabletop game in the hospital but it says I didn’t AND that 0% of people did it. Are they talking about something else or is that bugged?
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Dec 20, 2017 05:10
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rio posted:I have one more question about the stats at the end. I did the tabletop game in the hospital but it says I didn’t AND that 0% of people did it. Are they talking about something else or is that bugged? As I did it personally and I've seen footage of it online I'm guessing it's just a bug.
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Dec 20, 2017 05:34
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I shouldn't be this attached to fictional characters but OH WELL
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Dec 20, 2017 05:48
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Torgo2727 posted:I shouldn't be this attached to fictional characters but OH WELL Yeah, while I look forward to seeing what's in store for us in LiS 2 (which I'm hoping we'll get our first look at once E3 rolls around), I will miss these characters and would like to take another visit to Arcadia Bay one day in the future. By the way, what's the name of the song that played during the ending? Larryb fucked around with this message at 05:57 on Dec 20, 2017 |
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Dec 20, 2017 05:55
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Not done yet, but this episode seems kind of... kind of bad?
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Dec 20, 2017 06:08
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Just finished the episode. Again , tremendous props to Deck 9 blowing away my expectations and doing the series justice. LiS and BTS deserve to be up there among the best adventure games made. Also, that stinger. Man, I thought the original game was cruel with how it ended, but this... Hah. Hahaha. HAhaHAhaHahAhA 
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Dec 20, 2017 06:09
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Paul Zuvella posted:Not done yet, but this episode seems kind of... I thought it was probably the weakest of the three, but still good.
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Dec 20, 2017 06:13
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PunkBoy posted:Just finished the episode. Again , tremendous props to Deck 9 blowing away my expectations and doing the series justice. LiS and BTS deserve to be up there among the best adventure games made. The stinger brought up a lot of feelings that I thought I had buried and forgotten but nope. Thanks, video game. Paul Zuvella posted:Not done yet, but this episode seems kind of... Yeah, well, you know. That's just like, uh, your opinion, man. Torgo2727 fucked around with this message at 06:20 on Dec 20, 2017 |
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Dec 20, 2017 06:15
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PunkBoy posted:Just finished the episode. Again , tremendous props to Deck 9 blowing away my expectations and doing the series justice. LiS and BTS deserve to be up there among the best adventure games made. Yeah, if you played the original you already know this isn't going to end well so why twist the knife like that? Just let the poor girls be happy for a time. Though would it really have been much better if the game had ended on a shot of LiS era Chloe entering the bathroom or something? While I'll agree this was probably the weakest of the three episodes (no real resolution to the fire, Damon being taken care of off screen, choices you made in earlier episodes locking you out of certain scenes that you would have no way of knowing about at the time, etc.) I still liked it well enough and thought it was a bit better handled overall than the finale of the first game was. Larryb fucked around with this message at 06:24 on Dec 20, 2017 |
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Dec 20, 2017 06:20
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 EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS WHOLE SITUATION IS A TERRIBLE IDEA. edit: LIKE THAT'S CLEARLY A WOODEN BASKET
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Dec 20, 2017 06:22
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I didn't feel like it was weaker than the other episodes. Then again, the subject matter brought up in here is very personal and relevant to me, so I guess I'm extra invested in it. Still think it's fair to say that it was still very good overall. I will admit the house break in did stretch the level of plausibility, but it wasn't a dealbreaker for me. The confrontation with Eliot was good, but I do wish his part was more expanded. EDIT: Well, time to try to go to sleep and end up just staring at the ceiling and thinking about this game. PunkBoy fucked around with this message at 06:32 on Dec 20, 2017 |
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Dec 20, 2017 06:22
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I want to like. Go back and apologize for ever being mean to Warren because gently caress Eliot edit: BOTH of these choices are terrible WHAT THE HELL edit: Oh hell yeah get hosed Eliot Macaluso fucked around with this message at 06:45 on Dec 20, 2017 |
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Dec 20, 2017 06:37
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Paul Zuvella posted:Not done yet, but this episode seems kind of... Aaaaaand credits. It wrapped up a little better, but there are just so many things in this episode that are head scratching. How does frank get away with murdering a person under active investigation by the DA? How does Chloe break into the DAs house and burn evidence without going to jail How do Rachel's parents not know their house has been broken into when they are at the hospital at the end of the game? Why is Rachel Amber's family not shamed and forced to sell their giant mansion after their family is shamed for the DA being a corrupt piece of poo poo that literally tried to murder someone How does Sera not die after being injected with a huge dose of Heroin after being clean for a year? The Elliot stuff just seemed completely boggled from beginning to end in all 3 episodes, to be honest. The game just tried to set way too many things up in the first 3 episodes and like I guess it technically resolved them all but none of them feel particularly well wrapped up. I get Heroin sucks and addiction is rough but are we really supposed to buy that Sera goes right from being gung ho about meeting her daughter to completely abandoning her year long quest to meeting her daughter after one go? I feel like the game tried to hard to have a boogy man like Jefferson and forced Merrick in to fill that role. It takes away from the actual bad guy (Rachel's dad) and makes the central crux of the story (Meeting rachel's mom) way weaker. Lol holy gently caress that end of credits stinger is loving brutal Paul Zuvella fucked around with this message at 06:54 on Dec 20, 2017 |
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Dec 20, 2017 06:44
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Paul Zuvella posted:Aaaaaand credits. It wrapped up a little better, but there are just so many things in this episode that are head scratching. Also seeming to be completely sober while sitting at the table after somehow being freed from her restraints I enjoyed it but I think that is because of the merits of the original game and not because this was particularly good by itself. Or perhaps it was good but the original game was so good that this did not seem to meet up to my expectations.
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Dec 20, 2017 06:48
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rio posted:Also seeming to be completely sober while sitting at the table after somehow being freed from her restraints That bit was so bizarre that I thought it had to have been another dream and was flabbergasted when it turned out not to be.
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Dec 20, 2017 06:50
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Quoting this from the Reddit for those upset about the lack of a certain resolution:quote:There is an internal variable CONVINCESERA in the game. It has to be at least at five to make Sera see her daughter. If true, I'm a little pissed.
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Dec 20, 2017 06:53
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WAIT YOU CAN PLAY D&D AGAIN WHAT THE gently caress. I TALKED TO STEPH AND SHE SAID ONE THROWAWAY LINE AND THAT WAS IT
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Dec 20, 2017 06:58
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Does the upcoming bonus episode only come with the Deluxe edition? It's not listed under the features of the regular version but I had been under the impression all the players were getting it.
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Dec 20, 2017 06:58
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I just feel like this episode didn't have a moment. Like Episode 1 had D&D , Episode 2 had The Play. I guess this episodes moment was supposed to be Elliot? But that was so awkward and weird and didnt really have an impact other than the initial shock of Elliot being a full on nice guy and that bungled 911 call Ultimately I just think the first game had way more to say. The time rewind mechanic worked into the themes of the game, where you eventually come to realize that you can never be perfect and fix everything, even if you have magical time juice that lets you try over and over and over again. This game tried to tell a pretty cut and dry story about family drama and budding romance but i really think it was hindered by being a video game. I would of much rather just watched or read that story. The game never uses interactivity to reinforce its themes, which was a pretty central crux of what made the first so effective to me and ultimately I think that is why I think this prequel falls flat. Its a drat shame because this is literally the entire thing that I was afraid of happening before the game's release, but at the same time the game blew my expectations out of the water narratively, leaving me pretty confused about how to feel at the end here.
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Dec 20, 2017 07:08
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gently caress me, this last (I assume it's the last choice) is way loving harder than choosing Chloe or Arcadia Bay. Like gently caress. On one hand you have "protecting her from the truth" which I guess is sort of better for her in the long run? Rachel's family is absolutely gonna get torn apart if I tell her the truth here, and Rachel's actual real birth mom wants it to be that way. On the other hand though, Rachel already feels like she's been living a lie her whole life and on top of that, she basically has to act and wear a mask all the time, at least she feels that way. If you gave HER these two choices she'd choose to know the truth in a heartbeat because A) she doesn't want lies anymore and B) she trusts Chloe to be totally real with her. But then again, Rachel is going to basically explode in anger and it's gonna be bad for everyone and gaahhhhh I'm just sitting here at the pause screen going back and forth trying to figure out which is the best option here cause gently caress man Macaluso fucked around with this message at 07:13 on Dec 20, 2017 |
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Dec 20, 2017 07:11
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Macaluso posted:gently caress me, this last (I assume it's the last choice) is way loving harder than choosing Chloe or Arcadia Bay. Like gently caress. Take solace in knowing that there is one ending and your choice has no real impact  Edit: Paul Zuvella posted:WAIT YOU CAN PLAY D&D AGAIN WHAT THE gently caress. I TALKED TO STEPH AND SHE SAID ONE THROWAWAY LINE AND THAT WAS IT You have to have the younger brother with a broken arm rather than the older brother with the broken leg to be able to play D&D. Sucks because it was one of the highlights of the episode - not quite as cool as the game in Ep. 1 but still highly enjoyable and has some bit too subtle foreshadowing to the original game. Nameless Pete posted:Quoting this from the Reddit for those upset about the lack of a certain resolution: Uh, wow that’s a terrible game design decision. So it is basically a backtalk scene that is not actually a backtalk scene. But I guess that makes sense since they were presenting backtalk originally as the mechanic to replace rewind and then had it not have any use the way they implemented it, leaving out what would have been the most important backtalk scenes of the game and giving you control of the outcome there rather than have it as a variable hidden in the game that we have no idea about. rio fucked around with this message at 07:42 on Dec 20, 2017 |
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Dec 20, 2017 07:37
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rio posted:Take solace in knowing that there is one ending and your choice has no real impact I mean... it's still a hard choice though? That end credits bit was loving unnecessary jesus christ. Like not just from a "I already knew what happened cause of the first game good lord let me enjoy the happy ending" stance, but also that just that scene felt really loving tasteless? Other thoughts: The scene of Chloe waiting at the school and picking up Amber was loving CUTE AS poo poo. I'm sort of glad they didn't bring up the Frank and Rachel thing. I imagine if we ever get a Frank story we'll get that, but I really didn't want to be brought down from all the happy Chloe/Rachel stuff at the end. Although of course the stinger at the end hosed that up too, but then the Frank thing would've just been an extra wound on top of it. That being said I find Frank super interesting, I liked how he poured one out for Damon even though he is the one that killed him. That whole thing could've been way clearer afterwards but eh. I think if they do another LiS that takes place in Arcadia Bay, it's gonna 100% being about Frank. I feel like there's so much unexplored territory for him. The Eliot scene was weird because you can basically ignore him completely up until that exact point, which you couldn't do with Warren. He was a non-entity. But it still felt good to gently caress him over. I don't really feel too upset about not getting a lot of resolutions to things. I liked how this was mostly just about Chloe and her romance with this girl she meets that flips her world upside down. I said before but it ALMOST makes me wish the first LiS didn't happen just because I really love the chemistry between Chloe and Rachel and just find their whole relationship interesting. And I kind of wish I could enjoy that without having the elephant in the room of well, Rachel dies, Rachel gets with Frank at some point too, and Max also comes back. That's a conflicted feeling though cause I loved the first game too. I just think the romance stuff was cute and I'm totally a sucker for romance stuff mixed with the Oregon setting (or similar settings, like wherever Night in the Woods was meant to mimic). I really could've played a whole game that was just "Rachel and Chloe date" cause it's cute  I agree about this episode feeling the weakest though. The second is probably the strongest because it has two really strong scenes back to back (the play, and the part on the street after the play) and the first episode has the like, entire last half with the junkyard, and the fire and Rachel basically letting out all her emotion cause of Chloe. This episode didn't really have anything too much like any of that. It also did something I'm not a fan of which is take a character out of the story by way of being in the hospital. That kind of thing always feels kind of lazy. I would've liked if they had tried to do that final confrontation with Chloe AND Rachel, had the investigation in her dad's office be a pair. Also why didn't Rachel do some snooping sooner? She knew the code. Overall I liked it more than the first game only cause I'm totally a sucker for some of the stuff this game did that the first one didn't, but both are still fantastic. This one does have the better face animations which  Oh yeah and if I'm being totally honest, after playing this and getting invested in Rachel and Chloe, I kind of... am not AS excited to play the bonus episode as I was? I mean the bonus episode announcement is literally what got me to go back and try the prequel in the first place. But then I became invested in THIS and it's like well... the bonus episode should be fine, I guess. Ashley Burch again!
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Dec 20, 2017 08:09
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Okay, so I marathoned the episode and I'm tired so I have a lot of loose thoughts. I think it's probably the weakest of the three for a number of reasons mostly related to having to quickly tie up all the hanging plot threads and that it has the fewest Chloe/Rachel scenes, which are all so great. Damon is a little too much generic Imabadguy stereotype, nothing about Eliot really landed with me, and the whole final confrontation between Chloe, Sera, Frank and Damon ended in a weird way, although anyone who has played the first game knows how that turns out. The tabletop game was again one of the highlights and the argument that breaks out between Chloe and Mikey over whether or not she should sacrifice herself was awesome Season One subtext. Sincere lols that only 8% of people got Rachel to reunite with Sera because it was 100% max thirstiness all the way down. And holy hell that ending stinger. Very interesting that the end choice is almost as evenly split as Bay vs. Bae. I decided to tell Rachel the truth for a number of reasons, but mostly because we know Rachel is living at Blackwell in her final year there and I thought it would be more thematically fitting if she had a falling out with her father to cause that. Also when Rachel goes missing, her parents give up on finding her after six months, which I don't think would happen if she still had a loving relationship with them. All that being said however, my overall opinion of Before the Storm hasn't changed. I thought it was an excellent surprise, way better than it had any right to be despite all the warning signs, and Deck Nine totally "gets" Life is Strange. It's not as good as the original, but then again, I think Life is Strange is pretty much the greatest video game ever made, so I can't hold that against it too much. I gladly consider the events of BtS canonical in my own mind and don't have to pretend the prequel never happened or anything like that. In particular I think they did a really good job with Rachel Amber's character, her voice actress, everything about her presence in the prequel is just awesome.
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Dec 20, 2017 08:18
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I'm ignoring the last chunk of the thread because I haven't played the latest episode yet but uh hey Oxenfree is free on gog. If you want more mysteries about teens and supernatural antiquated tech then give it a whirl.
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Dec 20, 2017 08:21
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Finally beat the last episode and... Well that stinger was a fantastic way of stabbing me in my completely exposed heart. Still on the Rachel has powers train with the firefighters mentioning the fire just randomly going out without any real help from them. I feel like it's pretty blatantly implied for the viewer while making sure that it's believable that Chloe doesn't actually figure it out herself (since it'd be weird that she wouldn't tell Max. I'm pretty sure Rachel's eventual death is what causes the storm but I don't really see it as being intentional by her or having a set homing beacon on Chloe. Chloe dying probably does some weird together in death bullshit or however the afterlife works in this series and it doesn't stop the storm when Chloe dies in episode 4 since it was pretty clear the storm was guranteed to happen by then. Ukokira fucked around with this message at 09:13 on Dec 20, 2017 |
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Dec 20, 2017 08:22
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I hated how the first Life is Strange ended, and this game has made me reconsider that. I'm primarily talking about the second D&D game and its debate about sacrifice, but also Chloe and Rachel seem so much more...right together, than Chloe and Max? Max really did just loving drop Chloe, and with Before the Storm's context in mind, my decision to have Max reject Chloe's request to let her sacrifice herself for Arcadia Bay and all these people she formed connections with just so that Max could have her for longer after abandoning her for so long seems selfish as gently caress and I'm very surprised that ending didn't have Chloe furious at Max at all. Even if Chloe didn't talk to them as much by the time Max comes along, there are clearly people in this city Chloe gives a poo poo about before Max(read: My version of Max) comes in like a hurricane and fucks everything up. Arcadia Bay is hosed up and broken but so is Chloe. I was upset that the game made me make a choice like that and ultimately only made the choice I did, I think, because I knew it was a videogame and because I came in with the perspective of Max who really didn't know much about the city at all. I need to replay the first game again. I may be too hard on my version of Max, as really none of that would have happened at all if it wasn't for Mark Jefferson. As far as the game itself goes, I liked it a lot. I agree that this episode was the weaker of the three, but I think it accomplished the most important things it set out to do. Whoever decided to include that end stinger is a loving rear end in a top hat and I want to know why they would do that to me. Was it too much to ask to let this end on a happier note? Oh, I also told Rachel the truth. Protecting Rachel by preserving the lie seems so...condescending to me. Like, this is ideally a relationship of equals and not giving Rachel the respect to trust that she can deal with this knowledge goes against that idea. I also knew how much she resented being lied to all this time, and I didn't want to make Chloe a part of that. Viridiant fucked around with this message at 11:08 on Dec 20, 2017 |
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Dec 20, 2017 11:05
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I think the end choice to the original Life is Strange is brilliant because it is 100% utterly connected to its central theme: "How far would you go to save the life of a best friend?" Ultimately the final decision casts the character arcs of both Max and Chloe in direction opposition: In order for Max to achieve what she's set off to do and complete her transformation, she needs to let the storm hit. In order for Chloe to live for something other than herself and complete her own arc, she has to be euthanized via time travel and reverse everything Max has done. To me Bay vs. Bae comes down to what kind of story Life is Strange was to you, and who it was more about. I'm still trying to put all the themes of Before the Storm together, but I think in light of the final choice, the game's thematic drive comes down to appearance vs. reality. Whereas the original season focused on the unfairness and cruelty of life as a metaphor for the loss of innocence into adulthood, BtS leans more into shattering illusions. Is Chloe better off thinking her dad was perfect before she ever got old enough to see his flaws? Was Rachel better off with the illusion of a perfect family, knowing how it will change her in the years to come? Does acting reveal a greater truth in ways we otherwise might not be able to express, or does it conceal our true motives? These are all challenging questions that I'm sure somehow all come back to capitalism.
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Dec 20, 2017 12:07
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Also maybe my mind has been totally warped by this stupid game but I didn't find the final stinger to be objectionable or tasteless at all, I though "aw hell yeah this is some peak Life is Strange poo poo, well played Deck Nine."
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Dec 20, 2017 12:15
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It was just a pretty brutal punch. A game hasn't gotten me to break into tears that hard in a very long time.
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Dec 20, 2017 13:20
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If there's one thing this game has taught me it's that queer teenagers need to stay the gently caress out of junkyards, nothing good happens there.
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Dec 20, 2017 13:36
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It just felt kind of gross and unnecessary and was only really there to be shocking. And like I don’t really see who that bit was for. If you’ve played LiS you already know what happens to her, if you play the prequel before playing LiS that scene completely kills the mystery of that whole first game Like I dunno I didn’t come off that bit going “whoa Deck Nine, brutal!” I was just like “...gross” and it ultimately left me with a bad taste in my mouth
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Dec 20, 2017 13:37
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I'd be willing to bet that even if someone wandered into LiS and played the prequel first, most would not be able to put two and two together from that ending stinger alone. People just aren't that observant and would have no frame of reference for what's actually going on.
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Dec 20, 2017 14:02
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Argue posted:Does the upcoming bonus episode only come with the Deluxe edition? It's not listed under the features of the regular version but I had been under the impression all the players were getting it. Yes, it's only in the Deluxe version but it still won't be out for a few more months. From what I understand it's basically Episode 0, taking place right before Max left for Seattle (or possibly before William's death). Though I guess it makes sense to finally end Chloe's journey by showing us where it began. Like I said, I hope the new cast in LiS 2 winds up being just as good as the ones we've come to know and love from these games but it would still be nice to revisit them again one day. Chloe's story is complete now but, as mentioned, somebody like Frank could probably work. I suppose you could do another prequel about Max's life in Seattle but I'm not sure if she's that interesting of a character to be able to carry a game on her own. Larryb fucked around with this message at 15:11 on Dec 20, 2017 |
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Dec 20, 2017 14:58
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I bet you $1,000 the Farewell episode is going to be like 99% Max and Chloe having fun pirate times on a beach and then in the very last minute Chloe says "oh yeah dad should be getting back from picking my mom up RIGHT ABOUT NOW."
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Dec 20, 2017 15:09
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And then the seinfeld theme plays
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Dec 20, 2017 15:11
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