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UnknownMercenary
Oct 31, 2011

I LIKE IT
WAY WAY TOO LOUD


I didn't even remember that Blackwell wasn't a 4 year school in the first game. I wonder if they'll address that or it's just going to stay quietly retconned.

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Paul Zuvella
Dec 7, 2011

UnknownMercenary posted:

I didn't even remember that Blackwell wasn't a 4 year school in the first game. I wonder if they'll address that or it's just going to stay quietly retconned.

There was never any indication that Blackwell is not a 4 year school in the first game.

Larryb
Oct 5, 2010

UnknownMercenary posted:

I didn't even remember that Blackwell wasn't a 4 year school in the first game. I wonder if they'll address that or it's just going to stay quietly retconned.

Was it ever explicitly stated in the first game that Blackwell was a Finishing School? Otherwise I don't really see much of a discrepancy there.

exquisite tea
Apr 21, 2007

Carly shook her glass, willing the ice to melt. "You still haven't told me what the mission is."

She leaned forward. "We are going to assassinate the bad men of Hollywood."


Larryb posted:

Even so, based on the first game and the fact that the final episode is titled "Hell is Empty" (though to be fair, there are at least two interpretations of that), I'm still not expecting that happy of an ending out of this game (though maybe not as dark as it would have been if they went all the way at least).

All the episode titles are based off lines from The Tempest, the full quote being "Hell is empty, and all the devils are here." This is a line said by Ferdinand in the first act when the crew is forced to abandon ship, although interestingly enough it is not spoken by Ferdinand himself, but related back to Prospero by Ariel. In the play, Ariel is the forest sprite who Prospero rescues from a tree in exchange for serving him.

skooma512
Feb 8, 2012

You couldn't grok my race car, but you dug the roadside blur.
I don't get how Blackwell is seemingly the only school in the area, and is a private school with a dorm. Chloe's getting scholarships (how?), but I can't imagine there isn't a public school in the area that she might be happier at.

Larryb
Oct 5, 2010

skooma512 posted:

I don't get how Blackwell is seemingly the only school in the area, and is a private school with a dorm. Chloe's getting scholarships (how?), but I can't imagine there isn't a public school in the area that she might be happier at.

Yeah, Chloe doesn't really strike me as the type that would be going to private school to be honest (though there are hints that before her life went to hell she was apparently kind of brilliant), plus her family was never exactly well off that I could see even when her dad was still around.

I assume she got in about the same way Max did but I don't really understand why she would be even be at Blackwell to begin with (I find it hard to believe there's only one high school in all of Arcadia Bay, even if it is just a small fishing town).

Larryb fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Sep 14, 2017

exquisite tea
Apr 21, 2007

Carly shook her glass, willing the ice to melt. "You still haven't told me what the mission is."

She leaned forward. "We are going to assassinate the bad men of Hollywood."


Chloe had a pretty different life trajectory before her dad died, and by the timeline of his death given in Episode 1 she likely would have already been accepted to Blackwell by the June before freshman year. I think at one point in BtS Chloe says "I'm the girl with the dead dad" suggesting that they probably keep her on scholarship because they feel sorry for her. Given the state of American public education and how lovely it must be in Arcadia Bay, wanting to attend a cool art school is probably the least surprising aspect of Chloe being at Blackwell.

DeathChicken
Jul 9, 2012

Nonsense. I have not yet begun to defile myself.

She's very good at the art thing judging by her scrapbook

precision
May 7, 2006

by VideoGames
I thought there was an interview with Deck Nine where they said the reason for only 3 episodes in this is that 2 and 3 are gonna be significantly longer than episodes for these kind of games usually are.

exquisite tea
Apr 21, 2007

Carly shook her glass, willing the ice to melt. "You still haven't told me what the mission is."

She leaned forward. "We are going to assassinate the bad men of Hollywood."


They've said "six to nine hours long" although the first episode already clocks in at around 3.5 hours, so probably closer to the 9-10 side.

precision
May 7, 2006

by VideoGames
Ah, yeah I probably thought they were saying each episode would be around 6 hours. Ah well, better too short than too long.

Larryb
Oct 5, 2010

precision posted:

I thought there was an interview with Deck Nine where they said the reason for only 3 episodes in this is that 2 and 3 are gonna be significantly longer than episodes for these kind of games usually are.

First I heard of it, but one normal episode and two double-length ones (putting this game at roughly the same length as the original give or take) doesn't sound too bad. Especially since this one felt more like an introduction and therefore the next chapter is where this game's plot really begins.

We still don't have a concrete release date for episode 2 yet do we (though I'd imagine we'll at least be seeing a trailer some time soon)?

el oso
Feb 18, 2005

phew, for a minute there i lost myself
It's an odd choice to set these episodes over a one-week period 3 years before Rachel disappears. I really wonder what the arc of this little story is going to be.

precision
May 7, 2006

by VideoGames

el oso posted:

It's an odd choice to set these episodes over a one-week period 3 years before Rachel disappears. I really wonder what the arc of this little story is going to be.

KISS RACHEL ............ DON'T KISS RACHEL

Larryb
Oct 5, 2010

el oso posted:

It's an odd choice to set these episodes over a one-week period 3 years before Rachel disappears. I really wonder what the arc of this little story is going to be.

I'm guessing the next episode is going to give us a glimpse of Rachel's home life and we'll get a little more focus on her dad and the mystery woman who may or may not be some kind of malicious entity (or at the very least she might be our Mark Jefferson for this game, either her or that Damon Merrick guy at any rate). Also judging by the short little preview at the end of this episode Chloe apparently pisses off some guy enough for him to break into her house.

Most likely from here on Rachel's going to take center stage in the story and Chloe's just going to be along for the ride (though we'll most likely get a few more Magic Raven-induced dream sequences here and there, probably getting progressively darker in tone as the game goes on). Like I said, other than maybe a flash forward at the very end I wouldn't count on any substantial build up to the original (we might see Chloe dyeing her hair or Jefferson starting at Blackwell but that's about it).

Larryb fucked around with this message at 02:14 on Sep 15, 2017

exquisite tea
Apr 21, 2007

Carly shook her glass, willing the ice to melt. "You still haven't told me what the mission is."

She leaned forward. "We are going to assassinate the bad men of Hollywood."


el oso posted:

It's an odd choice to set these episodes over a one-week period 3 years before Rachel disappears. I really wonder what the arc of this little story is going to be.

Well it can't be about Chloe getting over her dad's death and Max abandoning her, since she's still pissed off about both of those things at the start of Life is Strange. And it also couldn't be about Chloe and Rachel being together forever, considering she later gets mixed up with Frank prior to disappearing, and Deck Nine have said they're not going to rewrite anything from the original. So I think the most likely avenue is to focus on Rachel since that's the most mysterious and underwritten aspect of the first season.

Larryb
Oct 5, 2010

exquisite tea posted:

Well it can't be about Chloe getting over her dad's death and Max abandoning her, since she's still pissed off about both of those things at the start of Life is Strange. And it also couldn't be about Chloe and Rachel being together forever, considering she later gets mixed up with Frank prior to disappearing, and Deck Nine have said they're not going to rewrite anything from the original. So I think the most likely avenue is to focus on Rachel since that's the most mysterious and underwritten aspect of the first season.

Which also means that by virtue of this being a prequel the only ones allowed to get any lasting character development are Rachel and the new characters created for this game (speaking of which, I'm kind of hoping there will be at least some half-assed explanation as to where all these other Blackwell students suddenly disappeared to by the time Max started there). Everybody else pretty much needs to stay exactly where they are.

Larryb fucked around with this message at 02:31 on Sep 15, 2017

Paul Zuvella
Dec 7, 2011

I mean, they don't need to have disappeared, they just did not have crossed paths with Max in the 5 days that LiS happens. Max not chilling with Hayden's brother or the weird dude who chloe hooked up with doesn't really strike me as weird.

That guy really was one of the stranger things in episode 1. They don't introduce him at all, just have him randomly ask Chloe out and barely give any indication of who the gently caress he is outside of the journal. Very strange choices.

Larryb
Oct 5, 2010

Paul Zuvella posted:

I mean, they don't need to have disappeared, they just did not have crossed paths with Max in the 5 days that LiS happens. Max not chilling with Hayden's brother or the weird dude who chloe hooked up with doesn't really strike me as weird.

That guy really was one of the stranger things in episode 1. They don't introduce him at all, just have him randomly ask Chloe out and barely give any indication of who the gently caress he is outside of the journal. Very strange choices.

Yeah, Eliot is the one new character I question in this game. What was the point in giving Chloe her own Warren? The character is basically irrelevant from the moment he's introduced (though maybe the remaining episodes will develop him a bit more), which is a shame because I like most of the other new faces this game's introduced so far.

Cythereal
Nov 8, 2009

I love the potoo,
and the potoo loves you.

Larryb posted:

Which also means that by virtue of this being a prequel the only ones allowed to get any lasting character development are Rachel and the new characters created for this game (speaking of which, I'm kind of hoping there will be at least some half-assed explanation as to where all these other Blackwell students suddenly disappeared to by the time Max started there). Everybody else pretty much needs to stay exactly where they are.

I don't blame anyone for deciding nope, we are leaving town, this place is messed up.

Delsaber
Oct 1, 2013

This may or may not be correct.

Couldn't some of those students simply have graduated or transferred over the next three years? But yeah, Arcadia Bay is steadily getting worse, so it wouldn't be too crazy if some students and their families moved on to greener pastures by the time Max comes back.

Larryb
Oct 5, 2010

Delsaber posted:

Couldn't some of those students simply have graduated or transferred over the next three years? But yeah, Arcadia Bay is steadily getting worse, so it wouldn't be too crazy if some students and their families moved on to greener pastures by the time Max comes back.

I'm pretty sure most of them were in the same grade as Chloe (I think there's a class photo somewhere that proves this), plus everyone not introduced in this game is still at Blackwell by the time Life is Strange rolls around. But yeah, some of them transferring or leaving town makes sense (as does Max just not happening to run into them in the first game).

There were a few people mentioned in this episode but not directly shown though, so I'm guessing we'll see a few more familiar faces pop up before the game is finished.

DeathChicken
Jul 9, 2012

Nonsense. I have not yet begun to defile myself.

It's kind of funny since whether you reject or accept Elliot's date offer, Chloe's journal remains along the lines of "We hosed a couple of times, I was probably bored and lonely, I no longer care". Even she acknowledges he isn't really relevant

Mad_Lion
Jul 14, 2005

Yeah, I think Eliot exists solely to illustrate Chloe's awakening to the fact that she's gay. "Boy toy phase, boys are hella gross, etc. etc." all from the original game. I think whether you go with him to the play or not, he's going to get shut down when he attempts to make a move.

the_american_dream
Apr 12, 2008

GAHDAMN
I assumed he's there to die at some pivotal moment or something. But i guess this being a prequel him not being mentioned at all in LiS wouldn't work well

Larryb
Oct 5, 2010

the_american_dream posted:

I assumed he's there to die at some pivotal moment or something. But i guess this being a prequel him not being mentioned at all in LiS wouldn't work well

Killing him off seems a bit extreme (but you never know with this series). They are obviously going to do something with him though as I believe Life is Strange only adds bios for plot-important characters (not really sure what as he's somehow even less likeable than Warren, his only character trait so far seems to be "likes Chloe").

Larryb fucked around with this message at 13:56 on Sep 15, 2017

exquisite tea
Apr 21, 2007

Carly shook her glass, willing the ice to melt. "You still haven't told me what the mission is."

She leaned forward. "We are going to assassinate the bad men of Hollywood."


I hope Eliot gets go to proto-ape on Nathan's dumb face.

LoseHound
Nov 10, 2012

exquisite tea posted:

There's totally gonna be a scene in Ep. 3 where Principal Wells is bragging "and we have a new art teacher coming in next year, he's widely known in the photography world and Blackwell is very lucky to have him" followed by an audible ~gulp~ noise.

"Hey Rachel, wanna head to the junkyard?"
"Please Chloe, I wouldn't be caught dead there!"

*cut to Max Caulfield smirking at the camera, and then taking a selfie*

exquisite tea
Apr 21, 2007

Carly shook her glass, willing the ice to melt. "You still haven't told me what the mission is."

She leaned forward. "We are going to assassinate the bad men of Hollywood."


Paul Zuvella posted:

There was never any indication that Blackwell is not a 4 year school in the first game.

Max says this herself in the first diary entry from Life is Strange.

quote:

For some reason I was always drawn to the old analog camera gear rather than digital tech. I love all kinds of styles and techniques but for me, the instant camera selfie is the one I love most. I don't care if people make fun of me or not. I'm in great company, right? And now I've come all the way back to my childhood home to study photography at Blackwell Academy, a private school for 12th grade seniors.

exquisite tea fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Sep 15, 2017

skooma512
Feb 8, 2012

You couldn't grok my race car, but you dug the roadside blur.

exquisite tea posted:

I hope Eliot gets go to proto-ape on Nathan's dumb face.

code:

             SMASH



SMASH                          SMASH



             SMASH

VagueRant
May 24, 2012
I'm wondering if the OST by Daughter is just for the first ep or if they're going to reuse all that music for every episode. With it being only 3, I expect the latter, but I really hope for some new stuff! Surprised no one's been talking about it.

Also can't remember if I read it here or somewhere else, but apparently the guys behind Skip's rad Pisshead song are apparently some random dudes from the dev team. So that's cool!

precision
May 7, 2006

by VideoGames
just smh at anyone who didn't listen to Skip's song in full, it's hella good

Larryb
Oct 5, 2010

VagueRant posted:

I'm wondering if the OST by Daughter is just for the first ep or if they're going to reuse all that music for every episode. With it being only 3, I expect the latter, but I really hope for some new stuff! Surprised no one's been talking about it.

Also can't remember if I read it here or somewhere else, but apparently the guys behind Skip's rad Pisshead song are apparently some random dudes from the dev teey'am. So that's cool!

I think there's going to be more songs coming as the game goes on (for example, I remember Numbers playing in the trailers but don't recall hearing it in the first episode proper). The OST might be for entirety of Before the Storm (they're also not the only group handling this game's soundtrack, the song that played during the Firewalk concert was "Are You Ready For Me" by Pretty Vicious for example). Though I forget, did the OST for the original game release all at once or was it on an episode by episode basis?

Also, fun fact: PissHead is actually referenced in Life is Strange, I think if you check Chloe's computer at some point (I forget when exactly) you can see an article or something saying they're currently on tour. So apparently Skip's band did end up taking off after all, that's pretty cool (and explains why he's no longer a security guard at Blackwell by the time the first game rolls around).

Larryb fucked around with this message at 21:47 on Sep 15, 2017

VagueRant
May 24, 2012
for reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiA-M-elHRQ

quote:

"Nothing Wrong" was written by the audio director Chuck Carr, here at Deck Nine Games, as an original song just for the game. A fun bit of trivia is that the band consists of all Deck Nine Games employees. Drummer: Chris Floyd (Co-Game Director) Bass: Webb Pickersgill (Co-Game Director, me) Horns: David Hein (Producer) and Guitar/Vocals: Chuck Carr (Audio Director). We had fun making the song for the game. #PissHead4Ever

Milkfred E. Moore
Aug 27, 2006

'It's easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.'

Larryb posted:

Killing him off seems a bit extreme (but you never know with this series). They are obviously going to do something with him though as I believe Life is Strange only adds bios for plot-important characters (not really sure what as he's somehow even less likeable than Warren, his only character trait so far seems to be "likes Chloe").

That's my only character trait too

Larryb
Oct 5, 2010

Milky Moor posted:

That's my only character trait too

Fair point, but at least Warren had the whole science nerd thing going for him, plus he did beat the poo poo out of Nathan in episode 4 which was one of the more cathartic scenes in the game (speaking of Nate, am I the only one who thought his confession in the last episode felt a bit half-assed? Sure, the kid had a lot of problems and his dad certainly wasn't helping, but I don't remember a single other scene in the game where he comes off as anything less than an rear end in a top hat or at the very least, pathetic. It just didn't feel earned in my opinion). Eliot by comparison is just kind of a blank slate at this point.

Larryb fucked around with this message at 23:43 on Sep 15, 2017

exquisite tea
Apr 21, 2007

Carly shook her glass, willing the ice to melt. "You still haven't told me what the mission is."

She leaned forward. "We are going to assassinate the bad men of Hollywood."


Nathan was tweaking hard and obviously out of his mind but he was still a willing accomplice to kidnap and murder while using his father's wealth to enable Jefferson's pleasure palace, so gently caress that guy and a pox upon anyone who didn't let Warren beat the poo poo out of him.

Larryb
Oct 5, 2010

exquisite tea posted:

Nathan was tweaking hard and obviously out of his mind but he was still a willing accomplice to kidnap and murder while using his father's wealth to enable Jefferson's pleasure palace, so gently caress that guy and a pox upon anyone who didn't let Warren beat the poo poo out of him.
Exactly (which is also part of the reason I didn't help him in this game either), I understand the circumstances but I still have no sympathy for the boy. Regardless of whether or not this was what he "wanted", he still put his trust in the wrong people and others ended up suffering and/or dying for it, himself included.

Jefferson played his role but if you get down to it, a lot of the problems in the story are either Nathan's fault or his dad's (who I kind of hope we never actually meet personally in this series, he works better as a behind the scenes type of character). His sister (who we only knew about through a letter) seemed like the only genuinely good person we heard of in the entire Prescott family.

Larryb fucked around with this message at 00:44 on Sep 16, 2017

Craptacular!
Jul 9, 2001

Fuck the DH
Dontnod did an excellent job keeping the characters sexualities at "whatever you want them to be", and I kind of hope this goes the same way.

The only thing that scares me is how Rachel is going to exist before she stops, because the whole original game virtually everyone respected and loved her. She was like this dreamgirl jesus figure that could effortlessly cut through Blackwell politics and be admired by every clique, group, insider, outsider, etc simultaneously.

As a character who is actually alive and in-game, that would remove a lot of conflict. The whole point of the first game is that you can't please everyone all of the time, except Rachel was doing exactly just that until basically a misogynist criminal conspiracy took advantage of her.

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exquisite tea
Apr 21, 2007

Carly shook her glass, willing the ice to melt. "You still haven't told me what the mission is."

She leaned forward. "We are going to assassinate the bad men of Hollywood."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU9p1WRfA9w

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