Since I've turned into a
whole different kind of weirdo on a number of social media outlets, I thought I'd make a post...
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So, I fiiinally played
Life is Strange. I somehow managed to stay completely unspoiled all this time and I still don't want to discuss the game in too much detail yet because there's still some people here that need to play it, you know who you are.
Suffice to say, the story took me through every emotion imaginable, I've never related to the characters and events of a video game quite like this. Some of the stuff just fucked me up for a good while.
This was
me in the final bit, tho (ENDING SPOILERS).
Life is Strange is like my Buffy the Vampire Slayer of video games. I got attached to it in a very similar way I did to BtVS back in the day. LiS actually takes a lot of inspiration from BtVS (and a ton of other cool shows), so there's one connection... it also spawned a very similar community, which is wonderful and weird and chock full of content, fanfics, fan art and endless discussions on choices, morality, the works. I've been going down that rabbit hole and it's a
really good time. xD
I'm also
hopelessly in love with quite smitten by Hannah Telle (the voice actress of Max) who
essentially IS Max, just 10 years older and a singer/songwriter instead of a photographer ahaha.
...well, guess I'm generally attracted to cute, awkward dorks.
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So I'm late to the LiS party but hey, timing's still not too bad. Let's talk Before the Storm, the 3-episode prequel that's due to arrive on the 31st of this month.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm tells the story of a 16-year old Chloe three years before the events of Life is Strange. It's developed by Deck Nine Games, who had nothing to do with the original (though they insist they're massive fans of the original, be that fluff or not). Dontnod, the original devs, are working on Life is Strange 2 with a completely new setting and characters (which is both really awesome and a little sad).
Of course, Life is Strange works perfectly as a 5-episode story, so some normal people (you know, the kind who aren't reading fanfics and browsing fanart daily) might feel that a prequel is unnecessary.
Then there's the lack of original voice actors (chiefly Ashly Burch who was fantastic as the original Chloe) due to the voice actor strike, different devs, lack of a certain mechanic... many good reasons for skepticism. And if you didn't like Chloe in Life is Strange, this... might not be the game for you.
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I feel like there's plenty of potential in this, however... Chloe is a very different kind of protagonist compared to Max, so her viewpoints, actions and dialogue should feel fresh. Sure, she's even less mature than in LiS, but she's young and things have been going pretty damn shitty for her lately. This
article made some good points about that. (quite spoilerific tho, both LiS and Bts)
Also, C+R is possibly the most interesting untold story and dynamic in Life is Strange. There's quite a few characters who don't get fleshed out a whole lot in the game, and Rachel is one that stands out in more ways than one, for obvious reasons. There's also stuff like, remember where the Doe first appears in the junkyard? Yeah... some people would prefer Rachel to remain a mystery but I'm not one of those people.
I've tried to avoid the gameplay videos as best as I can, but I've watched some footage. I'm actually just fine with the voice work, the gameplay and the dialogue I've seen and heard so far. The devs are unproven, but just getting more games like this (and new devs working on games like these) I think is super important. I think at the very worst it'll feel like a well made fanfic in game form, if that makes sense. And I'll take that any day. I need my fix, damn it! I also admit I pre-ordered the deluxe edition already, but I was kind of drunk and emotional at the time. xD
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One thing that's pretty much guaranteed to be on point is the music. Life is Strange had a really fucking good soundtrack suited and tailored for the kind of protagonist and character Max was, and so far it looks like BtS is going to do the same with Chloe. The licensed tracks used so far are just stellar choices musically and lyrically.
"And though I once said I was better off just being dead
Better off just being dead, without my old friend
True, I once said, I was better off just being dead
But I didn't know you yet""Follow me home, pretend you
Found somebody to mend you
I feel numb
I feel numb in this kingdom"--
Both really fantastic bands, btw... can't recommend enough. And I found them via these trailers/preview vids, so BtS has already justified its existence.
Oh yeah almost forgot
Pretty Vicious are also featured... good, fitting stuff as well.
...
Welp, words. I better go collect some bottles now.
Topic: The Gaming Postwhoring Thread (Read 944818 times)