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I've had a few sleeps since the finalé, and I can't stop thinking about this game. Overall, despite some minor missteps, such a beautiful and engaging story that got right under my skin. People can tut and mutter about this and that all they want, but on reflection this is absolutely my game of the year and I'm incredibly grateful that it exists.
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Oct 23, 2015 12:03
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exquisite tea posted:That's exactly how Episode 1 starts though, right after an alt-universe Max presumably jumps into a Polaroid we never see and messes around with it to give us the timeline we play through for Life is Strange. Oh yes. How do we know she hasn't spent already ages traveling back and forth in time. 
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Oct 23, 2015 12:30
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The sound track to this game is really good. I usually don't like this type of music at all, but it fit really good. Also the funniest part of the episode is when super hard-rear end veteran David walks in the dark room and proceeds to get absolutely destroyed in 2 seconds. And then it happens like 3 more times.
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Oct 23, 2015 13:16
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That was supposed to be intentionally funny right? There were way too many potential gently caress ups for it not to be.
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Oct 23, 2015 13:29
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn67F0F_i1c
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Oct 23, 2015 14:38
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GOONS ARE MEAN
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amazing
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Oct 23, 2015 14:54
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Awesome.
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Oct 23, 2015 14:57
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spudsbuckley posted:I feel really bad for a lot of you because you seem unable to enjoy a truly great game without dissecting every tiny aspect of it. Ignoring the fact that you're in a discussion subforum for video games, actually some people find it fun and engaging to actually think about the media they consume instead of just passively hitting buttons until the end credits pop up. Things can be great and also have problems and it's neat to talk about what you think worked and what didn't work. That's kind of the whole point of art, dude. Crappy Jack fucked around with this message at 15:06 on Oct 23, 2015 |
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Oct 23, 2015 15:03
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BobTheJanitor posted:Talking to the kids on the tumblrs: So it's not "we ran out of money and just threw the ending together at the last minute" like people are saying, it's "we would have done more variations on one of the endings if we'd had more time and money". Little bit of a difference there.
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Oct 23, 2015 15:26
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Parkingtigers posted:I've had a few sleeps since the finalé, and I can't stop thinking about this game. Overall, despite some minor missteps, such a beautiful and engaging story that got right under my skin. People can tut and mutter about this and that all they want, but on reflection this is absolutely my game of the year and I'm incredibly grateful that it exists. spudsbuckley posted:I feel really bad for a lot of you because you seem unable to enjoy a truly great game without dissecting every tiny aspect of it. Life is Strange is easily in my, very coveted, "Top 5 Games of All Time" list. Its a well done game that made me feel feelings. How many games actually do that? Now, is all this back and forth consternation about which ending is the "good" ending a point in the game's favor or a strike against it? Something to think about.
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Oct 23, 2015 15:59
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I just think it was a mistake to have, right before the climactic decision, you dodging flashlights while people shout the games meme's at you and then makes fun of fan-ships, all while a dog sends you text messages. It was funny, but it also completely sucked all the tension the rush through the storm had built up. If they'd stuck it nearer the start of the episode when she's going through photos in photos and had the run to the Diner be the last scene maybe it'd have worked better. So neither ending was the good ending for me. By the time the nightmare sequence was over I couldn't really give a poo poo about the ending, the game felt like it had just made fun of the idea of even caring about it.
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Oct 23, 2015 16:07
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the nightmare sequence originally had me thinking it was time literally coming apart at the seams, rather then just being a nightmare i think taking the wrong impression from that might be connected to my disappointment in the ending
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Oct 23, 2015 16:18
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Crappy Jack posted:Ignoring the fact that you're in a discussion subforum for video games, actually some people find it fun and engaging to actually think about the media they consume instead of just passively hitting buttons until the end credits pop up. Things can be great and also have problems and it's neat to talk about what you think worked and what didn't work. That's kind of the whole point of art, dude. There's a difference between discussing the positive and negative aspects of agame and nitpicking every aspect of a great game looking for negatives, right down to trying to find holes in the fake science/magic for time travel as it appears in the game. Just relax Goons , enjoy the good thing for what it is . There's no shame in liking something quality
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Oct 23, 2015 16:37
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 Oh bravo. Bravo.
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Oct 23, 2015 16:39
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Whenever I play one of these games, I go in thinking I'll do it blind for the first run, then once it's all over and I see what my dumb choices led to, I'd look up what each choice did and then do a playthrough where I make the choices that lead to my "preferred" outcome. I never do that second playthrough, because the ending always convinces me it's not worth it. I liked Life Is Strange, but for once I'd like a game that has different endings* based on decisions you've made throughout the episodes instead of just the last one. *And I don't mean "the same events, but someone's hat is on backwards" or stuff like that . Actual differences where actual different things happen.
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Oct 23, 2015 16:48
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Viridiant posted:Nature wasn't trying to teach Max a lesson by giving her time powers. The characters interpreted the information they were given wrong. They were right about the consequences, but wrong about what they were intended to do. Word. A very good post. It's a bad place, a choking, festering blight in a beautiful area, it's really no choice at all. Anyway, I got no complaints, it's been far and away my favourite gaming experience in a long while, and a refreshing one as well.
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Oct 23, 2015 16:49
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hahaha, pretty good
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Oct 23, 2015 16:53
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Where some see nitpicking, I see major themes and fundamental issues. The authors should have known better than to mess with powers they did not comprehend, twisting and deforming a good and original tale to mask their weaknesses and suit their selfish needs. The sickly flapping of a bad ending's wings has repercussions on the whole story and what was once great is now greatly diminished. This is worth discussing. This, on the other hand, needs no words.
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Oct 23, 2015 17:11
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So the real message of the game is that sinful humans and their civilization must die in order for nature to thrive and nature uses supernatural means in order to accomplish this? I thought that Max saying "Final Fantasy The Spirits Within" was the greatest sci-fi story ever in episode 1 was just a lame reference but it turns out it foreshadowing everything all along.
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Oct 23, 2015 17:20
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AriadneThread posted:the nightmare sequence originally had me thinking it was time literally coming apart at the seams, rather then just being a nightmare I thought it actually was reality coming apart at the scenes? From Chloe's perspective it just looked like Max was passing out, but I feel like things like meeting the Max who was left behind, the way the later stages of the nightmare seemed to foreshadow the stakes of the final choice (everyone in the diner being all "why did you kill us" vs. the corridor-o-Chloes), the presence of the ordinary rewind mechanics, etc., all seem to point towards it being some sort of manifestation of Max's powers-- nightmarish, but not just a literal nightmare. The more I think about it, the more I love that section of the game-- which is weird, because usually I like how grounded the game's environments are. Even places like the Dark Room or Nathan's dorm felt very real, which made them all the spookier. But I guess the least grounded part of the nightmare sequence-- the stealth section-- was also the least effective. And the most effective was the flashback to the class from episode one, which you've already seen play out repeatedly, and the escalating sense of wrongness of it-- you hear a thumping sound, you see the windows covered in blood, you look at the posters and see how they're totally different in the read interface than in the game world, you see the etching on the desk change every time you look at it, Jefferson appears out of nowhere-- and then finally you get that freaky dialogue tree where everything you have the option to say is awful.
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Oct 23, 2015 17:32
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exquisite tea posted:That's exactly how Episode 1 starts though, right after an alt-universe Max presumably jumps into a Polaroid we never see and messes around with it to give us the timeline we play through for Life is Strange. Again, I don't think this holds water with how we know time travel works in this game because you never catch up to that Max. If Max had done a photo jump to start the game, she would be on auto pilot for the duration of the game and would eventually catch up. She doesn't. This is great
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Oct 23, 2015 18:11
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Karnegal posted:Again, I don't think this holds water with how we know time travel works in this game because you never catch up to that Max. If Max had done a photo jump to start the game, she would be on auto pilot for the duration of the game and would eventually catch up. She doesn't. This, plus there wasn't any of the foggy nothing barricading you into the classroom. Of the few rules that they did establish for their time travel, that one was clear. When you photo jump, you're stuck in the immediate confines of the photo. She could only have changed some particular thing and then gone on auto-pilot, not played out the entire week. I think the pre-vision of the tornado coming was just for dramatic effect, without enough thought being put into what it meant for story continuity overall.
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Oct 23, 2015 19:01
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"How time travel works" is like asking "How did The Island works", only Life Is Strange only spent about 5 minutes teasing you with an explanation instead of six seasons. The Tornado is a metaphor for the inevitably of death and how you either have to accept fate, or deny it and accept the consequences.
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Oct 23, 2015 20:31
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Okay so it's been a few days and I wish I could tell y'all that I've settled down even a little about this game, but the truth is that I haven't. At least, not entirely. I'm not angry anymore. I don't hate the last episode. The endings still evoke some unfortunate tropes that I wish could have been handled more gracefully, But I've been thinking about this game nonstop since completing it on Tuesday night, and a not-small percentage of that time has also been spent crying about it a whole lot. Under other circumstances, I'd chalk that one up to being a woman. The simple truth is that anything that manages to engage with me on such a profoundly emotional level is not something I can truly hate. I stand by the decision I made for my ending, and am still pretty grumpy at how the choice was presented. Like, how many of you folks watch Doctor Who? Remember when the Doctor chided Rory for being too focused on Amy when all life in the universe had just unhappened, saying "your girlfriend isn't more important than the universe"? And in response, Rory punches him in the jaw and shouts "SHE IS TO ME!" And how NO ONE thought Rory was an rear end in a top hat for valuing Amy's life over the entire rest of the universe, including but not limited to his family, her family, and everyone else he ever knew? Yeah. So gently caress all y'all for trying to guilt Max for reaching the same drat conclusion over just one small town in Oregon. If it weren't for Undertale, Life is Strange would easily be my GOTY for 2015, and it definitely has a spot in my top five overall.
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Oct 23, 2015 21:12
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Plom Bar posted:Okay so it's been a few days and I wish I could tell y'all that I've settled down even a little about this game, but the truth is that I haven't. At least, not entirely.
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Oct 23, 2015 21:16
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Well, yeah, but in 2010 we briefly had hope
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Oct 23, 2015 21:18
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Also, time travel and whales go together all the time, see that space whale episode with Twelve and Star Trek 4. Clearly LiS is a derivative work.
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Oct 23, 2015 21:21
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Not So Fast posted:"How time travel works" is like asking "How did The Island works", only Life Is Strange only spent about 5 minutes teasing you with an explanation instead of six seasons. I'm totally cool with vague mysterious unknown forces, right up until I'm suddenly forced to make a decision as if they work according to concrete rules. Like, you can worship your volcano god all you want, but when you tell me we've got to toss my friend in there to appease it or else it's going to wipe out the town, we're gonna have words.
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Oct 23, 2015 22:06
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S1 never existed because S2 will have selfie-sliders erase it further.
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Oct 23, 2015 22:11
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Karnegal posted:Again, I don't think this holds water with how we know time travel works in this game because you never catch up to that Max. If Max had done a photo jump to start the game, she would be on auto pilot for the duration of the game and would eventually catch up. If OG Max jumped from a point that was situated after the events of Episode 5, then she wouldn't have caught up to herself on autopilot. What's more, she wouldn't have conscious memories of time travel because she jumped to a point prior to her knowing about them and, if you chose the Arcadia Bay resolution, would never even know they existed.
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Oct 23, 2015 22:36
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Why isn't this thread called "Life Is Strange: Binders Full of Women"?
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Oct 23, 2015 23:16
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seravid posted:
~Lamp is Shade~
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Oct 23, 2015 23:19
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I edited in this question in one my posts a while back but it might've been overlooked (or ignored, you jerks); figure I'll try one more time since I'd like to hear some thoughts on this: According to episode 5's New Testament, Max's ever-increasing use of her powers for selfish - or selfless - acts is the cause of every environmental disaster leading to the tornado. No use of powers = no disasters. So, why did  CHAOS THEORY kick in over in Alternate Max's universe? She doesn't have powers or, at least, knows she does*. This Max is relaxed and popular with the cool kids so she wouldn't even need time wizardry for personal gain. There was also no bathroom murder to trigger her powers. Basically: nothing leads us to believe that any time traveling shenanigans have occurred in this world, yet the beached whales clearly mean the apocalypse is coming anyway.(*source: Alternate Max's journal) My point is the alternate reality we visit in episode 4 fits with everything we saw up to that point but not what comes after (ep5). Evil lurks in Alternate Arcadia Bay: Rachel is missing so we know that, even here, Nathan is a deranged murderer under Jefferson's wing. This is right on track with the divine storm myth that was so obviously meant to be the endgame (in my mind, at least) : no matter what reality we're in, Arcadia Bay is a shithole. While psychotic murderers roam the streets and the corrupt elite destroys peoples' lives and Nature itself, there can be no peace. The great storm will come and claim sinner and innocent alike. Max is not a part of this, let alone responsible. She has, however, been given powers that could stop the madness. Using her abilities (increasingly heroically) doesn't destroy the world, it saves the world. Thanks to her, Jefferson is dead or arrested, which leads to daddy Prescott being investigated. Everything doesn't become okay overnight, but there's hope. The tornado, now unnecessary, never comes. seravid fucked around with this message at 23:26 on Oct 23, 2015 |
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Oct 23, 2015 23:21
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I'm apparently the only one who sided with David in the breakfast argument. Chloe was being an immature baby, but apparently only 5% (or some tiny #) of people agreed with me on that. And then Chloe, as I mentioned earlier in this thread said, to paraphrase: "I'm taking a dump max. come and join me". Which was loving weird.
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Oct 23, 2015 23:24
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seravid posted:I edited in this question in one my posts a while back but it might've been overlooked (or ignored, you jerks); figure I'll try one more time since I'd like to hear some thoughts on this: She does use her powers in that timeline though -- five years ago, to save William's life. The normal flow of events is disrupted. Why this leads to the same exact disasters seen in the game's timeline can be explained by "video games." If you wanna get metaphorical about it, you can view Chloe as the game's representation of the divine storm, as her survival ensures the destruction of Acadia Bay. Note how in Episode 1 Max gets a second vision of the tornado after Chloe says "I wanna drop a big loving bomb on this town." Chloe is in effect the storm here. exquisite tea fucked around with this message at 23:31 on Oct 23, 2015 |
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Oct 23, 2015 23:27
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I sided with David because he's obviously a Republican and you need their help during apocalypses.
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Oct 23, 2015 23:32
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redreader posted:I'm apparently the only one who sided with David in the breakfast argument. Chloe was being an immature baby, but apparently only 5% (or some tiny #) of people agreed with me on that. And then Chloe, as I mentioned earlier in this thread said, to paraphrase: I sided with him too. Partly because Chloe was picking a fight out of nowhere as she constantly does, partly since I didn't want to really spark something off with Joyce in the room, and lastly because it was pretty clear at that point that while he was an abusive rear end in a top hat he was clearly doing something "good" and I didn't need to accuse him of whatever. When I finished it was 20-80% thought. Junkfist posted:I sided with David because he's obviously a Republican and you need their help during apocalypses. I dunno. He got killed about ten times by a hipster while I kept trying to find the exact way to warn him in the dark room so I'm not sure how much help he'd really be. At a certain point it got really funny. They need a side story where you play another person who has figured out time travel and is trying to kill Max to save their loved ones from her destruction of the town. Eggplant Squire fucked around with this message at 23:46 on Oct 23, 2015 |
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Oct 23, 2015 23:39
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I sided against him purely because putting hidden cameras around his own house made absolutely no sense.
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Oct 23, 2015 23:48
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I think Alt. Max's powers manifested from a much younger point, which is why she is in with the Vortex Club in episode 4. Edit: Specifically they manifest from the point you jump back from in Episode 3.
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Oct 23, 2015 23:53
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Radish posted:I dunno. He got killed about ten times by a hipster while I kept trying to find the exact way to warn him in the dark room so I'm not sure how much help he'd really be. At a certain point it got really funny. There is always a constant reminder that this game was directed by Parisians, yes.
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Oct 23, 2015 23:54
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