Board 8 > Episode One of Life is Strange: Before the Storm is out now!

(+) Yeah! (+)

I only got about 3/4 of the way through it so far before I had to stop to go to work, but that was enough to form an opinion on it. I figure I should post a topic in case anyone is on the fence and waiting for someone else to try it

I say this as quite possibly the biggest Life is Strange/Chloe Price fanboy on the board, so take this with a grain of salt, but so far it's like a wonderful dream. 12/10

Minor spoilers about my favorite things so far

Chloe playing Dungeons and Dragons is something I never knew I needed in my life but now I don't know how I ever lived without it. That sass-talk mechanic is also the best thing ever but I don't know how the ardent Chloe haters will feel about it

If anyone else plays this, we can discuss it and stuff, especially once I finish later tonight. I can already tell I'll have more substantial things to say once I see the full picture!
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Only done the first couple of scenes so far, but all my concerns have already been pretty much solved. It just feels right, down to the Twin Peaks references straight from the off.

What do you think of Chloe's new VA? I think she's doing a good job, and given her age (and copious consumption of recreational substances), it's not hard to assume that Chloe's voice would have changed a bit over the intervening years.
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How would I like this if my favorite character was Max and I didn't really have a strong opinion on Chloe either way.
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BlackMageJawa posted...

What do you think of Chloe's new VA? I think she's doing a good job, and given her age (and copious consumption of recreational substances), it's not hard to assume that Chloe's voice would have changed a bit over the intervening years.

I think she's great. She's no Ashly Burch but she's a fine stand-in. It's actually a lot of other returning characters having different voices that's throwing me off. I haven't checked this but I swear nobody has the same VA and it's especially off for Justin

skullbone posted...

How would I like this if my favorite character was Max and I didn't really have a strong opinion on Chloe either way.

So far, Max is definitely an influence on Chloe's character and I feel like I've gotten some new insights into her, but obviously she isn't here. I think Chloe is enough to carry this but I can also see others feeling differently
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Well I'm done the episode now. I'm absolutely blown away, it just kept getting better and better. If the quality of this prequel holds up it might actually surpass Life is Strange itself, and I don't say that lightly.

Most of what I have to say would be spoilers and I still need to organize my thoughts so I might wait until others have played it (which other people totally should, come on everyone it's great) but what amazed me most was just how well the writers understood Chloe. She's every bit as nuanced and amazing here as she was in Life is Strange. It was unreal.

Honestly, despite Life is Strange being my favorite game ever and Chloe being my favorite fictional character ever, I went into this without much hype. In my experience, stories don't usually do well when they're expanded like this. I was afraid they'd exaggerate Chloe into the hateful jerk a lot of people seem to see her as, and that the story would be blatant excuses for fanservice. Before the Storm actually crafted a shockingly meaningful and emotional story, though. I'm still sitting here just... in awe of it.

In short, I'm hella impressed.

LiS Ep4 > BtS Ep1 > LiS Ep3 > LiS Ep2 > LiS Ep1 >>> LiS Ep5

I'd honestly say LiS Ep4 and BtS Ep1 are close to equal, but I give Ep4 the edge because it had the hype of a lot of past choices coming together in satisfying ways and... well, that's hard to pull off in a first episode >_>

Now the wait for Episode Two begins! Someone else should play this
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Whoa, BtS is that high? I might have to try this after all.
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My fear about the game is it isn't really going to add anything new since we already know Chloe's story, so it won't feel like it had a purpose really.

Would you say that is not true?
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trdl23 posted...

Whoa, BtS is that high? I might have to try this after all.

Well, you have to remember how much I love Chloe. That's almost certainly inflating the score a bit, but they also did a really great job with her, along with everyone else!

My Immortal posted...

My fear about the game is it isn't really going to add anything new since we already know Chloe's story, so it won't feel like it had a purpose really.

Would you say that is not true?

This is hard for me to answer given the kind of person I am. I've never cared about spoilers, for example, because I've always been more interested in how stories come together rather than being surprised by where they're going. In terms of adding characterization to Chloe, Rachel, and so on, this game has a ton of purpose. So far, though, there's no big 'mystery' like Life is Strange had (no time powers, no missing girl, etc). Like, there are certainly unanswered questions but they're all interpersonal and, given that this is a prequel, you can kind of guess where certain things will go.

That said, the game has already surprised me by certain directions it's taking. I wouldn't rule out there being some enormous revelation in later episodes.

For now, though, I think it's safest for me to say that people should only get this if they're interested in a new perspective on the world of Life is Strange and want to spend more time getting to know the characters. Before the Storm knocks it out of the park in that regard.
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I'll wait until it's all out, so I can play it through all the way over a couple of days.
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I'm looking forward to playing this but I'm neck deep in persona 5 right now. will check this out soonish, probably in a few weeks when hopefully a couple of episodes are out
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Have they announced the episode schedule?
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I'll wait til all episodes are out. I'm still soured after episode 5
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Glad to see people at least planning to play it

Menji posted...

Have they announced the episode schedule?

From the small amount I've looked, no. I'm personally hoping for the 8-10 week schedule LiS managed between episodes
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Just bought it; planning on tonight if I have time or tomorrow if not.

Mobilezoid posted...

Menji posted...

Have they announced the episode schedule?

From the small amount I've looked, no. I'm personally hoping for the 8-10 week schedule LiS managed between episodes

I'd imagine that's accurate. That would lead to the 2nd episode released in late October and the 3rd released around Christmas/New Years, which I feel would make sense.
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Currently about halfway through (if the graffiti is to be believed). Last one I got was Drama Nerds.

While I wouldn't say it's better than Life is Strange, it's definitely on par with it. I miss the time powers, but not having them doesn't hurt the game at all. Chloe's new voice was hard to get the hang of (partially because I'm a big fan of Ashly Burch, and partially because the new voice actually sounds older than when Burch was voicing her, despite the character being younger.

Beyond that, it feels exactly like Life is Strange, in a good way. I find myself making choices a little more recklessly than I would've with Max, just because it feels more natural. The new characters being introduced all seem solid (in particular, playing DnD with Steph and Mikey was so much fun and really emphasized Chloe as a fun and lovable character instead of just a bratty teen.

I almost want to say the relationship being built between Chloe and Rachel feels rushed (which maybe it is given the fewer episodes) but it doesn't feel wrong, really. It's very similar to how Chloe just pulled Max into a completely new life, and really brings in reflections of her character from the original game.
Here's hoping they keep this up; its really good.
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Glad to hear this one is shaping up to be as good as the original. I played the original, then watched my girlfriend play through it a few months later and it was a pretty great experience. I think I'll wait until all the episodes are released so we can play through it together.
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Whoo, Dungeons & Dragons! Honestly, I'd love to play an entire game like that.
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Johnbobb posted...

The new characters being introduced all seem solid (in particular, playing DnD with Steph and Mikey was so much fun and really emphasized Chloe as a fun and lovable character instead of just a bratty teen.

BlackMageJawa posted...

Whoo, Dungeons & Dragons! Honestly, I'd love to play an entire game like that.

Yeah this part was great. It's especially impressive for being a small, optional moment. I still need to replay the episode and see how it goes if I make choices where Chloe shows less enthusiasm, but I loved seeing that side of her. just having a good time being an elf barbarian

I'll have more to say too once one of you finally finishes this!
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So I just finished LiS

Didn't want to make a topic about it but I liked it a lot. Surprised at how bad episode 5 is thought of here. I thought it spent a bit too long with the villain monologuing and I wanted more freedom in the gameplay (like in previous episodes); it felt very constricted. But it did some stuff I really liked and I enjoyed just how fucked up it got towards the end.

I wasn't a big fan of Chloe though so I probably won't pick this up
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4 probably was the best episode though, that was just very slick
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I'm always happy to see other people playing Life is Strange!

XIII_rocks posted...

Surprised at how bad episode 5 is thought of here

This is one of those things that's probably hard for someone playing it now to understand. Playing the game as it slowly released meant that there was a lot of time to overexamine things and get our hopes up, and then Ep5 let a lot of us down by having past choices not really matter (just like every other choice-based game ever, sadly enough). I've warmed to Ep5 a lot since release, but I still sometimes think back on what it could've been and how easy it would've been to make a 10/10 ending if they had a bit more time, money, or put in a bit more effort.

XIII_rocks posted...

I wasn't a big fan of Chloe though so I probably won't pick this up

But Before the Storm is so good that it might turn you into a big fan of Chloe! I'm only partly joking, too. Depending on what you didn't like about her, BtS might improve your opinion. If she felt like a jerk for no reason, for example, seeing where she's coming from by playing the prequel might actually help.

Then again I love Chloe so I'm also definitely biased
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Robazoid posted...

This is one of those things that's probably hard for someone playing it now to understand. Playing the game as it slowly released meant that there was a lot of time to overexamine things and get our hopes up, and then Ep5 let a lot of us down by having past choices not really matter (just like every other choice-based game ever, sadly enough). I've warmed to Ep5 a lot since release, but I still sometimes think back on what it could've been and how easy it would've been to make a 10/10 ending if they had a bit more time, money, or put in a bit more effort.

I always figured it'd come down to something like that because I couldn't figure out a way to connect the storm with the problems I was dealing with, which is probably my main issue with the story. A massive, cataclysmic event doesn't care whether or not you kissed Warren or if Frank survived. I always had a feeling it'd come down to something separate from those more personal problems...though I suppose it comes down to whether those people are worth saving or if you prefer Chloe alone to all of them.

I briefly thought there might be some Prescott conspiracy going on to in some way instigate the storm (hence the bunker and canned food inside it) but that was too far-fetched.
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