Octopus Overlords

Heads up a little adventure game. As Chrissa says its a mix of a TellTale games mixed with Heavy Rain with some rewind time thrown in.

Chrissa starting out a game play of it.

Its $5 on Steam

it's good? it looked all high school-ish on that video link you had, like every japanese game that's come out in the past year. what's it about in their culture that makes them pine for 15 year old heroes?

It's not a Japanese developer, it's the same guys who made Remember Me, and it's just published by Square Enix.

Ugh, that photography class stuff is annoying as hell.

A lot of reviewers commented on the dialogue. The overall impression is that it’s a really cool idea but the writers tried way too hard at making the characters sound like modern teenagers, and in process, missed the mark entirely.

Daehawk wrote:Its $5 on Steam

For the first episode. $20 for the full five episode season. Have they said anything about how long between episodes or when it will be complete?

It looks like GMG's 20% off coupon will work. I grabbed the 1st episode to give it a shot. I loved Remember Me and that gets them enough credit to try this out. I also think one of my YA Author friends may be interested, so I want to see how it works...

MonkeyFinger wrote:

Daehawk wrote:Its $5 on Steam

For the first episode. $20 for the full five episode season. Have they said anything about how long between episodes or when it will be complete?

The developer said there will be a six week gap between each episode.

Lordnine wrote:A lot of reviewers commented on the dialogue. The overall impression is that it’s a really cool idea but the writers tried way too hard at making the characters sound like modern teenagers, and in process, missed the mark entirely.

This is true, IMO. I just finished Ep. 3 last night, and wish I had not paid for the season pass.

The first episode was amazing. 2nd episode was good. 3rd episode looks like things are being rushed, the dialogue REALLY breaks down, things are inconsistent, and just much more poorly done overall than in the first two.

At first the teen language didn't annoy me, but by now, it's grating to put it mildly.

Everyone is so over the top (again, didn't necessarily get this vibe in the excellent first ep.) and frankly ridiculous in many situations.

I am also starting to feel pissed off at a character that I know the devs are trying to make sympathetic. To ME, she comes off as a punk undeserving of kindness or (much) sympathy.

Didn't help that at the end of the game (episode), you are shown what choices you made, and at least 25% of mine were not correct. I even went back and replayed the entire episode, making sure of my choices, (cognizant of how rewinding can affect those), and still the same problem.

UGH. If the 4th ep. is the same quality as the 3rd, I doubt I will finish.

Carpet_pissr wrote:
The first episode was amazing. 2nd episode was good. 3rd episode looks like things are being rushed, the dialogue REALLY breaks down, things are inconsistent, and just much more poorly done overall than in the first two.

*shrug* I thought the second episode was more mixed than the other two:

At first the teen language didn't annoy me, but by now, it's grating to put it mildly.

The only thing that annoys me is how often Chloe says "hella".

I am also starting to feel pissed off at a character that I know the devs are trying to make sympathetic. To ME, she comes off as a punk undeserving of kindness or (much) sympathy.

Didn't help that at the end of the game (episode), you are shown what choices you made, and at least 25% of mine were not correct.

I think you're not understanding the game. The choices in general aren't wrong or right*, they merely have (small or big) consequences down the line - though some choices are more or less popular. You can keep playing regardless of what decisions you've made. I've made decisions I've regretted later, but I'm not going to replay the episode to correct it now that I know what the consequences will be (at least, not until I finish the entire game).

(* of course, some decisions are clearly more moral, like helping vs hurting someone while others are far more ambiguous, but the game allows you to make those choices.)

Defiant wrote:I think you're not understanding the game. The choices in general aren't wrong or right*, they merely have (small or big) consequences down the line - though some choices are more or less popular.

No, I mean the choices I made in the game were not reflected correctly at the end. And I replayed it with the choices I thought I had made the first time, only to see the same thing happen.

Very frustrating, especially since you can't skip through dialogue (except when rewinding).

Carpet_pissr wrote:

Defiant wrote:I think you're not understanding the game. The choices in general aren't wrong or right*, they merely have (small or big) consequences down the line - though some choices are more or less popular.

No, I mean the choices I made in the game were not reflected correctly at the end. And I replayed it with the choices I thought I had made the first time, only to see the same thing happen.

That's odd.

Very frustrating, especially since you can't skip through dialogue (except when rewinding).

Yeah. For all the rewinding ability, this game is a nightmare for a completionist. I really wish there was an ability to save/load at multiple spots.

Having had a self destructive friend that I've pretty much abandoned, then reconnected with, so this game has been connecting with me.

The dialogue is bad in places, but they do get it right in many other places. The whole of the game is more than the sum of its parts.

Episode 4 just got released (It was longer for me than the others, about 4 hours as opposed to 3 hours for the earlier ones).

LOL! Eggggggsellent

FYI: Life is Strange's first episode is now free.

Just finished this finally, after putting it on hold after the first couple of episodes.

While definitely worth the ride, I found the last episode to be ALMOST unbearable, and mostly because of the voice acting of the lead. Which is a shame, because there are some seriously well-done gaming moments in that last episode.

I swear Max gets whinier and whisperier with each episode. As much creativity and originality was expended on the last two episodes, I was sad to see them ultimately lessened by an overly dramatic reading. Every single line whispered in that cracking, whiny voice. Ugh. I really didn't feel that in the first episodes as much, so I assume it either just compounded and my ears had had enough, or the actor actually changed to that delivery style for every line read in the final episode.

Still though, I was sufficiently impressed by just the opening, and some of the techniques and twists the designers used even til the end, to highly recommend this. Really, really well-done game. I will say that I think I would like it even more if I was about 20 years younger (and if they had cut it down to 4 episodes...I felt it was unnecessarily drawn out)

Not sure I've seen real drama done better in a game before...so props just for that as well. And pulling it off with the uncanny valley working against them...even more impressive.

8.5/10

Life is Strange: Before the Storm is the prequel to Life is Strange, and it will launch Aug. 31, publisher Square Enix announced today.

A trailer for Life is Strange: Before the Storm was shown at Microsoft’s E3 2017 press briefing today — it will be an Xbox One X Enhanced title. The game appears to focus on two major characters from the first season of Life is Strange, which launched in 2015: Chloe Price and her best friend, Rachel Amber.

https://www.polygon.com/e3/2017/6/11/15 ... lease-date

Square Enix and Dontnod Entertainment revealed the surprising next entry in the Life Is Strange franchise during E3: not Life Is Strange 2, but a spinoff set in the same universe. Out June 26, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is not a proper Life Is Strange game, Square Enix insists; instead, the free download stars a young boy in a vastly different story than Life Is Strange’s typical, teen girl-driven drama.

(Life is Strange 2 is scheduled to have a chapter released in September)

I recently finished playing Life Is Strange 1 and enjoyed it. I like how, even after you to rewind a scene to explore all the choices, the game makes you doubt the choice you ultimately make. The game retains a cinematic feel as you explore the campus and various other locations; everything looks properly arranged and "directed" like it would be in a movie instead of a game. (The exception being the glassy-eyed mannequin look of the characters.)

Max's journal not helps the player keep tabs on the story, it's also an entertaining read. The writing style, sketch drawings, and stickers make it look like an authentic journal. The dialogue sounds authentic, too. I agree with others' observations that the teenage expressions can get grating, especially in Episode 3, but sometimes teenagers really do try too hard to sound edgy while hiding their anxieties.

The story was good and went in unexpected places. It's refreshing how the antagonistic characters don't secretly have hearts of gold as they often do in other games. They occasionally show Max respect but revert back to their jerk tendencies without hope of redemption, and that feels realistic. In Episode 5, during one of the dialogues with a bully, I chose the nastiest comebacks instead of trying to make friends and found the whole dirty exchange cathartic. It was like an all-out battle in an RTS game with no survivors, just smoking craters.

The only time I felt the game truly messed up was that ooga-booga nightmare sequence in Episode 5. I'm not sure what all that stealth gameplay was supposed to accomplish, but it served only to drag out the game instead of enhance the story.

I might try the Before the Storm prequel as that sounds worth playing, but I'll probably pass on LiS 2.

Hipolito wrote: ↑Sun Feb 09, 2020 5:59 pm I might try the Before the Storm prequel as that sounds worth playing, but I'll probably pass on LiS 2.

I just finished Life is Strange 2. I t was not nearly as engaging as the first game, but I think it was worth a play. It does a lot to reflect the current political climate.

coopasonic wrote: ↑Sat Jul 25, 2020 9:40 pm

Hipolito wrote: ↑Sun Feb 09, 2020 5:59 pm I might try the Before the Storm prequel as that sounds worth playing, but I'll probably pass on LiS 2.

I just finished Life is Strange 2. I t was not nearly as engaging as the first game, but I think it was worth a play. It does a lot to reflect the current political climate.

Interesting, thank you. I may check it out then. Still haven't played Before the Storm.