Hmm. I really liked the first game and the soundtrack of the first. But this one seems kind of rushed to be honest. I really loved how the first game made me reflect on my life and childhood, the constant feeling of wanting to do the right thing and see the world as something you can change but also out of your control. I wish this game had more of a fleshed out world and environment, like maybe try environmental storytelling. Hopefully the next episodes will be good.
MassiveGat - Gaming It might be rushed, but I also think the team might just be less talented in writing. And honestly, I'll never get used to Chloe's new VA.
Joseph G yeah the original devs are working on a game called Vampyr which actually looks really damn cool but after that they'll probably work on an actual Life Is Strange 2
I couldn't disagree more here sorry. The graphics are near identical, with many beautiful scenes (god, even the original title screen shows this). The music is very varied, and certainly has a lot of those wonderful, soft and relaxing tunes that the original had, especially in the areas where you can take a break by sitting and just take in the atmosphere. While it is true that the lack of the time travel mechanic results in the gameplay feeling a little lacking in comparison, there's just as many interactive hot spots here as in any of the other 5 episodes. While more subjective, I don't agree with your assessment of the story and dialogue here. To me, Rachel and Chloe's relationship is developing wonderfully so far, and there's no less subtlety here than we have come to expect from LiS.
No. They are technically actually worse as karik said elsewhere. And already counted hotspots aren't the same that was already done in a lets play. There also aren't near as many choices.
You should probably pay attention next time as we were discussing a number of situations so cherry picking one situation amongst many just makes it look like your ego is connected to the game.
I agree. I liked the review very much, but I think he's wrong on almost every point. If this had sucked I'd have said as much, but it definitely didn't.
Damn that's rough the original has issues but I still liked it quite a bit and Telltale really needs a rival. Hopefully Dontnod does a good job with the actual sequel.
Such a sad thing when they can't make something new for a prequel. You have all the feed back from the first then go and hobble your next game just for sale, truly sad
Shane Roche to be fair this was just a cash in from another studio. The actual new Life is Strange game is still in development and I'm sure it'll be much better
John McSayer I agree as much as I love life is strange this first episode was a bit disappointing, not only was it short, it was quite slow and not much happened. It also pissed me off when I hear danas knew voice actor I mean I'm sure her voice doesn't go from deep to higher.
IrrelevantSpade I'm just waiting for the final episode of this prequel to see what was the point of it . LiS needs a sequel with a different set of characters and location in all honesty.
I thought this episode was really good, coming from a fan of the last. Like, top quality. I'd recommend. My friend agrees. Different opinions must be accepted though
Yeah to each their own. I loved this episode and disagreed with many things he said, but a good review nonetheless. And idk how people are saying the episode is short. Episode 1 took me a good 4 hours.
I actual liked this Episode more than the original game. Since I mean the first 3 Episodes of Life is Strange nothing really happened and all it was was prolog. Which you dont have here. Here you're from the beginning right into the story. Maybe a bummer for people who liked to sit hours around and think about life.
I really liked it as well. If you played the first game you should well know what to expect from Chloe and how she will behave as a character. I don't know what people thought it would be like. I agree that it felt a bit less full in terms of world interaction, but my main focus lies on the story and I'm 100% satisfied with that part for now. And I actually enjoyed the rapid transitions between reasonable and mad Chloe. That's just her personality. You put yourself in her head and have this inner conflict of "well that's just rude but then again I'm Chloe..." which makes decisions really enjoyable. I guess you really have to love the first game, and probably also played it in the near past. It can seem a bit shallow from an outsider perspective. Also 96% on Steam aren't exactly a counter argument.
Well that's a magnificent bummer! I loved the shit outta the first one. Platinumed it and even got Max's plant to live to the end of episode 5. I'll probably still play it but I was sooo stoked. My problem I guess. Thanks for the review!
what did you expect? this from the day SquareEnix annouced it seemed like a cash grab. LiS sold well, we have rights let's milk it. Dontnod jumps from genre to genre from story to story Remember Me, LiS, Vampyr... so what Enix does? hires a different developer... The idea of LiS2 by dontnod is not appealing to me as well as before the storm might hurt its sales regadless how good it LiS2 will be. If it comes to before the storm I tought it will be a let down. I'm still interested I want to judge it myself but I will buy it as a full deluxe edition in a bundle for couple of bucks.
I don't want to sound like one of those PC masterrace nerds, but I played it on PC and I maybe only got 1 slight hiccup in framerates. Probably that is just a console problem.
I liked this game better than the first one. There's no rewind bullshit and it's all focusing on the friendship. Plus the dialogue is a lot less cringe.
I felt the exact opposite. With no rewind and impending doom, storyline barely scratches the surface. The original focused on both friendship and unique elements.
mehdigeek Well the rewind mechanic itself wove into the narrative nicely , whether it was fun to actually use and solve puzzles with is another whole story
This is like listening to a Dark Souls 2 review, which in shot can be presented in 5 words "the first one was better" and that's quite understandable. However, for me the first episode of LiS:BTS was fun to go through. Visually this game was wacky, but the original wasn't a masterpiece either. In both first episodes of VA sounded off and writing left much to be desired. Places we can visit in both games are different, because Before the storm takes place 2 years prior to events from LiS and in my opinion that's a lot of time for those places to change, to be enriched or diminished so ofc they are different. You said that there is no time for Chloe to reflect on herself and her grief, but for me you could find those moments in brief dream sessions. And for me it was really fun not to be this all the time nostalgic Max, who takes such lengths as time travelling to be liked by others and avoid all bad decisions. Instead we walk in shoes of Chloe, who doesn't care what other people say, whose power would be bitch-talking people to obedience (or deafness), who, as in first game, doesn't care about others, doesn't reflect on herself and prides herself at making others miserable just because she feels miserable. For me it was so refreshing to see Chloe who can take care of herself and doesn't seem like she can't accomplish a single task without someone's assistance. And her pessimistic and/or angry comments about everything were very amusing for me. In conclusion just like DS2, LiS:BTS can be really enjoyable experience if you're willing to give it a chance and not compare it to the previous game. At least, that's what I think
oh ya I don't think "the first was better" I think this one separate even from that is terrible, has poor animations, very poor voice acting, terrible plotting, poor pacing in many places, and seems lost. If compared to the originals you could say "the first was better" and then tack on those reasons as why.
I think the optikal problem is, that the game cant look a lot better as the main game. Because it would feels like youre playing a whole different game then. They just tryed to look it a bit better which works pretty good on the textures.
Thank you for so much honesty. It’s the only trait I value as a consumer. I’ll pick it up on sale or something. Hopefully the devs watch this video and correct these subtle, yet game-hindering mistakes in time for Life is Strange 2!
I'm afraid not. See, Dontnod is currently working on the well-known arpg Vampyr and they also teased another 'wasteland' style project with Bandai Namco, how could they have any room for the lis sequel? So this might be the very end of the series especially if the prequel fails
Well that's a damn shame. Life is Strange gets a lot of flack, but I really liked it. So much so that even though I already had it on PC, I bought the limited edition physical release for PS4.
you're not alone mate! Many liked Life is Strange - myself included (for me LiS was GOTY). And I do not know why it is compared to telltale games - I have many of them and the most I did was two episodes... LiS (I bought the package when all episodes were released) I played and wanted to play more. If it comes to Before the Storm - I will buy it, on deep, deep sale - just to play and get my own opinion.
I wouldn't say it gets a lot of flak. There's certainly a vocal group of people who hate the game, but the majority of people and reviewers showered it with praise.
agree 100% about the back talk power thing....I find myself at times not wanting to use it but at other times they force you to use it or give you the better moving forward when you use it....I think with Max they gave us more freedom to pick an emotion and feeling....Chloe doesn't have that. Even if you choose the 'nicer' option it still makes it into her angsty-ness or she's doing it to fake herself, etc. There's no depth....best part though was the D&D. I could've done a whole game just in that style alone and when it was done, I felt bummed and only hoped they'd let me play it later on as some side game.
In the end, i felt a lot more connected to Max than Chloe as a MC, which is why Before the Storm couldn't possibly come anywhere close to the original for me, even if the story and gameplay were any better.
Ashley Burch is great. I actually heard her first as Aloy in Horizon, and I got Life is Strange for her voice acting. She was great in life is strange too. I guess she isn’t Chloe in this prequel?
I thought the first episode was pretty solid and look forward to the next ones. ACG does make some valid criticisms, but they weren't a big deal for me at all.
Thanks for the review! When I first heard about this game , I was letting hype from LiS take over. I began to be a little wary thinking how close announcement and release date were(4 months?). What's a shame is that they put so much effort into marketing this game. Hopefully they do the same for Dontnod's sequel.
I know in 2017 at one point there was a chance to Pre-Order the DE(Delux Edition) for Life is Strange Before the storm with those 2 shirts I just wanted to know if it is still possible in anyway to somehow acquire these shirts still in 2018 please someone let me know thanks
"Wasn't lotted for being Shakespearean excellent" well although I wasn't a big fan of the game, a little girly for my taste, I always felt there's no other game that comes close to having characters talk, the way people actually talk in the real world. From GTA to Halo, you name it, there's always some underline awkwardness that I can't quite put my finger on. Even kiefer sutherland's performance in metal gear is arguably his worst. I don't know if game voice directors are just worse then movie directors at making their actors comfortable or what but there's absolutely a big difference. A difference I didn't notice with a single line of the original Life Is Strange.
I've just finished playing this and I genuinely thought it was great. I'm loving the story so far. Just like I loved the original game. I really thought the review would be good. Maybe it's because I've literally just finished playing it, so maybe I need to give it time. But right now im just hyped for the next episode. Although I do agree with the gameplay elements. Like the back chat shit. Yeah that is pretty weak
great review as all ways, i remember life is strange (the first one) first episode wasn't that great but it got better as they went on hopefully its the same for this
Remember, this isn't "season 2". Hate to compare, but remember Telltales The Walked Dead: Michonne? Imagine this like that. They made this for fans of Chloe
I personally liked the first episode a lot. The soundtrack was great and revisiting places & seeing characters again was interesting. Also thought the ending was pretty strong, considering I didn't think the original was as strong in the first episode either. It shined more in the later episodes. Hoping that's what it'll be like with this as well. The writing was pretty cringy in the beginning though & confused by the extra episode in the deluxe edition. Great review as always though, glad to be a Patron! :)
thank you for the review! ever since the announcement of this prequel, I've been on the fence because I wasn't sure how I'd like Chloe as the main lead. It appears all my worries of this game came true.. so I'll definitely wait for a sale , thank you again!
so, I'm not watching the whole thing until I finish it (trying to be 100% blind). Just wanna know how immersion breaking it is to have every character voiced by a different person than the original? Keep up the good work my dude.
For someone who owns the entire season of the first game, and having only finished Episode one, having no desire to continue, as I found it tedious, pretentious, and eye rolling, it wasn't that it was so much bad, it filled me with no excitement to continue onward, does the sequel fare any better with it's story beats, and ques? If so I could force myself to power through the first to give the second a shot? I like these"types" of games but not every game of this type.
With overall less game length due to less episodes I felt like they could have made the episodes in this a bit longer. I didn't really feel like there was less things to interact with but that wouldn't be an issue as there wasn't really much to interact with in the first of any level that was interesting. The story so far? It was a lot slower than the first which is a problem with less overall game time however the relationship between Chloe and Rachel does give me hope. I found them to be pretty strong, Max and Chloe had a different type of relationship but Rachel's personality is very different from Chloe and Max's so it give them something interesting and different while interacting. I didn't dislike this first episode, I thought it started off pretty strong given it has to compete with the first and the odds are if you're playing this you played the first and will automatically compare and analyse flaws to a greater degree. Maybe it will taper off but when they finally started interacting away from the slow first half the game picked up for me.
Yeah this game's first 30 minutes had me almost turning it off and deleting it a few times, from giving the finger after hopping a 2 foot gate and convincing a big strong bouncer that you could beat him up..its sad that the highlight of this game is looking at a D&D board and pretending and imagining whats been told to you, while a far less popular game that came out this year "What Remains of Edith Finch" had you immersed and playing your inner thoughts and it was fantastic.
I liked the original art style. It was like a hand drawing over old school Rotoscoping. .. like they shot it in real life and painted over it. It does have its limits, but I dig the feel of it.
I can usually see where you're coming from no matter if I disagree with you, but here I just can't. Not sure if that is just because of how much I actually like the game or just how much I want to like the game.
The game is good and if this was created before the first game then life is strange would have been even better with us wanting to actually now or give a fuck about Rachel in the first game.
Can't say I'm surprised... from everything i saw beforehand kinda felt like this was mostly trying to bank on the success of the original (as with most prequel things). The decision to make a prequel also baffles me since we know how it ends...? But anyways, thanks for the review!
Absolutely adored the first game, from the perspective of someone who is around the same age as the characters involved it was one of the most relatable games I've ever played. Chloe was my favorite character in the original and it seems that this prequel hasn't done her much justice. Fantastic review dude, shame this one ended up this way.
No no no no no. Didn't want this prequel, and 10000% didn't need it. It was much better inferring Chloe's past in the main game. I mean for gods sake, what is this obsession movies and games have with prequels? And don't get me fucking started on the "deluxe edition" with a "bonus episode". The first game was such a complete package, with no dlc, just a full game. But this one decides to have a season pass and all that crap. Stop ruining my favorite games. Please.
The first one was episodic as well, though. It also had a season pass. But yeah, I'm a bit torn on this one. On one hand, the opportunity to see some more of these characters is kinda cool, but one of the strengths of the Rachel Amber character was that she never appears herself. She is just a presence, looming over everything as a reminder that something shady is going on. I hope the reports that Dontnod themselves are working on an ACTUAL sequel with different characters are true.
Exactly the same thinking! And I know how it ends, so even do not bother to play this game... I would maybe (!!!) consider it if it was free... But have tons of other games to play :P So probability even playing it for free is minimal ;)
You can thank Square for all of this -- the creators of the original game don't really seem connected to this at all. They're busy finishing Vampyr and gearing up for a proper sequel (which I assume will be about all new characters). But yea, I feel you, I've been wary of this ever since it got leaked, shame to see my worries might've been well-placed...
I really enjoyed Life is Strange, it's a shame that this doesn't look like it's going to live up to the legacy. I hope they can at least fix up the performance by the time the last ep is out. I hope you can get you vids making money for you again dude. My TH-cam Red dollars should be going somewhere good.
I actually prefer the new soundtrack. It's impressive that one band is able to create a diverse enough sound to fill up all the tracks. Daughter just gained a new fan. Also, while I agree on nearly everyone of your criticisms - there is just something about playing this game that puts me into an emotional state a like to the first LiS. No other game ( even ones with great stories) have done this to me.This game gave me that LiS feeling trip again and that is what I'm really after. Perhaps it helps playing these games a little inebriated, but there are those really subtle moments like walking down stairs just to get breakfast with your mother that give it a nice sense of place and normalcy. It's not perfect, but I think deck 9 did a good job given the nearly impossible task set out before them.
Damn I really loved the first one as a straight guy lol. Was really looking forward to this but I'll go with your review and wait. Thanks Karak for bringing out these reviews. Please don't stop!
I bought the original for my mother in law and she didn't know how to play it so I played the first episode to figure it out for her and I fell in love with it so I bought all the episodes. Few months ago my mother in law told me she is preordering this one and I told her to wait for your review first. Well, what do you know, I was sceptical about it and you just confirmed it. I am sending her the link of this video. We will still play it regardless but we will wait a year. Thanks Karak!
To be honest, "wait" is probably the best advice for just about every episodic game. If these episodes came out weekly or bi-weekly, I wouldn't mind. But it can take months for a new episode to come out, and by then I personally forget most things about the last episode except the basic story. And after a couple of episodes of that, I generally lose interest in the game, because you can't really immerse yourself into something when it's coming in installments so far from each other.
Great review as always, would of been good to see a comparison shot of the bedroom from the first one and the second one to show what you meant. Great review just thought that would of been cool.
As a huge fan of the original (despite its glaring narrative holes) I've been super anxious about this prequel all summer. Everything I know about its development, conception, and what I've seen from the marketing has left me with dread that this honest, earnest indie series was getting milked for some quick cash because Square realized how easily it could do so. I support the dev team working on this, they have their hearts in the right place, but it's disappointing to hear these things. I've got the Deluxe edition pre-ordered because I'm a member of the fandom and can't...NOT play it, not have my own thoughts on it, but damn, I was really hoping they'd manage to knock it out of the park with Ep1 so I wouldn't have to worry so much. Sounds like this game might end up giving me a sense of anxiety through to next year. xD The fandom has already been tearing itself in half over this thing, but it's not consistent and well made, that rift will only widen... Hopefully with some critical feedback the devs can work more on the subtlety and detail you brought up -- two things that the original didn't ALWAYS have, but that a lot of its great moments did. The potential is certainly there.
Karak my friend, you are a force of nature. Multiple reviews in a week, plus extra content for subscribers and still more for Patrons. Your work ethic and passion are awesome to behold. I give you the highest of fives. \ 5 /
I think they downgraded the graphics so it can come out later for the Nintendo Switch, this will happen more in the future with smaller titles. As hardware wise PS4/Xbox there is no reason for a downgrade. And the slow performance is just due to the lackluster engine named Unity, it has been shit on every platform so far, and the previous one used Unreal 3.
I want to watch your review because you're one of the best reviewers out there and I want to know what you think, but at the same time I want to go into the game as blind as possible.
Just finished the third episode yesterday and I feel like ranting about how bad this game was. The story line of this game was extremely poorly written and pretty much nonsensical. I felt almost insulted playing the game. Nothing makes sense about it. I could go into details but I would be putting more effort into writing a proper review than the producers of the game put into making the actual game. Avoid this one like the pest guys.
Great review. I had a feeling this game was gonna be a letdown from the gameplay footage. Well guess we gotta wait for the original developer, Dontnot to make an actually good Life is Strange sequel.
The story, characters, and writing in the original are good. Other aspects of the game are just okay. Overall, I liked it and so did most people. I would recommend watching a trailer for it to get a feel for the premise and the characters. If the trailer appeals to you, then you will probably like the game.
Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough damn right you should! Its a really good game in my opinion. And one of my favourite games. A word of advise, TAKE YOUR TIME playing the original Life is Strange. Talk to people, try find all the optional photo ops, seat down and just appreciate the awesome soundtrack. Awesome game! Go and play it. :)
Sorry called it truth or dare its more 2 truths and a lie spread out by random talking between each on. The dare was getting through it.
why was it demonotized?
Ok this is SO ridiculous! What the hell is wrong with them!?
youtube is becoming more like traditional TV, i swear
Same problem on one of my F1 2017 videos xD
It doesn't make sense it's a review of a game with no violence and no swearing someone on the inside must have it out for you
Idk. I liked it a lot, and thought it was sort of a heartwarming return to Arcadia Bay. But I respect your opinion
I adored that d&d scene and the relationship between Chloe and Rachel.
sounds like he did as well. I made the mistake of getting it anyway. Will not do that again
Hmm. I really liked the first game and the soundtrack of the first. But this one seems kind of rushed to be honest. I really loved how the first game made me reflect on my life and childhood, the constant feeling of wanting to do the right thing and see the world as something you can change but also out of your control. I wish this game had more of a fleshed out world and environment, like maybe try environmental storytelling. Hopefully the next episodes will be good.
me to
MassiveGat - Gaming It might be rushed, but I also think the team might just be less talented in writing. And honestly, I'll never get used to Chloe's new VA.
Joseph G yeah the original devs are working on a game called Vampyr which actually looks really damn cool but after that they'll probably work on an actual Life Is Strange 2
I couldn't disagree more here sorry. The graphics are near identical, with many beautiful scenes (god, even the original title screen shows this). The music is very varied, and certainly has a lot of those wonderful, soft and relaxing tunes that the original had, especially in the areas where you can take a break by sitting and just take in the atmosphere. While it is true that the lack of the time travel mechanic results in the gameplay feeling a little lacking in comparison, there's just as many interactive hot spots here as in any of the other 5 episodes. While more subjective, I don't agree with your assessment of the story and dialogue here. To me, Rachel and Chloe's relationship is developing wonderfully so far, and there's no less subtlety here than we have come to expect from LiS.
No. They are technically actually worse as karik said elsewhere. And already counted hotspots aren't the same that was already done in a lets play. There also aren't near as many choices.
You should probably pay attention next time as we were discussing a number of situations so cherry picking one situation amongst many just makes it look like your ego is connected to the game.
So? you can only reply if you refute EVERYTHING said by OP?
"I couldn't disagree more here sorry."
And I couldn't give less of a fuck, sorry.
I agree. I liked the review very much, but I think he's wrong on almost every point. If this had sucked I'd have said as much, but it definitely didn't.
Damn that's rough the original has issues but I still liked it quite a bit and Telltale really needs a rival. Hopefully Dontnod does a good job with the actual sequel.
ya sad
Will there be a sequel tough?
I don't feel like the endings even left room for a sequel. It was probably a one time game.
Jonluke Santillana R.I.P. telltale lol
Such a sad thing when they can't make something new for a prequel. You have all the feed back from the first then go and hobble your next game just for sale, truly sad
Shane Roche to be fair this was just a cash in from another studio. The actual new Life is Strange game is still in development and I'm sure it'll be much better
Huh. I liked it. Just finished episode 1. I feel like it was a good start to a prequel. But to each their own I guess.
John McSayer I agree as much as I love life is strange this first episode was a bit disappointing, not only was it short, it was quite slow and not much happened. It also pissed me off when I hear danas knew voice actor I mean I'm sure her voice doesn't go from deep to higher.
IrrelevantSpade I'm just waiting for the final episode of this prequel to see what was the point of it . LiS needs a sequel with a different set of characters and location in all honesty.
Honestly this story makes life is stranges story even better and sadder
I thought this episode was really good, coming from a fan of the last. Like, top quality. I'd recommend. My friend agrees. Different opinions must be accepted though
ya. I haven't met anyone who thought it was good. I made a mistake and ignored karik
Yeah to each their own. I loved this episode and disagreed with many things he said, but a good review nonetheless. And idk how people are saying the episode is short. Episode 1 took me a good 4 hours.
I actual liked this Episode more than the original game. Since I mean the first 3 Episodes of Life is Strange nothing really happened and all it was was prolog. Which you dont have here. Here you're from the beginning right into the story. Maybe a bummer for people who liked to sit hours around and think about life.
I really liked it as well. If you played the first game you should well know what to expect from Chloe and how she will behave as a character. I don't know what people thought it would be like.
I agree that it felt a bit less full in terms of world interaction, but my main focus lies on the story and I'm 100% satisfied with that part for now.
And I actually enjoyed the rapid transitions between reasonable and mad Chloe. That's just her personality. You put yourself in her head and have this inner conflict of "well that's just rude but then again I'm Chloe..." which makes decisions really enjoyable.
I guess you really have to love the first game, and probably also played it in the near past. It can seem a bit shallow from an outsider perspective. Also 96% on Steam aren't exactly a counter argument.
I do not get where the stuff about the graphics is coming from though. It's like he's literally pulling it out of his ass lol
Well that's a magnificent bummer! I loved the shit outta the first one. Platinumed it and even got Max's plant to live to the end of episode 5. I'll probably still play it but I was sooo stoked. My problem I guess. Thanks for the review!
Antiform Would have been more loved than Chloe
Chesh The Cat it's because it's a different developer making this
holy shit "on an lsd trip covered in ants"I fuckin love your writing style. spot on
I'm a BIG fan of the first game and man, I'm glad I held back on this one. Thank you for the awesome review.
me to and thanks
what did you expect? this from the day SquareEnix annouced it seemed like a cash grab. LiS sold well, we have rights let's milk it. Dontnod jumps from genre to genre from story to story Remember Me, LiS, Vampyr... so what Enix does? hires a different developer... The idea of LiS2 by dontnod is not appealing to me as well as before the storm might hurt its sales regadless how good it LiS2 will be. If it comes to before the storm I tought it will be a let down. I'm still interested I want to judge it myself but I will buy it as a full deluxe edition in a bundle for couple of bucks.
The game is just as good as the original ep 1-4.
That's a main character with a long ass neck
I'm liking before the storm so far, plus it's only episode 1 , episode 1 of the original wasn't the best episode. I can't wait till episode 2
"Fun factor: It was not fun." I audibly laughed at you saying this.
I appreciate the detailed review. Saved me some money. I'll keep sponsoring you on patreon, love your work.
you bet
Am I the only one who liked it? ._.
I LOVED IT
I like BTS even more as LIS
I freaking loved it played it 3 time's
To me it just felt more relatable than the first
I don't want to sound like one of those PC masterrace nerds, but I played it on PC and I maybe only got 1 slight hiccup in framerates. Probably that is just a console problem.
nope sadly
tons of streamers had issues and they were on pc. Normal pc outcome
I also had 0 problems with performance.
I kept getting frame drops. It was annoying. Gtx1080 ti
I had no problems with the performance on my OG PS4. It probably only lags on loading screens lol
Life is Tumblr: Before the 4chan Raid
Muh Culture War
LOL that.
E;R is a neo-nazi
Dontnod's Unreal 3 approach replaced by Unity? Damn. Deck Nine fucked it up...
Boris Gospodinov yeah I was suprised when I found out it was powered by unity
I love that fact that karak loves the original games. Those were good reviews :)
Love ya, Karak! Will continue to support, hope this demonetization fiasco won't be the end of you!
thanks
yo that girls neck tho at 4:26 😂😂
christ thats all i can see
Cyna Leigh I just died laughing thank you 😂
It cant be unseen now, it hurts
Cyna Leigh i spilled my coke. Hahahaha
Cyna Leigh ohh my gahh
I loved the Last Man Standing analogy! Do you recommend that I play the first episodes before diving into the prequel?
I liked this game better than the first one. There's no rewind bullshit and it's all focusing on the friendship. Plus the dialogue is a lot less cringe.
I know rigth??? I can't believe how bullshit this review is, and everyone is buying it!!!
I felt the exact opposite. With no rewind and impending doom, storyline barely scratches the surface. The original focused on both friendship and unique elements.
HELLA WOWZERS MAX
mehdigeek Well the rewind mechanic itself wove into the narrative nicely , whether it was fun to actually use and solve puzzles with is another whole story
Less cringe??? It's starts with 1337 train and Chloe standing on the tracks, while smoking.
This is like listening to a Dark Souls 2 review, which in shot can be presented in 5 words "the first one was better" and that's quite understandable. However, for me the first episode of LiS:BTS was fun to go through. Visually this game was wacky, but the original wasn't a masterpiece either. In both first episodes of VA sounded off and writing left much to be desired. Places we can visit in both games are different, because Before the storm takes place 2 years prior to events from LiS and in my opinion that's a lot of time for those places to change, to be enriched or diminished so ofc they are different. You said that there is no time for Chloe to reflect on herself and her grief, but for me you could find those moments in brief dream sessions. And for me it was really fun not to be this all the time nostalgic Max, who takes such lengths as time travelling to be liked by others and avoid all bad decisions. Instead we walk in shoes of Chloe, who doesn't care what other people say, whose power would be bitch-talking people to obedience (or deafness), who, as in first game, doesn't care about others, doesn't reflect on herself and prides herself at making others miserable just because she feels miserable. For me it was so refreshing to see Chloe who can take care of herself and doesn't seem like she can't accomplish a single task without someone's assistance. And her pessimistic and/or angry comments about everything were very amusing for me. In conclusion just like DS2, LiS:BTS can be really enjoyable experience if you're willing to give it a chance and not compare it to the previous game. At least, that's what I think
oh ya I don't think
"the first was better" I think this one separate even from that is terrible, has poor animations, very poor voice acting, terrible plotting, poor pacing in many places, and seems lost. If compared to the originals you could say "the first was better" and then tack on those reasons as why.
I think the optikal problem is, that the game cant look a lot better as the main game. Because it would feels like youre playing a whole different game then. They just tryed to look it a bit better which works pretty good on the textures.
Thank you for so much honesty. It’s the only trait I value as a consumer. I’ll pick it up on sale or something. Hopefully the devs watch this video and correct these subtle, yet game-hindering mistakes in time for Life is Strange 2!
The devs of LiS2 and the original LiS are not the ones who make Before the Storm.
Definitely still buying the game just for storyline and lore I honestly feel there going make another life is strange this is just for a back story .
yup, this game is made by a different studio, the original developers have already confirmed that life is strange 2 is happening
I'm afraid not. See, Dontnod is currently working on the well-known arpg Vampyr and they also teased another 'wasteland' style project with Bandai Namco, how could they have any room for the lis sequel? So this might be the very end of the series especially if the prequel fails
Haha I know exactly what you mean, but to me "lore" sounds so funny when talking about a game like this for some reason.
Yusuf Estacado they confirmed lis2 already in a video
Hi man you are very good reviewer, thank you for posting this man.
you bet
Well that's a damn shame. Life is Strange gets a lot of flack, but I really liked it. So much so that even though I already had it on PC, I bought the limited edition physical release for PS4.
you're not alone mate! Many liked Life is Strange - myself included (for me LiS was GOTY). And I do not know why it is compared to telltale games - I have many of them and the most I did was two episodes... LiS (I bought the package when all episodes were released) I played and wanted to play more.
If it comes to Before the Storm - I will buy it, on deep, deep sale - just to play and get my own opinion.
I wouldn't say it gets a lot of flak. There's certainly a vocal group of people who hate the game, but the majority of people and reviewers showered it with praise.
Seems like this series is a wannabe version of beyond two souls
agree 100% about the back talk power thing....I find myself at times not wanting to use it but at other times they force you to use it or give you the better moving forward when you use it....I think with Max they gave us more freedom to pick an emotion and feeling....Chloe doesn't have that. Even if you choose the 'nicer' option it still makes it into her angsty-ness or she's doing it to fake herself, etc. There's no depth....best part though was the D&D. I could've done a whole game just in that style alone and when it was done, I felt bummed and only hoped they'd let me play it later on as some side game.
In the end, i felt a lot more connected to Max than Chloe as a MC, which is why Before the Storm couldn't possibly come anywhere close to the original for me, even if the story and gameplay were any better.
Ashley Burch is great. I actually heard her first as Aloy in Horizon, and I got Life is Strange for her voice acting. She was great in life is strange too. I guess she isn’t Chloe in this prequel?
I mean, I thought it was a great game, but I can see where you're coming from here. Good review.
thanks and thanks for actually understanding we can all play the same game and come away with different thoughts
Dang it's kinda hard to hear about how this game turned out, epically with how good the first one was.
I thought the first episode was pretty solid and look forward to the next ones. ACG does make some valid criticisms, but they weren't a big deal for me at all.
Its not a sequel. Its a prequel. And the sequel will have a whole new cast and story.
Yeah something about this game just felt off from the moment they announced it. What a weird way to treat the IP.
Thanks for the review! When I first heard about this game , I was letting hype from LiS take over. I began to be a little wary thinking how close announcement and release date were(4 months?). What's a shame is that they put so much effort into marketing this game. Hopefully they do the same for Dontnod's sequel.
So did you get to finish the whole thing? What was your opinion if you did?
Man, the first one give me a sort of awe, pretty impacting upon ones emotions
Damn I couldn't even tell who the main chatacter was at first. Great review though, is there any way we can stop them from demonetizing your stuff?
I was incredibly bored with the first one and have zero hype for this one but again, I love your reviews. Gotta show my support man. Good job.
I think everyone wants a person like Rachel to stumble into their lives it's just so difficult to find your Rachel.
I know in 2017 at one point there was a chance to Pre-Order the DE(Delux Edition) for Life is Strange Before the storm with those 2 shirts I just wanted to know if it is still possible in anyway to somehow acquire these shirts still in 2018 please someone let me know thanks
The one time I pre order.... Well hopefully the Max bonus episode will be good!
"Wasn't lotted for being Shakespearean excellent" well although I wasn't a big fan of the game, a little girly for my taste, I always felt there's no other game that comes close to having characters talk, the way people actually talk in the real world. From GTA to Halo, you name it, there's always some underline awkwardness that I can't quite put my finger on. Even kiefer sutherland's performance in metal gear is arguably his worst. I don't know if game voice directors are just worse then movie directors at making their actors comfortable or what but there's absolutely a big difference. A difference I didn't notice with a single line of the original Life Is Strange.
I find the backtalk bits funny as hell
I've just finished playing this and I genuinely thought it was great. I'm loving the story so far. Just like I loved the original game. I really thought the review would be good. Maybe it's because I've literally just finished playing it, so maybe I need to give it time. But right now im just hyped for the next episode. Although I do agree with the gameplay elements. Like the back chat shit. Yeah that is pretty weak
great review as all ways, i remember life is strange (the first one) first episode wasn't that great but it got better as they went on hopefully its the same for this
thanks
Spicy Skeleton I hope not. LiS ended with a dissapointing final episode, with only 3 episodes here I only hope for improvement.
I really liked this game
good
Nice,
but I hated ):
Remember, this isn't "season 2". Hate to compare, but remember Telltales The Walked Dead: Michonne? Imagine this like that. They made this for fans of Chloe
Hey karak... M a student... How much do you feel I should pledge to paytreon... Will 2$ per month be enough?
Pay whatever you can because he's not getting money from TH-cam so I'm sure anything at all is better than nothing
I personally liked the first episode a lot. The soundtrack was great and revisiting places & seeing characters again was interesting. Also thought the ending was pretty strong, considering I didn't think the original was as strong in the first episode either. It shined more in the later episodes. Hoping that's what it'll be like with this as well.
The writing was pretty cringy in the beginning though & confused by the extra episode in the deluxe edition.
Great review as always though, glad to be a Patron! :)
thank you for the review! ever since the announcement of this prequel, I've been on the fence because I wasn't sure how I'd like Chloe as the main lead. It appears all my worries of this game came true.. so I'll definitely wait for a sale , thank you again!
so, I'm not watching the whole thing until I finish it (trying to be 100% blind).
Just wanna know how immersion breaking it is to have every character voiced by a different person than the original?
Keep up the good work my dude.
Kemando SPOILER:
Rachel dies.
obviously. That was like 2 years ago.
Orca Spirit xD
For someone who owns the entire season of the first game, and having only finished Episode one, having no desire to continue, as I found it tedious, pretentious, and eye rolling, it wasn't that it was so much bad, it filled me with no excitement to continue onward, does the sequel fare any better with it's story beats, and ques? If so I could force myself to power through the first to give the second a shot? I like these"types" of games but not every game of this type.
With overall less game length due to less episodes I felt like they could have made the episodes in this a bit longer. I didn't really feel like there was less things to interact with but that wouldn't be an issue as there wasn't really much to interact with in the first of any level that was interesting. The story so far? It was a lot slower than the first which is a problem with less overall game time however the relationship between Chloe and Rachel does give me hope. I found them to be pretty strong, Max and Chloe had a different type of relationship but Rachel's personality is very different from Chloe and Max's so it give them something interesting and different while interacting. I didn't dislike this first episode, I thought it started off pretty strong given it has to compete with the first and the odds are if you're playing this you played the first and will automatically compare and analyse flaws to a greater degree. Maybe it will taper off but when they finally started interacting away from the slow first half the game picked up for me.
Yeah this game's first 30 minutes had me almost turning it off and deleting it a few times, from giving the finger after hopping a 2 foot gate and convincing a big strong bouncer that you could beat him up..its sad that the highlight of this game is looking at a D&D board and pretending and imagining whats been told to you, while a far less popular game that came out this year "What Remains of Edith Finch" had you immersed and playing your inner thoughts and it was fantastic.
Damn, I had a feeling this was how it was going to turn out.
I liked the original art style. It was like a hand drawing over old school Rotoscoping. .. like they shot it in real life and painted over it.
It does have its limits, but I dig the feel of it.
Man, that is disappointing. I loved the first game so I was hoping this one would be good.
I can usually see where you're coming from no matter if I disagree with you, but here I just can't. Not sure if that is just because of how much I actually like the game or just how much I want to like the game.
The game is good and if this was created before the first game then life is strange would have been even better with us wanting to actually now or give a fuck about Rachel in the first game.
Always wanted to play the first one but so many games came out past few years hard to find the energy for a slower story game
Can't say I'm surprised... from everything i saw beforehand kinda felt like this was mostly trying to bank on the success of the original (as with most prequel things). The decision to make a prequel also baffles me since we know how it ends...? But anyways, thanks for the review!
loved the originals
Absolutely adored the first game, from the perspective of someone who is around the same age as the characters involved it was one of the most relatable games I've ever played. Chloe was my favorite character in the original and it seems that this prequel hasn't done her much justice. Fantastic review dude, shame this one ended up this way.
No no no no no. Didn't want this prequel, and 10000% didn't need it. It was much better inferring Chloe's past in the main game. I mean for gods sake, what is this obsession movies and games have with prequels? And don't get me fucking started on the "deluxe edition" with a "bonus episode". The first game was such a complete package, with no dlc, just a full game. But this one decides to have a season pass and all that crap. Stop ruining my favorite games. Please.
The first one was episodic as well, though. It also had a season pass.
But yeah, I'm a bit torn on this one. On one hand, the opportunity to see some more of these characters is kinda cool, but one of the strengths of the Rachel Amber character was that she never appears herself. She is just a presence, looming over everything as a reminder that something shady is going on. I hope the reports that Dontnod themselves are working on an ACTUAL sequel with different characters are true.
Exactly the same thinking! And I know how it ends, so even do not bother to play this game... I would maybe (!!!) consider it if it was free... But have tons of other games to play :P So probability even playing it for free is minimal ;)
Faiz Azfar The bonus ep and preorder bonus not being sold with the main episodes pissed me off. Felt like corporate crashgrab from Square.
You can thank Square for all of this -- the creators of the original game don't really seem connected to this at all.
They're busy finishing Vampyr and gearing up for a proper sequel (which I assume will be about all new characters).
But yea, I feel you, I've been wary of this ever since it got leaked, shame to see my worries might've been well-placed...
It doesnt ruin the first game, just don't play it and ignore it!
I really enjoyed Life is Strange, it's a shame that this doesn't look like it's going to live up to the legacy. I hope they can at least fix up the performance by the time the last ep is out.
I hope you can get you vids making money for you again dude. My TH-cam Red dollars should be going somewhere good.
Well my view on this game is biased.... always disliked Chloe as a character personally. Max was likable compared to Chloe.
I completely agree with the entire review. There is honestly not one thing about this game anywhere near as good as the first game.
Another solid review. Any chance we can see a Walking the Walk for The Last of Us?
I am so surprised because it's Square Enix and they make EXCELLENT games
Mega MovieZ agreed.
Mega MovieZ Dude, they just published it...
Square Enix is the publisher this game is made by Deck Nine.
Don't forget that the band Daughter composed an entire original soundtrack album just for this game! My favorite part of the game for sure.
I actually prefer the new soundtrack. It's impressive that one band is able to create a diverse enough sound to fill up all the tracks. Daughter just gained a new fan. Also, while I agree on nearly everyone of your criticisms - there is just something about playing this game that puts me into an emotional state a like to the first LiS. No other game ( even ones with great stories) have done this to me.This game gave me that LiS feeling trip again and that is what I'm really after. Perhaps it helps playing these games a little inebriated, but there are those really subtle moments like walking down stairs just to get breakfast with your mother that give it a nice sense of place and normalcy. It's not perfect, but I think deck 9 did a good job given the nearly impossible task set out before them.
this is awesome to hear
Damn I really loved the first one as a straight guy lol. Was really looking forward to this but I'll go with your review and wait.
Thanks Karak for bringing out these reviews. Please don't stop!
The personal character interactions are good but the puzzles and strained dialogue let it down.
Despite the flaws, I still enjoyed ep 1, And don't regret the deluxe edition ^-^
Hey are you gonna review absolver? Thanks man
I bought the original for my mother in law and she didn't know how to play it so I played the first episode to figure it out for her and I fell in love with it so I bought all the episodes. Few months ago my mother in law told me she is preordering this one and I told her to wait for your review first. Well, what do you know, I was sceptical about it and you just confirmed it. I am sending her the link of this video. We will still play it regardless but we will wait a year. Thanks Karak!
To be honest, "wait" is probably the best advice for just about every episodic game. If these episodes came out weekly or bi-weekly, I wouldn't mind. But it can take months for a new episode to come out, and by then I personally forget most things about the last episode except the basic story. And after a couple of episodes of that, I generally lose interest in the game, because you can't really immerse yourself into something when it's coming in installments so far from each other.
Great review as always, would of been good to see a comparison shot of the bedroom from the first one and the second one to show what you meant. Great review just thought that would of been cool.
"Gameplay" - None.
I seriously thought that was going to be the whole section.
I think the graphics looked like a decent improvement over the first game and the lip syncing looked much better at times.
Karak you should look into Last Day of June, it's one of those I could see you liking.
Seems like I'll watch it here. Already had the feeling this wouldn't be as good as the first game. Thanks for the review, saved me some money.
As a huge fan of the original (despite its glaring narrative holes) I've been super anxious about this prequel all summer. Everything I know about its development, conception, and what I've seen from the marketing has left me with dread that this honest, earnest indie series was getting milked for some quick cash because Square realized how easily it could do so.
I support the dev team working on this, they have their hearts in the right place, but it's disappointing to hear these things.
I've got the Deluxe edition pre-ordered because I'm a member of the fandom and can't...NOT play it, not have my own thoughts on it, but damn, I was really hoping they'd manage to knock it out of the park with Ep1 so I wouldn't have to worry so much.
Sounds like this game might end up giving me a sense of anxiety through to next year. xD The fandom has already been tearing itself in half over this thing, but it's not consistent and well made, that rift will only widen...
Hopefully with some critical feedback the devs can work more on the subtlety and detail you brought up -- two things that the original didn't ALWAYS have, but that a lot of its great moments did. The potential is certainly there.
Karak my friend, you are a force of nature. Multiple reviews in a week, plus extra content for subscribers and still more for Patrons. Your work ethic and passion are awesome to behold. I give you the highest of fives. \ 5 /
Thanks for the review....considering my lukewarm (at best) feelings towards the first game, there is no way I'll be getting this one.
I think they downgraded the graphics so it can come out later for the Nintendo Switch, this will happen more in the future with smaller titles.
As hardware wise PS4/Xbox there is no reason for a downgrade.
And the slow performance is just due to the lackluster engine named Unity, it has been shit on every platform so far, and the previous one used Unreal 3.
I want to watch your review because you're one of the best reviewers out there and I want to know what you think, but at the same time I want to go into the game as blind as possible.
Just finished the third episode yesterday and I feel like ranting about how bad this game was.
The story line of this game was extremely poorly written and pretty much nonsensical. I felt almost insulted playing the game. Nothing makes sense about it. I could go into details but I would be putting more effort into writing a proper review than the producers of the game put into making the actual game.
Avoid this one like the pest guys.
I like how you set the tone of the review with that Unity logo at the begging, lol.
Wowser, I love honest game reviews like this!
Great review. I had a feeling this game was gonna be a letdown from the gameplay footage. Well guess we gotta wait for the original developer, Dontnot to make an actually good Life is Strange sequel.
Will you be doing a review for episode 2?
I have never played the first game, should I try it?
Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough, yes
The story, characters, and writing in the original are good. Other aspects of the game are just okay. Overall, I liked it and so did most people. I would recommend watching a trailer for it to get a feel for the premise and the characters. If the trailer appeals to you, then you will probably like the game.
Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough damn right you should! Its a really good game in my opinion. And one of my favourite games. A word of advise, TAKE YOUR TIME playing the original Life is Strange. Talk to people, try find all the optional photo ops, seat down and just appreciate the awesome soundtrack. Awesome game! Go and play it. :)
Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough oh i forgot... NO EMOJIS
Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough YES
I always wait for the sale, but for Life is Strange I waited but it came free on plus so I was pretty lucky.
If Ashly Burch had voiced Chloe in this one, I probably wouldn't be able to resist getting it anyway. I'm kind of relieved to see I'm not missing out.
I was going to purchase this today until I saw your review. Thanks for your hard work, as always.
Playing and game then talking about it doesn't really seem like hard work
He was pretty unfair.
I'd suggest you should buy it. I personally loved it.
Man, this is sad. The original LiS is one of my all time favorite games ):