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Life Is Strange |OT| Rewinder Me

H

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
I just finished 3 after marathoning it from 1.

Really great game, especially when I learned about the ramifications of
Kate's suicide attempt
in Episode 2.

I personally liked the Chloe focus because I like her more than most of the side characters and, really, this story is more about two girls' friendship more than it is about time travel.

The
kiss
, lawd.

But what really seals the deal for me is that Chloe is a genuinely flawed character. She was designed to be extremely appealing, in the vein of Ramona from Scott Pilgrim or Clementine from Eternal Sunshine. Chloe is closer to Clementine because while they both embody the "manic pixie dream girl" archetype (which is typically in the domain of male fantasies), they're both really fucked up on the inside and only scrape by with the viewers because of their surface appeal. So yeah, I wanted to tell her to stop being a little bitch and grow up more than once in this episode which is a good thing to feel about characters you like.

It's a real shame they had to put her up against Madsen because his treatment of Kate was just irredeemable, so I could never, in good conscience, ever side with him against Chloe. I don't care if he has a good heart somewhere beneath that gruff exterior, but his temper and attitude is just as bad as Chloe's, but he's not appealing, nor is he a moody teenage girl. (I wonder if that's intentional, since Chloe's personality shift also coincided with his appearance in their household).

Wait for episode 4
facepalm.gif
facepalm.gif
facepalm.gif
facepalm.gif
 
P

PensOwl

Banned
Haly said:
But what really seals the deal for me is that Chloe is a genuinely flawed character. She was designed to be extremely appealing, in the vein of Ramona from Scott Pilgrim or Clementine from Eternal Sunshine. Chloe is closer to Clementine because while they both embody the "manic pixie dream girl" archetype (which is typically the in the domain of male fantasies), they're both really fucked up on the inside and only scrape by with the viewers because of their surface appeal. So yeah, I wanted to tell her to stop being a little bitch and grow up more than once in this episode which is a good thing to feel about characters you like.
Click to expand...

My favorite part of the subversion of the manic pixie dream girl trope is that you later find out that the characteristics that embody the archetype are in conflict with Chloe's happiness, which force the player to view Chloe as a person
 
P

Pyroclastic

Banned
really pleasing to see that ep 3 is being recieved as well as the other 2 episodes. It could be one of my favourite games if it holds up over the whole season

I was always going to get episode 3 but now I might just buy the season pass
 
ArtHands

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
Ep3 spoiler

I honestly thought you wouldn't be able to
prevent Chloe's dad from the car at all
to illustrate that there are certain things which are fated to happen no matter what and there's nothing you can do about it.
 
A

AlphaDragoon

Member
PensOwl said:
My favorite part of the subversion of the manic pixie dream girl trope is that you later find out that the characteristics that embody the archetype are in conflict with Chloe's happiness, which force the player to view Chloe as a person.
Click to expand...

I never really found Chloe to be a manic pixie dream girl myself. For me, she's more like the "tough badass with a secret heart of gold" type. She's alright as a character, but she hasn't really resonated with me the way Max has.

I will say that even though I'm not sold on Chloe they've done a really good job with most of the characters. They did a damn good job with Kate because from the moment I met her
I instantly wanted to help her, which was likely the intended effect. I hope I get to see more of her post-suicide attempt as I was able to save her, maybe Max visits her in the hospital or something.
 
H

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
ArtHands said:
Ep3 spoiler

I honestly thought you wouldn't be able to
prevent Chloe's dad from the car at all
to illustrate that there are certain things which are fated to happen no matter what and there's nothing you can do about it.
Click to expand...

Same.
Took me a while to figure out that I could actually save him. I thought I just had to exhaust all options and then DESPAIR.
AlphaDragoon said:
I never really found Chloe to be a manic pixie dream girl myself. For me, she's more like the "tough badass with a secret heart of gold" type. She's alright as a character, but she hasn't really resonated with me the way Max has.
Click to expand...

She strikes as more the poser type. She puts on a strong front but it crumbles really easily in the face of mortal danger. I mean, yes, it's reasonable that an 18 year old girl would get legit shook by a gun in her face, but funny how it's always Chloe getting yelled at and Max bailing her out. I think there's some significance to this recurring theme.
They hammer this point home (IMO a bit too hard) near the end of Ep 3 where she says something like:

If I can't blame anyone then I have to blame myself.
Click to expand...

That outburst just kind of spells out her whole character for you. She's not a rebel that's 2cool4school, even though that's what they wanted you to think, but a kid who refuses to grow up and accept responsibility for her own life, so she's always shifting the blame to the people around her, for fear of having to take it on herself.

I can guarantee you that if Chloe got Max's powers instead, this game would be very different and Arcadia would likely get wiped out. This is another running theme for Max and Chloe; you have one who accepts the burden of responsibility with only the mildest complaints, and you have another who always runs from it griping all the while.

Anyway, yeah, great character. Outstanding.
 
U

uncleniccius

Member
All the positive talk is making me consider picking this up.. I really enjoyed TWD season 1 but don't usually play these kind of games.. I assume the story is good enough to hold attention?

And is now an OK time to buy?
 
F

firehawk12

Subete no aware
I'll just say, I usually hate the type of ending that episode 3 had (especially on certain television shows involving people crashing on an island), but since I cared about the characters, I was genuinely shocked by how it ended and wanted to see the next episode right after.

It's too bad the delay is two months, since you lose all that momentum that you get from the ending. I almost wish they had just released this as a complete game, or perhaps planned it so that they could just release an episode every week like a "real" TV show.
 
R

Reedirect

Member
firehawk12 said:
It's too bad the delay is two months, since you lose all that momentum that you get from the ending. I almost wish they had just released this as a complete game, or perhaps planned it so that they could just release an episode every week like a "real" TV show.
Click to expand...

I used to think the same thing, but after playing EP3, I'm kinda ok with the waiting.

Sure, ideally we would have an episode every month, but I found out that the waiting gives me more time to think about the characters and where the story's going (which is fun with all the crazy theories flying around) and makes it more of a prolonged experience that spans most of the year, instead of like a week at the end of January.

I would almost suggest anyone wanting to try this to jump in right now, it's pretty much the best time. While I'm sure swallowing the whole season in one go is also great, I strangely enjoy this more.
 
Humdinger

Humdinger

Gold Member
Reedirect said:
I would almost suggest anyone wanting to try this to jump in right now, it's pretty much the best time. While I'm sure swallowing the whole season in one go is also great, I strangely enjoy this more.
Click to expand...

I agree. The episodic format is really working for this series. I normally prefer to wait until all episodes are released before playing (e.g., with Telltale games), because otherwise I tend to lose the thread, but this series feels different. Each episode seems like an independent piece, with a nice arc and then a cliffhanger. The waiting builds a sense of anticipation that wouldn't exist if I played the series in one sitting. It also prolongs the experience. If I played it all in one sitting, it would be over in a week. This way, it stretches out for months, with all kinds of discussion in between. This is the episodic format done right.
 
M

Manu

Member
Well, finally got around to playing this yesterday. I avoided spoilers except for someone who said the ending was very
Butterfly Effect
so I kinda saw it coming. It was still great though.

I actually said "Even
my goddamn plant is dead?
Is nothing sacred anymore?" at the start of the episode.

I totally kissed Chloe. Figured they were just messing around so I just went ahead with it.

The
flashback scene
was great, although the fact that there was only one outcome made it pretty obvious that
the future would change no matter what.
It felt kinda weak for a game that's based on choice, especially after the ending of the previous episode.

A small nitpick I had on this episode is that some of the dialogue that was supposed to pack a punch fell short for me, particularly in the scene where
you call out David on his shit at Chloe's house. I felt that everyone wasn't nearly as upset as they should be.

But yeah, another solid chapter. The game is still GOTY material.
 
A

AWizardDidIt

Member
Haly said:
That outburst just kind of spells out her whole character for you. She's not a rebel that's 2cool4school, even though that's what they wanted you to think, but a kid who refuses to grow up and accept responsibility for her own life, so she's always shifting the blame to the people around her, for fear of having to take it on herself.

I can guarantee you that if Chloe got Max's powers instead, this game would be very different and Arcadia would likely get wiped out. This is another running theme for Max and Chloe; you have one who accepts the burden of responsibility with only the mildest complaints, and you have another who always runs from it griping all the while.

Anyway, yeah, great character. Outstanding.
Click to expand...

I take a slightly more sympathetic viewpoint of Chloe.
I think that her sorta formless aggression toward the world is pretty damn justified from her perspective. She's been abandoned three times now by the most important people in her life. First her dad died, then Max just bailed for 5 years and NEVER spoke to her in the interim, and now Rachel who seems to be the first person Chloe felt she could connect within in those 5 years disappears. The only person she has is her mom who married a complete asshole and I get the feeling after the loss of her husband, Joyce wasn't the supportive person Chloe really needed. I'd actually be interested to see more of Joyce's story and how that influenced her relationship with her daughter.

When she says she needs to blame everyone around her or else the only person left to blame is herself, I think that's not about her shifting responsibility around because she can't "grow up" but more because she has to attribute the bad things that have happened to her to outside forces in her life that she can rebel against simply so she feels like she has a sense of control in what happens to her. Otherwise she's helpless. I'm actually somewhat surprised she lets Max back into her life as quickly as she does, but I think that might be indicative of just how desperate she is for a friend. But yeah I think she's a very depressing but also very well written character.
 
H

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
AWizardDidIt said:
I take a slightly more sympathetic viewpoint of Chloe.
I think that her sorta formless aggression toward the world is pretty damn justified from her perspective. She's been abandoned three times now by the most important people in her life. First her dad died, then Max just bailed for 5 years and NEVER spoke to her in the interim, and now Rachel who seems to be the first person Chloe felt she could connect within in those 5 years disappears.
Click to expand...

I get where Chloe is coming from, and I can sympathize, but
tragedy happens all the time. People move past it of their own volition , and that's the thing I feel she's struggling with the most. She is caught up in the past, always focusing on it, or the exact present, without concern for the future. That is a clear case of denial, and it comes from herself.

The only person she has is her mom who married a complete asshole and I get the feeling after the loss of her husband, Joyce wasn't the supportive person Chloe really needed. I'd actually be interested to see more of Joyce's story and how that influenced her relationship with her daughter.
Click to expand...
I agree with this.
Joyce needed to be fleshed out a bit more so she can be a convincing mother. The Joyce we see is very plausible, but I feel there is a gap between what Joyce was like when William was alive and the current Joyce. Its omission is glaring because it's so vital to understanding Chloe's character.
 
D

Dreez

Member
Goddamn I love this game. Would love if they made more than 5 episodes and create lots of branched paths (but then everybody's episodes would be too different lol)

Ep 3
I didn't expect Madsen to walk into the locker room lol. Stealth game mechanics wut?!?!

Edit: oh I sided with
David. I spoiled Chloe way too much taking the $5000 and taking the blame for the weed, bish needs to calm down.
 
A

AWizardDidIt

Member
Haly said:
I get where Chloe is coming from, and I can sympathize, but
tragedy happens all the time. People move past it of their own volition , and that's the thing I feel she's struggling with the most. She is caught up in the past, always focusing on it, or the exact present, without concern for the future. That is a clear case of denial, and it comes from herself.
.[/SPOILER]
Click to expand...

She was pretty focused on the future when Rachel was with her. Her flipping out toward the end of episode 3 I think was partly because of the realization that the plans she had in the future with Rachel were not as set in stone as she thought and that Rachel was involved with other people. I think it's important to think of Chloe as a part of a timeline and we're catching her at one of her lowest points.

Also lets not forget that Max had gone from being her best friend to avoiding Chloe for five years. In her own way, she's running away from the situation as well, she just has the benefit of being a bystander. Which is actually another thing I'd really want clarified in the story too. Why did Max just abandon Chloe? It's something that hasn't really been talked about much but I think is really important to understand Max as a person.
 
H

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
AWizardDidIt said:
Also lets not forget that Max had gone from being her best friend to avoiding Chloe for five years. In her own way, she's running away from the situation as well, she just has the benefit of being a bystander. Which is actually another thing I'd really want clarified in the story too. Why did Max just abandon Chloe? It's something that hasn't really been talked about much but I think is really important to understand Max as a person.
Click to expand...

I'm wondering what the deal there was as well. I suspected bullying but I don't think anything of the sort was going on. I made the assumption that
Max didn't abandon Chloe so much as not put forth the effort to keep that friendship going.
 
S

shinjimimura

Member
Anderson DL said:
I agree. The episodic format is really working for this series. I normally prefer to wait until all episodes are released before playing (e.g., with Telltale games), because otherwise I tend to lose the thread, but this series feels different. Each episode seems like an independent piece, with a nice arc and then a cliffhanger. The waiting builds a sense of anticipation that wouldn't exist if I played the series in one sitting. It also prolongs the experience. If I played it all in one sitting, it would be over in a week. This way, it stretches out for months, with all kinds of discussion in between. This is the episodic format done right.
Click to expand...
I agree with you both.
 
S

SilentMatthew

Member
AWizardDidIt said:
She was pretty focused on the future when Rachel was with her. Her flipping out toward the end of episode 3 I think was partly because of the realization that the plans she had in the future with Rachel were not as set in stone as she thought and that Rachel was involved with other people. I think it's important to think of Chloe as a part of a timeline and we're catching her at one of her lowest points.

Also lets not forget that Max had gone from being her best friend to avoiding Chloe for five years. In her own way, she's running away from the situation as well, she just has the benefit of being a bystander. Which is actually another thing I'd really want clarified in the story too. Why did Max just abandon Chloe? It's something that hasn't really been talked about much but I think is really important to understand Max as a person.
Click to expand...

Max and her parents moved to Seattle five years ago, I imagine it wasn't her choice since she was 13. Plus, people tend to not stay in contact when faraway. A personal example would be all of my high/middle school friends. Haven't spoken to them in years or did not press to reignite.
 
H

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
Yeah, it's called being a thirsty creeper.
sick.gif
 
Daria Morgendorffer

Daria Morgendorffer

Member
That's not even the creepiest Warren moment, he's worse in episode 1 when he tells Max that he doesn't like it when she call him sensitive. Because sensitive means: 'Won't be having sex with you'
 
P

Pyroclastic

Banned
just finished the third ep

I preferred the first two eps but there was some nice character development for chloe

I had a glitch in my game (playing on 360) where there was hardly any music. the final scene was really weird as a result. at least I assume there was music during that part?
 
J

JehutyRunner

Banned
Pyroclastic said:
just finished the third ep

I preferred the first two eps but there were some nice character moments with chloe

I had a glitch in my game (playing on 360) where there was hardly any music. the final scene was really weird as a result. at least I assume there was music during that part?
Click to expand...

Yup. Should have gotten Mogwai's Kids Will Be Skeletons playing at the end.
 
N

Neverforget

Member
BY2K said:
I checked myself to make sure and well...

There has to be a reason for this, right? Maybe Rachel asked him to look after Max because she knew or something?
Click to expand...

Haly said:
Yeah, it's called being a thirsty creeper.
sick.gif
Click to expand...

OMG! So I'm not the only one who find Warren creepy and this picture makes him even more creepier!

In my game Max rejected him from the get go because I thought Brooke was a better match for him and thought that Max needed him as a friend more so than a boyfriend. The dude kept on coming on her harder and harder and his SMS has been passive aggressive ever since. He is a perfect example of the niceguy(tm) being nice to her only to expect something in return.
 
A

Anteater

Member
BY2K said:
I checked myself to make sure and well...

There has to be a reason for this, right? Maybe Rachel asked him to look after Max because she knew or something?
Click to expand...

I never checked myself, that's ep 2 right? Pretty sure Warren was just waiting for Max in the morning to talk to her, you run into him when you leave your dorm. That easter egg just makes it look creepier than it is :p
 
G

Genio88

Member
I finished Ep3 yesterday night, what a great game, i'm loving it so far, way better than The Walking Dead season one, the only one i played from TellTale
 
M

Menome

Member
I wrote up a piece on my blog about the personality-duality on display in Life Is Strange - Episode 3: Chaos Theory. Contains light and heavy spoilers for all three episodes, so obviously don't read if you haven't finished them yet:

http://bit.ly/1I2iwx9
 
A

AmaterasuOni

Banned
So,
now I'm regretting that I saved William. I was sure it would hit Chloe hard, because she is the tragic character of the game, but this... damn. I was liking her light punkiness. What happens in the dead William ending? I don't want to replay that even though I regret my choice.

Such an amazing game!
 
H

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
AmaterasuOni said:
So,
now I'm regretting that I saved William. I was sure it would hit Chloe hard, because she is the tragic character of the game, but this... damn. I was liking her light punkiness. What happens in the dead William ending? I don't want to replay that even though I regret my choice.
Click to expand...
You don't get a choice not to save William. No worries, it'll likely be undone in Ep 4.
 
M

Menome

Member
AmaterasuOni said:
So,
now I'm regretting that I saved William. I was sure it would hit Chloe hard, because she is the tragic character of the game, but this... damn. I was liking her light punkiness. What happens in the dead William ending? I don't want to replay that even though I regret my choice.

Such an amazing game!
Click to expand...

As far as I'm aware, there is no 'Dead William' ending for Episode 3.
 
Daria Morgendorffer

Daria Morgendorffer

Member
Yeah it really is. I still have to think about the ending of episode 2 almost every day even though I finished it over 2 months ago. I'm still glad that I didn't reload my save though.
The game really had an impact on my life and I applaud dontnod for managing to do that.
 
S

Sulik2

Member
Holy crap. I just finished Episode 3. This is most mind blowing twist I have seen in a game since 999. Just wow.

So does Chloe get a new power ever episode. Episode 1 Rewind. Episode 2. Freeze Time and now Episode 3 travel far back to a specific time point. Episode 4 Maybe learn to jump between time lines?
 
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