Life is Strange; Yah or Nah

[tippy2k2]

I know that "Life is Strange" got very good reviews BUT...I thought I remember people just hating the ending. Like...it was Mass Effect 3 bad if Mass Effect 3 was a time traveling indie film rather than the big scifi epic that it was. However, I don't really want to go into those ending discussions because...well...that would kind of defeat the purpose of purchasing said time traveling indie.

So please, without spoilers...

It is $10 on sale on Xbox Live right now. Is the ending THAT bad that it sours everything or did I misremember/make that complaint up? Would you buy it for $10? Should I get this rash looked at?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: I bought it if anyone was wondering because I'm pretty sure everyone was on the edge of their seats awaiting my decision.

 

[spartandude]

Honestly I really didn't think the ending was bad at all. Ok the sequence just before it DRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGED on for far too long but over than that. The ending wasnt great but it certainly wasn't terrible.

I have no problem recommending this game. I think it's biggest issue is that it was having to share space with Tales From the Borderlands.

It's also really interesting to be able to see the immediate consequences for your actions but not long term.

 

[tippy2k2]

Without spoiling the ending, I would say your choices won't have much as an impact, and in my opinion they rather don't. However is it worth 10 dollars? Why yes it is!

As a Telltale fan, I am well used to the endings not really mattering with your choices. Also as a Telltale fan, I'm used to technical hiccups cropping up everywhere

I suppose I should probably wait for a few more posters but it sounds like it wasn't the ending was bad but that people didn't like the Illusion of Choice, something I'm perfectly fine with if the game delivers.

 

[WoJ]

I didn't think the ending was bad at all and I think that LiS did a better job than most of these games making your choices have some sort of impact. I would even go as far as to say that I loved the ending to LiS for a variety of reasons that I will stay away from that discussion to avoid spoilers.

For $10 I think it is definitely worth picking up and would recommend it to anyone.

 

[Zhukov]

The ending was bad. Period.

Not even a choice thing. It's just plain bad. Depending on your choice it's either unsatisfying or just dumb. Makes less and less sense the more you think about it.

Although to someone who liked the ME3 ending it will probably seem like storytelling perfection.

The game is okay though. Definitely has its moments. For $10 bucks I'd say give it a try.

Be advised that you'll likely have to struggle through the first episode. It's kinda bad. Episodes 2-4 get much better.

 

[Andy Shandy]

Hella yeah, shaka brah.

Yeah, the ending is not particularly great. Neither is the start, actually. But the middle is absolutely worth $10.

 

[SmallHatLogan]

The ending is not great but it definitely didn't ruin the experience for me. Is it ME3 bad? No, it's not as stupid as that, but I thought it was pretty unsatisfying. Although full disclosure I didn't hate the ME3 ending. I'll never defend it as being well written, but it didn't make me love the series any less.

All that said, Life is Strange is game of the year for me. I'd recommend it at full price, let alone on sale.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

Im really enjoying it. Just got it and blazed through the first two episodes. Even if it is a bit cliche with its cast of 'evil popular kids' makes me roll my eyes. The story you uncover hiding under the surface of the cliche school is great so far for me.

 

[Autumnflame]

If you like tell tale TWD style of heavy narrative style youll like it

its not a heavy SJW PC game like some have claimed

i personally enjoyed it thoroughly for a puzzle adventure timetravel game

 

[Raggedstar]

I think the series netted an overall "yay" from me, despite in agreement that the finale's pacing absolutely EVICERATED itself. For example, a sequence that would normally take up a 5 minute cutscene or gameplay sequence was stretched to about a quarter-to-third of the overall running time. Really cool set pieces, but it was slow, ran in circles (literally, sometimes), and could've come to it's point in a much cleaner way. There was also a puzzle that was rather obtuse that took some time as well, and the list of things that "happened" are pretty low. The ending itself was ok, I guess, but I guess I expected answers the game didn't want to share. I've read some of the excuses from fans, but I still don't find any of the endings particularly satisfying.

Though stepping back from the ending, I'll stand by eps 3 and 4 as genuinely good. Ep 1 was awkward and 2 derped around a bit too much, but 3 and 4 were the times I was going "Ok, you're gonna go somewhere good" (unfortunately it wasn't quite what I had in mind). It's a good sale pick-up if you're into these kind of games and don't mind the huge peaks of awkwardness the game can hit. At it's best, it can be heartfelt and charming, not like the "tumblr SJW bullshit" like some people file it under (ok, maybe the tumblr bit isn't entirely off base, but not the SJW side of it).

 

[astrav1]

Without spoiling the ending, I would say your choices won't have much as an impact, and in my opinion they rather don't. However is it worth 10 dollars? Why yes it is!

As a Telltale fan, I am well used to the endings not really mattering with your choices. Also as a Telltale fan, I'm used to technical hiccups cropping up everywhere

I suppose I should probably wait for a few more posters but it sounds like it wasn't the ending was bad but that people didn't like the Illusion of Choice, something I'm perfectly fine with if the game delivers.

Your choices actually do somewhat matter, they are at least referenced or considered by the main characters and others, which is a lot more than telltale does. Now if they made a sequel, then the ending would be horrific, but as it is, it turns out to be a cool little story that I would recommend if you can get past chloe and the dialogue of the first episode. Especially on sale.

 

[Extra-Ordinary]

Hey, now, the ending wasn't that bad.

And I'm seeing a lot of people here don't like Episode 1.
[small]I like Episode 1...[/small]

Anyway.

I personally liked it at least.
It was weird trying to describe it to my friends after only the first episode was out.
"Guys, you gotta try Life is Strange."
"Huh, what's that?"
"So you play a time-travelling high school gir- wait! It's not stupid, I promise!

It's really hard to describe this game without making it sound stupid or like an anime. But it's got, I don't know, a genuine feel to it if that makes any sense. Until Episode 5, you know this storm is coming but the game really focuses more on the lives of the characters. I like personal stories, and I feel the game focused more on the friendship between Max and Chloe rather than the storm, until the ending at least. You can really tell that all (or at least most) of the characters have their own lives, that they were doing something before you crossed paths and they're going to do something else after you leave, I like that.

The dialogue gets a little awkward at times, and not cute-teenager awkward, just plain awkward. And I feel like this game would have had a better life if it was set in the 80's but maybe that's just me.

But I want to end on a high note.

Really, my favorite moments are the ones where you can just sit somewhere and do nothing. Max says a few lines, but afterward you can stay there as long as you want, let the music play on and just relax.
My personal favorite of those is in Episode 3 the morning after Max and Chloe snuck into the school and the two of them are just lying in Chloe's room ((not like that)although I wouldn't blame you for thinkin' so, the undertones are a little heavy). The dialogue ruins the quiet moments for me, but only briefly, then the just lay there. They don't speak, they just lie in each other's company. There's something special about just hanging out with friends even if you're not talking, you know?

its not a heavy SJW PC game like some have claimed

I honestly haven't even heard of this criticism. And it never once crossed my mind while playing "Wow, this game is progressive!" I don't know, maybe I'm forgetting something but I never really saw as anything more than a nice game about a time-travelling high schooler.

 

[Zontar]

I'd say Nah not because of the ending but because it's a bad game in general (I have no idea where the positive reviews are coming from, it sure wasn't based on either the gameplay or the story)

 

[Redryhno]

If you like tell tale TWD style of heavy narrative style youll like it

its not a heavy SJW PC game like some have claimed

i personally enjoyed it thoroughly for a puzzle adventure timetravel game

Eh, to be fair, the devs sorta brought that on themselves when the first thing you heard about both of their games being "WELL FEMALE CHARACTERS WON'T GET PICKED UP BY PUBLISHERS, AREN'T WE BRAVE AND WITH THE TIMES TO SPIT IN THE FACE OF- OH LOOK WE'RE GETTING PICKED UP BY MAJOR PUBLISHERS".

And I'd argue that alot of that is sorta exacerbated by Chloe being the stereotype she is and being portrayed in nothing but positive - or at least given a filter of "it's not her fault" - light.

OT:

If you like Telltale(personally with the exception of Wolf Among Us I have no interest in them and have yet to see what people like about them so much), you'll probably like LiS. It's your standard time travel story honestly, right up to the point of writing themselves into a corner and shit just sorta goes downhill from there. It's got some nice moments, personally I really enjoyed the opening credits essentially, even if I found the music far too...new age hippie for my liking i suppose is the best descriptor(probably because it sorta reminded me of alot of my own high school experience, just a bit of a daze), but it's also got alot of shitty points.

 

[Sabitsuki]

I'd say this, much like how I feel about Mass Effect 3, even if the ending is disappointing the experience of everything before it is still worth it. Though that said, the ending is not anything close to the travesty that was ME3's ending, in my own opinion. The ending is one of the lower points for the episodes, but it's not so bad that it drags down the entire story.

If you're a fan of Telltale games, I'd say the style of the game will suit you perfectly. Depending on how comfortable you are with very 'teenish' dialogue there may be some initial cringing over the way some characters speak but they are all generally fairly well written and have good amounts of depth to them, and the depth is often rewarded to you for going out of your way to learn about the characters through interaction. The game does a good job of making choices have both subtle and long-term effects in the intermediary plot. Comparatively to some Telltale experiences, there were very, very few times where I felt my choices were being brushed aside before contributing anything to the plot itself.

If you would pay $10 for any Telltale game, I'd say with some confidence that you'll find your money's worth in this.

 

[mysecondlife]

Without spoiling the ending, I would say your choices won't have much as an impact, and in my opinion they rather don't. However is it worth 10 dollars? Why yes it is!

As a Telltale fan, I am well used to the endings not really mattering with your choices. Also as a Telltale fan, I'm used to technical hiccups cropping up everywhere

I suppose I should probably wait for a few more posters but it sounds like it wasn't the ending was bad but that people didn't like the Illusion of Choice, something I'm perfectly fine with if the game delivers.

I also didn't mind the illusion of choice in TTG's... until I played this game. The endings were.... ahh f' it. You already bought it anyways.

But I kind of had fun remembering my highschool days and thinking "Now who does that mean bitchy chick remind me of the most?", and "Who does that large obese and awkward guy resemble the most?", etc.

EDIT:
Q: Would I buy it for $10?
A: Ehhhhhhh........eh...
Q: Would I buy it for around $5?
A: Shrug. There isn't a lot that isn't worth $5 - $6 dollars.