LIfe is Strange, and so is tabletop gaming

On 09/05/2017 at 01:49 PM by Super Step

So Life is Strange: Beyond the Storm has an optional tabletop gaming session you can play. It is nerdy as hell and initially seemed out of character for Chloe, until you remember her best friend was Max.

I lost the "backtalk challenge" and some dragon thing took my keys.

Anyway, I've played through the too-short episode 3 times thinking I could have different playthroughs all at once and do a first run, a bitch run, a doe run, but alas: restarting in one of 3 save files erases the other saves. Boooo.

Anyway, I will probably play a fourth time and do a couple things I was unaware of the first time, but make mostly the same decisions I did the first playthrough based on how I think Chloe would react. I'll try to keep my own morality out of it, since there are a few places the game basically forces me to anyway.

I still think Chloe handles her business especially poorly, teen whose dad died or not, but I have not been in her shoes, so I can't say really. Plus, the game is doing a good job of explaining some of her animosity toward Max a bit better than I feel the original did.

Speaking of the original, I still haven't replayed it to make a bunch of different choices. Whelp.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

09/05/2017 at 02:04 PM

ah I gotta finish the first one!!!!

Super Step Contributing Writer

09/07/2017 at 04:25 PM

Yes. Yes you do.

transmet2033

09/05/2017 at 02:56 PM

Yeah, I don't think Life is Strange is my kind of game. It's neat that so many people seem to love it though.

09/07/2017 at 04:28 PM

I can definitely understand that. I prefer these to Telltale games, because they give you time to make decisions and I don't feel like I'm just being caught off guard in the middle of a TV show the way Telltale games make me feel.

Another thing I like is the emphasis on (simple) puzzle-solving.

But if choosing dialogue doesn't sound like a fun game to you, I 100% understand that. I used to think, "well, why would I not just save the money and watch a Let's Play?" but it really is more satisfying for me to actually make the decisions and see where things go.

Halochief90

09/05/2017 at 03:38 PM

played and finished the first one last year. really liked it, hated cloe though. so this prequel doesn't interest me to much. I'll probably pick it up cheap still.

09/07/2017 at 04:31 PM

They're doing a decent job of making her seem a lot more relatable ... in the process maybe making Max look a bit less morally perfect.

It's hard for me to comment on, since I never had such an important immediate family member pass away, but some things Chloe did in the first game and this just seemed inexcusable to me. Then again, she is a teenager and a lot of people who were shitty teens end up being more empathetic, etc. later on. I still don't love Chloe, but I'm willing to give her a chance.

Blake Turner Staff Writer

09/05/2017 at 05:47 PM

Man, I had the choice of buying either it or Jak and Daxter today. I chose Jak and Daxter. Hopefully I'll get to play this soon, as apart from episode 5, the first season is in my top 50 games of all time.

Also, your title got my hopes up. I thought you yourself had gotten into tabletop gaming. I am dissapoint.

09/07/2017 at 04:33 PM

I can understand wanting a more "gamey" game, but lately I'm just in the mood for these choose-the-narratiove games.

Yeah, I thought about you when I made that title. I mean, I played a virtual tabletop game? I think I could get into the mechanics of them, but the delivery of what I think are hilariously bad elf names makes me cringe a bit. I feel like if I played, I'd just drag everyone down with my noncommitance to the bit.

KnightDriver

09/05/2017 at 10:08 PM

Tabletop gaming? You mean within the video game and not real life tabletop, right? That gets me super interested. I may have to look it up on XBO this weekend.

09/07/2017 at 04:35 PM

Yes.

Keep in mind, this is a VERY small part of the game. It's just a couple friends who let you join the end of their campaign, which takes about 30 minutes tops (if that; it felt a bit long to me, but that's likely an exaggeration).

So while I'm happy to suggest Life is Strange to anyone interested, don't buy it for that scene. I think episode one is less than $10 though (like maybe $7), so it's not a bad investment if you like dialogue-tree/minor puzzle games.

09/07/2017 at 09:15 PM

Well, if it comes up on Games with Gold, I'll download it.

09/08/2017 at 01:01 PM

The original was on PS+ a month or so ago, so it's possible.

09/08/2017 at 11:12 PM

So tempted to get PS+.

09/10/2017 at 05:01 PM

Do you have a PS4, PS3, and/or Vita? I'm honestly temtped to buy a Vita just cause I'd already have games to play.

09/10/2017 at 11:30 PM

I got all three. Next time I get a PS4 game from Gamefly, I'm going to break out the Vita and get something to play on it like Civ Rev 2+.

PixlBit