toughl24

Minor spoilers: While it’s the best game in the series since LIS Before the Storm, this game is so disappointing. It almost seems like both Deck Nine and Dontnod just accidentally made 2 amazing initial games without really knowing what was good about the game. DE is full of cliches and forces social issues on the player. It was conveyed so much more natural in the first games of the series. Seems like they just tried to squeeze in every hardship, neglected groups are going through without really putting much care into it, just to cross off as many people as they can from their target list without really understanding their issues. Almost seems disrespectful. While i don’t fall in any of these categories I love how this series has been able to capture so many people of different walks of life but feel like they are just trying to exploit underrepresented audience members and generate profits now. Graphics however are beautiful, voice acting is superb and the mechanics are also well implemented. But the story makes no sense and is all over the place. I know apologists will say that I just don’t get it but clearly the writers started a story and weren’t able to connect the dots. They just went with it while breaking the rules they established whenever the plot conveniently required it. The game isn’t gripping, the soundtrack is not as memorable and there are really no characters that I cared about. I also missed “wow” moments. It’s all so predictable and there are almost no surprises at all. The game just seems bland and boring compared to the first games that was far superior with its video game aspects as well as a storytelling device. Was hopeful when I saw the trailer and while, as mentioned, it is a better game than LIS 2 and 3, this just isn’t it. The one thing I’m excited about is to see if this sets up some kind of “superhero”universe but I just hope they will stay away from tropes and cliches going forth. It would also be great if our decision truly mattered. I thought LIS was a little stingy with their possible outcomes but this time around it doesn’t really matter what you do. The ending is the exact same uninspiring development no matter how you played.

***minor spoilers***Extremely disappointing. The first two games had me emotionally invested. From a game play perspective the initial installments weren’t great but the characters where so well developed and likable that I cared and felt impacted on a very deep level. Even BTS managed to grasp the enchantment of the first game and make a decent game despite the fact that the story was underdeveloped and had no true action or video game elements. It appears the makers of LIS2 forgot what made the first game so great. The main characters are not likable and their relationship doesn’t make any sense. Their mood constantly fluctuates in order to fit the story. Daniel is extremely irritating and his feelings toward his older brother change simply to suit the narrative. Also the voice acting of Sean is abysmal. The supporting cast is also very weak and doesn’t add anything to the story. They are very forgettable and have so little time in the game that you never really get to connect or appreciate them. The makers could have really made a great story out of the background behind the disappearance of the mother but chose the laziest resolution. It sort of felt like a slap in the face after seeing how involved and excited the community was trying to figure out what could have happened. Some of the fan fiction was way more elaborate and creative than what the studio came up with. There was also a lot of buzz created with Captain Spirit. I’ve seen many posts about people scanning through every inch of the game to find clues that would either explain the super natural abilities in this universe or even find connections to Chloe and Max. The developers did not do much to reward these fans. Political issues are constantly forced into the game by using the worst stereotypes ever. LIS did a much better job by not rubbing our nose in it. It was subtle and within context. LIS2 is just a barrage of negative views about the US from a European perspective. And while all these aspects hold a lot of truth, there must be a more effective way to tell this story without being so cliché. The ending does not make any sense when considering that the whole game is geared toward a certain ending which both brothers seem to want to attain. Depending on previous choices that don’t even seem connected, right at the finish line, the creators again dropped the ball by creating endings that doesn’t even tie to what transpired over the previous episodes. The decisions that the player does not control do not make sense and almost make the rest of the game seem like a waste of time. The original game really only left us a binary ending but these were much more satisfying and tied much better into the rest of the game. There are some little Easter eggs for fans of the first game and the ending, while it does not necessarily make sense or bring a true conclusion, does finally show some of the charm from the first game and could cause some tears. But it’s a cheap tactics dontnod has used too many times now. Also I feel like the game just lacks a sense of hope in general and the soundtrack just doesn’t live up to the initial game. Lastly, why introduce a super power when you cannot really control it? The power is just underutilized. They could have at least used it to maybe solve some puzzles. The original game also had some elements of that. This would not have detracted from the game at all. After all this is a video game and LIS seems to use these powers as an underlying plot device so they also should have allowed to make use of it more to satisfy the gaming aspect a little more. Overall this was just a very painful experience for someone that really loved the Life is Strange and Before the Storm