The Most Disturbing Stat in Episode 4 of "Life is Strange"

(This whole post is basically spoilers.  Don't read it unless you've played through all four episodes!)

Yesterday I played through the latest episode of Dontnod/Square Enix's excellent episodic story game "Life is Strange."  There were some serious cliffhangers at the end of episode three so I was pretty excited to see how the story was going to pan out.  Did Max's decision to save Chloe's dad mean sentencing Chloe to life as a paraplegic?  Why are all the animals dying?  Is the world really ending because of Max using her powers?  So many questions!  Luckily, episode four answers those questions and leaves enough of a cliffhanger to make us all chew our fingernails in anticipation of the final episode.

Do you do it or not?

One thing I enjoy are the statistics that pop up at the end of each episode.  It's kind of fun to see the decisions that other people made and see how you chalk up to other players.  Generally I find that I make similar choices to the vast majority of people--maybe there is hope for humanity...or myself.  Once in awhile though there is a statistic that really surprises me.  In this episode the one that shocked me was the one concerning Chloe's request for Max to administer an overdose and in effect kill Chloe.  My gut reaction was "no way!" but that single decision seems so debateable.  Would you be willing to kill your best friend if they asked you to?  Ooof.  That's a gut punch.  I was very shocked when I got to the end of the game and found that 45% did it.  Really?  Half of you would kill your best friend!  When I really got down to thinking about the scenario in the game it was a tough decision.  It's difficult because it's obvious that Chloe is in pain and her life bound to a wheelchair seems pretty sad.  Chloe's family is drowning in debt trying to cover the medical costs associated with taking care of her.  You also learn that her condition has taken a turn for the worst and that her lungs are failing--the reality is that she's dying a slow death.  Her death would ease the financial burden on her family and save her from a slow death due to respiratory failure.

On the other hand....Chloe's family seems like they are actually really happy.  Her dad is alive and loves her with all his heart.  Her mom isn't working as a waitress at the diner and seems to spend a lot of her time taking care of Chloe.  They've taken family trips to Paris and seem genuinely happy.  Who is Max to deprive the family of someone they love?  Even though Chloe's health is failing, who is to say how much time she would have left to enjoy the company of her family?  And on a much deeper, time travel-ly note...what if you kill Chloe in this reality and she ceases to exist in the other one?  Could that happen?

I opted to have Max refuse.  It might seem like the colder of the two decisions, but I felt like it was the right one (assisted suicide is legal in Oregon...just FYI).  The end of the episode left some serious cliffhangers to be resolved in the finale.  We finally learn who is behind all the ominous happenings at Blackwell Academy and it's a bit of a shocker.

Life is Strange Episode 4, "Dark Room" Out Tomorrow!

It's sort of like a mini-Christmas when a new part of an episodic game is finally released.  We're never really given a set release date so it's kind of a surprise.  The next episode of Dontnod's episodic story game Life is Strange is due to be released tomorrow.  Here's the trailer for what looks to be an exciting entry in the series:

The end of episode three saw some serious cliffhangers (spoilers ahead!).  Max who had previously only been able to rewind events in her current time was transported back to a time when she was 13.  She and Chloe were still best friends and Chloe's dad, William, was still alive.  Max intentionally tosses Williams car keys out a window in an effort to keep him from getting into the accident that kills him.  It seems like the best use of Max's rewind power so far...but we all knew things couldn't work out that perfectly!  After a brief "wake up" Max discovers that she is 18 again and on the Blackwell campus.  She's hanging out with Victoria and the rest of the Vortex Club (wait...what?).  Things have obviously changed and Max realizes that she needs to go see if her changes helped Chloe find the life she wanted.  After a brief bus ride where you pass a bunch of beached whales (Max's powers aren't without their consequences) she arrives at Chloe's house.  William answers the door and there's like two seconds of happy time where you feel glad that he is alive.  Your feelings are crushed exactly three seconds in as Chloe rolls up in her wheelchair.  So you did manage to rescue Chloe's dad, but now she's bound to a wheelchair?  Why can't things ever turn out the way they are supposed to?  Then we wouldn't have two more episodes to play through...so compromise.

The trailer for episode four looks ominous--there's a creepy barn undoubtedly filled with creepy stuff.  Max seems to be on her own so I guess fixing the Chloe thing isn't as simple as another rewind.  It looks like there is more investigation into the Rachel Amber mystery and that Max is managing to unravel more of the story.  It also seems like the world is continuing to revolve more towards impending doom.  And there's a party!  Maybe Max's alteration of the guest list in episode three will pay off?

This game has been a pleasant surprise and I'm willing to overlook it's small deficiencies (the lip dubbing would drive me nuts...I've learned to look away) because it has really kept me hooked.  Hopefully episode four is packed with more difficult choices, time rewinding, and modern teen angst.

Updated My Game List and Random Game Thoughts

I decided to finally update my "Games I've Played" list to reflect some of my more recent acquisitions and experiences.  I'm also wracking my brain trying to think of some of my favorite classic games.  This has become a lot harder than I thought it would be as I've always been surrounded by so many games.

This post is just going to be a mish-mash of random gaming related things.  Commence mashing!

1.) Fallout Shelter works really well on iPhones but works like crap on my iPad2.  I had created a very nice thriving vault on my iPad and had patiently weathered the numerous crashes and problems.  Once my vault hit 30 people it would no longer load so I gave up and decided it was time to just admit defeat.  I deleted it from my iPad and said goodbye to my 30 vault dwellers from vault 619.  It's a cool little game so I decided I would give it a go on my iPhone (I have an iPhone 5s--essentially the cheapest newerish iPhone you can buy) and found that it works like a charm!  No loading screen lockups and nice, smooth play.  If you're experiencing difficulties playing on your older iPad you should switch over to your phone.  It's a smaller screen, but you will be happy with the stability.

2.) Valkyria Chronicles has again confirmed that I am horrible at turn-based strategy games.  It's a good thing that I can save my game before every turn because I am generally doing something stupid.  I'm also enjoying swearing at my characters when they miss ridiculously easy shots.  There's no display that actually shows the probability of your shot hitting in Valkyria but it has that same futile feeling as playing X-Com and watching as one of you soldiers misses a 95% shot.  Each battle is taking me a very long time to finish and I'm not going to brag about my combat ratings.  I have one last chapter to play and some DLC to mess around with and then I think I will be giving it a rest.

3.) I feel guilt over my total neglect of Pillars of Eternity.  I bought it, fired it up and got a little into it and haven't touched it in more than a week.  It's supposed to be a really great game.  After the Divinity:  Original Sin fiasco which tops my pile of shame I'm not really sure why I opted to buy it's doppleganger.  The Steam Sale made me do it.

A few of the new characters in Shadowrun:  Hong Kong.

4.) Shadowrun:  Hong Kong is coming out soon and I'm really excited.  Yep, it's another turn-based strategy game, but I love the cyberpunk setting.  I've been getting updates from Kickstarter and the anticipation is building.  The release date is going to be announced sometime this week!

"No Man's Sky" Looks and Sounds Amazing

I keep reading all these interesting, mind-bending things about a game called No Man's Sky.  It has yet to be released, but already there seems to be a lot of buzz.  The promise of infinite--that's right, I said infinite--worlds to explore sounds genuinely amazing.  There's a part of me that wants to believe it's too good to be true.  Can you really create an artificial environment that is infinite?  How does that even work?  Luckily PBS's GameShow did an episode that attempted to explain the complicated systems being used to create this infinite universe.

I'm no mathematician but I think I get the general gist of how it works.  Basically they use a mathematical formulas to create planets, animals, galaxies, environments....just everything.  Then, all they have to do is alter that formula a little bit and they get a whole new plant or animal.  I kind of hate math, but this is actually a fabulous concept that will hopefully keep the game fresh.  Maybe procedural generation will become the new "it" thing in games?

Overall, I'm hesitant to totally buy into it.  For one thing I'm not particularly drawn to "exploration" games and like to have some sort of compelling story that gives me a reason to want to visit the next planet or the next area.  Will having 18 quintillion planets to explore keep me entertained?  What's the goal of exploring all these planets?  It's possible that the draw of discovering new varieties of plants or animals will keep people launching to new planets.

Open world seems to be the optimal focus in so many games right now.  Every game lauds it's huge "open world" or tries to sell us on having the biggest maps or areas to explore.  Having played through The Witcher 3 twice already (absolutely loved it--but probably 90% because of the story/characters) I'm not sure that open world is the sole draw to games for me.  Having a variety of environments is a nice change but I always hit a point where things start to get stale.  As much as I wanted to explore every hidden cache in Skellige, I reached a point where I got tired of fighting sirens and looting another set of chests full of loot that I would sell.  Is it really meaningful to have all these minor points to explore or would it be more meaningful to have another quest or mission?  I suppose it comes down to what you really enjoy--there is probably someone out there who had a blast looting every hidden cache in the game.

I will keep watching news related to No Man's Sky, but I don't think I will be pre-ordering anytime soon.  We could be witnessing the future of gaming...or we could just be buying into hype.  It remains to be seen.

Here's a link to the official No Man's Sky page:  No Man's Sky

More than Meets the Eye

My current game of choice is Valkyria Chronicles and I have to say that I am enjoying it.  Sometimes the combat can be a little janky and annoying but the combination of strategy and story has kept me interested.  I'm also finding that there are some pretty powerful messages or themes in this game that I initially judged as a strange anime spinoff.  By purchasing this one game now Steam wants to recommend every anime style game that is for sale!  Maybe I'm missing a whole genre of games with deep and empowering messages?  (Possible spoilers ahead!)

I have to admit that I was, and still mostly am, pretty skeptical about anime/anime related games.  I don't think that Valkyria Chronicles falls into any certain established anime world, but has a distinct anime flavor.  I thought that anime was all about goofy, big-eyed characters with rockin' hair and giant boobs who like to make overdramatic gestures.  Welkin has a tendency to make the occasional angry fist-clenching motion I associate with anime or the strong pointing gesture, but I'm willing to ignore those minor disturbances because I'm enjoying the deeper themes explored in the game.

Rosie and Isara face off in one of many arguments.

Those deeper themes range from the the sense of belonging that is acknowledged by various members of Squad 7 all the way to deep seated feelings of loss.  As the war stretches through the fictional country of Gallia the story and characters are forced to acknowledge the true nature of the war going on.  Alicia, Welkin, and Isara witness the destruction of their home town and are forced to flee.  There is a definite sense of sadness as they see the major landmark in their village destroyed by enemy mortar fire.  Oddly enough, racism is also a theme that is explored often.  The Darcsen are a racial group that can be identified by their dark hair and who generally wear scarves with traditional designs.  Isara is a Darcsen and takes pride in her cultural heritage--Rosie, another key member of the squad, often argues with Isara and calls her a "dark hair" which feels like a derogatory term.  Rosie begrudgingly agrees to work with Isara but makes no efforts to disguise her feelings of hate for the Darcsen.  (Later on in the game there are some breakthrough types of moments but I don't want to ruin them)

So maybe I misjudged this game solely on the basis of it looking anime-like.  Maybe I should be more open-minded when it comes to games like Valkyria Chronicles and see them for more than just their appearance.

Summer ADD Game-Fest

I can't make up my mind what I want to play!  I have been swapping back and forth between my sale purchases and haven't really stuck with one.  The Talos Principle and it's mind straining combination of puzzles and deep, philosophical thinkinking is fun in short spurts but gives me a headache if I play it too long.  Pillars of Eternity has that classic CRPG feeling, but it's depth has slightly confounded me (I plan to go back to it because despite the complicatd systems it seems great).  One very surprising, last minute impulse buy from the sale has managed to capture my attention--Valkyria Chronicles.

Admitting to liking Valkyria Chronicles makes me feel weird.  I've mentioned before that I'm not a fan of anime and don't really play many games that have an anime style (not to say there is anything wrong with liking anime!  It's just not my thing--but to each his/her own).  When the initial scenes first started rolling I thought, "great, I just bought some anime game.  It's going to have a super cheesy script and really odd premises.  Stupid impulse buy!  Stupid Steam Sale duping me into buying this game!"  I decided to give it a chance and see what so many of the reviewers were raving about and I'm finding that it's great fun.

Welkin and Alicia--the main characters of  Valkyria Chronicles

First of all, Valkyria Chronicles isn't some anime-style punch 'em up fighting game.  It's a turn-based shooter tied to a deep story about war.  The story is based on a fictional place and events that seem highly related to Europe and World War II or really any modern war.  There are powerful countries who are fighting over rare resources--in this case a fictional mineral called "ragnite" that can be used as a source of power or for many other purposes.  In orded to get this needed mineral the super-powers are willing to invade any country and don't really care who gets caught in the middle.  It's an age old story of war.

Caught in the middle are the characters who become the focal point of the story (and yes they do have a very anime style)--Welkin is a student of natural science with a passion for plants and bugs and Alicia is a bakers apprentice who has enlisted in the local militia in the border town of Bruhl.  After you meet these characters you are thrown into the turn based combat system which is actually pretty cool.  Combat begins by showing you a tactical map of the battlefield with known units marked--friendly and hostile.  Then you get to select the friendly unit you want to control.  The camera then zooms from the map to the live battlefield where you can control this unit and move them to a new location.  Each unit has a certain number of action points and can attack once each turn.  Each turn consists of a certain number of "command points" which determines how many units you can control.  After you've spent these points the enemy squad gets a turn and can move and attack using their command points.  Your units can counterattack moving enemy units and do damage even if it's not your turn.  The first few battles are fairly straightforward but later ones require you to consider exactly which units you should move and how to best use the soldiers you have.

Things get a lot more complicated as the story advances--you have to pick 20 soldiers to be in your squad.  There are different classes, each with their individual strengths and weaknesses, and individual soldiers all have their own backstory and set of traits.  These traits be positive or negative--some characters don't like to fight in the countryside and will suffer a small debuff while others might like fighting in a group and receive a buff when positioned close to other units.  Each individual operation requires you to pick an ideal combination of soldiers for the purpose of the mission.

After you've unlocked the headquarters you also can decide how to spend your experience points.  XP is assigned by class and will level up all individual members of that class.  This is a nice change from only levelling up specific characters and being able to choose from a wider group of squadmates.  You also decide how to spend research points--you can improve the weapons or armor for the different classes or improve your tank.

What I thought was going to turn out to be a poor gaming choice has turned out to be a really deep and complex game.  Valkyria Chronicles could appeal to fans of both anime style games and those who enjoy strategy in turn-based combat.

If Three is a Crowd, Six is a Stampede

I've played many RPG's with varying party sizes.  Some might just be your character and a companion while others sit at a comfortable four member group.  Thes smaller groups are relatively easy to control and manage.  But what about a group of six?  My newest adventure in Pillars of Eternity has pushed my party numbers up and requires some serious management.

I started off with myself and my one companion.  It was pretty easy managing my little group, but two characters just wasn't cutting it.  Encounters with multiple opponents were a roll of the dice, so I hesitantly decided to expand my group.  I was hesitant because it felt weird making all my own party members from scratch--many of the RPG's I had played before included party members that were part of the storyline and who joined at various points.  I'm still a little boggled about this as I have two characters in my current party who are story characters.  Even though this is a little strange, I have to admit that I am enjoying the ability to design my own characters rather than simply choosing from pre-made adventurers.

How can you go wrong with six people in your party?

As my party has gotten larger, combat has become increasingly easier but also more difficult to manage.  Pausing to issue commands is happening almost constantly.  It can be difficult to continually command party members to change targets or activate and re-activate certain abilities.  I still haven't figured out how to have a sort of tanking character draw and keep the attention in large groups of enemies.  My poor rogue continually gets pounded and has spent much time unconscious during many encounters.

Learning the ropes of this complex RPG system is taking some time and I hope that I am making the right choices.  Pillars of Eternity is definitely not the simple RPG that I play so often and that has become popular as gaming expands into the masses.  Playing a complex RPG is a nice change--even with the gigantic party.  The more, the merrier, right?

In-Depth Character Creation

Character creation can be an exciting time.  Adding the features and attributes to your desired character is definitely fun.  The Pillars of Eternity character creation panel was an intense experience.  Besides just picking basic aspects like race, class, and hair color, it also required me to choose a sub-race, and a former profession or background.  The great part about this complicated process was that each choice carried with it special skill or attribute bonus.  For certain races or classes there were many sub-races, each offering unique skills.  This is a whole new level of character creation.  It seems like the indie/Kickstarter games really lend themselves to more customization.  Wasteland 2 also gave players many choices when it came down to creating their character.  Players are able to pick a religion for their character and write their own unique biography.

Character creation for a barbarian.

Sadly I got so wrapped up on looking at all the possible options for every race/class that I didn't actually play much of the actual game.  The gameplay seems a little strange to me--it's not really turn-based, it can pause for you to issue orders, and you can have a rather large party.  My party didn't make it above three and neither of those characters fared very well...in fact they both died as part of the story.  I'm also a little boggled by the speech choices.  Players are sometimes able to choose special speech options but a prompt mentions that just because there is a special option that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best option.  Huh?  Doesn't that go against everything we've ever been taught in a game?  It's always best to choose the special option!  Why provide a special option if it doesn't do something special?  I guess it's going to require more time to figure out.

One complaint I've read about the game, but which doesn't bother me, is the amount of reading that is required.  There is some voice acting, but many descriptions are at least partially written out.  The writing almost reads like a story or novel, so it's very pleasant.  I think we've become too spoiled with many modern games which are almost completely voice acted.

It's going to take much more playing and investigating for me to finally get a good grasp on Pillars of Eternity.  I like what I've seen so far.

The Talos Principle--Puzzles and Philosophy

My Steam sale purchases have sat unplayed in my library for longer than I would like.  I finally decided it was time to dive into them and see whether I had made some good purchases or was duped into purchasing some duds.  The first choice for investigation is The Talos Principle.

I first saw The Talos Principle on it's initial release.  It looked to be an interesting spin on puzzle games but the $40 price tag seemed steep.  So far, I like what I have seen.  You play as an android/robot/artificial intelligence who appears in a strange world.  There isn't much of a backstory...you just sort of appear and then a voice calling itself "elohim" directs you to solve some puzzles to unlock "sigils."  These sigils remind me of tangrams....you know, those math toys where you have to create a specific design using different shapes (I was always horrible at them).  The world has a very ancient Greek/Roman feel and you navigate ruins that seem real and artificial.

The puzzles have been fairly straightforward through the first three or so "worlds."  The first world involved using devices called jammers to avoid roving robots and turrets who seem to be tasked with eliminating you.  The jammers stop them in their tracks allowing you to creep by.  Properly locating and moving the jammers can be a little challenging, but eventually you will figure it out.  Each world also contains data terminals that give you some sort of insight into the story behind the puzzles.  As you interact with the terminals you read old data entries about the project that seems to have created your robot self and the series of puzzles.  You also read many entries about philosophy and have to answer a short set of questions that seems to be a sort of psychological profile.  Much of it seems to circulate around deep questions about whether artificial intelligence represents real life.

This sums it up pretty well.

As you explore the world you discover that it is fairly vast.  One of the central features is a very large tower.  Elohim, your guide/mentor, warns you that you should not venture to the top of the tower or else you will curse your offspring for generations to come.  Ummm saying not to go somewhere means that you have to go there!  Can a robot have offspring?  What's at the top of the tower?  I'm positive that I will end up at the top of the tower eventually.

I am anticipating the puzzles getting much harder and the story behind the strange tests and location becoming clearer.  Solving the puzzles has been satisfying and the added philosophical reflection makes The Talos Principle deeper than the traditional puzzle game.