Being Divine is Tough.

For a long time I watched and waited for Divinity:  Original Sin 2 to finally make it to full release.  It sat on my wishlist for many months and I kept an eye on any news about the quality of the game.  Almost everything that I read was positive and there was even talk of it possibly being one of the best RPG's of the year.  So, I finally decided to bite and buy it the last time that it was on sale.  Now, I'm guiding my band of misfit heroes through a brand new story and set of challenges.

I will admit that Divinity:  Original Sin wasn't a game that I initially had strong, positive feelings toward.  It was a CRPG in a more classic form and definitely had a difficulty curve that I struggled with.  Those struggles finally got the better of me and after some serious frustrations, I played through 80% of it and then decided I was tired of the long, drawn out bouts of combat.  It sat neglected in my library for a long time and then I finally decided to finish it.  After finishing it, I can definitely say it's a great game--the frustration came from the depth of the game and my inability to fully understand that depth.

I've been playing through Divinity:  Original Sin 2 for awhile now (I haven't finished it yet and have probably less than 50% completed) and it feels like a significant improvement over the first game.  The systems are very similar, but much easier to understand.  I'm enjoying the fact that you can play as either a pre-designed character with their own story or that you can create your own.  Divinity:  Original Sin 2 features a wide variety of races to choose--you have your normal fantasy variants humans, elves, and dwarves--but now there are also lizards and the undead.  The neat thing about choosing a pre-designed character is that they come with their own backstory, quests, and speech abilities that are particular to their story and background.  Uniquely, you can choose any class for these pre-designed characters and mold them into anything you want them to be.

Not uniquely, I decided that I would play as Sebille and that she should be a rogue.  Elves in Divinity:  Original Sin 2 are somewhat unique when compared to the stock elven characters in fantasy games.  There is still a strong tie to nature, but elves also possess a unique ability to witness the memories of the dead through cannibalism.  Eating a severed body part can unlock abilities or quest information that can prove helpful.  Sure, it's macabre, but it gives elves a new spin that they desperately need.

Sebille's story has remained largely a mystery.  She has an odd tattoo on her face, possibly from being a slave, and her speech options include "outlaw," which means that she has a colorful past.  She's not the friendliest of characters and can be quite ruthless.

To accompany Sebille, I chose a squad made up of the Red Prince, Beast, and Lohse.  My squad represents the diversity of DOS2--a lizard, a human, a dwarf, and an elf.  Unwisely, I didn't choose the best set of skills for my party.  I decided that the Red Prince should be our fighter/tank--there's just something about his haughty demeanor that screamed "noble knight."  Lohse seemed perfect for a mage/caster type.  Stupidly, I decided that Beast should be a battlemage, a class that seems sort of bizarre--an illogical combination of melee and magic.  Generally I like to keep a balance between ranged and melee, but I'm heavy on the melee side, which can be problematic.  Somehow, I'm managing to keep them alive though.

One of the biggest improvements in DOS2 is the crafting system.  In the first game it was barely explained and I often found myself Googling crafting guides just to learn how to do the basics.  Now, there's a handy "recipes" tab that keeps track of all the different crafting recipes that your team has learned.  The inventory system has also been vastly improved (but can sometimes be mind boggling) and party inventory can be easily shared.  I still think that crafting is largely a waste of time, but it's nice that it's not so archaic.

On the combat side of things there is plenty to be excited about.  There are a few new classes with their own special abilities--polymorphs can use magic to transform themselves into different beneficial forms; summoners can summon elemental totems and other objects and necromancers can summon undead creatures to fight with your party.  The fighting itself has largely remained the same, but with some minor improvements.  Utilizing strategy is very important--characters have both physical and magical armors that help to negate either physical or magical attacks.  Paying attention to these armor types can help you decide where different attacks are better focused--casters can easily whittle down an enemy with low magical armor and characters that do physical damage can tear up a caster like a piece of wet tissue paper.  It's also important to note which types of armors negate certain abilities.  Of course, there's also the issue of friendly fire--if you're careless you could end up barbequeing all your melee.

Thus far, I'm enjoying DOS2 much more than the original.  There have been some tough battles and some confusing quests, but I haven't felt the same level of frustration that made me quit the first game.  I'm definitely feeling that DOS2 is a great game.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm--Depressingly Fabulous. (And full of spoilers...so, careful!)

It's kind of weird, but I played through Life is Strange:  Before the Storm once and didn't feel particularly satisfied with my first playthrough.  I decided that to get a truly accurate picture of the game that I should go back and play through it in a completely different manner.  Now, after I've played through it twice I feel like I have a better feeling for the game and am ready to sum up my thoughts about the episodic prologue to 2015's Life is Strange.

Before I begin, I wanted to describe exactly how and why I decided that completing it twice was necessary.  I wrote about this last week when I had barely started delving into the first episode, but I found that the way I was playing Chloe was somewhat unsatisfactory.  In my mind I wanted Chloe to start being a respectful, responsible teenager rather than being the selfish, childish, asshat that she is.  And her asshattery isn't for good reason--she's dealing with a lot of tough issues--the death of her father, the departure of her best friend right at a critical moment, and the introduction of a new father figure in the form of David, the stepdouche.  It was morally rough to make many of the decisions that see Chloe being rude to her Mom or to steal, use drugs, and generally just be rebellious.  I also decided that Rachel Amber should be just a friend and nothing more.  In the end, it all felt really wrong.

In my second playthrough I decided that Chloe should be who Chloe really is--a brash, "no f#$@'s given," kind of character who lashes out at everybody and doesn't have much concern about the consequences.  Honestly, it felt so much better to play her this way.  Probably the best choice that I made was the decision that Chloe and Rachel's relationship should be romantic in nature.  The story and consequence felt like it fit so much better in my second playthrough.  I didn't necessarily enjoy the consequences of all the choices that I made.

I'm not going to write this in a pros/cons manner like other games.  I mostly just want to reflect on what I liked about the series, and I did find that I really liked it.  This is where the SPOILERS start, so if you don't want to know about the ending or the consequences of your choices...best to stop.

Let's be honest and say that there were some really irritating aspects of the original Life is Strange.  After playing it I felt like it was an alright episodic game--there were some things that I enjoyed and some things that I absolutely hated.  The good news is that Life is Strange:  Before the Storm took some of those irritating aspects from the first game and fixed them.  One of the most notable fixes is to the character dialogue.  Many people complained that the dialogue in the first game was written so poorly that it was cringeworthy--no, let's just say it, hella cringeworthy.  Before the Storm is completely devoid of the feeling that a bunch of middle aged male writers (who I think were also French and probably didn't have much context into how American teenagers talk) were pretending to know how the typical American teenager talks.  There are even some jokes about the usage of the word "hella" worked into the game in a clever way.  You will love it.

One of the things that I worried about in Before the Storm was that the lack of the supernatural abilities from the original game would leave the story slightly lacking.  It turns out that the story is actually better without all the time rewinding, universe altering aspects.  The many crises and issues that make up the story feel realistic and manage to be entertaining on their own.  Chloe is like a boat slipping from one storm into the next and players get to choose how she deals with each wave.  Should Chloe try to make amends with her Mom?  Or be more accepting of having David around?  Should she do her best to avoid using chemical coping mechanisms? Should she lie to Rachel or tell her the truth?  Each choice has some sort of consequence and they don't always turn out positive.

One of the impactful choices in "Before the Storm."

Unlike Life is Strange, the choices that you make throughout the game have an impact on events that happen in the game.  I was very frustrated with the fact that in the first game it all boiled down to one big decision in the the end--nothing else that you did really mattered.  I enjoyed the fact that when I had Chloe refuse to empty her pockets out for David (she was carrying pot after all) that when she returned to her house, her room had clearly been searched.  The clear consequence of that choice was that David had decided to go through all her stuff on his own--a total invasion of privacy.  Even though it might take awhile to see the consequences of your choices, they are definitely visible throughout the story.

The one thing that I hated the most about Life is Strange was the ending.  I hated it for multiple reasons--firstly, that players were left with one choice that felt completely undesirable (saving Chloe, destroying the town of Arcadia, and having Max declare her previously unrealized romantic feelings for Chloe) and one choice that was clearly the "canon" ending (Chloe dies, Arcadia is saved) and secondly, because the whole "romantic" aspect of Chloe and Max's relationship felt so forced.  I never interpreted Chloe and Max as having anything but friendly feelings toward each other and all of a sudden having Max declare that Chloe is literally "the one" felt wrong.

Before the Storm does a great job of showing how the relationship between Chloe and Rachel Amber develops.  The best part is that it feels believable (in a Hollywood, "love at first sight," universe pulls two people together kind of way...but, still) and genuine.  It's a story that shows two people who grow close very quickly and who clearly have a connection.  I would recommend that everyone who plays opt for the romantic choice because the game does a great job at depicting a mad type of teenage love.

There are lots of small things that also make Before the Storm enjoyable.  Finding all the different locations for Chloe to graffiti was fun and choosing how exactly she left her mark could be hilarious.  I've always enjoyed the quiet introspective moments that are part of the game--you can opt to have Chloe sit on a bench and listen to her internal monologue as she thinks about her current situation.  It's not very often that players are given the ability to connect with the feelings of characters in games.  Those moments are also punctuated extremely well by the soundtrack--the music fits perfectly.

Probably one of the most difficult parts of the game is the dark cloud that looms over the entire thing.  If you've played Life is Strange before Before the Storm you know exactly how the story ends--and it's not happy.  Before the Storm has some dark moments, but on the whole, it has a very positive, happy vibe.  I have read that some people were upset by the fact that after the credits rolled for the last episode that they included the brief nod to the demise of Rachel Amber.  It's definitely a punch in the gut, but one that I felt was needed.  I don't think they should have completely ignored the fact that things were doomed and it makes the relationship between Chloe and Rachel all the more tragic.

Overall, I really enjoyed Before the Storm.  It felt like they really paid attention to many of the shortcomings of the original game and worked to correct them.  They story was great even without the science fiction aspects and captured the life of a dysfunctional teenager in an engaging way.  The love story between Chloe Price and Rachel Amber is one that I think played out in a very sweet and believable way and that will appeal to many different types of gamers.

One question you might be asking yourself is "should I upgrade to the deluxe version for the bonus episode?"  If you're a fan of the series, I would say yes.  The Farewell episode adds another layer of depth to the relationship between Chloe and Max and fans will enjoy getting to see Chloe before she was shattered.  It's also heartbreaking, so bust out the tissues.  You also get a few bonus outfits for Chloe and "mixtape" mode which allows you to move the soundtrack from the game around to best fit your preferences (this is something that I didn't mess with, but seems kind of cool).

Being Chloe Price

Just last week Steam featured a sale on Square Enix titles (some of them are still on sale) and I decided to take advantage of the sweet, low prices.  One of those games that I snatched up was the prologue to the 2015 episodic game Life is Strange; Life is Strange:  Before the Storm.  I enjoyed playing Life is Strange, it had some really great moments and themes, but it also had some flaws.  My general opinion about episodic story games is that they are best when purchased for under $10.  It's not that they don't have something to offer, it's just that what they have to offer is really only good for 2 and possibly 3 playthroughs before you've seen everything there is to see.

Chloe hasn't quite reached the blue hair phase in "Before the Storm."

Life is Strange:  Before the Storm tells the story of Chloe Price before the return of her childhood best friend, Max Caulfield.  In Life is Strange, players were introduced the the blue-haired teenage rebel, and she was one of my favorite characters.  I am relishing the chance to learn more about Chloe, but I'm finding that her personality is so completely different and rebellious that it feels really weird.

I suppose that part of the problem comes from the way that players choose to play a character in a game that is based on player choice.  Do you play the character based on how you would want them to act?  Or do you play the character based on how you think they would act?  I tend to lean more toward the first option and it's causing me more mental grief than I've had in almost any other game that I've ever played.

Chloe has a very brash, "f*^% off" kind of attitude toward life.  She's going to do what she wants to do and damn the consequences.  There's something to be admired in that stance, but it's also off-putting for someone like me who likes to follow the rules.  I've only played through the first episode and there have been several interactions that have made me uncomfortable.  Chloe and her mom struggle to get along, but I can't bring myself to tell poor Joyce to just back off.  I couldn't bring myself to have Chloe enter into the verbal sparring mini-game with her principal--it just felt so wrong.

Much of the first episode attempts to explain how Chloe and Rachel Amber's relationship started.  There are parts of this aspect that also bothered me.  It doesn't bother me from the perspective of them having a relationship, but in a way that other video game relationships sometimes bother me.  Chloe and Rachel basically JUST meet and all of a sudden they are at a stage where they are almost declaring their undying love for each other.  It feels so forced, and when given the choice for Chloe to declare how she feels about Rachel, I had her opt for the friend zone.  It's pretty obvious that it's meant to be more, but it just feels weird to happen so suddenly.

I feel like I'm doing a disservice to the character that Chloe price is supposed to be.  My moral compass is making her into the law abiding, good kid who I want her to be and it just feels wrong.  Maybe in the next playthrough I will play Chloe how I think she would really act.

Besides my difficulty staying true to Chloe's attitude, I am enjoying learning more about Chloe as a character.  The loss of her dad in a car accident has completely shaken her and really torn her family apart.  Her mom has started dating again and Chloe is none too happy about having David in the picture.  It was really sad to search through Chloe's house and see that her mom had started to take down the old pictures that had Chloe's dad in them.  Joyce is trying to move on and Chloe just isn't ready to accept it.  They both struggle to communicate and it's easy to understand why Chloe is so rebellious and torn up--she lost her dad and then she lost her best friend when Max moved away.  To cope with those major changes, she has turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain.

In real life I am a teacher and sometimes it's hard to understand exactly what makes kids act out.  Rarely do I know much about what goes on in their lives outside of school.  Oddly, I've felt like playing as Chloe Price has given me a unique insight into behavior.  It makes me want to be more patient and try to understand all the challenges and struggles that students go through on a daily basis.

Gaming Soundtracks for Motivation or Relxation

It's probably more than a little weird that I like to listen to music from games.  Every time that someone walks into my classroom and I have gaming music on in the background, I know that they are confused.  Students tell me all the time that the music I play is "weird."  (Except the nerdy ones who recognize it)

Regardless of what other people think, there are some really great game soundtracks out there that are perfect for those times when you want to relax.  Part of the magic in listening to those soundtracks out of context is recalling all the fun you had while playing.

#1--The Elder Scrolls V:  Skyrim
Skyrim is one of those big, sprawling Bethesda games that always ends up making me feel ambivalent about the game itself.  Fortunately, the soundtrack offers some of the best music for roaming around and slaying dragons.  It's perfect for those times when you want to throw on some soothing background music while you're working.  If you're feeling the need for something a little more motivating you can skip to "Dragonborn" and relive the experience of shouting down a dragon.
Best tracks:
Motivation:  Dragonborn
Relaxation:  Kyne's Peace

#2--World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft has been around in some iteration since 2005.  Each new expansion has offered tons of new gameplay and a brand new soundtrack.  As someone who has spent many, many hours playing WoW, I have always enjoyed the music.  Each unique zone has it's own piece of music--whether it's the creepy, screechy sounds of the Undercity or the light, magical tones of Dalaran, the WoW soundtracks have always been the perfect punctuation to the sprawling, mythical world.
Best Tracks:
Motivation:  Arthas, My Son (from the Cinematic Intro)
Relaxation:  Song of Elune

#3--Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex:  Human Revolution is another of those games that I can't say that I especially loved, but it does have a phenomenal soundtrack.  The OST manages to capture the feeling of living in the strange, futuristic world depicted in the game.  Unlike the other two soundtracks I mentioned, this one is much more electronic.
Best Tracks:
Motivation:  The Mole (I absolutely love this track)
Relaxation:  Home

#4--Transistor
Unlike the other OST's listed, Transistor features a mix of instrumental music from the game and vocal tracks.  Supergiant Games have made it a point to incorporate great music into their games and the vocal tracks are definitely the standouts.
Best Tracks:
Motivation:  Apex Beat
Relaxation:  Paper Boats