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Life is Strange Community Thread: Arcadia Baes

Fanto

Fanto

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Nora said:
So, how did this end? Any good? I stopped in episode 2 after
The Mushroom Incident
, because it pissed me the hell off and destroyed my trust in Dontnod as storytellers. I'm not sure if it's worth picking back up.
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Most people discussing it in the OT have had positive thoughts on how it ended, myself included, but not everyone loved it. I do think episodes 3-5 were better than episode 2 for sure though, that was the low point for me. I'd probably rank them 3 > 5 > 1 > 4 > 2 personally.
Static_Void said:
I was a huge fan of LiS and Before the Storm. I was waiting for the whole package to be out before going into LiS 2.

But from the sound of it, I should maybe completely skip it? Seems like they screwed up the narrative and the ending?
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Not really, most impressions have been positive. Just know that it is very different from the first game, it's hard to directly compare them.
 

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Static_Void said:
I was a huge fan of LiS and Before the Storm. I was waiting for the whole package to be out before going into LiS 2.

But from the sound of it, I should maybe completely skip it? Seems like they screwed up the narrative and the ending?
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There's a lot of elements I really like in this to the point where it sounds like I should have damn near guaranteed liked it, but I don't think it really reaches full potential. It's my opinion though. YMMV

I think it's worth trying at least
 
Bedameister

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Static_Void said:
I was a huge fan of LiS and Before the Storm. I was waiting for the whole package to be out before going into LiS 2.

But from the sound of it, I should maybe completely skip it? Seems like they screwed up the narrative and the ending?
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I think they absolutely nailed the ending.
The only thing to complain about LiS2 was its release schedule. Otherwise it's a great experience. Not god-like a la LiS1 but still a worthy successor
 
Aurc

Aurc

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Oct 28, 2017
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Fantomas said:
I knew someone would do this eventually, thanks for just taking a shit on my fun, very nice of you.
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I mean, if you picked Bae, you already knew that stuff. Actions have consequences, there will be ramifications. This is the theme of these games, I'm not some downer trying to rain on your parade. Yes, in your Life is Strange story, Max and Chloe are alive and well, but I'm sure there were turbulent periods where their relationship was tested as a result of what happened, and the choice Max made. They're going to carry that weight for the rest of their lives. I'm just saying that I find that more interesting to think about than the "happily ever after" type stuff that dominates this fandom. It's not as happy or nice, but LiS is a very real series in terms of the drama and issues it tackles anyway. It's more bittersweet than anything else.
 
Fanto

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Aurc said:
I mean, if you picked Bae, you already knew that stuff. Actions have consequences, there will be ramifications. This is the theme of these games, I'm not some downer trying to rain on your parade. Yes, in your Life is Strange story, Max and Chloe are alive and well, but I'm sure there were turbulent periods where their relationship was tested as a result of what happened, and the choice Max made. They're going to carry that weight for the rest of their lives. I'm just saying that I find that more interesting to think about than the "happily ever after" type stuff that dominates this fandom. It's not as happy or nice, but LiS is a very real series in terms of the drama and issues it tackles anyway. It's more bittersweet than anything else.
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Yeah, I get that, there's even been fanfic that has explored that, but you were kind of raining on my parade, and you're also saying that Dontnod were just doing this to appease people who picked the Bae ending and that they don't really believe in what they included in LiS 2, at least that's what you seemed to be implying when you said this:
They knew something not "happily ever after" would upset the Bae crowd, though, so they just showed Chloe with green hair instead
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Which there is no way for you to know that for sure, I think you just want it to be true.

In fact, based on twitter replies from Michel Koch, they definitely did put some more thought into this stuff than just "happily ever after":

But I don't want to get into an argument really, so we can just agree to disagree on that.
 
Aurc

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Fantomas said:
Yeah, I get that, there's even been fanfic that has explored that, but you were kind of raining on my parade, and you're also saying that Dontnod were just doing this to appease people who picked the Bae ending and that they don't really believe in what they included in LiS 2, at least that's what you seemed to be implying when you said this:

Which there is no way for you to know that for sure, I think you just want it to be true.

In fact, based on twitter replies from Michel Koch, they definitely did put some more thought into this stuff than just "happily ever after":

But I don't want to get into an argument really, so we can just agree to disagree on that.
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I did see that Chloe had covered up her tattoo in the pic. I was curious about that, but they don't explicitly tell you the reason for it in-game, so one can only speculate. Only from Michel's tweet did I actually realize the intent behind it. Seeing that now, I'm happy that they seem to imply something deeper from it.

Saying that they only did what they did to not upset the Bae crowd was a mistake, and I'm sorry for it. I'm also sorry for the tone in which I phrased my initial post.

I think this split, and the resulting debate between the Bay and Bae crowds will always be one of the main things hanging over the fandom. I'm kind of glad that it's something that can still be talked about, even as contentious as it is.
 

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Oct 27, 2017
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I'm still processing it, but LiS 2 may have the best ending for a choice-based adventure game.

The Walking Dead S1 has an ending which is inevitable, but the choices you made along the way color Lee and his arc differently.

LiS 1, Deus Ex, Mass Effect, Fallout, etc. give you plenty of choices, but all are superseded by your final decision at the end.

LiS 2 presents you with a binary final choice, but how it plays out depends on all your actions leading up to it.

I tried to get both brothers across the border, but Daniel stayed behind because I had taught him to believe in society instead of fostering an "us vs. the world" mentality.

Amazing stuff. 👏👏
 
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Channel5News said:
I'm still processing it, but LiS 2 may have the best ending for a choice-based adventure game.

The Walking Dead S1 has an ending which is inevitable, but the choices you made along the way color Lee and his arc differently.

LiS 1, Deus Ex, Mass Effect, Fallout, etc. give you plenty of choices, but all are superseded by your final decision at the end.

LiS 2 presents you with a binary final choice, but how it plays out depends on all your actions leading up to it.

I tried to get both brothers across the border, but Daniel stayed behind because I had taught him to believe in society instead of fostering an "us vs. the world" mentality.

Amazing stuff. 👏👏
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Very interesting. Thanks for your quick analysis!
 
Yinyangfooey

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Question: If I get the 4 episodes on Game Pass, and then buy the 5th episode individually, will my progress /achievements carry over?
 
Aurc

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As others have said many times, I do truly hope that they return to a more contained setting, like a small town, instead of doing another road trip style game. Works much better for developing a cast, outside of the protagonists, that you can have a worthwhile investment in.
 
ItIsOkBro

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I have generally been disappointed with ultrawide support in PC games, but luckily Life is Strange is one of the easier games to mod in support and it just looks so friggin good in ultrawide

5duB9pM.jpg
 
Strafer

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Do you guys think the first game would do well as a live action series on like Netflix or something?

Would love to see it.
 
mudai

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SapphiCine said:
The show has been in pre-production purgatory for years. It ain't happening.
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Maybe that's for the best. Especially if they would just adapt the original game. An original story with an entirely new cast? That could work, even though I'm still skeptical. But yeah, with the pre-production being in purgatory for so long, I doubt it's going to happen.
 
Princess Bubblegum

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mudai said:
Maybe that's for the best. Especially if they would just adapt the original game. An original story with an entirely new cast? That could work, even though I'm still skeptical. But yeah, with the pre-production being in purgatory for so long, I doubt it's going to happen.
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I'm imagining a Heroes esque show set in the Life is Strange universe and shivering.
 
Bradford

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I know it has been in Prepro hell for a few years now, and I agree that it likely won't actually materialize, but until there is news to the opposite there still is a chance it will happen.

That being said I don't really have high hopes and wouldn't expect much of it. It is what it is, though, and it is allegedly still a thing that is happening, at least that's the official stance.
 
Fanto

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I don't know if I'd be too interested in a live adaptation tbh, I feel like a lot of what makes it a great game is the player choice aspect. Making decisions and either rewinding them or sticking with them, as well as all the other fun random rewind moments, would be hard to replicate in a show I think since it would be a passive experience instead.
 

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I recently got the first two graphic novel volumes as a Christmas present and I'm excited to read them. I also saw volume 3 is releasing in April.
 
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Fanto

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Hella said:
Can't believe I never thought to check this before, but there are Max and Chloe voice pack mods available for XCOM 2, via the Steam Workshop.
Best part? Each requires the other.

The mod creator knows.
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As if XCOM 2 wasn't amazing already!

I'm enjoying Battletech a lot by the way, thanks for that rec.
NKnight7 said:
I recently got the first two graphic novel volumes as a Christmas present and I'm excited to read them. I also saw volume 3 is releasing in April.
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Nice, hope you like them! I still haven't got around to the second volume yet, I'll have to pick that up soon.
 
Strafer

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Life is Strange 2 Complete Collection bought.

I'm finally able to dive into it, exciting times.
 
Overdoziz

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In my opinion they improved on the actual choice and consequence mechanics, but the roadtrip nature of the game made it difficult to connect with any characters. Also Sean and Daniel suck, don't @ me
 
Princess Bubblegum

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Overdoziz said:
In my opinion they improved on the actual choice and consequence mechanics, but the roadtrip nature of the game made it difficult to connect with any characters. Also Sean and Daniel suck, don't @ me
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They didn't know what the fuck to do with Daniel. Sean grew on me but it didn't feel like he had a proper character arc.
Transhumanism said:
Soooo
is LiS2 good?
I only know the first 5-10 minutes of the game.
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In LiS tradition, it's a mixed bag and whether you like it depends on what you are looking for as well as who you are. I played it a few weeks ago and enjoyed it well enough, but it didn't have the sticking power as LiS1 or Before the Storm for me.
 

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Overdoziz said:
In my opinion they improved on the actual choice and consequence mechanics, but the roadtrip nature of the game made it difficult to connect with any characters. Also Sean and Daniel suck, don't @ me
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I finished episode 2 a few days ago and the consequences to my choices felt completely inconsequential or straight-up random. I felt like the game threw darts at a board at random to determine what outcome my choices had on Daniel's behavior. Supremely unsatisfying. I also don't care much for the characters. Not sure if I'm gonna keep going. I said it in another thread but episode 2 was by far the worst LiS episode of all of them.

I also think the road trip structure sucks a lot of air out of the whole thing. I know ultimately nothing really matters all that much because at the end of the episode they're gonna peace out anyway. So the relationship between Daniel and Sean has to carry the entire game and frankly I don't think it can.
 
Delphine

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I'm actually enjoying Life Is Strange 2 a lot right now. I started playing yesterday, already achieved the first two episodes, and I have quite the fondness for Sean & Daniel, I'm ready to love & protecc them like a mama wolf.

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I played Before The Storm some weeks ago, and ended up feeling... let down by it. It didn't match the quality level of writing & acting of LiS. It felt a bit too fan-servicey and forced at times. I love Chloe & Amber a lot, but overall, something didn't click much, despite really trying. I'm still glad I played it, and would tell people to play it as well if, like me, they really loved LiS a lot. It still had very touching moments, some that made me cry, but it wasn't enough to counterbalance the rest of it, the dip in quality was definitely felt and was immersion-breaking at times. Ashley Burch's voice was dearly missed as well, I was so glad to see her back in the bonus episode!

LiS2 is bringing the quality back up to speed, in even better ways, should I say, and that makes me really happy. I love the road trip structure, allows the story to do a lot of things and keep on being surprising, and I'm here for that. I love the themes it's tackling this time as well, especially the ones about race in a Trump society, it is heartbreaking to follow, yet incredibly real. On that account LiS2 is already far more political than LiS or BtS ever was, and that's a nice change of pace to me. I can't wait to see where this journey will lead me, so I'll now go play episode 3!
 
Delphine

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I'm done with LiS2, finished it yesterday. I think I thoroughly enjoyed it, almost as much as I did LiS, but in different & interesting ways as well.
The way LiS2 gets political, especially related to racial issues, definitely was something that resonated with me and that I appreciated greatly. I think overall, whenever the racial part came into play, I think that's when the game was shining the most.

My ranking of episodes would go this way: 4 > 5 > 1 > 2 > 3
Episode 3 was truly the weakest of them all, far too long, event-less, uninteresting in terms of game play and even story-wise, and under-utilizing the characters it introduced then (or not making them compelling enough, like I couldn't even bother going one way or the other when it came down to the romantic relationship, my Sean remained solo). Episode 4 has a lot of highlights and moments that made me cry, either in anger, fury or sheer sadness. Episode 5 has similar moments, with a finale that makes sure it is satisfying no matter what your choices were throughout the game (I had High Morality and High Brotherhood, by the way), and that landing definitely was successful to me.

I literally screamed at the sight of this picture:

T3GrtTF.jpg


My girls are looking good, well-fed and healthy, and I'm so glad this was included. When I realized who David was, I was so emotional I kept visiting his trailer and listening to his dialogues. I'm so happy they included this tiny bit, and I love what this new lore means about our girls. This was nicely done, truly.

Overall, LiS2 is a worthy successor to the LiS legacy, while expanding on its themes and gameplay, and I'm really glad I played it.
 
Overdoziz

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Isn't 4 the one with the church stuff?
Hated that one.

3 was actually my favorite because I loved chilling at the camp and talking to the people there.
 
Fanto

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Delphine said:
My ranking of episodes would go this way: 4 > 5 > 1 > 2 > 3
Episode 3 was truly the weakest of them all, far too long, event-less, uninteresting in terms of game play and even story-wise, and under-utilizing the characters it introduced then (or not making them compelling enough, like I couldn't even bother going one way or the other when it came down to the romantic relationship, my Sean remained solo).
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Damn, I really liked Episode 3. Some of it might have had to do with playing the episodes as they released though, 3 just felt a lot different than the previous ones, and I enjoyed it a lot more than 2. It just sticks out as a high point for me, I really liked those characters.

As for your ending choice:
Did you surrender or go for the border?
 
Delphine

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Fanto said:
Damn, I really liked Episode 3. Some of it might have had to do with playing the episodes as they released though, 3 just felt a lot different than the previous ones, and I enjoyed it a lot more than 2. It just sticks out as a high point for me, I really liked those characters.

As for your ending choice:
Did you surrender or go for the border?
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Yeah, since I played the entirety of LiS2 in the span of 2/3 days, my impression of it might heavily be influenced by that indeed!

I surrendered at the border! I Couldn't fathom what life and support either of those brothers would have received once at Puerto Lobos. I knew that Daniel's life would be so much better with his grandparents as soon as we met them, and that it was really Sean who needed to run away. I hoped that, given the fact I didn't kill nor steal anybody during my playthrough, I'd have a better outcome for him, but I guess it wasn't in the cards, which made it bittersweet as well, but seeing him go out of jail and start his life as a free man on the roads, much like Brody used to, which apparently was a huge influence on him, that honestly warmed my heart a bit as well.

The only regret I have about my playthrough, is severing all ties with Lyla. I really thought I was protecting her, but... I really loved her, and would have loved to have the ending with her being present for Sean's prison release too, she was a great character and a great friend to Sean.
 
Fanto

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Delphine said:
Yeah, since I played the entirety of LiS2 in the span of 2/3 days, my impression of it might heavily be influenced by that indeed!

I surrendered at the border! I Couldn't fathom what life and support either of those brothers would have received once at Puerto Lobos. I knew that Daniel's life would be so much better with his grandparents as soon as we met them, and that it was really Sean who needed to run away. I hoped that, given the fact I didn't kill nor steal anybody during my playthrough, I'd have a better outcome for him, but I guess it wasn't in the cards, which made it bittersweet as well, but seeing him go out of jail and start his life as a free man on the roads, much like Brody used to, which apparently was a huge influence on him, that honestly warmed my heart a bit as well.

The only regret I have about my playthrough, is severing all ties with Lyla. I really thought I was protecting her, but... I really loved her, and would have loved to have the ending with her being present for Sean's prison release too, she was a great character and a great friend to Sean.
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I went for the border, but Daniel decided to jump out because I went high morality. I really liked that ending, it is sad that they get separated but ultimately they both get the life that they truly wanted with Daniel going back to the grandparents and Sean living on his own in Mexico.

Yeah, the stuff with Lyla was an interesting thread running through the game, and I'm pretty sure most of it is based on your choice to call her or not in episode 1. I did call her, and in every other episode when you'd get the chance to check the internet or something she was always super positive and still posting about Sean online and never giving up hope that they'd be ok. I think the worst that can happen to her is that the police interrogate her about her conversation with Sean, but she doesn't really get in any actual trouble over it.
 
Delphine

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Fanto said:
I went for the border, but Daniel decided to jump out because I went high morality. I really liked that ending, it is sad that they get separated but ultimately they both get the life that they truly wanted with Daniel going back to the grandparents and Sean living on his own in Mexico.

Yeah, the stuff with Lyla was an interesting thread running through the game, and I'm pretty sure most of it is based on your choice to call her or not in episode 1. I did call her, and in every other episode when you'd get the chance to check the internet or something she was always super positive and still posting about Sean online and never giving up hope that they'd be ok. I think the worst that can happen to her is that the police interrogate her about her conversation with Sean, but she doesn't really get in any actual trouble over it.
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The thing is, on the ending where Daniel decides to jump out, they indeed both seem happy, although separated, but Daniel looks like he has an ankle monitor and isn't as free as he rightfully should be? My theory is that if you force Daniel to go for the border, he will do so because he loves you, and will thus out himself as a bearer of telekinesis power to the authorities (because he will do so without harming people, due to High Morality), and that will always follow him in the future, no matter what he does, I feel like he'll always be monitored solely because now they know he has a superpower. It's one drawback I probably wouldn't have agreed to do either, as my main goal has always been to protect Daniel most and foremost.

In my ending, both are absolutely free men at the end, and Daniel's superpower is kept secret. Sean is really the one that tanked it all for him, and while it is heartbreaking as hell, I think he has now a good chance to build a good life, and has the family and support system (Daniel, grandparents, Lyla, his mother and her clan of misfits, the clan of misfits from Ep3) to do so.

And yeah, I really regret not calling Lyla. I tried to do so on Ep2 but I got her mother telling me she was still resting at the hospital, which was so tough to swallow, I couldn't even reveal it was Sean calling. I missed her so much throughout the game, it's one of those characters that you wished you could have had more time with.
 
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Fanto

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Delphine said:
The thing is, on the ending where Daniel decides to jump out, they indeed both seem happy, although separated, but Daniel looks like he has an ankle monitor and isn't as free as he rightfully should be? My theory is that if you force Daniel to go for the border, he will do so because he loves you, and will thus out himself as a bearer of telekinesis power to the authorities (because he will do so without harming people, due to High Morality), and that will always follow him in the future, no matter what he does, I feel like he'll always be monitored solely because now they know he has a superpower. It's one drawback I probably wouldn't have agreed to do either, as my main goal has always been to protect Daniel most and foremost.

In my ending, both are absolutely free men at the end, and Daniel's superpower is kept secret. Sean is really the one that tanked it all for him, and while it is heartbreaking as hell, I think he has now a good chance to build a good life, and has the family and support system to do so (Daniel, grandparents, Lyla, his mother and her clan of misfits, the clan of misfits from Ep3) to do so.

And yeah, I really regret not calling Lyla. I tried to do so on Ep2 but I got her mother telling me she was still resting at the hospital, which was so tough to swallow, I couldn't even reveal it was Sean calling. I missed her so much throughout the game, it's one of those characters that you wished you could have had more time with.
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Yeah, it was hard to tell what they were going for with the ankle monitor. I'm assuming he wasn't completely on house arrest since he seemed to be able to go outside; they show the newspaper clip of him having saved a bus and show him owning a car. I'm guessing it was more to keep him from leaving town, which does suck still obviously. I just couldn't accept Sean going to prison at the end, but yeah you make a good point about him being able to build a good life once he gets out, and Daniel keeping his powers a secret.
 
Juan29.Zapata

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I finished all episodes today!

Such depressing endings. I surrendered, and was absolutely destroyed to see Sean lose 15 years of his life due to events he barely had any control in. It was nice seeing Lyla, but I was depressed when both Daniel and Sean went to camp to their first spot, and seeing Sean break down and cry.

Did anyone get a surrender ending where Cassie was involved?

EDIT: I have to admit. While I did like the game all in all, I preferred way more Before the Storm and the first game.
 
Fanto

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I just realized that it's this thread's birthday today, it's now 2 years old!

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