If you're like me, you've just finished Life is Strange: Double Exposure, and are looking for your next adventure game fix. Max Caulfield's return was great, b?ut it's not the only thing the genre has ??to offer.

To help, we've put together a list of the eight adventure games you need to play if you like Life is Strange: Double Exposure. This should keep you busy.

Tell Me Why

Tell Me Why is pretty much Life is Strange 2.5. Released back in 2020, the project was DONTNOD's first project in its post-Life is Strange era, retaining everything that mad??e its previous titles so engaging.

You've got supernatural powers, deep characters, and impactful choices throughout this powerful story, which also tackles transgender issues with tact. If you're looking for something to really scratch that Life is Strange itch, then look no further than Tell Me Why.

The Wolf Among Us

If you're someone who enjoyed the mystery element of Life is Strange: Double Exposure, then The Wolf Among Us could be right up your alley. Based on the Fables comic?? book series, you play ?Bigby Wolf, investigating Fabletown to solve several murders.

Its stylish cel-shaded graphics sets The Wolf Among Us apart from the crowd, while its narr??ative is arguably as strong as anything Telltale put out during its 2012-2018 heyday. We're still waiting on that sequel, though.

Twin Mirror

Twin Mirror is yet another DONTNOD game. No one quite captures the feeling of Life is Strange quite like its original creator - go figure.

What really separates Twin Mirror from other adventure games is its use of two dimensions - the real world, and main character Sam's "Mind Palace," where players can go to solve the game's main mystery. If this multi-dimension mechanic sounds a little Life is Strange: Double Exposure-y, that's because it is.

Road 96

Road 96 is one of the most unique games I've ever played. This isn't your typical adventure game, with one main character driving the narrative. Instead, Road 96 sees you play as a group of teenagers trying to flee an? authoritarian regime.

In each section, you'll learn more about these characters and their individual circumstances. You can succeed in your escape, or fail and be arrested or killed. It's a game that allows you to fail - the narrative hurtles to its conclusion regardless, giving every player a unique ending. The entire package is wrapped in unique minigames, making Road 96 unlike any adve??nture game you'll have previously ??played.

As Dusk Falls

2022's As Dusk Falls is a part adventure game and part interactive novel. Most of the time, you're watching the story unfold, interjecting to make narrative decisions at key moments. It's a very different experience coming from Life is Strange: Double Exposure, but one I'm confident fans of the game will?? e?njoy.

As Dusk Falls' mo?st striking element has to be its art style. Each scene is portrayed through images, which have almost a realistic oil painting effect. It's a fantastic way to hide a lower budget, and you still feel every choice the game offers you with the same emotional weight.

Detroit: Become Human

Straight from the brain of writer-director David Cage comes Detroit: Become Human. Set in the kind-of-distant future of 2038, this adventure game goes heavy on the detective-mystery angle, which is sure to appeal to those coming off the back of Life is Strange: Double Exposure.

You're always making choices in Detroit: Become Human. Some are small and inconsequential, while others are the difference between life and death for the game's three protagonists. It's a thrilling sci-fi adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat, even if its social commentary feels a little heavy-handed at times. As far as production value goes, it?'s second to none on this list.

Night in the Woods

Night in the Woods is a small-scale adventure that broadly explores the changing economic circumstances in Rust Belt America and the effect of mental illness. It's not exactly the most light-hearted topic for a vi??????????????????????????deo game, but it makes for an engaging story nonetheless.

Night in the Woods rewards you for engaging with the world around you. Speak to certain characters more than others, and you'll see them pop up more later in the story. Ignore them, and you'll be left in the dark, giving Night in the Woods tons of replayability for more playthroughs. If you've just hopped out of Life is Strange: Double Exposure, this experience will represent an inter?esting change of pace.

Life is Strange

If you've finished Life is Strange: Double Exposure, why not go back to where Max Caulfield's adventure began with the original Life is Strange??? It's the perfect opportunity to go back and compare the differences between how DONTNOD and Deck Ni??ne handled Max.

Obviously, if you've played Double Exposure, there's a good chance you've already played 2015's Life is Strange. Still, its emotional story packs just as much of a punch as it did ??almost a decade ago, even on repeat playthroughs.

The post 8 adventure games to play if you like Life is S?trange: Do??uble Exposure appeared first on Destructoid.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is putting players back in the shoes of Max Caulfield, the iconic protagonist of the original Life is Strange. An??d as if that’s not exciting enough, this time she’ll be armed with an all-new power: the ability to enter alternate timelines in which certain c?haracters are still alive. 

From the trailers and teasers that Deck Nine has given us, we know that Max will use her new power to solve the mysterious murder of her friend Safi. However, the ability to enter alternate timelines opens up seemingly infinite possibilities for other Life is Strange characters to return. It also leads us to ask the all-important question- will Chloe be in Double Exposure? We??’re pretty sure Deck Nine is playing their cards close to ??the chest and has some exciting surprises in store for us.

10. Joyce Price

Even if you chose the Bae over Bay ending to the first Life is Strange, the powers that Max has in Double Exposure could theoretically allow for key characters from her past to make a return. Though Joyce is Chloe’s? mom and not Max’s, she is still an important figure in Max’s childhood. A few texts, emails, or postcards from Joyce could be a good way to link the new game with the classic one. 

9. Chris Eriksen

Chris is the imaginative main character of The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit who also plays a key role in Life is Strange 2. We don’t have any confirmation on exactly when Double Exposure takes place, but he might now be about the right age to be a college studen?t at Caledon University, where Max is a photographer-in-residence.

8. Skip Matthews

Skip Matthews is a security guard at Blackwell Academy in Before the Storm who makes music on the side. Hopefully, his band PissHead made it big, and Max will hear their tunes on the radio. It would certainly bring back some of that classic Life Is Strange spirit and would be a nice lighthearted touch.

7. Max’s Parents

We don’t know much about Max’s family; they only appear in the original Life is Strange via text messages. But Double Exposure has the opportunity to open up the mystery of their characters a bit more, as it might give Max an even more complex backstory. Regardless of the choices you made and the ending you selected, it seems most reasonable for them to still be in contact with Max and want the best ??for her.

6. Alex Chen

The main character of Life is Strange: True Colors is a deeply empathetic, caring person who has a personality that would blend well with Max’s. It would be nice to find out more about what’s happened to her since the events of True Colors, and even if her appearance is just in the background, it would likely aid in establishing a more fully intertwined Life is Strange timeline.

5. William Price

Chloe’s dad William is a key figure in the Arcadia Bay chapters of Life is Strange, despite the fact that he passed away before the games began. If we’re opening up alternate timelines, we’d love to see one in which Chloe and William are both present together- though maybe that’s just wishful thinking. If we do see William again, Deck Nine has to ??be careful to ensure that his return doesn’t retract the importance of the original game’s ??story.

4. Hawt Dog Man

Hawt Dog Man is an icon of the Life is Strange franchise who’s in every game and timeline. There’s no way his mustard-loving self won’t return in some form or another, and no way he wasn't going to nab a spot on t?his list.

3. Rachel Amber

Major spoilers for the first game ahead- no matter how you play the original Life is Strange, you can’t save Rachel Amber. Her presence, however, hangs over the entire game to the point where Max can almost feel it, despite never having met her. In the Life is Strange comics, ??Max is able to meet Rachel in an alternate reality. What if a similar scenario was possible with Max’s new power? I’d love to see how the two would interact.

2. Kate Marsh

Kate Marsh is a fellow student that Max cares deeply about in the first game, and so it would, of course, be great to see her or hear from her again in Double Exposure. Her storyline is also the first to truly show players just how powerful Max’s rewind powers are and how much of a difference your choices make in the Life is Strange universe.

1. Chloe Price

And now for the question we all want answered- will Chloe be in Double Exposure? In one of the preview scenes for Double Exposure, we find out that Max is keeping a photo of Chloe close but that her friend Safi doesn’t know Chloe. This implies that Max might be keeping her past a secret or that she hopes to escape it. Perhaps the latter is more likely since we now find Max on the other side of the country from where she grew up. Years have passed since the first game, and I think it’s fair to say that Double Exposure's Chloe, if she appears, will have to be a very different character? than the one we s??aw in Arcadia Bay. 

We’re excited to see what Square Enix and Deck Nine have in store for us when Double Exposure releases on October 29th, 2024.

The post 10 Life is Strange Characters We Want to See Retu?rn in Double Exposure appeared first on Destructoid.

After puzzle platformer Jusant and action RPG Banishers: Ghosts of Eden, Don't Nod Entertainment is going back to the well of narrative driven adventure games with it's next title, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. It was supposed to be launching later this year, but the publisher has since announced it's being held back thanks to the surprise announcement of a new Life is Strange game from Deck Nine.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, Don't Nod explained this in a press release, confirming a new launch window of early 2025 due to "recent trends and developments in the industry." Life is Strange: Double Exposure was unveiled during the Xbox showcase earlier this month, with it already slated to release on October 29 and bring back the very first game's protagonist Max Caulfield. While Bloom & Rage neve??r had an exact release date, it sounds like Don't Nod was considering an October launch too, or at least intended to have it out within the same time frame.

As a reminder, Don't Nod was the original developer on the Life is Strange series, but moved on after Life is Strange 2, with Deck Nine taking over. Despite not being involved with the newest entry, Don't Nod CEO Oskar Guilbert not only hopes for Double Exposure to do well, but believes delaying Bloom & Rage will benefit both games in the long run. "We know that many of our fans are eagerly awaiting [Bloom & Rage], just as they are the recently announced next installment of Life is Strange," he said, "Let's give both titles the space they ne??ed to be enjoyed by our players within the large c??ommunity we have built."

Guilbert's probably not wrong. Bloom & Rage is shaping up to be quite similar to Life is Strange, not just in genre but also general vibes. Its teaser trailers suggest it'll focus heavily on grounded drama between old high-school friends, while still having some supernatural elements. It may star adults instead of teenagers but, at this early stage, it feels like it could've easily been a new Life is Strange game. Given their similarities, there's a chance consumers would opt to buy Double Exposure over Bloom & Rage or vice versa if they launched around the same time, thus limiting their sales potential. Both games do stand a better chance if one doesn't launch until many mon?ths after the other.

I imagine Double Exposure would've fared a lot better since it's part of an established IP, while Bloom & Rage is entirely new. Plus, Double Exposure bringing back a former protagonist in Max gives it an advantage. Although Deck Nine's reputation did take a hit earlier this year following an IGN report about workplace abuse and Nazi symbols being sneaked into the then unannounced Double Exposure. Time will tell if that will at all hamper ?the game's launch sa??les.

By comparison, Bloom & Rage has no such controversy swirling around it. "We firmly believe that the wait for Bloom & Rage will ??be worth it," said Guilbert. "We look forward to sharing this new adventure, which we hope will become another memorable chapter in the Don't Nod universe."

The post Original Life is Strange studio delays its next game so it doesn’t release alongside Double Exposure appeared first on Destructoid.

The Life is Strange series is hailed for its impressive storytelling, iconic characters, and emotional impact. From the lighthouse in Arcadia Bay to the record store in Haven Springs, the spaces created for the games are filled to the brim with nostalgic feelings. As the series has grown,?? so too has the complexity of its timeline. 

Not counting Life is Strange: Double Exposure, which is due to come out later this year, the Life is Strange series currently spans about 12 years. However, the choices you make, particularly at the end of the original game, can send this timeline into a spin. Here’s a more organized look at all the Life is Strange games in chronological order.   

Farewell Episode DLC (Life is Strange: Before the Storm)

Year it takes place: 2008

The Life is Strange timeline begins with a pair of departures that impact Max and Chloe, the protagonists of the original two games, for years to come. The episode’s content goes by quickly and can be completed in under an hour. It’s best to play this after playing the original game, but you don’t necessarily have to finish the other parts of Before the Storm first.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm

Year it takes place: 2010

Before the Storm is a p??requel to the first game that tells the story of Chloe’s relationship with Rachel Amber, the teenager who has gone missing when the events of the original game unfold. Together Chloe and Rachel ditch school, navigate trauma, and uncover family secrets.    &nb?sp;

Life is Strange

Year it takes place: 2013

The original Life is Strange game features iconic storytelling, a beautiful soundtrack, and a cast of deeply drawn characters. In addition, Max’s ability to reverse time and change the outcome of every scene gives the playerâ€?™s decisions serious weight. At the end of your quest to save Arcadia Bay, you’ll make a final critical decision that affects the rest of the universe’s timeline.   

Life is Strange (Comic Series)

Year it takes place: Starting in 2014

The comic book tie-in series for the Life is Strange games begins about a year after the events of the first game, and takes place over the course of six story ‘arcs� In order they are: Dust, Waves, Strings, Tracks, Coming ?Home, and Settling Dust. The ??comic series follows the Bae (not Bay) ending of the first game, but is in many ways a divergent timeline from the other games to come.  

Life is Strange 2: Episodes 1 & 2

Year it takes place: October-December 2016

The? direct sequel game in the series follow??s two brothers, Sean and Daniel, as they journey south from Washington to the US-Mexico border. When their father is killed by a police officer, Daniel’s telekinesis powers aid the pair in escaping danger. 

The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit

Year it takes place: December 2016

Captain Spirit is a short demo game that allows players to learn more about Chris, a side character encountered by Sean and Daniel near the end of the second episode of Life is Strange 2. This chapter in the Life is Strange universe is often forgotten because it’s not as essential to the main story, but it’s worth playing noneth??eless.

Life is Strange 2: Episodes 3-5

Year it takes place: December 2016- June 2017

The conclusion to Sean and Daniel’s story occurs over the course of many months, but also features flashbacks that bring players back to events that occur before the ?game starts. 

Wavelengths DLC (Life is Strange: True Colors)

Year it takes place: 2018-2019

The Wavelengths DLC for True Colors takes place before the events of the main game and follows the side character Steph Gingrich, who also appears in Before the Storm, on her first day at the Haven Springs record store. In many ways, this DLC is just as much a sequel for Before the Storm as it is a prequel for True Colors. 

Life is Strange: True Colors

Year it takes place: 2019-2020

True Colors makes a few references here and there to prior entries in the series, but for the most part, it’s an entirely separate experience that has brought in many new Life is Strange fans, and doesn't require playing all Life is Strange games in order. There are plenty of twists and t??urns here, and Alex’s superpower fits her story remarkably well.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure

Year it takes place: Unknown

In Double Exposure, the original protagonist of the series Max Caulfield makes a welcome return. This time, we’ll be opening parallel universes in an attempt save her friend Safi. It’s apparent from Max’s character design in the reveal trailer that several years have passed since the first game, and we know that she’s a photographer in residence at a university, but for now, the exact dates?? for the events of this game are unknown. From what we can see, however, it seems likely that this game is the furthest forward in the timeline. 

How Many Life is Strange Games Are There?

Counting Double Exposure, which comes out October 29th, 2024, there are six games in the Life is Strange universe. However, the original Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm are available together as a ??single remastered collection on select consoles.   

Which Life is Strange Game Should I Play First?

If you are new to the series, the original Life is Strange is undoubtedly the best place to start. If you’re looking to?? relive the series, playing the games in timeline order can provide a unique and refreshing experien?ce.

The post All ?Life is Stran??ge Games in Order: The Complete Series Timeline appeared first on Destructoid.

A new Life is Strange is cause enough for excitement, but developer Deck Nine caught everyone unawares by revealing Life is Strange: Double Exposure is b?ringing back the first game's protagonist Max Caulfi??eld for a new murder mystery. You can learn everyth?ing you need to know about its release and ??plot here, and below you'll find a breakdown of Life is Strange: Double Exposure's multiple s??pecia?l editions and how you can pre-order them.

All Life is Strange: Double Exposure editions and how to pre-order

Standard Edition

The standard edition for Life is Strange: Double Exposure is exactly what you'd expect. All it includes is the base game; there's not even any pre-order incentives. You can purchase a physical copy from publisher Square Enix's own store or buy it di???gitally from your platform of choice's storefront (PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, or Steam) for $49.99/£49.99. There will be a Nintendo Switch version too but at a later date, so it's currently not available to pre-order digitally.

Deluxe Edition

By purchasing the Deluxe Edition of Life is Strange: Double Exposure, you will receive two DLC packs: the Spooky Outfit Pack and the Decades Outfit Pack. Each one comes with five different costumes for Max to wear, though these will be available as separate purchases once Double Exposure launches. At the time of writing, there's no mention of how much these packs will cost individually. What's more, the Deluxe Edition appears to only be available digitally. Yo??u can pre-order it via your platform of choice's storefront for $59.99/£59.99.

Ultimate Edition

In case you weren't aware, the Ultimate Edition of Life is Strange: Double Exposure has proven contentious with some fans. This is because anyone who pre-orders will get early access two weeks in advance on October 15. Admittedly, early access only includes the first two chapters and not the full game, but this still means everyone else will need to spend the following t??wo we?eks dodging early game spoilers. It also comes with not just the Spooky Outfit Pack and the Decades Outfit Pack, but four additional DLC packs too. Those packs are:

• Final Fantasy VII Outfit Pack—Five outfits inspired by characters from Final Fantasy VII, including an admittedly adorable looking Moogle hoodie
• Fan Favourite Outfit Pack—Five outfits that reference previous Life is Strange games, like Chloe Price's Misfit Skull shirt from the first game and a Life is Strange 2 themed Wolf Squad shirt
• Paw Prints Cat Outfit Pack—Five cat themed outfits
• Exclusive Cat Content—At the time of writing, it's not entirely clear what this is, but it sounds like an optional side-quest of some kind since a store description reads, "When Max discovers a lost cat, she knows she must reunite it with its owner!"

It's not? said if any of this content will be available as separate purchases, though we can presume that the Exclusive Cat Content will be locked to the Ultimate Edition. Since this comes with the most additional content, it's naturally the most expensive, priced at $79.99/£79.99. It's also only available digitall??y.

Collector's Box

We'd be remiss not to mention the Life is Strange: Double Exposure Collector's Box as well. This comes with its own line-up of unique goodies that aren't even included with the Ultimate Edition. However, an important thing to note is that it doesn't come with a copy of the game; you still need to ??buy that separately. As for? what it does include, the full list is:

• Collector's Good Box
• 12â€?vinyl soundtrack containing 13 songs from the game
• Mini hardcover artbook with exclusive concept art
• Four double-sided 12â€?artcards for eight members of the Caledon cast
• Max’s Owl Pin Replica, as worn by Max in-game

This Collector's Box can only be pre-ordered via the Square Enix store, and it's in limited quantities so you'll want to act fast. It'll set you back $59.99/£54.99, so even if you buy it with the standard edition (the cheapest version of Double Exposure), that's ?$109.98/£104.98 altogether you're spending.

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Life is Strange: Double Exposure features the return of everyone's favorite time shifter, Max Caulfield. This supernatural murder mystery welcomes both veterans and newcomers as Max dives into multiple realities. Here's everything you need to know about Life is Strange: Double Exposure, from a release date to plot details.

When does Life is Strange: Double Exposure come out?

Life is Strange: Double Exposure will be released on Oct. 29, 2024, just in time for Halloween. Like the original game, you'll play as Max and? explore a new parallel timeline. Decipher the mystery behind the character Safi's death by looking through both realities: one where she's alive and one where she's been murdered.

Pre-orders for Life is Strange: Double Exposure are now open, offering a range of exciting options. ??The Standard, Deluxe, Ultimate, and Collector's Editions are all available here. The Deluxe Edition comes with a thrilling bonus: a Spooky Outfit and Decades Outfit Pack.

The Ultimate Edition takes it a step further with additional content, including a Fan Favorite Outfit, Paw Prints Cat Outfit, Final Fantasy VII Outfit, and Exclusive Cat Conte??nt Packs. And for longtime fans, the Collector's Edition offers a 32??PP mini hardcover artbook, goods box, owl pin replica, vinyl soundtrack, and double-sided art cards.

All Life is Strange: Double Exposure platforms

Life is Strange: Double Exposure will be released on various platforms, such as Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. It will be available upon launch on th??ese devices??, with more expected to come later.

Double Exposure will be playable on Nintendo Switch but will not arrive for its October release. Deck?? Nine Games will soon disclose more information about this specific platfor?m.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure trailers

The Xbox Games Showcase 2024 revealed an Announcement Trailer for Life is Strange: Double Exposure. In the video, we see a more grown-up, Max Caulfie?ld, as a photographer for Caledon University.

Compared to the original Life is Strange, Double Exposure ups the a??nte in terms of graphics. Max's character design, especially, has much more detail, making her seem more lifelike.

In addition to the Announcement Trailer, a Life is Strange: Double Exposure special livestream i??s on its way. Look forward to the event on June 13 at 9 a.m. PT/5 p.m. BST/6 p.m. CET.

Is Life is Strange: Double Exposure a sequel?

Given that the game is a continuation of Max's story, it is assumed that Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a sequel. However, the Deck Nine Games ?site states that i??t is a "standalone experience." That means you don't need any knowledge of the original, and they may offer a potential recap of the events that transpired before.

Even though it's a standalone game, it'll likely feature plenty of callbacks to Life is Strange. We ??already got some hin?ts of this in the trailer when Max mentions that she made a promise never to use her powers again. This, of course, refers back to the original when she harnessed her ability to time shift.

Is Chloe in Life is Strange: Double Exposure?

Many LiS fans have wondered about Chloe Price's whereabouts, as she is not mentioned in the trailer. As of right now, it isn't clear if Chloe will reappear in Life is Strange: Double Exposure. We c??an hope that she will make her r??eturn to the game or get some clarification about her current standings.

While we don't know about Chloe's fate in Double Exposure, she was at least mentioned in LiS 2 and True Colors' Wavelengths. The same thi?ng could be done for her again in this new entry, but we'll need to wai??t and see.

The post Life is Strange: Double Expo??sure release date, platforms, trailers, and more appeared first on Destructoid.

There were a lot of big announcements to come out of the Xbox Showcase, but the actual biggest announcement was likely the new Life is Strange a??nd the return of?? original protagonist Max Caulfield.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure was dropped seemingly out of nowhere at the Xbox event in a franchise that many assumed was dormant, if not done entirely. No?t only does the franchise live on, but it's also bringing back fan-favorite Max, the original game's master photographer with the ability to travel thro?ugh time.

Fans are having a huge response on Twitter, a??nd it's honestly heartwarming to see s?o many people excited for the return of Max after so long.

Max Caulfield is the protagonist of 2015's Life is Strange, an? episodic series about a college student who dis?covers she can travel backward in time by looking at photos. With her newfound power, Max sets about trying to solve a murder and prevent her friend's death.

The game infamously ends by facing the player with ??an impossible decision: go back in time and allow the murder of your friend and possible romantic partner, Chloe, to happen, or allow the entire city of Arcadia Bay be destroyed by a?? massive hurricane.

Why didn't i know of this before. Plus WHERE IS CHLOE?!
You cant bring max back without chloe.

— Archer (@ArcherofChaos) June 9, 2024

While the game never directly followed the aftermath of Max's decision, it has enjoyed multiple sequels with different protagonists and gimmicks, including the Chloe-focused prequel Life is Strange: Before the Storm.

The last main release in the series was 2021's Life is Strange: True Colors, a game which probably would have been my game of the year if it hadn't come out at the same time as that year's Guardians of the Galaxy.

No word yet on if the game will canonize one of the original's endings or feature the protagonists from the other sequels, but none of that matters right?? now. All the fans really care about is that Max is back.

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On Thanksgiving, it was announced that over 20 million players have played DON'T NOD's Life is Strange.

Originally released in 2015 in an episodic form, Life is Strange follows Max Caulfield as she discovers sh?e has the ability to turn back time. At first, it seems like she has just what she needs to fix all her problems and help her friends. Soon enough, she discovers that all actions have consequences, and using her powers comes with a cost.

The game earned itself a cult following thanks to its realistic depiction of teen life and the complex but beautiful relationship between Max and her rebellious friend Chloe Price. It spawned several titles, including the prequel Before the Storm which centers on Chloe.

There've been several Life is Strange titles since 2015 but none of them have managed to replicate the magic of the first game. The latest title, True Colors, was released in 2021 and tells the story of Alex Chen the empath. It's worth a playthrough thanks to its marvelous use of music.? You also get to explore Haven Springs which is a small town with a lot of heart.

If you want to experience Max and Chloe's story again, or you're new to the franchise, there is a Remastered Collection available which contains Life is Strange and Before the Storm.

The post The origin?al Life is Strange has hit over 20 million players appeared first on Destructoid.

A great value, in concept

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium are kinda like Xbox Game Pass. You can play a variety of games available in the service's library you wouldn't otherwise check out. Games are expensive, and a subscription service can help alleviate that pain. But is PlayStation Plus Extra worth it, and should you upgrade to Premium?

Let's find out!

What the heck is PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium?

[caption id="attachment_371642" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

I don't ??blame anyone for being confused! There are multiple tiers to PlayStation Plus' subscription service.

• Essential ($9.99/month) gives you online multiplayer access, discounts, cloud storage, Share Play, and of course monthly games. For example, you'll be getting Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Meet Your Maker, and Tails of Iron in April of 2023.
• Extra ($14.99/month) is the next step up from that. You'll gain access to a wide selection of games in a catalog, in addition to all the prior benefits. This includes big exclusive titles like Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, Demon's Souls, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales and third-party titles, such as Ghostwire: Tokyo and Immortals: Fenyx Rising. 
• Premium ($17.99/month) offers everything from the previous tiers but also adds classic titles from the PS1 and PSP (like Tekken 2, Super Stardust Portable, and Syphon Filter), trials, and cloud streaming into the mix.

PlayStation Plus Extra and PlayStation Plus Premium

So is PlayStation Plus Extra worth it? Well, the games library has a wide range of game genres and experiences to choose from. There's the whole Life is Strange series, NEO: The World Ends with You, the comprehensive Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, the open-world Dragon Ball Z Kakarot, and of course PlayStation's first-party offerings like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Horizon: Forbidden West. You'll also be able to play major indie darlings like Haven, Untitled Goose Game, and the recently released Tchia. PlayStation touts there a??re hundreds of ??games available on the service. If you want to save money and don't mind missing out on playing games on day one, PlayStation Plus Extra is a good option.

PlayStation Plus Premium is slightly more expensive but it does widen the library even further with streamed PS3  games and downloadable PS1/PSP games that are up-rendered to 4K. With Premium, most PS4 and PS5 games can be streamed to your console, PC, or phone too. You can play forgotten PlayStation franchises like Killzone and Resistance on the service, in addition to the beloved PS2 Ratchet & Clank games through streaming. The selection of PS1 games is admittedly brief but it does have some favorites like the original Ape Escape and Tekken 2. Some of the PS1?? games even have trophies you can un??lock.

The trials from PlayStation Plus Premium also give some value. If you've ever considered trying out Marvel's Midnight Suns, you can play a two-hour trial of the strategy game with PlayStation Plus Premium. Once you purchase the game, you can then begin where you left off. But really, that's about it if you don't want to play the retro titles.

Are PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium worth the price?

[caption id="attachment_371691" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Annapurna Interactive[/caption]

PlayStation Plus Premium is arguably not worth the price. The selection of PS1 games is lackluster and lacks big titles like Metal Gear Solid, the original Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro the Dragon trilogies, and the best entry of the PS1 Tekken games: Tekken 3! It is getting better with inclusions like The Legend of Dragoon and Worms: Armageddon, but they come few and fa??r between, similar to the drip-feed formula of Switch Online.

??The quality of streamed games can vary as well, depending on your connection. It does get spotty from time to time even with the best internet, and with key precision genres like fighting games, that is certainly a no-go.

PlayStation Plus Extra has a good selection overall, but it does pale in comparison to Xbox Game Pass. While Microsoft offers all its first-party titles on day one, you'll have to wait a long time for PlayStation to offer their games to their subscription service, if that even happens at all. Horizon Forbidden West was a nice surprise in February, but it took nearly a year to make it to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium. It's inconsistent, however, as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is still not available on the service, a year ?and a half later.

Meanwhile, Hi-Fi Rush was announced and immediately released on Game Pass to great acclaim. There are a few select games that have launched day-and-date with PlayStation Plus like Tchia and Stray, but they come far between and aren't as high-budget as Halo Infinite or Gears 5. 

For dedicated PlayStation fans though who love to check out the cool third-party titles on the service or go back to old franchises like Ratchet & Clank, PlayStation P?lus Extra is certainly worth it. You may want to ?skip Premium unless the PS1 and PSP classics library expands greatly.

[Note: The writer gained 1 year of access to the service from PlayStation Canada when it first launched]

The post Is PlayStation Plus Extra/Premi??um worth it? (2023) appeared first on Destructoid.

How games depict America, for better and for worse

It was fun to sit on my rooftop and watch the fireworks over the Los Angeles cityscape for the Fourth of July this year, but I gotta be honest �it didn’t feel like there was much to celebrate this year. Regardless of the depressing state of our country, the holiday got me thinking about Americana in video games and how they depict our co?untr??y, for better and for worse.

Aside from Japan, the United States is the world’s leader in video game production, so it makes perfect sense that developers would borrow themes, imagery, and iconography from their country of origin. Sometimes it’s to pay homage to where they came from, other times it’s with the express purpose of critiquing the syst??ems and ideals that run our nation, and sometimes it’s a mixture of both.

Small Town Life

[caption id="attachment_291280" align="alignnone" width="1400"] _{Life is Strange: True Colors}[/caption]

Having grown up in one myself, games that take on the American small-town setting will always hold a special place in my heart. One of the series that portrays the classic “small down with a dark secret�trope well is Life is Strange �and it does an excellent job of capturing o??n a smaller scale that America has a lot of dark secrets hiding under the surface?, many of which have come to light over the past few years. For so long our country pushed this narrative of being an ideal, almost utopian place (at least for some), but the whole thing was built on a broken system to begin with.

Night in the Woods nails this theme as well. Most of the game has the player making friends, hangin?g out around town, and dealing with the fallout of poor decisions that are really manifestations of trauma. However, there’s a cult running around murdering people because they think they’re doing their part to keep the town running. Sounds a little familiar, right?

The American Dream is Dead

[caption id="attachment_265358" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Kentucky Route Zero}[/caption]

Another classic tale of Americana in video games is big corporations decimating middle America �a phenomenon so common, it’s the subject matter of multiple games, including Kentucky Route Zero, NORCO, Night in the Woods, and Life is Strange: True Colors. Coercion, cover-ups, and buyouts are the name of the game, and in a country that’s run by some corporations in? a trench coat, it’s a fitting narrative, to say the least.

What I love about games like Kentucky Route Zero and NORCO as well is that they’re so specific to the regions in which they are set �Kentucky and New Orleans, respectively. The games' settings use iconic American imagery like gas stations, highways, and factories to great effect. The creators are from these areas and also did a great deal of research, so you can really feel both the love and the heartbreak that emanates from these titles as you play them. They may take place in very different parts of the country, but the story of a giant corporation coming in and killing off not only?? industry, but actu??al citizens, is disturbing in how true to real life it is.

[caption id="attachment_314922" align="alignnone" width="1876"] _NORCO[/caption]

I also can’t mention Kentucky Route Zero without bringing up one of its interludes: The Entertainment. This sequence portrays a fictional play in the game’s world, which depicts a mundane and somewhat depressing sequence of events in a bar that has seen better days. The whole thing feels so evocative of American playwrights of the twentieth century, like Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams. Kentucky Route Zero’s dialogue is fo??rmatted like a script throughout the entire game as well, further evoking a theatrical framework throughout the rest of the episodes.

For God and Country

Of course, we can’t have a conversation about America and not mention religion, because our country has pretty much become synonymous with evangelicalism. No other game showcases our country’s obsession with religion, American exceptionalism, and racism better than BioShock Infinite. It doubles down on Americana in a video game like I've never seen before, and what it lacks in nuance, it makes up for in style. While it’s still a dated game, and its social commentary could have been greatly improved even in its time, Infinite doesn’t shy away from the uglier parts o?f our history, which is more than many games do.

Then there’s a game like Far Cry 5, which I still haven’t played, but it’s certainly on my list considering my fascinati?on with Americana. All I know is that it takes place in Montana and the main antagonistic force is some kind of militaristic doomsday cult. I remember when the game came out in 2018 that its story felt like an exaggeration of the way many in our country practice religion, but these days, it’s feeling a little bit too on the nose.

[caption id="attachment_324071" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{BioShock Infinite}[/caption]

Tangential to America’s obsession with religion is our obsession with the military. There have been dozens and dozens of games that feature the United States armed forces in some capacity, but the series that encapsulates this the best is definitely Call of Duty. They have been some of the most popular games out there since the series started back in 2003, depicting wars from World War II all the way up to the present, and some might argue, glorifying them to a certain extent. Don’t get me wrong, I myself have played and enjoyed Call of Duty games, but we can’t separate the games from real life when the military is straight-up using these games to try and recruit players into their ranks.

Man Versus Nature

One of the most American story types ever created is the western, which of course we see in the Red Dead Redemption series. These games are an extensio?n of America’s deep-seated love of cowboys and outlaws, which rose to prominence thanks to the westerns that were made popular in the twentieth century by actors like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood.

Of course, plenty of the games we have now put a new spin on the western genre �The Last of Us is one that immediately comes to mind. Having a deadly infection going around definitely makes for a hostile environment, and Joel is something of a lone wolf you might say (at least until Ellie breaks through his shell a little). I f??ind it pretty interesting that our updated version of a western has you walk away with the idea that opening yourself up to the idea of love in a harsh world maybe isn’t such a bad thing after all.

[caption id="attachment_105941" align="alignnone" width="620"] _{The Last of Us}[/caption]

In conclusion

The games I mentioned here are some of my favorites, or at least the ones that stood out to me, but there’s a myriad of other titles out there that reflect American culture in various ways. There are tons of other games out there that touch?? on topics I haven’t mentioned, especially when it comes to the stories of marginalized people, and I know I’d love to see more of those stories highlighted in the future, especially because most of those come from the indie space.

The history of American media reflecting the country’s culture is a long, difficult, but also beautiful one, and it’s exciting to see Americana in video games becoming part of the canon in that regard as well. As games continue to?? tell innovative and compelling narratives, I look forward to seeing how a new generation of developers uses the medium to express their relationship to Americana moving forward.

Story Beat is a weekly column discussing anything and everything to do with storytelling in video games.

The post A storied history: Americana in video games appeared first on Destructoid.

Drama recognized for its LGBTQ inclusive storytelling

The past weekend saw the GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) organization hold its 33rd annual GLAAD Media Awards ceremony. Emanating out of the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, California, the event recognize??d positive contributions toward the LGBTQ community via the medium of film, print, music, TV, and other forms of entertainment.

Among the 30 categories featured on the big night was the GLAAD award for "Outstanding Video Game," which was taken home by the Deck Nine-developed, Square Enix-published interactive drama Life is Strange: True Colors, which launched on PC and console platforms in September 2021. The latest entry in the much-loved adventure series was recognized for its inclusive cast of characters and open approach to LGBTQ matters �themes that have become a core element for the LiS series as a whole.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R-UU8h-iAo

The runner-up nominations included Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games), Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft), The Gardener and the Wild Vines (Finite Reflection Studios), Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab), Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios), Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan (ManaVoid Entertainment/Skybound Games), Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft), Unpacking (Witch Beam/Humble Games), and finally Unsighted (Studio Pixel Punk/Humble Games).

Other wins on the night included "Outstanding Documentary" Changing the Game (Hulu), "Outstanding New TV Series" Hacks (HBO Max), "Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series" It’s A Sin (HBO Max), "Outstanding Magazine Coverage" The Advocate, and a tie for "Outstanding Reality Program" by RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1) and We’re Here (HBO).

You can check out the full list of winners over on the official 33rd GLAAD Media Awards press release.

Life is Strange: True Colors is available now on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Stadia. It will also arrive on the Xbox Game Pass service next week.

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Is it too much to ask for the real treasure to be the friends we made along the way?

Aside from games, reading is my other favorite pastime. I've gotten through quite a few books this year, with most of them falling into the young adult or children's literature genres, and this got me thinking -- w??hy don't we have more games like this?

For as long as I've played games, there seems to be a clear divide between games that are made for kids and games that are made for adults. Kids' games are often simple, and pretty pristine in terms of subject matter, but developers do a good job of making them equally fun for adults. Good examples of this are Minecraft, Animal Crossing, and the Super Mario franchise.

Then we have, well, the majority of the gaming market, which are games made for adults and adults only. They're usually very violent, have lots of swearing, sexually explicit content, et cetera. If you've been around this industry for more than like two days, you know the drill. Older kids and young adults can technically play titles like Uncharted, Horizon Zero Dawn, and God of War, but those are still about adults doing adult things that a younger audience can't really relate to. Games like Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto, and Call of Duty are among the most popular AAA games that children are also playin??g �and those titles are chalked full of enough adult themes to leave any kid traumatized.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1200"] _{[Image Source: Polygon]}[/caption]Now don't get me wrong, this is far from a pearl-clutching moment; I love and play those "explicit" games all the time. However, my inner child can't help but notice that there's a discrepancy in the type of content game studios are puttin??g out there. The YA genre is a huge part of the film and literature industries, but it's something that games rarely seem to touch.

Of all the books I've ever read, some of my absolute favorites are series like Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, The City of Ember, and Gregor the Overlander. I have a real affinity for these sort of coming-of-age adventure stories, and unless I'm missing something big, I don't see much of that at all in the games industry. I like stories about revenge, murder, or other intense adult things as?? much as the next person, but these types of "children's" tales have a certain hope and optimism that I'm missing from games.

I guess the closest thing I can think of to what I'm describing is Breath of the Wild, but that game's narrative was a bit bare. I've been told Pokemon fills this role for a lot of people, but unfortunately I missed that boat growing up so I can't speak to the franchises' impact as much. There's also The Walking Dead Telltale series where the player gets to watch Clementine grow up, but those games are so bleak and sad, they still don't quite scratch that itch for me. Minecraft is pretty YA-friendly, but it's a bit too open-ended. I'm asking for? something that?'s specifically story-driven, because I want a game to take me on a ride sometimes, rather than making my own fun. I know I'm being picky, but it's my column and I'll do what I want.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1878"] _{[Image Source: PC Gamer]}[/caption]Life is Strange feels like it's the closest to what I'm describing, but that game leaves a lot to be desired, in my book. The real problem here, though, is that its tone is a bit too dark, too pessimistic to be the next uplifting magical friendship adventure. Oxenfree also falls into this category somewhat, and while I do like it better than Life is Strange, it also leaves you fee??lin??g a bit more sad than when you first started it.

Plus, where are the games about friendship? I'm getting down into the weeds now, but I'm sorry, I just don't need another story about how "we were the real monsters all along." So many of these children's series h?ave a through line of the characters having each others' backs and forming unbreakable bonds, and I really think games could use a good injection of that kind of friendship into my games.

I would bet money on the fact that there are tons ??of great little indie games out there that are exactly what I'm looking for, and if that's the case please let me know in the comments. As for the AAA studios, I think this is a whole market that they're leaving untapped.

All I want is for a kid or young adult to be able to load up a game and have it be a magical, formative experience for them akin to what Harry Potter was for my generation (JK Rowling can kick rocks, though). I know Hogwarts Legacy is right around the corner, but like, I'd rather stay away from that franchise ??from now on, thanks.

I'm certainly not planning on having kids anytime soon, but if I did, I would want them to be able to play games that? speak to their maturity as they age, while still remaining age-appropriate. I would want them to experience that same sense of adventure and fun you get from the aforementioned books, just, you know, in game form. Hell, I want that for myself right now.

Story Beat is a weekly column discussing anything and everything to do with storytelling in video games.

The post Where are the young adult games? appeared first on Destructoid.

A lot to look forward to from Dontnod... even if it's not Life is Strange

Over the past few years, the Life is Strange series has become one of the most recognizable in gaming. Their releases have at least intrigued me every time I see a trailer, so I always look forward to checking out Dontnod games when they drop. It looks like I'm going to have my hands full over the next few years then, because Dontnod has announced that they want to release eight new games by 2025, two of which they've already announced. They plan to publish two new titles �one from Danish studio PortaPlay called Gerda: A Flame in Winter, and one from?? Studio Tolima, as well as six of their own original in-house projects.

There are a few rumors circulating as to what Dontnod Entertainment might be working on next. For example, the studio hasn't expanded much into the action RPG genre, so there's a chance that that's something they'd be interested in exploring soon. They also said last year that Life is Strange is not a part of their strategy?? at the moment, as they want to focus on new IPs, so who knows what they mig??ht be cooking up.

Of course, they have really figured out their take on th??e narrative adventure slice of the games industry, so I think it's safe to assume that they will continue to explore launch??es in that genre as well, if not immediately, then in the future.

While Dontnod is best known for the inception of the Life is Strange series (two of the main series entries, Life is Strange: Before the Storm and Life is Strange: True Colors, were developed by their sister studio, Deck?? Nine), their catalogue also includes some other, lesser-known titles.

Their debut title Remember Me did moderately well when it was released back in 2013. Their 2018 title Vampyr was a breakout hit when it was the Epic Games Store's free game of the day after its release, garnering 8 million free downloads, and making it "the studio's biggest financial success to date alongside Life is Strange 1," according to Dontnod's 2021 business review.

There's no telling???? which direction they're going to take the studio in next, but whatever they do, I'm excited to give it a shot.

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Oh, the irony

DJ2 Entertainment has been making their rounds in the news lately �last month, they went public with news of their upcoming film adaptation of It Takes Two. In the same vein, this time they've signed a first-look deal with Amazon. Although DJ2 owns the film/TV rights to all kinds of games, such as Disco Elysium, Life is Strange, Sleeping Dogs, Echo, Little Nightmares, and many more, this deal basically means that Amazon gets first dibs on? any of the IPs DJ2 owns, if they want them.

Wi??th game-to-film/TV adaptations becoming more and more preval??ent, studios and production companies are doing their best to grab up rights as fast as they can �and this appears to be Amazon's latest move to secure the bag.

What this deal doesn't mean is that any of these shows are in active production, but I'd wager that that's going to? change within the next few months.

Properties like Disco Elysium and Life is Strange in particular are hot right now, and would telegraph well to a serialized television format if executed well.?? So with all the rumors flying around, let's set the record straight: these shows aren't getting made... for now.

//twitter.com/Sphynxian/status/149447868619565?0560

I was one of the people who previously said that a Disco Elysium show is one of my dream adaptations, but now that it might be happening, and by the hand of Amazon no less, I kind of want to take it all back. For a game that's so blatantly Marxist and anti-capitalist, the irony is not lost on its fans that its adaptation rights currently rest with the biggest corporation in the world. The worst part is, even if Amazon does go through with a Disco Elysium show,? I'm going to watch it anyway, if no??thing else out of morbid curiosity.

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Turn Back the Clock

Square Enix has released a new video showing off the rejuvenated visuals of incoming compendium Life is Strange: Remastered Collection. The double-pack, which includes souped-up editions of the 2015 release Life is Strange and its 2017 prequel Before the Storm, launches on PC and consoles next week.

As demonstrated by the lengthy, six-minute preview ??below, Life is Strange: Remastered Collection has seen the highly a??cclaimed graphic adventures spruced up for their re-release. Both the original game and its prequel now boasts updated scenery textures and character models, rebuilt in Unreal Engine 4 and highlighted with a brand new light-and-shadow engine �all glossed in 4K resolution.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3OibmsTE1Q

Developer Deck Nine Games has fine-tuned characters for close-ups, paying attention to details such as hair quality, lip-syncing, lines of sight, and facial expression. Already considered an emotive and evocative title �perhaps one of the most emotive releases ever �it is clearly the team's hope that Life is Strange's themes of friendship, love, loss, a??nd loyalty can be better expressed through this visual remaster. For those yet to experience Max and Chloe's story, this will no doubt be a fine opportunity.

And for those who have... Well, maybe?? enough ti??me has passed for you to walk that rail all over again.

Life is Strange: Remastered Collection launches February 1 on PS4, PC (Steam), Xbox One, and Stadia. A Nintendo Switch edition is also in the works, and ??is expected to f?ollow at some point later in 2022.

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Life on the Switch won't be too strange until later in 2022

The previously delayed Life is Strange: Remastered Collection is going live soon, but one platform will be taking some extra time. In a new announcement, the Life is Strange team confirms that the Switch version of the Remastered Collection will launch later in 2022.

The Life is Strange collection, which includes remasters of the first Life is Strange and its prequel Before the Storm, will still launch on Feb. 1 for Play??Station, Xbox, PC, and Stadia. The development team also says there's some more planned to show off before the launch date too, including an extended look at the collection on Jan. 25.

//twitter.c??om/LifeIsStrange/status/1484201555544838??146

Nintendo confirmed that Switch versions of Life is Strange: Remastered Collection and True Colors were on the way at last year's E3 Direct. And while True Colors is available on the Switch right now, looks like Life is Strange fans will have to wait a little longer than expected to take the adventures of Chloe and Max on the go. The team says it will need "a bit more time" until the Switch versions of the earlier Life is Strange games are ready.

Life is Strange: Remastered Collection is still due out on Feb. 1 for other platforms however. It will head back to the first game and its prequel, following the time-bending powers of Max Caulfield, who finds herself tangled up in mystery and impending disaster. Before the Storm was also developed by Deck Nine, the studio that's gone on to make last year's excellent Life is Strange: True Colors.

Though these versions will take a little extra time, that hopefully means the Switch versions will arrive in a solid state. And here's a few fingers crossed for an eventual Life is Strange 2 port, too.

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DJ simulator, but make it emotional

After the pleasant surprise that was Life is Strange: True Colors, I was interested to see what the DLC might be like. After hearing it was going to focus on the fan-favorite character Steph, I was extra doubly excited. I am pleased to report that even though my expectations were higher than ever, Wavelengths still managed to exceed them.

Along with being one of True Colors protagonist Alex Chen's new best friends (and possible love interest), Steph is the town of Haven's resident DJ and record store manager, and she's damn good at her job. The Wavelengths DLC lets us in on a little bit of Steph's life from the time she moves to Haven to the time Alex arrives on the scene, all taking place within the record s??hop itself.

From rewinding time to reading people's emotions, one of the selling points of the main series is the superpower aspect. Steph, however, does not have any supernatural tendencies, so I was wondering how the game was going to fare without them. I have to admit, I did have to shift my mindset a little bit in the first hour or so, because the cadence of Wavelengths' pacing and gameplay is definitely different than the mai??n series. I wouldn't say that that's a negative, though �I actually found it to be a refreshing change from the half-sleuthing-half-communi??ty simulator feeling of the base game.

Most of the gameplay is centered around doing chores at the shop, and maybe it's just that I like completing checklists, but they someh??ow found a way to make the chores feel fun. It's a lot of what you would expect from a retail job, like restocking, filling orders, and putting away? decorations. You even get a shot at using a dating app, which proved to be equally awkward and hilarious, which is absolutely on-brand for Steph.

The strongest part of Wavelengths for me, though, was when Steph was in the DJ booth. Right away, you really get a sense of what this job would actually feel like �it's a bit isolating, but the booth feels so cozy. You get to select music, read off ads, a??nd take calls on air, which is especially fun because Steph starts taking up fortune-telling using her twenty-sided die. The calls ranged from serious to silly, and how Steph reacte?d to each one gave us a different insight into her character.

We also get to see plenty of her favorite hobby, tabletop RPGs, which was a blast for me because I'm a long-time D&D fan. Steph's character especially feels like such a love letter to gamers, music lovers, and queer people alike, while still feeling like her own person. She's caring, kind, and sensitive, while also being sarcastic and taking no shit. A single personality trait never takes over everything else, so we get to see a full, well-rounded portra?it of who she is, which I appreciate more than anything.

Another one of my favorite parts of Wavelengths was its music. For being set in a record shop with you pl?aying as a DJ, Deck Nine really had to deliver on this, and that they certainly did. You get to choose which tracks to play at any given time on the radio and blast them in the store as you go about your day, which I found especially fun when I found a couple of my favorite songs to play. There's even a little side quest where you get to build your own song over the course of the game.

Apparently the soundtrack is a mixture of original music by fictional bands and licensed music, which I think is a good combo. It all flows well together and serves as a perfect backdrop to the game itself. There's even a Spotify playlist of the music from Wavelengths, which I will be jamming to in the car for the next few w??eeks.

I also don't want to give too much of it away, but if you were wondering how True Colors connects to the rest of the Life is Strange series, you'll get an answer with Steph's story.

Just like the base game, Wavelengths has something to say about grief, and how to process it with the people you care about. It's a fairly brief moment in an otherwise lighthearted game, but that makes it all the more effective. I wouldn't expect anything less after how well I thought those topics were handled in True Colors.

All in all, this is DLC I would go out of my way to play. Sure, it's a departure from the usual Life is Strange formula, but it maintains the charm and earnestness that made True Colors such an enjoyable experience. If you already have the base game and had a good time with it, I definitely recommend that you spring for Wavelengths as well.

_{[These impressions are based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Which is a pretty bustling month for games

After a delay, we knew that that the Life is Strange: Remastered Collection was coming in early 2022, and now Square Enix has settled on February 1 as the new release date. That goes for?? all versions: PC (Steam), PS4, Xbox?? One, Nintendo Switch, and oh yeah, Stadia.

Is it worth playing through Life is Strange: Remastered Collection before getting into Life is Strange: True Colors for added context? That's going to vary from person to person, but at this point �now that we're talking February �you may not want to wait up, especially with the way the game turned out. I know I'm going to want to play True Colors before the end of the year, and GotY discussions aren't as far off as I'd like. I may never circle back to these Life is Strange and Before the Storm remasters, though. The timing is tricky.

The late-January to mid-February window is a busy time of year for big new games many of us are stoked about, including Elden Ring (January 21), Pokémon Legends: Arceus (January 28), and Horizon Forbidden West (F??ebruary 18), just to name three. With delays all over the place, it feels like the calendar is constantly shifting. 2021 is very much spilling into 2022.

So yeah. That's where I'm at right now. If you went all-in on the Ultimate Edition of True Colors (which includes a copy of Life is Strange: Remastered Collection), or you're otherwise excited to play these games again with new mocap performances, lighting updates, and character and en?vironmental touch-ups, February 1 is ?the date to jot down.

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The player will remember that

I am super excited to introduce Story Beat, a new weekly column about anything and everything that has to do with storytelling in games. I started my journey into games because I was so passionate about the stories they can tell, so I look forward to sharing my thoughts, critiques, and analyses with you all.

Beware of spoilers for the end of the first Life is Strange game. If you haven't played it by now, that's on you.

Far and away, the most common critique I hear of games with choice-based stories is that "my choices didn't matter at a??ll." While I've heard complaints that range from "there weren't enough endings" to "they didn't let me kiss the character I've been flirting with," basically what it comes down to is that we want to be able to see the outputs that directly correlate with our inputs, because isn't that what games are all about?

Developers are always going to try their best to show you how your choices have sha??ped your experience in a game world, but for a long time, it came down to technological limitations. If a game promises you you're going to completely shape the story of a game, but you only get a few different, minimal reactions from the other characters, of course yo?u're going to be disappointed.

As time has gone on, though, technology has advanced to the point where developers can easily deliver on ??the promises they made in marketing (as long as they don't get out ahead of themselves, as we've seen in recent years). In some cases, it's a lack of meaningful choices that makes a difference. Sure, choosing whether I want to wear a red or a blue shirt is technically a choice that will have consequences for the rest of the game, but if there's no emotional connection, it doesn't matter. If, say, I can choose to wear red or blue as a way to show my allegiance to one faction or the other, that decision can have much more weight to it.

Another issue is that choices often end up feeling one-sided �the first one that comes to mind is the ending of the fi??rst Life is Strange. Look, I'm sorry if you liked that game, but I despised Chloe's character. All she did was yell and blame me for everything. So, when the choice came at the end to save her or an entire town full of people, I had zero hesitation in making my decision. 

Another classic example comes at the end of the Mass Effect series, which is one of the earlier tentpoles of mainstream choice-based narrative in games. People hated the ending they were all forced into enough that they demanded BioWare "fix it" by releasing an alternate ending. Part of me wants to say that was too far,? but another part of me understands with excruciating detail what it feels like to have your favorite series unceremoniously o??bliterated before your very eyes.

The unfortunate truth is that in some cases, your choices have to be put aside for a game to get made. It can be annoying to have that control taken away by the devs when you thought i??t was a give-and-take situation, and it's especially hard not to take it personally when you're invested in the characters and the world.

If we want to get all ph??ilosophical about it, do any of our choices really matter if they were all pre-determined by the devs, like some God who enforces predestination? There's no way for us to have complete control unless we're playing a tabletop game like Dungeons and Dragons, where the game master's imagination can follow any given path we want to take. Games today can only be made with a certain number of choices in mind, which can feel ??limiting when you scrape up against the edges of it.

With how quickly technology advances, part of me wonders how soon we'll basically just have a virtual version of D&D, where you can truly do or say anything you want and the world shapes itself around your actions. If anyone reading this needs someone to Turing-test their p??rocedurally-generated-hyper-immersive fantasy simulator, please contact me immediately.

I can't speak for anyone else, but when it comes down to it for ??me, I don't care if my choices really "matter," at least in the traditional sense of "which ending did I get?" I care more about how the choices add to the moment-to-moment gameplay �if a nail-biting decision of whether to betray a close ally's trust gives me a rush of adrenaline the moment I hit that button, I feel like I've gotten what I needed out of that interaction. Any "consequences" I see from that are just gravy.

It just gets me thinking about why we have choices in games in the first place. Yes, the idea of "controlling" the narrative in a way you can't do with other media is pretty cool, but those big choices that alter a story arc are relatively few and far between. Instead, most? of the choices we make are one-line dialogue options that warrant the same response regardless of what you choose, because those are by far the easiest to implement.

I? think the answer of why we like choices in the first place is a simple one �we like expressing ourselves. It's what people do best. It's why we spend hours in the character creator and spend real money on in-game cosmetic items. So yeah, even if I know an NPC is going to give me the exact same dialogue option no matter what I say, I still like having the option to decide whether I'm going to be coy or forthright. I even like knowing I could be mean, although I'm sure as hell never gonna select that.

Point is, making the player feel like their voice is heard in a game is a difficult undertaking, and a lot can go wrong in making one if you're not careful. But if this year's releases are an indication of where choice-based games are going, I'm really hopeful for?? the future of the genr?e.

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My most pleasant surprise of the year

I'm gonna level with you �I really didn't enjoy the first Life is Strange game. It??'s obviously a favorite of critics and fans alike, but the characters just didn't work for me, which kind of made the whole thing fall apart.

When I heard there was going to be a new entry in the series, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was especially apprehensive after hearing that the player character's power was going t?o be "the power of empathy," because to me that sounds like a recipe for some cheesy, preachy storytelling. Despite myself, I knew I wanted to give the series another chance, if for no other reason than to play the newest c?hoice-based narrative game out there, which is one of my favorite genres.

Life is Strange: True Colors (Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4 [reviewed], PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
Developer: Deck Nine
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: September 10, 2021
MSRP: $59.99

Let me tell you, I have never been happier to be proven wrong. I really liked Life is Strange: True Colors pretty much all the ?way through, and it even made me cry ?a few times (in a good way).

You play as Alex Chen, ??who arrives in the idyllic Colorado town of Haven Springs to reunite with her brother Gabe. After he dies in a mysterious accident, Alex use?s her powers to search for the truth, as these types of stories usually go.

I'm personally a big fan of the "small town with a dark secret" trope, and True Colors did it justice. For starters, it really made me care about Haven and its citizens, and that setup work is necessary to p?ull off an emotional story like this. Sure, it still had that Tumblr-blog-come-to-life feeling that the? rest of the series is known for, but because it backed its aesthetics up with earnestness, I felt myself leaning into it rather than pulling away.

Maybe it's just because I grew up in some mountain towns in the Blue Ridge Mountains that reminded me a lot of Haven, but it feels like its own character in a way, with each citizen feeling like an important pi?ece of its personality.? Plus, the visuals are stellar, and my entire playthrough was basically bug-free. Good on you, Deck Nine QA.

As far as mechanics go, I don't want to give anything away, but the "empathy" powers were used to much greater effect than I expected. When another character is feeling a strong emotion, Alex can see a brightly colored aura around them, and use that as an insight into their inner thoughts. It co??mes really handy when a lot of the gameplay is, well, talking to people. Like I said before, I was waiting for this to be really cheesy, but I found that it actually gave me some interesting and nuanced insights, often surprising me and making me rethink situations I thought I already had a handle on.

Moment to moment, it felt like they were constantly changing it up �and I have to admit that it really wo??rked for me. It's hard to believe, but this game is technically still a part of the point-and-click genre; with all of the little surprises the developers included, it's amazing to see just how far that genre has come. I was constantly surprised, not only by the larger plot points, but by the little gameplay moments too, and that's a huge part of what made it a joy to play.

Of course, the real star of the show with these types of games is the big choices they ask you to make. All too often, I find that games give me a choice accompanied by tons of fanfare, only for me to know exactly what to do because it just ends up feeling one-sided. That was not the case with True Colors. Every time it presented me with one of those big choices, I was thankful there w??asn't a timer because I seriously had to think about it. Each side was well thought out in terms of having distinct pros and cons, and unpredictability in terms of what the consequences could be.

I think what I was most impressed with was how this game handled really tough, emotional topics, like grief for example. Losing someone you care about is a tough thing, and True Colors takes a breath to let you feel ??the effects of that loss, and all of the emotions that come along with them, good, bad, and in between. When the? protagonist of your game has superpowers that have to do with emotions, that's something you really have to nail, and they did it all the way through.

My critiques are pretty few and far between,? but they are there. I thought the plot l??ost a little bit of steam in its latter half, but it didn't ruin the experience by any means. My biggest issue is that I sometimes felt that too much time was devoted to sequences that didn't further the plot or characters for the sake of a gimmick, but they were honestly so charming I didn't mind most of the time. I also felt that the end was a tad rushed, but again, it felt small in the grand scheme of things.

R?egardless of whether you're a fan of this series, this one is a must-play if you like story-centric games. It's honestly my? favorite thing I've played all year so far.

Sure, parts of Life is Strange: True Colors are really bleak, but ultimately it's an uplifting, heartfelt story about what it means to find your own version of home. It tells that story in a way that feels perfectly sincere, which is something that is hard to come by in games nowadays. True Colors has officially redeemed the Life is Strange series in my eyes.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Are Smash Mouth cover bands really a thing?

Here it is: the first and only "gameplay" video I really want to see for Life is Strange: True Colors �enough to establish the slice-of-life coziness, the dialogue, and the production quality. The latter, in particular, seems like a leap from the humble beginnings of 2015's Life is Strange, back b??efore the small-town adventure game became, well, a series.

A??nything after this point, for me anyway, is just spoiler icing on top that I'll politely decline.

//youtu.be/sCx-j4hrwpA

It's an early sequence in True Colors �early enough that the protagonist, Alex, is still able to hang out with her older brother Gabe (whose fate is... established), and also still getting introduc??tions from Haven Springs locals l??ike Ryan, another main character.

Chatting about "Smash Mouth cover bands," taking in the sights at a decorated record store, and keeping your eyes peeled for potential doodads to interact with nearby �yep, this sure is a new Life is Strange. I like this format quite a bit when the mood?? strikes.

If you're wondering about Steph (from Before the Storm) suddenly glowing with a fiery rage, that's just Alex's empathetic powers kicking in. I've seen a lot of admittedly funny comments about the "power of Empathy" and its ability to "change fate and change lives," which is a tougher sell than Max Caulfield's flashy time-rewinding ability, but I'm curious to see how Deck Nine makes i?t feel meaningful in the context of the full game.

With gamescom next week, I'm sure we'll see more footage soon; like I said, I'm good. The September 10 launch day is suddenly starting to feel uncomfortably close, so True Colors will be here?? before I know it. I? hope this game meets fans' (and publisher) expectations, because it feels like this series can keep blossoming if it's allowed to take its time.

I fully intend to dig into Road 96 before True Colors, by the way. Bring on the whiplash.

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Curate your own playlist of hits

The next installment of Life is Strange arrives next month, but there's a little extra True Colors content coming after that. Today, we got our first look at the Wavelengths DLC, an extra episode of sorts for Life is Strange: True Colors.

The story is a prequel, set in the small town of Haven Springs where True Colors will take place. Rather than True Colors protagonist Alex Chen, you play as Steph Gingrich, the Before the Storm character who's also appearing in the upcoming True Colors.

As Steph, you get to start out your first day on the job at KRCT and play through the seasons, following her growth in managing the only local radio station and record store. Just pick your playlist, talk to callers, a?nd jam out. It looks like ??some of Steph's penchant for tabletop role-playing is back too, if the D20 and backroom setup are any indication.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQgP6oo8OdU

Of course, running the cool local radio station also means playing good music. And it looks like the Wavelengths DLC?? has some hit??s lined up. The lineup shown in the trailer includes:

• Girl in Red
• Foals
• Alt J
• Portugal, The Man
• Local Natives
• Sigur Ros
• Hayley Kiyoko

There's a note that there's "many more" in store, but honestly, I'm already happy with some Sigur Ros getting a spot. While Life is Strange has a penchant for tackling the supernatural, I'm really interested in what looks like a chill experience about running your own radio station, and also the ambient life atmosphere I enjoy from Life is Strange. It's like a small-town story and college radio sim mashed-up in?t??o one game.

Wavelengths DLC will arrive on Sept. 30, and you will need Life is Strange: True Colors to play it, according to the trailer. The dev team also announced yesterday that the Life is Strange: Remastered Collection has been delayed to early next year, so the studio can alleviate ??some pressure brought on by development amid the pandemic.

Life is Strange: True Colors will launch on Sept. 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Stadia. The team also announced that the Switch version of True Colors won't launch on that date, but they are aiming to release it this year.

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The date is moving to alleviate some pressure on the team

The next entry in the Life is Strange series is set to arrive next month, and today the develo?pment team reaffirmed that's th??e case. The accompanying remasters, though, will be taking a little extra time.

Today, the Life is Strange team confirmed that it's delaying Life is Strange: Remastered Collection into early 2022. This shift is due to the ongoing challenges of the worldwide pandemic. They're hoping this will alleviate some pressure on development by providing more time between the launch of Life is Strange: True Colors and Life is Strange: Remastered Collection.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCYMDKtiTHM

Life is Strange: True Colors, meanwhile, is still on track for a Sept. 10 launch. The team also confirmed that the Life is Strange: Wavelengths DLC, starring Before the Storm's Steph Gingrich, will launch on Sept. 30, 2021.

They also confirm that anyone who buys the Life is Strange: True Colors Ultimate Edition will still get dual entitlement to the two Life is Strange: Remastered Collection games when they launch in 2022.

As much as I'd love to revisit the original Life is Strange and get around to playing Before the Storm, this sounds like it's the right move for the team. Launching one game is already one task, but adding on a remastered collection and DLC later in the month is a tall order.

I'm eager to see what Deck Nine does with its own new installment in the Life is Strange series, and so I'm happy they're taking a little extra time to make sure it all comes together well. Besides, the summer and fall are starting to fill up with games fast. ?Locking in a neat remaster for sometime in 2022 sounds good to me.

Life is Strange: True Colors will launch for PS4, PS5, Xbo??x Series X|S, Xbox One, ?PC, and Stadia on Sept. 10, 2021.

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Need a fresh dose of that Final Fantasy money magic

Square Enix is the latest industry giant to release its financial results for the most recent quarter of 2021. In something of an i?ndustry-wide trend, the Japa??nese developer has seen a steady growth of its overall company income as the year progresses, but has also suffered a major slump in regards to its year-on-year video game sales.

Square Enix's overall company sales have slightly risen by 1.8% in the last quarter, totaling around ¥88.6 billion, (or roughly $809 million USD). Operating income also rose by a meaty 29.5%, which translates to ¥17.3 billion, (or roughly $158 million). These are certainly figures not to be sniffed at. However, in Square's digital entertainment segment, (which houses the figures for the company's video game output), things are a little more downbeat.

A 6% decline is noted in year-on-year video game net sales, which translates to ¥69.8 billion, (or $636.8 million). Video game operating income also fell by some 34.2% to ¥17.1 billion yen, (roughly $156 million) over the same period. Square Enix puts this down to 2021's releases �such as sci-fi remake NieR Replicant, bombastic space shooter Outriders, and the disastrous Balan Wonderworld �failing to reach the (admittedly high) bar set by Final Fantasy VII Remake.

It should be noted that this year-on-year decline is a trend displayed in many publishers' figures for this quarter, as they compete with 2020 numbers �inadvertently boosted by last year's lockdown legislation which facilitated a huge rise in video game sales. Some of Square's game sales decline was covered by the ongoing success of its MMO and mobile titles, in particular Final Fantasy XIV, which continues to pull in new players almost a decade after A Realm Reborn.

Square Enix still has a huge year ahead of itself. The long-time publisher will be looking to smash the records of 2020's latter quarters. Out now and on the horizon are a slew of major releases including NEO: The World Ends with You, Life is Strange: True Colors, Life is Strange: Remastered Collection, and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. This is to say nothing of still-to-be slated titles such as Babylon's Fall and the cash-printer that will be Final Fantasy Remake Part II.?? There's huge success potential for Square Enix leading into the back half of 2021 and into the start of 2022.

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If nothing else, the trailer is worth watching for a cute little Life is Strange animation

During a round of quick third-party-developer news updates at today's E3 2021 Nintendo Direct, Square Enix announced the Nintendo Switch versions of Life is Strange: True Colors (releasing September 10) and Life is Strange Remastered Collection (Q4 2021). If you're surprised by the total lack of Life is Strange on Switch until now, I hear you.

2021 is a big year for this series, that's? for sure. With such humble beginnings, I never would've expected this snowball effect bac?k in 2015.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVOE2PxYNl0

The cute series-spanning animation shown during the Direct is worth watching fo??r fans.

Otherwise, for the unfamiliar, Life is Strange: True Colors is a new standalone adventure game starring Alex Chen, who has supernatural empathy. (Yes, really.) Life is Strange Remastered Collection is also new, sort of �it's a two-game remaster of the original Life is Strange and its follow-up Before the Storm with enhanced animations, lighting, and even puzzles. Considering that the remaster is already locked in for September 30 on other platforms, it's odd the Switch port is showing up at an undisclosed later date.

I'm not expecting great things?? from the visual fidelity or performance for either of these games on Switch, but at least they're proper ports, not Cloud Versions.

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//www.youtube.com/watch?v=utdFLn8??2QSU&??list=PL2A8F9VO2BGPVZ6HAbjmSpqJkx-xGkKfW&index=17

Life is Strange is coming back in a more beautiful way later this year with the Life is Strange Remastered Collection. The game will feature new visuals for characters and environments across both Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm. The game will r?elease on September 30 for PS4, Xbox One, PC via Steam, and Stadia.

But before that hits, you'll be able to experience the next story in the Life is Strange saga with Life is Strange: True Colors. The game launches on Sep??tember 10 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOeB_LXeV?4c&li?st=PL2A8F9VO2BGPVZ6HAbjmSpqJkx-xGkKfW&index=18

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'Come Hungry'

Square Enix has added its name to the burgeoning list of major publishers who will be hosting an E3 live stream in just one short week from now. June 13 will see the RPG masters take to the airwaves, shining a light on a selection of upcoming ??releases, anticipated sequels, and various DLC add-ons, with vi??ewers advised to "Come Hungry".

That's my secret, I'm always hungry.

Among the titles starring in the Square Enix E3 stream are Life is Strange: True Colors, (as well as the original Life is Strange remaster); PlatinumGames' classy and mysterious Babylon's Fall, which will be getting its first full gameplay showcase; and a look at Marvel's Avengers Wakanda DLC expansion. No doubt we'll also get news pertaining to the Final Fantasy franchise, particularly Final Fantasy VII Remake and its INTERmission ex??pansion, which launches just da?ys prior to the show.

The main event seems to be the reveal of a brand new project currently in the works at Eidos Montreal. The veteran studio has more than proved its worth with excellent releases such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution, sequel Mankind Divided, and the super-successful Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Whatever Eidos Montreal has up its sleeve, it will likely be well worth our t??ime and attention.

If you want to check out the action for yourself, then the Square Enix E3 stream will go live June 13 at 12:15 PT / 15:15 ET / 20:??15 BST, live on the Square Enix YouTube and Twitch channels. Of course, Destructoid will be on hand to report on all the top headlines, so don't sweat missing out on any ?of the scoops.

//twitter.com/SquareEnix/status/1400467710287306753?s=??20

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The studio is focusing on its own IP

Dontnod Entertainment might be well-known for its work on the Life is Strange series, but it won't be helming the next entry in the series. From the sounds of it??, the studio is looking to other options as it moves forward.

In an interview with IGN, Dontnod CEO Oskar Guilbert discussed the road ahead for the studio, which has also produced games like Vampyr and Tell Me Why. The Life is Strange intellectual property is not o?wned by Dontnod, but by Square Enix, ??and while that doesn't prevent Dontnod's return, it sounds like the focus for the studio is on what it owns.

"Never say ne?ver," Guilbert told IGN. "But for th??e moment it's not our strategy, yeah. We want to create our own IP. That's what we want to do."

The next entry in the series, Life is Strange: True Colors, is being developed by Deck Nine, who also developed the prequel series Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Dontnod, meanwhile, has been working on other narrative games, including Tell Me Why and Twin Mirror.

According to IGN's interview, the studio now has seven projects in the works, six internal and one it is publishing from developer Portaplay. That's a whole lot to handle, but now we'll get to see how the Life is Strange franchise fares in the hands of a new studio.

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Stranger Things

Square Enix has released a short teaser for its upcoming graphic adventure Life is Strange: True Colors. The new game, the latest entry in ??the award-winning series, will launch on PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Stadia? platforms on September 10.

The short clip introduces us to new protagonist Alex Chen, as she discusses her hopes for a better life, living alongside her brother, in her new home of Haven Springs. Sadly for Alex, fate has more complex plans in store, and her arrival at the sleepy locale will be an eventful one, bringing new personalities, challenges, and hazards into her mysterious? world.

Square Enix likely chose this particular scene not only for its emotional and foreboding impact, but also to showcase developer Deck Nine Game's technical prowess in giving Alex character and personality through her facial animation. Life is Strange: True Colors is expected to be another charged dramatic adventure, with underlying themes of powers beyond that of regular mortals. Unlike previous series entries, True Colors w??ill be a singular release, eschewing the episodic forma?t. At least you won't have to wait on any nail-biting cliffhangers.

And if you can't wait until September, then don't forget that a special issue of the Life is Strange comic book is being released for Free Comic Book Day. Among other stories, this issue will feature a prologue to True Colors, so be sure to grab it from your loc??al retailer on August 14.

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Coming for Free Comic Book Day 2021

Life is Strange fans who are eager to dive into the shoe-gazing drama of new entry True Colors will be able to get a sneak peek at prota?gonist Alex C?hen and the town of Haven Springs this summer, courtesy of a tie-in comic coming for Free Comic Book Day.

Published by Titan Comics and available exclusively on August 14, Life is Strange True Colors will feature several new stories featuring favorite characters and locations taken from the award-winning series of graphic adventures. Fans can look forward to a new story starring Before the Storm's Steph Gingrich, while beloved characters Max Caulfield a??nd Chl?oe Price will also put in a fan-pleasing appearance.

Alex Chen's story is expected to bridge the gap between games, providing a little context to the events of the upcoming sequel, which will see Alex arrive in a new town to reunite with their brother. Of course, things will not go quite as smoothly as planned. The comic is penned and drawn by Life is Strange comic regulars Emma Vieceli, Andrea Izza, and Claudia Leonardi. Back in the gaming realm, Life is Strange True Colors launches Sep?tember 10 on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Stadia platforms??.

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