@DavidinCT: I really think its a very well written game, but the writers made very unpopular decisions and used advanced writing techniques that throw people off.
Maybe the game was far too subtle in places.
And I call this game an anti-mystery for good reason. It feels like people don't get this concept.
@rewgle: You need to play the first game at least for Double Exposure. But all games are great.
The weakest is actually Before The Storm, the prequel to the first. It is still good, but not as good as the others.
Double Exposure is far more controversial than poor quality. It subverts a lot of things and how they deal with Chloe upset much of the fanbase. And ignore this review, the very notion that Max is a flat character is wrong.
@tacotoosday: How does she "stand for nothing"? Did you not read her journal? Did you not understand her arc? Yes, there is branching narrative with her, but everything she can do is within her character. She is capable of doing some bad things, like she could in the first game. What does she do that is "out of character"?
Max gets more character development here than in the original game. At the beginning she is hiding from her past, keeping it bottled up while it consumes her, and throughout the game, she is forced to deal with a similar situation to her past that allows her to finally grow, and be the "mama bear" that she becomes at the game's end.
Amanda's romance isn't forced, they actually did this pretty well and used the split timelines effectively here. In fact, really the romance doesn't really happen, not yet. Vinh is a false romance, and actually it has impact on another character if you choose it. And it is Dead World Vinh, where Max does learn about his troubles and his vulnerabilities.
What plot holes? Other than typical for time travel, multiverse stories, not really.
Here is the thing, the game is an anti-mystery and the story changes to more of a character reflection in it's back half. It wasn't a mess.
@texasgoldrush: "Though the player is largely responsible for Max's actions and beliefs, this is a recurring issue in Double Exposure, as Max ultimately comes across as having no real convictions or personality outside of a fondness for delivering Gilmore Girls-esque pop culture quips."
Then you do not understand the character enough to make this review. This is the review's fatal flaw. To say that Max has no real convictions or personality is absolutely baffling, and far from the truth.
The ENTIRE arc of the story is about Max coming to terms with the pain and trauma of her past and overcoming it do get into a position to heal.
Max is THE most popular character in the series, and for good reason.
I think this reviewer misses the entire point of the game and huge sections of it.
This game is NOT a retread of the original, in fact a COUNTERPOINT to it. And the story absolutely is not lacking in depth.
Max's relationships are based on the choices you make, this reviewer seems to make the wrong ones, or even not do some of the hidden stuff. Vinh has sections of his character which are optional.
Amanda's relationship with Max was not flat, anything but. It was more subtle than you are used to.
And Double Exposure is in itself, an anti-mystery, and it prioritizes character struggles far more than tension or stakes.
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