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The Chaos Theory of adolescence

Sign up to receive each week’s Playlist e-mail here! Also check out our full, interactive Playlist section. LIFE IS STRANGE (PC, PlayStation, Xbox)  BY DONTNOD Entertainment Life is Strange has wavered throughout its past three episodes, the boldness of its rewind mechanic not always enough to outweigh the cringe-worthiness of its dialogue. Until now, this episodic narrative game seemed only to shine in spite of itself—though when it did, it was like a beam of light showing a new path for choice-based gaming. With the third episode, “Chaos Theory,” Life is Strange secures its place as an important (if imperfect) entry into the conversation between…

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Influence a revolution from the perspective of a housekeeper

Sign up to receive each week’s Playlist e-mail here! Also check out our full, interactive Playlist section. Sunset (Mac, Windows, Linux)  BY TALE OF TALES  Most games give you a list of chores to do, only they call them missions, and claim you’re saving the world by doing its housekeeping. Yet, no matter how much these games coat your chores in the hero’s journey narrative, it still comes down to “do this” and “talk to that NPC.” Tale of Tales’ Sunset turns this trope on its head, casting you as a literal housekeeper, while the revolution outside your window waxes and…

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Okhlos turns to Ancient Greece to explore the phenomenon of mob mentality

Coffee Powered Machine, the wonderfully named developers behind the forthcoming game Okhlos make only one promise: there will be angry Greek mobs. What more could you ask for? Before you start rampaging, a little bit of context: Okhlos is set in ancient Greece. Its 16-bit style feels loveably and suitably antiquated, even if it’s not as antiquated as ancient Greece. The game, which will be released for PC, Mac, and Linux, is about attempting to overthrow the Olympian Gods. Why, exactly? Who knows, but as a means towards achieving that end, you’ll need to build a large mob. lead a…

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Film noir/Mexican folk-lore classic Grim Fandango headed back to computers, too

Grim Fandango, Tim Schafer’s stone-cold-classic first-ever 3D game, will also becoming to the PC, Mac, and Linux. First announced by Sony during E3 as an exclusive, Schafer has revealed that the not only will the game come to the home computers, but will do so on the same day as PS4 and Vita. Schafer hasn’t gotten to spend much time with Grim Fandango in the 15 years since he left LucasArts and founded Double Fine. “As soon as we brought these two crazy elements together, film noir and mexican folklore,” he says in the making-of below, “it was just one…