The second episode of Life is Strange 2 is called Rules and it kept Josh and Joe constantly second-guessing their own rule-making choices. If you haven’t played through The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit yet you probably should. It is free and only takes about an hour to play. Your actions in that game will have an impact in this episode of L…

Broken Toys, the third episode in the final season of The Walking Dead game and first to be released since Skybound purchased the rights to it, is available and brings us within one episode of the conclusion of the entire series. After the massive showdown that ended episode 2, Clementine, AJ, and the others are in search of their missing friends a…

The first Life is Strange is the game most responsible for the creation of Story Players. It had Josh and Joe mulling over the difficult decisions and sharing how they made them as soon as they finished playing each episode. It easily became one of Josh’s all-time favorite games. When a prequel was released, Before the Storm, we made it the very fi…

The final season of Telltale’s The Walking Dead seemed as though it may not see the conclusion it deserves, because days before episode two was released Telltale announced that the studio was closing. Despite the heart-breaking news, the second episode was released on time. It was also announced a couple weeks later that the season would be complet…

The first season of The Walking Dead video games offered one of the first truly gripping narratives in the media. It was one of the games that helped inspire the creation of Story Players! Now, Telltale has released the first installment of the final season in the series. The Story Players will be playing all four episodes as they are released. The…

It’s no surprise that the Story Players love the games in the Life is Strange series, so when Don’t Nod and Square Enix announced The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit at E3 they knew they would play it right away. Captain Spirit is something of a demo for the forthcoming sequel to Life is Strange. It takes place in the same universe but apparen…

The Story Players have completed one of their most anticipated games of 2018, Detroit: Become Human. It’s an interactive drama from French game developer Quantic Dream. In the game, you play as three different androids in a world where the use of androids as housekeepers, security guards, athletes, and other professions has led to 35% unemployment …

The Story Players have completed Final Fantasy XV! For Josh, it’s the first time he’s actually completed a Final Fantasy game! In this episode, the guys discuss the final chapter of the game. They also give their final thoughts on the complete story, and how the two different versions played out. Will Josh play through the pocket edition? Will Joe …

The Story Players are almost to the end of Final Fantasy XV! In this fifth episode, they played through chapters eight and nine on the pocket edition. On the main version, they played the same content, but it was broken up into chapters eleven, twelve, and thirteen. That’s right, they’ve played through the infamous thirteenth chapter! So in additio…

The Story Players are more than halfway through Final Fantasy. While the chapters are numbered differently, Josh and Joe played the same ones. They were called Callings and The Heart of a King. On the Pocket Edition, they were chapters six and size, while on the main version they were chapters nine and ten. Callings is the first time we see Noctis …

As the Story Players continue their way through Final Fantasy XV their paths started to get confusing. On the console version, Josh played chapters five through eight. They are titled Dark Clouds, A Way Forward, Party of Three, and Seaworthy. Joe, who continues to play the Pocket Edition cover the same content by simply playing chapters four and fi…

The Story Players are continuing their way through Final Fantasy XV. The last episode ended after Noctis confirmed the fate of Insomnia. If you’re playing along with the Pocket Edition, Joe played through chapters two and three titled The Open World and Living Legend. On the Xbox, Josh played chapters two through four. It’s the same content, but th…

This week the Story Players are starting a new multi-part series, and it’s a special one. They are playing through Final Fantasy XV, but Josh and Joe are playing in completely different ways. Josh is playing the game on Xbox One, and Joe is playing on his Android phone. That’s right, there’s a pocket edition of Final Fantasy XV that was recently re…

The Story Players are back with a brand new game! They sat down and played through A Way Out, on the same couch, together. The game finds two inmates, Leo and Vincent, in prison in the 1970’s. While they don’t know each other, they agree to help each other escape prison. It’s a game that must be played with another person with each person controlli…

The book is closing on the Life is Strange saga. In Farewell, a bonus episode which is only available to those who ordered the deluxe edition of Life is Strange: Before the Storm, we get to play through one of the last days that Max lived in Arcadia Bay. It’s an episode that not only brings Max and Chloe back together but the original voice actress…

Last month saw us playing Virginia, a fairly light-hearted and short story through Virginia in the 1980s. This month, Josh and Joe are trecking into the depths of Hel during the ancient times of Vikings. They are playing Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. The setting is vastly different from the previous game, and so is the length. Hellblade took the gu…

We’re kicking off season two of Story Players with another BAFTA Award nominated game. This time it’s Virginia from Variable State. In the game, you play as an FBI agent working a missing persons case in a small town in Virginia. But you’ve also been assigned to investigate your partner for some reason, and to report any suspicious activity. The st…

It took just about two months for the final episode of Life is Strange: Before the Storm to be released, and Josh and Joe were eager to see what the finale had in store. Like every other game the guys cover, this episode is a complete spoiler-cast. They discuss the whole episode in detail and frequently mention the other two episodes and the first …

The Story Players are playing yet another game that has received a nomination from The Game Awards! For this episode they played Please Knock on My Door. This is a game designed to help you understand, and hopefully empathize, with a person suffering with acute depression and social anxiety. It’s not a feel-good game, but it is one that provides co…

This week the Story Players are playing the critically-acclaimed What Remains of Edith Finch. It may have a strange name, but the numerous stories it has to tell will keep you thinking about them for days! It’s a pretty short game, at a little over two hours of play time, about a young woman who returns to her family’s home to finally learn all the…

After nine episodes, the Story Players have completed their trek through Mass Effect Andromeda! This final episode starts off by discussing one of their favorite side missions of the game. Then Josh gives his final romance update with Jaal. After that, the guys break down the last mission, Meridian: The Way Home. With this being the final episode i…

This week the Story Players take on the penultimate priority ops mission and Jaal’s loyalty mission as they near the end of Mass Effect Andromeda. The primary mission is called The Journey to Meridian. They don’t find everything they’re looking for, but there is one shocking revelation about the angarans. Josh and Joe break down Jaal’s response, al…

It’s been about two months since the first episode of Life is Strange: Before the Storm debut, but this last week finally saw the release of the second episode. Josh and Joe were eagerly awaiting it after the first episode greatly exceeded their expectations. This episode, like every other episode of Story Players, goes deep into the game. That mea…

The Story Players are nearing the end of Mass Effect Andromeda, but before completing it there are more side missions that need to be completed! First up, they have to find out just what’s going on with Jaal and Liam in Armor Diplomacy. Then they are off to help Cora in her loyalty mission entitled At Duty’s Edge. There’s also the business of the m…

This week the Story Players are hunting the Archon. That’s the next Priority Ops mission for them in Mass Effect Andromeda. First they have to check out a new planet. It’s called Kadara. Once there, the guys take very different approaches to getting the information that they need. After that they are off to track down Meridian. Don’t forget to subs…

The Story Players are in space! Well, in this episode they’re talking about their experience with Tacoma, and it takes place on a space station. The second game from Fullbright has the main character aboard an abandoned space station. It uses an interesting augmented reality video playback system for telling the game’s missing crew’s story. For thi…

This week the Story Players have worked their way through a great many side quests in Mass Effect Andromeda. They’ve activated vaults on Voeld and Havaral while exploring the planets and completing a few tasks. They also help Cora on her search for the Asari ark. They find clues about the Turian ark. The guys even found time for a quick game of pok…

The Story Players are back to Mass Effect Andromeda’s main quests this week. Now that they’ve met their crew, conquered a few side quests and started to scope out the romance situation, it’s time to get down to business! They’ll start with A Trail of Hope where they’ll find a new planet. They’ll also meet a new squadmate who has something to prove …

The Story Players are taking a different path through the Helius Cluster this week. While the last two episodes focused on the first few Priority Ops missions, this time Josh and Joe adventure off on a few side quests. They’ll investigate the first murderer and look into what appears to be a classic case of sabotage aboard the Nexus. There’s also a…

This week the Story Players continue their trek through Mass Effect Andromeda. This is the second episode in the series. If you haven’t listened to the first episode in the series you should check that out first. In the previous episode Josh and Joe focused mostly on the main quest, known as Priority Ops missions, and this time around they continue…

In the second episode of Story Players, Josh and Joe start their second series. This week they are kicking off a journey to play through Mass Effect Andromeda. The pair have previously played through the entire Mass Effect trilogy, and eagerly looked forward to Andromeda when it arrived earlier this year. Mass Effect Andromeda is a much longer game…

Today Josh and Joe start a new series for Story Players for the brand-new game, Life is Strange: Before the Storm. This is a special game for the guys, because the first season of Life is Strange is what kicked off their shared love for playing story-focused games together so that they could discuss them together. Life is Strange: Before the Storm …

Today we’re excited to announce a brand-new podcast at The Digital Media Zone: Story Players. In Story Players Josh and Joe analyze story-driven games, from walking simulators to RPGs to episodic games. Each episode covers a single game and includes discussions on plot, characters, and those gut-wrenching choices you’re often forced to make. Each s…