I've played this episode yesterday and it left me with a ever lasting impression of what "free choice - consequence" system can really be. Huh, take that "TellTalle Games" studio! Although, I've put the notion of "free choice - consequence" in brackets not only because there is no such notion (I've just cooked it up), but, because, there is really no such system available in games. It's just an illusion. However, "SQUARE ENIX" masks this illusion perfectly - I just go with important choices and never look back (unlike "TellTalle Games franchise). However, subconsciously, I know that the outcome of the episode will always be the same (except for episode 2) no matter what you do. Or maybe not. That's where the illusion of choice comes into play in this game. It's so perfectly polished.
I liked the evolution of Max and Chloes relationship in this game. These two "gals" supplement each other like Ying and Yang does. Chloe is like this punk rock-star chick who does not take shit from anyone and do what ever the hell she likes, although, on occasion, she listens to the voice of reason, that is Max. While Max is this docile shy girl who eventually turns into a person who could stand-up for her self and the one's she cares about. Although, in my opinion, this could be tricky, if Max would not have her time re-winding powers, as some of us saw in episode 2. Huh, a moral choice dillema.
Although, now that I've said what I liked about the episode, I'm going to say this. I don't know. Maybe it's because I've seen too much "Buffy the vampire slayer", "Angel", "Supernatural", "X-files", "Twin Peaks" series, or read a lot of Stephen KIng's books, for me the ending of the game was quite predictable. I mean, hooray, Max saved a person's life in the past. A person's who was meant to be dead. Destiny predicted it (in my opinion). And now, I'm imagining it, something will happen to Chloe. It's inevitable. Maybe she will die (I mean you save one life in the past, then destiny / death takes something else in the future, Even though that death isn't in this game at all (as a incarnated being)), maybe she will live, but will be in the wheelchair. And, guess what, I was right about it. I mean, if "SQUARE ENIX" really wanted to surprise the people playing this episode, they could have made it so Chloe was a OK. Hell, the whole family would be a OK. Now, that would be a real shocker. At least for me.
The graphics of the game were nice, just like always. However, I had trouble with lip-syncing. The timing between said words and the visual pronunciation was off. I don't know why, Maybe, I have to tweak graphics on my computer, but if the other two episodes were running smoothly on my computer with the same graphics options, then, this episode should also have ran smoothly. But it didn't.
OK, so now, what we should expect from episode 4? I mean, we all saw the synopsis of that episode. But in my opinion, Max will try to undo what she has done and cause some cataclysm, which shall eventually lead to the big ass tornado, which we all saw in episode 1.