This post is for the gaymers out there or the people who like to know that there’s LGBTQ content in every medium.
The specific medium we’re talking about? Video games.
This is a post that’s merging two stories into one, but they are both interesting stories that must be shared with you all.
First, Mass Effect: Andromeda has included a new gay male romance.
If you don’t know, the Mass Effect series is a four part video game series that has been going on since the late 2000s.
The games focus on a sci fi future where humanity has discovered the tools needed to explore and colonize the universe. As they did that, they discovered that they weren’t alone and met both good and bad aliens. Then, the gamer plays a military hero (who's gender can be chosen) who goes out with a motley crew to save all civilizations from an evil threat.
The newest game in the franchise was called Mass Effect: Andromeda and hit stores back in March. It introduced a new hero and plot in hopes to bring in players who didn't played the first three games.
Sadly, the gay male romances in Andromeda weren’t what was promised. One character is bland and the other is only a part of a few hours of gameplay. (Plus, the only transgender character in the game gets 3 minutes of conversation that ended up offending people).
But, the creators of the game have listened to complaints and have added a third gay male romance. The character is named Jaal and he’s an alien (the other two romances were human) that basically looks like the cross between a cat and a tentacle monster… (Personality-wise, he’s pretty cool though.)
Some players feel that adding another gay romance gives too much favor to gay gamers. That said, before the game came out data-miners discovered hidden code that hinted towards Jaal being a romance option for a gay male character. As such, this is really just adding a feature of the game that originally didn’t make the deadline.
In addition, the transgender character named Hainly Abrams has been tweaked to give her better interaction with the player.
The free 1.08 patch with both updates is available to install now. And, trailers for the game are included below.
The Male Character Trailer:
The Female Character Trailer:
Second, Life is Strange is getting a prequel.
It was announced a couple weeks ago that the hit indie game from last year was getting a sequel story.
That said, it was a surprise today at E3 (a video game expo where companies woo fans with trailers and info of upcoming games and tech) that there is in fact a prequel series in the works.
The original game starred high schooler and photographer Max Caulfield as she returned to her hometown after moving away for a few years.
She starts her day as normal, but when she goes to the school bathroom she witnesses her old best friend get shot. In her panic she finds out that she has the power to reverse time and is then forced into a complex adventure full of danger, mystery, and choices.
The trailer that released earlier today however shows that the prequel will follow the best friend named Chloe as she transitions into her punk rock persona from the original series.
In addition, the story will showcase the LGBTQ aspect that blossomed in the first story (but I won’t say any more in fear of spoiling any plot points).
Life is Strange: Before the Storm will release in segments with the first episode of three coming out August 31.
You can check out the surprise trailer down below.
