The Last of Us Part 2

Just look at that fluidity:

This is where the bar has been raised. ?

Fuck yeah, Rick. Agreed. You guys should not judge this game until you've played it through fully. I went in with no pre-formed opinions before playing the game (didnt look at any user reviews etc), and came out absolutely loving it. I am SO fucking confused by the reaction to this game, I really am. Personally, I think it's one of the best games of this generation. Maybe even one of the best stories in videogames, in terms of how it makes you re-frame the entire plot of the first game. Really powerful stuff.

And for the record, I actually was saying to my friends before we all played that I was not particularly excited about this game, either. I was bordering on feeling negative towards TLOU2. I really don't enjoy Uncharted, and I thought the first TLOU was only alright. This one blew me away. Completely unexpected.

Quote from PogoP

3 hours ago, PogoP said: I really don't enjoy Uncharted, and I thought the first TLOU was only alright.

How come you weren’t so impressed of the first one?

Quote from blackdog

3 hours ago, blackdog said: How come you weren’t so impressed of the first one?

I'm not sure. I played it a good couple of years after it came out, and I did enjoy it, but I just didn't find it as mindblowing as everyone was saying it was. I found the gameplay to be a bit... Average. But then, games move on so quickly, that maybe I'd already played a game that was inspired from The Last Of Us. Also I think I had overhead the ending and some other bits too, just through the grapevine kinda thing over the years. That's probably my main reason. There wasn't a lot of suspense for me, knowing some big plot points. I knew nothing about TLOU2, so everything came as a huge surprise.

I hope i can avoid spoiling too much until I have time to properly experience it. Just baffling seeing the shitshow on twitter regarding this game. Should probably block anything related to it just incase...

Yeah, im having to avoid absolutely everything about it to avoid spoilers.

No major spoilers ahead, but if you haven't played it and you want it to be a fresh experience just ignore this:

My conclusion is that tlou2 by itself is revolutionary piece of story telling, subverting the 'in group vs out group' thinking process, while reinforcing some very valuable lessons and themes like revenge is a fools game and such. And simultaneously it is a BAD squeal. While their are certain parallels you can try to point out between the two games that make them vaguely similar as far as the overarching narrative structure, the actual journey throughout part 2 is not a cohesive and gradual continuation of the first game. Ellie and joel are completely different people, and while i think the reasons for this are explained well and make sense, it's immediately polarizing at the start of the game and the flash back sequences don't do that transition justice. They did not EARN the bold moves in part 2 YET. I think part two should have taken place during the unraveling of joel and ellies relationship, all the while foreshadowing the inevitable tragedy that would be abby and ellies revenge plot entanglement that should have a part 3

@Soldat Du Christ even if not major use the spoiler tag/function, since we have it? Click on the eye in the formatting bar to generate the spoiler box

What is the point of a game that portrays what it forces you to do as evil? Is Naughty Dog going to give up violent games after this? Anything less just makes TLOU2's themes moot.

Game makes you do extreme violence -> Game shows how that extreme violence is senseless and how hero characters are monsters to others -> Game continues to make you do extreme violence and tell you how bad it is (despite them deliberately making several elements of killing quite flashy) -> Naughty Dog continues making violent games with tons of killing (probably, unless they do change).

What is the point? How does that make any sense at all? It's the age old meme in games of "can't you see what we force you to do is wrong??" It's like: Yes! Yes! This is all wrong! Why do you make me do it then? Just stop making these games if the message is that these actions are wrong! It's entirely contradictory.

Quote from darkbsp

On 7/11/2020 at 10:40 AM, darkbsp said: What is the point of a game that portrays what it forces you to do as evil? Is Naughty Dog going to give up violent games after this? Anything less just makes TLOU2's themes moot.

Game makes you do extreme violence -> Game shows how that extreme violence is senseless and how hero characters are monsters to others -> Game continues to make you do extreme violence and tell you how bad it is (despite them deliberately making several elements of killing quite flashy) -> Naughty Dog continues making violent games with tons of killing (probably, unless they do change).

What is the point? How does that make any sense at all? It's the age old meme in games of "can't you see what we force you to do is wrong??" It's like: Yes! Yes! This is all wrong! Why do you make me do it then? Just stop making these games if the message is that these actions are wrong! It's entirely contradictory.

Niel druckman said the message is "obsession will cost you everything" which is kind of ironic considering his obsession with trying to make an innovative story cost him his reputation

Quote from Soldat Du Christ

2 hours ago, Soldat Du Christ said: Niel druckman said the message is "obsession will cost you everything" which is kind of ironic considering his obsession with trying to make an innovative story cost him his reputation

Isn't tlou2 story about vengeance? How can that ever be innovative?

One thing is for certain... Last of Us 1 was one of my favourit games from the last generation. I've beat it twice on the PS3, and again on the PS4 when the remaster came out. Spent dozens of hours on it's multiplayer too, it was incredibly fresh and slower paced, the whole round felt like when in CS you're the only T alive with the bomb and there's a bunch CT's lurking somewhere waiting to fuck you up. So the whole package of this game was really good. The story was a little bit too blatantly close to Children of Men, but it was really well paced and I'm sure I've said it here in this forum a few times but that ending stayed in my mind for days if not weeks. One day I'd say to myself "nah... I would never make that decision", and in the other I'd say "but... I probably would though."

For this sequel though, I don't feel like playing it at all, from the trailers and footage I've seen it's really depressing, not the "STALKER" movie kind of depressive that gets under your skin, just the needlessly violent and gory depressive, where characters you know and love get murdered for shock value. I just... with the pandemic and everything that's going on in the world right now, really don't feel like going 30 straight hours feeling like shit.

Quote from [HP]

7 hours ago, [HP] said: Isn't tlou2 story about vengeance? How can that ever be innovative?

One thing is for certain... Last of Us 1 was one of my favourit games from the last generation. I've beat it twice on the PS3, and again on the PS4 when the remaster came out. Spent dozens of hours on it's multiplayer too, it was incredibly fresh and slower paced, the whole round felt like when in CS you're the only T alive with the bomb and there's a bunch CT's lurking somewhere waiting to fuck you up. So the whole package of this game was really good. The story was a little bit too blatantly close to Children of Men, but it was really well paced and I'm sure I've said it here in this forum a few times but that ending stayed in my mind for days if not weeks. One day I'd say to myself "nah... I would never make that decision", and in the other I'd say "but... I probably would though."

For this sequel though, I don't feel like playing it at all, from the trailers and footage I've seen it's really depressing, not the "STALKER" movie kind of depressive that gets under your skin, just the needlessly violent and gory depressive, where characters you know and love get murdered for shock value. I just... with the pandemic and everything that's going on in the world right now, really don't feel like going 30 straight hours feeling like shit.

See my previous comment, it's innovative because of how half the games budget was spent developing the second half of the game which nobody wanted but none the less was very compelling from a narrative structure point of view. Telling two complete sides of the same story in a video game is very innovative, and while there are many problems with the delivery that is to be expected from such ambition. You could even argue that it was doomed to fail from the start because of how much people loved the OG cast (myself included) but i can step outside of that and see what was trying to be accomplished and respect it

Quote from Soldat Du Christ

On 7/17/2020 at 12:02 AM, Soldat Du Christ said: Niel druckman said the message is "obsession will cost you everything" which is kind of ironic considering his obsession with trying to make an innovative story cost him his reputation

oh shit, Kneel Cuckman BTFO! he'll never recover!

Quote from [HP]

On 7/17/2020 at 2:06 AM, [HP] said: For this sequel though, I don't feel like playing it at all, from the trailers and footage I've seen it's really depressing, not the "STALKER" movie kind of depressive that gets under your skin, just the needlessly violent and gory depressive, where characters you know and love get murdered for shock value. I just... with the pandemic and everything that's going on in the world right now, really don't feel like going 30 straight hours feeling like shit.

maaan, stop watching videos and footage, it's gonna taint everything seeing it through the lens of someone else playing.

i'm as big a fan of the first game as you are, own it on both ps3 and ps4, multiple playthroughs, and the second game is brilliant and totally worth playing. all the shit espoused about how the story is destroying characters or betraying memories or a complete failure.. it's all bullshit, and it all comes from a crazy predictable space. just buy it, dedicate an hour to it and see if it doesn't completely grip you.

i give you the RICK'S SPECIAL GUARANTEE you'll enjoy it and it won't depress the shit out of you, much.

It's Jakey time

Quote from [HP]

On 7/16/2020 at 8:06 PM, [HP] said: with the pandemic and everything that's going on in the world right now, really don't feel like going 30 straight hours feeling like shit.

It really wasn't that bad. Yes, there were some very sad moments but overall it was just a really good game IMO.