I believe the only way to salvage the moral ambiguity of Joel's decision at the end of the first game would be to retcon the entire sequence by having a sudden revelation that Joel was dressed in a giant hotdog costume the entire time
You frequently see people interpret the second game as saying that Joel was a bad person and that his choice to take Ellie away from the Fir… moreeflies was evil or whatever.
And talk about Joel himself aside, I'm not exactly sure why people came away from the game with that impression.
I believe the only way to salvage the moral ambiguity of Joel's decision at the end of the first game would be to retcon the entire sequence by having a sudden revelation that Joel was dressed in a giant hotdog costume the entire time
Really doesn't come across like that to me. It is still painted as complex. The scenes at the end especially, with Joel's "I would do it all over again" and Ellie learning to move on from "I should've died in that hospital". You can interpret it that way though.
Me towards the rest of this thread about a game I didn’t finish
Kidding lol I read all of them and I appreciate the points you all made. I just can’t put forth that much mental energy towards the game anymore. If you like it that’s good though.
Owen is the one who told the whole group to spare Tommy and Ellie. When he meets Ellie again, he doesn't care to just reason with her. I'm not sure whose side he was on or he is just plain hypocrite.
Old black guy who was leading the WLF. He was in charge of the war efforts, he gave the greenlight for Abby & Owen's friends to go after Joel for some unspecified reason, and he apparently has something to do with what happened to the Oracle or whatever from Lev's island.
Owen doesn't care to just reason with her.
By the time she cornered them at the Aquarium, he was just talking about going after Abby & Yara and seemingly knew that Ellie & Tommy were going around killing their comrades. So when she shows up demanding Abby's location and points a gun at Mel, he figured she'd kill them if they just tell her straight away, had his one attempt to convince her when she targeted Mel shot down (not literally, yet, she just forced him to stay back and shut up), and basically goes into dad mode after she does outright threaten Mel.
Old black guy who was leading the WLF. He was in charge of the war efforts, he gave the greenlight for Abby & Owen's friends to go after Joel for some unspecified reason, and he apparently has something to do with what happened to the Oracle or whatever from Lev's island.
Oh, that guy whose only purpose in the game was to be an evil guy and....what else? If he was the main villain of the game, then he is one of the worst and most useless ever put in a game.
Old black guy who was leading the WLF. He was in charge of the war efforts, he gave the greenlight for Abby & Owen's friends to go after… more Joel for some unspecified reason, and he apparently has something to do with what happened to the Oracle or whatever from Lev's island.
Owen doesn't care to just reason with her.
By the time she cornered them at the Aquarium, he was just talking about going after Abby & Yara and seemingly knew that Ellie & Tommy were going around killing their comrades. So when she shows up demanding Abby's location and points a gun at Mel, he figured she'd kill them if they just tell her straight away, had his one attempt to convince her when she targeted Mel shot down (not literally, yet, she just forced him to stay back and shut up), and basically goes into dad mode after she does outright threaten Mel.
This game was outsold by Spider-Man Miles Morales. Kind of shocking (Like weren't we told that this game flopped at launched, even harder than Marvel's Avengers?) but good riddance nonetheless. Keep in mind that it's not because Spider-Man had a bigger name than TLOU, at least I don't think so. Marvel's Avengers is also a big name, yet the game flopped like hell when it launched and it barely has current players.
in mind that it's not because Spider-Man had a bigger name than TLOU,
I'm sure this is definitely because Spider-Man is a bigger name than TLOU.
TLOU never beat out the original title, too.
There's also the fact that I think Miles Morales was a launch title for the PS5, it became more of a must-buy title a lot of PS5 users would get into at launch.
This game was outsold by Spider-Man Miles Morales. Kind of shocking (Like weren't we told that this game flopped at launched, even harder th… morean Marvel's Avengers?) but good riddance nonetheless. Keep in mind that it's not because Spider-Man had a bigger name than TLOU, at least I don't think so. Marvel's Avengers is also a big name, yet the game flopped like hell when it launched and it barely has current players.
https://twitter.com/MatPiscatella/status/1383042870848851971
He originally had a little more backstory significance, but yeah, he's one of the many cases of major characters that don't really go anywhere in that game.
Old black guy who was leading the WLF. He was in charge of the war efforts, he gave the greenlight for Abby & Owen's friends to go after… more Joel for some unspecified reason, and he apparently has something to do with what happened to the Oracle or whatever from Lev's island.
Oh, that guy whose only purpose in the game was to be an evil guy and....what else? If he was the main villain of the game, then he is one of the worst and most useless ever put in a game.
The Last of Us: Part 3 Has a Plot, But It's Not Being Made... Yet
Naughty Dog has written a story outline for The Last of Us: Part 3, but isn't making the sequel right now. Creative director Neil Druckmann says he hopes it can "one day see the light of day."
Speaking on an episode of the Script Apart podcast about the writing of The Last of Us Part 2, Druckmann touched briefly on the possibility of a sequel:
"I don’t know how much I want to reveal... [co-writer Halley Gross] and I did write an outline for a story, that we're not making – but I hope one day can see the light of day – that explores a little bit what happens after this game. We’ll see.”
Druckmann says there's been "quite a bit" of discussion internally about a Part 3, but pointed out how much work is involved in making a game like this a reality: "These games take so much to make. [Part 2], I've been thinking about it for seven years, between when the last game came out and when this came out [...] You want to make sure you’re jazzed by the idea that you have, [that] it feels like it’s challenging.
The Last of Us: Part 3 Has a Plot, But It's Not Being Made... Yet
Naughty Dog has written a story outline for The Last of Us: Part 3, … morebut isn't making the sequel right now. Creative director Neil Druckmann says he hopes it can "one day see the light of day."
Speaking on an episode of the Script Apart podcast about the writing of The Last of Us Part 2, Druckmann touched briefly on the possibility of a sequel:
"I don’t know how much I want to reveal... [co-writer Halley Gross] and I did write an outline for a story, that we're not making – but I hope one day can see the light of day – that explores a little bit what happens after this game. We’ll see.”
Druckmann says there's been "quite a bit" of discussion internally about a Part 3, but pointed out how much work is involved in making a game like this a reality: "These games take so much to make. [Part 2], I've been thinking about it for seven years, between when the … [view original content]
Welp, there it is! I knew it would happen... Just not yet.
I'm glad they seem to be moving onto a different project in the meantime. Hopefully those remake rumors are false and we can see a new IP come out of the studio or something.
The Last of Us: Part 3 Has a Plot, But It's Not Being Made... Yet
Naughty Dog has written a story outline for The Last of Us: Part 3, … morebut isn't making the sequel right now. Creative director Neil Druckmann says he hopes it can "one day see the light of day."
Speaking on an episode of the Script Apart podcast about the writing of The Last of Us Part 2, Druckmann touched briefly on the possibility of a sequel:
"I don’t know how much I want to reveal... [co-writer Halley Gross] and I did write an outline for a story, that we're not making – but I hope one day can see the light of day – that explores a little bit what happens after this game. We’ll see.”
Druckmann says there's been "quite a bit" of discussion internally about a Part 3, but pointed out how much work is involved in making a game like this a reality: "These games take so much to make. [Part 2], I've been thinking about it for seven years, between when the … [view original content]
I am willing to believe that the remake is real, Jason Schreier broke the news I think, he's not always right but he's got a good track record when it comes to leaks.
If it is true though, Naughty Dog have their hands full, they've got Factions, Uncharted and The Last of Us remake all in the oven, they'll be good, but I worry about the staff...
Welp, there it is! I knew it would happen... Just not yet.
I'm glad they seem to be moving onto a different project in the meantime. Hopefully those remake rumors are false and we can see a new IP come out of the studio or something.
I think most of us knew TLOU3 is kind of inevitable but I hope it is more TLOU 3 than Part 3. I don't really feel narratively it makes much sense to continue Abby or Ellie's story. Probably Abby's more than Ellie's at this point, but still I think continuing with either of those characters takes away from the impact of part 2's ending. So I hope TLOU3 is more so a new story with new characters in the world.
The last game ended with her at her lowest, and that's pretty disheartening for fans of the character.
I'd say there's a high chance that they give Ellie one more story in a Part 3 and maybe continue with Abby again or someone new.
I think most of us knew TLOU3 is kind of inevitable but I hope it is more TLOU 3 than Part 3. I don't really feel narratively it makes much … moresense to continue Abby or Ellie's story. Probably Abby's more than Ellie's at this point, but still I think continuing with either of those characters takes away from the impact of part 2's ending. So I hope TLOU3 is more so a new story with new characters in the world.
I dont know about Ellie. A lot of the ending is really just about coming to terms with what happens in life and the choices you make in it. I feel Ellie's story is pretty much completed and I think it works best with us not knowing what really happens to her after. Does she go back to Jackson and Diana forgives her and she starts living a better life? Who knows, and I feel that is pretty much the point.
I still think there's more story for Ellie.
The last game ended with her at her lowest, and that's pretty disheartening for fans of the c… moreharacter.
I'd say there's a high chance that they give Ellie one more story in a Part 3 and maybe continue with Abby again or someone new.
I think most of us knew TLOU3 is kind of inevitable but I hope it is more TLOU 3 than Part 3. I don't really feel narratively it makes much … moresense to continue Abby or Ellie's story. Probably Abby's more than Ellie's at this point, but still I think continuing with either of those characters takes away from the impact of part 2's ending. So I hope TLOU3 is more so a new story with new characters in the world.
I hope that for Part III they make the gameplay very different. I don't think even ND themselves want it to feel like Part II. Obviously there can still be combat and setpieces, but I don't want the front cover to be angry Ellie again.
The Last of Us Movie Fell Apart Because It Was Too Action-Focused
The movie adaptation of The Last of Us fell apart because there was too much focus on big action set-pieces that did not suit the story, according to game director Neil Druckmann.
Talking to the Script Apart podcast, Druckmann said: “When I worked on the movie version, a lot of the thinking and notes were like ‘how do we make it bigger? How do we make the set pieces bigger?’”
Druckmann did not point fingers as to who in the studio system provided those notes, but he said that the approach was responsible for the film’s downfall. “It didn’t work for The Last of Us and I think that’s ultimately why the movie wasn’t made,” he said.
No kidding, lol. No matter what one's opinion on the game is, I definitely agree that the cover could have been better. Ellie grimacing with blood on her face makes it feel way more overly edgy than the game actually is.
I hope that for Part III they make the gameplay very different. I don't think even ND themselves want it to feel like Part II. Obviously there can still be combat and setpieces, but I don't want the front cover to be angry Ellie again.
Extras needed for ‘The Last of Us’ TV series filming in southern Alberta
According to Keep Alberta Rolling, a non-profit dedicated to spreading awareness about jobs in the film industry, anyone over the age of 18 can apply to the casting call for a chance to become an extra in the television series.
A Facebook post from the organization outlined the details, after it was contacted by the casting professionals to help spread the word... “They put an open casting call out to southern Alberta, for people who might be interested and might have days that they’re available to come out and be part of the fun, be part of the atmosphere,” said Brock Skretting, the head of advocacy and tourism.
The Last of Us production is scheduled to begin after the Canada Day long weekend and go until June 8, 2022.
Skretting said filming will be taking place in-and-around Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, High River, and Calgary, creating a lot of job opportunities for the region.
Extras needed for ‘The Last of Us’ TV series filming in southern Alberta
According to Keep Alberta Rolling, a non-profit dedicated to … morespreading awareness about jobs in the film industry, anyone over the age of 18 can apply to the casting call for a chance to become an extra in the television series.
A Facebook post from the organization outlined the details, after it was contacted by the casting professionals to help spread the word... “They put an open casting call out to southern Alberta, for people who might be interested and might have days that they’re available to come out and be part of the fun, be part of the atmosphere,” said Brock Skretting, the head of advocacy and tourism.
The Last of Us production is scheduled to begin after the Canada Day long weekend and go until June 8, 2022.
Skretting said filming will be taking place in-and-around Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, High River, and Calgary, creating a lot of… [view original content]
Once patch 1.08 for The Last of Us Part II is installed on your PS5, you will find a toggle in the Display options that allows you to choose between a Framerate Target of 30 FPS or 60 FPS. This allows you to choose your preferred framerate to complement the rest of the enhancements that are part of the PS5 backward compatibility with PS4 games, such as an enhanced resolution, faster load times, and more.
This is a great little twitter thread about an ex-Naughty Dog dev's work in animation (and how his experience in Theatre translated to his Game Dev job)
(There's a seperate comment elsewhere that compared Uncharted to Musicals -- where instead of songs it uses gunfights -- and it makes a lot of sense to me. haha )
The original Last of Us turned 8 today.
Bruce Straley wrote a very interesting retrospective on the design process of gameplay+story for the original game: Original Twitter Thread here
The relevance of June 14th wasn’t on my radar until I popped onto Twitter this morn. We had no idea the impact #TheLastofUs was going to have on the industry & our lives. But we had an idea for something no one had done in the story-driven AAA space before, so we went for it...
And I think ppl still don’t quite understand what’s special about TLOU. Not journos, not devs. It’s not story “VS” gameplay. It was story + gameplay. It was an honest attempt to marry story and interactivity - it was the sum of the parts that made the most powerful experience.
We truly tried to look at every moment of that game and ask how the interactive aspect of our medium could evoke emotions from the player, connections & empathy with the characters, and create more engagement with the situation.
We dissected story structure & character arcs, took as much story out of cutscenes that we could, & created huge chunks of playable story moments. We constantly asked ourselves “How can we make a more playable story?”
A testament to the success of this idea, is you cannot watch a “cutscene-only” YouTube video from the game & have the story make any sense. Without the gameplay sections, huge swaths of a character arcs & story beats are missing.
It was an honest effort to try to push our medium & show that if story & gameplay were considered w equal respect, that we could create something that’s never been played before.
That was our goal. All other ideas - which there are many - were there to service that one goal.
I’m super proud of what Neil & I & the whole team at Naughty Dog, were able to do. (Haters, please leave me out of your dumb wars.)
...and I think the industry still has so much more to discover about our medium. Let’s all keep searching!
Peace, love & video games!
As I mentioned I'm also a HUGE fan of The Last of Us. My brother got me Part 2 a year ago. And I was SUPER eager to play. I tried to avoid the spoilers and upon catching some snippets here and there, I ignored them. Then upon playing...
Where. Do. I. begin?
I should have stopped when I saw the infamous scene that shook many to their core but I kept playing. Upon finishing, I felt like a hollowed out version of myself. The graphics and gameplay were just like I remembered from the first, still remembered the skills necessary. But it was the muddled story and numerous character deaths. I got a feeling after finishing the game, an all too familar feeling. Like a knife into my fanheart and my soul. I was emotionally drained and soon upset. Part II REALLY did a number on me.
To the Naughty Dog company I say this:
They would probably counter by saying that it's expected for a sequel.
Me:
I wanted the next entry for Joel to have some sort of ramification of his actions, but not like this! And all the death and violence, it feels like hope is overshadowed. And the concept of revenge was used too much.
Naughty Dog had years to make this sequel, I had hopes, high hopes and expectations...
AND THIS IS WHAT MY FAITH IS REWARDED WITH?!!!!!
Naughty Dog, you broke my heart, just like other media enterprises and companies,
I was shaken for a good week or so before I got back to normal. I donated Part II to a GameStop the first chance I got. Few days later, I purchased The Last of Us Remastered and played it with gusto.
Some will ask why?
Me:
I loved The Last of Us and Part II has left me gutted, figuratively and emotionally.
I grow concerned for its future, for I feel I don't want to be a part of it.
If I want to remember this fantastic game, I'll stick with the fantastic first one and the Left Behind DLC.
Maybe there's a fan fiction somewhere that does it's followup justice.
Glad to here that I'm not the only one disappointed. Joel's death isn't the main problem in the sequel in my case. The story itself is just plain boring. The character development is barely there, the way the character arcs are paid off are just lazy and poorly executed and there are so many character moments that just happen for no reason other than moving the story forward. Not to mention, this game had no reason to be 25 hours long, it's filled with filler chapters that serve no purpose to the story and just make the gameplay more repetitive.
As I mentioned I'm also a HUGE fan of The Last of Us. My brother got me Part 2 a year ago. And I was SUPER eager to play. I tried to avoi… mored the spoilers and upon catching some snippets here and there, I ignored them. Then upon playing...
Where. Do. I. begin?
I should have stopped when I saw the infamous scene that shook many to their core but I kept playing. Upon finishing, I felt like a hollowed out version of myself. The graphics and gameplay were just like I remembered from the first, still remembered the skills necessary. But it was the muddled story and numerous character deaths. I got a feeling after finishing the game, an all too familar feeling. Like a knife into my fanheart and my soul. I was emotionally drained and soon upset. Part II REALLY did a number on me.
To the Naughty Dog company I say this:
They would probably counter by saying that it's expected for a sequel.
Me:
I wanted the next entry for Joel… [view original content]
Glad to here that I'm not the only one disappointed. Joel's death isn't the main problem in the sequel in my case. The story itself is just … moreplain boring. The character development is barely there, the way the character arcs are paid off are just lazy and poorly executed and there are so many character moments that just happen for no reason other than moving the story forward. Not to mention, this game had no reason to be 25 hours long, it's filled with filler chapters that serve no purpose to the story and just make the gameplay more repetitive.
chiming in for no particular reason to say i'm once again replaying the last of us 2 and i have once again fallen in love with everything about it. also replayed tlou1 and love it even more. great games.
GamesIndustry.biz, (more specifically, Ollie Jones, who is writing for GamesIndustry.biz) has wrote a piece where they describe The Last of Us Part II as being better for not giving players exactly what they want, which is a sentiment I agree with in general when it comes to entertainment, the player should be thought of, but not have every single thing handed to them, it's not realistic, life doesn't work like that.
Comments
What, when they have Joel or when she corners them later?
I believe the only way to salvage the moral ambiguity of Joel's decision at the end of the first game would be to retcon the entire sequence by having a sudden revelation that Joel was dressed in a giant hotdog costume the entire time
les goooooo RG with the 6 likes truth bomb yo 100
Finally, some actual high tier conversation in here.
Really doesn't come across like that to me. It is still painted as complex. The scenes at the end especially, with Joel's "I would do it all over again" and Ellie learning to move on from "I should've died in that hospital". You can interpret it that way though.
Me towards the rest of this thread about a game I didn’t finish
Kidding lol I read all of them and I appreciate the points you all made. I just can’t put forth that much mental energy towards the game anymore. If you like it that’s good though.
Joel's dead within the first hour or so, dude.
Isaac is a much better fit despite only appearing twice in person.
Who is Isaac?
I meant psychologically.
Owen is the one who told the whole group to spare Tommy and Ellie. When he meets Ellie again, he doesn't care to just reason with her. I'm not sure whose side he was on or he is just plain hypocrite.
Old black guy who was leading the WLF. He was in charge of the war efforts, he gave the greenlight for Abby & Owen's friends to go after Joel for some unspecified reason, and he apparently has something to do with what happened to the Oracle or whatever from Lev's island.
By the time she cornered them at the Aquarium, he was just talking about going after Abby & Yara and seemingly knew that Ellie & Tommy were going around killing their comrades. So when she shows up demanding Abby's location and points a gun at Mel, he figured she'd kill them if they just tell her straight away, had his one attempt to convince her when she targeted Mel shot down (not literally, yet, she just forced him to stay back and shut up), and basically goes into dad mode after she does outright threaten Mel.
Oh, that guy whose only purpose in the game was to be an evil guy and....what else? If he was the main villain of the game, then he is one of the worst and most useless ever put in a game.
This game was outsold by Spider-Man Miles Morales. Kind of shocking (Like weren't we told that this game flopped at launched, even harder than Marvel's Avengers?) but good riddance nonetheless. Keep in mind that it's not because Spider-Man had a bigger name than TLOU, at least I don't think so. Marvel's Avengers is also a big name, yet the game flopped like hell when it launched and it barely has current players.
Well, Miles Morales outsold TLOU2 just now.
And I have no idea where your claims that TLOU2 flopped are coming from.
(EDIT: Ah, wait, you're talking about Miles Morales. Nevermind)
TLOU2 sold more than 4 million copies in 2 days from launch, becoming the fastest-selling PS4 title at the time.
The game sold incredibly well.
In 2 months, it quickly became the third-highest grossing Playstation title in the US, only dwarfed by Spider-Man and God of War.
It was also the best-selling Playstation exclusive of 2020.
I'm sure this is definitely because Spider-Man is a bigger name than TLOU.
TLOU never beat out the original title, too.
There's also the fact that I think Miles Morales was a launch title for the PS5, it became more of a must-buy title a lot of PS5 users would get into at launch.
He originally had a little more backstory significance, but yeah, he's one of the many cases of major characters that don't really go anywhere in that game.
The Last of Us: Part 3 Has a Plot, But It's Not Being Made... Yet
Link to Article: https://www.ign.com/articles/the-last-of-us-part-3-has-a-plot-but-its-not-being-made-yet
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
...
Welp, there it is! I knew it would happen... Just not yet.
I'm glad they seem to be moving onto a different project in the meantime. Hopefully those remake rumors are false and we can see a new IP come out of the studio or something.
I am willing to believe that the remake is real, Jason Schreier broke the news I think, he's not always right but he's got a good track record when it comes to leaks.
If it is true though, Naughty Dog have their hands full, they've got Factions, Uncharted and The Last of Us remake all in the oven, they'll be good, but I worry about the staff...
I think most of us knew TLOU3 is kind of inevitable but I hope it is more TLOU 3 than Part 3. I don't really feel narratively it makes much sense to continue Abby or Ellie's story. Probably Abby's more than Ellie's at this point, but still I think continuing with either of those characters takes away from the impact of part 2's ending. So I hope TLOU3 is more so a new story with new characters in the world.
I still think there's more story for Ellie.
The last game ended with her at her lowest, and that's pretty disheartening for fans of the character.
I'd say there's a high chance that they give Ellie one more story in a Part 3 and maybe continue with Abby again or someone new.
I dont know about Ellie. A lot of the ending is really just about coming to terms with what happens in life and the choices you make in it. I feel Ellie's story is pretty much completed and I think it works best with us not knowing what really happens to her after. Does she go back to Jackson and Diana forgives her and she starts living a better life? Who knows, and I feel that is pretty much the point.
That bit in the Australian basement or whatever did seem like setup for an Abby and Lev DLC, now that you mention it.
Gamesradar have an article up about an alternate Ending for The Last of Us Part II.
I have read a little bit of it but that's about it, I don't have a PS4 or a PS5 so I'll probably experience The Last of Us through YouTube.
https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/the-last-of-us-2-originally-had-a-darker-ending/
I hope that for Part III they make the gameplay very different. I don't think even ND themselves want it to feel like Part II. Obviously there can still be combat and setpieces, but I don't want the front cover to be angry Ellie again.
The Last of Us Movie Fell Apart Because It Was Too Action-Focused
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ign.com/articles/the-last-of-us-movie-fell-apart-because-it-was-too-action-focused?amp=1
No kidding, lol. No matter what one's opinion on the game is, I definitely agree that the cover could have been better. Ellie grimacing with blood on her face makes it feel way more overly edgy than the game actually is.
Extras needed for ‘The Last of Us’ TV series filming in southern Alberta
SOURCE: https://globalnews.ca/news/7856929/hbo-the-last-of-us-tv-series-extras-casting/amp/
What I wouldn't give to be a part of that...
but damn, I'm busy with other important stuff.
The Last of Us Part II can now run at 60FPS on the PlayStation 5
It's funny how watching review channels nowadays can reveal some peculiarities you might not have noticed otherwise
Thanks Mark
Here's something fun.
Merle Dandridge, who played Marlene in the game series, will be reprising her role in the TV series!
via Hollywood Reporter
This is a great little twitter thread about an ex-Naughty Dog dev's work in animation (and how his experience in Theatre translated to his Game Dev job)
)
(There's a seperate comment elsewhere that compared Uncharted to Musicals -- where instead of songs it uses gunfights -- and it makes a lot of sense to me. haha
RELOADS: "Cheating Out" the animations. Notice how the reloads always get pulled to the right of the character.
The original Last of Us turned 8 today.
Bruce Straley wrote a very interesting retrospective on the design process of gameplay+story for the original game:
Original Twitter Thread here
As I mentioned I'm also a HUGE fan of The Last of Us. My brother got me Part 2 a year ago. And I was SUPER eager to play. I tried to avoid the spoilers and upon catching some snippets here and there, I ignored them. Then upon playing...
Where. Do. I. begin?
I should have stopped when I saw the infamous scene that shook many to their core but I kept playing. Upon finishing, I felt like a hollowed out version of myself. The graphics and gameplay were just like I remembered from the first, still remembered the skills necessary. But it was the muddled story and numerous character deaths. I got a feeling after finishing the game, an all too familar feeling. Like a knife into my fanheart and my soul. I was emotionally drained and soon upset. Part II REALLY did a number on me.
To the Naughty Dog company I say this:
They would probably counter by saying that it's expected for a sequel.
Me:
I wanted the next entry for Joel to have some sort of ramification of his actions, but not like this! And all the death and violence, it feels like hope is overshadowed. And the concept of revenge was used too much.
Naughty Dog had years to make this sequel, I had hopes, high hopes and expectations...
AND THIS IS WHAT MY FAITH IS REWARDED WITH?!!!!!
Naughty Dog, you broke my heart, just like other media enterprises and companies,
I was shaken for a good week or so before I got back to normal. I donated Part II to a GameStop the first chance I got. Few days later, I purchased The Last of Us Remastered and played it with gusto.
Some will ask why?
Me:
I loved The Last of Us and Part II has left me gutted, figuratively and emotionally.
I grow concerned for its future, for I feel I don't want to be a part of it.
If I want to remember this fantastic game, I'll stick with the fantastic first one and the Left Behind DLC.
Maybe there's a fan fiction somewhere that does it's followup justice.
Glad to here that I'm not the only one disappointed. Joel's death isn't the main problem in the sequel in my case. The story itself is just plain boring. The character development is barely there, the way the character arcs are paid off are just lazy and poorly executed and there are so many character moments that just happen for no reason other than moving the story forward. Not to mention, this game had no reason to be 25 hours long, it's filled with filler chapters that serve no purpose to the story and just make the gameplay more repetitive.
All points you've said, I agree wholeheartedly.
I'm ashamed to have every played it. It's one of those things I WISH to have been spoiled on.
The Last of Us had potential and promise and now...
chiming in for no particular reason to say i'm once again replaying the last of us 2 and i have once again fallen in love with everything about it. also replayed tlou1 and love it even more. great games.
GamesIndustry.biz, (more specifically, Ollie Jones, who is writing for GamesIndustry.biz) has wrote a piece where they describe The Last of Us Part II as being better for not giving players exactly what they want, which is a sentiment I agree with in general when it comes to entertainment, the player should be thought of, but not have every single thing handed to them, it's not realistic, life doesn't work like that.
To get back on track, I thought it was a good read for something I am not all caught up with, so I thought to myself, "this would be much better for those who have played the game, to those who enjoyed it, maybe it'll help them appreciate the game more, and for those who don't, maybe it'll show them a different perspective", so if anyone fancies a read, by all means, follow the link: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-07-01-the-last-of-us-part-2-is-better-for-not-giving-players-what-they-want-why-i-love