Deciding not to play this any further until I get myself an OLED TV next month. I’ll have TLOU2, Ghost of Tsushima, Spider-man, God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn to play through for the first time before PS5 arrives and on a new OLED. Not a bad way to say goodbye to the current gen.
Do not play the 2nd game if you haven’t played the first. Believe me, this is one of those games you don’t want to miss playing. It’s one of the best Sony exclusives .
Just finished the game. Took 30 hours on Survivor.
Parts that I like
1. Animation and graphics are one of the best in gaming. Considering it was built for PS4 which is 7 year old, Naughty Dogs are absolutely genius for what they done here.
2. Combat system is better than first. It's engaging and quite frantic some times.
3. Music like the first game is top notch. Clickers are frightening and combat area music is one of the best I have ever experienced.
4. Enemy AI is good and those Scars and Silent zombie are quite challenging on Survivor mode.
All in all , great game but I don't think it deserves such high rating. If Story had lived up to all other aspects, it would have been a masterpiece.
Abby's character arc was way too long and I didn't find it interesting. It had some great moments, but it still didn't matter considering she was the enemy for like first 60% of the game. Game should have ended at Ellie's arc.
Trying to show Abby's character arc really didn't matter as I still wanted to kill her at the end. And that ending when Ellie went so far and still let her leave was just so disappointing. Abby should have died for what she did to Joel. Abbey literally clubbed Joel to death in front of Ellie's eyes and letting her go was so stupid way of breaking the cycle of violence. No one in real world would have done what Ellie did. Abby was bit so atleast she won't live.
Also some of the choices character took was so bad. Like that lady who looked like 6-7 months pregnant asked to go on supply run but Dina was not able to go because she was pregnant? Seeing that lady jump used to make me feel nervous.
Also Abby love arc was so pointless. It looked forced. Large amount of game time was spent to garner some sympathy for Abby. But after what was shown earlier, it didn't matter. Joel did what he did to protect Ellie, Abby did for revenge.
The one thing I really do have a gripe with, is every single person you kill who has a gun should have a bullet to steal - it would make the game too easy, but what are they doing walking around with an empty gun?
Abby's character arc was way too long and I didn't find it interesting. It had some great moments, but it still didn't matter considering she was the enemy for like first 60% of the game. Game should have ended at Ellie's arc.
Trying to show Abby's character arc really didn't matter as I still wanted to kill her at the end. And that ending when Ellie went so far and still let her leave was just so disappointing. Abby should have died for what she did to Joel. Abbey literally clubbed Joel to death in front of Ellie's eyes and letting her go was so stupid way of breaking the cycle of violence. No one in real world would have done what Ellie did. Abby was bit so atleast she won't live.
Also some of the choices character took was so bad. Like that lady who looked like 6-7 months pregnant asked to go on supply run but Dina was not able to go because she was pregnant? Seeing that lady jump used to make me feel nervous.
Also Abby love arc was so pointless. It looked forced. Large amount of game time was spent to garner some sympathy for Abby. But after what was shown earlier, it didn't matter. Joel did what he did to protect Ellie, Abby did for revenge.
I don’t know if I really agree, I didn’t want to kill Abby at all after seeing her story. I mean Joel killed her father and stopped the world having a chance to develop a vaccine. Why would you forgive Ellie for going for revenge, but not Abby? I also think Ellie was conflicted in what she wanted, she was about to let them go originally and then when she had the chance I think she thought of what Joel would do. If Joel did what he did to protect Ellie, then Ellie should also not be fuelled by revenge. The main theme is that revenge inspires a cycle of violence, Ellie finally broke the cycle. Throughout the game you see her grappling with what she is doing. Realising that what she’s doing is murdering mostly innocent people who are all just trying to survive.
Also I don’t think Abby was bit. When the prisoners say ‘she’s bit!’ They’re referring Ellie’s bite in her hand that she got when she first met the Rattlers.
I thought the story was great and the changing of viewpoint was super interesting, but it all depends on how much you sympathise with Abby. In the final fight I was almost screaming at Ellie to stop.
The one thing I really do have a gripe with, is every single person you kill who has a gun should have a bullet to steal - it would make the game too easy, but what are they doing walking around with an empty gun?
Just finished the game. Took 30 hours on Survivor.
Parts that I like
1. Animation and graphics are one of the best in gaming. Considering it was built for PS4 which is 7 year old, Naughty Dogs are absolutely genius for what they done here.
2. Combat system is better than first. It's engaging and quite frantic some times.
3. Music like the first game is top notch. Clickers are frightening and combat area music is one of the best I have ever experienced.
4. Enemy AI is good and those Scars and Silent zombie are quite challenging on Survivor mode.
All in all , great game but I don't think it deserves such high rating. If Story had lived up to all other aspects, it would have been a masterpiece.
Abby's character arc was way too long and I didn't find it interesting. It had some great moments, but it still didn't matter considering she was the enemy for like first 60% of the game. Game should have ended at Ellie's arc.
Trying to show Abby's character arc really didn't matter as I still wanted to kill her at the end. And that ending when Ellie went so far and still let her leave was just so disappointing. Abby should have died for what she did to Joel. Abbey literally clubbed Joel to death in front of Ellie's eyes and letting her go was so stupid way of breaking the cycle of violence. No one in real world would have done what Ellie did. Abby was bit so atleast she won't live.
Also some of the choices character took was so bad. Like that lady who looked like 6-7 months pregnant asked to go on supply run but Dina was not able to go because she was pregnant? Seeing that lady jump used to make me feel nervous.
Also Abby love arc was so pointless. It looked forced. Large amount of game time was spent to garner some sympathy for Abby. But after what was shown earlier, it didn't matter. Joel did what he did to protect Ellie, Abby did for revenge.
Completely agree about Abby. I really didn't care abou her or her story and basically we have to play half the game as her. For me
TLOU is all about Ellie and Joel, and if they had introduce a new main character they could have done so much better than Abby. Seeing her get fecked in ass was the most disturbing moment in the game though
Just finished the game. Took 30 hours on Survivor.
Parts that I like
1. Animation and graphics are one of the best in gaming. Considering it was built for PS4 which is 7 year old, Naughty Dogs are absolutely genius for what they done here.
2. Combat system is better than first. It's engaging and quite frantic some times.
3. Music like the first game is top notch. Clickers are frightening and combat area music is one of the best I have ever experienced.
4. Enemy AI is good and those Scars and Silent zombie are quite challenging on Survivor mode.
All in all , great game but I don't think it deserves such high rating. If Story had lived up to all other aspects, it would have been a masterpiece.
Abby's character arc was way too long and I didn't find it interesting. It had some great moments, but it still didn't matter considering she was the enemy for like first 60% of the game. Game should have ended at Ellie's arc.
Trying to show Abby's character arc really didn't matter as I still wanted to kill her at the end. And that ending when Ellie went so far and still let her leave was just so disappointing. Abby should have died for what she did to Joel. Abbey literally clubbed Joel to death in front of Ellie's eyes and letting her go was so stupid way of breaking the cycle of violence. No one in real world would have done what Ellie did. Abby was bit so atleast she won't live.
Also some of the choices character took was so bad. Like that lady who looked like 6-7 months pregnant asked to go on supply run but Dina was not able to go because she was pregnant? Seeing that lady jump used to make me feel nervous.
Also Abby love arc was so pointless. It looked forced. Large amount of game time was spent to garner some sympathy for Abby. But after what was shown earlier, it didn't matter. Joel did what he did to protect Ellie, Abby did for revenge.
Completely agree about Abby. I really didn't care abou her or her story and basically we have to play half the game as her. For me
TLOU is all about Ellie and Joel, and if they had introduce a new main character they could have done so much better than Abby. Seeing her get fecked in ass was the most disturbing moment in the game though
Aye, that is why so many are angry about this game, lazy and rushed writing made just for shock value. Abby is really bad character, you can't just introduce someone and try to make people be sympathetic towards it after she killed fan favorite in most brutal and distasteful way possible.
Maybe if they made TLOU2 separate game about Abby and her group so they have room to build the characters, and then make this revenge shock value game with third one. Many might feel different.
And yeah, that sex scene is indeed disturbing, did you know they said beforehand how they are excited to show "tasteful" sex scene they made in the game? Wtf?!
It took about 100 tries I guess. I almost gave up and thought of lowering it to atleast hard. Basically put him in that one room to the left after the hall and just ran around him till he died. Had supplies so i didn't need too many rounds for supplies. Needed two or three times to get supplies on the right side room. That other guy was pain in the ass though but if you dodge and hit bloater once, he will run away.
It took about 100 tries I guess. I almost gave up and thought of lowering it to atleast hard. Basically put him in that one room to the left after the hall and just ran around him till he died. Had supplies so i didn't need too many rounds for supplies. Needed two or three times to get supplies on the right side room. That other guy was pain in the ass though but if you dodge and hit bloater once, he will run away.
I really suck at gaming, I lowered the difficulty to very light when I fought him and I died like 30-40 times, had very little ammo left to fight him since I didnt anticipate it.
I don’t know if I really agree, I didn’t want to kill Abby at all after seeing her story. I mean Joel killed her father and stopped the world having a chance to develop a vaccine. Why would you forgive Ellie for going for revenge, but not Abby? I also think Ellie was conflicted in what she wanted, she was about to let them go originally and then when she had the chance I think she thought of what Joel would do. If Joel did what he did to protect Ellie, then Ellie should also not be fuelled by revenge. The main theme is that revenge inspires a cycle of violence, Ellie finally broke the cycle. Throughout the game you see her grappling with what she is doing. Realising that what she’s doing is murdering mostly innocent people who are all just trying to survive.
Also I don’t think Abby was bit. When the prisoners say ‘she’s bit!’ They’re referring Ellie’s bite in her hand that she got when she first met the Rattlers.
I thought the story was great and the changing of viewpoint was super interesting, but it all depends on how much you sympathise with Abby. In the final fight I was almost screaming at Ellie to stop.
It was not that Abby took revenge. It's how she went about it. Clubbing Joel to death mercilessly showed what a monster she is. Ellie literally pleaded and Abby just dealt the final blow in front of her eyes. I understand her need for vengeance but this was so much more than that.
Joel actions were justified. He pleaded with Fireflies to let Ellie go. When they refused, he did what any one of us will do for our loved ones. There is a reason why people are not injected with virus to check if vaccine is working or not. It's immoral to do that in present world. Since this was post apocalyptic world, Fireflies were desperate. But Joel was desperate too and this was the only way to get justice in that world. It's not like Joel enjoyed killing them. On the hand, Abby let her rage take over and even when someone was pleading in front of her, she didn't stop.
Her character arc failed to hit home with me even though it was properly executed and had some great moments ( after she got captured by Scars). I just can't sympathize with people who had brutally murdered someone even if it was justified. She could have just killed him and went away and the story would have worked. But Ellie letting her go after seeing her torcher Joel to death, that is something not easy to digest.
Also I don't agree that Ellie's forgiveness was coming. There is not a single instance when Ellie even contemplates going back. Even at the end she lefts Jesse and goes after her on boat. She sounds disappointed when Tommy and Jesse asks her to go back.
One thing more that really pissed me off is that they shat over Tommy. Tommy was the one who convinced her to go back. But again for justifying that Ellie didn't want to go and was forced into this, they ruin Tommy character arc.
It was not that Abby took revenge. It's how she went about it. Clubbing Joel to death mercilessly showed what a monster she is. Ellie literally pleaded and Abby just dealt the final blow in front of her eyes. I understand her need for vengeance but this was so much more than that.
Joel actions were justified. He pleaded with Fireflies to let Ellie go. When they refused, he did what any one of us will do for our loved ones. There is a reason why people are not injected with virus to check if vaccine is working or not. It's immoral to do that in present world. Since this was post apocalyptic world, Fireflies were desperate. But Joel was desperate too and this was the only way to get justice in that world. It's not like Joel enjoyed killing them. On the hand, Abby let her rage take over and even when someone was pleading in front of her, she didn't stop.
Her character arc reinforced failed to hit home with me even though it was properly executed and had some great moments ( after she got captured by Scars). I just can't sympathize with people who had brutally murdered someone even if it was justified. She could have just killed him and went away and the story would have worked. But Ellie letting her go after seeing her torcher Joel to death, that is something not easy to digest.
Also I don't agree that Ellie's forgiveness was coming. There is not a single instance when Ellie even contemplates going back. Even at the end she lefts Jesse and goes after her on boat. She sounds disappointed when Tommy and Jesse asks her to go back.
One thing more that really pissed me off is that they shat over Tommy. Tommy was the one who convinced her to go back. But again for justifying that Ellie didn't want to go and was forced into this, they ruin Tommy character arc.
Also Abby is like really really ugly!. I felt disgusted looking at her all the time. Her sex scene is giving me nightmares! She reminds of a really ugly girl in college who I was really nice too because she was unpopular because she was ugly, then she fell in love with me because I was nice to her. She didn't understand no for an answer, so I had to yell at her like a thousands times "You're not really my type!".
I really suck at gaming, I lowered the difficulty to very light when I fought him and I died like 30-40 times, had very little ammo left to fight him since I didnt anticipate it.
I just got lucky that I had supplies. I usually play stealh so I don't shoot anyone if I can save it. In that apartment when you are descending down, I just killed one clicker and sneaked out from the left. That saved so much ammo. Also I think player damage won't really matter here as 1 hit from that monster and you are dead. Lowering the difficulty was the only way if you don't have supplies. Took me best part of 2-3 hours to kill it even with all my ammo and supplies.
[SPOILER
I’m about 10 hours in & finding it a bit boring. Hopefully gets better.
Killing Joel so early was a surprise, but a poor decision for the story. I loved the first game because of their interactions & how their relationship grew as the game progressed. Not really feeling that same level of depth with the new characters.
People saying Joel was killed too early in the game, what would you have liked to see? Given Jackson was a settle place, the only thing they could've done was have Joel and Ellie go on patrols before Joel is killed. I think people would have found it boring to just go on patrols for the first half of the game. And as TLOU is Ellie's story, I think it was the right decision to set up her motivation as early as possible. And making Joel's death brutal and right in front of Ellie, made her motivation even more pertinent.
Just finished it so please dont read unless finished
I thought Joels death was handled epically in this universe that Naughty Dog has created. I just replayed the first one this week and at the end of it, he's not really a protagonist. He's a cold savage who will do anything to survive. This game does a brilliant job in portraying the other side of the coin. Yes Abbys story arc was a little too long for me, could have done without going to the island and all of that, but the flashback scenes with her dad really hit home and at the end of the game where you fight Ellie, I didn't want to pick up the controller. Ellie become a monster in my eyes and I couldn't believe what she turned into, she got lost in revenge and it was disgusting to see. Poor girl, she had Dina and JJ, looked like she was going to settle down. Just threw it away.
Still has that same bullshit of "being quiet" then every cnut banging doors, shouting each other, smashing glasses. Really takes me out of the immersion of the game.
Just finished it so please dont read unless finished
I thought Joels death was handled epically in this universe that Naughty Dog has created. I just replayed the first one this week and at the end of it, he's not really a protagonist. He's a cold savage who will do anything to survive. This game does a brilliant job in portraying the other side of the coin. Yes Abbys story arc was a little too long for me, could have done without going to the island and all of that, but the flashback scenes with her dad really hit home and at the end of the game where you fight Ellie, I didn't want to pick up the controller. Ellie become a monster in my eyes and I couldn't believe what she turned into, she got lost in revenge and it was disgusting to see. Poor girl, she had Dina and JJ, looked like she was going to settle down. Just threw it away.
I think you are being extremely unfair on Joel. Joel survived 20 years post pandemic world when no law and order was there. I guess only likes of Joel can survive that world. Calling him cold savage killer without context is not fair at all. You can see from where he started and how he end up.
His decision to storm that hospital was because Ellie would have died if they went ahead with the procedure. Considering Ellie was 14, it was easy to manipulate her feelings to make her feel that giving up her life was correct decision. Joel obviously cared and loved her like his daughter, and it would have been impossible for him to live with the fact that he actually transported her to her death. He did actually plead to supposed "good guys" who actually do the same thing of killing people to survive, but they refused and took his gear and threatened to kill him. Joel did what any one of us will do to save Ellie. That's why people are upset over the sheer brutality of that scene.
I agree to have Ellie as playable character you need to kill Joel or make him disappear. But that revenge was extremely savage and considering the last blow was right in front of Ellie's eyes makes it even more brutal. That's why people find it extremely difficult to connect with Abby as a character even though her story arc is good.
We all care more about the people we love. The ones we do love are not perfect but we are happy to ignore their faults. Joel was one of the most loved character and considering the way he died and Abby spitting on his corpse, was way too brutal and no matter what Abby's reason was, people who love Joel will never warm up to her. If Abby had just killed him and went back, I may have been okay with this breaking of violence cycle story arc. But she made it personal and letting her go was disappointing. Abby's doc lady friend who was pregnant, really summed it up who she was, a monster. She didn't deserve any sympathy for the way she went about her revenge. She didn't even flinch when Ellie was pleading to let Joel go.
I have been thinking about it since I finished it yesterday. As time pass you will acknowledge what they have achieved here. My initial reaction to it was the feeling of disappointment and I can't just shake it off. It's an emotional rollercoaster ride.
So I haven’t been able to play a great deal of this but will give it a good go this week. I’m about 3-4 hours in. Just reached Seattle and experienced the big event that I assume was the catalyst for all the hate and shit this game got before it even released:
Obviously talking about the death of Joel. It hurt. I love Joel just like everybody else I think. It’s not just the fact that they killed him, but HOW they killed him. Brutal way to fo out. My heart rate was going leading up to this and they did a great job of ratcheting up the tension. You just knew something was going to happen.
I got to be honest, I don’t hate it. I don’t like the fact that they killed him, but I don’t hate the decision to do so. If that makes sense. To me, it makes perfect sense. This is a brutal word and Joel has done some fecked up stuff and screwed a lot of people over. It was only a matter of time before it came back to haunt him. If this is why people were incensed to the point go behaving like bellends, then I just stick to my original opinion of it being overblown. If this isn’t the reason why people were pissed, then please don’t say. I haven’t read the leaks and don’t want to know. I’m only 4 hours into the game so I have only just scratched the surface.
Speaking more generally now. I thought the game looked good before while not being mind-blowing. But now I’m in Seattle I think it’s possibly the best looking game on the console. Red Dead (which is a game I DON’T like at all) is a great looking game, but for me, this one beats it. Sound design is also on point. Exceptional. Also, the performances are superb Can’t wait to play some more tonight.
I'm only about 90 minutes in and I need to sleep, but it's looking good so far.
The new characters seem pretty decent, Abby seems like she's going to be fun to play as more since she just punches everything in her way. I'm also glad that they showed a little bit when Joel and Ellie were younger, I never like sudden time speed ups in games without any story development. Maybe it's just me though but it doesn't look as "wow" as I thought it was going be on Pro.
I agree with you about Abby. I like her as a character. Very interested to see more of her. I also thought the beginning was a nice little touch with Ellie and Joel. That was a nice moment. In terms of how the game looks, I was similar to you in that I thought the game looked good but not mindblowing. But when you get to other areas it really does improve dramatically (for me it did anyway). It just sort of clicked and I thought "oh, this is why the game was getting so much praise for looking so good" Be interested to see if you think the same.
well we all knew Joel did a lot of bad things before he met Ellie, hell even when he did meet her he did a lot of bad things too. His death was horrible but it sounds like he's done just as bad to others.
I'm sad he's dead but you can't say he didn't have it coming, either. Plus in a sequel about revenge he was always going to die!
Agreed. I can't believe this was the event that made every go ballistic and started calling it lazy and bad writing, etc. It's what I said above. The guy did some bad shit and screwed over loads of people. In this world, it was a matter of time. It makes perfect sense. You could see it in his face. He knew it was a matter of time. That said, I'm fecking gutted he's gone! I loved Joel. I thought they done a terrific job of ratcheting up the tension, though. My heart was going a million mile an hour
So I haven’t been able to play a great deal of this but will give it a good go this week. I’m about 3-4 hours in. Just reached Seattle and experienced the big event that I assume was the catalyst for all the hate and shit this game got before it even released:
Obviously talking about the death of Joel. It hurt. I love Joel just like everybody else I think. It’s not just the fact that they killed him, but HOW they killed him. Brutal way to fo out. My heart rate was going leading up to this and they did a great job of ratcheting up the tension. You just knew something was going to happen.
I got to be honest, I don’t hate it. I don’t like the fact that they killed him, but I don’t hate the decision to do so. If that makes sense. To me, it makes perfect sense. This is a brutal word and Joel has done some fecked up stuff and screwed a lot of people over. It was only a matter of time before it came back to haunt him. If this is why people were incensed to the point go behaving like bellends, then I just stick to my original opinion of it being overblown. If this isn’t the reason why people were pissed, then please don’t say. I haven’t read the leaks and don’t want to know. I’m only 4 hours into the game so I have only just scratched the surface.
Speaking more generally now. I thought the game looked good before while not being mind-blowing. But now I’m in Seattle I think it’s possibly the best looking game on the console. Red Dead (which is a game I DON’T like at all) is a great looking game, but for me, this one beats it. Sound design is also on point. Exceptional. Also, the performances are superb Can’t wait to play some more tonight.
It was the same for me, the snowy stuff is beautiful and the attention to detail is exceptional, but when I reached the forest just before Seattle I really had to stop and admire. Everything about it is just so stunning. I walked through that section as slowly as I possibly could to take it all in.
I don't hate it either. I feel terrible that it happened, I resent these people for what they did (after Joel helped save Abby no less), but I don't hate the creative decision to go there nor the way it was written. It fits the world. Joel is a survivor and has done horrible stuff to get to this point. I'm not even sure I truly despise the people who did it, because it's easy to see where revenge can take you. We feel it through Ellie. We all knew the story needed a catalyst to turn ugly and I can't think of a better one than this.
I don't know if this is what a lot of people hate about it and I don't need to know. Anyone reading this, please don't even reply to it with something like "no it's something else, you'll see". All I know is this is the one thing that made someone angry enough to become a complete asshole and spoil it for myself and a bunch of other people, by putting something like this under an article about the PS5 gameplay reveal: "Sony's biggest problem is xxx (can't even remember this part LOL) and that Abby kills Joel with a golf club". I stumbled onto that comment and read it before I even realised it. Didn't even know who Abby was at the time. And then I started playing, took control of an unnamed woman who clearly had a grudge with someone at Jackson and knew, well shit, the spoiler is real. Kinda glad I got it out of the way early.
Agreed. I can't believe this was the event that made every go ballistic and started calling it lazy and bad writing, etc. It's what I said above. The guy did some bad shit and screwed over loads of people. In this world, it was a matter of time. It makes perfect sense. You could see it in his face. He knew it was a matter of time. That said, I'm fecking gutted he's gone! I loved Joel. I thought they done a terrific job of ratcheting up the tension, though. My heart was going a million mile an hour
Why does everything need to be presented with a nice little bow. The world doesnt work like that. There is a famous death in the Wire which comes out of nowhere and represents the fragility of death no matter who you are. Naughty Dog did a great job here with Joel in my opinion. He did some terrible things for love, but we sympathise with him. My issues lie with other aspects further on in the game.
It fits the world but doesn't fit the character. Joel is a character who wouldn't save a kid at the beginning of TloU, makes Tommy keep driving past that family. He's already wise to the world when the outbreak happens. There is also two more scenes that reaffirm this. In the city with Ellie in the car when the guy is faking injury he's like "Strap in Ellie, that guy ain't hurt" and when Ellie meets David. David is like "Whats your name?" and Ellies reply is "why?". Characters being intelligent with strangers.
In TLOU2, Tommy is like "Hi, I'm Tommy and this is Joel", when they arrive at Abby's crew, again "We're from the town just down there, I'm Tommy" "And I'm Joel!". Thats GoT season 8 levels of character stupidity from characters who are quite intelligent. Next you take Abby, Joel just saved her, you could understand her shooting him in a rage moment or whatever, but slowly beating him to a pulp with a golf club after he saved her, no way her story can become empathetic no matter how many dogs she pets.
Something as simple as Abby saving Joel instead of vice versa would have made Abby more empathetic and Joel more likely to drop his guard. Its not that Joel didn't deserve his end, he was a pretty bad dude, its that he didn't deserve to die to stupidity.
Then her group decides to be just as stupid as Joel and Tommy and let Ellie and Tommy live knowing the type of people they are. For real... its like watching The Walking Dead!
Its not the plot points that are bad, its how they reach them and this is a trend that continues throughout the game. Its rushed, puts people out of character and has them make decisions they'd never make just for plot convenience. This is where the story falls apart. They abandoned logic for shock value.
Side Note: Its most certainly not a 0/10 game like the review bombs nor a 10/10 like the "critics" say with such stupid characters but I've only seen youtube videos. I said I wouldn't buy it but I'm wavering, I don't think I'm in a position to judge it on anything other than story/visuals from YT videos. For me the game play would determine how I'd rate it so I am very tempted to pick it up.
Interesting to see the people who were criticising the criticism actually like how the story is going compared to people who read the leaks and hated the story direction.
Don’t think people want to sway from their original views.
Im quite open minded about the game and there’s one thing in particular I dislike about it, but the ones who have no issue with the story currently. Doesn’t it look ridiculous when you see how the characters have suddenly changed personalities just to fit the plot narrative? It does seem lazy.
It fits the world but doesn't fit the character. Joel is a character who wouldn't save a kid at the beginning of TloU, makes Tommy keep driving past that family. He's already wise to the world when the outbreak happens. There is also two more scenes that reaffirm this. In the city with Ellie in the car when the guy is faking injury he's like "Strap in Ellie, that guy ain't hurt" and when Ellie meets David. David is like "Whats your name?" and Ellies reply is "why?". Characters being intelligent with strangers.
In TLOU2, Tommy is like "Hi, I'm Tommy and this is Joel", when they arrive at Abby's crew, again "We're from the town just down there, I'm Tommy" "And I'm Joel!". Thats GoT season 8 levels of character stupidity from characters who are quite intelligent. Next you take Abby, Joel just saved her, you could understand her shooting him in a rage moment or whatever, but slowly beating him to a pulp with a golf club after he saved her, no way her story can become empathetic no matter how many dogs she pets.
Something as simple as Abby saving Joel instead of vice versa would have made Abby more empathetic and Joel more likely to drop his guard. Its not that Joel didn't deserve his end, he was a pretty bad dude, its that he didn't deserve to die to stupidity.
Then her group decides to be just as stupid as Joel and Tommy and let Ellie and Tommy live knowing the type of people they are. For real... its like watching The Walking Dead!
Its not the plot points that are bad, its how they reach them and this is a trend that continues throughout the game. Its rushed, puts people out of character and has them make decisions they'd never make just for plot convenience. This is where the story falls apart. They abandoned logic for shock value.
Side Note: Its most certainly not a 0/10 game like the review bombs nor a 10/10 like the "critics" say with such stupid characters but I've only seen youtube videos. I said I wouldn't buy it but I'm wavering, I don't think I'm in a position to judge it on anything other than story/visuals from YT videos. For me the game play would determine how I'd rate it so I am very tempted to pick it up.
Your criticism is actually quite understandable and what turns me off from The Walking Dead / most horror movies. Im not that far in though so dunno how it will get further in.
Having spoiled yourself I wouldnt buy it though. Pointless game without the story if you ask me. All Naughty Dog games are mostly about story and experience with the gameplay being adequate enough to not make it a drag.
Would be kind of like playing Tetris for its story.
Interesting to see the people who were criticising the criticism actually like how the story is going compared to people who read the leaks and hated the story direction.
Don’t think people want to sway from their original views.
Im quite open minded about the game and there’s one thing in particular I dislike about it, but the ones who have no issue with the story currently. Doesn’t it look ridiculous when you see how the characters have suddenly changed personalities just to fit the plot narrative? It does seem lazy.
Exactly this and thats what I've posted above. Its not the plot points that are bad, its how they reach those plot points. When you have intelligent characters completely change who they are and make stupid decisions just to drive the plot you are closer to The Walking Dead than you are to the original game. Dina is the only likable character who seems to use her brain and stick by her viewpoint.
Your criticism is actually quite understandable and what turns me off from The Walking Dead / most horror movies. Im not that far in though so dunno how it will get further in.
Basically, I wish I didn't and I'd be knee deep in the game now. I was hyped for it and my brother was like "dude you gotta see the spoilers." (he loves spoilers, they don't mess with his enjoyment of anything, I'm a bit more reserved about them) to which I was like "feck off" but he pestered me and told me I'd regret it if I bought the game, I generally agree with his reviews and opinions on games/movies and books so took a look.
I wish I went into this game blind to be honest but I'm glad I didn't buy it at the same time. I'll probably cave once I platinum ff7. I've watched plenty of LP's but writing is not the entire game and I feel I'm missing some good gameplay.
That said different people like different things in story etc.. some people will love the shock value above consistent characters and that's great for them, I hope everyone who bought it genuinely enjoys it.
It fits the world but doesn't fit the character. Joel is a character who wouldn't save a kid at the beginning of TloU, makes Tommy keep driving past that family. He's already wise to the world when the outbreak happens. There is also two more scenes that reaffirm this. In the city with Ellie in the car when the guy is faking injury he's like "Strap in Ellie, that guy ain't hurt" and when Ellie meets David. David is like "Whats your name?" and Ellies reply is "why?". Characters being intelligent with strangers.
In TLOU2, Tommy is like "Hi, I'm Tommy and this is Joel", when they arrive at Abby's crew, again "We're from the town just down there, I'm Tommy" "And I'm Joel!". Thats GoT season 8 levels of character stupidity from characters who are quite intelligent. Next you take Abby, Joel just saved her, you could understand her shooting him in a rage moment or whatever, but slowly beating him to a pulp with a golf club after he saved her, no way her story can become empathetic no matter how many dogs she pets.
Something as simple as Abby saving Joel instead of vice versa would have made Abby more empathetic and Joel more likely to drop his guard. Its not that Joel didn't deserve his end, he was a pretty bad dude, its that he didn't deserve to die to stupidity.
Then her group decides to be just as stupid as Joel and Tommy and let Ellie and Tommy live knowing the type of people they are. For real... its like watching The Walking Dead!
Its not the plot points that are bad, its how they reach them and this is a trend that continues throughout the game. Its rushed, puts people out of character and has them make decisions they'd never make just for plot convenience. This is where the story falls apart. They abandoned logic for shock value.
I don't see a big issue with that at all, to be honest. There might be more to come that contradicts this, but I could easily see it as a sign that Joel has mellowed a bit and has had to put a lot of trust issues aside. In the first game Ellie got through to him like no other person for 20 years and living a real life in a community for 5 years must've had a significant impact. He was suriving for 20 years, now he was actually living. We don't know how many other newcomers they've accepted in their community in those years. It felt natural when I saw it happening before me and I wasn't screaming at the characters like I did for so many season of The Walking Dead before I gave up on it.
As for the others letting Tommy and Ellie live, well you could see there was a big disagreement between several people of that group. Clearly not all of them were ruthless killers and perhaps they were wary of going too far in their quest for revenge. In some of them (notably that one guy who spoke to Abby at the start), it seemed the lust for revenge on Joel himself had already cooled significantly. It felt like they drew a line in the sand for themselves, and that line was reached after killing Joel.
I feel like these characters were written with a lot more nuance than you've presented it. I could be proven completely wrong by events later down the line but that's my view up to this point in any case.
Good points padr. I see where you are coming from. I guess I am able to overlook those aspects and enjoy what I am served up on the plate. Game of thrones though was stretching it further with their nonsense
