Topic: The Last Of Us Part II - OT (No Spoilers)

@Th3solution
It's an incrediby well made game, but it is worth noting to quote, Druckmann, it's not a comfort food game. There are few games that come close to being as brutal as TLOU2 but it is well worth experiencing if you are mentally prepared for it.

The game does hold up a mirror to people who are full of obsessive hate and resentment, and to no one's surprise, that didn't go down well with so many of that sort.

@Thrillho That’s really useful. I suspect my response will be in line with your recent experience, that being one of general positivity with community complaints being largely overblown.
@Kidfried Absolutely spot on. My sentiments exactly. I think I’ll enjoy it more when my time with it isn’t colored by this really strange negativity surrounding it.
It’s partly why I have been slow to play God of War. Although it is a benchmark Sony title that also won GOTY, the universal praise actually put me off a little bit. As I now play through it I completely agree (so far) with the accolades, but I feel like it’s more of a personal discovery now that the hype has died down. For TLoU2, I might not wait a full 2 years to jump on board since the persistent naysaying is actually pushing me toward seeing it for myself, rather than pushing me away. If we weren’t at the juncture of a new console generation then I would probably try to play it within the next few weeks, but the timing now is prompting me to wait until a PS5 version releases.

@Th3solution I just played Days Gone, so I'm going to hold off on playing another zombie game. I'd only be comparing them... unfairly probably.

@LieutenantFatman Very interesting point. I know in general terms that the game tells a cautionary tale of the consequences of hate and revenge, but I hadn’t put that together that the players who are pushing back against the game may be doing so because of that discomfort that they individually feel due to unresolved inner psychological challenges with hate and revenge. And those are the very group of people who would be prone to send death threats on Twitter and review bomb websites, etc.

@Th3solution and of course the people that just hate on the game because it scored the internet points AKA jumping on the band wagon.

@Kidfried So slightly off topic for this thread but ... would you recommend Days Gone?
I figure I’ll eventually play it when (if!? 😥) I get a PS5 since it’s on the Plus Collection. As you know I haven’t traditionally been a ‘zombie’ guy but as long as the gameplay is good also the story is compelling then I’m open to it.

@jdv95 Yeah the ol’ mob mentality thing. Much of the negative response is likely fueled by that and the detractors who stir up console wars.

But part of my confusion has been reading and hearing opinions of actual legit fans of the first game and big Sony supporters who have also expressed displeasure with it. But now that the initial review period has simmered down, I think the general public perception of the game is leveling out to be more positive

@Th3solution well considering that the game was top spot at the sales chart for 3 weeks in a row and has a completion rate of over 60% i would say that the majority of the players did enjoy the game.

the haters are people who either did not even play the game and are just basing their points on leaked footage which was out of context,or those that had different expectations about the story but are not mature and civil enough to explain those reasons without restoring to insults and treaths. either way those people are the LOUD minority based on sales and game stats. as is always the case with such hate over something.

@Th3solution Not the biggest fan of the zombie genre myself, which is why I'll have to wait a bit before picking up TLOU2 after this. I am still planning on doing something like a review or impressions kind of piece on Days Gone, but... hardly can find the time too during the day.

Anyway, Days Gone surprised me in a very good way. It's the polar opposite game of a game like The Last of Us, but it's great in its own way, even though it has many, many problems. Maybe I'll find some time today to write my feelings on the game.

@Kidfried the one thing I'll say about Days Gone - it's my first time playing it (PS+ Collection) and I simply loved riding the bike around. The sound design of the engine, gravel under tire: perfect. Something very cathartic and soothing for me. And the environment is very beautiful.
Nothing much to add about the gameplay. It's fine lol.

Just to stay on topic - TLOU2 absolutely deserved to win best sound design last night (I hope it did otherwise I was dreaming). I normally use my theatre set up but at the time my old system broke so I used headphones. Boy it gets good when gunfights become intense. Score reminded me of Sicario - which every composer has copied, RIP Johan Johansson.

Just finished the game.

@TheIdleCritic I have more praise for Days Gone then you probably, but I fully agree on the topic of the bike. The bike controls and experience was very carefully and successfully crafted. Job well done.

@Th3solution It's maybe even better than the first one IMO. It's just a very different game, which is what I wanted. If it was another simple Joel and Ellie adventure, it would be an incredibly boring sequel. So they took a risk. I never really wanted a sequel to TLOU, because the game was perfect on its own. So I was a bit worried when they announced the sequel; but this was the right way to do it IMO.

@Mega-Gazz ha, good summary! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have. I’m glad it no longer feels like I’m talking to myself in this thread..

@TheIdleCritic I thought the sound was great too. Being able to change the dynamic range of sounds was cool but I had to turn it off as it got so loud in gunfights!

@Octane I was also dubious about them doing a sequel but I think they nailed it.

@Thrillho yea, it was a great story.

Actually, I was thinking about it: in terms of a “game” it isn’t that good - there is very little player agency, and there isn’t enough ammo to do anything but play it sneaky, it is completely linear, etc. But the story carries it through and keeps you engaged, and in my case playing past 1am. This is interesting because I don’t think that story would play well in a movie without significant change. Does that mean it isn’t really a good story after all (see: ratchet and clank movie), or does that mean that it is a different medium and able to tell different types of stories?

@Th3solution Tbh that’s pretty much my thoughts on it. I quite liked the first one, although wasn’t about to create some sort of satanic monument to Joel. But seeing the reaction of people actively foaming at the mouth at the second game’s existence makes me think that it’s probably at least interesting. I’d take something divisive over another beige open world action-adventure. AAA games don’t often take risks because of the massive amount of time and money they take to develop and I’m glad TLOU2 actually attempted to take risks.

@nessisonett It took zero risks in terms of gameplay, just story.

@Th3solution @Kidfried Great posts and one of the reasons I supported it by buying it at launch. All of the woke and other nonsense proved to be false, with people reading too much into leaks and YouTubers spreading false negativity about the game. I can deal with criticism of games, but not made up stuff from people that have not even played the game.

If you do decide to buy it I doubt you will regret it. Its a fantastic game one of the best written narratives I've experienced in a video game.

I just finished the game and... oh boy what a mess it was.

I've never been the biggest fan of the first one, I think it was pretty mediocre as a game but the writing and the characters were engaging and I have great memories of it, it was like a good TV show.

So TLOU2 is technically incredible, the level of detail is astonishing, but I guess there was no budget left to write a story. I read spoilers before release so I wasn't surprised by the events at the beginning, I actually think it was a good idea, it makes the player emotionnally engaged for the rest of the game. But then it becomes a huge mess, shallow characters, crazy decisions, dumb reactions, I really struggled to stay engaged in the (lack of) story, and it was a relief when it finished.

I guess GOTY is kinda deserved because the overall quality is incredible, but I'll try to forget the rest.

And this game picks up another GOTY
https://www.gameinformer.com/goty-2020/2020/12/22/game-of-the...