It’s been over a year since we last got an update on the highly anticipated The Last of Us: Part II, but speaking at Manchester Comic-Con this weekend, star Troy Baker managed to whet our appetite with some tidbits about what we can expect from the title when the title deploys. The actor, who plays Joel in the series, was coy about sharing too many details – but he suggested that even he’s been surprised by how the project’s coming together.
“I can tell you this: it’s hands down the most ambitious game that Naughty Dog has ever done for sure,” he exclaimed, as part of a larger interview which will be published on Push Square later this week. “It’s far larger than I thought was going to be possible.”
Of course, we all want to know when we’ll actually be able to play it, and so we asked Baker if he had any more insight on actress Ashley Johnson’s recent slip-up. For those of you out of the loop, the Ellie star seemed to suggest that the sequel will be out in February, but her co-star seemed confused by the apparent error.
“It’ll be out 31st February, that’s what [Johnson] said – people just took it out of context,” he joked. “Wow, I’m sure she got a call from Sony saying, ‘Shut up!’ She’s like, ‘Guys, it’s a f*cking joke!’”
He continued that he doesn’t actually know the date: “I think they’ve probably been smart not to tell us because we can’t slip up and say something stupid. Last time we announced, we slipped. And they don’t want to do that again. We are still cranking on it, I can tell you that much. Where it’s at in development, I have no idea. Everybody feels like it’s broken until it’s shipping, and then when it’s shipping they’re like, ‘We shipped a broken game!’ And that’s the gig of making a game.”
Uncharted star Nolan North, who was also in attendance during the interview, interjected that “they’re not going to release it until they’re ready to release it”. So we’re no wiser as to when the title will launch, but if Baker’s comments on the scale of the game are accurate, then we can appreciate why the award-winning developer’s taking its time. Either way, we simply have to learn more soon – it’s been far too long since our last public update on the project.
Comments (37)
Well, if even the actor who voices Joel is surprised!
But will it be better than Crash Bandicoot Warped on the PS1?
I don't think even they know yet.
I'm sure they have a plan and a schedule but I don't think they'll rush it, it's a "when it's done" situation.
And Sony would probably be OK if it's a dual release situation, checkerboard 4k on PS4 Pro, native 4k on PS5.
@rjejr it’s gunna sell a ton either way ain’t it. I guess they’d like to leave enough time between systems to sell it twice, though. Who can blame them!
but will it be a legendary game like crackdown 3🙊🙈🙉😒.haha.word ☝ up son
@Neolit Unless she gets actually raped this time (terrible luck if so), don't think that the future apocalypse is having any kind of ivf treatment going on I'm afraid, so probably not.
@Neolit quite the contrary. who in their right mind would have a child in such a world? fighting for survival is the only thing people do in the world of the last of us. feeding yourself is difficult enough, never mind trying to raise a baby and all the hardships that would bring. i think it wouldn't make sense from any perspective for ellie to have a baby — it would infact be a grave mistake and a sin in letting a baby suffer in such a world. ellie would be better off having an abortion should she make the mistake in getting pregnant.
@Porco I think there would be lots of pregnancies in a Zombie apocalypse. Just like there are still lots of pregnancies in war torn countries and places with dire poverty.
Why? People are horny.
When you pack your bags you’re not gonna be like, okay, I got a torch (flashlight), my gun, some bullets, water, food, ah yes, and two forms of contraception.
Just like in poor countries. Why spend money on condoms when you can buy food for your kids?
There is also a strong pull for survival of the species. We all have in built into us even if we in the West have buried some of our primal instincts.
And also, there would be no abortion clinics. What planet are you on? And like I said, the fight for survival/mother’s protective instincts could override the commons sense of not having a baby.
Excuse me, what about Jak & Daxter?! Heehee...But for real let's go back to fun gameplay over plot emphasized generic shooting/sneaking. Unpopular opinion I suppose.
@Broosh agreed but I think we are already back with Crash Team Racing ......such a frustrating ( for me that is ) but also very funny game.
@Porco It's not so unfeasible, Ellie herself was born after the outbreak and if you have a secure base it may be a lot easier. Even in real situations people have raised children in desperate times.
@Kienda couldn't disagree with you more. also, do you realize people have been performing abortions LONG before we had modern-day clinics?...i am talking about ANCIENT times. you might need to better educate yourself...
@ThroughTheIris56 well, i never said it is impossible to raise a child during an apocalypse... only that it would make no sense and bring misery to the child and parent alike. not to mention, there is a very high chance the baby would be malnurished and die... it is a very hopeless situation indeed so please try not to convince me otherwise
@Porco Yea, adding to what Kienda said, most of the children of people I know (even remotely) weren't exactly planned. I bet there are far fewer planned pregnancies than unplanned, especially if we count abortions, which I'm not
@Porco You're correct that the circumstances would make raising a child challenging. However in Joel's own words "No matter what, you keep finding something to fight for". Sure you can survive without kids, but something people might see it as a way to inject some much needing meaning into otherwise miserable lives. And I agree it's harsh for the child, but at least they get a shot of finding happiness and a life for themselves.
Even disregarding emotional reasons, long term it could pay off. The older they get the more tasks they can help you with to survive, and could completely look after a parent who is too old to survive by themself.
I'm thinking alternating X and O to lace Ellie's Converse, passing through each hole while a Bloater is breathing down your neck type of ambitious game, just to frustrate the impatient gamer who finds looting items realistically, a chore in RDR2. 😊
@Neolit I mean, TLOU is a dark place, I assumed you were referring to the darker elements... 😇
@Broosh One I agree with though. Part one was so utterly generic I couldn't even make it through to the end.
Nice one getting an interview with Troy (and Nolan), guys!
Looking forward to that.
@Neolit As if the surviving men would have a say in what Ellie does. She killed probably 100 men or more in the first game.
@Broosh I'd be amazed if ND go back to those type of games now. I think a lot of people would see it as a step back.
@Broosh I honestly don't think they could now. They are so focused on story based games now, I don't think they could make a game like Crash 3 or Jak and Daxter again. I miss Crash, only Naughty Dog back then could make them good.
@Neolit I also don't think it fits with her character to want to be a mother. She doesn't seem like the person who'd want that. Also, there were women in ancient times who fought too. Gender inequality didn't mean all women had to be mothers.
Please tell me it's not going to be yet another open world garpg. (garbage rpg)
You know, the kind where the level system only exists to entice the player to purchase dlc to speed up the monotonous gameplay.
No poo.
Everyone's anything new is always their most ambitious yet...
I'm beginning to believe it will be open world. I hope the world is detailed and isn't full of fetch quests ect, also hope there's a good balance between fighting the infected and humans and not just facing off mostly against a bunch of religious zealots.
I just want one perfect zombie game that has a detailed open world that make you want to explore. The Evil Within 2 was on the right track but lacked in many areas for me.
If the rumours are true that this game is jumping from Febuary ,all the way to May,im going to skip it and wait for the inevitable ps5 remastered version. You just know its going to be a day 1 launch title.
Good news for fans, really hope this lives up to expectations. Im sure I will give it a rent sometime, maybe thisll be the ND game that appeals to me.
@Porco you don’t need to look back to “ancient” times, there are many countries today that don’t have legal abortion and so they use different methods. Even girls in America who don’t want to go to a clinic resort to at home practices.
Of course in a Zombie Apocalypse some would choose to abort, but like I said, in these desperate times one would not be thinking only about self preservation, but also survival of the species.
I’d like it if they said eh, kinda half arsed this one.
I love Naughty Dog, but I wasn't a fan of the first game. The series is just a bit too dark for my taste.
@Neolit What I meant is that even in the most primitive of times there were women that would fight instead of have children.
And that's even more true when you're fighting with guns, which minimizes the biological difference between men and women as capable fighters.
That, combined with the fact that I think becoming a mother is not one of Ellie's wishes, for me would make it less grounded to have her be a mother.
@purplemonkeyspan As per community rules
Do not use profanity; Use of unsavoury language including profanity and swearing is not acceptable, please remember that this website has users of all ages.
So let's watch the language please.
Thanks for understanding
@kyleforrester87 "leave enough time between systems to sell it twice"
Unless it's not about selling copies of the game, it's abotu selling the PS5?
If the game releases on PS4 4 or 5 months before PS5, and PS5 has no other BIG launch titles besides TLoU2, well maybe people arne't in as much of a rush to buy a PS5. But, if it has a simultaneous release, well maybe people buy a PS5 to play it in native 4k?
Though if it did release a few months apart I suppose they could bundle it cheap for double dippers. They've said PS5, well they've said their "next gen system", will be backwards compatible, but they haven't' mentioned things like upscaling or other enhanced. PS5 may play PS4 games like a PS4 Pro but a native PS5 version could still be better, like all fo those game son both PS3 and PS4 (though I rarely could see a difference myself.)
Just thought of something. I wonder how much better a PS5 version fo a game would look than a PS4 version on a non-HDR 1080p TV like the one I have? I'm sure PS5 will be more powerful than a PS4, but will it be noticeably better on a 1080p TV? Though i suppose by the time PS5 launches even I'll have a 4k TV w/ HDR. Target has a 65" on sale this week for $499. Probably not the best, but it's a 65" 4k HDR smart TV for $499. I'd buy 1, but I've lost the desire to watch tv after GoT ended.
https://www.target.com/p/tcl-65-roku-4k-uhd-hdr-smart-tv-65s425/-/A-50939781
@purplemonkeyspan Well that's ok you don't want to follow the rules we will see you around.
@Broosh There is always room for a new platformer. 😃👍
@TheArt I find not paying taxes and getting a tax refund more nasty from Rockstar. 😉
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