If there's one thing that's clear about The Last of Us: Part II, it's that Ellie is not a happy bunny. The recent trailer seems to point towards a pretty obvious motivation for revenge, so we don't blame her. It's no wonder, then, that Sony has made Ellie's snarling face the focal point of the PlayStation 4 exclusive's cover art.
We quite like it. The box art tells us some key things; Ellie is the star of the show, she's ready for a fight, and her story is going to be super dark. We know that some aren't a fan of this style of box art, but it's going to stand out on the shelf with this stark look. If nothing else, Ellie's death stare might be enough to intimidate you into buying the game on 21st February.
Jokes aside, what do you think of The Last of Us: Part II's cover art? Would you have preferred something more complex, or are you a fan of Ellie's close-up? Don't get too angry in the comments below.
Comments 42
I don't like the box art, fortunately I plan to buy the special steelbook edition
I just don't like close-up face or man with gun art, I prefer something like persona 5, gravity rush 2, horizon zd, or god of war box art.
I like it. Reminds me of the first game's steelbook cover art.
Was hoping for something new. This is the same PSN avatar image they gave away for free awhile back.
I love this boxart.Ellie is a brutal badass!
Personally I prefer the picture of her with her guitar.
Not a big fan of it but it does fit with the theme of "hate"
Without joel the last of us aint off the chain i know joel with be playable so that great to hear.word up son
I don't mind it. I like the contrast it has with the first game's cover art. Back then, she was a scared girl, trudging through the apocalypse with Joel. Now she's angry, determined, capable, and ready for her revenge.
It's good that it probably accurately portrays the game, which is making me not want to play the game.
I did finally play the game and enjoyed it for the most part but don't like dark scary zombie games and only did it for the story. This looks like they turned the dark scary up to 11 and dialed the story back. And the cover does adequately reflect that. Not for me.
Oh c'mon what's happening these days. Part One's box art was perfect. From Cyberpunk to Death Stranding to this...tsk sigh. All the same I'm so digital these days so don't really mind. Rockstar never disappoints with box art.
The only bad part of tlou2 yesterday Is this boxart....so generic but i understand what they're going for with neil druckmann saying the game is about hate and ellie looks pretty hateful in this picture lol
I actually love the box art. It’s very simple, but it communicates a the complex theme of hate very well.
If they actually kill off Ellie’s girlfriend and use it as an excuse for revenge it’ll just add yet another fictional LGBT couple that isn’t allowed to be happy. Seriously, think about it, the number of stable and happy fictional gay couples is minuscule compared to the number that die, or cheat, or just mess things up.
Looks really generic. How many box arts have a scowling person on them?
@nessisonett Personally I think Dina supposedly dying is a big red herring, but we'll see.
That's not Ellie, that's Gollum.
@TheArt yeah, they just disappoint with their games
I see they are trying to get everyone to buy the steel book lol
Based on what limited information we have had, the first story was about 'Love' whilst this is supposed to be darker and about hate. The angry snarling Ellie would fit that premise too, that she 'hates' someone or group...
Anyway, pre-ordered the Special Edition (the one with Steel book and Art book) as the statues and other bits in the more expensive pack weren't appealing to me to justify the massive jump up in price...
@sajoey Yea they disappoint so much MILLIONS keep buying.
@TheArt those poor millions
Not a fan of extreme closeups, but at least it’s not God of War 3 close.
This game is going to be dark as hell and I can't wait...
@rjejr Idk, seems like the sequel is filled to the brim with story from the trailers. Looks to be a much longer story than the first one to be honest.
What gave you the impression that the story was dialed back? I got the impression that both the gameplay and story have been turned up to 11.
@DeepSpace5D Maybe dialed back is the wrong word. OK almost certainly dialed back was the wrong word.
Story in first game - spoilers obvs - family man's world gets turned upside down by zombie apocalypse (yea, I know, they aren't zombies, sue me) - honestly I nearly had to stop playing then, my kids are young and I was crying, most emotional opening to a videogame ever. Then war torn homeless world b/c the only thing worse than zombies is the Gestapo, and the only thing worse than the gestapo are outlaws. Then hope. Then a cross country plan. Then wilderness life, then Gestapo Drs, then sort of happy ever after.
New game - happy ever after wilderness setting already established in first game, girls lover gets assaulted/killed, girl goes nuts killing everyone. I don't see a "story", just a plot.
Or as my wife likes to say - best story arcs are character development and growth. (Why DragonBall Z is really Vegeta's story, Goku is just the narrator-assistant) In the first game Joel goes from happy family man to depressed criminal to reborn father, Ellie goes from scared vulnerable child to savior woman. In the new game all I see is them from the end of the last game, no growth.
Admittedly I haven't played it yet, so I could be oh so very wrong, but that's what I see, which isn't doing it for me.
@rjejr I think the trailer from the State of Play showed a very small glimpse of the full story. I would expect a lot of surprises during the course of the game.
Neil Druckmann over at the Sony blog said that the trailer “just scratches the surface of what the game has in store”.
While your story summary of the first game certainly has a lot more content in it than your summary of the new one, that is to be expected when you have fully played through the first game and only seen a couple trailers for the new one right?
But I agree with you that I would be disappointed if the game is only one long revenge mission of tracking down guys and killing them. I think it’s going to be much more than that though.
Well, it's better than Death Stranding. but still not ND work. they made better box arts and this one seems very disappointing. and maybe it shows that we will never play buy anyone but Eli? that's hearth breaking if they don`t let us play with Joel or that women we saw earlier in trailers.
I'm a big fan of LGBT fiction, and I have high hopes for the story. last night trailer makes me worried for the future of the game and story roles a big part of my anxiety about the game. UNFORTUNATELY, they didn't show any new mechanics of gameplay ( yeah I saw the dog and covering under the car, but is that?... you know... the end? )
all I want is a good LGBT fiction and game that remains in the history of the videogame.
@DeepSpace5D Well hopefully there's more to the game than that, but I don't see how you can have more character development and growth in Ellie and Joel than you got in the first game. Joel will probably be the same beginning to end when he dies, Ellie will be happy, then angry, then sad. Emotional swings, but not real growth.
They've already pretty much said the first game was about hope, this one is about hate, so they kinda lost me there anyway, I get enough hate in politics and social media as it is.
@rjejr Sure, but do you get overgrown fungal zombies in politics and social media? Well, maybe of a different variety 😏
Really awful and generic box art, luckily I'm buying it day one to play it and not to spend the whole day staring at the cover.
I LOVE it!!! its like OOOHHHH SHH*******!!! I love angry vengence!
Reminds me of Rage 2 box "art"...
@TheArt Millions buy COD would you call that quality? It not the quality that sells these games its cooky cutter gameplay and yeah the original being a crimal stuff. At least with RDR 2 i can see a big story ark.
@Flaming_Kaiser The truth is COD just like FIFA are all damn good games, it's the yearly release that gets them taken for granted. Just like Ubisoft games. If millions are addicted and are fine with buying them yearly that don't mean those games are weak.
@rjejr @Neolit Yeah, I’m a little skeptical about a game that’s all about hate. And then couple that with early comments from the developer that the game is admittedly not supposed to be fun. I don’t mind drama and tragedy in my stories, and in fact I welcome it, but the initial impression is the story is composed of a lot of negativity. Hopefully it ends up being a big redemption arc, because I’m a sucker for “things get tragic and bad but hero overcomes all odds and conquers his/her past”. ....In other words, that character growth you were referring to.
I’d be surprised though if ND would make this game without some kind of fantastic and moving story of character growth. Here’s hoping, because the first game’s story and ending are cream of the crop.
@TheArt Let agree too disagree. Im still standing by my point sales do not mean its quality. Lets take away the licenses and see if FIFA sells the same. COD is decent nothing more its like comfort food. 😉
Yea yea yeeaa the millions are wrong but @Flaming_Kaiser is right. 😉
@Th3solution I have hope that I'm wrong, but I can only go on what my eyes and ears are telling me, and what they're telling me right now is that this game isn't for me.
@Neolit Thanks for the kind words. It's hard being an old dad gamer isn't it? Also hoping we're wrong. I'm old enough to realize there's a difference between "anticipation and excitement" for a game and actual "enjoyment" of a game when playing it. A lot of games I look forward too leave me wanting - FFXV - and some games I know little about or never heard of turn out great. Seems like a lot of people don't like that thinking - you should either look forward to a game and love it or hate a game and not play it.
I'm pretty sure I'll play this - unless it turns out to be part 1 like FF7R or cliffhanger ending like GoW - but I'm not looking forward to it as of now. I don't do horror. Since you're old like me (or getting there anyway) did you play Parasite Eve and Parasite Eve 2 back in the day on PS1? I bought my PS for PE, great story and characters. PE2 was a RE game w/ a PE skin on it, if that. Not impressed. That's the basis of my fear (pun intended) here.
@DeepSpace5D "overgrown fungal zombies in politics and social media?"
That's ALL I get. 😂 Oh wait, that's not funny, it's sad. 😒
@Neolit Friends are good. Wise choice.
Fingers crossed this isn't the parallel situation it feels like.
Just watched the 6 minute game play and it does look good, but I'm still on the fence. Though to be fair I say that about most games these days, the thrill is pretty much gone sadly. Streaming Netflix is so much easier. And cheaper, unless NF starts adding lootboxes, season passes and micro-transactions.
@TheArt Ok 👌 COD is the best game ever made its better then RDR because it sold more you win.
@Neolit "tell me about it! I often sit down to play and then just go the "umph, too much work, click click stream Netflix instead." route."
If we hadn't already been having this conversation I'd think you were just mocking me, but glad to know I'm nto the only one, especially on here.
"Too much work" is actually our family motto. My sister's family tried to talk us into camping a few years back and my wife was like - "We'll just stay in a hotel up the road thanks." So I told her camping was too much work and our family doesn''t do that, and it stuck. I use it at least once a week now. Actually helping my HS senior son apply to colleges it's getting used every day, only we have to do it anyway.
hmm, PSVR game where you apply to college - AP, SAT, ACT, FAFSA, portfolios, transcripts - now THATS a horror game.
@Neolit reply part 2 (b/c I forgot this part, the dog distracted me)
"Speaking of, Netflix and Amazon Prime will get a run for their money come November when Apple TV+"
I agree with the first half of that statement, but in my head DIsney+ is their antagonist, not Apple. Apple has like 5 shows. People will all rush to sign up for a month and be like "5 shows, that's it?" then keep paying b/c they'll forget to turn off their subscriptions b/c what the hey it's only money, barely a latte, but they'll keep Netflix to keep watching Stranger Things and Amazon Prime to get toothpaste delivered next day. Nobody pays $120 Prime for streaming, it's all the delivery. Which sucks of late, so they're locking in people with Lady-Servant-Alexa appliances (of which I own several).
But Disney+ w/ Disney animation, Marvel films, Pixar films, better babysitting than Alexa kid shows, Netflix may find itself on the short end of the stick on that one and Miss Maisel may not get another season. Which would be bad for my family b/c my brother in law works on it as lighting grip or some such.
Sure, Apple has a huge smartphone fanbase, but I don't see them dropping Netflix or Amazon for 5 shows.
OK, Google says 9 shows, not 5. But still.
https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/10/20850996/apple-tv-plus-launch-lineup-shows-originals-see-morning-show-for-all-mankind-oprah-dickinson
Something does have to give though. Disney+ is a beast. HBO Max, while not stellar, is supposedly the same price as HBO Now, so more content for your money. Also NBC's "Peacock", which despite the name will apparently show more than just Trump's Russia tapes. 🤣
In case you thought I made that last name up.
https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/17/20870213/nbcuniversal-peacock-streaming-service-name-price-launch-date-battlestar-galactica
I wonder how long before Sony, MS and Nintneod drop streaming apps from their hardware b/c they realize more people like us are watching, not gaming? Though as long as we all sign up for PS+, PS Now, Xbox Gold and Xbox Gamepass for $X per month subscriptions they probably don't care if we're gaming.
Tap here to load 42 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...