jm816

@Shstrick Overwatch 2 has cross-progression! You should be able to carry over any unlocks from the PC version of Overwatch 1 into the Playstation version of Overwatch 2.

I'm noticing that there's a pretty significant overlap between the "Part II sucks" and "Joel did nothing wrong" crowds. I think a lot of y'all missed the point of Part I's ending.

@nessisonett 100%. I'd love to explore this world and do just about anything in it other than shoot animals.

I'm tapping out because I'm a compulsive internet debater and shouldn't spend my whole night thinking about this. But I did want to make a final point—I love Joel as a character, and I wish we got to see more of him. Despite that, I think what we ended up getting with TLOU2 is great in its own way, and I hope people can appreciate it for what it is. I appreciate the good-spirited debate and wish everyone well!

@fR_eeBritney Look at it from Marlene's point of view—why give Joel and Ellie the chance to talk it over when your mind has already been made up? You risk making a bad situation much worse. And of course I would see it differently if it were my own loved one. Selfishness is human nature. The reason Joel is a great character is because he's complex and human. You can empathize with Joel and still believe it's ultimately a selfish decision.

@Korgon It's really a semantic difference here—I don't think there was ever an expectation that those already infected could be saved. A vaccine wouldn't solve everything immediately either, but it could give people a chance to rebuild. A world with a vaccine is surely better than one without.

To everyone saying the Fireflies are the bad guys—remember that a lot of them are fighting to save their families and to raise their children in a better world. What's one girl when you could save thousands or more? None of these events happen in a vacuum. That's the entire point of TLOU2.

@Texan_Survivor I don't think the Fireflies would have denied the reward if he had simply asked. It just doesn't come, so kind of a moot point. As for asking Ellie's consent, that's a moral gray area. I think a lot of people would argue the stakes are just too high, and I'd be hard pressed to disagree. I also think Joel seeing Ellie as another Sarah is part of the problem. At the end of the day, he's not her dad, and he shouldn't be making decisions for her. And lastly, I don't think role-playing Joel and making choices for him was ever really part of the package. Joel kills the doctor whether you want him to or not.

@fR_eeBritney In the scene immediately preceding the CPR scene, Ellie says to Joel:

"After all we've been through. Everything that I've done. It can't be for nothing."

If it's not clear what Ellie wanted then, you can certainly tell by her falling out with Joel after she learns what happened in TLOU2.

Re: your points about the Fireflies: Marlene tells Joel they knocked him out because they didn't know who he was. They didn't leave him to die, and no permanent damage done. They're willing to let Joel walk away, but he makes it pretty clear to everyone that he is a threat—not just to them, but to the future of humanity. Could the Fireflies have handled it differently? Sure, but that doesn't make them the villains. You just can't hold the future of the entire species with kid gloves.

@Constable_What I didn't say he's entirely without morals. I'm saying his morals are warped. He can't step outside his own narrow point of view. If you can't see that Joel is making a selfish decision, I've got bad news for you.

@Constable_What Sure, Joel has some admirable traits. But Joel killed dozens of people who had done him no wrong, doomed the human race's best chance at finding a cure, went against Ellie's wishes, and then lied to her about it. Of course, it was a human decision, but it was also a selfish decision. People rarely fall neatly into good or evil in the real world, and this is no different.

I get that a lot of people became attached to Joel, but if you didn't walk away from TLOU seeing that he's a selfish, morally broken person, then I don't know what to tell you. You might not like where his story ends, but it's a natural consequence of his actions.

It's important to be able to step back from your personal feelings and evaluate something for what it is rather than what it isn't. There are plenty of people out there who (understandably) don't like the game because of the way it makes them feel, and that's perfectly alright. But it doesn't mean it's a bad game.

People who think Abby is a badly written character are wrong, and there's probably no changing that opinion. They want a beloved character's death to mean something or to serve a greater good, which just isn't how life operates in the real world. TLOU2's narrative is uniquely challenging for the medium, and some people simply don't like the way it makes them feel.

@Texan_Survivor Having read the linked article, this take is misleading and ignores context and nuance. Not liking a character for the choices they make doesn't mean they are a bad character.

As much as I love RE4, it really could use some modernizations. The controls in particular are where the game really shows its age, and it's hard to go back and play it after spending so much time with modern titles.

And to those complaining about remakes in general—there is huge consumer demand for this sort of thing. Let people enjoy things, even if you don't.