So you've finished The Last of Us 2, and now you want to talk about it

[Dangus Taargus]

Finished it yesterday and have been rolling it all around in my head finding it hard to put exactly what I felt into words (especially since I wrote about 15 pages of notes while playing, the most I've done for any game. Actually thinking of posting them in a Cblog, but might be boring to read me basically saying, oh shit that was cool for 15 pages lol). Everything you said is exactly how I felt as well (well, I love ND's other games though ). Especially being angry at Ellie. By the time I was getting to the end of Abby's part I was so pissed at Ellie and that was magnified right up to the final second of the slug fest. I was actively cheering for the opponent to win. How often does that happen in games lol.

Did you catch that the title screen changes to Catalina after the credits I liked that touch. For a game that was so bleak, that little bit of hope really hit nicely.

And I do have to say, I don't think any game, or any other media for that matter, has effected me as much emotionally. Sure I have pangs of emotion when gaming sometimes, but nothing that really cracks the surface level. Nier Automata's ending is about the only other game that gave me a physical feeling of elation. With TLoU2 I was literally tearing up ('You did good.'), wincing in pain (clipping Yara's wings), and genuine nausea (many points, but the final battle and ending seeing just how broken Ellie is even if she finally forgave).

Definitely not a perfect game, but anything that can effect me like TLoU2 gets and enthusiastic 10/10 from me. Such an unforgettable experience that I'm so happy I went on. Probably going to replay it before the year's out on Survivor, but I need a good few months of sugary sweet games to balance the grim masterpiece out.

Look. ND's older games like Jak and Crash are perfectly serviceable and fine for the era they came out in. But I just played them all recently and they are absolutely nostalgia nuggets. Gonna die on that hill, sorry.

I saw the water recede in the title screen after the credits. Was there more that I missed?

But yeah just generally it's been a while since a game has effected me like this. The original got maybe a day or two of thought out of me, but then my brother pressured me to try the multiplayer and I did that for a bit but it ultimately was 'on to the next thing'. Replaying it cemented that for me: it's a great journey, where you play as the worst guy in the room, and then it ends with a bittersweet lie. Simple. And yeah I could have left this world there, but 2 has fleshed it out for me in very rewarding ways. So much so that I'd welcome a final part III even if I don't know what that looks like yet. Is this well dry though? Not sure. This was generally above average writing, so I trust the people involved to work out a reason to return, but if they don't it can end here too, like the first game could have ended it as well.

I'm playing Outer Wilds right now btw, and I think the contrast is interesting because this is another game that's using the medium perfectly. It isn't character driven like TLOU2, but rather the world and the mystery is a compelling character that's keeping me obsessed as I try to piece together what's happening, and I feel like between these two titles I have an embarrassment of riches in terms of good video game content.

 

[RiffRaff]

Look. ND's older games like Jak and Crash are perfectly serviceable and fine for the era they came out in. But I just played them all recently and they are absolutely nostalgia nuggets. Gonna die on that hill, sorry.

I saw the water recede in the title screen after the credits. Was there more that I missed?

But yeah just generally it's been a while since a game has effected me like this. The original got maybe a day or two of thought out of me, but then my brother pressured me to try the multiplayer and I did that for a bit but it ultimately was 'on to the next thing'. Replaying it cemented that for me: it's a great journey, where you play as the worst guy in the room, and then it ends with a bittersweet lie. Simple. And yeah I could have left this world there, but 2 has fleshed it out for me in very rewarding ways. So much so that I'd welcome a final part III even if I don't know what that looks like yet. Is this well dry though? Not sure. This was generally above average writing, so I trust the people involved to work out a reason to return, but if they don't it can end here too, like the first game could have ended it as well.

I'm playing Outer Wilds right now btw, and I think the contrast is interesting because this is another game that's using the medium perfectly. It isn't character driven like TLOU2, but rather the world and the mystery is a compelling character that's keeping me obsessed as I try to piece together what's happening, and I feel like between these two titles I have an embarrassment of riches in terms of good video game content.

In that water receded title screen you can see the dome in the background. That's Catalina, where Abby and Lev were to go to meet the Fireflies.
I need to get Outer Wilds... Let's see if I can fit it into this month's gaming budget.

 

[Dangus Taargus]

In that water receded title screen you can see the dome in the background. That's Catalina, where Abby and Lev were to go to meet the Fireflies.
I need to get Outer Wilds... Let's see if I can fit it into this month's gaming budget.

Ah ok. I glossed over some of the firefly stuff when I was playing that part and got the impression the house was used as a way to trick people to get captured by the slavers. But I realize now I was just getting tired with the game by that point and pushing for the conclusion. It was definitely that there were still Fireflies left and that Abby does, finally, make it them. The fog and boat in the title screen are obviously meant to be foreshadowing the final confrontation, and beating the game hints at the outcome.

 

[RiffRaff]

Ah ok. I glossed over some of the firefly stuff when I was playing that part and got the impression the house was used as a way to trick people to get captured by the slavers. But I realize now I was just getting tired with the game by that point and pushing for the conclusion. It was definitely that there were still Fireflies left and that Abby does, finally, make it them. The fog and boat in the title screen are obviously meant to be foreshadowing the final confrontation, and beating the game hints at the outcome.

Was just talking to my brother, who also just beat the game, and we both felt that we were getting tired by that final part. I was saying that it was made to feel drawn out at that point so that when you, the player, get to that slugfest you're exhausted and just want it to end therefore amplifying the feel of that fight. What do you think?

 

[Dangus Taargus]

Was just talking to my brother, who also just beat the game, and we both felt that we were getting tired by that final part. I was saying that it was made to feel drawn out at that point so that when you, the player, get to that slugfest you're exhausted and just want it to end therefore amplifying the feel of that fight. What do you think?

Definitely. I think seeing Abby emaciated was the first time in the game I truly got a teary eye. Seeing that happen to her was tough, and my first thought was that Ellie felt the same way: that she had suffered enough at the hands of these slavers. That it was over. She gets that one last shot of pulp faced Joel and I DID NOT want to do that fight. This is a razor's edge and I'm still not sure if I enjoyed playing it. Sorry, I know I didn't enjoy playing that scene. I was tired. The characters were tired. The plot was tired. Was this all intentional? I'd think so. I hope so, and the attention to detail on display for the 30 hours prior suggests that... but every artist/creator does things maybe subconsciously too that end up making sense in the big picture. Reading some of the vitriol right now on other forums though and yeah, we're having an adult conversation about the intention of the writers, while a lot of other people are just... angry, without a hint of irony or introspection. I hope after the drama dies down it'll be taken more seriously, but unfortunately I'm realizing most people weren't ready for the plot-through-gameplay subtext. It sucks, but that's where we're at right now I guess.

 

[Xeo]

I'll say this. It's grim, it's no compromise. But that said, I guess I'm more jaded than I thought I was before playing this game. I'm hardcore into horror, and with that I guess comes being jaded for this sort of thing. I've read and watched so much insanely violent splatterpunk stuff that this is kinda of just par for the course for me. And for that matter, with my past, I've personally seen (and unfortunately even been a part of) so much violence that I guess I'm kind of just dulled out to it.

Incredible fucking game though. One I don't believe I'll ever forget. Unlike some (most?) I was never pissed off at Ellie. Her reaction isn't really any different than what I would have at least tried to do. I can't blame her. I also can't blame Abby for the way she did things. Both let revenge get the better of them. (A concept I'm more than a bit familiar with in real life.) Abby did what she did because Joel murdered her father and several of his friends and colleagues. Ellie does what she does because because Abby does what she does. I think the entire message of the thing is that no one actually wins with revenge. In the end everyone loses, even the initial "winner". And revenge just creates more opportunities for revenge. And it's a never-ending cycle of hatred.

I feel this is 100% true, to a T.

 

[RiffRaff]

I'll say this. It's grim, it's no compromise. But that said, I guess I'm more jaded than I thought I was before playing this game. I'm hardcore into horror, and with that I guess comes being jaded for this sort of thing. I've read and watched so much insanely violent splatterpunk stuff that this is kinda of just par for the course for me. And for that matter, with my past, I've personally seen (and unfortunately even been a part of) so much violence that I guess I'm kind of just dulled out to it.

Incredible fucking game though. One I don't believe I'll ever forget. Unlike some (most?) I was never pissed off at Ellie. Her reaction isn't really any different than what I would have at least tried to do. I can't blame her. I also can't blame Abby for the way she did things. Both let revenge get the better of them. (A concept I'm more than a bit familiar with in real life.) Abby did what she did because Joel murdered her father and several of his friends and colleagues. Ellie does what she does because because Abby does what she does. I think the entire message of the thing is that no one actually wins with revenge. In the end everyone loses, even the initial "winner". And revenge just creates more opportunities for revenge. And it's a never-ending cycle of hatred.

I feel this is 100% true, to a T.

The thing that made me pissed at Ellie was that she went back out leaving Dina and JJ behind. Yes, I sympathize with her unresolved grief and understand why she did it and think it was the right choice narrative wise, but how she kept these feeling bottled up irked me. Maybe because it hit close to home. She could have confided more in Dina and let her help.

 

[Xeo]

The thing that made me pissed at Ellie was that she went back out leaving Dina and JJ behind. Yes, I sympathize with her unresolved grief and understand why she did it and think it was the right choice narrative wise, but how she kept these feeling bottled up irked me. Maybe because it hit close to home. She could have confided more in Dina and let her help.

She absolutely SHOULD have. I managed to finally let go of my own past in reality due to confiding in my wife. But I do understand it. She was very clearly experiencing severe PTSD. And that shit can absolutely wreck you mentally if left unchecked. I also unfortunately speak from personal experience there. I couldn't be too pissed at her though, as I know in her situation I might have very likely done the same stupid shit.

 

[TheLimoMaker]

Personally I think the game's pacing could have worked better in the way Nier Automata handled it's Campaign .2 stuff.

Play as Ellie, reach the climax where you beat the fuck out of Abby, she beats you and almost kills Dina. Leaves you and tells you to leave.
Then have Ellie, Dina and Tommy leave Seattle as the first round of credits play.

Then you play as Abby. Same stuff as is already available.
You play the sequence where she beats Ellie to a pulp, tells them to leave Seattle.
We see her and Lev leave the city.

THEN you play out the final part of the campaign; the Farm, California all of it.

 

[JuIc3]

It’s just not as well written and narrated as the first. I don’t feel like the new characters get the proper amount of development and background to really make me invest in them. I also feel like the late portion of the game is very crammed and really tries too hard to jerk the game into a climatic ending. It just felt forced.

That being said, it is a good game.The gameplay itself is very good, and the atmosphere is much more tense at times then the first game. I like some of the decisions made to make the game more inclusive for the LGBT community. It just didn’t carry the same emotional punches as the first game, for me.

 

[Xeo]

Personally I think the game's pacing could have worked better in the way Nier Automata handled it's Campaign .2 stuff.

Play as Ellie, reach the climax where you beat the fuck out of Abby, she beats you and almost kills Dina. Leaves you and tells you to leave.
Then have Ellie, Dina and Tommy leave Seattle as the first round of credits play.

Then you play as Abby. Same stuff as is already available.
You play the sequence where she beats Ellie to a pulp, tells them to leave Seattle.
We see her and Lev leave the city.

THEN you play out the final part of the campaign; the Farm, California all of it.

The problem with that approach, is much like a lot of casual players did with Nier, they'd see the credits roll once and think they finished it. I cannot tell you how many people told me they hated the ending to Nier Automata while I worked at Gamestop. And then would tell me "Yeah this happens, and then the credits roll and it's just over." People can be dumb sometimes.