The Last Of Us

[Murderer Enshrined]

I finished that game a long time ago. And I love and hate this game at the same time. There would've been so many things they could've done to make that game better.

And I really hated the sequel, even more (The Last Of Us 2). So many missed opportunities. It's beautiful, but why does it drag on, with the same enemies, and same situations, and same surroundings, which just tend to repeat themselves? Oh, wait. Let me guess. Right now, I'm going to encounter some similar enemies, in the same fashion, in the same style and/or fashion and/or place. Wowza! I would've never guessed that.

And I don't like or understand the ending, either. She killed Joel. Why let her go? All that time spent, just to pussy foot it? Neurotic......

 

[Hardware]

I actually enjoyed TLOU2 even more than 1. The only part I felt kind of dragged itself were Abbie's early stages...actually, pretty much anything with Abbie until the hotel, since I had to start from zero and I didn't like the character. And her flashbacks didn't make me feel more empathic towards her. But, hell, that part on the island was amazing. The ending...I had a feeling it was going to end up like that. Ellie killing Abbie would've made her look bad to most players and made the game even darker. That said, Joe's death, although it got me want to get revenge, was kind of expected: when I finished the first game in 2013 I immediately thought he would've died in an eventual sequel.

 

[bSTAR_182]

I fell in love with the first game from the beginning even though it was predictable with a silly concept that one girl holds the cure to save all of mankind.
What truly made the game stand out was the acting and character development (along with the beautifully designed settings). I loved seeing this father-daughter relationship bud between this unlikely pair as it created what would inevitably become a human dilemma in this post apocalyptic world.

The second game, however, sets a different tone with the story that I suppose was to be expected based on Joel’s ruthless and controversial actions by the end of the first game.
It lead us to a controversial sequel which many either give too much praise to or too much hate and I kinda fall in the middle somewhere. Ultimately I get what the developers were trying to do but I don’t agree with how they got there.

The game focuses too much on being edgy as it crams a story that probably needed to be split between two separate games. Hell even one game may have sufficed had they placed more focus on things that actually serve a purpose to what the story is ultimately trying to tell us. ‘Trim the fat’ if you will.

We ended up with a game that showcases two separate love triangles amongst a bunch of teenagers and somewhere in the middle of all the angst we have vengeance and the apocalypse.
It’s too ambitious for its own good a times as certain parts of the game dragged on for longer than they should have (i.e. the open area of the game where Ellie and Dina explore one town on horseback, as well as exploring Abby’s flashbacks as a kid), while other parts (like Santa Barbara) felt cut short.
This made the ending feel even more senseless for me as the sequel chose to drag out certain story angles and developments but rushed us through the end and arguably one of the cooler locations featured in either of the two games.

 

[Hardware]

It's certainly very ambitious and fails to hit all the points it set out to hit...but the good outdoes the "bad" (which is not really bad - it's just not as good as the rest). I personally think that most of Druckmann's musings are ridiculous, but the man knows how to write engrossing characters, which is something that Hideo Kojima (the one developer he certainly admires the most - TLOU2 is essentially MGS2 - and succeeds at what MGS2 failed) never learned how to do. This game was an emotional tour de force for me: I actually got to think about it for the next few days after I finished it, something that never really happened to me with a game - it was more like reading a novel or watching a movie in that regard. It might not be everything that its maker wanted it to be, but it's definitely good. The ones that hated it are only ****ed because they didn't get to play as Joel, without realizing that he becomes the very core of the story in this game (every minute you spend as Ellie, you think about him, his shadow is everywhere) - again, something that Kojima tried to do with MGS2 (making Snake grow in stature by not making the gamers playing as him) and failed at.

 

[bSTAR_182]

For me it was the opposite in terms of what game left me thinking about it for a few days after completing it - the first game had more of that affect on me.

Part 2 left me with less to ponder on - most of my thoughts revolved around what they should have done differently.
It tried to tackle the complexity of revenge in a deep metaphorical way, but other games (Red Dead Redemption) and films (Kill Bill) have already done it before and they felt less bloated while doing it.

But I do completely agree with what you’re saying about Joel still having a strong presence despite not actually being there. His ghost seemingly haunting Ellie.
Also agree that it was an emotional game to play through while in the thick of it.

 

[Murderer Enshrined]

Joel risked his life to save Ellie countless times. Without Joel, Ellie would've been dead long before TLOS1 ever got started. So, if you're Ellie, why would you ever let Joel's killer get away? You wouldn't. It's not like killing is anything new to Ellie at this point, especially by the end of TLOU2. It essentially defies logic. And if I were Joel's ghost, I would've been p*ssed. It's neurotic to the most ridiculous extent. That game left me screaming. Where's the incentive to get to the end of the game? Finding Abby and killing her was the whole point? It kind of reminded me of Splinter Cell Blacklist. You're leaving the player hanging. It basically makes the controller fall out of my hands as I stare blankly at the T.V. screen.

And as far as the ending of TLOS1 goes, why would you need to kill Ellie to take her blood? I don't think you would have to. On top of that, why would you want to? Aren't you kind of killing the goose that's laying the golden eggs?

 

[Murderer Enshrined]

And one more thing: when I got out of the restricted area, in the first game, I thought to myself, "Hey, man. Maybe I can shoot some of these cops and/or soldiers, and get their weapons from them.". So, I tried. And I managed to kill some of them. And I stood on top of their bodies, and I wasn't prompted to retrieve their weapons and/or ammo. I was, like, "What?".

They said the reason why I'm encountering these things is because the game developers wanted me to feel like it's real. As if this were actually occurring, which means I would be deprived of everything, including weapons and ammo. Really? So, let's talk about "realism", shall we?

Joel shoots a soldier, or cop, to death, and the soldier or cop (who should obviously be loaded with guns and ammo) lies there dead. I go over to that individual's body, but I can't pick up a weapon, let alone, any ammo. So, are the game developers saying that Joel simply decided to leave the guns and ammo behind, for no apparent reason? Doesn't that defy logic? He's in an apocalyptic situation, wouldn't it benefit him to pick up any weapons and ammo he can find? That, in and of itself, is not realistic, is it?

 

[Murderer Enshrined]

And further more: when I bust open a shack, with a shiv, and I walk up to a shelf, that has two or three shotgun shells, and I try to pick them up, and it says "Full"..... I say, huh? Full? You're full of sh!t. So, I'm supposed to think that Joel can't find room in his backpack for three shotgun shells. Well, if that's the case, then get rid of that bottle and brick. Make room for something more useful. But, he won't. And that defies logic, and that is unrealistic, which means, this game is not realistic.

Also: when I pick up a lead pipe, I know what I have. When I was a kid, me and my friends would sometimes come across lead pipes lying on the street. You had the lead plumbing going up into the part that was basically the elbow. I could take about a thousand people and beat them about the head with such a lead pipe, crush their skulls and brains, and it would still be hanging in there, and I wouldn't have to pay anything to have it repaired. I don't care how much a virus has caused these people to be infected, the bone of a skull is still a skull, and brains are still brains. But, three whacks, and I have to pay to have the damned thing repaired at the nearest workbench?

I know, I'm venting. But it isn't entirely a bad game. It's actually a very good game. I enjoyed playing the first Last Of Us. I really didn't like the second. I just wish they would give us a little bit more. Like, let me keep and restart with the weapons and upgrades I've acquired thus far in the game. In the first Last Of Us, you eventually get an AR-15, which you use to find Ellie in the hospital and save her. Well, it sucks that you can only use that weapon for the very last part of the game. Give us something to work with here, guys.

 

[Jonipoon]

I loved the first game, I've played it more than 10 times. It's up there together with RDR2 as having the best characters and most emotional story in a video game IMO. As others have already pointed out, the relationship between Joel and Ellie is what drives the story and makes it so believable. The build-up and execution is done really well and makes you really care for them. Which is why scenes such as Joel embracing Ellie after killing David is such a huge payoff. Before The Last of Us I didn't even know games could touch me in that way.

That being said, I have refused to play the sequel ever since it came out. Mainly because of Druckmann's stupid political comments and therefore I refuse to support his products financially. I would only play it if I got it for free. Besides, based on what many others have said I don't think I've been missing out.

 

[bSTAR_182]

Well look what we have here…

Also! My favorite bit of news is that Druckmann/Naughty Dog shared a quick glimpse of the new factions multiplayer game!

Neil Druckmann on Instagram: "A small glimpse into big things @naughty_dog_inc's biggest online experience is coming. More news next year... #TheLastofUs"

Neil Druckmann shared a post on Instagram: "A small glimpse into big things @naughty_dog_inc's biggest online experience is coming. More news next year... #TheLastofUs". Follow their account to see 69 posts.

www.instagram.com

Too bad they still have a ways to go before we hear anything more.

Naughty Dog on Instagram: "keep a "lookout" ✌ Our biggest online experience is coming. More news next year... #TheLastofUs"

Naughty Dog shared a post on Instagram: "keep a "lookout" ✌ Our biggest online experience is coming. More news next year... #TheLastofUs". Follow their account to see 949 posts.

www.instagram.com

I clearly don't know how to share insta photos on here...