Last of US 2 discussion

Watched a no commentary playthrough and really enjoyed it. It undoubtedly will rub some people the wrong way (and I think it was designed to do so) but the story was very well done and greatly expands on the characters from the first game.

I will say if you are thinking rather or not to get this game don't pay a lick of attention to the user reviews you are seeing for the game. THe professional reviewers are giving a better account of how good the game is. Most of the user reviews are just fussing about their normal sjw gripes and how certain things happen in this game story wise that they didn't want to see.

I will say this game is ballsy. Some people will like that while some people won't.

It's on my list for sure, I just have to beat FF7R before I get it. I liked the first one a lot!

I'm sure I'll want to get this but considering the size of my backlog I have pretty much no reason not to wait for a price drop or sale. It's just not something I feel the need to play immediately.

Just beat this. I was so emotionally invested in the first game it had to be a day one purchase for me.

I loved it. It broke me in half. Then again. Then again.

Worth every second.

Probably the best game of 2020 so far. Loved it. I love the risks they took with the story.

My feelings on the game (as a not-yet-player) has shifted a lot over the past little while. It's impossible for me to consider The Last of Us 2 without thinking about the baggage associated, but I've seen a few examples of the writing, design, and direction of the game that I think are interesting. I'm still yet to see anything that remotely resembles 'a huge risk' like a lot of proponents are discussing, but I think that some of it might be because many people who are saying this have never played an indie game in their life and chart things only by what the latest prestige videogames are doing. I'm probably not going to play TLoU2 soon but I do, at this point, think it would be worth a look over.

Well, if you compare it to indies without considering the variables, then yeah it doesn't seem like any big risks were taken. Taking risks in an indie game is like gambling with $10k, taking risks with a big console-exclusive AAA game is like gambling with millions.

Anyway, I loved the game. It had its flaws, sure, but definitely an amazing game.

I'm looking forward to playing it soon. Life is getting in the way a little bit right now. Hopefully I can still carve out some time before Cyberpunk 2077 comes out.

I also admit that the leaks did probably changed its status from "must buy on release" to "wait and see" for me, but the negative user reviews have not convinced me.

From what I gather, the 1-star user reviewers don't like that you're forced to play as and try to empathise with a character you're supposed to hate, and it takes the fun out of the game for them.

But I don't think Naughty Dog were going for "fun". I think a lot of those user reviewers are missing the point.

Yeah to be honest I think you should take most all the user reactions you are seeing to this game with a big grain of salt. I know some people prefer focusing on user reviews as opposed to critic reviews but for this game as invested as some people have become in the story of these characters (a lot of people consider these to be practically tv show or movie characters already) I think the critic reviews paint a far more accurate picture of how good the game actually is. A lot of the people hating on the game are wrapping most of their complaints around two specific story elements in the game. Won't get into them for those that havn't played it but those who have played it probably know exactly what I am talking about. While it is completely fair for them to feel that way at the same time though I don't think that is a very good way to review a game/story. Also a sad fact is that the clickbait artists have grabbed on to this story because they know it is a hot topic amongst the Last of Us franchise that will get them their clicks that they want.

For me in particular I really enjoyed it and I think it is one of the best stories there has ever been in the video game medium. At the same time though while going through it I knew it would probably rub some people the wrong way. That is what taking chances does though. If you are going to take chances there is going to often be a portion of the fan base that is truly going to dislike what you are doing.

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Originally Posted by Jiro

My feelings on the game (as a not-yet-player) has shifted a lot over the past little while. It's impossible for me to consider The Last of Us 2 without thinking about the baggage associated, but I've seen a few examples of the writing, design, and direction of the game that I think are interesting. I'm still yet to see anything that remotely resembles 'a huge risk' like a lot of proponents are discussing, but I think that some of it might be because many people who are saying this have never played an indie game in their life and chart things only by what the latest prestige videogames are doing. I'm probably not going to play TLoU2 soon but I do, at this point, think it would be worth a look over.

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I think when people say "risk" they're talking about certain plot points that were leaked that caused the game to get (unjustifiably) ridiculed before its release and that resulted in a swarm of negative user reviews. I'm not saying it's a super groundbreaking game or anything, but it does seem like Naughty Dog definitely tried a lot that wasn't expected. And, by at least some accounts, did it very well.

This game wasn't even on my radar prior to its release, more out of apathy than all the negativity. But a lot of positive opinions from sources I trust have persuaded me to add it to my list to pick up at some point.

It's an incredible, heartbreaking journey. And it absolutely is groundbreaking. There are plenty of indie games that have unique, creative mechanics and art styles, and that can be interesting. And of course games (AAA and indie alike) have been experimenting with new ways of telling stories since the dawn of the medium. But I've never seen a game (indie or otherwise) that takes advantage of the medium's ability to force players into someone else's perspective the way that The Last of Us Part II does. It asks its players to inhabit two opposing viewpoints, two perspectives that cannot be reconciled. It causes as much conflict within the player as it there is on screen. It's brilliant.