Amazing game imo but damn it's depressing

[djb5f]

26 minutes ago, Stan Lee said:

I personally loved the game but it took a lot out of me, though there are threads of hope in the ending:

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Abby and Lev made it to the Fireflies. Ellie forgave Joel and herself and is able to move on with her life.

 

To be honest, I really, really don't think the stories of these characters need to go on though, and

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perhaps neither do Naughty Dog, case in point- Joel. They could have made Joel the next Nathan Drake and milked him for sequel after sequel but instead they bumped him off. Which was, in my humble opinion, the right move for this style of game and story. This isn't swashbucking Indiana Jones stuff, this is a Cormac McCarthy novel.

 What I would like to see are other stories that take place in this world. It's what I had hoped for in a sequel and I got that halfway, sort of. Minority opinion, probably.

Cormac McCarthy is one of my favorites authors so that is probably why I enjoyed both Last of Us stories so much (definite parallels to “The Road”) whereas others prefer happy stories that wrap up with a nice little bow on it.  
 

And “No Country for Old Men” is one of my favorite books/movies but I know many complained about the abrupt ending.  I can’t take stories that are too superficial (black/white).  So much more intriguing with shades of gray.

[Strike-Runner]

Man I’m disappointed with the story direction they went with we should have been given a choice throughout the game or just the ending. I didn’t find it depressing I found it boring and really repetitive especially scavenging I wouldn’t mind playing just Elle’s side but apparently we have to see both sides of each of the main characters. I think the only game that made me like both characters in a game against each other is the legacy of Kain and that was the 5th installment of the game both characters were well told and written enough to understand raziel perspective and kain as well. Graphics, gameplay, animations are amazing in the last of us part 2 but story, characters, pacing, is what made it boring the first last of us Joel knew about how civilization was before the world was taken over by infected and when Elle asked a question about what is that or why she looks skinny Joel knew what to say. Between Abby and lev to me it’s not close to Joel and Elle relationship Joel develop feelings and care for Elle throughout the year and we know why Joel is the way he is because of the apocalypse, and then Abby cares for a kid for 3 days? And the reason because he saved her? I don’t know the characters on Abby side I didn’t find interesting or breathtaking. Very disappointed with last of us part 2 and if part 3 comes out or uncharted I’m not gonna be hype for the trailers because the trailers for part 2 were very misleading making people think Joel plays a big part of the game. 

[sporty_chin8]

Game is cringey as hell. I am even more disappointed that people have to keep hearing about it. It should have been forgotten by now.

[DaivRules]

1 minute ago, sporty_chin8 said:

Game is cringey as hell. I am even more disappointed that people have to keep hearing about it. It should have been forgotten by now.

 

Ha ha, you clicked INTO a thread, then commented on the thread talking about the game, further giving and drawing attention to it. Sure seems like you're helping more people remember the game than forget it.

 

 

[Life-is-Torture]

I just bought the game and I'm loving every single minute of it.

 

But Joel deserved better.

 

Despite some questionable story decisions the game is one of the best of the gen.

 

On 1/15/2021 at 10:14 AM, sporty_chin8 said:

Game is cringey as hell. I am even more disappointed that people have to keep hearing about it. It should have been forgotten by now.

 

You know what is more cringy? The haters, the game has been out for half a year and they haven't got over it.

 

Well deserved GOTY 2020.

[Beast_1985]

I enjoyed this one even more than I thought I would. Was really patient and didn't start it until all the hype is gone and then I finally played it. And the depression is one of the keys for this game's success. It creates the right atmosphere and it just feels right to be depressed while playing this one. I'd say it should be even more dark and depressing and I thought that more of main characters will end up dead and obviously the ending should've been more grim but still the game turns out to be awesome. It's in my personal top-3 of that generation.

Edited January 25, 2021 by Beast_1985

[Darling Baphomet]

Major spoilers ahead;

 

Depressing? Yes. Goddamn. Honestly, fuck this game. It's fantastic storytelling, but fuck this game. The first time I saw Mel / Owen die, I hadn't realized Mel was pregnant - I guess it just didn't click - so Ellie breaking down didn't make sense. At the end of Abby's route, I rewatched the cutscene and it almost made me puke. The characters and the way they treat eachother disgusted me in a way I haven't been disgusted in a very, very long time.

 

At the beginning of the game, it was pretty obvious Abby was the 'good guy' - she killed, essentially, a serial killer, while sparing both his adopted daughter and brother. Far more surgical and merciful than Joel's little hospital romp; nonetheless, I started the game very attached to Ellie and Dinah. By the end of Ellie's route, I just wanted her to kill Abby and get it over with; by the middle of Abby's route, I was fucking sick of both Abby and Ellie's revenge bullshit and how it got Owen and Mel killed; by the end, I liked Abby much, much more than I did Ellie. A lot of people complained about having to play as Abby in the fight scene with Ellie; honestly, that's how I felt when I had to play as Ellie again.

 

In a way, I think the reaction to TLoU 2 is a result of gamers really kinda just... being used to being pampered. You can have your dramatic deaths, and your brutal violence, but at the end of the day, you get a happy ending (or at least a satisfying revenge) that makes you feel good about yourself. The Last of Us 2 is... not that. It's a disgustingly brutal story that doesn't comfort you in the slightest. But it makes sense. It's not like the Last of Us 2 retconned 1 and ruined its story. Joel was a terrible person - serial killer, really, and Ellie was a person raised by Joel. A lot of people clearly weren't able to distance themselves from their own attachment to the characters to look at things from an objective standpoint.

 

Like, even seeing people talk about Abby's redemption arc at all seems to me like missing the point - at no point in the game did Abby do anything comparable to what Joel did. To be redeemed requires something to be redeemed for. What Abby's arc tried to do was make you feel an emotional attachment to Abby the same way you did Joel and Ellie - muddying the waters of your perfect revenge story with guilt.

 

It should be said I pity Ellie, and I understand her perspective; I have personal experience with how trauma can warp your perception of things, but goddamn did I get tired of her ruining not only her own personal relationships, but ruining Abby's life - killing multiple innocent people, including a pregnant woman - for killing a man she knew was a murderous monster was a step too far. I had more sympathy for her when I thought she was ignorant about the whole thing. By the end, she just made me sad and disgusted.

 

Also, fuck Tommy, manipulative son of a bitch should have died.

 

On 1/15/2021 at 6:14 AM, sporty_chin8 said:

Game is cringey as hell. I am even more disappointed that people have to keep hearing about it. It should have been forgotten by now.

 

Imagine trying this hard to offend yourself.

Edited January 28, 2021 by Darling Baphomet

[Eraezr]

On 12/30/2020 at 2:38 AM, Valkirye22 said:

Honestly, it's is a very much worth playing, high polish, high quality ND title. However, like many (all) other games (general things) it is not necessarily worth discussing online.

I would definitely recommend you as a title to play and make up your own mind - i can keep mine down to two words: loved it.

 

Really no need to scour YT, Twitter, Critic pages or reddit or whatever - or even pay attention to it.

Give it a play, and decide for yourself if you enjoyed it or not why even concern yourself with what the 'internet' thinks of it?

 

Well if the zealot fans and the immature slice of the haters chill out, I'll get the game. So I guess end of PS5-era.

[mumik08]

On 12/29/2020 at 7:06 AM, BrandedBerserk said:

I personally preferred the depressing feel, think its a better representation of the world they live in. There's an abundance of games and movies with happy stories that end well most of the time so its good to get something different for a change but if there's anything wrong with the game it's the bad pacing and the amount flashbacks that kill the tension in some parts.

I also agree with your idea.

[HeroFangGhetz]

On 1/15/2021 at 8:14 AM, sporty_chin8 said:

Game is cringey as hell. I am even more disappointed that people have to keep hearing about it. It should have been forgotten by now.

 

So you intentionally went to a game  board you clearly hate, and bashed it for no reason just to troll. You have my condolences. 

 

And to be on topic, this was a good game, the only thing I didn't like was how almost unlikable both MCs became near the end. Abby was of course the lesser of the two evils.

Edited March 6, 2021 by HeroFangGhetz

[funboy1246]

On 1/25/2021 at 5:37 AM, Life-is-Torture said:

I just bought the game and I'm loving every single minute of it.

 

But Joel deserved better.

 

 

i agree. its not what naughty dog did to joel that annoys me. its the way they went about it. 

Spoiler

when abby kills joel pretty much right at the begining i was livid. you knew nothing about abby really only that she was out for joel.

Spoiler

so you get pissed. why not play as her from the start for the first half. show how she came to be and why she feels that way. show the effect joels actions have on her and the rest of the surviving fire flies. show them trying to survive and eventually disbanding. show her hearing all these horror stories about joel creating an even bigger monster in her mind that he already was. show how she and her friends came to meet isaac. show her confiding to him about joel and him offering to train her. show her workin relentless to be a better stronger fighter so she can take down this demon that haughts her. show her sending out feelers to try and track him down. make me feel for her and her loss. would i still be pissed she killed joel? sure. i love joel. but id understand more and i wouldnt hate her for it. 

by the time you learn the reason why, you hate her and so dont care what her motivations were. i just think this would have made the experience for better for me. (dont know why im doing the spoiler stuff, assume if youre here you know or have played yourself)

[MythicNuke2K]

I'll avoid spoilers. It sure was a game that left you feeling drained. I completed it numerous times, each subsequent playthrough gave me a deeper appreciation for the story. I genuinely liked both characters. ND went really unorthodox with the storytelling which was a bold move. It was a story showcasing how brutal revenge

truly is, it's a vicious cycle that never stops. Many people claim that X just got to "get away" with everything, but failed to realize that X too lost loved ones and nearly everything X

cared about. 

[Life-is-Torture]

On 2/22/2021 at 3:27 PM, funboy1246 said:

i agree. its not what naughty dog did to joel that annoys me. its the way they went about it. 

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when abby kills joel pretty much right at the begining i was livid. you knew nothing about abby really only that she was out for joel.

  Reveal hidden contents

so you get pissed. why not play as her from the start for the first half. show how she came to be and why she feels that way. show the effect joels actions have on her and the rest of the surviving fire flies. show them trying to survive and eventually disbanding. show her hearing all these horror stories about joel creating an even bigger monster in her mind that he already was. show how she and her friends came to meet isaac. show her confiding to him about joel and him offering to train her. show her workin relentless to be a better stronger fighter so she can take down this demon that haughts her. show her sending out feelers to try and track him down. make me feel for her and her loss. would i still be pissed she killed joel? sure. i love joel. but id understand more and i wouldnt hate her for it. 

by the time you learn the reason why, you hate her and so dont care what her motivations were. i just think this would have made the experience for better for me. (dont know why im doing the spoiler stuff, assume if youre here you know or have played yourself)

 

In the end I liked Abby more than Ellie, tbh.

[NetoStyle]

17 minutes ago, Life-is-Torture said:

 

In the end I liked Abby more than Ellie, tbh.

 

Me too.

[dieselmanchild]

4 minutes ago, Life-is-Torture said:

 

In the end I liked Abby more than Ellie, tbh.

This is exactly how the writers wanted you to feel. TLoU2 is one of the most emotionally manipulative stories I’ve ever experienced, especially in regards to the character assassination of both Joel & Ellie.

 

The dual perspective thing is quite an interesting idea on paper. I don’t object at all to the way Abby is humanized so we can start to empathize with her and understand why she did what she did, and I really love the idea of exploring that grey area of morality - the fact that in the end, NOBODY, not Ellie or Abby, is exactly right or wrong, good or evil etc. That every single person has lost precious pieces of their soul trying to walk the razors edge and survive in this unforgiving, apocalyptic hell they find themselves in. The world forces you to become hardened, or die.

 

But I think where the writers failed is in the execution of this idea, and in actually portraying this properly in a balanced way. Instead, the game spends an exorbitant amount of time & energy tearing down Ellie (to the point that her character does not even remotely resemble the girl from the first game) and making her into an evil, heartless shell of a human being while crafting Abby into a noble and sympathetic hero. And they do this by lazily copy-pasting the exact same “redemption” plot arc from the first game.

 

The reason the ending of the first game was so great was because of the moral ambiguity. You are thrust into the grey, where Joel does a bad thing for a good reason. But it doesn’t tell you how you should feel about it, you’re left to ponder the ending on your own and decide how you feel, and this is why the debate over Joel’s choice rages on to this very day, almost a decade later.
 

TLoU2 fails in this regard and instead felt very heavy-handed to me. The game tells you exactly how you should feel about the events that happen, and clearly portrays one character as being much worse than the other. I was disappointed.

 

[Life-is-Torture]

3 hours ago, dieselmanchild said:

This is exactly how the writers wanted you to feel. TLoU2 is one of the most emotionally manipulative stories I’ve ever experienced, especially in regards to the character assassination of both Joel & Ellie.

 

The dual perspective thing is quite an interesting idea on paper. I don’t object at all to the way Abby is humanized so we can start to empathize with her and understand why she did what she did, and I really love the idea of exploring that grey area of morality - the fact that in the end, NOBODY, not Ellie or Abby, is exactly right or wrong, good or evil etc. That every single person has lost precious pieces of their soul trying to walk the razors edge and survive in this unforgiving, apocalyptic hell they find themselves in. The world forces you to become hardened, or die.

 

But I think where the writers failed is in the execution of this idea, and in actually portraying this properly in a balanced way. Instead, the game spends an exorbitant amount of time & energy tearing down Ellie (to the point that her character does not even remotely resemble the girl from the first game) and making her into an evil, heartless shell of a human being while crafting Abby into a noble and sympathetic hero. And they do this by lazily copy-pasting the exact same “redemption” plot arc from the first game.

 

The reason the ending of the first game was so great was because of the moral ambiguity. You are thrust into the grey, where Joel does a bad thing for a good reason. But it doesn’t tell you how you should feel about it, you’re left to ponder the ending on your own and decide how you feel, and this is why the debate over Joel’s choice rages on to this very day, almost a decade later.
 

TLoU2 fails in this regard and instead felt very heavy-handed to me. The game tells you exactly how you should feel about the events that happen, and clearly portrays one character as being much worse than the other. I was disappointed.

 

 

 

I know exactly what you mean but I disagree with you in the "moral ambiguity" about Joel's actions in the first game, there's not ambiguity on his actions, he did a horrible thing, he basically doomed the human race. But if I was in his shoes I doubt that I wouldn't do what he did. And that is one of the reasons that make the first TLOU an unique game, even knowing that he did something horrible, most of us would do the same thing if we were in the same situation.

As a father, you would kill everyone in this world in order to save your children.

 

Even if sometimes it's a narrative disaster, I still love the game and it's character, but in terms of narrative and character development the first part is 10 times better.

[BlitzkriegHottie]

The more "tragedy porn" I see, the more desensitized I am towards it. 

 

Watched the leaked spoilers, wasn't impressed (or shocked) in the slightest, it was everything I was expecting it to be: nothing but tragedy porn spam, Game of Thrones fanfiction and subverted expectations (in a Star Wars sequels kind of way) 

 

Wasn't even shocked by seeing Joel, a character that I used to love, die. I just rolled my eyes and decided to wait for a sale but later on I just watched a let's play and that was it.

 

It's the equivalent of having the weakest Walking Dead season sprinkled with some indie movie powder (Maybe Fox Searchlight?) for the ultimate "Oscar bait" zombie "movie" ever.

 

On a technical level is masterful on every aspect pretty much. The music, art, visuals, all are perfect but that's all the praise it will ever get from me.

 

Hades >>>>>>>>> Ghost of Tsushima >> The Last of Us 2 >>>>>>>>>>Cyberpunk 2077

[Rando-Calrisian-]

On 12/30/2020 at 1:56 AM, Eraezr said:

There are hundreds of other games out there I can play without getting emotionally invested and sucked into the blackhole of spats and indignation across forums and Twitter for TLOU Part II. I intend to do just that.

 

Best stay off social media in general. There are algorithms sending you polarising content specifically intended to incite and enrage you for the sole purpose of keeping you on that platform / getting advertising dollars.  Many of the comments, opinion pieces about this game (and others) are published specifically for that reason, just so you watch them and engage with them. Many people just comment to troll as well. 

 

These forums are a bit better as there are no algorithms sending you specific content. However there was quite a toxic, visceral response on these forums regarding this game specifically, which I have not seen for other titles during my time on PSN profiles.

 

On 1/9/2021 at 0:25 PM, djb5f said:

Cormac McCarthy is one of my favorites authors so that is probably why I enjoyed both Last of Us stories so much (definite parallels to “The Road”) whereas others prefer happy stories that wrap up with a nice little bow on it.  

 

Exactly what I thought after I finished it. Just like after watching the Road I was depressed for a few days. Not a bad thing. Too many games, where story is meant to be a key part of the experience, are too formulaic or an afterthought and ultimately end up being completely forgettable (Days Gone, Spider Man, Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed). 

[Life-is-Torture]

This game should be my 10th platinum.

 

I wasn't sure if TLOU2 or Dark Souls 3 but TLOU2 goes more with my personality and the pessimist way I see life and human race in general.

[bud-arc]

This was one of the most conflicting game experiences I ever had. I spent the game either convincing myself that this was one of the best or worst games I ever played. It was a rollercoaster ride, and even when I thought it was through, there were still a couple hours of gameplay left.

 

Having just completed the story, I'm still collecting my thoughts. There are great, memorable moments that stick out in my mind. I really liked the Last of Us: Left Behind expansion because it focuses more on character and story (a la Life is Strange), and for me, that's where this game shined. Everyone remembers the giraffe scene from the first game, and I got that same feeling while exploring the dinosaur museum (especially all the playing around with the fedora). It reminded me of the great bond between Ellie and Joel, and made me feel great sadness that these were only distant memories now.

 

A lot of people made breakthroughs about Joel and Ellie being the "villains," and that's where the game didn't land for me. I never got into the Abby sections, nor her forced relationship with Lev and Yara. It felt like filler material and I kept waiting for these sequences to end, but they never did, and then I realized what the game was trying to do. It's a unique thing to play both sides of the story, but I just couldn't get over that initial scene of Abby bashing Joel's skull in. It reminded me a lot of Negan's introduction from The Walking Dead (which is another character they are trying to reluctantly reform). Whether it was "justified" or not, I still wasn't pleased to abruptly switch as her for half the game. By the time I got to the confrontation in the theater, I really didn't want to fight Ellie. I purposely died the first time to try and avoid it. And then it switched to the scene at the farm and I felt massively disappointed because I thought the story was suddenly over.

 

I guess the brilliance of this is all the subverted expectations. I played the last few chapters not knowing where the game was heading or how much time I had left. I felt bad about Ellie leaving her perfect life with Dina because she's tortured and obsessed with the idea of revenge. And then to get all the way to the harrowing end of the line and come to the same conclusion -- that violence isn't the answer -- almost felt repetitive at this point. By the time she ends up back at the farm, alone and missing fingers, I was emotionally drained. I guess the game was successful in this regard, because of all the discussion and thought it's provoked in its wake. I don't think it's a perfect game, but it's narratively compelling and technically very well-made. However, it's not something I look forward to playing again just to clean up the trophies.

[DaBombA2M]

Really is depressing to think that I've completly wasted 20h of my life going through this awful experience.

Please Naughty Dog, don't you ever pull such a scam on us again, it really was painful to play and embarassing to watch.

[J2VLegacy]

The game is very depressing even though I still enjoyed it. After finishing it, I found myself liking the first game more. Think the story could have been much more better. 

[emailking]

I've played through it 5 times. I love it.

[Akirasolid]

On 5/11/2021 at 8:36 AM, bud-arc said:

This was one of the most conflicting game experiences I ever had. I spent the game either convincing myself that this was one of the best or worst games I ever played. It was a rollercoaster ride, and even when I thought it was through, there were still a couple hours of gameplay left.

 

Having just completed the story, I'm still collecting my thoughts. There are great, memorable moments that stick out in my mind. I really liked the Last of Us: Left Behind expansion because it focuses more on character and story (a la Life is Strange), and for me, that's where this game shined. Everyone remembers the giraffe scene from the first game, and I got that same feeling while exploring the dinosaur museum (especially all the playing around with the fedora). It reminded me of the great bond between Ellie and Joel, and made me feel great sadness that these were only distant memories now.

 

A lot of people made breakthroughs about Joel and Ellie being the "villains," and that's where the game didn't land for me. I never got into the Abby sections, nor her forced relationship with Lev and Yara. It felt like filler material and I kept waiting for these sequences to end, but they never did, and then I realized what the game was trying to do. It's a unique thing to play both sides of the story, but I just couldn't get over that initial scene of Abby bashing Joel's skull in. It reminded me a lot of Negan's introduction from The Walking Dead (which is another character they are trying to reluctantly reform). Whether it was "justified" or not, I still wasn't pleased to abruptly switch as her for half the game. By the time I got to the confrontation in the theater, I really didn't want to fight Ellie. I purposely died the first time to try and avoid it. And then it switched to the scene at the farm and I felt massively disappointed because I thought the story was suddenly over.

 

I guess the brilliance of this is all the subverted expectations. I played the last few chapters not knowing where the game was heading or how much time I had left. I felt bad about Ellie leaving her perfect life with Dina because she's tortured and obsessed with the idea of revenge. And then to get all the way to the harrowing end of the line and come to the same conclusion -- that violence isn't the answer -- almost felt repetitive at this point. By the time she ends up back at the farm, alone and missing fingers, I was emotionally drained. I guess the game was successful in this regard, because of all the discussion and thought it's provoked in its wake. I don't think it's a perfect game, but it's narratively compelling and technically very well-made. However, it's not something I look forward to playing again just to clean up the trophies.

Are you me? This is almost exactly how I feel about the game. I really didn't care for the side characters at all in this game, there were so many that I just wanted most of them dead lol. The story they told I had no problem with it was the execution that I felt fell flat. There were too many convenient moments that really pulled me away from the games story. The gameplay was fun, some called it boring and repetitive but I didn't have too much of a problem with it. It's an extremely polished game but the story really need a little bit more time fixing the pacing.

[Iker_01]

I love this game but yeah... it leaves me feeling miserable. I remember saying out loud "Fuck Ellie, no... Don't do it, don't do it." during the last battle in the game. 3 playthroughs so far and I think it's a masterpiece.