The Last of Us The Last Of Us 2

[OutOfBoose]

Metacritic went up to 96.

Don't say that to me.

I personally struggle to believe it's the case. But there's only way to find out.

 

[jmc]

Kotaku's review pretty much sums up my biggest fears about making a sequel to this story:

The Last Of Us Part II: The Kotaku US Review

Skill Up's youtube review mirrors this more or less. This is going to be a TLJ situation again, which means things are going to get ugly.

 

[OutOfBoose]

Hollywood Reporter:

Beautifully and even gruesomely crafted, The Last of Us Part II represents the pinnacle of what video games can be. It’s an unflinching, impeccable example of how the medium can be used to propel the art form forward by employing the same visceral storytelling techniques and disturbing imagery you’d see from Oscar-nominated films. Critics have been asking when video games would “grow up” for years. The real question is this: when will films catch up with video games like The Last of Us Part II?

 

[Gee]

Kotaku's review pretty much sums up my biggest fears about making a sequel to this story:

The Last Of Us Part II: The Kotaku US Review

Skill Up's youtube review mirrors this more or less. This is going to be a TLJ situation again, which means things are going to get ugly.

Reviews from Ars Technica and Polygon are also more nuanced compared to, say, IGN.

The Last of Us Part 2 review: We’re better than this
The Last of Us Part 2 review: A less confident, less focused sequel

 

[OutOfBoose]

Polygon review is such an infantile drivel...

Playing The Last of Us Part 2, a game that supposes that humans will enact violence upon one another to their dying breaths, is a very strange thing in 2020. Naughty Dog created a world in which people across America react to a massive structural crisis by dividing and disconnecting from others, rather than uniting together to demand something better — not just for themselves, but for the most marginalized people in their communities.

I can't even........................

 

[jmc]

Infantile as Polygon can be there’s one paragraph in that article which summarises my hesitation about this game from day one, in that if you disagree with Joel’s decision in part 1 it becomes a difficult game to play. Answering the question of what happened after the end of Part 1 was always going to be fraught with challenges, simply because opinion on Joel’s actions are genuinely split.

 

[OutOfBoose]

Infantile as Polygon can be there’s one paragraph in that article which summarises my hesitation about this game from day one, in that if you disagree with Joel’s decision in part 1 it becomes a difficult game to play. Answering the question of what happened after the end of Part 1 was always going to be fraught with challenges, simply because opinion on Joel’s actions are genuinely split.

And it was actually my worry from day 1 as well. Taking definitive stand regarding the ending of Part 1 can hurt both the finale of that story and make it a hard pill to swallow to a portion of audience who will play Part 2. But who knows maybe there's enough nuance in how they handle it or maybe they don't even take sides...

I'll see how it makes me feel in a week.

 

[jmc]

That is another issue. Once you answer that question it affects the first game too. It really makes me wonder if they would have been better off just telling another story within the same world. For all intense and purposes Joel’s and Ellie’s story was complete.

 

[Chesterfield]

Well based on the reviews, especially those more ctitical of the game, I can't wait to get my hands on this game. I don't care about the game not having any or enough moments to naval gaze. For me it's all about the execution of it all. This story is taking place in adverse and hopeless conditions where morals and ethics of the world's inhabitants are heavily compromised or at best fluid. I'm expecting the violence to be excessive, wanton even; and I couldn't be happier with the way this all shaping up.

 

[Gothamsknight]

Lots of great reviews. Next week can't come quick enough!

 

[henzINNIT]

That is another issue. Once you answer that question it affects the first game too. It really makes me wonder if they would have been better off just telling another story within the same world. For all intense and purposes Joel’s and Ellie’s story was complete.

I was always more interested in a completely new cast tbh. Getting to know the characters was the backbone of the first, whereas great returning characters are solved mysteries that can over-shadow new characters around them.

Haven't followed the production of this game very closely, but I assume popular demand was to see Joel and Ellie again. If that is the case, I would wager the most vocal fans of their return will also be the most critical of their use. Bringing these characters back has doomed them to suffer, and the fans along with it. How game you are for that experience seems to be the dividing line between critics, despite being mostly positive.

Still looking forward to playing it (anxiously). I'm not sure if I should be squeezing a quick replay of the first in.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

Amazing reviews. Congratulations ND

 

[Brother Jack]

And it was actually my worry from day 1 as well. Taking definitive stand regarding the ending of Part 1 can hurt both the finale of that story and make it a hard pill to swallow to a portion of audience who will play Part 2. But who knows maybe there's enough nuance in how they handle it or maybe they don't even take sides...

I'll see how it makes me feel in a week.

That's always been my biggest concern with this game. The original's ending was so delicately ambiguous and layered that it seemed any follow up to it would spoil it somehow. So in that sense my expectations for this game have from the beginning been tempered, despite Naughty Dog's nearly unparalleled track of excellence. The divisive response to it has ironically kind of made me more curious to dive into it, just to digest it all for myself.

 

[Superhero 101]

Wow reviews look great next week can’t come soon enough!

 

[OutOfBoose]

That is another issue. Once you answer that question it affects the first game too. It really makes me wonder if they would have been better off just telling another story within the same world. For all intense and purposes Joel’s and Ellie’s story was complete.

That's what I wanted. Keep the setting, change the characters.

 

[OutOfBoose]

I watched the first 3 hours and I'm warning everyone... Brutality in this is absolutely insane. I was sweating like a pig during certain story developments. Not just the gore itself, but within context it was unbearable.

I thought I was ready, but I wasn't. And I'm a middle aged man who saw plenty of violence in fiction. A lot of people might find it simply tasteless.

 

[The Joker]

Reviews like that I am more inclined to find more credible, as they are more balanced in looking at the pros and cons.

 

[OutOfBoose]

His cons is basically: "I just don't like gameplay of The Last of Us much". As for the story - he can't go into detail, so it's impossible to evaluate the credibility or what his arguments are anyway. I saw the first 3 hours and there were no plot holes or stupid moments in it, like the author claims. But it's only the first 3 hours.

I won't be watching anything else if there are more leaks, I'll be playing it in 6 days, but so far it's great. Extremely detailed cinematic experience. Improved and more refined gameplay from the first game and the story itself is relentless.

Still, I have one gripe with it already:

Spoiler

Similarly to The Witcher 3, story context and exploration options get in the way of each other. There's sense of urgency and emotional weight, but your characters can go around sniffing flowers, do optional stuff. It's the same old issue with many games that allow your free exploration. The story loses focus and intensity. Some call it pacing issues.

 

[The Joker]

@OutOfBoose No offense, but you're one of the last people I'd listen to, since you've been fiercely resistant to any form of criticism or reservations towards the game.

 

[OutOfBoose]

@OutOfBoose No offense, but you're one of the last people I'd listen to, since you've been fiercely resistant to any form of criticism or reservations towards the game.

No offense, but you didn't read my posts much, it turns out, because I'm criticizing the game in the post above, if you're willing to open the spoiler tab. Plus I had concerns for the game in many other posts. From portrayal of romantic relationship, to writing, to the general idea of the sequel with the characters from the first game.

It seems at this point you're just seeking validation with negative or mixed reviews.

 

[Man in the Suit]

 

[terry78]

We'll see.

 

[The Joker]

No offense, but you didn't read my posts much, it turns out, because I'm criticizing the game in the post above, if you're willing to open the spoiler tab. Plus I had concerns for the game in many other posts. From portrayal of romantic relationship, to writing, to the general idea of the sequel with the characters from the first game.

It seems at this point you're just seeking validation with negative or mixed reviews.

I read your post fully. You have been fiercely resistant to any criticisms brought against the game. You raising one yourself doesn't change that.

This is the first time I've made any comment on reviews and you think based on one review that looked at both the pros and the cons with a balanced eye, I am seeking validity in negative reviews. And surprise surprise you find fault with the criticisms the guy had in it. You dismiss what he is saying because he decided to give a spoiler free review and therefore doubt his validity. You think because you watched the first three hours out of over 25+ hours of the game, that he must be wrong about there being no stupid moments or plot holes.

You just re-enforce my belief to dismiss what you say.

 

[OutOfBoose]

I read your post fully. You have been fiercely resistant to any criticisms brought against the game. You raising one yourself doesn't change that.

Then you're just willingly ingnore the points I raise and choose to focus me fiercely resisting unsubstantial criticisms. When a guy says he doesn't like the gameplay of Part 1 and Part 2 didn't change his opinion - well, OK. He didn't like it. In what way does it makes his opinion any more credible than those that praise gameplay?

This is the first time I've made any comment on reviews and you think based on one review that looked at both the pros and the cons with a balanced eye, I am seeking validity in negative reviews. And surprise surprise you find fault with the criticisms the guy had in it. You dismiss what he is saying because he decided to give a spoiler free review and therefore doubt his validity. You think because you watched the first three hours out of over 25+ hours of the game, that he must be wrong about there being no stupid moments or plot holes.

But it's not the first time you made comments on the game:

I've read the spoilers. Since these leaks have been confirmed by Naughty Dog its a blessing for me. It just saved me 60 bucks.

So yeah, it very much looks like seeking validity after a rushed judgement.
I'm not dismissing what he's saying, I'm dismissing the claim that his opinion is more credible than those that rank the game highly. I have no issue with people disliking the game. Not to mention, nothing is liked by everyone. But I listened to his opinion and he can't really discuss the things he was bothered by the most (because of review guidelines) and gameplay didn't impress him. That's it.

You just re-enforce my belief to dismiss what you say.

You do you. I tried to be argumentative.

shrug

 

[Jick]

Reviews like that I am more inclined to find more credible, as they are more balanced in looking at the pros and cons.

I liked that review.

It reassures some of the fears I had for this game. The gameplay might be good, but the story is horrible and it will not hold you long enough without you getting tired of it all and just wanting it to end.