The Last of Us Part 2 (and the review conundrum)

I think one thing that added to your shift of sympathy was that you did not find Abby stronger and more anger-fuelled than ever as you would expect for the final show off. instead you find someone that you barely recognize, someone who is already utterly defeated... and the game makes you battle THAT. ouch

I hope Abby and Lev find peace and Ellie offs herself x
 
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Finished last night and I'm honestly broken! I echo everything said. I don't know what the fuck I was worried about and I even feel bad for questioning it at all - this was beautiful, harsh storytelling and there is nothing else like it. As an emotional experience it definitely digs deeper than the first even if I preferred the first one's overall package.

They did not ruin Ellie, it's actually just a fairly accurate depiction of how a horrible ruined world can destroy someone's hopes and innocence etc and what it can turn people into. This idea of society turning against each other has been around FOREVER because, understandably, it's a huge fear, so the game explores that. I don't feel anything violent is glorified at all. It's graphic as fuck but there's a purpose here, and the game and characters always make you question it, along with people's motives and why they do what they do. It's deliberately uncomfortable and not once does it feel like it's saying this is okay. Plus, you know...it's just a horror game. It'll stay with me like an especially incredible miserable film and I'm fine with that.
 
I played on Hard and never came close to running out of things (and I'm usually proper shit at games, might just be because I replayed the first one on Hard not long before). I died a LOT but ammo and craft items seemed to be in abundance so towards the last quarter I got bored of stealth and often went straight in making lots of noise - partly to just move it along since it goes on FOREVER. But I love that despite all that, there was such a strict limit on maximum capacity of everything that you never quite felt comfortable even at full stock. Guns would always run out quickly even if the next lot was around the corner.

I might be a brave boy and attempt Survivor next which removes the listen mode and makes everything harder/scarcer, but fucking hell I don't know if I can handle the trauma. Certain areas will be IMPOSSIBLE :argh:
 
I could never handle Survivor mode, I would need therapy after :D imagine dealing with Stalkers!
 
I could never handle Survivor mode, I would need therapy after :D imagine dealing with Stalkers!

Those things made me stab my eyes! I swear I barely remember them from before but there were huge sections FULL of them in this. Fucking awful little cunts - they hardly showed up on listen mode anyway though so probably the smallest leap in difficulty of all enemies ironically.

I'd take bloaters, clickers and shamblers over them any day.

Dogs rank second as the most irritating. I loved/despised that section with them ruining every learned behaviour you come in with.
 
The dogs did my tits in. Mainly because like ROM says they ruin everything you’ve learned. There was no stopping and taking in all the NCP movements. You either killed them and caused a bit furore or just kept moving as much as possible. Neither of which I liked.

*spends 10 minutes watching one enemy walk around*
 
Did anyone else release chained up runners to go and cause mayhem. Was great to put on listen mode and watch it all ensue through a black and white veil.

They touched on this in the IGN podcast but I’d like to see that expanded on more. Like a proper survivor mode almost Just Cause type physics using what’s around you to take out enemies. Wrapping a rope around a load of runners and watching their bodies slice into the rope as they push against each other :disco:
 
:D!

I mean TLOU universe is full of trauma and issues so a splash of FUCK ME DADDY roleplay would fit in just fine.

Much better than angry girls and guitars at any rate.
 
OT but not really - searching "Owen naked the last of us 2" (so I'M TOLD) brings up the kind of nightmare images best left unseen :gross:
 
Another thing not mentioned yet:

Lev's story and being trans was really interesting, and I thought - as much as a non trans person can anyway - they handled that quite well. I read an article earlier (from a trans person) which mostly praises it. I think adding that aspect to the game's everyone-is-fucked world and with religious cults thrown in really highlighted the trauma Lev and his sister went through. Yes it makes his story a tragedy, but literally EVERYONE'S story is a tragedy here so it's not singled out as such. I just liked how they explored that angle in this setting which kind of allowed a unique take. Lev and Yara in general were yet another reason Abby's story ended up the most interesting of the two. I probably cared for literally all of them more than Ellie's gang by the end
 
There's cartoon porn (moopy has its very own engaging thread!) and then there's THAT
 
I’m quite partial to some resident evil Chris Redfield/Leon S Kennedy fuck fests. I searched for some Joel stuff once but it was just him rattling Ellie in a car.

Sort it out talented internet gays!
 
I'm still playing this but I assume I'm getting towards the end.

Just killed the Rat King, who wasn't *that* bad - I think i died 4-5 times in that fight. It was obvious a big bad was coming so crafted as much as i could in advance.
 
Two days later and I'm done. The last bit wasn't *that* long, although final bit in the that mansion seemed to have a billion bad guys.

I'm a very reluctant team Abby. The game wanted me to like her - aww isn't she nice with doggos and look how she looks after the kids on the other team, and how she's had such a hard time with literally all her friends dying and isn't she empathetic when it comes to it. So reluctantly yes, but i hate myself for it.

Good game though. I probably would put it above the first but then its been so long.

Won't be needing therapy.
 
Finished this now….I found that last fight too upsetting and it went on forever. It left such a bad taste in my mouth (and I let Abby kill me several times).

There’s grim and too much. This felt too much, Ellie could have learned her lesson at several points.

The game is good, better than the first (although as everyone said it’s way too fucking long). There are several amazing sequences (Haven, both times at the hospital). I loved the character design, so much variety and emotion.
 
I found some of the gratuitous violence a bit much. I got tired of seeing Abby choke people and the level of gore and close to the death of everyone.
 
Oh and it’s weird how much Ellie looks like Elliot Page from certain angles.
 
I went through this twice in the summer and really enjoyed it. I was initially completed thrown when what I thought was the end ended up being halfway through! It was a clever twist but didn't really work for me emotionally. Luckily I enjoyed Abby's story a lot more than Ellie's. Ellie had got on my nerves by the end of Part I so I found her even more draining in this. The dry delivery of her performance I didn't like in either and I could give two hoots about her, Dina and the baby.

Abby's was MUCH more like it and her and Owen were much more interesting to get to know.

Downers were the the Resident Evil boss in the basement (ridiculous) and the length. I liked Santa Barbara more than most and it ended the way I wanted it to. Can't say I'm up for any more and if a Part III was more Ellie, I'd probably be out.
 
Ellie was originally based on him, but when he signed up to Beyond: Two Souls they had to distance themselves from that design. At least that’s what I’ve heard.
Yeah I think Elliot or Elliot's people threatened them with legal action and the design of Ellie was changed slightly.

(By "think" I mean I skimmed something on Wikipedia once and picked out some superficial details)
 

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