This all got me thinking about when I played TLOU for the first time. It's up there for the most emotional gaming moments I've had. Can a TV show, especially one that's somewhat abbreviated episodes split across weekly releases have that same impact?
I recall this being a big interest for Neil Druckman - the notion that by playing as particular characters , gaming as a whole, can create a vastly different impact on you than watching something unfold like with TV.
In that's sense, perhaps the difference is you remember the game as a hard hitting personal experience, whereas the show, regardless of how good it is, is just someone else's telling of your story. Except for the new parts and changed scenes which do seem to be resonating a particular way.
I don't think it has the same impact for three reasons. The first major reason is that we already know the story. We knew what was going to happen between Ellie and David in the last episode. We knew Sam was going to get bitten and be killed by Henry. We knew Tess was going to be bitten. Things like that are going to hit way harder when you don't know the story.
I also think leaving out certain parts of the game hurts the experience. It makes sense to leave some of the combat sequences out of a tv show, but those help to bring the characters together. The combat really helps to improve Joel's and Ellie's relationship. It looks rushed on the show. It's more subtle, but more believable in the game.
One part of the game that I really like is when they're trying to sneak out of the City with Henry and Sam. The enemies are bearing down on them. They're climbing up a ladder and it breaks before Joel gets a chance to go up it. Henry abandons Joel and leaves with Sam. Ellie jumps down and says we stick together. I bloody love that and it shows to Joel how much this girl cares for him. Parts like this that were part of combat sequences got skipped in the show.
Lastly, I'm sure quite a few of us have played the game more than once. We're used to Troy and Ashely's portrayal of Joel and Ellie. That is the standard. Regardless of how well Pedro and Bella have performed, I don't think they'd ever be able to hit the same heights that Troy and Ashley did. There are certain scenes I think are way better in the game, but maybe I wouldn't think that if I saw the tv show first. I'll never know.