Gaming The Last of Us Part II (PS4)

Superunknown

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Started this about three nights ago and have plunged maybe 12 hours into it, so far.
I'm about halfway through Seattle Day 2 and just did the section where you find Jesse, plus that awesome flashback with Tommy and Joel.

The earlier flashback at the dinosaur museum was sweet as hell. Really enjoyed that whole section.

The part just before you find Jesse when you are destroying numerous WLFs and making your way through the houses and tall grass, with the music pumping... :drool:

I absolutely adore the first game and am having an equally great time in this one, too. Loving the refinements to the gameplay, like being able to go into the prone position, the fecking dogs that the WLFs use, and those hideous Shamblers. Basically, I'm having the time of my life. :drool::devil:
 

AaronRedDevil

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Started this about three nights ago and have plunged maybe 12 hours into it, so far.
I'm about halfway through Seattle Day 2 and just did the section where you find Jesse, plus that awesome flashback with Tommy and Joel.

The earlier flashback at the dinosaur museum was sweet as hell. Really enjoyed that whole section.

The part just before you find Jesse when you are destroying numerous WLFs and making your way through the houses and tall grass, with the music pumping... :drool:

I absolutely adore the first game and am having an equally great time in this one, too. Loving the refinements to the gameplay, like being able to go into the prone position, the fecking dogs that the WLFs use, and those hideous Shamblers. Basically, I'm having the time of my life. :drool::devil:
It’s great isn’t it. Enjoy man.
 

Berbasbullet

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Started this about three nights ago and have plunged maybe 12 hours into it, so far.
I'm about halfway through Seattle Day 2 and just did the section where you find Jesse, plus that awesome flashback with Tommy and Joel.

The earlier flashback at the dinosaur museum was sweet as hell. Really enjoyed that whole section.

The part just before you find Jesse when you are destroying numerous WLFs and making your way through the houses and tall grass, with the music pumping... :drool:

I absolutely adore the first game and am having an equally great time in this one, too. Loving the refinements to the gameplay, like being able to go into the prone position, the fecking dogs that the WLFs use, and those hideous Shamblers. Basically, I'm having the time of my life. :drool::devil:
It’s lovely to see you’re enjoying it! I am too, I’m a little ahead of you and really taking my time on this.
 

Superunknown

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It’s lovely to see you’re enjoying it! I am too, I’m a little ahead of you and really taking my time on this.
It's my evening/night time game. Usually start my playthrough at around 10:30, all the lights off, bottle of cider/beer next to me. My other half finished the game last week and I was banished from the living room so that we didn't spoil it for each other. She watches me play through it, it's like an evening main event. :lol:

Hearing things about this being a lot longer than the previous game. Think the first game was around 16 hours long and the sections in this feel a lot bigger.
I'm loving just how open Seattle feels in places. Feels big and that there is genuinely stuff that you could miss out on. I'm spending most of my time checking every fecking shelf to make sure I've got all my pills and parts. I want dem upgrades, maaaan.
 

Berbasbullet

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It's my evening/night time game. Usually start my playthrough at around 10:30, all the lights off, bottle of cider/beer next to me. My other half finished the game last week and I was banished from the living room so that we didn't spoil it for each other. She watches me play through it, it's like an evening main event. :lol:

Hearing things about this being a lot longer than the previous game. Think the first game was around 16 hours long and the sections in this feel a lot bigger.
I'm loving just how open Seattle feels in places. Feels big and that there is genuinely stuff that you could miss out on. I'm spending most of my time checking every fecking shelf to make sure I've got all my pills and parts. I want dem upgrades, maaaan.
Yeah me and the other half play this together from about 9-1030 some evenings, were proper engrossed in the story! It does feel loads bigger.
 

Superunknown

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I'm about 18/19 hours into the game.
Really enjoying the range of gameplay and locations. Quite enjoyed the chase scene with Nora and also liked the boat section, which had the potential to be annoying. It seems like Naughty Dog have perfected that balance where they've kept the survival aspects of the Last of Us with some other characteristics from the Uncharted games to add some variation, and it comes off big time. Really like it. :drool:

Completed Seattle Day 2 and did the section for (I think it's Day 3) where Jesse gets killed. Boooo, was growing to really like him, but that's only going to further Ellie's thirst for vengeance. The bit at the aquarium where she killed the pregnant Mel and Owen was grim...nice to see the traumatic effect that this is having on Ellie, including how she reacted after the torture bit with Nora.

I've started Abby's section for Seattle Day 1 and am enjoying her story, thus far. LOVE the side-by-side story and also with the details about her father being the doctor that Joel killed at the hospital. It's really tied in with the first story nicely and has used that as a good starting point for the plot of this game.

The game feels much bigger and longer than the first, with more variation of things to do. I'm enjoying using the mines and the FECKING EXPLOSIVE ARROWS!!!! which are just great. I did one section yesterday or the day before where I lured a few Scars into an area and then used the explosive arrows to obliterate them. My other half voiced her displeasure at that. "I only really used those for infected, because it's gross on humans...:eek:" :lol: :devil:
 

Freak

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I'm about 18/19 hours into the game.
Really enjoying the range of gameplay and locations. Quite enjoyed the chase scene with Nora and also liked the boat section, which had the potential to be annoying. It seems like Naughty Dog have perfected that balance where they've kept the survival aspects of the Last of Us with some other characteristics from the Uncharted games to add some variation, and it comes off big time. Really like it. :drool:

Completed Seattle Day 2 and did the section for (I think it's Day 3) where Jesse gets killed. Boooo, was growing to really like him, but that's only going to further Ellie's thirst for vengeance. The bit at the aquarium where she killed the pregnant Mel and Owen was grim...nice to see the traumatic effect that this is having on Ellie, including how she reacted after the torture bit with Nora.

I've started Abby's section for Seattle Day 1 and am enjoying her story, thus far. LOVE the side-by-side story and also with the details about her father being the doctor that Joel killed at the hospital. It's really tied in with the first story nicely and has used that as a good starting point for the plot of this game.

The game feels much bigger and longer than the first, with more variation of things to do. I'm enjoying using the mines and the FECKING EXPLOSIVE ARROWS!!!! which are just great. I did one section yesterday or the day before where I lured a few Scars into an area and then used the explosive arrows to obliterate them. My other half voiced her displeasure at that. "I only really used those for infected, because it's gross on humans...:eek:" :lol: :devil:
I'm at around the same point of the game as you (maybe slightly farther in) but I don't quite have the same sentiments. I bought the game on release day, it's been a month and I just cannot quite get into it as much as I did with the first.

Ellie's scenes and gameplay are good and fun. She's a really good and strong character which makes it all the more fun to play with. I also love those flashbacks with her, Tommy and Joel. It feels nostalgic. Her relationship and story with Joel was what made the first game so brilliant, and I feel they should have taken advantage of this. Unfortunately they went with a different direction.

I just can't get into Abby's story. It all feels so forced, messy and predictable. In fact, I don't think they've build the new characters up well. I just don't feel a connection with them. There are also too many plot holes where I'm left wondering "wtf". Abby, Jesse, Dina, Mel are all pretty boring characters to be honest with only Owen being somewhat 'fun'.

Gameplay is fantastic, as is the graphics. Love the new infected enemies as well. Although I find the whistling from the Scars irritating.

It's a good game, but not a great game. The story and character buildup for the new cast spoils it for me so far; I just can't bring myself to think "these are good characters". At this point, I'll give it a 7 out of 10 which is a shame. The first game was a masterpiece for me. This is just meh.
 

Amarsdd

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I'm at around the same point of the game as you (maybe slightly farther in) but I don't quite have the same sentiments. I bought the game on release day, it's been a month and I just cannot quite get into it as much as I did with the first.

Ellie's scenes and gameplay are good and fun. She's a really good and strong character which makes it all the more fun to play with. I also love those flashbacks with her, Tommy and Joel. It feels nostalgic. Her relationship and story with Joel was what made the first game so brilliant, and I feel they should have taken advantage of this. Unfortunately they went with a different direction.

I just can't get into Abby's story. It all feels so forced, messy and predictable. In fact, I don't think they've build the new characters up well. I just don't feel a connection with them. There are also too many plot holes where I'm left wondering "wtf". Abby, Jesse, Dina, Mel are all pretty boring characters to be honest with only Owen being somewhat 'fun'.

Gameplay is fantastic, as is the graphics. Love the new infected enemies as well. Although I find the whistling from the Scars irritating.

It's a good game, but not a great game. The story and character buildup for the new cast spoils it for me so far; I just can't bring myself to think "these are good characters". At this point, I'll give it a 7 out of 10 which is a shame. The first game was a masterpiece for me. This is just meh.
At that point of the game, it was slightly difficult to keep going with Abby's story for me as well. But a few hours in, it really clicked for me around when she encountered Jara and Lev and I really got into her story as well. The ending hit hard because of that, at least for me.
 

El General 1994

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Loved it!! 10/10 for me. I was slightly uncomfortable at first playing as Abby (due to the obvious) but this was essential in the long run.

I might be the only one but Abby...push comes to shove...probably.
 

Superunknown

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Finished this game in the early hours of this morning.
In short: fecking loved it.

Man, what a ride.

I'm still trying to work out exactly what the issues are that people have been having with the content of this game. Sure, it's brutal at various points, but...it's the apocalypse. It's pretty grim at time, but I didn't have any issues with the game tonally and I loved the overall story that this game told.

First off, the introduction for this game is gorgeous. Graphically, this is such a beautiful game and Naughty Dog should feel insanely proud at the technical brilliance of this. It's a marvel to look at and there were numerous points where I just had to stop to look around, even in some of the not-so-pretty areas. My favourite overall location was the farm at the end of the game, particularly with that gorgeous sunset.

I had no problem whatsoever with Joel's death, because it was essential to the plot and there was absolutely no way that his actions in the first game could not lead to anything but severe consequences later down the line. It made sense and I thought the game did a fantastic job of making you empathise with Abby's decisions throughout. Obviously, you've got the parallel with Abby and Lev compared to Joel and Ellie in the first game, which I think the game just about got the balance right with in terms of how often those parallels were drawn, without it being too much like a flashing sign.

Loved the openness of Seattle in various areas. Generally, I thought this game took the various ideas from the first game and built upon them in this. The areas felt bigger and more alive in places. I particularly loved the initial stages of Seattle where you were able to roam freely, as it seemed like there were tons of things to spot and see. There were a nice variation of locations despite the subject matter so that it didn't become too repetitive to look at. That hospital section was great, except for that fecking bossfight as Abby! Only bit of the game that I didn't really enjoy, but the rest of the area was fantastic.

There's a lot that can be said regarding the structure of the game. It's a fairly meaty game. I wouldn't personally consider it bloated or too drawn out, because I would consider the Abby sections essential so that the gamer can empathise with her decision making and it makes some of the events of Ellie's story a bit more meaningful. For example, I now look back on the Mel and Owen death scenes and feel much more guilty than I did before. It's a grim scene to begin with, but it has much more impact after Abby's story.

After completing it, I wonder if something could have been done with alternating the story, so Ellie Day 1, Ellie Day 2, Abby Day 1, Abby Day 2, or something along the lines. Thinking back, I'm not so sure if that would have been any better, and it maybe would have fragmented the game too much.

I really like the numerous characters that we see within this game, particularly the addition of Abby, who is very well fleshed out. Lev and Yara were good additions in Abby's storyline and I did enjoy that whole stretch of game where Abby and Lev tackle that descent, which I found pretty daunting at the time. Loved that skybridge bit beforehand, too!

The bit at the island when the shit starts to go down is brilliant. Loved riding the horse through that "battle" and I thought the game captured those moments really well. That island section could have been a drag and a non-entity, but Naughty Dog handled it well enough to make it interesting and quite exciting in various places.

Quite enjoyed the ending at Santa Barbara, too. Again, had the potential to feel useless, but I thought it was handled well enough to make it a satisfying conclusion to the game. Throughout the fight with Abby, I was just muttering to myself about Ellie, thinking "What are you actually doing?!" Glad to see that in the end, she decided to spare Abby and it showed development for her character.

The ending at the desolate farmhouse was great. Obviously parallels can be drawn about the farmhouse and Ellie both being desolate and empty and the part where she was unable to play the guitar as well due to her missing her fingers was great and, again, well handled. It's the type of ending where you just want to curl up into a ball at the end and weep, which I imagine is what Naughty Dog were aiming for.

Overall, I love this just as much, if not more than the first game. It felt meatier, had a great story and built upon the foundations that made the first game so well received. I do think that if Part 2 is about revenge or vengeance, then Part 3 will be about Redemption for Ellie, in order to bring her story around full circle. It's open enough where Naughty Dog can go in numerous different directions with it.

I will definitely be replaying this at some point, maybe in a year's time, which is what I did with the first game. I'm happy that I've played and experienced it and feel honestly drained after completing it, but in a good way.
 

Volumiza

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Finished this game in the early hours of this morning.
In short: fecking loved it.

Man, what a ride.

I'm still trying to work out exactly what the issues are that people have been having with the content of this game. Sure, it's brutal at various points, but...it's the apocalypse. It's pretty grim at time, but I didn't have any issues with the game tonally and I loved the overall story that this game told.

First off, the introduction for this game is gorgeous. Graphically, this is such a beautiful game and Naughty Dog should feel insanely proud at the technical brilliance of this. It's a marvel to look at and there were numerous points where I just had to stop to look around, even in some of the not-so-pretty areas. My favourite overall location was the farm at the end of the game, particularly with that gorgeous sunset.

I had no problem whatsoever with Joel's death, because it was essential to the plot and there was absolutely no way that his actions in the first game could not lead to anything but severe consequences later down the line. It made sense and I thought the game did a fantastic job of making you empathise with Abby's decisions throughout. Obviously, you've got the parallel with Abby and Lev compared to Joel and Ellie in the first game, which I think the game just about got the balance right with in terms of how often those parallels were drawn, without it being too much like a flashing sign.

Loved the openness of Seattle in various areas. Generally, I thought this game took the various ideas from the first game and built upon them in this. The areas felt bigger and more alive in places. I particularly loved the initial stages of Seattle where you were able to roam freely, as it seemed like there were tons of things to spot and see. There were a nice variation of locations despite the subject matter so that it didn't become too repetitive to look at. That hospital section was great, except for that fecking bossfight as Abby! Only bit of the game that I didn't really enjoy, but the rest of the area was fantastic.

There's a lot that can be said regarding the structure of the game. It's a fairly meaty game. I wouldn't personally consider it bloated or too drawn out, because I would consider the Abby sections essential so that the gamer can empathise with her decision making and it makes some of the events of Ellie's story a bit more meaningful. For example, I now look back on the Mel and Owen death scenes and feel much more guilty than I did before. It's a grim scene to begin with, but it has much more impact after Abby's story.

After completing it, I wonder if something could have been done with alternating the story, so Ellie Day 1, Ellie Day 2, Abby Day 1, Abby Day 2, or something along the lines. Thinking back, I'm not so sure if that would have been any better, and it maybe would have fragmented the game too much.

I really like the numerous characters that we see within this game, particularly the addition of Abby, who is very well fleshed out. Lev and Yara were good additions in Abby's storyline and I did enjoy that whole stretch of game where Abby and Lev tackle that descent, which I found pretty daunting at the time. Loved that skybridge bit beforehand, too!

The bit at the island when the shit starts to go down is brilliant. Loved riding the horse through that "battle" and I thought the game captured those moments really well. That island section could have been a drag and a non-entity, but Naughty Dog handled it well enough to make it interesting and quite exciting in various places.

Quite enjoyed the ending at Santa Barbara, too. Again, had the potential to feel useless, but I thought it was handled well enough to make it a satisfying conclusion to the game. Throughout the fight with Abby, I was just muttering to myself about Ellie, thinking "What are you actually doing?!" Glad to see that in the end, she decided to spare Abby and it showed development for her character.

The ending at the desolate farmhouse was great. Obviously parallels can be drawn about the farmhouse and Ellie both being desolate and empty and the part where she was unable to play the guitar as well due to her missing her fingers was great and, again, well handled. It's the type of ending where you just want to curl up into a ball at the end and weep, which I imagine is what Naughty Dog were aiming for.

Overall, I love this just as much, if not more than the first game. It felt meatier, had a great story and built upon the foundations that made the first game so well received. I do think that if Part 2 is about revenge or vengeance, then Part 3 will be about Redemption for Ellie, in order to bring her story around full circle. It's open enough where Naughty Dog can go in numerous different directions with it.

I will definitely be replaying this at some point, maybe in a year's time, which is what I did with the first game. I'm happy that I've played and experienced it and feel honestly drained after completing it, but in a good way.
I agree with pretty much every word of you very long spoiler :lol:

I would really have to be picky to Mark this game down for anything.
 

Superunknown

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I agree with pretty much every word of you very long spoiler :lol:

I would really have to be picky to Mark this game down for anything.
Sorry! I got started and then thought oh wait, I need to include this bit and this bit aaaand this bit. It just kept coming and coming. :D
Playing the soundtrack now on Spotify. "WLF" and "Beyond Desolation" are two of my favourites so far, but the entire thing is a work of art in itself.
 

Eckers99

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Finished this game in the early hours of this morning.
In short: fecking loved it.

Man, what a ride.

I'm still trying to work out exactly what the issues are that people have been having with the content of this game. Sure, it's brutal at various points, but...it's the apocalypse. It's pretty grim at time, but I didn't have any issues with the game tonally and I loved the overall story that this game told.

First off, the introduction for this game is gorgeous. Graphically, this is such a beautiful game and Naughty Dog should feel insanely proud at the technical brilliance of this. It's a marvel to look at and there were numerous points where I just had to stop to look around, even in some of the not-so-pretty areas. My favourite overall location was the farm at the end of the game, particularly with that gorgeous sunset.

I had no problem whatsoever with Joel's death, because it was essential to the plot and there was absolutely no way that his actions in the first game could not lead to anything but severe consequences later down the line. It made sense and I thought the game did a fantastic job of making you empathise with Abby's decisions throughout. Obviously, you've got the parallel with Abby and Lev compared to Joel and Ellie in the first game, which I think the game just about got the balance right with in terms of how often those parallels were drawn, without it being too much like a flashing sign.

Loved the openness of Seattle in various areas. Generally, I thought this game took the various ideas from the first game and built upon them in this. The areas felt bigger and more alive in places. I particularly loved the initial stages of Seattle where you were able to roam freely, as it seemed like there were tons of things to spot and see. There were a nice variation of locations despite the subject matter so that it didn't become too repetitive to look at. That hospital section was great, except for that fecking bossfight as Abby! Only bit of the game that I didn't really enjoy, but the rest of the area was fantastic.

There's a lot that can be said regarding the structure of the game. It's a fairly meaty game. I wouldn't personally consider it bloated or too drawn out, because I would consider the Abby sections essential so that the gamer can empathise with her decision making and it makes some of the events of Ellie's story a bit more meaningful. For example, I now look back on the Mel and Owen death scenes and feel much more guilty than I did before. It's a grim scene to begin with, but it has much more impact after Abby's story.

After completing it, I wonder if something could have been done with alternating the story, so Ellie Day 1, Ellie Day 2, Abby Day 1, Abby Day 2, or something along the lines. Thinking back, I'm not so sure if that would have been any better, and it maybe would have fragmented the game too much.

I really like the numerous characters that we see within this game, particularly the addition of Abby, who is very well fleshed out. Lev and Yara were good additions in Abby's storyline and I did enjoy that whole stretch of game where Abby and Lev tackle that descent, which I found pretty daunting at the time. Loved that skybridge bit beforehand, too!

The bit at the island when the shit starts to go down is brilliant. Loved riding the horse through that "battle" and I thought the game captured those moments really well. That island section could have been a drag and a non-entity, but Naughty Dog handled it well enough to make it interesting and quite exciting in various places.

Quite enjoyed the ending at Santa Barbara, too. Again, had the potential to feel useless, but I thought it was handled well enough to make it a satisfying conclusion to the game. Throughout the fight with Abby, I was just muttering to myself about Ellie, thinking "What are you actually doing?!" Glad to see that in the end, she decided to spare Abby and it showed development for her character.

The ending at the desolate farmhouse was great. Obviously parallels can be drawn about the farmhouse and Ellie both being desolate and empty and the part where she was unable to play the guitar as well due to her missing her fingers was great and, again, well handled. It's the type of ending where you just want to curl up into a ball at the end and weep, which I imagine is what Naughty Dog were aiming for.

Overall, I love this just as much, if not more than the first game. It felt meatier, had a great story and built upon the foundations that made the first game so well received. I do think that if Part 2 is about revenge or vengeance, then Part 3 will be about Redemption for Ellie, in order to bring her story around full circle. It's open enough where Naughty Dog can go in numerous different directions with it.

I will definitely be replaying this at some point, maybe in a year's time, which is what I did with the first game. I'm happy that I've played and experienced it and feel honestly drained after completing it, but in a good way.
After all the agenda bollocks and wilful contrariness, it's great to read opinions like this. By and large, I agree with it all. It's a massive achievement and, at its best, a uniquely intense experience. I loved it.
 

Volumiza

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Sorry! I got started and then thought oh wait, I need to include this bit and this bit aaaand this bit. It just kept coming and coming. :D
Playing the soundtrack now on Spotify. "WLF" and "Beyond Desolation" are two of my favourites so far, but the entire thing is a work of art in itself.
No need to apologise, it was spot on. I have found some of the criticism of this game to be ridiculous. It is a masterpiece. When it finished there was a bit of sadness for me, it had gobbled my head up for a couple of weeks.

Ive tried to start Ghosts of Tsushima but to be honest, it just seems a bit crap after TLOU2 (it isn’t at all but it just doesn’t measure up straight after a game of that quality).
 

OverratedOpinion

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Started it, got to the first major plot point with Joel and Abby and then decided that I was going to go back and do a reply of the first one as I haven't played it on the PS4 Pro yet. feck me what a game that was.

Going to run through Left Behind today and then I have next week booked off work where I will put a bunch of hours into this and GOT. How long will it take before I get the silenced pistol?
 

b82REZ

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No need to apologise, it was spot on. I have found some of the criticism of this game to be ridiculous. It is a masterpiece. When it finished there was a bit of sadness for me, it had gobbled my head up for a couple of weeks.

Ive tried to start Ghosts of Tsushima but to be honest, it just seems a bit crap after TLOU2 (it isn’t at all but it just doesn’t measure up straight after a game of that quality).
I'm the opposite.

Ghost has stopped me to returning to this and finishing it off. Ghost nails the one thing a game should do that Last of Us seems to have forgotten. It needs to be fun. The relentless grimness is overwhelming when there are no light hearted or heart warming moments that littered the first one.

I will finish this eventually as it's a technical masterpiece so it deserves to be seen through to the end but the pacing and tone mean I can't play if for extended periods.
 

Volumiza

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I'm the opposite.

Ghost has stopped me to returning to this and finishing it off. Ghost nails the one thing a game should do that Last of Us seems to have forgotten. It needs to be fun. The relentless grimness is overwhelming when there are no light hearted or heart warming moments that littered the first one.

I will finish this eventually as it's a technical masterpiece so it deserves to be seen through to the end but the pacing and tone mean I can't play if for extended periods.
Aah, we’ll then, between us we make up the wonderful and delicate balance in the universe mate :lol:

edit: obviously that is the delicate balance between you being completely wrong and me being totally right :wenger:
 
Last edited:

Volumiza

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Obviously ;)
I do get your comments about how grim it was, but it didn’t bother me, with the story it was telling anything other than grim would have left it short in my humble opinion.

And I also got a lot out of how long it was, by the time it ended I genuinely felt like I’d endured something and that helped me connect to what it was trying to convey. I felt empty when it was over.
 

b82REZ

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I do get your comments about how grim it was, but it didn’t bother me, with the story it was telling anything other than grim would have left it short in my humble opinion.

And I also got a lot out of how long it was, by the time it ended I genuinely felt like I’d endured something and that helped me connect to what it was trying to convey. I felt empty when it was over.
The first one walked the line perfectly between showing how the world and people were changing yet still held onto to certain traits that made them human. Part 2 seems to want to make you believe that everyone would eventually become a mass murder during an apocalypse.

You can't only show the dark side of human nature and expect people to empathise with the characters, especially new characters. The tone may have been more justified if you only played as Ellie on a mission for revenge.

The game is solid, looks amazing and nails the atmosphere better than anything else I can think of. Gameplay wise it's very tired and repetitive and while I appreciate the creative direction they tried to take the story I just don't buy it so that aspect falls flat for me.

Didn't deserve the hate it received before release from people worried about agenda pushing, but also is no where near the best game this gen, or this year even.
 

Superunknown

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After all the agenda bollocks and wilful contrariness, it's great to read opinions like this. By and large, I agree with it all. It's a massive achievement and, at its best, a uniquely intense experience. I loved it.
Intense is the perfect word to describe it. I was hooked on it and had to be dragged away from the controller when it was time to sleep. It's gripping and relentless. I think the experience will stay with me for a long time and I have been thinking about the consequences and decisions in the game a lot today. It's definitely a game that will get people talking.

Definitely do not read the Last of Us 2 reddit. I took a quick look last night/this morning and then just nope-d the hell out of there. Really is filled with hatred. :houllier: :nervous:


No need to apologise, it was spot on. I have found some of the criticism of this game to be ridiculous. It is a masterpiece. When it finished there was a bit of sadness for me, it had gobbled my head up for a couple of weeks.

Ive tried to start Ghosts of Tsushima but to be honest, it just seems a bit crap after TLOU2 (it isn’t at all but it just doesn’t measure up straight after a game of that quality).
I've got friends playing through Ghost at the moment and loving it, so I will get on that at some point. I always have to have some sort of buffer between playing "big" games like this and games such as Ghost. When I first bought my PS4, I played through Tomb Raider and then went onto something like Resogun and a couple of others before eventually starting the first The Last of Us. Maybe it's worth playing something lighter first before going into that.

Started it, got to the first major plot point with Joel and Abby and then decided that I was going to go back and do a reply of the first one as I haven't played it on the PS4 Pro yet. feck me what a game that was.

Going to run through Left Behind today and then I have next week booked off work where I will put a bunch of hours into this and GOT. How long will it take before I get the silenced pistol?
The first game and Left Behind were brilliant experiences. Somehow, I enjoyed the game much more the second time around than I did the first. I found the combat and stealth much more satisfying and was able to enjoy the story much more.

As for the silenced pistol, I think you get it about 3 hours or so after the bit that you have just completed with Joel and Abby. I think. You pick it up not too far into the game. Very handy weapon and I used it a lot.

I'm the opposite.

Ghost has stopped me to returning to this and finishing it off. Ghost nails the one thing a game should do that Last of Us seems to have forgotten. It needs to be fun. The relentless grimness is overwhelming when there are no light hearted or heart warming moments that littered the first one.

I will finish this eventually as it's a technical masterpiece so it deserves to be seen through to the end but the pacing and tone mean I can't play if for extended periods.
I can understand what you mean. There are certain experiences that are intense throughout and this can make it sometimes exhausting to play. I found Alien Isolation, Bloodborne and Resident Evil 2 exhausting and intense, but in the right ways. There aren't really any light moments in those games either. I would recommend playing it in shorter bursts, like maybe an hour or two in the evening and then having breaks. Personally, we treated it like an evening experience and played this for 3 or so hour sessions (other half completed the game before me and then watched me play through it) and that worked really well. Different things work for different people.

I did find the game fun to play, but it's a different level of fun to, say, something like Overwatch. I enjoyed the story, enjoyed the characters and loved the combat and there were definitely moments after a big shootout or intense moment when I did think "feck yeah! That was great!" to myself.
 

Volumiza

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The first one walked the line perfectly between showing how the world and people were changing yet still held onto to certain traits that made them human. Part 2 seems to want to make you believe that everyone would eventually become a mass murder during an apocalypse.

You can't only show the dark side of human nature and expect people to empathise with the characters, especially new characters. The tone may have been more justified if you only played as Ellie on a mission for revenge.

The game is solid, looks amazing and nails the atmosphere better than anything else I can think of. Gameplay wise it's very tired and repetitive and while I appreciate the creative direction they tried to take the story I just don't buy it so that aspect falls flat for me.

Didn't deserve the hate it received before release from people worried about agenda pushing, but also is no where near the best game this gen, or this year even.
To be honest, I didn’t feel the need to empathise with any of the characters and I easily bought into the world where pretty much everyone has lost their humanity and had had to align with a group to survive.

It’s a really brave game, ND have pulled no punches with their vision and I totally applaud that although, as with yourself they have done all of this at the expense of universal appeal. Brave.

I don’t agree with you saying video games MUST be fun. I think as the platform merges ever closer to film making there is space in the market for uncompromising games that have a story to tell regardless of it being fun. Some of my favourite films are grim and uncomfortable but I take pleasure out the emotional response they bring out. I think the gameplay really accentuates the story and the environment.

I do get your viewpoint though and at least you’re articulating reasonable criticism, some of it has been awful.
 

b82REZ

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[QUOTE="Superunknown, post: 25809482, member: 118452]

I can understand what you mean. There are certain experiences that are intense throughout and this can make it sometimes exhausting to play. I found Alien Isolation, Bloodborne and Resident Evil 2 exhausting and intense, but in the right ways. There aren't really any light moments in those games either. I would recommend playing it in shorter bursts, like maybe an hour or two in the evening and then having breaks. Personally, we treated it like an evening experience and played this for 3 or so hour sessions (other half completed the game before me and then watched me play through it) and that worked really well. Different things work for different people.

I did find the game fun to play, but it's a different level of fun to, say, something like Overwatch. I enjoyed the story, enjoyed the characters and loved the combat and there were definitely moments after a big shootout or intense moment when I did think "feck yeah! That was great!" to myself.
[/QUOTE]

The games you mentioned are tense because of the challenge, that isn't the case here.

It's not something I can quite put my finger on. I think I started to feel like it was trying too hard to be relentlessly grim when it made me brutally stab a dog. The animation and everything about it felt like I was playing some sort of snuff film.

There are certainly moments when it does all click and you have an exciting encounter, usually involing Clickers because the AI of human characters is comically bad at times.

I like the weight and feel to the combat but when the gameplay loop is, enter mini sandbox area, sneak around and take out enemies, escape said area, rinse and repeat it does start to grate.
 

b82REZ

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To be honest, I didn’t feel the need to empathise with any of the characters and I easily bought into the world where pretty much everyone has lost their humanity and had had to align with a group to survive.

It’s a really brave game, ND have pulled no punches with their vision and I totally applaud that although, as with yourself they have done all of this at the expense of universal appeal. Brave.

I don’t agree with you saying video games MUST be fun. I think as the platform merges ever closer to film making there is space in the market for uncompromising games that have a story to tell regardless of it being fun. Some of my favourite films are grim and uncomfortable but I take pleasure out the emotional response they bring out. I think the gameplay really accentuates the story and the environment.

I do get your viewpoint though and at least you’re articulating reasonable criticism, some of it has been awful.
This is where we'll have to agree to disagree.

Games 100% need to be fun. I agree we are moving towards more interactive storytelling but games and films are not the same medium and should be assessed and treated differently.

I do think ND deserve some credit for their narrative decisions but im also one of the many who didn't think this game needed a sequel. I do think ND made some of the shock and awe narrative decisions because they knew that making a second game about Joel and Ellie probably wouldn't have held the same emotional weight as the first.
 

Eckers99

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Intense is the perfect word to describe it. I was hooked on it and had to be dragged away from the controller when it was time to sleep. It's gripping and relentless. I think the experience will stay with me for a long time and I have been thinking about the consequences and decisions in the game a lot today. It's definitely a game that will get people talking.

Definitely do not read the Last of Us 2 reddit. I took a quick look last night/this morning and then just nope-d the hell out of there. Really is filled with hatred. :houllier: :nervous:
Same. Some nights I'd stick it on at 10:30pm and was still glued to it past 1am. Ended up going to bed feeling totally psyched up and too wired to sleep :lol:
It also moved in ways I've never been moved by a game and the story often wrong-footed me. I came to understand characters in new ways and spent whole days itching to get back into it. Then feeling a weird kind of dread/anticipation as soon as it started loading.

Comparing that intensity and my appreciation for how much effort had gone into the experience with what the weird tossers who'd review bombed it were saying (without even playing) just annoyed me, so I stopped paying attention to the negative background squawking pretty early on.

Just talking about it now has me considering going back to finish it on grounded.
 

Volumiza

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This is where we'll have to agree to disagree.

Games 100% need to be fun. I agree we are moving towards more interactive storytelling but games and films are not the same medium and should be assessed and treated differently.
So you don’t think there’s a space for games that want to be something different?

For me, the games ‘fun’ came from it being a compelling story (ok, so not quite as good as the first, hard act to follow) attached to good controls and a stunning environment which created a convincing environment for me to experience something extraordinary.

Fun games are fun games but the fun of pac man is different to the fun of Modern Warfare. The fun of bungee jumping isn’t the same as the fun of playing fetch with your dog. Fun is subjective. So for some, me included, the grim and gruelling nature of this game was the fun.

Fun isn’t something as tangible and ‘one size fits all’ as that. So my fun was definitely in the compulsion to carry on, keep looting and killing and see where it ended up, however grim that journey may be.
 

Lay

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I’m finding the second part of the game boring.
 

b82REZ

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So you don’t think there’s a space for games that want to be something different?

For me, the games ‘fun’ came from it being a compelling story (ok, so not quite as good as the first, hard act to follow) attached to good controls and a stunning environment which created a convincing environment for me to experience something extraordinary.

Fun games are fun games but the fun of pac man is different to the fun of Modern Warfare. The fun of bungee jumping isn’t the same as the fun of playing fetch with your dog. Fun is subjective. So for some, me included, the grim and gruelling nature of this game was the fun.

Fun isn’t something as tangible and ‘one size fits all’ as that. So my fun was definitely in the compulsion to carry on, keep looting and killing and see where it ended up, however grim that journey may be.
Of course fun is subjective but even the most grounded games have moments of levity. Last of Us 2 doesn't do this.

I think as a medium games have come a long way in terms of storytelling in the last 20 years, which is why more and more you see the comparisons to films. However they're impossible to compare side by side which many people tend to do nowadays. Look at a lot of the complaints about the story and writing in this game. People are starting to expect Tarintino level dialogue and direction. Games by their nature have to exposition heavy and need a narrative to last 20 to 30 hours, whereas films are compact focused stories.

The lack of fun in this one comes in comparison to the first game. At that point ND were still relying on the Uncharted success and used a lot of the set piece gameplay which helped the game feel more enjoyable. I believe it was SkillUp made a similar complaint in his review. ND seem to want to distance themselves from the first one and to a lesser extent the Uncharted series in this game.
 

GaryLifo

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I've only just got around to starting the first game. About 4 hours in and I'm loving it. I usually skip cinematics in most games as I'm all about the action; but not this time.
 

macheda14

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Of course fun is subjective but even the most grounded games have moments of levity. Last of Us 2 doesn't do this.

I think as a medium games have come a long way in terms of storytelling in the last 20 years, which is why more and more you see the comparisons to films. However they're impossible to compare side by side which many people tend to do nowadays. Look at a lot of the complaints about the story and writing in this game. People are starting to expect Tarintino level dialogue and direction. Games by their nature have to exposition heavy and need a narrative to last 20 to 30 hours, whereas films are compact focused stories.

The lack of fun in this one comes in comparison to the first game. At that point ND were still relying on the Uncharted success and used a lot of the set piece gameplay which helped the game feel more enjoyable. I believe it was SkillUp made a similar complaint in his review. ND seem to want to distance themselves from the first one and to a lesser extent the Uncharted series in this game.
I would have to hugely disagree with this not being as fun as the first. There are more epic set pieces, the gunplay is better, the equipment is more fun to use, the stealth better and toward the end of the game you can just go big against everyone in really fun and inventive ways.
 

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I would have to hugely disagree with this not being as fun as the first. There are more epic set pieces, the gunplay is better, the equipment is more fun to use, the stealth better and toward the end of the game you can just go big against everyone in really fun and inventive ways.
I'm yet to finish it so maybe I'll feel differently when I eventually get round to finishing it off. However it does feel like a slog to play and has become repetitive with its gameplay.
 

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I'm yet to finish it so maybe I'll feel differently when I eventually get round to finishing it off. However it does feel like a slog to play and has become repetitive with its gameplay.
I know what you mean, and the game does kind of push you to play one way I.e. stealthy, but you come to realise that you aren’t ever really running out of gear if you loot a lot. Towards the end I just started going in all guns blazing for certain parts and it made it super fun.
 

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I don't see a huge difference in terms of "fun" or lighthearted moments compared to the first game. There's plenty of lighthearted chatter between characters and there are beautiful and tender moments as well. I certainly didn't walk away from it thinking it was an exclusively grim affair or anything resembling torture porn.
 

b82REZ

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I know what you mean, and the game does kind of push you to play one way I.e. stealthy, but you come to realise that you aren’t ever really running out of gear if you loot a lot. Towards the end I just started going in all guns blazing for certain parts and it made it super fun.
I'm playing on survivor and there aren't as many resources. Tbh I have considered dropping the difficulty just to increase the amount of ammo drops so I can mix up my playstyle a bit.

The problem also lies with the bad AI. It's too easy to draw them to choke points and take them out one at a time. A lot of the time this happens accidentally as well. The AI will all follow a set trial and walk into obvious traps.
 

macheda14

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I'm playing on survivor and there aren't as many resources. Tbh I have considered dropping the difficulty just to increase the amount of ammo drops so I can mix up my playstyle a bit.

The problem also lies with the bad AI. It's too easy to draw them to choke points and take them out one at a time. A lot of the time this happens accidentally as well. The AI will all follow a set trial and walk into obvious traps.
Aaah fair, I was playing hard and tbh towards the end I lowered the slider for loot a bit (mainly because I pissed off that I’d kill people who were shooting at me and they have no bullets) although I’ve been told I didn’t need to. I do feel with most games they didn’t account for their hardest difficulty sometimes.
 

Berbasbullet

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Finished this game in the early hours of this morning.
In short: fecking loved it.

Man, what a ride.

I'm still trying to work out exactly what the issues are that people have been having with the content of this game. Sure, it's brutal at various points, but...it's the apocalypse. It's pretty grim at time, but I didn't have any issues with the game tonally and I loved the overall story that this game told.

First off, the introduction for this game is gorgeous. Graphically, this is such a beautiful game and Naughty Dog should feel insanely proud at the technical brilliance of this. It's a marvel to look at and there were numerous points where I just had to stop to look around, even in some of the not-so-pretty areas. My favourite overall location was the farm at the end of the game, particularly with that gorgeous sunset.

I had no problem whatsoever with Joel's death, because it was essential to the plot and there was absolutely no way that his actions in the first game could not lead to anything but severe consequences later down the line. It made sense and I thought the game did a fantastic job of making you empathise with Abby's decisions throughout. Obviously, you've got the parallel with Abby and Lev compared to Joel and Ellie in the first game, which I think the game just about got the balance right with in terms of how often those parallels were drawn, without it being too much like a flashing sign.

Loved the openness of Seattle in various areas. Generally, I thought this game took the various ideas from the first game and built upon them in this. The areas felt bigger and more alive in places. I particularly loved the initial stages of Seattle where you were able to roam freely, as it seemed like there were tons of things to spot and see. There were a nice variation of locations despite the subject matter so that it didn't become too repetitive to look at. That hospital section was great, except for that fecking bossfight as Abby! Only bit of the game that I didn't really enjoy, but the rest of the area was fantastic.

There's a lot that can be said regarding the structure of the game. It's a fairly meaty game. I wouldn't personally consider it bloated or too drawn out, because I would consider the Abby sections essential so that the gamer can empathise with her decision making and it makes some of the events of Ellie's story a bit more meaningful. For example, I now look back on the Mel and Owen death scenes and feel much more guilty than I did before. It's a grim scene to begin with, but it has much more impact after Abby's story.

After completing it, I wonder if something could have been done with alternating the story, so Ellie Day 1, Ellie Day 2, Abby Day 1, Abby Day 2, or something along the lines. Thinking back, I'm not so sure if that would have been any better, and it maybe would have fragmented the game too much.

I really like the numerous characters that we see within this game, particularly the addition of Abby, who is very well fleshed out. Lev and Yara were good additions in Abby's storyline and I did enjoy that whole stretch of game where Abby and Lev tackle that descent, which I found pretty daunting at the time. Loved that skybridge bit beforehand, too!

The bit at the island when the shit starts to go down is brilliant. Loved riding the horse through that "battle" and I thought the game captured those moments really well. That island section could have been a drag and a non-entity, but Naughty Dog handled it well enough to make it interesting and quite exciting in various places.

Quite enjoyed the ending at Santa Barbara, too. Again, had the potential to feel useless, but I thought it was handled well enough to make it a satisfying conclusion to the game. Throughout the fight with Abby, I was just muttering to myself about Ellie, thinking "What are you actually doing?!" Glad to see that in the end, she decided to spare Abby and it showed development for her character.

The ending at the desolate farmhouse was great. Obviously parallels can be drawn about the farmhouse and Ellie both being desolate and empty and the part where she was unable to play the guitar as well due to her missing her fingers was great and, again, well handled. It's the type of ending where you just want to curl up into a ball at the end and weep, which I imagine is what Naughty Dog were aiming for.

Overall, I love this just as much, if not more than the first game. It felt meatier, had a great story and built upon the foundations that made the first game so well received. I do think that if Part 2 is about revenge or vengeance, then Part 3 will be about Redemption for Ellie, in order to bring her story around full circle. It's open enough where Naughty Dog can go in numerous different directions with it.

I will definitely be replaying this at some point, maybe in a year's time, which is what I did with the first game. I'm happy that I've played and experienced it and feel honestly drained after completing it, but in a good way.
Just finished great post!

just went onto reddit and oh my god what a dumpster fire of hate are they even fans of the series?
 
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Berbasbullet

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To be honest, I didn’t feel the need to empathise with any of the characters and I easily bought into the world where pretty much everyone has lost their humanity and had had to align with a group to survive.

It’s a really brave game, ND have pulled no punches with their vision and I totally applaud that although, as with yourself they have done all of this at the expense of universal appeal. Brave.

I don’t agree with you saying video games MUST be fun. I think as the platform merges ever closer to film making there is space in the market for uncompromising games that have a story to tell regardless of it being fun. Some of my favourite films are grim and uncomfortable but I take pleasure out the emotional response they bring out. I think the gameplay really accentuates the story and the environment.

I do get your viewpoint though and at least you’re articulating reasonable criticism, some of it has been awful.
Similar to how I feel, I’ve literally just finished it and it has really made me feel, I was way more engoressed in this universe than I realised. Brilliant journey.
 

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Finally finished this. It's a 7/10 for me. Definitely not as good as the first game which was a masterpiece (10/10 for me for the first one).

First the good:

Playing as Ellie was great as always as she is a very strong and nostalgic character. Her segments with Joel are a delight.

Graphics were outstanding as was the gameplay. I love the new infected enemies (stalkers always give me the chills). The world is great as well.

Now the bad:

The story on this is flawed. I can appreciate that they wanted to kill Joel off to get into that whole revenge thing but that ending was pretty lame to be honest and Abby's storyline plain boring.

The game is too long. Toward the end I was just going through the motions to get it completed.

To spend almost half of the game playing as Abby did not do it for me; I couldn't care less for her story. Ok she wanted to get revenge for her dad, but once that was done then what? That whole bit about saving Lev and his sister seemed forced. Her portions became a drag to play. The new characters in general are just boring - Dina annoys me, Jesse and Mel are both boring, Owen is ok.

I think Naughty Dog missed a trick here to build from the first game and the strong characters in Joel and Ellie. Honestly don't know how critics are giving this a perfect score with that storyline. This ended up feeling like a game that did not have to be made.
 

Mart1974

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Just finished it. Great game, loved the story and the ending. Solid 9/10.