i turned vibrate off when i was playing through until dawn shortly after its release and never turned it back on. i would certainly check out some new technology there, probably, but i dont think ive really missed it.
14 hrs in This game is gorgeous with HDR settings. Still think the only weak plot move was the shit I mentioned earlier. Combat is more fun than the first, but it’s not as challenging as the first game. Time to go cut open some Seraphite throat
Someone who has beaten it, tell me how much more I've got to go. I'm at 24 hours, done a pretty decent amount of exploring. Spoiler Exploring in the bottom floor of the hospital to find the surgery supplies
I gotta say I love the “oh shit! They’re right on top of me” element of the battle/stealth engagements. Gotta think fast
Yes combat is much more dynamic and fluid this time around, they will flank more effectively than the first time around.
I'll be finishing the game soon, looking forward to talking with you crazy kids about it. Also, I'm going to do a Point-Counterpoint style article about people's likes and dislikes for the game, if you want to give me some feedback let me know and I'll PM you some questions.
Me too lol. I'll send you the questions once I write them, not sure if I will be using direct quotes but who knows
Just finished, what an experience. I get that there are a few elements that people wouldn't like, but I really don't understand the hate overall for the game.
20 hrs in Spoiler I am enjoying this game but holy shit these long ass Abby flashbacks are fucking boring
There were definitely several scenes they could have shortened and the game would still have been just as good.
Who is done and ready to discuss, and give me their likes/dislikes? Odin Irush TrustyPatches prerecordedlive RSK Illinihockey Boyd Crowder IanBoyd Jeffrey Lebowski
I'm checking out the metacritic user reviews as research for my articles, holy shit there is a lot of hate. I get that some people legit didn't like the story, but so much of it is basically "whah I wanted more of the first game and didn't get it!" or "i hate these characters, there's no development!" Guaranteed if this was just more of the exact same from the first one, same relationship dynamics, etc, you would have gotten people saying "what is the point, nothing has changed, no character development!"
Yeah you do. I loved that part so much. I love verticality in level design, so I was predisposed to enjoying that, but I think the execution was spot on.
Couple questions: I'm seeing a lot of people on Metacritic say that ND sold us the game with false advertising, does anyone else feel that way? I know that the first trailer showed a scene that wasn't in the game, but it didn't change the point of the game or anything about the characters. Also, people are talking about how you are judged for the violence you commit, but I never got that we were being looked down on with fingers wagging. Thoughts? Did I miss something?
I just got to day 3. my take so far is this is kinda getting the last jedi treatment because the story approach is very different from the first and it isn’t sucking you off with fan service.
I hated Last Jedi so that's a comparison i wouldn't myself make, but I see what you mean. It definitely goes it's own way and it didn't seem concerned with upsetting anyone, which I'm very happy for.
I put the story aspects in spoilers. For one I felt like this game should have been like 10-15 hrs shorter, I think this was Naughty Dog's longest game by far and out of their typical comfort zone. Spoiler I don't like the being forced to spend an entire half of the game playing as Abby part but I understand that's just me not liking a narrative decision, but outside of that its because I think Abby is fucking boring and I don't give a shit about her. They also delved exactly zero into Ellie. You have the possible savior of humanity that might be the only immune person on Earth in a zombie apocalypse and we explore that aspect pretty much never in this game when the entire game is supposedly about her being a protag? what? I also felt like they mishandled the Joel aspect, not that he was killed, how he was killed etc but his death felt more like just for shock value than anything else. If you're going to commit to killing Joel, commit to it, don't after killing him in the first few hours of the game then spend the rest of the game giving me flashback scenes of him waving him in my face. If you want me to deal with the grief of seeing him die, kill him and kill him dead and don't let me see him again. There's other stuff I disliked but those lean more towards the preference side
The Last Jedi is probably the most apt comparison to make imo. A lot of people loved it, a lot hated it, the people that loved it called the people that hated it neckbeards that just wanted fanservice etc. I hated TLJ (and TRoS too) and didn't really like this game so idk if that's some sort of indication of where ppl stand.
Thanks for sharing dude, i appreciate it. You make a good point about Last Jedi too. Spoiler Question on your point about Ellie, what would you have done with the story as far as that? I'm not saying you're wrong, I just always try to understand both sides of the issue [\spoiler]
Spoiler I can't really say then again I'm also not a game director, but in the first game, she was by far the most interesting character and you slowly and gradually see her breaking down Joel's emotional barrier bit by bit. I got none of that in this game, she felt more like a Link/Cloud type silent protagonist than anything. Just about every character felt uninteresting as fuck and I didn't give two shits about any of them compared to characters like Bill, Sam, Henry etc in the first game. But idk how much of that is preference
I'm surprised that there isn't more of the anti-LGBTQ stuff in the reviews I'm reading, but it's definitely there. It's hard for me to believe that people have that much of an issue with it. I get it, there's lesbian kisses and a sex scene, but there's a hetero sex scene too, so how are they pushing that theme? The trans thing is hardly ever mentioned, they never discuss it outright, they just allude to it, I don't get how people think that is thrown in your face. I know video game people are pretty trashy, but this is just illogical.
That's kind of what I meant by my earlier post of this game hiding behind the LGBTQ stuff as a shield a bit, not that I think it was done on purpose. But its like Ellie had lesbian sex once then it took away all her personality from the first game and she became almost as boring as Dina for the rest of the game.
Spoiler Gotcha. I found the characters really interesting actually, I had sympathy for Abby, i liked Owen a lot and seeing him become disillusioned with the WLF. I think there were some throwaway characters but I really thought seeing how they all lived at the stadium, their families, etc really made it powerful
Owen was imo the best of the new character introduced. Spoiler As far as sympathy for Abby I'm meh on it, a good amount of it feels force fed. Oh you have to kill dogs as Ellie? You monster Oh you play with dogs as Abby? You sweet girl The back story of her being the daughter of a random NPC doctor is a trope I really don't like, its overdone and its just boring. "That goomba you stepped on in world 2-1 had a family! And now his son is going to team up with Bowser!!!11"
Yeah Druckman was hyping this as a game that makes you consider the cost of vengeance and the weight of violence. Honestly I think the first game was better at that and after what happens in the beginning of Part II I just feel emotionally invested in making the body count as high as possible The only thing for me so far that made me feel even close to bad was Spoiler Ellie killing Mel and then finding out she is pregnant
And on that note Spoiler The ending of this game ABSOLUTELY should have been a choice, if you want to make this game about the cycle of violence, do the intelligent non-hand holding thing and let us choose.
Spoiler I see what you mean, but I see it from her perspective too, it was her father just like Joel was Ellie's "father". I didn't feel forced into sympathy for Abby, I think by their actions it was clear what they were getting after but I never got the feeling of being preached to, on any of the various issues.
Spoiler I don't think that fits with the rest of the game, they wanted Ellie to be redeemed, finally, by her memories and love for Joel. If we get the choice, we may choose to kill her and make Ellie completely evil. I don't recall, were there any examples in the first game of us getting a choice in a plot point situation?
Pretty sure you can choose to not kill the other doctors and nurses in the operating room at the end. Any one of them could have been important in this game.
Spoiler I felt the cost of the vengeance in Ellie's degeneration actually, she lost so much of herself throughout the process, physically and spiritually, etc
Agreed, I really love the new prone ability, all the tall grass to hide in, thought it added a ton to the combat. Hated having to deal with the dogs tho.
oh damn that's a good idea! I loved the trap mines but wished I could have thrown them. Missed the nail bombs for sure.
I'm seeing a lot of talk about characters making unrealistic choices in the game, and plot holes, though everyone says they can't mention what they are due to the embargo. Anyone care to specify the problems they have with the game along those lines? Not for argument sakes, just doing research for my article. Also, end game spoiler question here... Spoiler When Ellie walks away from the farm, do you think she's headed to Jackson to reconcile with Dina,or just wandering off to leave everything behind?
This is one of the things I wondered about, would it have been better to intersperse their timelines more than they did, or would it have just confused players. Spoiler Anyone who doesn't like Abby has a large block of her to work through and may lose interest, like you are doing. I thought her sequences in the game were some of the best moments, objectively, in the game (I enjoyed the flashbacks so I didn't see them dragging, but I'm more talking about her present day stuff) but I see where you're coming from