It's official by Sony
the first delayed release was end of may so i think they were just waiting for shipping stuff to get a bit better so retailers could sell physical copies, doubt it was related to the leaks at all.Maybe it was an incentive, but yeah i agree.
Going from "DELAYED INDEFINITELY" to "haha just kidding a couple months" is peak CORONAnot even a couple months, just 20 days lmao :lol
“I was like, oh we can make the player feel that,” he explained. “We can make you experience this thirst for revenge. This thirst for retribution, and having you actually like commit the acts of finding it. And then showing you the other side to make you regret it. To make you feel dirty for everything you’ve done in the game, making you realize ‘I’m actually the villain of the story.’”
Druckmann also says The Last of Us is a kind of love letter to American landscapes, as seen through the eyes of an immigrant. “I have a certain affinity and certain love for the United States that’s in some way unique to an immigrant,” he said. “I remember the first time we arrived, a couple of days later we drove through Manhattan. And I’m like ‘oh my god I’m in one of the many movies I’ve seen that have taken place on this street!’ For me, a lot of The Last of Us has an Americana vibe that is a love letter to these landscapes.”
What's controversial about that (landscape) statement?
-
Anyway, his reasoning of revenge i hope isn't predicated onspoiler (click to show/hide)me giving a shit when they kill Joel, because as a character he isn't very likeable, which is fine, but i also won't exactly cry my eyes out for him.[close]
https://twitter.com/viperwave/status/1270568318450020354
:dead
What's controversial about that (landscape) statement?
-
Anyway, his reasoning of revenge i hope isn't predicated onspoiler (click to show/hide)me giving a shit when they kill Joel, because as a character he isn't very likeable, which is fine, but i also won't exactly cry my eyes out for him.[close]
I don't think the statement is controversial, just funny. And reinforcing that most game writer "auteurs" are just dudes who's artistic influences don't really stretch beyond popular movies they grew up watching.spoiler (click to show/hide)I think Joel dies relatively late in the game. If that's the case, it might be a moment for no return for Ellie, but may be intended to give the player an opposite feeling? Subverting the Ludonarrative Dissonance tropes :brain Well played Mr. Druckman[close]
One thing I definitely will give Druckman credit for is knowing his limits when it comes to writing.
The thing about TLOU that separated it narratively from every other AAA game in that era is that it knew when to STFU.
Bioshock Infinite pissed me the fuck off because the plot was ambitious, but the moment to moment writing felt cheap, hollow, or just award-baity. Yes, please have Elizabeth sing with a bunch of poor children in the slums when you randomly pick up a guitar. This will be a moving moment that will show how forward the medium of gaming has come. Problem is, that scene was so damn out of place considering I shot some guy in the head like a minute before.
So then TLOU comes out and we get a story that stays stays in its lane that wasn't half bad. I was extremely surprised how crazy people got over it. I thought it was a competent zombie story wrapped up in a really good game, but no Citizen Kane lol. I still can't fathom people comparing TLOU to anything beyond...like a Starz original in terms of writing.
"Some of [the fans of the original game] are not going to like this game, and not like where it goes, and not like what it says or the fate of characters that they love," Druckmann said. "I'd rather have people passionately hate it than just be like, 'Yeah, it was OK.'":lol :doge
"The Last of Us Part II tries too hard to differentiate itself from its predecessor. While astonishing cityscapes and more varied combat options are great evolutions, Part II lacks the poetic serenity that made the original road-movie-like epic such a masterpiece. On top of that, uninteresting new characters burden the story, making Ellie's journey feel conventional and not nearly as captivating as the original."
I played the original on Hard no listen mode, then on Survivor the second go.Same, that should've been the standard option in my opinion.
I found the core gameplay loop to be pretty fun, which was made even better by the overall pacing. The encounters against human enemies were tense when you were alerted, but the AI could get unbelievably dumb once they lost sight of you.
I respected NDs attempt at trying to make dynamic emergent scenarios, but the weird dichotomy between how the AI operated between stealth and combat oftentimes killed the immersion. And if you knew how, you could break the game pretty easily. And after playing MGS V, other third person stealth games just feel clunky lol
Aside from that, playing it on a harder difficulty did make things better. Less resources means crafting decisions become more important. Combined with more tension when you had to make those moment to moment decisions.
Here's a review from someone that primarily reviews the gameplay, particularly from someone who played the last game the same way I did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI2LyO9PPzY
Looks like I got most of what I wanted for a sequel. Enemy AI doesn't necessarily seem smarter, judging the clips from the above review, but they seem to offer more of an organic challenge from the way they designed the encounters.
https://twitter.com/AerospaceCowboy/status/1271882127022460931
Oh man, this better be true.
https://twitter.com/AerospaceCowboy/status/1271882127022460931The enemies react to their friend's deaths by calling out their names and such. Apparently this applies to their dogs as well.
Oh man, this better be true.
https://twitter.com/AerospaceCowboy/status/1271882127022460931(https://y.yarn.co/7f126780-5e7b-4052-91cd-082561e5c576_text_hi.gif)
Oh man, this better be true.
Just like when Liam Neeson killed a dog in Schindler's List.But then Schindler, after the Weistein scandal, said he "went up and down areas with a cosh (a club), hoping he’d be approached by somebody — he’s ashamed to say that — and he did it for maybe a week, hoping some ‘jewish bastard’ would come out of a pub and have a go at him about something, you know? So that he could kill him"
Detroit is the true Schindler‘s List of vidya games :hmph
Detroit is the true Schindler‘s List of vidya games :hmph
one of the few select souls, who understood david cages metaphor i see. truly amazing the way he showed us racism and genocide in a whole new way. bravo
I don't mind stories about the futility of revenge or cycles of violence or the sanctity of human life, but I can't stand when the writer feels the need to hit you over the head over and over with ......a golf club.
come and see is the pinnacle of the genre, but it's less misery porn and more misery rape.What's non-misery rape?
see the fuckery for myself
"Just like Schindler's List"
:nsfw:marimospoiler (click to show/hide)(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EaxiB8vXYAEFs5R?format=jpg&name=large)spoiler (click to show/hide)(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EaxlM1CXgAMl1Ut?format=jpg&name=large)[close][close]
(https://i.imgur.com/cm4xg6X.png)This is Netflix show levels of cheese.
you know what ellie
we really are the schindlers list of vidya
"Just like Schindler's List"
:nsfw:marimospoiler (click to show/hide)(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EaxiB8vXYAEFs5R?format=jpg&name=large)spoiler (click to show/hide)(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EaxlM1CXgAMl1Ut?format=jpg&name=large)[close][close]
Oh exploitable:
(https://i.imgur.com/brl0FV2.png)
The cutscenes are on YouTube if any haters want a larf
Detroit is the true Schindler‘s List of vidya games :hmph
one of the few select souls, who understood david cages metaphor i see. truly amazing the way he showed us racism and genocide in a whole new way. bravo
David Cage‘s subtlety flies over a lot of people‘s heads. The only true auteur in this medium.
ENDING SPOILSspoiler (click to show/hide)Ellie kills tons of people, gets to the point to avenge Joel, as she's drowning the villain, she sees a vision of Joel, and let's her go.[close]
If any of you thought Niko Bellic's hypocrisy was bad...
:-*
"Just like Schindler's List"
:nsfw:marimospoiler (click to show/hide)(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EaxiB8vXYAEFs5R?format=jpg&name=large)spoiler (click to show/hide)(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EaxlM1CXgAMl1Ut?format=jpg&name=large)[close][close]
Oh exploitable:
(https://i.imgur.com/brl0FV2.png)spoiler (click to show/hide)(https://i.imgur.com/MnuNqxd.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/2jf56Mp.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ER24Heq.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/GCSq6NZ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/3yTR1T7.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/MKbGJP9.png)
..
....
(https://i.imgur.com/ZT38b2G.jpg)[close]
I might need to watch a cutscene comp of Detroit, I tried playing it when it was on Ps+ but :hhhAkchtually... Detroit is the best example of the interacting movie (or whatever you want to call it) genre.
It’s shame cages genius doesn’t extend to gameplay :stahp
Early in-game collectible:
https://twitter.com/TimeCommando/status/1273736445610676224/photo/
messed up embedding so there would be no spoilers :doge
He pushed human society forward and everyone hated him for it-- gives himself a perfect brain and above-average physique :neogaf
You know, now I reflect on what I know about TLOU2, it really does seem like the kind of game a bastard boss that makes his employees crunch for months on end in unpaid overtime would make. The self insert stuff is the icing on top.We're reaching Resetera-level galaxy brains takes. :lol
No, the real evil isn't the garbage situation you've been placed in by men in a position of power other than you, it's what you humans are doing to each other in your endless cycle of asking fora fair wagecommitting horrible violence
Not the systems inherit innaughty dogssociety that has lead to you to have to be this way to survive.
:stahpI'll let you guys have your catharsis. :doge
It's Naughty Dogs. For all the snark we know it will have great production value, slightly more sophistication in actual film savviness (not that I really care in vidya but heh) and the gameplay will be well above average.
Uncharted has good 3rd person shooter mechanics, especially how it mixes the platforming with the shooting/fighting (as the multiplayer demonstrates). :yeshrugIt's Naughty Dogs. For all the snark we know it will have great production value, slightly more sophistication in actual film savviness (not that I really care in vidya but heh) and the gameplay will be well above average.
Gameplay above average? Which Naughty Dogs games have you been playing?
I don't want to spoil things, but the first 3 hours I've watched have been really grueling. Did TLOU 1 have the same writing team? It doesn't feel like it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr01s3BC_Z8
filler's preorder cancelled
mental that even the reliable shill bases are turning on this game, proper GoT S8/last jedi tier fanbase immolation.
mental that even the reliable shill bases are turning on this game, proper GoT S8/last jedi tier fanbase immolation.
Really? Got any examples?
Y'all got some non spoilerish quotes? Interesting to hear that the hardcore fanbase isnt liking it.
I mean to me it always looked like TLOU 1.5
Im really interested in what happened with Joel. Not so much about Ellie and her girlfriend. To be honest I thought the DLC was the absolute weakest part in TLOU 1
Y'all got some non spoilerish quotes? Interesting to hear that the hardcore fanbase isnt liking it.
I mean to me it always looked like TLOU 1.5
Im really interested in what happened with Joel. Not so much about Ellie and her girlfriend. To be honest I thought the DLC was the absolute weakest part in TLOU 1
Y'all got some non spoilerish quotes? Interesting to hear that the hardcore fanbase isnt liking it.
I mean to me it always looked like TLOU 1.5
Im really interested in what happened with Joel. Not so much about Ellie and her girlfriend. To be honest I thought the DLC was the absolute weakest part in TLOU 1
From a quick scan of that thread, it seems that a fuckton of the whining is about something gender something something race something sexuality.
Let's just say, a large, very large chunk of the game is not sitting well with people because it's not what you'd expect in a sequel with Ellie and Joel. It's less about being upset at specific story bits, and more about the entire structure of the story.Is this because the they fail to properly service their fan-base, and their beloved heroes? I think Last Jedi and GoT8 sort of betrayed their characters at times, but their real failures were elsewhere, even though many fanboys & girls, were just mad that their heroes just didn't look good enough.
Just like GTA4, 10/10 scores across the board, 'pushes the medium forward' type full gushing praise from the 'press'. Then the general public is all like shit sux tho :rageGTA4 was genius, an people were distinguished mentally-challenged as usual, and should've stuck to Saint's Row.
:lol :lol :lol
From what I got of the story, it's also my impression they would have been better served by not having the characters return. It was a good conclusion to that story with some amount of ambiguity and a little food for thought. Now I read on ERA "Oh it makes sense for it to be a trilogy now". ND seems overtly self conscious about ludonarrative dissonance and some of the critical discourse levied at them but at the same time can't help to follow gaming/Hollywood's shadow, chasing two hares at once.
Poggggers
From what I got of the story, it's also my impression they would have been better served by not having the characters return. It was a good conclusion to that story with some amount of ambiguity and a little food for thought. Now I read on ERA "Oh it makes sense for it to be a trilogy now". ND seems overtly self conscious about ludonarrative dissonance and some of the critical discourse levied at them but at the same time can't help to follow gaming/Hollywood's shadow, chasing two hares at once.
new characters and maybe cameos from the main two and a few fan favs would have probably been a better idea, its very much the kind of series that can take in different stories with different characters, but idk i hated the first game so i don't really give a fuck, i just wanna lol at the meltdowns :idont
Imagine taking a dozen hours just to say the same thing the Sorrow from MGS3 did in like ten minutes
kojimbo fifteen years ahead of his time :bow :bow2
Playing some more, and man, I really like it, but a lot of the dialogue is full on life is strange bad.Sounds hella dope
life is strange bad.
Still Nier 1 is the best misery porn in games, which also happens to respect the medium it tells it in. Also includes transgender but doesn't make a big deal out of it for marketing. A shame the remake seems to double down on the animu after the inferior sequel :picard
They still need miles of road to even approach the hamfisted halls, of Kojima's palace of bullshit, let's not get crazy here.Imagine taking a dozen hours just to say the same thing the Sorrow from MGS3 did in like ten minutes
kojimbo fifteen years ahead of his time :bow :bow2
Even MGS1. I played it a couple of years back and went :doge :doge :doge when it goes into "You have fun killing all those soldiers!?!?". Now all these failed film students act pretentious with their hamfisted copy 20 years later. Except they added sad little girls and killing dogs for the cheapest kind of emotional manipulation. When you can't even be as subtle as goddamn Kojimba, go fuck yourself out of this industry please. :goldberg Also watch how the next Uncharted remains a murder simulator with a quirky hipster paint anyway. Because they simply can't tell this stuff through adequate gamedesign. I mean, why does a stealth game like TLoU only have kill options? Idiotic and cheap.
Still Nier 1 is the best misery porn in games, which also happens to respect the medium it tells it in. Also includes transgender but doesn't make a big deal out of it for marketing. A shame the remake seems to double down on the animu after the inferior sequel :picard
At least MGS said this from the beginning. ND pushed for bland murder simulators for a decade and only now try to challenge their own trash, which even a hack like Kojima already did on PS1 on this kind of surface level. And even now they have to force it by crippling mechanics and channeling cliche indie movies instead of creative game design. Meanwhile, MGSV has some of the best gameplay of the gen. Don't think I even watched any cutscene after the intro, my playstyle was my narrative.I'll reserve judgment on how LoU2 handles that stuff until after i play it, but look, i agree with the eye roll at the usual meta commentary on game violence, from designers who can't do anything but violent games.
What was super weeb about Automata? Aside from 2B's ass ofc.
I liked Automata.What was super weeb about Automata? Aside from 2B's ass ofc.
Nothing in my opinion. Seems like some people just want to hate on it for one piece of the presentation. It's still superior to TLOU or a Kojima game in terms of mixing narrative and gameplay. Not relying on bullshit QTE or cutscenes to tell your story >>>>
Im really interested in what happened with Joel. Not so much about Ellie and her girlfriend.You might want to wait for a deep, deep discount my dude.
Hating Kojimbo... :wag :wag :wag
Say what you want about his melodrama, but at least it's entertaining melodrama. You can't say the same for The Last of "Ellie Standing In Front of Clickers That Do Jackshit To Her But If Joel Does Insta-DEATH" Lesbians.
I liked Automata.What was super weeb about Automata? Aside from 2B's ass ofc.
Nothing in my opinion. Seems like some people just want to hate on it for one piece of the presentation. It's still superior to TLOU or a Kojima game in terms of mixing narrative and gameplay. Not relying on bullshit QTE or cutscenes to tell your story >>>>
But it uses both cutscenes and (sort of) QTEs as narrative devices. ???
I think it was undeniably anime in many ways, from the writing to the characterization, whether that's good or bad, it's a personal preference.
(https://i.redd.it/t25sk3j885651.jpg)
One of the quirks I like is that you have to manually load every bullet you acquire into your gun. Seems like busy work in most games, but the low ammo count, and the fact that you're installing along with expelling each bullet has me keenly aware of my munitions at all times.I'm also playing on hard.
Playing on Hard and the fact that the game is way more hesitant in handing out ammo from dead enemies compared to the last game is nice.
Unless Joel isn‘t revived in Ellie‘s arm, I don’t think I want anything to do with the Last of Us sequels :hmphShe calls him "Ben" after kissing him back to life. Then she adopts his last name as hers and it turns out they really were the last of us.
I swear to God I saw chromatic aberration in those options somewhere, but cant find it now.Gotta try this.
and yeah, it doesnt annoy me that much. Bloodborne gave me a headache in comparison, this I dont notice it that much.
Also auto pick up of items is really good. I hate having to press triangle all the time, especially when it doesnt register or you have to be in a right spot sometimes to do it.
It really feels like people went into this game wanting to hate it.
It really feels like people went into this game wanting to hate it.
It really feels like people went into this game wanting to hate it.
sounds more like it got last jedi'd in that it's both divisive and done in a cack-handed way, which would've been fine if that was reflected in the reviews, but the unanimous praise and assertions that if you don't like it you're clearly a bigot set it up to fail and now the narrative has been set there's no stopping it.
its whole launch hype is now just big stinky turd that anyone looking for a few easy clicks can roll in.
It really feels like people went into this game wanting to hate it.I was super excited for the game before the leaks.
I mean I don't want to be all "sony pony" about this, thats not my take. I haven't even played the game yet and I'm sure there's some actual good takes on it. But I have had a friend that sense the leaks has been all "this game is garbage, it shits on the fans and pushes an agenda". Probably based on youtube videos from dudes who make comments about how the women in this game have too much testosterone and there's too much lesbian stuff.It really feels like people went into this game wanting to hate it.I was super excited for the game before the leaks.
Is there really a buttfucking scene in this gameThe bore should love this game then!
lol prestige gaming
Is there really a buttfucking scene in this game
lol prestige gaming
https://twitter.com/dhindes/status/1273825630123986944 (https://twitter.com/dhindes/status/1273825630123986944)
:doge
Is there really a buttfucking scene in this gameThe bore should love this game then!
lol prestige gaming
Is there really a buttfucking scene in this game
lol prestige gaming
Is there really a buttfucking scene in this game
lol prestige gaming
(https://i.imgur.com/os6pKta.png)
Also I wouldn't really consider treating the characters and mythos from the first game with consistency to be fan service. Whether it's Ellie's characterization or lack of pushing the zombie stuff forward in an interesting way, the story and world building miss the mark.Again, i'm still halfway through, but i didn't see particularly nonsensical character development so far.
It's probably short-circuiting reviewers brains when they see one of the most technically impressive games console of the generation have poorly thought out themes, nonsensical character motivations and bland dialogue with really amazing performances by the actors. Tons of effort and talent put into something with little nutritional value. This game is gourmet Cheetos.
I gotta say, a good amount of the way into this nowI wouldn't go that far, but i did feel some similarities in the vibe, while exploring.
And this is the new Silent Hill game I never knew I wanted.
Like outside the lack of SH supernatural stuff, gameplay-wise/level-design-wise this is the closet game to Silent Hill since Downpour. Feels kinda like a halfway between RE and SH survival horror, but leans a lot closer to SH. I really do not remember the original giving me this feel. Feels like ND was purposely going for a SH vibe. All its missing are more maps with crossing off Xs for locked doors.
You're saying that the writing makes sense but Joel gets killed after saving a random girl, agreeing to meet with her group and then immediately telling the group of 8 strangers his real name. :dogeThey're clearing the area from clickers, not necessarily people; there's plenty of notes of the Jackson folks trying to get people to stay with them, in the game.. they're not really the shoot-on-sight kind.
He does this while doing his job, which is literally to patrol and clear outside threats to the community. :doge
The only other scene with him before that is of him telling his brother about killing all those people at the end of the first game and he says he doesn't know if anyone would come after him. lol
Sure instead of Joel and Tommy, another crew could've been doing the rounds, but that is really reaching at straws, fiction is built on these contractions of chance by design.
You watch Belle De Jour and go "Oh my God, her husband's friend just happens to show up when she's on duty"?
Don Rumata ? More like Don... Druck... mann. Yeah.Someone gotta defend the game here, to balance things out. 8)
:karen
Your soft condescension doesn't strengthen your argument. Using every plot convenience in the book to justify a well-defined character contradicting their nature is lazy writing, and it's a weirdly sloppy, rushed setup to use for the most important scene in the story.Soft? I was going for strong condescension. :fbmQuoteSure instead of Joel and Tommy, another crew could've been doing the rounds, but that is really reaching at straws, fiction is built on these contractions of chance by design.
You watch Belle De Jour and go "Oh my God, her husband's friend just happens to show up when she's on duty"?
I don't know why you're saying any of this because I didn't say any of this. Yeah the straw you just reached for is reaching at staws, agreed.
Yeah I dont really think that first part with him was too crazy. Overall the story is also fine, but there is some hilarious cringy lines and scenes, not to mention the ending is absolutely shit. But it's a vidya game with vidya game writing, so didnt expect much more. Now for his hbo show... that could be a sensational disaster.HBO had Westworld, True Detective and Game Of Thrones, so he may be able to pass by, if the Chernobyl guy can have enough of an input. :lol
https://twitter.com/nintenmau5/status/1275003369992716288
Honestly this feels so fucking far removed from SH, that my brain must have blocked out that post the first time. It's horror (with limited supplies making everything feel intense) and the story is very personality driven, that's about the extend of the SH comparisons for me.I don't know what Bepbo referred to, but i did think of Silent Hill in a couple of moments here and there, while exploring Seattle.
Silent Hill never had stealth or crafting (thank God, crafting is so boring at this point), and the combat was never really the focus of the games at all either. It's just kind of there. Everything related to the creatures is about the characters psyche, and not a zombie pandemic. It's aiming for such different things when it comes to atmosphere and the scares as well, and both do it very well, but Silent Hill is so much more moody and with very little jump scares in the series. The SH puzzles are mostly amazing, while it's hard to even call the stuff in TLOU2 puzzles. But it also never feels like a focus of TLOU2, so it doesnt really matter. The setting in SH always feels kind of dreamy, while TLOU very much feels like the real world.
Two good but very different horror games for me.
"I played The Last Of Us Part II for two days straight and beat it. And let me tell you- if you're one of those people who are playing it, and you think it's a 'masterpiece of fiction,' just you wait until you read books or watch movies! Because you've been missing out and I am envious of you!
.....
Fucking video games suck!"
I take Jim “Vanquish is a shitty game” Sterling so seriously.
Vanquish is shitty. PlatinumGames usually is.
Vanquish is shitty. PlatinumGames usually is.
I take Jim “Vanquish is a shitty game” Sterling so seriously.
Not everyone is right all the time. Fatquisition is very often annoying and loves to hear himself just as much as these goofy videogame auteurs. But this is a video with a good argument.
https://twitter.com/DanRyckert/status/1275234839684419584
So is there much reward for exploration in this game? Like is there a reason to check out every room? Loot? (ammo at least?)It's pretty much like Last of Us 1, you get ammo and crafting stuff (bandages, alcohol, etc) and various notes (that however all read somewhat the same, tbh).
That's cool and all, but Tomb Raider Underworld already had puzzles with that idea using the zipline wrapped around objects (though the tech was a bit less complex, as the rope wasn't a soft body). ;)https://twitter.com/DanRyckert/status/1275234839684419584
If you're gonna post one ridiculous piece of tech that has almost no function in this game, at least post the rope video!
Also does anyone else think people who cry during video games are maybe a little too invested in their shootbang vidya?
I have a very special relationship with Tomb Raider and its ropes.Damn bro, congrats, that game was fantastic (both of them, actually).spoiler (click to show/hide)The first company I worked at was contracted to do work on Lara Croft ATGOL. I was in charge of making the spears and ropes work in multiplayer.[close]
There was also that one super cheesy letter in Lost Odyssey everyone kapt crying about, back in the day. :lol
Also does anyone else think people who cry during video games are maybe a little too invested in their shootbang vidya?
Look up Dom's sacrifice from Gears of War 3 on youtube and look at the comments. I used to go through those comments to laugh at it with friends.
My favourite one was some guy saying that it made him cry harder than when Soup died in Call of Duty.
I have a very special relationship with Tomb Raider and its ropes.spoiler (click to show/hide)The first company I worked at was contracted to do work on Lara Croft ATGOL. I was in charge of making the spears and ropes work in multiplayer.[close]
As if you read lore notes :girlaff
I take Jim “Vanquish is a shitty game” Sterling so seriously.
Nah this game does legit have the most satisfying glass breaking in any game bih
maybe you just hate womenThen I should really like this game!
I take Jim “Vanquish is a shitty game” Sterling so seriously.
He also gave Assassins Creed 2 a 4??
Assassin's Creed 2 has tried all sorts of tactics to improve upon the original, but none of these attempts have worked. The game's variety and length come across as nothing more than smoke and mirrors, the endless, grinding busywork that contributes nothing to the overall gameplay is inexcusably plentiful and mind-numbingly repetitive, and to top it all off, the game can't even compete in the visuals department and somehow looks worse than the original.
Finished.
I've already spent too many words talking about this game, so don't want to write too much, but in short, the game has serious issues, but i liked it quite a bit.
I saw Mr Gilhaney hated the finale, and i'm curious to read why, i liked it actually, it was fun and found it more or less fitting.
I'll skip over detailing what i did or didn't like about the nitty gritty of the gameplay and all the various minor plot details, again, to keep it contained.spoiler (click to show/hide)I didn't mind the second half on principle, as i said it's there to counteract the major problem of the first game, while making clear how it isn't a simple matter of good guys vs bad guys.
The problem with it is that one of its crutches, the conflict with the Seraphites, doesn't really work well, because they don't register as reasonable at all.
This game lives in that limbo of "gritty comicbook" type of art, where it's serious enough, but the world and design still have to bend to its rules of engagement, so to speak -- so the final confrontant HAS to be a fist fight after the biggest enemy encounter in the game, because that's the most satisfying solution from a game standpoint -- in a way you could say similarly to a Nolan's Batman, the themes are there, and the craft in the storytelling as well, but it has to play by the rules of a guy with a cape doing martial arts, it's inherently ridiculous.
Within those terms, i think they did a good job humanizing most characters but, even within this "pop" tonal range, the Seraphites stick out as way too fucking corny, and are hard to mentally accept as belonging to that world, for me.
(i have a similar problem with the RattleSnake at the end, but less so).
The Abby/Lev dynamic is of course crucial to the whole plot, and works more or less (though it feels a bit rushed through) but it could've been done with a more sober world building as a backdrop.
The other major problem i had with it, is the way the story is paced out; this is thankfully curbed in the epilogue chapter, but for example with Abby: You're asked to get some medical supplies from the hospital, allegedly only 2 hours away through a shortcut.
Ok, this is a simple plot point: Abby gets to bond with Lev by exposing one of her fears, while they go get this Macguffin-- this should've been 10/20 minutes at best, but instead you're zig zaging around to get across arbitrary structural obstacles, going through room after room after room (with or without enemies); it just dilutes everything, and makes no sense.
This is a common problem with the game, and by far my biggest gripe with it.
Final complaint is that a lot of the writing is just fucking bland; as i said i didn't mind Abby, or the macro structure of the plot itself, but all the inbetween banter and 90% of the notes were just mind numbingly boring to listen to, all of the characters, even lovers or lifelong friends, seem to have little chemistry, they all do the same types of akward shitty puns, and all seem to speak with the same "voice".
The few glimpses of Joel/Ellie interactions, do nothing but underline this issue, as their dynamic feels much stronger.
As for the notes, in the first LoU you had a fraction of them, but they were used to (usually) detail the world and its events prior to the game's, they also often connected to one another creating various throughlines (like the infamous one about the community living in the sewers.
In this one they're so fucking generic, you could probably write a template that adapts to every single one:
"Dear Betty, i fucked up, i thought i could escape but i was stupid, i'm gonna die here, my stuff is in the safe, the code is 34-56-78. I love you. - Seth".[close]
Anyway, the positive outweight the negative for me, and ultimately i liked it quite a bit.
It's more messy than the first one, but also more narratively ambitious, although i'm not sure the pacing problems allow it to be as replayable.
https://twitter.com/IRHotTakes/status/1275164886419595267
https://twitter.com/IRHotTakes/status/1275166514077937667
Why do people keep going on about killing the dogs? It's a game. They're pixels and an annoying enemy type. I take them out first cause they're annoying to stealth. Then you can just do a cleanup run of the rest of the combat arena.
I shot them with arrows cause the devs kept going about the reactions the enemies would have to their best friend dying.Nah, it's pretty good, better attempt than any other game i've played on that side, maybe RDR2 is kind of on par.
*insert a single voice line*
*Instantly back to the standard patrol AI*
Love it. Making you have feelings for these NPCs failed really damn hard.
I shot them with arrows cause the devs kept going about the reactions the enemies would have to their best friend dying.Nah, it's pretty good, better attempt than any other game i've played on that side, maybe RDR2 is kind of on par.
*insert a single voice line*
*Instantly back to the standard patrol AI*
Love it. Making you have feelings for these NPCs failed really damn hard.
I like them screaming their buddies names and shit, makes it more satisfying to kill them off, especially after you died a couple of times, and the frustration starts to mount up. :doge
Anyway, was having a laugh at AngeryJoe's meltdown at the finale on Twitch.
He really took his boy Joel death bad. :lol
Dunno if it's on youtube yet.I shot them with arrows cause the devs kept going about the reactions the enemies would have to their best friend dying.Nah, it's pretty good, better attempt than any other game i've played on that side, maybe RDR2 is kind of on par.
*insert a single voice line*
*Instantly back to the standard patrol AI*
Love it. Making you have feelings for these NPCs failed really damn hard.
I like them screaming their buddies names and shit, makes it more satisfying to kill them off, especially after you died a couple of times, and the frustration starts to mount up. :doge
Anyway, was having a laugh at AngeryJoe's meltdown at the finale on Twitch.
He really took his boy Joel death bad. :lol
got a link m8?
Why do people keep going on about killing the dogs? It's a game. They're pixels and an annoying enemy type. I take them out first cause they're annoying to stealth. Then you can just do a cleanup run of the rest of the combat arena.always gotta kill dogs first in games, always been annoying and overpowered, Wolfenstein, Medal of Honor, etc.
didnt know where to post this spoilersIf this had spared us everything that happens after the Church arc, i would've taken it.spoiler (click to show/hide)https://twitter.com/DesutroyedMe/status/1276468349220913153[close]
like what hte fuck is the relevance of super hero trading cards
like what hte fuck is the relevance of super hero trading cardsIt's really a stupid amount.
Also, yeah I was surprised at all the dog killing in this game. Playing it I was wondering if dog owners can't play this game because of that. I know some dog owners that I can see them not being able to play it once the dog killing starts.
Watch Salvatores' Nirvana (or at least Toy Story). :ufupAlso, yeah I was surprised at all the dog killing in this game. Playing it I was wondering if dog owners can't play this game because of that. I know some dog owners that I can see them not being able to play it once the dog killing starts.
They are pixels. The game is not real. Imagine being a turtle owner and not being able to play Mario cause he jumps on the koopas. Come on...
Also, yeah I was surprised at all the dog killing in this game. Playing it I was wondering if dog owners can't play this game because of that. I know some dog owners that I can see them not being able to play it once the dog killing starts.
They are pixels. The game is not real. Imagine being a turtle owner and not being able to play Mario cause he jumps on the koopas. Come on...
Enemy npc #24 isn't exactly the same as a character that actually has a backstory and general character building.That's why it's interesting. ???
The ones they actually tried to do it for in the game, they bungled so hard it's laughable.spoiler (click to show/hide)They actually tried with Abby's dog. But because they decided to split up the game into two 10 hour chunks seeing two sides of the story, the stuff actually building up the dog happens like hours after you already killed it in some QTE.[close]
i dont think Dina could be any worse of a character, but then she decides to pull a Maury with the random "i'm pregnant" OOOOOOOOOOK sure DinaThis dumb game pulls this lazy plot device out of the hat
So... do you all feel this is a 10/10 Must Play GOTG? Asking for a friend.Nothing is a "must play".
AFAIK just fluff, like the comics in 1.like what hte fuck is the relevance of super hero trading cardsIt's really a stupid amount.
The coins at least are more reasonably spaced.
Do they do anything for you gameplay wise or is it just pointless achievement type stuff?
So... do you all feel this is a 10/10 Must Play GOTG? Asking for a friend.Nothing is a "must play".
I think it's better than the first one in many respects (some obviously due to tech advancements) and worse in others ( mainly pacing and some extra story stuff, like notes and optional banter).
So i'd put it on a similar level.
Not my GOTG, not even my GOTY (that'd be Alyx) but still a great piece of work under many POVs.
Number scores are distinguished mentally-challenged fellowed, so i dunno about that.
I don't really understand how people could like the first game and not this. This isn't as good in some stuff, but gameplay-wise it's more of the same but better. Story-wise it's a completely different beast, but if you liked the characters of the original, you'd probably want to see this through, right?I wish I hadn’t. The Last of Us games are so reliant on their narrative storytelling that I don’t believe the marginal improvements to controls and encounter designs are even close to balancing out the poor pacing and wretched story, and I know that if I were to go back and play the first game knowing how they handle the sequel, my whole experience with it is very likely to be soured.
like what hte fuck is the relevance of super hero trading cardsMaybe the devs are big fans of Rare's collectathon shit. :teehee
i dont think Dina could be any worse of a character, but then she decides to pull a Maury with the random "i'm pregnant" OOOOOOOOOOK sure DinaThis dumb game pulls this lazy plot device out of the hat. And love triangles. Love triangles everywhere.spoiler (click to show/hide)MULTIPLE FUCKING TIMES[close]
Druckmann has brain rot from watching too many daytime soaps and lifetime original movies.
Do characters have to have a point? It's a story, there's various people and things happen to them.Ideally yes.
why is a pregnant lady fighting the hordes of infected
Playing through the section with Joel getting up in the winter chapter. They actually did change the gameplay for a section of it. Joel is holding his wound and your movement speed is slowed down.Isn't that, like, 2 screens? (basically the area immediately out the house he's sleeping in).
Isn't that, like, 2 screens? (basically the area immediately out the house he's sleeping in).
Hardly any kind of realistic recovery, dude's acting like he slept on his bad side and got some back pain.
Getting impaled and being near comatose for weeks (months?) is also significantly worse than being pregnant, but now i feel like we're really splitting hair, and going in circle.Isn't that, like, 2 screens? (basically the area immediately out the house he's sleeping in).
Hardly any kind of realistic recovery, dude's acting like he slept on his bad side and got some back pain.
Which is still 100% more than Part 2 does to establish any of it's storybeats.
Half of Resetera's userbase are paid astroturfers for Sony's products. Many those Instagram likes are probably Sony bots or accounts well (millions of people going apeshiit over a controller reveal?) :lol"Paid".
Microsoft and Nintendo more than likely do similar things, but Sony is far more aggressive when it comes to this shit.
Getting impaled and being near comatose for weeks (months?) is also significantly worse than being pregnant, but now i feel like we're really splitting hair, and going in circle.
I think Part 2 establishes most of its story beats just fine, and comes off a bit more messy than 1, just because it's using a less safe approach in structuring its story (which also made it more interesting, in my opinion).
However i'm not here to change your minds about it, so to each their own. :yeshrug
I'm not understanding what you're referring to, evidently.Getting impaled and being near comatose for weeks (months?) is also significantly worse than being pregnant, but now i feel like we're really splitting hair, and going in circle.
I think Part 2 establishes most of its story beats just fine, and comes off a bit more messy than 1, just because it's using a less safe approach in structuring its story (which also made it more interesting, in my opinion).
However i'm not here to change your minds about it, so to each their own. :yeshrug
That you don't like the way they explained it doesn't change the fact that they actually explained why stuff happens.
The only reason I can think of why they would take Mel along isspoiler (click to show/hide)so she could be killed by Ellie. Setting up Abby's redemptive arc later on.[close]
Which once again feeds into why I find the game so contrived. They couldn't be arsed to give even the smallest bit of information as to why stuff happens. Stuff just happens because of shock value.
So I'm done! Spoilers from here on outspoiler (click to show/hide)The last section just felt childish, Ellie going there to "Kill" Abbey that had already spared her life twice along with that dumb bitch Dima. The end fight I wanted Ellie to die, but nah she just loses a couple fingers so she can't play guitar anymore, the scar sub story sucked, it was just thrown in to be like well you don't want to hate trans people do you? Dima the lesbian child birther is just the ultimate damsel and a waste of space and time, I missed actually having Joel in it other than just the flashbacks, IMO it should have gone, Ellie and Joel section, Joel dies, Ellie and Jesse section with Dima chasing them inti seattle then finding out she's pregnant and race to get back after killing friends of abbey, abbey section catching upto them with wolves, take it back to Jackson war between Wolves and Ellie clan, would have made for a much better section, fight scene etc then go off for boohoo ruined lives[close]
I looked at the number of collectables thinking if there's a few sure will go grab them, but there's too many and I really can't be bothered anymore. if anyone is yet to start/but wait for a sale and also don't play anything above moderate I played above it and completed it that way but it was an absolute shit show.
Uncharted in shit on hard, but Last of Us (1 and 2) are better.So I'm done! Spoilers from here on outspoiler (click to show/hide)The last section just felt childish, Ellie going there to "Kill" Abbey that had already spared her life twice along with that dumb bitch Dima. The end fight I wanted Ellie to die, but nah she just loses a couple fingers so she can't play guitar anymore, the scar sub story sucked, it was just thrown in to be like well you don't want to hate trans people do you? Dima the lesbian child birther is just the ultimate damsel and a waste of space and time, I missed actually having Joel in it other than just the flashbacks, IMO it should have gone, Ellie and Joel section, Joel dies, Ellie and Jesse section with Dima chasing them inti seattle then finding out she's pregnant and race to get back after killing friends of abbey, abbey section catching upto them with wolves, take it back to Jackson war between Wolves and Ellie clan, would have made for a much better section, fight scene etc then go off for boohoo ruined lives[close]
I looked at the number of collectables thinking if there's a few sure will go grab them, but there's too many and I really can't be bothered anymore. if anyone is yet to start/but wait for a sale and also don't play anything above moderate I played above it and completed it that way but it was an absolute shit show.
I feel like you have to be a masochist to play a Naughty Dog game on anything above normal. They don't do the kind of balancing where a harder difficulty is more interesting.
So I'm done! Spoilers from here on outspoiler (click to show/hide)The last section just felt childish, Ellie going there to "Kill" Abbey that had already spared her life twice along with that dumb bitch Dima. The end fight I wanted Ellie to die, but nah she just loses a couple fingers so she can't play guitar anymore, the scar sub story sucked, it was just thrown in to be like well you don't want to hate trans people do you? Dima the lesbian child birther is just the ultimate damsel and a waste of space and time, I missed actually having Joel in it other than just the flashbacks, IMO it should have gone, Ellie and Joel section, Joel dies, Ellie and Jesse section with Dima chasing them inti seattle then finding out she's pregnant and race to get back after killing friends of abbey, abbey section catching upto them with wolves, take it back to Jackson war between Wolves and Ellie clan, would have made for a much better section, fight scene etc then go off for boohoo ruined lives[close]
I looked at the number of collectables thinking if there's a few sure will go grab them, but there's too many and I really can't be bothered anymore. if anyone is yet to start/but wait for a sale and also don't play anything above moderate I played above it and completed it that way but it was an absolute shit show.
I feel like you have to be a masochist to play a Naughty Dog game on anything above normal. They don't do the kind of balancing where a harder difficulty is more interesting.
I'm not understanding what you're referring to, evidently.
The only instance where Mel is seen "fighting zombie hordes" I can think of, is when you go to the FOB, and you get ambushed by Scars.
And my argument being, it's no more bullshit seeing her fighting and jumping around (during those gameplay phases) than Joel and his magical healing potion.
If you're referring to her being in the revenge posse at the very start, when is she shown fighting hordes of zombies there? Are we arguing about the same thing?
Anyway, the character explanation of why she's there at the start:Doesn't seem that absurd to me.spoiler (click to show/hide)She's shown to be very jealous of Abby.
She's stuck to Owen's ass 100% of the time.
She's shown to be willing to get and put her baby in harm's way multiple times.
Plus it's plausible to think she was butt-blasted by Joel's actions as well.
And they weren't expecting Jackson to be as big as it is, since Owen calls off the whole thing once they see it.[close]
Moreover, her being there isn't at all needed forspoiler (click to show/hide)Ellie killing her when she does, remember:
Ellie goes to the Aquarium thinking she'll find Abby.
She finds Owen and her.
Gets "assaulted" by the two, and kills them in "self defense" during a struggle.
She could've just as well only recognized Owen in that scene, and you could've played it out just the same.[close]
So i think the reason why she's there at the start is partly so you get to see the whole cast, kinda like a Kill Bill, as well as the character reasons mentioned above.
Half of Resetera's userbase are paid astroturfers for Sony's products. Many those Instagram likes are probably Sony bots or accounts well (millions of people going apeshiit over a controller reveal?) :lol
Microsoft and Nintendo more than likely do similar things, but Sony is far more aggressive when it comes to this shit.
whyyyyy is there a stupid resident evil boss
Abby is the main story tho.This is why the first game was better. Abby's campaign is boring.
Man I just remembered that Abby decides to help Yara and Lev because she had a guilt dream about them dying after banging Owen. :snoop
After the controversy/politicizing of this game dies down I think it’ll be seen as the second coming of Bioshock Infinite. It even goes for the same both sides shit.
Damn, a lot of y'all didn't like this one.
Damn, a lot of y'all didn't like this one.Ive liked it so far. It’s just really messy.
After the controversy/politicizing of this game dies down I think it’ll be seen as the second coming of Bioshock Infinite. It even goes for the same both sides shit.
I thought from the leaks of what seemed like earlier builds the Seraphite cult was supposed to be a take on the bible thumper Christian USA, but they cut going into it either for optics or pacing.:D
I thought from the leaks of what seemed like earlier builds the Seraphite cult was supposed to be a take on the bible thumper Christian USA, but they cut going into it either for optics or pacing.:D
Waiting a year to play this at a deep discount and now at 60 fps.
:checkit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj919idPr18Odd how ND is still doing the absolute minimum when it comes to these patches.
1440p is a bit shit. But 60fps cool.
What is really so bad about this game compared to the first? I don't even hold the first game in high regard, but I really have missed what people find so damning about this game.
60fps buttsex