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TLOU2 Discussion Thread [NO LEAKS]

Vslayer

Juiced Moose On The Loose
Lead Moderator
@Vslayer what was ur verdict of the game? Trying to stay away from spoilers and get a review from someone that wasn’t paid before I spend money on this. I really really liked the first one.
I played about 10hours now? And I absolutely love it. It’s insane, exciting, the action is great the animations and graphics are surreal. It’ll make you cry and laugh and it’s one hell of a ride.
 

LaidbackOne

Scrubby nice guy
I played about 10hours now? And I absolutely love it. It’s insane, exciting, the action is great the animations and graphics are surreal. It’ll make you cry and laugh and it’s one hell of a ride.
The same for me so far although I’m currently at the hospital which was seen in the last gameplay trailer. The pacing seem kinda off compared to the first game but maybe that’s because of my “gotta search every possible desk” mentality.
 

Cashual

PSN: Cansuela
I am an hour or so in and love it. I avoided all spoilers completely. Watched some gameplay demos and thought it looked incredible.

maybe the game really does suck, but I really hate this gaming culture of writing shit off before even playing it because people read some summary of the story.
 

Espio

Kokomo
Lead Moderator
People posting definitive, declarative statements without playing the product is really extra especially if one hasn't checked out everything unfolding even via playthroughs of others.


I am about 8 hours in and I enjoy it a great deal. There's some great characters evolution for some characters and there's also some really charming moments for the main cast. I like that the game takes its time establishing bonds ans letting you see how people blend together.

The gameplay is nice and similar to before but with a lot of improvements and greater mobility.


I have no complaints so far. The world being so much more massive and open is welcome albeit a bit overwhelming and Ellie playing the guitar is a treat.
 
D

Deleted member 59910

Guest
If you don’t play this masterpiece because “people leaked the whole thing” or “the friend of a friend of my neighbor said the game sucks” or worse: “Fuck SJW” I have bad news for you. You’re not enjoying one of the best games ever made and you’re easily manipulated by others.
 

Nero2196

Noob
If you don’t play this masterpiece because “people leaked the whole thing” or “the friend of a friend of my neighbor said the game sucks” or worse: “Fuck SJW” I have bad news for you. You’re not enjoying one of the best games ever made and you’re easily manipulated by others.
Are you able to love this game despite knowing some of the leaked spoilers?
 

Dankster Morgan

It is better this way
I think the game is worth playing because physically playing it is really great for all the reasons the first was and then some. The plot will either be a hit or miss, but its obviously subjective. The way one of the characters from the first game behaves, and a way that some details are portrayed from the first game are shown in ways that are completely contradictory to facts established by that game really really bothers me. I would have rather this game had an entirely new set of characters. Joel and Ellie's stories were complete imo. Obviously I'm being really vague.

I will admit to being too harsh on it purely from the leaks. BUT... I am more frustrated than I ever imagined in other aspects of the story.

This game is standing on the shoulders of a giant imo and unlike better sequels such as Uncharted 2, im only invested because of my experiences in pt 1.
 

Juggs

Lose without excuses
Lead Moderator
Always heard people talking about this game. Is it worth getting the 1st one?
 

Nero2196

Noob
Of course, why wouldn’t we?
Just being very curious whether context makes a dramatic difference. While I tried to ignore most of the leaks, some... ugly details about a character or two came to my attention against my wishes. It did turn me off from buying the game but I refuse to jump on a hateful bandwagon and want to approach it with an optimistic mind.

Although it will be atleast a month or two before I get the game. Busy with stuff in life..
 

Swindle

Philanthropist & Asshole
Just being very curious whether context makes a dramatic difference. While I tried to ignore most of the leaks, some... ugly details about a character or two came to my attention against my wishes. It did turn me off from buying the game but I refuse to jump on a hateful bandwagon and want to approach it with an optimistic mind.

Although it will be atleast a month or two before I get the game. Busy with stuff in life..
Personally, I need to experience movies, tv & games myself. Knowing “spoilers” has rarely kept me from enjoying a well told story - even if I would have preferred that that some elements were different.
I just love being entertained.
Like royalty.
 
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Vslayer

Juiced Moose On The Loose
Lead Moderator
Okay, so I finished it last night. I'm going to write a review and there's just so much to unpack story-wise, it was absolutely insane dude. I'll spoiler the story parts because I will be discussing important story sections and the ending as well.

Story:

One of the best games I played this year. Despite all the controversy, I think that as a whole the story is beautifully harsh and real.

It tells a story of a girl who got her heart broken and lost herself to anger. And on the flip side, it’s also a story of redemption. Joel’s actions affected Abby. Abby’s actions affected Ellie. Ellie’s actions affected Abby. They were stuck in a cycle of violence and bloodshed. It’s a cycle that stopped when they decided not to kill each other. When Ellie made the choice not to kill Abby in the end.

The theme that every action causes a ripple effect, a butterfly effect, and how it affects so many people around them was done in the most realistic way I could think of.

We saw Ellie go down a really, really dark path. Along the way she made questionable choices because she had a one-track mind and that was to find and kill Abby, she didn't care if she had to lose her humanity or soul to get there. But, in the end, as I said, she chose to end the cycle of violence and saved two lives instead. I, for one, think it was completely in character. She did get really cold, in a way, or trying to be cold to fulfill this goal she thought she needed to accomplish, but she made the choice to not kill Abby by herself and that's what matters.

The switch of perspective was welcomed, and it was nice to get to know Abby in such a different light and to actually grow to like her. Not the Wolves, not Owen (he's a douche and will always be one), but just Abby as a person. Her story is one of redemption. She helped two kids from a different faction, the Scars, or Seraphites as they called themselves. She said herself many times this was for her, to 'lighten the load a bit'. She also expressed many times that what she did to Joel weighed heavy on her heart but she still felt it's what she needed to do to avenge her father. I wish she didn't do what she did, it would make it easy to forgive her, but it's hard not to, because Ellie has the same goal.

Some parts were tough to watch, ngl, it was heavy as hell. When Abby had a knife to Dina's throat and Ellie was pleading not to kill her because she's pregnant, and Abby replied 'good', I was about ready to throw my PS4 out the window, no joke. That shit about stopped my heart lmao.

Having to fight Ellie as Abby was hard but super trippy? I don't know, I really liked that part because it was just so insane and I couldn't stop laughing because of how insane it was.

My only complaint is some parts of the story I felt were dragging. But it seems every time I started thinking ‘man I’ve been exploring without action for a while’, I would get jumped or something crazy happened—like Shimmer getting blown up or getting jumped while at a workbench. Also, I just wanted to explore every building so it's my own doing too. But they paced the game knowing how you'd feel too which is crazy.Characters would literally say out loud what I was thinking and that was a trip and a half.

Playing as Ellie made me feel like a sneaky stalker. Playing as Abby made me feel like Rambo lmao. I loved that shit.

I also wish they would have switched between Ellie and Abby's parts as they did in the beginning because the last 7 hours was all Abby and I missed Ellie and Dina, you know, I wanted to know what was going on. I feel like they showed the scene of Abby getting in the theater a bit too soon in the game and it would have benefited from switched perspectives all throughout IMO.

The ending, however bittersweet, has a sliver of hope when it comes to Ellie and Dina. Perhaps explored in a DLC? I sure hope so. I want Dina to forgive Ellie, even if I know she'll never forgive Tommy.

For those who finished the story, do you think Dina went back to Jackson?

Gameplay:
This game really did an amazing job of making you feel like you are in a survival game. The parts where it's open world and you have to explore a large area, that was just absolutely amazing. There were a lot of secrets to find, and one of my favorite cutscenes resulted from finding a particular store so please look thoroughly while you play! At least the first time, achievement hunt on the NG+ trust me you'll want to.

The hand to hand combat is brutal and a joy. Crafting is just as great. Weapon customization is improved and makes a huge difference cause weapon sway and recoil is REAL y'all. You get to upgrade Ellie with 'supplements' and you have skill trees like in RPGs this time around. Supplements which I aptly named pillz (Left 4 dead anyone?), and you had to find magazines to unlock new skill trees which was super cool too! Invest in skill trees depending on how you want to play, I made the mistake of putting them where I wanted to at first and never fully invested in 2-3 of them, and I feel like some fights and encounters would have been easier if I had certain skill trees maxed out.

There are boses! And I ain't just talking about the Boomers. Prepare yourself.

Graphics:
Stunning. Amazing. Breathtaking. Facial expressions seem REAL. You can see their emotions. Kissing animations are just incredibly well done. It looks real, as opposed to two awkward faces moving and lips not even touching like we're so used to seeing in every other game lmao. The way the characters move, how animations transition seamlessly when fighting or moving and when your character is walking and they roll their shoulders or rub their face, is incredible. They paid attention to every little detail and it showed, it so easily made you feel immersed in the world. Like when you're in a building and Dina i picking supplies up and puts them in her pockets, or Ellie putting up her hood when it's raining, or when they put their hands up when walking through trees and bushes. Small details, big impact.

Sounds:
Same as the graphics. You can hear enemy footsteps. Sounds of nature are beautifully done as well. If Ellie is wearing a gas masks you can hear her breathing heavily into it if you are running or moving quickly. One particular character has a fear of heights and if you stand close to the edge somewhere up high with them, they'll start to freak out. The acoustic music choices are poignant and beautiful like in the first game. Again, attention to detail pays off.

Spectacular game. I would give it a solid 8.5/10.

EDIT: I'm giving this a 9.5/10 after a lot of discussion theories and realizing more themes and how strongly all the characters are connected, how they change, how their roles change. This game IS a masterpiece. It's not perfect, but it's a masterpiece.

EDIT2: More story spoilers ahead. Like endgame spoilers. Don't read if you haven't finished it.

The character growth we see in incredible. After Ellie beat Nora into telling her where Abby was hidden, she is visibly and psychologically shaken. She did something she never thought she’d do. She sees herself going down that path but still wants to see it through, even if she is aware of how it’s changing her.

But that is why the end is so powerful. After Abby and Ellie fight, after Ellie chooses to go to Abby, you see how the roles have changed. Abby is the new Joel, Lev is the new Ellie and Ellie is like the new Abby because she’s still dead-set on finding and killing Abby. (and just a side note, when we play through Abby’s story, we see the toll killing Joel took on her. She has a lot of guilt, she says so, and she helps Lev out of selfishness just to alleviate that. We see what would become of Ellie is she were to kill Abby). And so that’s why in the end Ellie chose not to kill her. And make no mistake, she didn’t choose Abby, she chose herself. They both chose to end the cycle and because of that, Ellie saved 2 lives that day. Ellie would have taken Abby away from Lev after he’s gone through so much, losing his mother and sister, having to fight through his own village, Abby is the only thing he has left. Ellie ended the cycle, became the hero, saved 2 lives, and the countless people she freed from that group of assholes.
 
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Vslayer

Juiced Moose On The Loose
Lead Moderator
Right? After talking about it for a day, I need to change my score. Cause there is SO much to this story it's insane.
 

Vslayer

Juiced Moose On The Loose
Lead Moderator
Were you aware of some of the spoilers heading in?
I only had one spoiler popped up on my twitter feed and I was pissed as hell.
joel's death was the only spoiler I saw
 

Nero2196

Noob
D
I only had one spoiler popped up on my twitter feed and I was pissed as hell.
joel's death was the only spoiler I saw
I won't click that. Just want to know if it hurt your experience with the story? Some fool on Insta spoiled the fate of a certain character or two for me.
 

Vslayer

Juiced Moose On The Loose
Lead Moderator
D


I won't click that. Just want to know if it hurt your experience with the story? Some fool on Insta spoiled the fate of a certain character or two for me.
Not at all no, I sort of had a sense that some characters were not going to make it even before I saw the leak considering Ellie's motivations to go on this path of destruction once they showed the official trailer. You can spoiler tag what characters you got spoiled on if you want and I'll know more on how to answer you that way.