Last of Us 2 discussion

[RangerWickett]

Oh, and, dear Lord, this is not the sort of game that benefits from having a peanut gallery on Twitch.

 

[Khelon Testudo]

All the rage for Abby, and all the rage for being forced to play her (which has - darkly ironically - led to actual death threats against the actress who voices her) was intentional.

Laura Bailey is getting death threats?! Now that makes me angry.

 

[Flamestrike]

Laura Bailey is getting death threats?! Now that makes me angry.

Sadly Yep. People are so angry at Abby, they're making death threats to the actor that played her.

Which is precisely the kind of 'othering' the game is making you take a look at.

 

[Imaculata]

Its genius.

Arguably it's far too smart for its own good.

Oh come on, are you listening to yourself?
This game is not as clever as it (or you) thinks it is. If it were the plot for a book or movie, it would be laughed at. It is bare bones. It barely qualifies as a story. It is predictable from beginning to end and has zero likeable characters. It is poorly structured and paced from a narrative and gameplay point of view.

When none of the characters are likeable, then there are no stakes. You don't root for anyone, and so you can't care for what happens to them. It is a fatal flaw for any story not to have any likeable characters.

And can we mention that it is also not particularly original? Some of you seem to be talking like this game is the second coming or something.

The fact you couldn't empathise with her, is the whole point. It should have you questioning why?

I had me wondering why I wasted time on the game. What was the point? It ultimately doesn't lead anywhere. There's no real conclusion or surprise to any of it. No character growth either.

The answer is you made her into the villain in your mind the instant she killed Joel. You dehumanised her and hated her. Her feelings, her ambitions, her life; none of that mattered anymore. She was the 'other' - the 'villain' - and someone who now only exists to be confronted and killed.

No, the game made her into a villain by framing the scene as such. Then it tries desperately to make the player like Abby, and it never quite works. The game really wants you (the player) to like Abby, and it fails. With no one left to root for, the game has no stakes, no excitement. It drones on and on, and outstays its welcome, leading up to a disappointing and empty conclusion. Also, the entire last act is redundant and doesn't really go anywhere.

It was a confronting and bold choice for a game to make. To shine a light on this uncomfortable truth, by making you play someone who - despite being a good person - is someone we have already labelled as the 'other' and can never stop hating.

Writing a poor story where every character is unlikeable, is not a bold choice.

 

[RangerWickett]

The game really wants you (the player) to like Abby, and it fails.

Not with me it didn't. I dug her. The aquarium scenes helped, similar to various bonding times between Joel and Ellie.

It's cool, man. For the sake of all our smiles and our free time, I think this conversation is getting cyclical. No need for us to keep grappling over something we disagree on.

 

[Helldritch]

You ever watched No Country for Old Men? Hamlet? Heck, how about the original The Last of Us?

There are plenty of stories where you don't really have fun, but the story is still gripping.

I mean, it's cool if you did not personally enjoy the story, or if it put you in emotional places you are not comfortable with, but that doesn't mean it's not a compelling story, nor that it was poorly structured.

You're talking to a horror movie fan here. And I did play the original. You clearly read only one post and draw erronous conclusions. This is not a movie or a book, it is a game.

A game must make you connect with its character(s) or otherwise it will fail. Apparently, sales are going down the drain already. This is a poor story, badly presented.

 

[Imaculata]

And I should note that No Country For Old Men had likeable characters and a far better plot. As did The Last Of Us 1.

 

[RangerWickett]

If it makes y'all feel any better, I think Breaking Bad is good, but kinda overrated, so maybe my opinion is trash.

 

[Imaculata]

If it makes y'all feel any better, I think Breaking Bad is good, but kinda overrated, so maybe my opinion is trash.

I don't think anyone's opinion is trash. And I don't think anyone is wrong or right to like The Last Of Us 2 or Breaking Bad. People can like and dislike things for a variety of reasons that may be very personal.

A good friend of mine has the worst taste in movies. Whenever he recommends a movie, it is a pretty clear warning to me and my other friends that the movie is probably really bad (and we often joke about it). But that's not because his opinion is invalid, but because he can enjoy the sort of cheese that would be off putting to me. He enjoys these movies in a different way, and on a different level. When me and him do agree on a movie, that usually means the movie is really great. Because it has just the right amount of what I like and what he likes.