The Last of US II Spoiler and story discussion thread.

[Lovejoy!]

it's political correctness gone mad.

 

[stoofa]

So there are always going to be difference of opinions about a story. I liked it, deep revenge and how pursuing it leads to you losing everything......
But are the majority of complaints surrounding a "well built female character" and a "female character dressing and acting like a male"?

 

[Bigpig]

/sniggers some very left leaning mainstream media websites are starting to highlight the game Jewish politics now. As you all well know they don't like the Jews.

 

[Mark1989]

Any one being offended at any game is strange to me, don't like something don't play it. I mean it's more effort to post about it than simply not buying it.

a lot of the moaners haven't played it either so there view means nothing really

As for the actors getting abuse that's just wrong but unfortunately society is mostly dumb and quite nasty at times

 

[VincentHanna]

Finished the game late last night, got to that point where it felt like the end was coming and there was no way I could stop and complete it today.
With the exception of two frustrating points in the game (I say frustrating - just mechanics and combat causing me to actually rage quit at one point for the first time in a decade) it played so well, looked amazing.

What I am however confused about is what exactly I am supposed to be outraged about.
I avoided all the spoilers and have avoided all discussions on the game, so I went in to it knowing nothing and having seen only the single cinematic they released a few months before the game.
From what I did read I am supposed to be completely outraged, I'm supposed to be sending death threats to voice actors, rubbishing the entire game - giving it 1 or 2 out of 10 and then making sure I tell at least ten other people about how outraged I am.

Really enjoyed it. Put a lot of hours into the game as I didn't like to leave a room or house not searched (despite that I've missed collectables - they will be for NG+).
I found it emotional and quite hard hitting in parts. Fantastic follow up.

Ha, that was exactly my experience.

I completed it not having seen any spoilers or even much in the way of footage, but knowing some people were trashing the game.

I went back to read the "controversy" and thought - People are getting mad at that? That you play a woman with muscles? That Joel got killed?

Did people get mad at the Russo's when they killed off Loki in the first 5 minutes of End Game? No.

 

[JBeck]

Can you elaborate what you learned about Abby or her placeholder crew? How did she develop? What crucial info did you get to know beside the very questionable plot twist and the fact she's scared of heights? This is more of a discussion thread, after all. Did I miss the bit where she takes steroids? Because this build is impossible for a female otherwise, that's what makes it pretty comical in this setting. It's Biology 101. You say it's logically explained. It's one of the more minor in this case, concessions that the plot uses to push itself.

You have mentioned throughout and complained that we didn't know enough about the characters or the Factions backgrounds, stories etc, but exactly how did you expect ND to show us all that? Play as all of them at some point? Even more cut scenes? More flashbacks? All the things you've complained about then.

And how do you know Abby doesn't have myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy? Naturally huge muscles, little to no fat.

Conditions aside a naturally large person with loads of fat who hits the weights hard can come out looking very impressive without the need for steroids. And maybe that's all she did, hit the weights, not like she had much else to do in a world where survival is paramount.

I do agree with some of your points especially plot holes but you're coming across as totally bitter and that fact muddies your opinions somewhat.

 

[Plainsong]

When Abby lifts Owen above the door at the aquarium - younger Abby - he says 'hey, get you' she replies saying 'I bench pressed (cant remember the number) yesterday' and he responds with 'yeah right' so she's clearly trying to beef up. The gym at the stadium shows us that this is where a lot of these people are spending their time. She's a soldier, she wants to be stronger. That's how I saw it.

 

[Warbie]

When Abby lifts Owen above the door at the aquarium - younger Abby - he says 'hey, get you' she replies saying 'I bench pressed (cant remember the number) yesterday' and he responds with 'yeah right' so she's clearly trying to beef up. The gym at the stadium shows us that this is where a lot of these people are spending their time. She's a soldier, she wants to be stronger. That's how I saw it.

Agreed. The WLF have a fully stacked gym and I think it goes without saying that's she's roided up. There's women at the gym I go to that jacked. This is not something in the game that seems far fetched.

 

[mmj_uk]

Anabolic steroids will be easy to come by in the apocalypse I would imagine.

I just don't agree with attempts to erase differences which seems to be what the left are all about, which is then shoved in peoples faces through media and games like this. They claim to support diversity whilst at the time their actions are to take almost any differences they see and merge them out of existence somewhere in the middle.

We should celebrate female characteristics not try to turn all women into men and at the same time celebrate masculinity rather than turning it into something negative (toxic).

Aloy from Horizon is a strong woman without needing to look like a Soviet weight lifter who's on steroids. Is nature so bad?

 

[stoofa]

And Ellie is a strong female character not looking like a Soviet weightlifter.
Really do think you're reading far too much into the decision to give the Abby muscle - she is the opposite of Ellie, she takes training seriously, like the discipline of a military - we are indeed celebrating their differences.

 

[Plainsong]

And Ellie is a strong female character not looking like a Soviet weightlifter.
Really do think you're reading far too much into the decision to give the Abby muscle - she is the opposite of Ellie, she takes training seriously, like the discipline of a military - we are indeed celebrating their differences.

Yes. And yet they are the same in so many other ways. That's part of the point, I think.

 

[ricky1981]

Yes. And yet they are the same in so many other ways. That's part of the point, I think.

I think that too, physically they couldn't be much more different yet their stories hit many of the same beats

Both lose their father/father figure in horrible circumstances
Both have a somewhat dysfunctional main relationship
Both lose friends during the story
Both have a pregnant character in their group
Both have sex during the main story
Both go on revenge quests (Abby for months, Ellie for days so her anger is compressed in a shorter timescale).

I'm sure I've missed heaps more and there are likely youtube vids that do a better job

The longer after playing it, the more I appreciate the story even if I think the level of violence/gore detracted rather than added to the story at times. I'm no prude, I can enjoy Saw films for what they are but the first game seemed more focused on people/relationships and I felt much more invested as a result. Most of the side characters in the sequel were just cannon fodder and when they did die I found it hard to care too much.

 

[VincentHanna]

Anabolic steroids will be easy to come by in the apocalypse I would imagine.

It's a game where you literally take pills to increase your skills....

 

[Warbie]

Anabolic steroids will be easy to come by in the apocalypse I would imagine.

I just don't agree with attempts to erase differences which seems to be what the left are all about, which is then shoved in peoples faces through media and games like this. They claim to support diversity whilst at the time their actions are to take almost any differences they see and merge them out of existence somewhere in the middle.

We should celebrate female characteristics not try to turn all women into men and at the same time celebrate masculinity rather than turning it into something negative (toxic).

Aloy from Horizon is a strong woman without needing to look like a Soviet weight lifter who's on steroids. Is nature so bad?

You're reading way too much into this. Go to any big gym in town and you will see hench women. And having access to steroids with all of the US to pillage and doctors at hand. Basically - in this game there's a hench woman. And that's it. Any further commentary is looking for something to be offended by.

 

[Buffman]

Just finished this. Thought it was great!

I agree the story arc overall is a little "basic" /bordering obvious but its done so well i didnt mind.

I also liked the ending.

 

[Scort]

Thought I would play it safe, and post in here - rather than spend ages trying to not spoil the game for anyone. I also appreciate I'm late to the game, and what I'll likely moan about, is likely already covered on numerous pages before me.

Anyway...

I picked up a copy off of the MM, fancied giving it a pop, even though I had seen some of the leaked info, as I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic stuff! I'm now 33 hours 9 minutes in (presently on an island sneaking through crops), and I'm really starting to lose interest in the game.

Been playing as Abby for what feels like a good 60% of the game now, and although I don't hate her as a character - I don't care about her, or her group, enough to sit through playing as her for so long!

As a game, TLOU2 is easily a high scorer - 8 or 9. It looks stunning, the sound is amazingly immersive, and the levels and character design is second to none - I really liked the 'free roam' bits as an addition, but even on-the-rails is still great. But the story.... that a 4 (5 at best)! I cannot fathom why Naughty Dog thought fans of the first would gravitate towards this? I can only think that they wanted to spin the series off elsewhere, and the WLF crew will be front an center in TLOU3? But it just seems like an awful waste of the amazing story, and character development from the first game.

One thing I did miss during the leaks, was something that feels a bit like false advertisement (though they probably had a "not the final game" somewhere) - there was a bit where Joel came to lend Ellie a hand, but in the full game, it's Jesse!?!

Anyway, I'll plod on with it for now, but it's getting a bit too meh now.

 

[Plainsong]

Thought I would play it safe, and post in here - rather than spend ages trying to not spoil the game for anyone. I also appreciate I'm late to the game, and what I'll likely moan about, is likely already covered on numerous pages before me.

All I will say is that you just need to push on a little bit more.

 

[meths]

Just finished.

Overall I enjoyed it but have to agree, the story was weak.

I thought Joel's death was poorly done in that it wasn't a big deal. One minute he's alive and next he's dead but there was no shock value to it or any emotional resonance.

Dina blurting out that she was pregnant in the middle of a dialogue seemed very forced and out of place to the point it was cringeworthy.

Thought Abby's sex scene was unnecessary as well as predicable and a bit of a cliche.

I did however quite enjoy going back through Ellie's carnage as Abby and will play through again on new game+ as i think it will be even better playing Seattle as Ellie knowing what is to come.

Overall I'd say an enjoyable game with a much weaker story than the first one and centred around an extremely unlikely mix of main protagonists.

Solid 8/10 for me. Would have been a 7 but the presentation and how far they can push the ps4 technically is top notch so it gets an extra point.

Edit: Oh and I can't believe Ellie didn't ask Abby why she did it. She could have found out that Joel killed her dad during the fight at the end and then had a change of heart rather than just deciding nah that's enough for no apparent reason. The Ellie you play as through the first half of the game would have killed her without hesitation without a good reason not to.

 

[Scort]

Still haven't gone back to this, got to some island with the shaved headed chick - then just stopped playing.

I don't get the hate for Abby, but I just find her pointless; I don't care about her or her group - yet feel I've been playing her for ages now

 

[ScarySquirrel]

Just finished this today, and I absolutely loved it.

When I started playing as Abby I was a bit annoyed, I had no interest in her. But I ended up really liking her and also really liking that I played the same three days from both her and and Ellie's perspective.

So much so that I ended up preffering her to Ellie, ultimately Abby let Ellie go twice. Joel killed Abby's father who was only trying to save humanity, I actually think Abby was right to go after Joel. And in the end I was annoyed that Ellie went after Abby all over again. I was gutted when it looked like Ellie was going to drown Abby, and relieved when she let her go.

A solid 9.5/10 for me. Only dropping points because halfeay through it felt a bit of a slog, but then massively picked up again towards the end. Amazing visuals, amazing combat, stunning game.