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So I watched a playthrough of TLOU Part 2 (SPOILER ALERT)
5 years ago
And honestly I don't understand why people got so mad at this game. The design of TLOU is to say "this is what we believe would happen in real-world situations." Yet people got angry for killing off the character they fell so in love with, and being forced to play the killer.
At the end, what I got from the spectator experience is not knowing what you have until it's gone. Ellie was so obsessed with finding and killing Abby that in the end, where she could have done what the story was leading up to, she made the hard choice of not getting her revenge (probably because she figured it simply wasn't worth it.) In this moment, she also realizes that she threw away her chance at a happy ending by deciding her quest for revenge was more important than the family she created. Ellie and Abby are two sides of the same coin, with very similar experiences in the harsh world, whether it was brought on by outside forces, or by each-other. Thus, the world of TLOU says "Life isn't fair," as it should. The open ending also provides the possibility of further storytelling, whether that ends up being for a game, a TV series (Don't fuck it up, HBO) or even a book publication.
Either way, I doubt this is the end of Ellie (Or even Abby) and the gritty, unfair world she resides in.
If you asked me to give the game an actual review, I'll rate it a good 8/10, and here's why;
While I personally loved the story and the character developments, with surprises galore along the way, I couldn't rate it at it's highest because most of the combat-oriented gameplay moments just seemed very tedious in most cases. It was a lot of, hide, sneak around and get sneaky kills, or go loud and use up tons of supplies which will just leave you short for later, basically forcing stealth. I think there should be some more variety to the gameplay (such as the open world aspect we found at the beginning but basically wasn't ever used again) that isn't just simple puzzles, non-difficult platforming and very simplistic combat. That said, this game has a much larger focus on the narrative, world and it's characters so I can let that slide a little.
All in all, I think the initial reception of TLOU Part 2 was a total exaggeration, and I think a lot of the reason why people got so angry about this game is because it does kill off a very beloved character very early in the game, and that shock caused a lot of these people to react in ways that showed their heartbreak. News flash; that's what games like these are about. Stories and characters that make you emotional. I implore you, if you haven't done so, please go through the entire game and think about what I've said, and make those connections. I think you'll find yourself more appreciative of the product if you do.
Also yeah, I know this was a little late considering this game actually came out a while ago by now, but a lot of the backlash fueled some temporary disinterest in the game for me. So yeah, I admit I'm late to the party, but I hope what I've said might help some people understand who didn't initially.
Thanks for reading!
At the end, what I got from the spectator experience is not knowing what you have until it's gone. Ellie was so obsessed with finding and killing Abby that in the end, where she could have done what the story was leading up to, she made the hard choice of not getting her revenge (probably because she figured it simply wasn't worth it.) In this moment, she also realizes that she threw away her chance at a happy ending by deciding her quest for revenge was more important than the family she created. Ellie and Abby are two sides of the same coin, with very similar experiences in the harsh world, whether it was brought on by outside forces, or by each-other. Thus, the world of TLOU says "Life isn't fair," as it should. The open ending also provides the possibility of further storytelling, whether that ends up being for a game, a TV series (Don't fuck it up, HBO) or even a book publication.
Either way, I doubt this is the end of Ellie (Or even Abby) and the gritty, unfair world she resides in.
If you asked me to give the game an actual review, I'll rate it a good 8/10, and here's why;
While I personally loved the story and the character developments, with surprises galore along the way, I couldn't rate it at it's highest because most of the combat-oriented gameplay moments just seemed very tedious in most cases. It was a lot of, hide, sneak around and get sneaky kills, or go loud and use up tons of supplies which will just leave you short for later, basically forcing stealth. I think there should be some more variety to the gameplay (such as the open world aspect we found at the beginning but basically wasn't ever used again) that isn't just simple puzzles, non-difficult platforming and very simplistic combat. That said, this game has a much larger focus on the narrative, world and it's characters so I can let that slide a little.
All in all, I think the initial reception of TLOU Part 2 was a total exaggeration, and I think a lot of the reason why people got so angry about this game is because it does kill off a very beloved character very early in the game, and that shock caused a lot of these people to react in ways that showed their heartbreak. News flash; that's what games like these are about. Stories and characters that make you emotional. I implore you, if you haven't done so, please go through the entire game and think about what I've said, and make those connections. I think you'll find yourself more appreciative of the product if you do.
Also yeah, I know this was a little late considering this game actually came out a while ago by now, but a lot of the backlash fueled some temporary disinterest in the game for me. So yeah, I admit I'm late to the party, but I hope what I've said might help some people understand who didn't initially.
Thanks for reading!
I actually thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay and combat in this game, and it's what made the game as fun for me as it was. And for me, that's what matters the most in a game: was it fun to play? The story, memorable or relatable moments, character development, all that extra fluff and so on isn't necessary, though it certainly helps make games stand out from the thousands of other AAA titles on the market. I didn't think I'd like having to stealth around so much, but I actually found it to be a fun little puzzle of sorts, trying to figure out how to cheese everyone without having to break out into a brawl at some point. The gameplay alone would have me giving the game a 7 at the very least, and the game's story for me bumps it up to a 9 personally.
I do agree that most of the hate for the game is very much exaggerated, but I also think the folks hailing it as the absolute best game ever made with perfect scores is also very much exaggerated. It's a terrific game either way!