The Last of Us Part 2 - PS5

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by Fred Bang

There’s no way the story will ever be redone.... because it’s fine as it is and it would piss everyone who likes it.

There's no way the story will ever be redone because Naughty Dog told the story THEY wanted to tell! Geez, in what other medium of art do patrons dictate to the artist what they can and can't create.

[StarkRomanoff]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

There's no way the story will ever be redone because Naughty Dog told the story THEY wanted to tell! Geez, in what other medium of art do patrons dictate to the artist what they can and can't create.

This exactly. They won't change the story and you can't ask them to so stop demanding it and move on. Unfortunately there are toxic fans in all media that think they own what others create. Just look at literally any comic film/tv show. But what we've seen with these fan game awards is that the vocal minority that were screaming and spewing hate about TLOU2 are only a minority and their voices do not matter.

What you can do as a fan that is healthy is hope for the stories to come. So given that nothing is confirmed and a PS5 version is only a rumor, if they were to release it I would want them to wait and release the upgrade with DLC to add new life to the game and incentivize fans to buy the PS5 disc/digital. I know what I want to see as DLC though that's more wishful thinking I know we won't get, and that's ok.

[Fred Bang]

Originally Posted by StarkRomanoff

This exactly. They won't change the story and you can't ask them to so stop demanding it and move on. Unfortunately there are toxic fans in all media that think they own what others create. Just look at literally any comic film/tv show. But what we've seen with these fan game awards is that the vocal minority that were screaming and spewing hate about TLOU2 are only a minority and their voices do not matter.

What you can do as a fan that is healthy is hope for the stories to come. So given that nothing is confirmed and a PS5 version is only a rumor, if they were to release it I would want them to wait and release the upgrade with DLC to add new life to the game and incentivize fans to buy the PS5 disc/digital. I know what I want to see as DLC though that's more wishful thinking I know we won't get, and that's ok.

I think loving or hating the story basically is determined by if you accept playing as Abbie or not. The goal is to make you feel uncomfortable at first and then have you rooting for her (even more than Ellie). If this works, you'll find the game incredible. But from what I heard, lots of people just gave up as soon as they woke up as her in the stadium and just decided to be pissed for the rest of the journey.

[ZHobbs]

Originally Posted by Fred Bang

I think loving or hating the story basically is determined by if you accept playing as Abbie or not. The goal is to make you feel uncomfortable at first and then have you rooting for her (even more than Ellie). If this works, you'll find the game incredible. But from what I heard, lots of people just gave up as soon as they woke up as her in the stadium and just decided to be pissed for the rest of the journey.

Neil basically said this same thing in "The Official The Last of Us podcast by Playstation". He said not verbatim

If you don't like Abby then you won't like this game.

[Member-115369]

That was part of it and others were just pissed with

[Show spoiler]Joel being murdered early on

and lost interest or outright hated the game from then on. The two are clearly closely linked to why many hate the story and and game though. Along with more niche vocal minorities like the incel types who just hate playing as women and so on.

Divisive games like this, or movies like The Last Jedi, are just not worth discussing online anymore to be honest. Too many absurd opinions and lame hot takes. I’ve cut way back on time online in general as I just can’t deal with the negativity. I only really discuss games, movies etc. that I enjoy. I know my tastes and don’t often dislike something I start and if I do I may offer a quick, constructive criticism and then I just move on to something I enjoy. It’s seems too many of the most active people online these days just want to rant endlessly about things they hate. Just too much negativity and it spreads as misery loves company.

A smaller forum with less activity like this one can be ok most of the time at least. The busy ones, Reddit, etc. are a toxic cesspool of negativity that sucks the fun out of hobbies like gaming and movies.

[StarkRomanoff]

I found an incredibly positive group of TLOU fans to talk to online for the past 7 months and there hasn’t been a single toxic conversation about the game. So it is possible to discuss things you like online that are divisive without dealing with trolls and hatred, you just gotta find them.

[Show spoiler]You won’t find them on twitter, Reddit, or even here though.

[Foggy]

To be fair, once all the outrage about the leaks had calmed down and the few who felt the need to continue arguing about something they didn’t want to invest in fell by the way side (perhaps that one guy managed to get back to his game journalism job), I thought the conversation turned fairly civil. Sure most of us agreeing it’s a good game is a good contribution to that, but I think there were enough genuine criticism that people debated, heck I had problems with the game in regards to pacing and tone, but it’s easily one of the more interesting games to talk about thanks to that.

[Derb]

Technically this game deserves a 4K/60 treatment.

I’d even pay $20-40 for it.

[Todd Smith]

Originally Posted by Derb

Technically this game deserves a 4K/60 treatment.

I’d even pay $20-40 for it.

I've been holding off on it hoping for a 4k/60fps update.

[Leonidas King]

Originally Posted by Todd Smith

I've been holding off on it hoping for a 4k/60fps update.

You're a strong one. I couldn't possibly handle torturing myself like that. Considering we still have no idea when we will get said update.

[Member-115369]

I'd definitely love to see what it looks like at 4K/60fps. Gears 5 upgraded on Xbox Series X, and especially the new Hivebusters DLC, is the most next gen looking game I've played so far and that was the 2nd best looking late last gen game to me after TLOU2.

Doubt I'd pay for an upgrade though as I'm not sure I'll ever replay through the whole game. As much as I liked it, it was mostly for the story and that's pretty burnt into my mind. I did replay the first game, but it was a bit of a slog the second time around (mostly as I'm not a huge fan of the gameplay in these games) and it's a much shorter game than the sequel.

[Todd Smith]

Originally Posted by Leonidas King

You're a strong one. I couldn't possibly handle torturing myself like that. Considering we still have no idea when we will get said update.

The thing that makes it easy to wait is I have a big backlog of games to play as it is. Waiting in light of how many other games I have to play is not an issue at all.

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by Derb

Technically this game deserves a 4K/60 treatment.

I’d even pay $20-40 for it.

I guaran-damn-tee you a PS5 specific "Remastered" sku is coming. It'll probably be bundled with factions whenever that finally releases. It'll be similar to what they did with Spiderman Miles Morales I'll bet. Purchase Factions stand alone for 40.00 or get the deluxe version with TLOU 2 Remastered bundled with it for 70.00. And like an idiot, I'll totally double dip LOL.

[Leonidas King]

I mean, it won GOTY along with many other awards. A “GOTY Edition” has to be in the works.

[Chris60119]

This would be nice! I still haven't gotten around to playing it. Glad I waited..

[Bishop_99]

I wouldn't pay for an upgrade. If it's free great, but not enough replay value as the first game. If it's a re-release, I'll stay with the PS4 version.

I greatly enjoyed the opening and Ellie's Seattle Day 1 and 2. It began dragging a bit through Day 3 and it was already feeling long. Abby's part felt like a DLC worthy game but it really got away from the main story and it didn't introduce a story that was interesting imo, plus the third act felt completely unnecessary to me.

I gave the game a chance as I got the Platinum and then the Perma Death trophy, but I don't think I care to replay it beyond Ellie's Seattle Day 2.

Just my personal experience with the game, but a shame as I was greatly enjoying the game up to almost the first day 3. Not worth buying again for a PS5 upgrade, unlike the first game.

[Gremal]

Originally Posted by StarkRomanoff

This exactly. They won't change the story and you can't ask them to so stop demanding it and move on. Unfortunately there are toxic fans in all media that think they own what others create. Just look at literally any comic film/tv show. But what we've seen with these fan game awards is that the vocal minority that were screaming and spewing hate about TLOU2 are only a minority and their voices do not matter.

What you can do as a fan that is healthy is hope for the stories to come. So given that nothing is confirmed and a PS5 version is only a rumor, if they were to release it I would want them to wait and release the upgrade with DLC to add new life to the game and incentivize fans to buy the PS5 disc/digital. I know what I want to see as DLC though that's more wishful thinking I know we won't get, and that's ok.

A few problems with this analysis. Games are not art, exactly. They're products sold to customers. In the old days there was an expression: the customer is always right. In this case, the game is marketed as a sequel to one of the most beloved games ever, featuring one of the most universally appreciated characters in Joel. Millions of people had played as Joel for billions of hours of gaming, and could relate to him in a way that had rarely been achieved in even the greatest games.

You replace this beloved character with one who is difficult to relate to and you're just begging for criticism because you've disappointed many customers. Once upon a time, this was a very bad marketing strategy and a dumb idea.

[Gremal]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

Just like the vast majority of art.

No, art is not a consumer product, it is the act of an artist, e.g., Amiri Baraka, aka Leroi Jones, Hunting Is Not Those Heads on the Wall.

[Gremal]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

Just be clear you don't consider any paintings, drawings, films, books, games, or music to be art? Especially not if the any of them have been sold by the artist?

Can you give an example of art?

I made a pretty obvious point that should be easy to accept in the spirit intended without a semantic debate. But yes, art is separate from a consumer commodity. I pointed you toward an interesting essay about this, if you want to get deeper into it. The point of the essay is that art in its pure form is not a product but the action of the artist that is fleeting in nature.

Art is rarely sold by the artist. In the case of video games, the production company pays people to develop a product; art is a small part of product dev. Obviously.

To then declare it "art" is inaccurate. More accurately, it is a product that the company which sold it to you invested in, and they expect a good ROI by catering to a customer base.

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by Gremal

A few problems with this analysis. Games are not art, exactly. They're products sold to customers. In the old days there was an expression: the customer is always right. In this case, the game is marketed as a sequel to one of the most beloved games ever, featuring one of the most universally appreciated characters in Joel. Millions of people had played as Joel for billions of hours of gaming, and could relate to him in a way that had rarely been achieved in even the greatest games.

There's another saying that goes "the vocal minority doesn't speak for the masses." Despite the whiners on social media, their opinion does not reflect the majority of gamers who played and enjoyed this game for what it is.

Originally Posted by Gremal

You replace this beloved character with one who is difficult to relate to and you're just begging for criticism because you've disappointed many customers. Once upon a time, this was a very bad marketing strategy and a dumb idea.

Criticism was inevitable and ND knew this going in. Kudos to them and Sony for being unwavering with their vision of what they wanted this game to be, despite the potential backlash. We need more developers like them. And I would hardly consider this a "dumb idea" considering all of the critical and commercial success this game has been showered with.