The Last of Us Part II - Ellie and Abby’s Duality (Story Analysis)
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- Опубликовано: 27 авг 2024
- The Last of Us Part II has been out for roughly a month and is still highly debated. Today I wanna dig into Ellie and Abby's duality within the story and what it all means to me. This won't be a review but more so a story analysis. Let's discuss and see if the very divisive ending of The Last of Us Part II ultimately has a pay off.
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Here’s my trashy analysis😁
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Yes sir
This was amazing...
Abby and Ellie are both victims in each of their stories, seems wired 🤔 This game confusing af 😂
Trashy is perfectly said. Although I normally love your content, you are just giving naughty dog a round of applause because they gave you an early copy. If you spent 60+ dollars on this poor story writing of a game, you wouldn’t feel the same way. You are just making excuses for poor story writing and it’s pathetic.
Yo the new profile pic and banner are dope!
It’s so crazy to think that this game came out a month ago... it feels like it was yesterday when I couldn’t sleep cus I was excited...
Sammmmmmeeee dude I thought I was the only one
Varonvan why do people like you exist
It was a let down
@Varonvan Did you play the version where Joel doesnt die? That would definitely be a let down.
I didn’t sleep that night. I was awoke and got it from GameStop.
When Neil said “This game is all about hate.” He was just scratching the surface. It’s about hate, regret, and forgiveness.
Who regretted anything?
Julius Hegge Ellie when she killed mel?
@@jessequaedvlieg9072 okay, that's Ellie when did Abby regret something?
Julius Hegge for me it was after she killed Joel. You see that she thought that she would be satisfied after she got her revenge but it left her empty and still as broken about her fathers death. I don’t think that she really regretted killing Joel but it made her realise that revenge won’t help you cope with someone’s death. For me that’s more powerful that just regret
Julius Hegge remember how even after Abby kills Joel, she continues to have nightmares about being in the firefly hospital and finding her dad, meaning even though she avenged him, it didn’t help her grief. Her dreams only become positive once she begins to move on and help Yara and Lev, she finds something to fight for that she actually believes in
Great video! I'm glad to see more thoughtful videos like this on youtube after all the surface level hate talk. Ellie and Abby are the same person, but people's own bias won't let them realize that. This is a perfect sequel.
I agree with you
Agreed!
YES
What I also noticed was that every chronological section of the story was a direct parallel. While Ellie is sad and angry during Seattle Day 1, Abby was happy go lucky like Joel never existed. When Jessie and Tommy start showing up, Abby's crew starts dying off. Ellie went from anger to content until the cutoff point while Abbh went from content to being angry. Ellie still had Dina and the baby while Abby lost Owen and Mel's child.
I've been waiting for someone to analysis this type of thing, and you've down it brilliantly
I imagine this comment section is going to be ugly, so can I ask that people from both sides are respectful of people's opinions.
I agree. I personally thought the game’s story was very disappointing but I respect anyone who liked it.
As long as people treat me fairly as a human and a gamer.
I mean so far the defense provides too many excuses of "Your opinion doesn't matter because (enter excuse here)"
On my side we just wanted a game. And I can tell you want a game isn't. A predictable ptsd inducing experience that literally scolds the player for playing. From grabbing new weapons and then watching your victims suffer til the end like real human beings to watching your hopes and dreams get destroyed in the same manner as Yara's arm.
They could have done anything else and made a great game just based on the influence of the first. Hell they could have made a side game just like this and could have done incredible.
But they chose to squander it choosing to make this story into the sequel for a beloved game to garner more attention. They chose to make this game so depressing that player drstroyed their discs and almost rioted outside of gamestops.
Its as if this game doesn't want to be a game and with everything else going right for it how does a game bring players to react and act in such heinous ways?
For me? Its how unprofessional the entire development team has become. They praise each other and act like there is mo flaws to their game. They refuse to grow and improve their artform when there is always room for learning more.
You see artists and businessman are what make the industry here. What you do and how you act matters on a business level a lot. As an artist what you say and how you react to critisim, because art is mostly about critisim, is what defines you as an artist.
Neil and his voice actors go down as very unprofessional rude and ungrateful while they are still clinging to the sucess of their first game.
Need I remind you 80 of their original staff had quit with statements and rumors saying "Naughtydog has changed". Many speculate politicals or bad influences maybe there was a power struggle, or maybe just maybe they didn't want to make just games anymore as per their original job description.
Neil spoke out praising Anita Sarkeesian, whom has been proven to poison everything under her influence. How do we know? Because she trashes classic games and calls them a mistake. She literally is trying to devolutionize what the gaming industry has become.
When you remove the story from the game you get a mediocre combat game which makes you want to play other stealth games that do it way better. The combat is a vessel for the story it isn't it's bulk nor the graphics, which the remastered version still looks better but is older.
Now you have a dark story that only upset people. No one plays a vidoe game to get upset. There was zero investment in following the journey of these characters with no buildup no payoff.
Yet we are praising it for being emotionally manipulative with mediocre gameplay that in every aspect punishes the player for every gameplay choice they make?
If this was just a regular game it would have been phenominal. There wouldn't be the need for massive crunch times underpaid employees and the original staff would have never left.
I mean all they needed to do to make a sucess was havr Ellie with Joel and boom Masterpiece again.
But we went the opposite dorection and....it gets praised for being a ptsd trip? No one wants ptsd. People do not get praised for giving people ptsd.
I find it incredibly offenssive to those with ptsd that have face similar situations when all they needed was to see some light in their life.
We are humans we look for the good and punish the bad. It is in our system our basic instinct. When something is bad or potentially harmful we attack it. That's our reaction.
I mean good lord chimps do it too. But we praise this game for lying to us being offensive on so many levels being manipulative with false advertising and it teaches you never to regret feeling like shit for no reason.
Magic W
I hate Abby like no one else and she didn’t sell me at all. But I will be respectful of course lol
This is the absolute best breakdown of the duality of both Abby and Ellie that ive seen. Now if only the people who were badmouthing the game would check this out.
i think people are viewing the decisions made in the game through a black and white binary when there are truly no heroes or villains in the world of tlou. everyone operates in grey area and does whatever they can for their own survival and their loved ones.
the game to me, is a commentary on empathy, forgiveness, trauma, obsession among other things. we see throughout the game the consequences to ellie's actions, for example, when ellie kills owen and mel in the aquarium she leaves behind her map which in turn leads to abby and lev finding where team jackson is camping out. there are so many intricacies and nuances to the story and the choices characters make.
another thing that i noticed that might or might've not been intentional is when ellie finds abby hung up on a pole in santa barbra it kinda evokes imagery of a crucifixion and when ellie and abby proceed to fight in the water, they're kinda being washed away of their sins - by the end of the game both ellie and abby are reborn as symbols of hope. ellie not killing abby allowed the spirit of joel and ellie's relationship in the first game to live on through abby and lev.
one more final thing i want to say on the game is that it can be interpreted as commentary on the current state of our society and how a game about questioning your own biases and walking a mile in the shoes of your enemy is reflective of our current state in society and how we're all so caught up in our own biases that we become so dismissive to other perspectives - the same way some haters are dismissive towards abby's story.
there's a lot more i could've talked about here but i feel like it would be too long to discuss in a youtube comment lmao.
I completely agree with that sentiment. Heros and villains don't exist in the last of us, and the last of us part 2 explores this even more by showing us how this idea of Good guys and bad guys is flipped on its head when you change perspective
This is a really good analysis!
This is exactly how the game is supposed to be viewed. The problem is there are some people who have connected with certain characters and view them in a way that won't allow them to see past their own bias.
Amazing bro i felt what u said to my core considering im very religious and i have played this game 3 times and i feel like i almost unintentionally saw the game just how u said because i try to always put myself in other peoples shoes and i love the way u articulated that💯 this game is as closest to a movie ive ever seen
@@93King you mean the main characters that the last of us is about? Those characters? The ones who we told WERE the last of us? No matter how you spin this and regurgitate Druckmann and companies analytics the games story is utter garbage and doesn't hold a candle to the first. If anything it almost damages the first
I’ve just finished watching the video and I never actually thought about most of the things that you covered in this analysis. You’ve given me such a greater understanding of what I caught from my first playthrough. I’m on my 2nd playthrough and I understand so much more of what everybody is talking about and how they are dealing with things. Great vid 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Couldn’t agree more, I loved this game, was I surprised with the direction it took... yes, I thought we’d get a more traditional Hollywood sequel which is just more of the same, more of what we loved from part 1 but just because we didn’t get what I & probably most of us expected doesn’t make what we got anything less then the amazing story we got, Joel was treated with respect, I’ll never understand the correlation to how Joel died being “disrespectful” he went out like he lived being a badass, Ellie & Abby were two sides of the same coin, both lost themselves & did things that many would call monstrous but both found their humanity through forgiveness, on a side note, just my opinion, Ellie has zero intention of killing Lev, I think she just used him to get Abby to fight, she saw how Abby cared for him & used it to her advantage, had Abby still refused to fight I have zero doubts that Ellie would’ve just rushed at Abby, overall this is a masterpiece every bit as worthy as the original.
I’m glad that you liked the game. But I don’t understand how ppl can call this game a masterpiece with the multiple issues it has
@monopoly killer I would love that.
About to peep right now!!
2:59 thank you for making this point. Both Joel and Tommy have changed over the years and they are no longer the hardened survivors we were introduced to in the first game. You could even tell the difference in Joels' voice in part 2, and how he spoke softer. In one of the flashbacks we also see Joel and Tommy fucking around while on patrol and how they were just chillin in the lodge. Not only that, it was Tommy that first introduced himself to Abby's group, of course Joel would do the same. They had no reason to not trust them after saving Abby's life. The more I keep thinking about the plot, the more I come to understand it and appreciate the story for what it is.
I still think Abby shouldve saved Joel and Tommy in this moment as the player controlling it
But.....they saved her life. She didn't save theirs....that doesn't warrant random trust lmao idk I still think you have to be dumb as hell to give out a name to someone you just met. Knowing you done loads of shady shit. I didn't know changing and growing as a person meant losing brain cells. Seemed like just another way of pushing the plot even if it is illogical
Ria Ali exactly if I was Joel I would change my name to Sam Jones or some shit I’m not gonna tell some random person my name after the shit I’ve done
@@sh_2426 it was just the fastest most convenient way to kill him. Pile a bunch of sheer coincidences on top of each other mixed with a little stupidity and you got yourself a plot.
@Ria Ali
He's done so much stuff even in the first game and y'all expect him to change his name in the second one but didn't say anything in the first one?
In my opinion Ellie isn't trying to avenge Joel so much for him, but more so because she regrets the way she treated him, and the fact that he dies before she ever gets the chance to properly repair that relationship. She thinks killing everyone responsible will allow her to forgive herself, but in the end she just finds that she's slipping into darkness and throwing everything else in her life away - pushing away her relationships and putting others in danger. At what point is the cost too high? Abby as a contrast is supposed to show you that revenge is hollow and still leaves you feeling empty inside. Abby literally trashes her relationships in order to train for this revenge crusade, and she drags everyone else into it. Most of them agreed to go seek justice, but then you see the push-back and distancing that occurs after Abby crosses that line of torturing Joel. Abby saves Lev & Yara to clear her own conscious because deep down she does feel guilty - not just for killing Joel, but dragging everyone else into it and pushing people away. She also feels guilty for the things she ends up doing with the WLF, who are a far cry from the Fireflies. By the end, Abby is broken and everyone and everything around her besides just Lev is either destroyed or dead - she loses everything.
Some more comments on Joel supposedly "acting out of character": since falling out with Ellie, Joel probably was trying to act like a better person in order to win her favor again. Ellie wouldn't want to re-establish a relationship with him if he still acted like a ruthless killer. Even so, Joel is pretty cautious upon meeting Abby, following Tommy's lead and going with Abby only out of necessity. Tommy (whose whole schtick at this point in his life is seeing the good in people and giving them a second chance in Jackson) is the one who gives Abby their names.
At the chalet, Joel actively makes an effort to get out of the situation: Nora asks him and Tommy if they want to stay awhile and Joel says, "No, that's alright. We'll just ride out the storm and get out of your hair." Tommy's the one who accepts her offer and leads Joel into the room where he dies. Haters conveniently forget all this.
very well spoken bruh. Took me another play-through to really understand Abby as a character.... still can’t forgive her but I get her motives and reasonings why.
I agree 100 percent, by the end of the game I didn't want anything bad to happen to abby, I felt how hurt she was after losing her dad, the story was incredible, loved it.
Woah when did you change your profile pic? The all black background looks 🔥
Just did moments ago
I like the story's use of metaphors too; hard to say how many are deliberate though, but Lev saving Abby from being strangled is pretty poetic. Smothered, choking, and strangled are often used to describe the effects of guilt and shame.
Damn i LOVE the new channel art
Also, to me Abby started her redemption when she snuck out to figure out what the hell happened between Owen and Danny, and why or if he went AWOL.
Great analysis. To anyone interested, there's a video with Troy Baker and Neil Druckman discussing their creative disagreement regarding Joel's death scene, which I found really insightful. Just like Neil Druckman says at some point during the video, it is precisely because Joel's death is so disrespectful and graphic that Ellie and ultimately the gamer is driven by their wish for revenge. Picture this: Joel dies from a gunshot by saving Ellie from the WLF. Not as impactful, right? This scene was made to upset you as a player, it was supposed to be horrible and heartwrenching, else there would have been no strong motive for Ellie to seek revenge and lose herself in the process. Watching parts of this scene once again, it is clear that Joel knows. He knows whatever fate he's getting was long coming. He died knowing his past had caught up and yet, he didn't show one once of regret. "If somehow the Lord gave me a second chance at that moment... I would do it ALL over again."
I agree wholehearteldy with your comment on duality Ellie was becoming a monster and Abby was redeeming herself after killing Joel and ultimately Ellie lost everything in the end and it wasn't the game I was expecting either but I still loved it though
I loved this. Great insight into Abby and Ellie as mirror characters 🔥
Tajae I loved your analysis and I agree with everything in this video, your analysis is how I looked at the game, how I understood it and what I wanted to tell people why this game is good and they shouldn’t hate it just because of Joel’s death. I love this game and seeing Joel die was sad but I understood why. I also loved the ending a lot of people didn’t and I can see why. I love Ellie and Abby and I wish a lot of people would give Abby the benefit of the doubt. I’m hoping for a part three even though I love this game and it’s ending I feel like we should get another game since there is some questions unanswered. So I totally agree with you Tajae. Also loving the new art and profile picture it’s 🔥. Loved the video. Finally glad it came out.♥️
@monopoly killer Same
Love your new profile
I personally didn’t like the story but I totally understand Naughty Dog’s reasons. The game is still amazing and I had a lot of blast. I definitely can’t wait for Part 3. Great video Tajae!
I didn’t see Abby show remorse a single time in this game, while Ellie did quite often.
Exactly. People be making up all kinds of shit to convince themselves that the writing is something that it ain't. The story is probably the worst triple a game story ever made.
She shows remorse when Mel tells her she is a shitty person, she cries. She decides to do better by not killing either Ellie or Dina in the theatre. When Ellie confronts her one last time she tries to avoid fighting. It’s only when Ellie threatens Lev that she concedes. There’s remorse there. There’s character growth there, you just have to pay attention.
Austin Parker she didn’t choose to not kill them because of Mel. She was still going to kill Dina knowing that she was pregnant until Lev stopped her. And she killed Jesse and almost Tommy with no hesitation. How is that showing remorse?
@@atp8108 Agreed
there's more in my opinion. Ellie and Joel are opposites. That's why they disagree over Joel's actions in the hospital. Joel would have killed Abby without hesitation or regret, but Ellie isn't Joel. She tries to be like Joel in her quest for vengeance but it's destroying her because deep down she's isn't the same as Joel. When she finally gets to where she can kill Abby she remembers her last conversation with Joel. He will always be Joel. He will always make the choice he did. She will always be unable to forgive him because she is Ellie and disagrees with his choice but she realises she can love him anyway without condoning his actions. That is the moment that lets her spare Abby and thats what makes her Ellie again. She spares her so she can be Ellie again and not just a copy of Joel, not because one is bad and the other is good but because they are different people. As for Abby, she hunted down the man who murdered her father and brutally killed him she then hunted down the people who murdered her friends, a pregnant one included. This time though she is able to pull back from the brink thanks to Lev and what she has experienced after killing Joel. That is her redemption in my opinion. After that she's a different Abby. If you think she still needs to die, then you have to agree Joel got what he deserved and Ellie should have died in the theatre.
This was a great analysis and put the meaning of the game in perfect words. It was worth the wait for this analysis.
Tbh the connection that I did have with Ellie has been completely severed in this game. I understand the view points with Abby but I just still don’t care for her. The characters that I did care about Jessie, yara and jerry ended up the way they did so. And the game in my opinion has so many under developed and useless characters it’s starting to feel like the walking dead .
Well, most of the characters we meet (or hear about) do end up dying or never show up, so there aren't that many to keep up with. Jesse, Yara, and Jerry were good side characters and if you cared about them then you were definitely connected to the game as a whole. How could you not care about Ellie or Abby?
I never cared about anyone in this game not even ellie but i think that Jessee was the most likeable and had alot of potential, in tlou 1 he'd have been a great character
Jade personally I would’ve probably cared for Abby if we seen her story first, instead of seeing her killing Joel when she hasn’t been in the game for 20 min. I just felt like her presence was being forced upon everyone and we didn’t get a proper build up to us getting to know her character before the Joel scene. And I am connected to the game and the world I just don’t like Abby and it was just dreadful for me to play Ellie in this game and play through her story which by the end,I actually was more excited for the war between the wlf and scars then returning to Ellie’s story.
Mrkribz And that’s my point In part 1 every character was great no matter what, it didn’t matter if they had 12 min of cutscenes or 2 hours they all had a purpose and you cared if they died or not. Examples Henry, Sam, Tess and Marlene all impactful characters. 95 percent of characters in part 2 was useless and most of them had more game time then some of them characters In part 1.
@@charleswulff6033
Every character in the second one had a purpose as well. Just because you personally didn't connect with them, doesn't mean they didn't have a purpose. I personally can't understand how you could connect with most of the characters in either game when most of the them only showed up for 15 mins and then died. The only characters that makes sense connecting to are Ellie and Joel.
Finally, I think a few more dialogs and cutscenes in the Santa Barbara arc would help, specifically of Ellie's focus slowly shifting to saving the civilians who were imprisoned and enslaved by the rattlers. It's similar to the redemption Abby went through in saving Yara and Lev.
Also chasing a rumor is the best track in the game glad you included it!
You changed your profile pic I did not notice. Keep up the good work!
I loved this game. I gotta be honest though, I didn't hate the Abby segment of the game, but didn't love it either, I was split more towards the middle. It was pretty interesting to piece both Ellie and Abby's story together though. I can understand why there is so much hate, but that's the point. Your supposed to hate what happened and how it happened. It's how real life is. Anyway great vid Tajae. It sure as hell sad that we are moving on from The Last of Us Part II, but I'm happy that the channel is growing. Keep up the work.😁👍
There are hardly any developers in the world who would take the bold step to kill off the most loved character from the first game...within the intro of the sequel itself...it shows naughty dog is one of those few developers who would do such things and still manage to nail the sequel...and set a benchmark in storytelling....BRAVO..
When I beat the last of us 2 it recked me I can’t stoping think of joel death and the ending If there’s no tlou 3 I’m going to be destroyed for my whole life knowing that the tlou 2 ending is the end of the series
Epic video from Tajae. Very well put. Love how the video was put together. Tajae’s narrating is second to none. Love this guy’s videos.
This was such an awesome analysis! So well articulated and edited. I wanted to point out something kinda nice that I've noticed often gets overlooked- Throughout the game when Abby has those trauma flashbacks of going through the firefly hospital and opening the operating room door to see different horrible scenes, it's not until after she helps Lev and Yara that she has her final flashback- She opens the door not to see a gruesome scene, but to see her dad, alive and smiling back at her for the first time. It's a nice visual representation that she found closure not from killing Joel, but from redeeming herself through helping others.
Which is better?
A dozen videos taking loose information from articles and frequently misrepresenting the story and the characters.
OR
One well thought-out video using information taken directly from the game and taking the time to look deeper into the game.
Lets fuckin gooo this analysis was fire good stuff tajae
something I think nobody points out enough is how people only now care that abby is buff. the first time we saw this character was in a 2017 trailer revealed in the Paris games awards ( I could be wrong about that btw) and we clearly see that abby is indeed buff. not one person on the internet gave a single fuck about that until the leaks came out and revealed that this character was going to kill joel. before all of that though the most popular theory was that abby was ellie's mom. that's all it was back then and not one person pointed out that "ellie's mom" was buff. its like come tf on man this was never once a problem until the leaks came out. I dont know I just find it funny that people only now care about her body type because she was the so called "villain" of the game.
edit I'd also like to clarify that I wasn't a big fan of this character either I'm just pointing a critique against this character that I don't think is really justified anymore
Great analysis of the story line. It wasn’t the story I wanted but I still enjoyed it.
Definitely a logical explanation and analysis of the game. Ive been sayin all of what tajae said for weeks now.. bottom line is most people don't like the game because of joels death getting beat down by a golf club.. they wanted him to b killed in a more convential , more heroish type way. Have fairy tale endin. But lifes not all about those endings.. therr are brutal endings and deaths.. they did it in a different and unconvential way and just cuz its not how you would have told the story doesn't mean it can't b told that way .. most people who didn't play part 1 and played part 2 probably loved part 2 or at least respected it .. the intention for people to love or like the game waas not the intention. Neil druckman clearly said that before the release of the game. He clearly explained how joel was comfortably living in jackson no longer the smuggler no longer living on edge.. an obvious explanation to why he trusted abby. Combined with her almost dying by being attacked by infected when he saved her. Its really not that hard to understand.. people hated her mainly cuz of HOW she killed joel. Even if joel ended up dying at end of game and abby killed him, people would still hate abby because end result was she killed him. No matter how u slice it abby would have been hated regardless even if people got their "character development." (which her character was portrayed and explained in great fashion as eloquently stated and explained by tajae..) people can't have their cake and eat it to.. people should respect the story and open their minds.
Neil said people would hate the game before it came out. He was right. Naughty dog told the story in a good different way. They should be commended for that.
well said. You didn't say too much or too little. You picked up the important things and didn't misconstrue them. good job!
After completeing this video, I no longer hate this game, but I'm still heart broken.
Amazing video! 100% agree with everything you said.
Finally!!! Been waiting for this for a long time, thanks for the high quality video bro... and I can't agree more with your point of view. So happy that someone is using their channel to shine some light on this game and the controversy around it.
No matter how much you analyse or explain this story, this is sadly really not what I and many fans anticipated. At some point, the game for me personally didn‘t feel like the last of us anymore. For me, The Last of Us IS Joel and Ellie. I think that Neil Druckman even said that in a press conference or a interview himself. But this game is not Joel and Ellie. Sure, some people might say "oh but doing another Joel and Ellie story is boring." I believe that there was so much more oppurtunities with Joel and Ellie. You could make a whole new game which‘s story is entirely based on ellie‘s immunity alone which would focus on both Joel and Ellie equally. For me it felt like The Last of Us Part II kind of wanted to move on from Joel and made him seem like the most evil person ever and completley ignored his perspective. And this game is based on perspective so I don‘t understand why they did that. Now you can call me a hater or whatever, but this is just my opinion. I played through this game twice and there are some parts I actually really enjoyed. For example Ellie‘s birthday in the museum is the best thing to ever happen in a video game in my opinion. And btw, I respect everyone who enjoyed and liked this game and I‘m glad you did
AvengingFossil I didn‘t want "happy adventures across america" I wanted a deeper dive into their relationship and maybe a deeper dive into ellie‘s immunity which played such a small role in this game sadly. But I think some stuff that was actually was in Part II could‘ve been kept like the relationship with Dina, Joel getting punished for his action (not in the beginning and executed in another way) and especially Ellie confronting Joel about his lie and being angry about it
Thank you for you comment because I could agree more. It’s about Joel and Ellie and I feel they moved so much away from core beliefs the firsts game had. I feel if they wanted to introduce new characters to play it could have been smarter. Like sooooo much to explore with Joel and Ellie and personally don’t feel it should have just been flash backs. It could have been Joel and Ellie fixing their relationships with cuts to Abby on their trail and understanding her perspective, like a reveal halfway through why she’s tracking Joel and Ellieand Joel dying at the end but we would be ok with that because more sense would be made, I just don’t love the pacing Of the game and being a story teller myself.... I just think the writings off. Anyway lol rambling but love to hear your feedback cos I so agrreee with you dude x
I completely agree. I don’t think the game is “trash” but it’s a disappointment compared to its predecessor
Batool H glad to hear that other people agree with me, thanks for your reply :)
I get what some people are upset about but you have to also admit, thinking that the Last Of Us as a story is just about Joel and Ellie is ignoring the fact that they live in a real world. Naughty Dog created a game not just characters with the Last Of Us. It's a harsh world where everyone has their own motives. You said that it seemed that they just painted Joel to just be a heartless bad guy, but remember that's in the eyes of Abby and crew. To be honest, Abby has more reason to be vengeful than Ellie. That was Abby's actual father. But i dont want to get into semantics. In the end Ellie found herself going to far. Killing Abby wouldn't have brought that closure that she was looking for.
Fuck yeah Tajae!!! You hit all the perfect bits in this analysis and made some very compelling points. Great vid!!!
This is a very good analysis. It gave me more perspective and made me understand the game more than I already did. (I loved the game btw and whoever didn't, I respect your opinion.)
I'm glad everyone is being nice in this comment section. I completely understand if this game didn't resonate with you, but this game is incredible to me. I do have a few problems with it, but every bad thing has an upside, and there are a lot of trade-offs for making a crazy ambitious story like this. This game made me feel things a video game has never done to me. I personally find this on par with Part 1. Part 1 is an almost perfectly told story, and part 2 isn't, but the crazy ambition and creativity makes up for it in my book.
Just because something is explained doesn’t make it good - Angry Joe.
everyone has opinions, joe didnt get his fairy tale story he want it ..everyone has different tastes in games and i enjoy the hell of this roll-coaster story..
Aye are u outaa if ya minddd!!
@@oreed8 And you think the first game was a fairy tale?
Oc reed sure because the first game was a fairy tale.....
Except Ellie beat Nora for Abby’s location, while Abby tortures Joel for around an hour after he saved her, just for pleasure and revenge. Anyways, great vid!
People should be able to enjoy what they want and I hate when people get butthurt cause someone has a different view on the game then they do. Just let people enjoy what they want to...
So well said Tajae, couldn’t agree more my guy
Sick video Taj
Also Tajae you should make a complete timeline for a vide for the last of us as a series. The game never really stated specific distances in time between the scenes in the game and I’ve really been wanting to see a timeline explaining when everything takes place
I just love this game
I love last of us 2 it was a masterpiece in my eyes
Wow, Tajae my man, the way you compared the two was done perfectly and it all makes so much sense👏🏼🌊
Rather than another marathon of a video analyzing the plot, this was a really concise yet in-depth summary of the characters and themes of this game, that I really enjoyed. Although I probably disagree with a few details, I mostly agree with your overall thoughts and interpretation of the game's story. It's debatable whether this story is better or worse than part 1's but it is undeniable that this game is an incredible achievement and a game that will always be remembered, which can be difficult when following up a hugely successful game like the original. Well Done Naughty Dog, you did something special.
Great post and I truly enjoyed the game 👏🏿👏🏿
This is why this game is soooo GOOD. after a month people are still talking about it, regardless negative or positive aspects.
Tomorrow The Ghost of Tsushima is coming out... people will play it in 2 days and then forget about it in 1 hour and move on to the next game.
Point is Id rather play a game that generates this sort of emotion, even if it doesnt follow what Id hoped for, then to play another meaningless crap no story slash shooting game.
Wait, after the first confrontation it was 2 years?!!! Didn’t know that.
I like that part when ellie didn't kill abby
Excellent analysis, my dude! It’s awesome seeing your channel grow and evolve.
It’s also crazy how people think if Joel would have been a lot more “harder”(pause) he would have survived the ambush. Even if Joel was still his old self and was a lot more suspicious of what was going on there was no escaping the situation because.
1. Joel and Tommy were outnumbered and Abby already had information on them.
2. This took place during a blizzard so if Joel and Tommy tried to escape they couldn’t go any where.
3. There was still a horde in the blizzard that was even fully taken out only half of it from Abby’s group.
So even if Joel was his old self there was still no way he would have gotten out of the ambush because it was already to late.
I think they should do a dlc with abby
ellie doesn’t become a monster or a killing machine. she only kills when she needs to. you’re uplifting abbys character at the cost of villainising ellie, displaying all of ellie’s faults and highlighting abbys good deeds. this definitely felt biased and unbalanced
Elaborate interested in hearing your thoughts.
I finally beat the Last of Us 2 yesterday and can finally speak about it and look at posts about it! Here’s some thoughts so if you want to read it sit tight because this might take a bit. At first I didn’t like Abby’s story. It felt like such a sudden and jarring change that threw the story off course. I didn’t like the character initially not only for what she did to Joel, but also that I couldn’t find anything relatable about her character. At first she seemed like a typical revenge story and had no personality outside of her pursuit of revenge. I believe this goes for the entirety of Seattle Day 1 and made that section subpar for me. After Seattle Day 1 I took a break for about two weeks and came back and started playing again. The redemption story is what really helped me like the character. She almost became like Joel was in the first game and you could see a lot of the elements of Joel and Ellie’s relationship in the relationship between Abby and Lev as he was now the naive child and she was the grounded survivor who was getting a second shot at her relationships. I also love how Abby’s perspective shows the horror behind Ellie’s actions. It gives you time with some of her friends (with the exception of maybe Mel, I was easily able to relate and like each of them) and then you remember how their stories all end in the coming days and how it affects Abby. The most perfect example is the end of Day 3 when she goes back to the aquarium. The game already shows you that Ellie had transformed into someone else and was horrified by it. When she realizes that Mel was pregnant she loses it and you can feel horror and sympathy for your actions. Then when you see the aftermath as Abby after spending time with Owen (a character who I really liked and loved how he had sympathy for his enemies) you see the scene in an entirely new light.
This game nailed the division between the two characters and eventually won me over on Abby. Seeing her humanized by Lev and his sister helped me connect with the character so much and made for a much better understanding and willingness to follow the story. Naughty Dog really outdid themselves on this game. Also Abby had the best sequences in this game. The hotel basement, the escape from Haven, the scene when they were crossing the makeshift bridges across the skyscrapers, and so many more. I didn’t like her character at all at first but I was surprised how she won me over. I still preferred Ellie’s character and in the first confrontation I would have preferred to have played as Ellie but I’m very happy with the way the game played out and ended. I also like the symbolism at the very end with Ellie while she can’t play the guitar correctly since she lost two of her fingers, I love how it perfectly shows how she truly lost a part of herself in pursuit of revenge.
If you read all of this then thank you. I’ve been wanting the right place to write this without getting swarmed with hate. I can’t stand the people who didn’t play the game and jump on the hate bandwagon and there’s this one person at my job who got so mad when I said that I loved the game and when I asked if she played it she just said no. If you haven’t played it, then you really can’t judge it. It’s just not the same.
Lev did save Dina n JJ but he help Abby get to them in the first place and he did (although justified) put an Arrow through Dina. Ellie was right in saying Abby made lev” a part of this “ teenager or not. Lev was not an innocent bystander when Jesse got shot , when tommy got shot in the head 😐.
Had lev not convinced Abby not to kill Dina he would’ve been a killer as well.
Didn’t you figured out that the game has a happy ending?
Ellie at the end was happy living with Dina in Jackson and came to the farm just to say one last goodbye to Joel . Here’s the explanation:
1- remember the latter from Jessie s mom ?
2- Ellie wasn’t wearing any of her weapons at the end
3-in the fight scene she wasn’t wearing the bracelet that Dina gave her but at the end in the last scene the camera was zooming at the bracelet in her hand .
4- Ellie doesn’t seem surprised that nobody is there anymore and doesn’t call out Dina s name or anything.
Hehe instant click, it’s been a long wait for this video 💖 🔥
Brilliant video Tajae💯
Oh wow, a thoughtful, and intelligent analysis of the story. HOW MUCH DID DRUCKMAN PAY YOU???? Haha for real though, great video. I felt the same for this game after really digesting the second and third play-through. I think it’s going to age very, very well.
the new channel icon is 👌
I like Ellie and Abby just the same but maybe Ellie a bit more because we built a bond with her in the first game
Two broken girls who were able to find their humanity and finally walk away, thank you tajae for opening my eyes in ways I never knew before
Couldn’t wait for this. I’m curious to see what you have to say❤️
Hey taj this is the best review I've seen it will definitely be using some of your points for my review, 10/10 masterpiece
Yessir been waiting for this for so long
I like Abby but noone will ever surpass Ellie
People don't have to like it. That was not intention of naughty dog anyways.. but the story should not b bashed and hated the way it has been. Its still a good story. Thats fact. The story is just not for some people. But that doesn't make it bad.
Been looking forward to hearing your detailed thoughts on the game!
Very strong analysis - you have a unique philosophical writing style.
You did ask for constructive criticism on how to improve your writing style on your livestream yesterday; so, that being said, I have one tip for you, Tajae:
I would say you should relate the themes and characters themes to philosophers studies on a certain emotion or aspect you are writing about. For example:
Abby’s path of redemption relates to the philosophy of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in the way that...
Great video!
That was great to hear. I didn't know how to really feel about the story but now, think its brilliant. Nice review👍
Great analysis, i would have loved to know your interpretation of why things clicked in place for ellie at the ending. Why did she let abby go? I have my own thoughts but would have loved to hear yours.
Her allowing Abby to live was a parallel to her forgiving Joel for taking away her greater purpose in life; finding a cure to save humanity.
I agree heavily with your side I personally think I like Abby more than Ellie it an unpopular opinion but you do have to be The bigger person to see it we love Ellis from the old game Because of the innocence and the contrast with her and Joel I do love Abby is redemption story. I think you summed it up very well last of us part two in my opinion is my favourite game more of a favourite than part one.
Adults' lives are no less valuable than children's.
Other than that I agree with your take on the story.
I wondered if Ellie feet hurt throughout her journey, converse hurts after walking awhile
Tajae I didn't kill no dogs in my playthrough so far but 1 because the game forces you to press square i even tried not to but you have to because of story purposes. Even tho i know you have no problem with killing them i figured i would tell you considering i seen 0 youtubers do it.
That is what I call a great analysis !!! Keep it up bro .
Great video man
You definitely earned my sub. Amazing job!Keep it coming.
Wow tajae this may be your best video yet you said everything I thought about this game and put it into one well made video well worth the wait. I also want to thank you for keeping my faith in this fantastic game during the most uncertain times. I can’t wait to see what your channel evolves into moving on from the last of us part 2
That new pfp looks clean
Very well structured video. For as great as the story is, I understand some less vigilant players missed such arcs. You perfectly organised all the ideas ND where putting across onto a easily comprehensive 11 minutes. I hope this helps more people appreciate this beautiful story. I'm at my 3rd platrgrough and the writing gets better and better with every experiance. A good book is a book you read as different every time. I really like how Abby was fleshed out, especially through Owen and Lev.
To be honest the last of us 2 is a very original Revenge story because usually in Revenge stories at the end the protagonist ends with having all of the glory (for example most of GTA games less GTA 5 and GTA 4 wich the last one end with the protagonist feeling empty in someway) both the protagonist and the antagonist got screwed Badly througout the story and at the end they are in the lowest of low and with the people they cared either dead (Abby) or left them (ellie)
Finally! Haha just finished my third playthrough also, great review.
I wouldn't say that Ellie is on the lower end of the morality scale tho as the Ellie we know and love wouldn't have wanted this. If anything, it's Joel's fault. Ellie almost left Jackson because of what he did. And she never got the chance to forgive him. She knew that if it were her or Tommy, Joel would have done the same for them.
Ellie and Jesse both tried to help Tommy, but no one could lock down where Abby was in Seattle anyway (though Tommy did find her), which was the main objective. Plus, Tommy took off on this mission on his own in the first place. Ultimately, it's a clever way of making you play without a companion.
However, Abby threatens to kill a pregnant woman and only stops because of Lev. Abby's killed plenty of Seraphites in their pointless conflict too. Abby is empathetic, but is she really that moral? I suppose it's semantics, but still, I blame Joel for this.
I also love how Abby and Lev mirror Joel and Ellie from the first game. In the final fight, Ellie is like Jerry at the end of the first game and Lev is like her. A very satisfying revenge/redemption story ending imo.