I’d like to say this was just the beginning of many future analyses in media that I love, but sadly I don’t think this is gonna be for me. I had a lot of fun talking about this game and sharing my experiences with it, I’m also glad it’s brought people together to share their experiences too both good and bad. However I am sad to report I will not be continuing this RUclips channel for future videos/essays. If you were hoping to see more stuff from me I’m sorry to let ya down :(! But please keep enjoying this video, share it with your friends/family, I’m so glad I was able to reach out to those who had a beautiful connection with this game as much as I did. Thanks for watching and I wish y’all well!
It is also worth noting that in the snowy part in the beginning of the game, Ellie mentions that she was planning to watch a movie with Joel that night. Naughty Dog was giving us dialogue that we took as pretty normal (because we hadn't learned about their fractured relationship yet) but had such a deeper meaning. Ellie was taking her first steps in forgiving Joel.
Exactly. I still contend that 99% of all the people who hate Part 2 are literally idiots who legit *did not* understand the story, narratives, themes, parallels, and they certainly didn't mentally grasp the full scope of the game. Part 2 is Ellie (and Abby's) stories of how they dealt with, and processed, their grief and trauma based on Joel's actions from Part 1. These moronic haters simply do not have the mental werewithall to understand that Part 2 is the consequences and ramifications of Joel's actions in the Firefly Hospital and his subsequent lies to Ellie at the end of Part 1. Finally, what the haters always miss is that the story is what was needed for *Ellie (and Abby's) healing--not the players holding the controller.*
One of the reason I hear people didn’t like the game was because of Ellie’s sexuality. “Ohh she’s gay now!?” “Why do they have make her gay!” blah blah blah, but if they actually played the dlc for the first game then they would realize it was always there. It’s like they really didn’t pay attention to the first game or just ignored key elements of the first game.
@marcileatherboots1 well said I find it so moronic when people reduce the game to "Ellie is gay trash game" or "abby killed joel she has to pay or trash game" but then ignore the fact that Ellie (twice saved by Abby) decides to hold a knife against a childs throat in an attempt to get abby to fight with her (when she's been starved and beaten for months and left out to die on a cross essentially). They even ignore the petal pipe torture on Nora implying it's justified. This in itself is hypocritical when it's pretty much the same as Abby torturing joel with a golf club. As we know Ellie goes on to mow down everyone close to abby too, whereas Ellie only loses Joel. However she lost Joel before this (at least in their relationship) but this was entirely because of Joel's selfish decisions at the end of the first game (which the TLOU2 haters all say are heartwarming moments lol). Joel literally is a "monster" at the end of the game for a lot of people. Imagine if TLOU1 has you play as abby, builds up her story and relationship with her dad and friends, and then at the end Joel appears and kills her dad. Would joel be viewed as a monster? Hmmm absolutely The final scene in TLOU2 is difficult because we feel for both of them and we don't want either of them to die. However if I had to force myself to say who descended deeper into evil by the end of the game it was obviously Ellie.
The Last of Us 2 did what no game has ever been ambitious or brave enough to do. They forced you to play as a character that you spend 15-20 hours desperately trying to kill. A character that you absolutely hate, with everything in you. They force you to take a step back, and understand Abby's story from her perspective, and they achieved that for me. By the end of playing as Abby, I didn't want her to die. I just wanted both Ellie and Abby to go their seperate ways. In fact I began to really admire Abby by the end of her storyline. The entire plot line of helping Lev and Yara was fascinating and just perfectly written. These characters were only there to make you understand Abby as a human being, but they were so fleshed out that they felt just as real as Abby did. This game was supposed to piss us off. It was made to divide us, and make us think critically, and in depth about what it was supposed to be. They did everything they wanted to perfectly. Thats what people don't seem to understand. Everything that this game made you feel was 100% purposeful.
They've killed Joel at begining purposefully, and they did that in a brutal way just to make you hate Abby as much as you can. It is just as cruel as the lawless world of The Last of Us that they made us play as Abby after we are already bonded with both Ellie and Joel. It's a narrative that was never achieved before. This story isn't about revenge either like most of people portray it to be. The final retrospective scene of Joel shows all he ever wanted was forgiveness. At the beach in carrying Lev by Abby she saw herself being carried out of hospital by Joel. She finally understood him and forgave him. Coming at a peace. This game is indeed a masterpiece.
Very well said. The one thing that broke my heart was that Ellie never took even a second to ask "why?" I was hoping that they would actually talk to each other for a minute at the end, but all in all I still think it was fantastically executed. Heartwrenching.
Who said GTA was a masterpiece? It's story is fatally flawed but that doesn't make the plot a masterpiece actually it's far from a masterpiece story wise the story sucks making you rob banks and get paid for mafia-like deeds I don't really approve of games like those and especially not in my family.
Not sure if it’s a masterpiece, but damn if it wasn’t my favourite game last year! As a writer I think the depth of the story was incredible. It’s actually tragic that people can’t appreciate the game for what it is. Instead they focus on “criticism” that most of the time is bullshit and explained by actually paying attention to the game! Then when you point out how they’re wrong they just double down. It’s also pretty messed up that the haters spend so much time shitting on the game. You know what I do if I don’t like a game? I move on and play something else! And I don’t waste my time bitching about it online 🤷🏻♂️ Oh well.
@@kentuckyfriedchildren5385 you don't have to like art for it to be. Tlou2 excels on many of its departments, music, visuals, animations and storytelling.
@@kentuckyfriedchildren5385 we don't have to like everything that is considered art. there are problems with the last of us but the reasons you likely hate it for are stupid and misguided.
@@katya.g524 you don't even know anything about what I think of the game and yet you just assume my opinion is stupid and misguided. You are exactly the type of fan to not give any credence whatsoever to opposing opinions about the game, instead just assuming because others didn't like something you did, that they are lacking intelligence and can't understand the story. Well, perhaps they DID understand the story better than you and that is exactly why they didn't like it. Next time don't assume someone's opinion is stupid and misguided before you've even asked to hear it.
Such a simple message that was completely overlooked by the unwarranted hate that this game has recieved. Fuck the hate, I absolutely adored this game.
I don’t think the game itself is bad, but instead the fact it is publishing itself as the sequel to the last of us. This type of game would have worked better as a standalone title. Most long term fans didn’t want to wait 7 years to have all the characters they loved broken or dead. It feels like they retconned the first game to make room for the second, that hurts a lot of people who fell in love with game 1
Pretty much every game is made with purpose.... Naughty Dog was pretty brave to try and make a sequel for a game so loved. There was always going to be hate, even if the flaws in the narrative were absent. I just cant understand Ellie's dissatisfaction with not being the one to save the world or to be special. Kinda shitty. Also playing as Abby will never be good to me. Even playing through the game as Abby all the way through doesnt do what they wanted. And I understand why she hates Joel, but it still feels cheap.
The problem never was about liking it or not, sometimes people have the most superficial or personnal reasons to dislike things an that's normal, subjectivity. The problem is people who doesn't know the difference between quality and preferences (SPECIALLY those who saw some leaks and decided the game was bad, so called fandom) calling it "garbage" when the narrative has many layers and does it job well enough for us to understand it has a point, purpose and even logical sense to its hurtful experience, that every side has their story and that there are people who struggle in finding their own peace. I'm not saying it's a perfect game, pacing is a bit longer than it needed imo, but saying something is bad because it isn't perfect is stupid. I had my problems with Breaking Bad's plane plotline in season 2, does it mean it isn't great? Hell no. It's 9/10 at least, anything less is bullshit.
@@volpeisfox Ellie's story is all about survivor's guilt. Since Riley's death. She thinks that the cost of her being alive is all the suffering humanity is facing now. Ellie is a true Firefly. She cares for people and wants to save them. You can see that in that flashback where Ellie and Joel find the dead couple at the School.
@@UmTois lol if you make a story but do it poorly and the plot is reliant on coincidences and character assassination to push it forward. What makes the game shit for most is the fact its not believable. If you liked it then good on you but giving it loads because most dont is pretty lame. For me this game was total dog shit. The gameplay was kinda all right but was very tedious at certain points. The acting, graphics and sound are of astounding quality but considering this is a narrative driven game then this is what you judge on it. I am not bitter joel dies (not happy about it ofc) as i expected it. I also had no clue as i stayed offline so didnt see or hear about the leaks. I understand what they tried to do just think they did such a piss poor job of it and no i dont care that women are in the game nor do i care about anyone sexual preference and didnt even realise that lev was trans. Nor am i too dumb to understand the story.
I’ve been reading some of the comments recently and I wanted to address some things lol. 1: I hear your feedback on the audio mixing being shitty, this was my first time doing something like this and I don’t have a professional set up so I do apologize for that. 2: This is a POSITIVE analysis, if you’re not interested in hearing what I have to say or just don’t like good things being said about this game, this video isn’t gonna be for you Chief. This is a second place to put that here to not waste your time lol. 3: I’ve been reading comments about the story structure of this game or how the pacing was fundamentally broken, I’ve realized that I failed to address this. Here’s my thoughts: You have to look at the creator’s intentions for why they did what they did, and Neil Druckmaan has gone on record saying he envisioned this story like how you would read a novel. Multiple stops and go’s, with plenty of downtime between story beats. It’s a choice, and again the point of this video is to try and communicate why I LIKED these choices, not to convince you why YOU should like these choices. I’m sure I’m talking to a wall by doing this but I just wanted to clarify some of those complaints. Thanks for watching everybody! Keep sharing your experiences with the game I love the passion and energy!
I think the game had amazing moments. Not really a big fan of the overall story and how it portrayed itself but I think it's important to hear why others did appreciate the direction this took despite not sharing those opinions entirely. But yeah it's pretty annoying to listen to anyone stomp on the games dick like it had no positives.
You can like it all you want; it's still shit. As a novel, it's even worse. As a movie, it's fucking laughable. Games get much more of a free pass for being bad even though they shouldn't.
@@jailinet4593 last I checked this was a comments section and people could reply however. Why is it not ok to respond critically if you think it's garbage?
I feel it’s one of those games where at the time it’s controversial, but 5 years down the line it’ll still be talked about and referenced. It’ll be a game where opinions shift and some that hate it return to love it. And as for game studios they’ll be taking a lot of inspiration from this title.
A simple revenge story on the surface unveils itself as a story regarding the importance of identity and grief, more specifically how we tend to cope with grief in a time of sorrow and suffering. This story’s branching pathways helped me see how similar the two women actually were. Abby finally found a new meaning to her life the moment she took Lev and Yara under her wing. All the pain, all the sadness and the realization of how useless her tracking Joel and killing him was were swept away upon cementing and finding a new purpose….A real one. Ellie, on the other side, wasn't really seeking revenge and she wasn’t so much mad at Abby more than she was mad at the fact that Abby took away the chance for her to reconcile with Joel. She finally had the strength to try and forgive him but he died the day after….and you kinda have to admit he had it coming. Killing Abby was just a objective to focus on, to evade the thought of how badly she pushed away the man that she loved the most, the father that she never had, tormented by the thought of him thinking that she hated him while dying. It took one moment, a single glimpse of him while trying to drown Abby to remember the gift he gave her that night, a real precious one: How to forgive, how to forgive the man that took her chance of saving the world and to forgive the woman that killed him, seeing how that once fierce warrior was crawling in the dirt to save that scrawny little kid. At almost the cost of her life, she ended up giving back to her worst enemy, exactly like Joel did with her years ago….
If you don’t like this game, everyone likes your reasons. If you do like this game, your reasons are instantly discredited as bs or naughty dog fanboyism. (I love it btw)
Yeah mate. It’s seriously annoying though when their ‘criticisms’ can be explained by paying attention to the story, dialogue, environment, and notes found throughout the levels. There are valid points for sure, but not many. People just get too worked up about games, films, and shows now. Somehow they’re incapable of moving on. For instance I really didn’t enjoy Fallout 76, but I don’t waste my time being toxic towards those that do. Folks just gotta move on and focus on something they actually like 👍 ☺️
@@t_rexdiaz6778 Lmao funny seeing you here. People will most likely call you a hater if you criticize the game, yes. But, the definition of hater is "a person who greatly dislikes a specified person or thing." And the informal definition is "a negative or critical person." A lot (A LOT) of people who criticize the game don't like it. That means that they dislike it. Which, by the first definition means that they are a hater. And, even if some people who criticize the game like it they are still a critical person. Which, by the second definition STILL means they are a hater. I therefore think it's justified to call someone a hater if they criticize the game. I myself wouldn't use the expression hater, but that doesn't stop other people from doing it.
I remember when the haters tried to make the game seem worse by spreading lies about the Seraphites; they made up this story where the Seraphites were a Christian cult that kills gay people and that Ellie wants to kill them all because they kidnapped or killed her girlfriend, Dina. They also lied about the Scars being immune to the virus. I remember when they were telling us that Joel's death was the end, or that Ellie dies in the end. I remember when they were telling us the game forces us to like lesbians and that it's full of LBGT while in reality it only had like 3 kisses and one LGBT flag. I remember when they were lying that Abby was transgender, but when it turned out Lev was transgender, they saw no problem in it because he wasn't a muscular woman. This just shows how much effort people will put into bashing others for liking a game they don't
Abby is a gender bending she hulk that that forces the player to control this monster that tore everything we loved about the first game apart. I'm sorry that you people have such a hard on for naughty dog and abby that your perfectly fine with seeing Joel die by a random bitches hands in the worst way possible, but that really only proves a lot of points for us.
I'll be honest, I was actually sobbing at the end of the game when Ellie and Abby fought, yelling "please dont make me do this." Naughty Dog did a pretty amazing thing. They made you feel so much emotion and connection to two vastly different but oh so similar people that it made this scene utterly heart wrenching.
Yep the message people completely miss is that we are all capable of becoming a monster, but we all have good sides too. That's what made the end scene so difficult because despite everything you feel for both of them, and don't want to have to choose because you can see it from both sides. For me personally if I had to make a choice or die I would say Ellie descended into the pit of evil more than abby did. I mean she's literally holding a knife to a childs neck to blackmail an emaciated human into fighting her so she can "get her revenge for joel". Joel had that coming and everyone knows it including her. Plus everyone else has moved on except for Ellie. She was given a second chance TWICE by abby, and abby even spared dina. Sure the Abby who didnt know Lev wouldn't have done this, but it is just more evidence that abby has become a better person since she abandons her people and says "you're my people" to lev. She's upset when Mel says shes always been a piece of sht too because she is trying to become a better person. Imagine if we were all defined by one mistake or one bad thing we did, and nonody was willing to forgive us. Ellie made the choice twice to decscend further. Killing abby at the end wouldn't have solved anything. She needed the second flashback of joel on the porch to bring her back (one in which Joel is begging for forgiveness). Why is that relevant? Because she is not willing to forgive abby and she is ridden with guilt over not forgiving Joel and her last words to him were basically "too little too late". Joel on the other hand adamantly says he feels no guilt for what he did (and this is partly why he ended up dead too). He was stubborn and eventually naive to think what he did wouldn't end up with him losing his life. I actually think in some way abby regrets killing joel and feels remorse but for whatever reason doesn't ever say sorry (not that this would have made any difference to Ellie mind you). Some might say to that "she would only be sorry because of everything that has happened" but sometimes in life it takes a truck load of drama for people to see things. Ellie's emotions at the end are switched like a coin flip, yet abby despite what happens to her at the end of the game shows more resolve than abby to "let it go". Imagine being starved and beaten for months and still having no bad thoughts towards Ellie (who mowed down her entire crew) TLOU2 is a masterpiece
If there's anything this game should be remembered for is how it showed how so many people are close minded to being challenged by a story, it's honestly insane to me the how vocal this minority got, claiming Abby deserves to die even after all she's done in those 3 days, nevermind all the people who just spread hate cause it's a depressing experience. The game is great, but it's not for everyone.
I loved this game so much! It made me cry throughout. It's unfortunate that a lot of people feel entitled to get a fan service story, but I think that the best stories are those that are just told the way they are intended. We were warned on where the story was headed and we were going to feel hatred and all these unpleasant feelings. Yes, we all want the happy ending, but it is not a representation of life nor of the world those characters live in. We see it with Tommy at the end too how revenge consumed him and ruined his relationship because he couldn't move on. just a brilliant story.
You're probably the type of person who actually LOVED the last two seasons of GoT, too huh? S'okay. Don't deny it. Bet you LOVED "TLJ" too, right? 😑😑😑😑😑😑 Do you, breh. Props. (Even though you're OBJECTIVELY WRONG.) Still. Do you.
@@Noir0rioN Honestly I don't understand what pleasure trolls like you have in being this rude or try to deny people's experience with a product of entertainment. I personally liked the game very much and am grateful that they did not do blatant fan service like TLJ, which btw I hated. As a creator myself I admire when risks are taken, something that now days seems to be lost due to $$ or because of trolls. If you, like others didn't like it, deconstruct the reason why to open a conversation and respect other people's point of view, instead of wanting to be right and telling people who disagree with you that they are wrong and have actually shared the reason why they liked it. Oh, and BTW GOT, was rushed cause they all wanted to move on and have always had a preference for the books anyway.
@@LadyGamerLoon GoT was WAY more than rushed homie. ALLLLL DnD wanted was that sweet, sweet StarWars money. They turned what couldn've been the best show ever into a buttfuckathon. I'll never forgive them for that. I actually "enjoyed" TLOU2... once. Not the kind of game I'd play twice though. And as far as STORY goes - there were agendas. And just plain problems.
@@Noir0rioN I never said it was perfect. Story telling wise there were things I would have moved around, but it's tiring hearing people just bashing the game with absurd reasons (ex Joel died period) and nothing to back the criticism up. Just saying something is bad with nothing to back it just because they wanted the same Joel and Ellie against everyone story. About GoT I knew from how the books are written where GRRM wanted the characters to go but show wise I was underwhelmed season 6 onward, but it didn't surprise me since they went from adapting something to creating it from the ground up with the original creator's outline. It's not easy to start with, plus all the high expectations and all .GrrM wanted at least 13 seasons and they settled for 8. Rushing a story, automatically makes it bad cause a lot of storylines (especially with so many character and more) get cut or abandoned in the hopes people will not pay attention> In the books you clearly see where it's going and understand how John comes back from the dead (not only Bran but John too lives through his wolf). However this was a discussion about TLOU2 not other media.
Basically anytime I see someone say they hate this game, they're just proudly saying 'I refuse to forgive my enemies'. They lack the empathy to humanize people they may hate and it just makes me think about twitter and how that's the mentality that surrounds that hell site.
OR it could just be the messy story telling. I don't really mind Joel dying, or us playing the as Joel's killer, but the way the story was handled in terms of sequence was terrible in my opinion .
@@charcharr I would love if you could expand on what, in your opinion, made you feel as though the handling of the story sequence was done poorly. My perspective is that the narrative was consistent, both in regards to the themes and events of the previous game, as well as introducing new themes that feel as though they evolve the characters who needed to grow. I would like to hear your impressions of those story beats to compare them with my experience.
@@charcharr The story was handled the only way it could have. You can't kill Joel later in the game because it would loose the drive behind Ellie's segment and the blind hate build up towards Abby. You cannot interweave Ellie and Abby's story because the player and the character need to be on the same page--- it would be even more confusing for the player as they would have to follow 4 timelines at the same time rather than 2 timelines at a time. The time jump and flashbacks for both characters are done in a way that really show their mental health: Ellie starts getting more obessessed with revenge the more she remembers how her relationship with Joel deteriorated. You cannot kill/spare Abby because this is Ellie's choice to make, not the players. The narrative structure in my opinion is ambitious and admirable, and made with the purpose to challenge the player, but it did come with the cost of killing the pace at times. I'm interested to know how else would you have structured the game?
@@charcharr Story-wise, Naughty Dog told the only logical story left to tell. Joel basically took away the importance of Ellies life, and she’s left with intense survivors guilt. She feels as though every death due to the cordyceps is her own fault. Discovering the truth shifted her view of the world, which causes Ellie to stop being that hopeful girl from the previous game as she gradually becomes bitter at the fact that her life was “all for nothing.” This game is really about Ellie learning to deal with the consequences of Joels actions and learning to find purpose and meaning in her life again. At the end Ellie learns that Joel “would do it all over again” because he is willing to sacrifice their relationship if it means giving Ellie the chance to know that her life is more valuable than her immunity. After his death, Ellie is disappointed and enraged with herself for not forgiving Joel sooner and fixates this anger on Abby, as she feels forever in debt with Joel. That, is powerful. How else would you have told the story?
I love your honesty, I loved TLOU 2 way more than the first, the game is fantastic & deep, the combat, the story, the game play, the animations, the environment, the world building, the fact that mid way through the game, they literally take us from Ellie's perspective, to Abby's, to show us both sides of the story...honestly, by the end of the game, I understood both sides, I went from being all on Ellie's side in the beginning,to by the end, not only did I not choose a side, I sat there, crying...because I got it, I understood why they did what they did, and what the consequences were because of there actions, my favorite game of the year by far. 🙌😃:
So for this simple gamer, from the get out it wasn’t about Justice. I knew Ellie didn’t want justice, Ellie wanted revenge, and I knew that was an unhealthy choice. Even while I was methodically murdering wolves it was with the mindset of “they are with *her*”. Even after killing Mel and Owen I was still going forward thinking “Killing Abbey will make this all worth it.” And I personally thought that up to the point where you are drowning her. But at that point I felt so emotionally exhausted I wanted it to stop. And it did. And I was actually glad for it, it felt powerful.
The Last of Us is a franchise that has affected me more than any other piece of fiction. Every emotion it causes me to feel is cranked up to 11, managing to melt my heart and break it simultaneously and constantly. The endings to both games broke me, and to this day I'm still coming to terms with them. Now I keep flip-flopping on whether I would want a Part 3 or not. Part 2's ending is so brutal and effective so part of me wants it to end there, but the other part of me wants a redemption for Ellie and I'll be sad if it doesn't happen. Anyways I really enjoyed your take on Part 2, and despite it not being perfect I hope Naughty Dog keeps pushing the envelope if they do a Part 3.
People just wanted a safe sequel that continues the adventures of Joel and Ellie and they live happily ever after blah blah blah... I'm glad we didn't get that.
Yeah but it sucks when you're deliberately misled with false advertising (The implications that Joel would aid Ellie in the game when it was in reality Jesse) It sort of built an expectation that made the fall harder when Joel was killed. I think had those manipulations not been included, some may have received Joel's death better. That sucked man :(
@@danielgladstone1789 i agree, i love the game with all my heart, but i find the misleading trailers and marketing really stupid, it didn't help naughty dog at all
@@danielgladstone1789 They did that to avoid spoilers. The Avengers did that as well. That's like being upset about the trailers not telling you about Darth Vader being Luke's dad.
@@movieswithmatticus5469 I disagree with this point because your example with Star Wars is not analogous to what happened with TLOU2. All Naughty Dog had to do was simply not include the scenes in the trailer that indicated/implied that Joel would be more 'present' in the game. It's like putting in the Star Wars trailer that Obi-Wan said "I am your father" and then seeing in the movie that Darth Vader said that. Just simply not include the scene right? Therefore, I don't think your example can be used here.
This is the first instance I think I’ve ever seen where I can’t understand the hate. For me, this was one of the best games I’ve ever played. Shame it’s gotten backslash for... reasons I just don’t get. I’m thinking this will be one of those cases of “absolved through time”, where five years later, most will appreciate this game.
@@callumwebb4927 compared to the first one its kind of mediocre. A lot of the story didn’t even make sense, didn’t find it emotional but just dumb and so poorly written
@@callumwebb4927 the game litteraly takes place because we killed an npc in the first one that turned out to be abby’s father.. Joel following a group of unknown people into a basement considering the trust issues that he has ( not to mention he even gives them his family name as well and clearly pointing out that tommy is his brother)... Ellie killing all of abby’s friends (including a pregnant women), killed idk how many people and then decides to leave abby at the end at least they should’ve gave u the choice either to let abby live or kill her... making ellie look bad on purpose (where she kills the dog) and right after in a flashback showing u abby playing with him.. Not to mention false advertising, a complete deviation from the actual story with the whole lev bs part ( made it even more boring) and how all the characters are just boring, empty and poorly written. I could go on and on. The first one was flawless in all of these aspects, so taking in consideration the excpectations that we had for this part 2, the game was a major flop
Spot on! Exactly how I felt after finishing it. I just started my third run, now on grounded (it's insane haha), and noticed something that stroke my heart. Right at the prologue, when Dina and Ellie are doing their scout, Dina asks Ellie if she had plans for that night. Ellie said that she was going to invite Joel to watch some movies. So, she was already starting to try to forgive Joel and invite him over! But... that's the day everything goes to hell... That conversation shows also why Ellie is so hurt after Joel's death.
I've watched / read a lot of analysis of this game, and I wanted to come back and say that after 2 years this is still the best quality, sophisticated, nuanced, and well-explained analysis I have seen of this game. I appreciate that you actually tried to pay attention to it's storytelling nuances and put into words that I have had such a hard time verbalizing to others as to why I love this game and why I think it's actually genius, instead of just writing it off as "revenge bad". I think it will age like wine, and be appreciated long after its time when the haters loose steam.
I think it was always going to have a toxic reception. Completely undeserved. However people had unbelievable expectations and after 7 years had a lot of theories/beliefs about what the story should be.
Dude I totally cried also because of the way Ellie talked to Joel after he defended her. I felt so bad for her thinking that that had been the last thing she had said to him. Also it’s just Joel died alone and abandoned by Ellie. Then to learn that no Ellie did start the healing process with him and just that was enough for Joel. Fuck I loved this game but it does genuinely give me depression thinking about it
This game is super important to me. The game was really emotional and the most emotional scene was when Ellie went to Joel’s grave. I was in denial of Joel’s death but that moment made me accept he was gone. I mourned him over the course of the game. I went through the five stages of grief. The vengeance didn’t make anything better for Ellie it just made things worse. Her sparing Abby saved her humanity. If she killed Abby she would be doomed to hatred consuming her. Joel didn’t want her to kill Abby. He wanted her to have a happy life. Forgiveness is hard to do but it can make things better. Your pain won’t be gone but you can move on and have a better future.
What’s great about the last of us is that it’s realistic. The world has gone to shut after the outbreak, it ISNT a happy place, and I think people need to be reminded of that. The world isn’t going to be kind to Joel and Elli just because they are the main characters. If you go into a zombie game knowing everything will be okay, the creators have already messed up. There’s no guarantee that everyone will live and have a happily ever after. Naughty dog made it realistic.
EXACTLY!!!, same as a "cure" wouldnt reverse what humanity has became, theres no cure for fungus its not a virus So think about it Joel saved ellie for a certain dead good for nothing Giving her a second chance and the opportunity to live a normal life
Goddamn, some of the people in the comments here are acting like the first last of us was insanely subtle and mind-blowing when it comes to storytelling. The first game had a message. The second game had a message. People didn't want to try and connect with the message in the second so they act like it was poorly delivered and heavy hardened. I feel like a lot of people who hate it decided in the first 3 hours that it was they story that they wanted so therefore it wasn't worth telling at all. I just got it and am loving it so far. The first and second games both have powerful and simple messages, but destroying the second games message because you didn't like it as much as the first is stupid. Great video man and I look forward to your future videos!
@@jacobrautenkranz9469 oh well. Sorry you got spoiled. It happens. Just know it’s gonna be a fun experience even if it sounds boring. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and thought it was the best experience I’ve ever played
I saw the like-dislike ratio and I immediately thought that this was going to be some troll video😂. Glad it's not though. It's so hard to find people giving an actual thorough analysis of the games narrative. Great video.
I think people didnt like the game because they are expecting a happy ending like most games have. The ending wasnt happy but it doesnt mean the story is over.
@@andreamontanaa The funny thing is, making a vaccine for a "fungus" isnt the same as like the flu or somthing. So killing Ellie was a horrible idea to start with
@@MetaITurtle Making a vaccine would have been completely impossible, and Joel essentially did the right thing to save Ellie. However, Ellie is that last bit of unrealistic hope they hold on to. In a broken post apocalyptic world, holding on to hope or the idea of restoring humanity to how it once was can make people behave irrationally and naive. It’s debatable wether or not killing Ellie is the right choice since ALL characters are grey, but at the end of the day the doctor and the Fireflies as a whole feel like its the choice they have to make to finally get a step forward to curing the infection. As far-fetch as it sounds, this small glimmer of unrealistic hope makes them act delusional and naive. Thats why the doctor behaves the way he does. Even though he wouldn’t give up his own daughter, he wont let his only opportunity pass as stupid as it may sound. After Joel’s empty decision of saving Ellie, he basically destroyed all hope left, as impossible as it seems. For Ellie, she wanted her life to mean something. In her eyes, not giving her life away for a cure means that everything shes been through was “all for nothing”. Even though in reality making the cure wouldn’t work, she still believes that there is a slight chance that it might. Ellie is a girl who likes to dream big- for example she also holds onto the unrealistic hope that maybe one day she’ll get to the moon. In part 2, her survivors discovering the truth of what happened at the hospital shifted her view of the world. Her unrealistic hope of helping create a vaccine was stolen by Joel, causing Ellie to gradually became bitter is seen through the progression of flashbacks). I think Part 2 really is about Ellie learning to deal with the consequences of Joels actions (despite it being the correct one) and learning to find purpose and meaning in her life again. At the end Ellie learns that Joel would “do it all over again” because he is willing to sacrifice their relationship if it means giving Ellie the chance to know that her life is more valuable then her immunity. After his death, Ellie is disappointed and enraged at herself for not forgiving Joel sooner and fixates this anger on Abby, because she feels forever in debt with Joel. The choice was “empty” and essentially 100% the right thing to do. However the game always focused more on how hope can essentially blind humanity and drastically change the way the behave
I think my favorite scene was that conversation Ellie and Tommy had at the farm. Watching someone like Tommy turn from what we thought was an already redeemed good guy in the first game to that broken husk of a person was crushing. We already witnessed what the ruthlessness he was capable of after following the trail of violence he left behind and that godforsaken sniper scene with Abby. I'm pretty sure that at this point all of us were just dreading what was coming next and begging Ellie not to keep going. Tommy was a fantastic mirror for Ellie's actions, reminding us of what Ellie could turn into if she just kept going. It was also the best acting I have ever seen.
@@aithanleeom5152 yep but not 60 times. One of my favorite characters died, but it doesn’t mean I hated it. I’d watch that scene again, but I don’t know what you’re talking about 60 times
@@جعفرِ-ه4ي what I mean is if there wasn't a skip button on Joel's death on new game+ It's 2021 and I still hate Abby even Laura Bailey the ACTRESS hates Abby Ashley Johnson lost her FATHER FIGURE because of Abby Part II deserves a reboot.
It’s another Naughty dog masterpiece, it’s expected at this point, I can understand the people that didn’t like the direction that the story took. I can understand people being upset that Naughty dog killed off Joel... what I can’t understand is the people that call this game trash or when they say it was awful, the story is brilliant, the twists and turns it takes, two protagonists, with 4 timelines, the narrative structure is the thing that u see movies and television shows get constant praise, Oscars & Emmys for, some say the ending was unfulfilling... that’s true but that’s by design, I can’t praise this game enough, to me this is the best game since The original came out 7 years earlier, bravo 👏 Naughty dog 🐕
I have around 3000 trophies on PlayStation and have played hundreds of games, but I have always felt that video games are decades behind movies and books when it comes to the stories being shared. If the Last of Us Part 2 was a film, it wouldn't be considered nearly as controversial or groundbreaking. There are things I didn't like about the game, but Naughty Dog really did something different with this game and that I can appreciate. Video games and their stories shouldn't have to cater to what is considered popular or safe. There are countless film directors all over the world that make controversial films that tell weird or niche stories, yet no one comes at them the same way the gaming community comes at game developers when they try to do something different. Game directors and their development teams are allowed to make whatever game they want and tell whatever story they choose. Video games are art, in the same way movies and books are, so let the artists tell the story they want to tell. TLOU is Naughty Dog's IP, not mine or yours. I remember when the leaks were shared and so many people were saying that the whole game was some SJW liberal propaganda where Abby is a transgender and Ellie goes on some lesbian rampage, what the hell was that about? Some people have entitlement issues with video games and would rather spread lies to get a game canceled over trying something slightly different from what they were expecting or used to. It's really embarrassing that some people were so obsessed and upset over a pride flag and Abby being muscular, like, get a grip. If these characters were in a TV show, book, or movie, no one would blink an eye. (Of course, there are actual criticisms with the pacing, story, characters, among other things - I am just highlighting the non-arguments that were almost everywhere a couple months back). TLOU2 is different, especially when compared to the other endless amounts of games on the market, but regardless of the game being "good" or bad" at least it is attempting to do something different, at least it's something new.
Gamers out of most groups (movies obessives, readers, etc.,) are at the top in terms of close-mindedness and are just generally unforgiving and impossible to please. Especially when it comes to bold decisions. They don’t wanna be surprised they want EXACTLY what they expect. (Also see TLJ toxic reception for a similar phenomenon) So it’s a shame such a bold work of art and leap in storytelling of their own medium was so quickly shit on and dismissed as “trash”. Give it a few years... all that noise around launch will die out into a universal appreciation.
@Rodrigo Fernando Durá Espinoza You literally just proved his point, kid 😂 And you obviously care because you’re watching TLOU2 videos and commenting. I mean, you could be watching videos for games you really enjoyed, but instead you’re here...
@Rodrigo Fernando Durá Espinoza what country you from dog? Bc over here in the states all my boys loved TLOU2. But I don’t know maybe it’s harder to connect to if your English isn’t strong? That seems to be a recurring theme in the people who don’t like the game as well lol
@Rodrigo Fernando Durá Espinoza also no DLC and no Multiplayer doesn’t mean nobody cares 😂 you’re gonna tell me no one cared about the last God of War? Haha you must be new to this. It’s ok
@Rodrigo Fernando Durá Espinoza I’m really trying to understand what you’re saying and not let the broken English distract. You keep bringing up DLC and Multiplayer in a discussion about a singleplayer game that never even expressed intentions of releasing a DLC or Multiplayer. How is that relevant is my question. Singleplayer games without DLC have thrived for years. I bring up God of War as a perfect example.
The story is brilliant for many of the reasons that some fans are pissed, it challenges expectations & notions we had going in, they weren’t kidding when they said there are No bad guys in this game, to me this only raised the level of the first game, part 2 was a perfect second Act of this franchise, to me this entire series up to this point is a master class in story telling, animation & gameplay, at this point Naughty dog is embarrassing the rest of the gaming studios out there.
Ok, off the bat, that 'Warning, this is a positive review,' is hilarious but also so sad that THAT has to be a warning! lol This is an amazing game and it doesn't deserve the crazy hate it gets...
@@michaelscott494 Many of them got it. They just didn't like it. I for one almost didn't buy the game before it came out because of all the controversy. But I came home from work the day it was released and decided why the hell not? I can gladly say it wasn't anywhere near as bad as they made it out to be. They complained that the game just murders Joel for nothing and that was all there was for him in the entire game. But then I got to the roller coaster of emotions that was the museum. The game did a good job of showing that all of us regardless of race, gender or religion are capable of both good and evil. Everyone was always in a gray area and I liked that. It's definitely not for everyone. Although I will say the game does feel like it drags a bit towards the end. But that's about it for me.
@@ryanmelton2182 Ever try any of the Metal Gear games or Witcher games? Resident Evil games? Final Fantasy titles? Spec Ops The Line? Those are great as well. For me TLOU2 was great, until the Abby section dragged itself out and overstayed it's welcome by a lot. And the fact that you don't finish the job at the end. Otherwise it was indeed a good game.
@@sirazazeloflowkey6424 I have! Witcher is fantastic! Resident Evil games are solid too. I personally thought Abby’s part of the story was the best. Also, Ellie not finishing the job was the whole point. She knew killing Abby wouldn’t free her of her pain about what happened. Abby moved on from her past. Ellie, in that moment realized that’s what she needed to do too. I absolutely loved the ending.
I mean the pacing is not the best, but the people that hate the game, does not hate the pacing, they hate Abby because she did what every single one of us would have done if some dude kill our dad, I guess that since I really don't like Joel as a person, by the time he dies i was like, well, consequences man, and having the chance to play as the "bad guy "in a video game is just great, the game is not perfect but look at the response towards the game, the director and the studio, thats the reason why bigger studios rather play it safe with predictable stories
@@jailinet4593 Maybe learn to spell, your lack of comprehension betrays your lack of intelligence. First off: Joel needed to die. That's not something anyone with any sense can argue against. The thing is, he died so early on and then every single bit of Ellie's side of the campaign just makes her an idiotic revenge monster. Abby is just as bad, and they both get wrapped up in these nonsensical love triangles that really shouldn't be given the time of day. If Joel hadn't died so early on or in such a narratively contrived way, people would have been fine with his death. The only reason you think this story is amazing is because you either haven't actually experienced a revenge story in your life (which means you're incredibly poorly read) or your bar for good writing is so fucking low that you'll swallow this shit whole. You want a better story about revenge? God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, Bioshock Infinite have all got it. Even Devil May Cry 5 weaves a better story about revenge and familial love than this schlock.
@@AirahsELL Joel didn't "need to die", simp. A sequel where Ellie and him went on another adventure together would have been great all on it's own. You game of thrones mentality type of people need to go first yourselves in the mirror so you can attempt to get some satisfaction out of your jaded and saturated lives.
Outstanding video. To me, it comes down to this. At that last moment, when he sees the flash of memory of him playing the guitar, she realizes that Abby is Lev's Joel. If she ends her, she will just continue to cycle of hate and loss, only passing it down to Lev. She breaks the cycle. And it's beautiful. Also, I feel like many people interpret the final epilogue differently. I personally think that the ending is happy, or at least positive: I believe that Ellie has ALREADY rejoined with Dina. She didn't return to the empty house surprised that she is gone, shocked. She has already reuinted with Dina and JJ, she's only returning to the house to collect her own things. I think the bracelet on her hand is a key - she doesn't have it with her when she goes to Santa Barbara. But she realizes she has to leave that part of herself there - her belongings, Joel's guitar. It symbolizes her finally moving on with her life.
Finally somebody with a brain; the bracelet and Ellie having no weapons indicates that she already has reunited with Dina and JJ, I felt like she just went to say goodbye to Joel (the guitar) and finally move on. She’s free and happy. It’s a brilliant well written ending.
Like many, I jumped on the hate wagon and hated naughty dog and Neil Druckmann for making TLOU 2 and thought it was the worse game I've ever played. I didn't even bother with Abby's section. When I got to that point and realized they wanted me to see things from Abby's POV I stopped the game and got it refunded. I refused to accept that they wanted us to actually like an overly muscular grotesque woman who bashed the old protag from the first game's head in with a fucking golf club. I was practically seeing red and bashed naughty dog every chance I got. But after watching many reviews and breakdowns of just what TLOU 2 is, it's helped me see things, just like naughty dog wanted: from another perspective. That there is always two sides to something and I was ignoring the other side because I wanted another TLOU 1, and naughty dog could've easily done that but decided to take the concept of the first game and flipped it on its head to tell another compelling narrative just as good as the first game. I can say I'm more pleased with the game than I was initially. To me, will it ever come close to the first game? No, that game is a masterpiece and will stay that way but this game is good it just takes a while for everything to fully sink in. I'm glad I decided to look up others' opinions and thought of the game instead of being so closed-minded like I was originaly. Thank you for making this video and expressing how amazing it is, it has its flaws but the parts of it that are good do it well and I'm glad to be able to see it in a better light than before.
That's great to hear. Maybe if people like you can change their opinions there is still hope lol. Also, I hope you don't still think muscular women are 'grotesque.' WTF Open your mind some more in every direction from now on. You're on the right track!
@@JumpingMuffinGirl I have no issue with muscular women. That was my initial thoughts only of the model for the game. After watching lots of scenes with Abby in it I got more use to it.
what I hate most about people is that they say their favourite scene was when lev got punched into a garage door Ik some of them are probably jokes but knowing this fanbase they aren't
What TLoU2 did was expose the soul of anyone who played it. The sad part is that a lot of those souls lack empathy and tue ability to see beyond themselves
The director of TLOU2 forced a talented and acclaimed writer, Amy Hennig, out of the company. He also protected a sexual predator by the name of Robert Cogburn. He also fired people when the pandemic started, IE threatened the very lives, for the gall of not liking a fictional character he created. *A game written by this man is what you base morality on?*
@@crazyinsane500nobody has time to argue with you dude. If your so immature that you can’t understand what I wrote then you don’t have a leg to stand on to question me. No, ND is not my mf basis of morality. I’ll say this once : no matter what I believe about religious deities Jesus had a lot of really solid truths about the human condition. One was You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a](A) and hate your enemy.’(B) 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,(C) 45 that you may be children(D) of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.(E) 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?(F) Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. It costs you nothing to hate someone but to step into their shoes, understand how they feel and realize that maybe your not the only person in the world who matters will cost you your ego. It’s the loss of that ego that will create a world without hate and without war. But before anyone can ever see peace we have to see beyond ourselves
@@crazyinsane500 he is not basing morality on this game. And it has nothing to do with the man who wrote it. It's a bout what was written. The story of this game. How the haters can't be open minded to see all perspectives of a story. How people are being selfish and want revenge just like the characters in the game.
@@paddyjohnson2313 So Neil Druckmann's perspective is valid, that he was morally correct to protect a sexual predator, give the boot to better creators than him, and fire people for not liking his *fictional* characters? All of his victims are just "being selfish and want revenge?" This is why the author's relevant: The game tries to teach you his morals. Well fucking apply them to a real person, the writer himself. It's not profound, it's the writer trying to say "but both sides guys" after he's done nothing but morally reprehensible things. So let's hear it: With the morals taught to you by this game, what should be done regarding Neil Druckmann?
@@EzioMAltair who said I'm lying? Going around the internet and saying that opinions are lies is a pretty miserable way of making a point dude. I guess it goes to show the kind of people who actually defend bad writing, go figure.
@@EzioMAltair you seem to lack common sense. If I finished the game seven times, it must mean I liked the gameplay. It's one of the best third person shooters I've played. The writing and gameplay are two different things.
Thanks for this. The title of your video is verbatim what I said to my brother right after we both finished this game. Narratively it feels like a game from the future. I think sizable portion of the gaming community wasn’t ready for something like this yet.
nah its not because gamers weren't ready its because the BS pathetic war between anti sjw and sjw ,, make no mistake friend but the majority of TLOU2 haters are anti sjw sheep ,, they hate the game so much because of abby appearance and the lesbians scenes ,, sure they're some legit haters out there with legit reasons to dislike the game but they're rare to find and also you won't see them absolutely trash TLOU2 like how these anti sjw sheep usually do ,,, hopefully the true gamers can one day wake tf up so we can united and kick these losers out of the gaming community ,, especially the anti sjw because right now they're behaving way worst than all of the sjw combined ,, and what happened to TLOU2 and cyberpunk 2077 is a perfect example to the toxicity of the anti sjw sheep and how they're destroying gaming ,, just look how they're still bitc#ing about TLOU2 and still considered it as a 0 of 10 game and at the same time they're praising and worshiping cyberpunk 2077 (a game with tons of bugs and glitches) and call it a perfect game and all of that just because some sjw woman disliked cyberpunk !!! these clowns are the covid19 of the gaming community.
I love last of us 2 and I think it truly deserved the game of the year the story was great in my opinion it shows us that in the apocalypse isn't all butterflies and rainbows you can lose anything or anyone you love at any moment not only that watching ellie make bad decisions based on revenge is just amazing you really feel the emotion on both sides with Abby and ellie
I love the gore in this game. It’s not like doom, where you shoot someone and a geyser of blood comes out. The gore in this game feels like something that would actually happen to a human being if you grabbed a gun and shot them in the face. This is supplemented horrifyingly (in the best way possible) with the graphics. I actually winced when Yara was getting her arm smashed, even though it never happened. I never saw something like that happen in real life, but I can just imagine that’s how it’d look.
I love Part 2 due to the fact that it gives you expectations, and does what you dont want it to. Just like life. It's like Joel said, at the child's grave right before Tommy's Dam... "Things happen, and we move on."
I think its ok to not like it because of the "sad" story NaughtDog is telling, but I just cant understand people hating it, and giving it the worst score possible. I mean, even if the story was a piece of shit (which in my opinion its quite the opposite) the game is undeniably technically top notch. Does the game deserves the worst score because u didn't like one of the many elements that builds the game?
@@doncorleone4943 That's actually the highest completion rate ever for any major PS4 game. 59% is a very high completion rate, especially given the length and how supposedly a lot didn't finish it due to the story (a lot of liars/haters). I loved the game and am still thinking about after finishing it a few days ago. I just wanted to address the fact that its completion rate is impressive.
@@somerled5513 Oh damn i didn't know that, but still the 41% of people who didn't finish lose all credibility when it comes to rating the game. I also finished the game for a second time a few days ago and the last conversation between Ellie and Joel hit me like a bag of bricks. You just cannot miss it.
@@doncorleone4943 Yeah man, to be honest that ending and that scene in particular really got me feeling quite depressed/sad. I want to play the game again but don't know if I can face going through all that again. Such a strange feeling seeing as it's a video game. There's something traumatic about it, especially given the first game. I have a feeling it'd be worse the second time around because you know what's coming at the end....
@@somerled5513 Yeah, I can totally agree. If your first playthrough made you feel sad for losing a video game character, the second playthrough will make you feel as if you had lost someone very close to you, like a family member. The game is unapollogetic, depressing and gut wrenching in the best kind of way. It truly is the pinnacle of storytelling and no one can convince me otherwise.
@@doncorleone4943 Damn son.. so you don't recommend a second play-through right after the first? I'm sure the story/ending will be sad no matter when it's played.
The game is a masterpiece. The fact they had the balls to flip us into Abby's shoes and managed to make it work at the same time is just amazing. By the time I got back to the scene in the theater lobby, I wanted to fight Ellie. And having Lev help break Abby's cycle of vengeance was a really nice touch. The only complaint I had with the game was in that Epilogue. I didn't want to fight Abby. I spent a good ten minutes just dodging attacks hoping there was going to be some scene to take over of Ellie letting her go.
Yes and that's the most annoying part about it. I'd rather them hate it for stupid reasons like Joel dying or not understanding why Ellie let Abby live than to later in a few years say it was a masterpiece or a really good game
Love your interpretation of the narrative. Was a really interesting watch. Imo it isn't perfect, but this game does have brilliant moments and provides a story just as engaging as the first game. This is a game I will never forget.
i never understood the idea that abby’s introduction was poorly done. if anything it proves a point. TLOU universe shows morally grey characters doing actions that are unforgivable and redeemable. Joel’s introduction to the game series, is that of pity… the dude literally lost his daughter. He found comfort and hope through ellie. His greyness as a character is not truly explored until part 2 because we feel so guilty for questioning the man who we pitied. Abby’s introduction shows true greyness to the storyline, sure these characters did horrible things but that doesnt me they’re not a human lol. Abby may have done something unforgivable but that doesn’t make her just ‘the villain’. Abby’s arc to me is a true exploration of morally ambiguous characters and how they should be revealed within media. Not someone to be pitied/loved but hated and likable at the same time.
I love this analysis! This game is a masterpiece. In my opinion I feel like people that have deeply been through some stuff in losing loved ones understand this masterpiece more. I loved this after my first playthrough understanding that life is a bitch, but you learn to move on even when it's super difficult and traumatic and slowly accept the change. Everyone will handle grief or deal with their problems differently. Mad respect to Naughty Dog and you for a through breakdown.
this review is outstanding... says & asks all the right things, everything that gets overlooked and underappreciated. I finished the game for the 1st time last night & I think it is the best/my most favorite game, and perhaps even story (movies, books, games, etc), I've ever experienced... words can't describe its tangible impact on me both during gameplay and after completing it.
I'm on my 7th playthrough. I'm a trophy hunter and rarely play games twice. I have 190 platinum trophies and I 100% games in game and trophies. But I keep coming back to part 2. I completely get lost in its world and characters. I absolutely love it. Thanks for the great video
TLOU2 is a new mark in gaming history. It transcends the game in its base and blends into a movie experience where the audience can participate. The argument and direction are tremendous here....Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey give so much to the characters that it's impossible not to feel connected to them. This is the most human story you can play in a videogame...the depicture of love, hate, self destruction, vengeance and redemption, as well as making you look at the other side of the coin in such a hard and truthful way...for me....make TLOU2 the game of this generation.
thank you for this video. THIS is exactly the summary of everything i wanted to say about this game, and how misunderstood it was to so many people. this is the video i really feel like i want to make but i dont possess the ability to. The Last of Us 2, and both game as a whole, was one of, if not THE BEST story i have ever seen in a video game, hell it is even better than many other media i've ever been exposed to.
I can't decide which one I love more. I think part 2 edges out a bit more for me because it has the best stealth gameplay i've ever played whereas part 1 had good gameplay but was missing Ellie's agility.
It is well-written for sure, considering all the critical acclaim, plus I've seen 3 Hollywood writers praise it. And I fucking love the game. But still I can totally understand why someone wouldn't like it. I don't understand absolutely hating the game, but just not liking it, sure! It's just a very unique and risky game, and even though the writing is good, just the direction they took with the story just turned a lot of people off.
I get so tired of saying the writing is bad. The dialogue and writing is just as good as the first. They confuse the writing with the story. And the story is also great and I think much more powerful than the first game. Watching Ellie descend down this obsessive path and seeing Abby finally break her path of hatred was so moving. Then when you get to the end and you are just begging Ellie to stop and finally she does and then getting that last piece of the puzzle with Joel and Ellie s last time talking was so heartbreaking knowing they were finally going to fix what was broken. Just amazing work and easily one of the ballsiest games in history
@@nitish_atreides I’m 100 percent with you. The hate for this game is confusing to me. The game doesn’t have micro transactions, isn’t buggy and is complete. I get the hate for fallout 76 and Anthem etc but this I just can’t understand. So you didn’t like how they told the story? So what. Move on.
I understand the hate for the last of us but I think people cry too much. It's just a game, yea it sucks what they did to joel but people completely disregard the whole game over the story -_- idk if anyone paid attention to how detailed the actual game is but it's very impressive. From the gameplay to the drama, the game Is solid. I think people will look back at it and realize they slept on it, like days gone. Joel's death needs to marinate a little longer
Best part of the game to me is the ai I can literally play encounters of this game over and over I’ve probably beat the Santa Barbra section over 100 time but idk To me the best gameplay and animations in a game ever First game to make gameplay feel like a cutscene(if that makes sense)
people wasn't able to pay attention to the gameplay because they didn't like abby most youtubers didnt even wanna play through the game because the story plot
@@40drawsmall24 yea I kno, I mean I'm not a fan of abby but I ain't out here crying about some game character. I played the game for what it is and its dope as fuck
@@youngwhitemale1366 I played it in the hardest difficulty my first play through and the AI was the most realistic shit ever. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The combat animations are so intense, if you kno how to play the game it almost looks like a cutscene
I fully agree with what you are trying to say. It's funny how (most) people right now want to live in an echo chamber, surrounding them with their own ideas of the world, to such an extent of hating even the actress for playing a part in this so called "worst game". TLOU 2 is good. Too good. I felt remorse for each characters that had to die for this endless cycle of senseless revenge. And this feeling grew stronger and stronger as I felt abhorent towards Ellie's actions. She did not know how to stop, she did not know how to yield and let all of this pass, even though it made her feel sick in the gut. She even got a PTSD for all of this killing for god sake! Man, the writer did some very very good work creating such a compelling story.
Firstly, I am one of those who really loved the game. Second, I have watched many videos and reactions towards this game and your insights are one of the best! Man I am really really satisfied with this video of yours. I really want to post in social media about how this game is so amazing and and how I loved it and if I am going to make a vlog, This video is exactly how I want my reaction video to turn out. Wow I really love this. You are also the only person I watched who saw the resemblance of the final act where Abby carried Lev and when Joel carried Ellie to save her. I also think the same regarding why haters hate this game. One of the main reasons is that naughty dog have shown us the two sides of the story and that many people are not ready for that and so they couldn’t accept it. But you are right, love it pr hate it is one’s choice and no one could rob that from them. I myself want a happy ending when in fact, there isn’t always a happy one and that is a reality we need to accept. Wow you are amazing bro sorry for the long comment. I hope you notice me. You definitely earned a sub. Great Job!
I agree with this video, I absolutely love this game it's very deep. It takes a matured mind to understand the depths of what this game not only presents us but teaches us as a human race.
I thought I was watching a 50k+ subs RUclips channel at the very least. Very good content my man. Keep it up and I'm sure you can exceed even that number.
The haters: "Abby is a monster for killing Joel. He doesn't deserve to die, and especially not in this manner" (they'd do the exact same thing as abby if someone killed their father) "I hate that Ellie didn't kill her at the end. Bad writing"(seriously you have to be a complete an utter nut job to want abby to die at the end, and think that Joel didn't have it coming) "Misleading trailers. Trash game" (the scene with Jessie that was made out to look like Joel had literally zero impact on my experience with the game. Its borderline irrelevant) Lets take a deep dive into Ellies revenge: kills everyone close to Abby, including a pregnant woman, one of them in the exact same manner that Abby kills joel, and a cute dog. Later in the game after being found by abby and let live for a second time, she goes on a second rambo mission. Finds abby in an emaciated state. Puts a knife to a child's throat threatening to kill them if the emaciated human doesn't fight them. Starts this fight with a knife and her opponent had just fists. This is not eye for an eye but 100 eyes for an eye, and then some. ^ but all of that is justified because abby killed Joel! They have such a naive view. The divide over this game is basically illustrating two types of people...those who think revenge is justified no matter how you carry it out, and those that forgive. Essentially both Ellie and Abbie become driven by revenge but one comes to her senses before the other (even if its at the help of Lev). Would an abby that didn't care about Lev have just slaughtered everyone in the theatre? Probably but that is such a boring cycle of revenge because someone else on ellies side would come after abby in a TLOU3. Similarly if Ellie does kill abby at the end what if an older Lev comes back for Ellie in TLOU3? Again yawnfest rambo/revenge stories
Having Ellie take the moral high ground makes no sense after they killed each other’s friends and Ellie killed a bunch of other people that had nothing to do with Joel’s death.
Abby didnt just kill Joel, she tortured him. If my father was trying to kill a little child, and as a result got killed I would probably still pursue revenge, however if the same man that killed my father later saved me, and knowing my father died because he was about to kill an innocent child... I dont think I would avenge him. Yeah, bad writing. She showed that she doesnt care about a fair fight since she had a knife while Abby only had her fists, Ellie should have killed her as soon as she cut him down from that pole. Or even just consider not cutting her down and leaving her there to rot. "I dont care that 1+1 doesnt equal 3, it doesnt bother me."
@@thorthewolf8801 lol listen to yourself though. Ellie literally does the exact same thing with a metal pipe (tortures someone), but on top of that kills everyone close to abby including a pregnant woman, a dog, and threatens to kill a child as blackmail It's not even subjective who is the bigger evil by the end of the game. In that moment of joels death yes abby is a greater evil but its not like she didn't have her reasons (like Joel killing her father and making it impossible for the human race to create a vaccine). Also abby could have killed everyone in the theatre and chose not to Your analogy of "I don't care about how people feel if I go rambo" is not really any different to what abby did. Sure you may have a view of "do anything to my loved one and see what happens" but you also have to take the consequences of that. Cause and effect. Joel had a consequence to his actions(he not only lost his pife but he ruptured his relationship with ellie). Ellie had several devastating consequences to her actions(losing her partner and child, losing a finger, regret etc). Abby had a consequence to her action since killing Joel = all her friends died). It's really strange you detest abby but literally say you'd do the exact same as her. Saying "I don't care that 1+1 doesn't = 3" is admitting that you'd do anything (like torture multiple people and "leave them to rot") as revenge for someone killing or harming someone close to you, yet have this disgust for abby. Its the same thing
@@nathannix3217 Ellie is shown snapping out of her murderous rage when she sees someone as analogous to her friends. She stopped when she killed Mel not because she was pregnant but because Dina is pregnant. She sees Joel in Abby. So she just can't kill her.
You hit every point I've been saying in favour of this game. It was devastating and brutal and you feel like your spirit's been carved out at the end but that's absolutely the point. This series was never going to have a happy ending. The first game was about Ellie's rise, we learn to love her through protecting her, and the sequel is about her fall - there are no heroes in this story. In the end she loses everything to vengeance and the cycle of violence. Even though, at the last minute, she chose to walk away... it wasn't enough. You don't come out of this clean. She has been brutalized and disfigured emotionally and physically because violence leaves scars. If she'd had her "win" by killing Abby, it would have felt hollow and cheap. There was no blaze of glory, she wouldn't be a hero, she'd just be starting it all over again. We'd have seen her turn into an empty vessel for vengeance. When she makes the choice to leave that quest, we see what the whole series has been about from the beginning. Showing us that there are no monsters -- just people.
spot on. it’s an origin story of the fireflies who were stranded after joel and ellie tore them to shreds; despite them earnestly looking for fireflies in part 1. it’s a story of karma and vengeance and the consequences of action. with some spotty fillers in between but man was i on the edge of my seat for most of the game
NGL, on my 1st playthrough, there were multiple times when I had tears in my eyes but managed to not actually cry. When Abby says to Lev, "I got you." the dam broke. All the pent up emotion just flooded out. I had to pause the game because I was crying uncontrollably. Gawd this game just puts you through the emotional wringer.
It's funny how people keep leaving shitty comments about the game. I mean.. they clearly can't get enough of it if they're back day after day. It's like watching someone who has a crush, but won't shut the hell up about how "awful" they are. Shit's sad, haha 😂
Yeah, the people who hate this game are fucking ridiculous and childish about it. They're the same people that said Ghost of Tsushima and Cyberpunk 2077 were going to bury The Last of Us Part II this year 😂. Ghost was great, I enjoyed it quite a bit, but it wasn't GOTY material. And we all saw how Cyberpunk 2077 turned out 😂. The Last of Us Part I and II are on equal terms in my eyes, they're my third and fourth favorite games of all time next to Red Dead Redemption I and II.
I didn't personally play Ghost, but it looked pretty good. Definitely not GOTY, but good nonetheless. I also just picked up Cyberpunk. Quite a bit of controversy on that one, but I'm playing it on PS4 Pro and it's been running fairly well. It really seems that TLoU Pt. II got a ton of unwarranted hate. Then again.. it seems like everyone on the internet hates everything this year - even more so than previous years.
@@JoMcD21 It's because everyone is miserable this year I reckon, going stir crazy because of the conditions that COVID-19 put them in. So they're projecting that on to anyone and everything. I don't have anything against the folks that don't like TLoU Part II for good reasons, but the people that don't even give it a chance bother me quite a bit.
I went into the game putting aside my preconceived notions from the only real spoiler I know of was Joel's death and a couple of other small things. There was a lot of things I think were great with the game, but I feel a few parts of the story were very well written but some were not (which I think couldve been easily been great if they just had a little more written to them). But when the credits started to roll and me and my girlfriend talked about what we think of the game as a whole, even now I still feel conflicted about how I feel about the game and Im still figuring out what my final verdict on it is
The game was amazing, I enjoyed the story. I enjoyed playing as Abby way more than Ellie, she had the cooler weapons... flamethrower, crossbow, the ability to craft fire shotgun shells AND SHIV’s again loool I might be the only person that kinda wanted Ellie dead at the end of the game because of her decisions, she left her family to find Abby just to let her go (leads into the last of us part 3) but I liked Abby because at least she tried to redeem herself by helping Yara and Lev 🤷🏾♂️
My feelings on the plot Prologue: Oh this is actually pretty goo-OMG WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!?? Ellie Section: I CRAVE WLF BLOOD!! MUHUHUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA Abby Section: All I care about is Yara & Lev, screw the rest of ya'll Last Quarter: Dude Im so fed up, just let it end
Great Video and thats being said, for me, an Personal opinion, TLOU2 is the perfect sequel for the unbelievebal first game (the all time favourite for me) and a truly masterpiece
I don't know how anyone could not love this game? It's the most emotional game I have ever played. After playing Abby I found myself liking her and getting attached. My only bitch is with Ellie on the farm with Dina and JJ. I wish Ellie would have given up on her vengeance. I know that's hard to deal with but she had a family at that point and she wasted it. Such a roller 🎢 coaster of emotions in this game. Incredible.
She might've until tommy played the reverse uno guilt card she did to him after Joel's death. But she might not have ever gotten over her PTSD and her health would've continued to suffer
You have given my opinion a voice. I felt the same anxiety when playing LOU2, not wanting to finish the game because I was afraid of what would happen. Would Ellie's rage consume her? Would I be forced to kill Ellie as Abby? I was so scared, because I loved Ellie and grew to love Abby. I was so relieved when neither one killed the other, ans was literally yelling at the screen during the final battle "don't do it" Naughty dog truly pulled my heart apart with this story, and the people who don't understand it's depth are worse off for it. This game and story, was a triumph.
I was one of those people who really disliked the leaks from the last of us 2, dare say hated it, but after watching the game movie by another youtuber.. I couldn't help but to love/hate the game... Its brutally honest and real... honestly made me tear up in some moments, If I would of played it myself I would of definitely ugly cried haha. The greatest lesson is often taught with dire situations, like you said in the video.. the actors in this game movie were phenomenal, soundtrack was on point, writing was great, it elevated gaming to a new stage... I think the reason most people hated it was cause people were being fed up with SJW's ruining most entertainment everywhere. The game made me question, forgiveness... what is it?
Hey I think you’re right about people watching rather than playing. I am one of those people as I don’t have a PS4. I watched the whole game twice. My theory about the game is that if you play it, you’re more likely to suspend disbelief or your self of being. As for me, I hated seeing the puppet master behind the curtains. My main issue with the game is that all the lessons this game wants to teach are never really tested by the gamer, but resolved by the story. E.g. one player I watched wanted to forgive Abby so he liked the ending and thinks the game is a masterpiece. But the other streamer hated Abby and just couldn’t forgive her. But the ending doesn’t change. Now I think we should have been given a choice. Because forgiveness is extremely hard sometimes, and the game just did it for you. It would have been next level if they made us choose and made us live with our weakness of non-forgiveness.
@@Klutch29 if they gave us an option we wouldn't be still talking about this game. The fact that they forced us into a corner to swallow the sadness, pain, guilt, and anger is what made the game what it is. If their was an option at the end it would of killed the purpose of playing a story based game. If it was choice based game from the start, like the first game, then I would agree otherwise I believe it would of zapped the emotion out of the game... just to satisfy peoples escapism addiction.
@@KidbuuGODMODE I can understand you when you say the game is forcing you to go through it all. If that is the case, then we have to stop saying this game is about empathy. Because EXPLICIT empathy is where the game tried to engage the audience, not inherent implicit empathy. At that point, its even MORE about escapism.. but it's not about killing or blowing stuff up. It's the escapism to moral superiority. It's recreational piousness. Basically, this game allows people to pretend to be better people than they are because they just pressed the button to have Ellie let Abby go (or worse, killed a bunch of people to get to the cutscene where the character does something morally just). I'll even let you keep the choice argument. Let's keep the current no-choice ending. There is no other way the story affected your actions in the game. I'm sure you made a lot of people explode during gameplay and killed a lot of dogs. The game even goes the extra distance to give enemies names so the player is invited to be empathetic towards survivalists in this bleak apocalypse. and what did we do? We headshot and blew them up. Did we turn off our hearts during gameplay and turn it back on during cutscenes? Non-lethal takedowns or COMPLETE stealth walkthrough would have GOATED this game in my opinion as it would give the players an opportunity to express themselves alongside the turmoil of the characters. But the fact that our in-game or contextual behavior is UNCHANGED makes me question how this is accepted as a masterpiece of storytelling in GAMES. Sorry for the long paragraph. But ultimately, and I don't mean to sound harsh, I think how you're looking at the game is how we look at a movie or a TV show. The script of the game itself is probably one of the best in gaming but the implementation is extremely outdated.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
I’d like to say this was just the beginning of many future analyses in media that I love, but sadly I don’t think this is gonna be for me. I had a lot of fun talking about this game and sharing my experiences with it, I’m also glad it’s brought people together to share their experiences too both good and bad. However I am sad to report I will not be continuing this RUclips channel for future videos/essays. If you were hoping to see more stuff from me I’m sorry to let ya down :(! But please keep enjoying this video, share it with your friends/family, I’m so glad I was able to reach out to those who had a beautiful connection with this game as much as I did. Thanks for watching and I wish y’all well!
You did good essays man, but I get it, life gets busy. Have a good one.
It is also worth noting that in the snowy part in the beginning of the game, Ellie mentions that she was planning to watch a movie with Joel that night. Naughty Dog was giving us dialogue that we took as pretty normal (because we hadn't learned about their fractured relationship yet) but had such a deeper meaning. Ellie was taking her first steps in forgiving Joel.
Exactly. I still contend that 99% of all the people who hate Part 2 are literally idiots who legit *did not* understand the story, narratives, themes, parallels, and they certainly didn't mentally grasp the full scope of the game. Part 2 is Ellie (and Abby's) stories of how they dealt with, and processed, their grief and trauma based on Joel's actions from Part 1. These moronic haters simply do not have the mental werewithall to understand that Part 2 is the consequences and ramifications of Joel's actions in the Firefly Hospital and his subsequent lies to Ellie at the end of Part 1. Finally, what the haters always miss is that the story is what was needed for *Ellie (and Abby's) healing--not the players holding the controller.*
One of the reason I hear people didn’t like the game was because of Ellie’s sexuality. “Ohh she’s gay now!?” “Why do they have make her gay!” blah blah blah, but if they actually played the dlc for the first game then they would realize it was always there. It’s like they really didn’t pay attention to the first game or just ignored key elements of the first game.
@marcileatherboots1 well said
I find it so moronic when people reduce the game to "Ellie is gay trash game" or "abby killed joel she has to pay or trash game" but then ignore the fact that Ellie (twice saved by Abby) decides to hold a knife against a childs throat in an attempt to get abby to fight with her (when she's been starved and beaten for months and left out to die on a cross essentially). They even ignore the petal pipe torture on Nora implying it's justified. This in itself is hypocritical when it's pretty much the same as Abby torturing joel with a golf club. As we know Ellie goes on to mow down everyone close to abby too, whereas Ellie only loses Joel.
However she lost Joel before this (at least in their relationship) but this was entirely because of Joel's selfish decisions at the end of the first game (which the TLOU2 haters all say are heartwarming moments lol). Joel literally is a "monster" at the end of the game for a lot of people. Imagine if TLOU1 has you play as abby, builds up her story and relationship with her dad and friends, and then at the end Joel appears and kills her dad. Would joel be viewed as a monster? Hmmm absolutely
The final scene in TLOU2 is difficult because we feel for both of them and we don't want either of them to die. However if I had to force myself to say who descended deeper into evil by the end of the game it was obviously Ellie.
The Last of Us 2 did what no game has ever been ambitious or brave enough to do. They forced you to play as a character that you spend 15-20 hours desperately trying to kill. A character that you absolutely hate, with everything in you. They force you to take a step back, and understand Abby's story from her perspective, and they achieved that for me. By the end of playing as Abby, I didn't want her to die. I just wanted both Ellie and Abby to go their seperate ways. In fact I began to really admire Abby by the end of her storyline. The entire plot line of helping Lev and Yara was fascinating and just perfectly written. These characters were only there to make you understand Abby as a human being, but they were so fleshed out that they felt just as real as Abby did. This game was supposed to piss us off. It was made to divide us, and make us think critically, and in depth about what it was supposed to be. They did everything they wanted to perfectly. Thats what people don't seem to understand. Everything that this game made you feel was 100% purposeful.
@Ana Pinto lmao okay good for you
They've killed Joel at begining purposefully, and they did that in a brutal way just to make you hate Abby as much as you can. It is just as cruel as the lawless world of The Last of Us that they made us play as Abby after we are already bonded with both Ellie and Joel. It's a narrative that was never achieved before.
This story isn't about revenge either like most of people portray it to be. The final retrospective scene of Joel shows all he ever wanted was forgiveness.
At the beach in carrying Lev by Abby she saw herself being carried out of hospital by Joel. She finally understood him and forgave him. Coming at a peace.
This game is indeed a masterpiece.
I'm pretty sure all that did was consolidate more hatred for the character
Very well said. The one thing that broke my heart was that Ellie never took even a second to ask "why?" I was hoping that they would actually talk to each other for a minute at the end, but all in all I still think it was fantastically executed. Heartwrenching.
I couldn't agree more with you! 👍
Literal masterpiece in my opinion. Actually best story I’ve played
if ppl consider gta as a masterpiece then they have no taste in games or they havent played this game
Who said GTA was a masterpiece? It's story is fatally flawed but that doesn't make the plot a masterpiece actually it's far from a masterpiece story wise the story sucks making you rob banks and get paid for mafia-like deeds I don't really approve of games like those and especially not in my family.
@@aithanleeom5152 it is wildly considered among gaming community, which makes me worried about the true masterpieces like TLOUs and Uncharteds
Not sure if it’s a masterpiece, but damn if it wasn’t my favourite game last year! As a writer I think the depth of the story was incredible. It’s actually tragic that people can’t appreciate the game for what it is. Instead they focus on “criticism” that most of the time is bullshit and explained by actually paying attention to the game! Then when you point out how they’re wrong they just double down. It’s also pretty messed up that the haters spend so much time shitting on the game. You know what I do if I don’t like a game? I move on and play something else! And I don’t waste my time bitching about it online 🤷🏻♂️
Oh well.
Same for me
The backlash just shows the blind hate that comes from grief, like Ellie's. Life imitates art.
Backlash comes from terrible decisions when making this game. Last of us 2 isn't art.
@@kentuckyfriedchildren5385 you don't have to like art for it to be. Tlou2 excels on many of its departments, music, visuals, animations and storytelling.
@@kentuckyfriedchildren5385 we don't have to like everything that is considered art. there are problems with the last of us but the reasons you likely hate it for are stupid and misguided.
@@katya.g524 you don't even know anything about what I think of the game and yet you just assume my opinion is stupid and misguided. You are exactly the type of fan to not give any credence whatsoever to opposing opinions about the game, instead just assuming because others didn't like something you did, that they are lacking intelligence and can't understand the story. Well, perhaps they DID understand the story better than you and that is exactly why they didn't like it. Next time don't assume someone's opinion is stupid and misguided before you've even asked to hear it.
@@kentuckyfriedchildren5385 okay then explain how you understand it and why you don't like it
Such a simple message that was completely overlooked by the unwarranted hate that this game has recieved. Fuck the hate, I absolutely adored this game.
I don’t think the game itself is bad, but instead the fact it is publishing itself as the sequel to the last of us. This type of game would have worked better as a standalone title. Most long term fans didn’t want to wait 7 years to have all the characters they loved broken or dead. It feels like they retconned the first game to make room for the second, that hurts a lot of people who fell in love with game 1
The Last of Us Part 2 isn't flawless but it is telling a important story. We can choose to like it or not but it was made with a purpose.
Pretty much every game is made with purpose.... Naughty Dog was pretty brave to try and make a sequel for a game so loved. There was always going to be hate, even if the flaws in the narrative were absent. I just cant understand Ellie's dissatisfaction with not being the one to save the world or to be special. Kinda shitty. Also playing as Abby will never be good to me. Even playing through the game as Abby all the way through doesnt do what they wanted. And I understand why she hates Joel, but it still feels cheap.
The problem never was about liking it or not, sometimes people have the most superficial or personnal reasons to dislike things an that's normal, subjectivity.
The problem is people who doesn't know the difference between quality and preferences (SPECIALLY those who saw some leaks and decided the game was bad, so called fandom) calling it "garbage" when the narrative has many layers and does it job well enough for us to understand it has a point, purpose and even logical sense to its hurtful experience, that every side has their story and that there are people who struggle in finding their own peace.
I'm not saying it's a perfect game, pacing is a bit longer than it needed imo, but saying something is bad because it isn't perfect is stupid. I had my problems with Breaking Bad's plane plotline in season 2, does it mean it isn't great? Hell no.
It's 9/10 at least, anything less is bullshit.
@@volpeisfox Ellie's story is all about survivor's guilt. Since Riley's death. She thinks that the cost of her being alive is all the suffering humanity is facing now. Ellie is a true Firefly. She cares for people and wants to save them. You can see that in that flashback where Ellie and Joel find the dead couple at the School.
@@UmTois lol if you make a story but do it poorly and the plot is reliant on coincidences and character assassination to push it forward. What makes the game shit for most is the fact its not believable. If you liked it then good on you but giving it loads because most dont is pretty lame. For me this game was total dog shit. The gameplay was kinda all right but was very tedious at certain points. The acting, graphics and sound are of astounding quality but considering this is a narrative driven game then this is what you judge on it. I am not bitter joel dies (not happy about it ofc) as i expected it. I also had no clue as i stayed offline so didnt see or hear about the leaks. I understand what they tried to do just think they did such a piss poor job of it and no i dont care that women are in the game nor do i care about anyone sexual preference and didnt even realise that lev was trans. Nor am i too dumb to understand the story.
@@luscah yet she kills everyone getting to abby.
I’ve been reading some of the comments recently and I wanted to address some things lol.
1: I hear your feedback on the audio mixing being shitty, this was my first time doing something like this and I don’t have a professional set up so I do apologize for that.
2: This is a POSITIVE analysis, if you’re not interested in hearing what I have to say or just don’t like good things being said about this game, this video isn’t gonna be for you Chief. This is a second place to put that here to not waste your time lol.
3: I’ve been reading comments about the story structure of this game or how the pacing was fundamentally broken, I’ve realized that I failed to address this. Here’s my thoughts: You have to look at the creator’s intentions for why they did what they did, and Neil Druckmaan has gone on record saying he envisioned this story like how you would read a novel. Multiple stops and go’s, with plenty of downtime between story beats. It’s a choice, and again the point of this video is to try and communicate why I LIKED these choices, not to convince you why YOU should like these choices. I’m sure I’m talking to a wall by doing this but I just wanted to clarify some of those complaints. Thanks for watching everybody! Keep sharing your experiences with the game I love the passion and energy!
I think the game had amazing moments. Not really a big fan of the overall story and how it portrayed itself but I think it's important to hear why others did appreciate the direction this took despite not sharing those opinions entirely. But yeah it's pretty annoying to listen to anyone stomp on the games dick like it had no positives.
You can like it all you want; it's still shit. As a novel, it's even worse. As a movie, it's fucking laughable. Games get much more of a free pass for being bad even though they shouldn't.
@@AirahsELL u dont have to sit and reply eith hate to everyone. seriously bro grow up and move on if u hate it so much.
@@jailinet4593 last I checked this was a comments section and people could reply however. Why is it not ok to respond critically if you think it's garbage?
@@chewbaccacabra1531 i never said that lmfao this guy been rep[lyinfg to every single comment with hate
I feel it’s one of those games where at the time it’s controversial, but 5 years down the line it’ll still be talked about and referenced. It’ll be a game where opinions shift and some that hate it return to love it. And as for game studios they’ll be taking a lot of inspiration from this title.
I agree it'll age like fine wine and hopefully studios will take more chances and push video game storytelling to a new level.
@@sablemae8853 🙄
:/ to each their own
A simple revenge story on the surface unveils itself as a story regarding the importance of identity and grief, more specifically how we tend to cope with grief in a time of sorrow and suffering. This story’s branching pathways helped me see how similar the two women actually were. Abby finally found a new meaning to her life the moment she took Lev and Yara under her wing. All the pain, all the sadness and the realization of how useless her tracking Joel and killing him was were swept away upon cementing and finding a new purpose….A real one. Ellie, on the other side, wasn't really seeking revenge and she wasn’t so much mad at Abby more than she was mad at the fact that Abby took away the chance for her to reconcile with Joel. She finally had the strength to try and forgive him but he died the day after….and you kinda have to admit he had it coming. Killing Abby was just a objective to focus on, to evade the thought of how badly she pushed away the man that she loved the most, the father that she never had, tormented by the thought of him thinking that she hated him while dying. It took one moment, a single glimpse of him while trying to drown Abby to remember the gift he gave her that night, a real precious one: How to forgive, how to forgive the man that took her chance of saving the world and to forgive the woman that killed him, seeing how that once fierce warrior was crawling in the dirt to save that scrawny little kid. At almost the cost of her life, she ended up giving back to her worst enemy, exactly like Joel did with her years ago….
Wow amazing comment
If you don’t like this game, everyone likes your reasons. If you do like this game, your reasons are instantly discredited as bs or naughty dog fanboyism. (I love it btw)
Yeah mate. It’s seriously annoying though when their ‘criticisms’ can be explained by paying attention to the story, dialogue, environment, and notes found throughout the levels. There are valid points for sure, but not many. People just get too worked up about games, films, and shows now. Somehow they’re incapable of moving on. For instance I really didn’t enjoy Fallout 76, but I don’t waste my time being toxic towards those that do. Folks just gotta move on and focus on something they actually like 👍 ☺️
If you get critic in this game you immediately get called "hater" lol
@@t_rexdiaz6778 Lmao funny seeing you here.
People will most likely call you a hater if you criticize the game, yes. But, the definition of hater is "a person who greatly dislikes a specified person or thing." And the informal definition is "a negative or critical person."
A lot (A LOT) of people who criticize the game don't like it. That means that they dislike it. Which, by the first definition means that they are a hater. And, even if some people who criticize the game like it they are still a critical person. Which, by the second definition STILL means they are a hater.
I therefore think it's justified to call someone a hater if they criticize the game. I myself wouldn't use the expression hater, but that doesn't stop other people from doing it.
that final flashback broke me in many little pieces
These are my exact thoughts. Too many people thinking this game was politically motivated when it’s the complete opposite.
I remember when the haters tried to make the game seem worse by spreading lies about the Seraphites; they made up this story where the Seraphites were a Christian cult that kills gay people and that Ellie wants to kill them all because they kidnapped or killed her girlfriend, Dina. They also lied about the Scars being immune to the virus. I remember when they were telling us that Joel's death was the end, or that Ellie dies in the end. I remember when they were telling us the game forces us to like lesbians and that it's full of LBGT while in reality it only had like 3 kisses and one LGBT flag. I remember when they were lying that Abby was transgender, but when it turned out Lev was transgender, they saw no problem in it because he wasn't a muscular woman. This just shows how much effort people will put into bashing others for liking a game they don't
Abby is a gender bending she hulk that that forces the player to control this monster that tore everything we loved about the first game apart.
I'm sorry that you people have such a hard on for naughty dog and abby that your perfectly fine with seeing Joel die by a random bitches hands in the worst way possible, but that really only proves a lot of points for us.
@@thedreamer6930 nobody asked for your opinion, and I'm sure nobody cares about your opinion
@@thedreamer6930 damn, your brain is ✨p o l i s h e d✨
@@SosaHDH 8 people liked my comment and 0 liked yours. Nobody asking for YOUR opinion Kid
I'll be honest, I was actually sobbing at the end of the game when Ellie and Abby fought, yelling "please dont make me do this." Naughty Dog did a pretty amazing thing. They made you feel so much emotion and connection to two vastly different but oh so similar people that it made this scene utterly heart wrenching.
@Christian Molina the real ending is better?
@Christian Molina kind of disturbing you want to see an innocent child murdered, but.
Yep the message people completely miss is that we are all capable of becoming a monster, but we all have good sides too. That's what made the end scene so difficult because despite everything you feel for both of them, and don't want to have to choose because you can see it from both sides.
For me personally if I had to make a choice or die I would say Ellie descended into the pit of evil more than abby did. I mean she's literally holding a knife to a childs neck to blackmail an emaciated human into fighting her so she can "get her revenge for joel". Joel had that coming and everyone knows it including her. Plus everyone else has moved on except for Ellie. She was given a second chance TWICE by abby, and abby even spared dina. Sure the Abby who didnt know Lev wouldn't have done this, but it is just more evidence that abby has become a better person since she abandons her people and says "you're my people" to lev. She's upset when Mel says shes always been a piece of sht too because she is trying to become a better person. Imagine if we were all defined by one mistake or one bad thing we did, and nonody was willing to forgive us. Ellie made the choice twice to decscend further. Killing abby at the end wouldn't have solved anything. She needed the second flashback of joel on the porch to bring her back (one in which Joel is begging for forgiveness).
Why is that relevant? Because she is not willing to forgive abby and she is ridden with guilt over not forgiving Joel and her last words to him were basically "too little too late". Joel on the other hand adamantly says he feels no guilt for what he did (and this is partly why he ended up dead too). He was stubborn and eventually naive to think what he did wouldn't end up with him losing his life. I actually think in some way abby regrets killing joel and feels remorse but for whatever reason doesn't ever say sorry (not that this would have made any difference to Ellie mind you). Some might say to that "she would only be sorry because of everything that has happened" but sometimes in life it takes a truck load of drama for people to see things. Ellie's emotions at the end are switched like a coin flip, yet abby despite what happens to her at the end of the game shows more resolve than abby to "let it go". Imagine being starved and beaten for months and still having no bad thoughts towards Ellie (who mowed down her entire crew)
TLOU2 is a masterpiece
If there's anything this game should be remembered for is how it showed how so many people are close minded to being challenged by a story, it's honestly insane to me the how vocal this minority got, claiming Abby deserves to die even after all she's done in those 3 days, nevermind all the people who just spread hate cause it's a depressing experience.
The game is great, but it's not for everyone.
I loved this game so much! It made me cry throughout. It's unfortunate that a lot of people feel entitled to get a fan service story, but I think that the best stories are those that are just told the way they are intended. We were warned on where the story was headed and we were going to feel hatred and all these unpleasant feelings. Yes, we all want the happy ending, but it is not a representation of life nor of the world those characters live in. We see it with Tommy at the end too how revenge consumed him and ruined his relationship because he couldn't move on. just a brilliant story.
You're probably the type of person who actually LOVED the last two seasons of GoT, too huh?
S'okay. Don't deny it. Bet you LOVED "TLJ" too, right? 😑😑😑😑😑😑
Do you, breh. Props. (Even though you're OBJECTIVELY WRONG.) Still. Do you.
@@Noir0rioN Honestly I don't understand what pleasure trolls like you have in being this rude or try to deny people's experience with a product of entertainment. I personally liked the game very much and am grateful that they did not do blatant fan service like TLJ, which btw I hated. As a creator myself I admire when risks are taken, something that now days seems to be lost due to $$ or because of trolls. If you, like others didn't like it, deconstruct the reason why to open a conversation and respect other people's point of view, instead of wanting to be right and telling people who disagree with you that they are wrong and have actually shared the reason why they liked it. Oh, and BTW GOT, was rushed cause they all wanted to move on and have always had a preference for the books anyway.
@@LadyGamerLoon GoT was WAY more than rushed homie. ALLLLL DnD wanted was that sweet, sweet StarWars money.
They turned what couldn've been the best show ever into a buttfuckathon. I'll never forgive them for that.
I actually "enjoyed" TLOU2... once. Not the kind of game I'd play twice though. And as far as STORY goes - there were agendas. And just plain problems.
@@Noir0rioN I never said it was perfect. Story telling wise there were things I would have moved around, but it's tiring hearing people just bashing the game with absurd reasons (ex Joel died period) and nothing to back the criticism up. Just saying something is bad with nothing to back it just because they wanted the same Joel and Ellie against everyone story. About GoT I knew from how the books are written where GRRM wanted the characters to go but show wise I was underwhelmed season 6 onward, but it didn't surprise me since they went from adapting something to creating it from the ground up with the original creator's outline. It's not easy to start with, plus all the high expectations and all .GrrM wanted at least 13 seasons and they settled for 8. Rushing a story, automatically makes it bad cause a lot of storylines (especially with so many character and more) get cut or abandoned in the hopes people will not pay attention> In the books you clearly see where it's going and understand how John comes back from the dead (not only Bran but John too lives through his wolf). However this was a discussion about TLOU2 not other media.
What if there was no skip button and you'd just end up replaying through Joel's death being clobbered by ass-by when you start a new game+
Basically anytime I see someone say they hate this game, they're just proudly saying 'I refuse to forgive my enemies'. They lack the empathy to humanize people they may hate and it just makes me think about twitter and how that's the mentality that surrounds that hell site.
this^^
OR it could just be the messy story telling. I don't really mind Joel dying, or us playing the as Joel's killer, but the way the story was handled in terms of sequence was terrible in my opinion .
@@charcharr I would love if you could expand on what, in your opinion, made you feel as though the handling of the story sequence was done poorly. My perspective is that the narrative was consistent, both in regards to the themes and events of the previous game, as well as introducing new themes that feel as though they evolve the characters who needed to grow. I would like to hear your impressions of those story beats to compare them with my experience.
@@charcharr The story was handled the only way it could have. You can't kill Joel later in the game because it would loose the drive behind Ellie's segment and the blind hate build up towards Abby. You cannot interweave Ellie and Abby's story because the player and the character need to be on the same page--- it would be even more confusing for the player as they would have to follow 4 timelines at the same time rather than 2 timelines at a time. The time jump and flashbacks for both characters are done in a way that really show their mental health: Ellie starts getting more obessessed with revenge the more she remembers how her relationship with Joel deteriorated. You cannot kill/spare Abby because this is Ellie's choice to make, not the players. The narrative structure in my opinion is ambitious and admirable, and made with the purpose to challenge the player, but it did come with the cost of killing the pace at times. I'm interested to know how else would you have structured the game?
@@charcharr Story-wise, Naughty Dog told the only logical story left to tell. Joel basically took away the importance of Ellies life, and she’s left with intense survivors guilt. She feels as though every death due to the cordyceps is her own fault. Discovering the truth shifted her view of the world, which causes Ellie to stop being that hopeful girl from the previous game as she gradually becomes bitter at the fact that her life was “all for nothing.” This game is really about Ellie learning to deal with the consequences of Joels actions and learning to find purpose and meaning in her life again. At the end Ellie learns that Joel “would do it all over again” because he is willing to sacrifice their relationship if it means giving Ellie the chance to know that her life is more valuable than her immunity. After his death, Ellie is disappointed and enraged with herself for not forgiving Joel sooner and fixates this anger on Abby, as she feels forever in debt with Joel. That, is powerful. How else would you have told the story?
I love your honesty, I loved TLOU 2 way more than the first, the game is fantastic & deep, the combat, the story, the game play, the animations, the environment, the world building, the fact that mid way through the game, they literally take us from Ellie's perspective, to Abby's, to show us both sides of the story...honestly, by the end of the game, I understood both sides, I went from being all on Ellie's side in the beginning,to by the end, not only did I not choose a side, I sat there, crying...because I got it, I understood why they did what they did, and what the consequences were because of there actions, my favorite game of the year by far. 🙌😃:
So for this simple gamer, from the get out it wasn’t about Justice. I knew Ellie didn’t want justice, Ellie wanted revenge, and I knew that was an unhealthy choice. Even while I was methodically murdering wolves it was with the mindset of “they are with *her*”.
Even after killing Mel and Owen I was still going forward thinking “Killing Abbey will make this all worth it.” And I personally thought that up to the point where you are drowning her. But at that point I felt so emotionally exhausted I wanted it to stop.
And it did.
And I was actually glad for it, it felt powerful.
The Last of Us is a franchise that has affected me more than any other piece of fiction.
Every emotion it causes me to feel is cranked up to 11, managing to melt my heart and break it simultaneously and constantly.
The endings to both games broke me, and to this day I'm still coming to terms with them.
Now I keep flip-flopping on whether I would want a Part 3 or not.
Part 2's ending is so brutal and effective so part of me wants it to end there, but the other part of me wants a redemption for Ellie and I'll be sad if it doesn't happen.
Anyways I really enjoyed your take on Part 2, and despite it not being perfect I hope Naughty Dog keeps pushing the envelope if they do a Part 3.
you described almost everything i feel about both parts
People just wanted a safe sequel that continues the adventures of Joel and Ellie and they live happily ever after blah blah blah... I'm glad we didn't get that.
Exactly. Me too. It happens so much in movies/games/tv shows that it just gets boring after a while when everyone wins in the end.
Yeah but it sucks when you're deliberately misled with false advertising (The implications that Joel would aid Ellie in the game when it was in reality Jesse) It sort of built an expectation that made the fall harder when Joel was killed. I think had those manipulations not been included, some may have received Joel's death better. That sucked man :(
@@danielgladstone1789 i agree, i love the game with all my heart, but i find the misleading trailers and marketing really stupid, it didn't help naughty dog at all
@@danielgladstone1789 They did that to avoid spoilers. The Avengers did that as well. That's like being upset about the trailers not telling you about Darth Vader being Luke's dad.
@@movieswithmatticus5469 I disagree with this point because your example with Star Wars is not analogous to what happened with TLOU2. All Naughty Dog had to do was simply not include the scenes in the trailer that indicated/implied that Joel would be more 'present' in the game. It's like putting in the Star Wars trailer that Obi-Wan said "I am your father" and then seeing in the movie that Darth Vader said that. Just simply not include the scene right? Therefore, I don't think your example can be used here.
One of the greatest games of all time idgaf what anyone say
Agreed
Calm down, Its just a game.
It most definitely isn't
@@Spideyman.w i know, thats why I used the word "games"
@@Spideyman.w it won game of the year tho x
This is the first instance I think I’ve ever seen where I can’t understand the hate. For me, this was one of the best games I’ve ever played. Shame it’s gotten backslash for... reasons I just don’t get.
I’m thinking this will be one of those cases of “absolved through time”, where five years later, most will appreciate this game.
Yeah no chance mate this game deserves to stay in the bin
@@wassimsoldat Well that's your opinion dude. One of the most immersive and emotional ones I've ever played
@@callumwebb4927 compared to the first one its kind of mediocre. A lot of the story didn’t even make sense, didn’t find it emotional but just dumb and so poorly written
@@wassimsoldat Could you give me an example? Not arguing, just curious
@@callumwebb4927 the game litteraly takes place because we killed an npc in the first one that turned out to be abby’s father.. Joel following a group of unknown people into a basement considering the trust issues that he has ( not to mention he even gives them his family name as well and clearly pointing out that tommy is his brother)... Ellie killing all of abby’s friends (including a pregnant women), killed idk how many people and then decides to leave abby at the end at least they should’ve gave u the choice either to let abby live or kill her... making ellie look bad on purpose (where she kills the dog) and right after in a flashback showing u abby playing with him.. Not to mention false advertising, a complete deviation from the actual story with the whole lev bs part ( made it even more boring) and how all the characters are just boring, empty and poorly written. I could go on and on. The first one was flawless in all of these aspects, so taking in consideration the excpectations that we had for this part 2, the game was a major flop
I really liked the game
Spot on! Exactly how I felt after finishing it. I just started my third run, now on grounded (it's insane haha), and noticed something that stroke my heart. Right at the prologue, when Dina and Ellie are doing their scout, Dina asks Ellie if she had plans for that night. Ellie said that she was going to invite Joel to watch some movies. So, she was already starting to try to forgive Joel and invite him over! But... that's the day everything goes to hell... That conversation shows also why Ellie is so hurt after Joel's death.
I've watched / read a lot of analysis of this game, and I wanted to come back and say that after 2 years this is still the best quality, sophisticated, nuanced, and well-explained analysis I have seen of this game. I appreciate that you actually tried to pay attention to it's storytelling nuances and put into words that I have had such a hard time verbalizing to others as to why I love this game and why I think it's actually genius, instead of just writing it off as "revenge bad". I think it will age like wine, and be appreciated long after its time when the haters loose steam.
The world wasn't ready for TLOU2
I think it was always going to have a toxic reception. Completely undeserved. However people had unbelievable expectations and after 7 years had a lot of theories/beliefs about what the story should be.
Dude I totally cried also because of the way Ellie talked to Joel after he defended her. I felt so bad for her thinking that that had been the last thing she had said to him. Also it’s just Joel died alone and abandoned by Ellie. Then to learn that no Ellie did start the healing process with him and just that was enough for Joel. Fuck I loved this game but it does genuinely give me depression thinking about it
This game is super important to me. The game was really emotional and the most emotional scene was when Ellie went to Joel’s grave. I was in denial of Joel’s death but that moment made me accept he was gone. I mourned him over the course of the game. I went through the five stages of grief. The vengeance didn’t make anything better for Ellie it just made things worse. Her sparing Abby saved her humanity. If she killed Abby she would be doomed to hatred consuming her. Joel didn’t want her to kill Abby. He wanted her to have a happy life. Forgiveness is hard to do but it can make things better. Your pain won’t be gone but you can move on and have a better future.
Masterpiece.... idgaf what anyone else says.
What’s great about the last of us is that it’s realistic. The world has gone to shut after the outbreak, it ISNT a happy place, and I think people need to be reminded of that. The world isn’t going to be kind to Joel and Elli just because they are the main characters. If you go into a zombie game knowing everything will be okay, the creators have already messed up. There’s no guarantee that everyone will live and have a happily ever after. Naughty dog made it realistic.
EXACTLY!!!, same as a "cure" wouldnt reverse what humanity has became, theres no cure for fungus its not a virus
So think about it
Joel saved ellie for a certain dead good for nothing
Giving her a second chance and the opportunity to live a normal life
Goddamn, some of the people in the comments here are acting like the first last of us was insanely subtle and mind-blowing when it comes to storytelling. The first game had a message. The second game had a message. People didn't want to try and connect with the message in the second so they act like it was poorly delivered and heavy hardened. I feel like a lot of people who hate it decided in the first 3 hours that it was they story that they wanted so therefore it wasn't worth telling at all. I just got it and am loving it so far. The first and second games both have powerful and simple messages, but destroying the second games message because you didn't like it as much as the first is stupid. Great video man and I look forward to your future videos!
Where did you reach man? I want to discuss but I don’t wanna spoil anything
I am on Seattle day 3 for Ellie but I know how it ends. No worries on spoilers.
@@jacobrautenkranz9469 oh well. Sorry you got spoiled. It happens. Just know it’s gonna be a fun experience even if it sounds boring. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and thought it was the best experience I’ve ever played
Jacob Rautenkranz Get ready for a lot of actions, the other half of the game has a lot of it!
@@john1658 I'm looking forward to it!
I saw the like-dislike ratio and I immediately thought that this was going to be some troll video😂. Glad it's not though. It's so hard to find people giving an actual thorough analysis of the games narrative. Great video.
Thank-you for explaining to people that this isn't a game about revenge, it's a game about forgiveness and empathy.
I think people didnt like the game because they are expecting a happy ending like most games have. The ending wasnt happy but it doesnt mean the story is over.
i swear they wanted a farming simulator at jackson 🙄✋
@@andreamontanaa The funny thing is, making a vaccine for a "fungus" isnt the same as like the flu or somthing. So killing Ellie was a horrible idea to start with
@@MetaITurtle Making a vaccine would have been completely impossible, and Joel essentially did the right thing to save Ellie. However, Ellie is that last bit of unrealistic hope they hold on to. In a broken post apocalyptic world, holding on to hope or the idea of restoring humanity to how it once was can make people behave irrationally and naive.
It’s debatable wether or not killing Ellie is the right choice since ALL characters are grey, but at the end of the day the doctor and the Fireflies as a whole feel like its the choice they have to make to finally get a step forward to curing the infection. As far-fetch as it sounds, this small glimmer of unrealistic hope makes them act delusional and naive. Thats why the doctor behaves the way he does. Even though he wouldn’t give up his own daughter, he wont let his only opportunity pass as stupid as it may sound.
After Joel’s empty decision of saving Ellie, he basically destroyed all hope left, as impossible as it seems. For Ellie, she wanted her life to mean something. In her eyes, not giving her life away for a cure means that everything shes been through was “all for nothing”. Even though in reality making the cure wouldn’t work, she still believes that there is a slight chance that it might. Ellie is a girl who likes to dream big- for example she also holds onto the unrealistic hope that maybe one day she’ll get to the moon.
In part 2, her survivors discovering the truth of what happened at the hospital shifted her view of the world. Her unrealistic hope of helping create a vaccine was stolen by Joel, causing Ellie to gradually became bitter is seen through the progression of flashbacks). I think Part 2 really is about Ellie learning to deal with the consequences of Joels actions (despite it being the correct one) and learning to find purpose and meaning in her life again. At the end Ellie learns that Joel would “do it all over again” because he is willing to sacrifice their relationship if it means giving Ellie the chance to know that her life is more valuable then her immunity. After his death, Ellie is disappointed and enraged at herself for not forgiving Joel sooner and fixates this anger on Abby, because she feels forever in debt with Joel.
The choice was “empty” and essentially 100% the right thing to do. However the game always focused more on how hope can essentially blind humanity and drastically change the way the behave
I think my favorite scene was that conversation Ellie and Tommy had at the farm. Watching someone like Tommy turn from what we thought was an already redeemed good guy in the first game to that broken husk of a person was crushing. We already witnessed what the ruthlessness he was capable of after following the trail of violence he left behind and that godforsaken sniper scene with Abby. I'm pretty sure that at this point all of us were just dreading what was coming next and begging Ellie not to keep going. Tommy was a fantastic mirror for Ellie's actions, reminding us of what Ellie could turn into if she just kept going. It was also the best acting I have ever seen.
This game isn’t the game we deserved, but the game we needed. And I needed it.
So you needed to watch Joel die 60 times over? just imagine if there wasn't a skip button even after you beat the game lol.
@@aithanleeom5152 yep but not 60 times. One of my favorite characters died, but it doesn’t mean I hated it. I’d watch that scene again, but I don’t know what you’re talking about 60 times
@@جعفرِ-ه4ي what I mean is if there wasn't a skip button on Joel's death on new game+
It's 2021 and I still hate Abby even Laura Bailey the ACTRESS hates Abby Ashley Johnson lost her FATHER FIGURE because of Abby
Part II deserves a reboot.
It’s another Naughty dog masterpiece, it’s expected at this point, I can understand the people that didn’t like the direction that the story took. I can understand people being upset that Naughty dog killed off Joel... what I can’t understand is the people that call this game trash or when they say it was awful, the story is brilliant, the twists and turns it takes, two protagonists, with 4 timelines, the narrative structure is the thing that u see movies and television shows get constant praise, Oscars & Emmys for, some say the ending was unfulfilling... that’s true but that’s by design, I can’t praise this game enough, to me this is the best game since The original came out 7 years earlier, bravo 👏 Naughty dog 🐕
I have around 3000 trophies on PlayStation and have played hundreds of games, but I have always felt that video games are decades behind movies and books when it comes to the stories being shared. If the Last of Us Part 2 was a film, it wouldn't be considered nearly as controversial or groundbreaking. There are things I didn't like about the game, but Naughty Dog really did something different with this game and that I can appreciate.
Video games and their stories shouldn't have to cater to what is considered popular or safe. There are countless film directors all over the world that make controversial films that tell weird or niche stories, yet no one comes at them the same way the gaming community comes at game developers when they try to do something different. Game directors and their development teams are allowed to make whatever game they want and tell whatever story they choose. Video games are art, in the same way movies and books are, so let the artists tell the story they want to tell. TLOU is Naughty Dog's IP, not mine or yours. I remember when the leaks were shared and so many people were saying that the whole game was some SJW liberal propaganda where Abby is a transgender and Ellie goes on some lesbian rampage, what the hell was that about? Some people have entitlement issues with video games and would rather spread lies to get a game canceled over trying something slightly different from what they were expecting or used to. It's really embarrassing that some people were so obsessed and upset over a pride flag and Abby being muscular, like, get a grip. If these characters were in a TV show, book, or movie, no one would blink an eye. (Of course, there are actual criticisms with the pacing, story, characters, among other things - I am just highlighting the non-arguments that were almost everywhere a couple months back).
TLOU2 is different, especially when compared to the other endless amounts of games on the market, but regardless of the game being "good" or bad" at least it is attempting to do something different, at least it's something new.
Thank you for this.
Gamers out of most groups (movies obessives, readers, etc.,) are at the top in terms of close-mindedness and are just generally unforgiving and impossible to please. Especially when it comes to bold decisions. They don’t wanna be surprised they want EXACTLY what they expect. (Also see TLJ toxic reception for a similar phenomenon) So it’s a shame such a bold work of art and leap in storytelling of their own medium was so quickly shit on and dismissed as “trash”. Give it a few years... all that noise around launch will die out into a universal appreciation.
@Rodrigo Fernando Durá Espinoza You literally just proved his point, kid 😂 And you obviously care because you’re watching TLOU2 videos and commenting. I mean, you could be watching videos for games you really enjoyed, but instead you’re here...
@Rodrigo Fernando Durá Espinoza what country you from dog? Bc over here in the states all my boys loved TLOU2. But I don’t know maybe it’s harder to connect to if your English isn’t strong? That seems to be a recurring theme in the people who don’t like the game as well lol
@Rodrigo Fernando Durá Espinoza also no DLC and no Multiplayer doesn’t mean nobody cares 😂 you’re gonna tell me no one cared about the last God of War? Haha you must be new to this. It’s ok
@Rodrigo Fernando Durá Espinoza so by your logic no one cares about the newest God of War right?
@Rodrigo Fernando Durá Espinoza I’m really trying to understand what you’re saying and not let the broken English distract. You keep bringing up DLC and Multiplayer in a discussion about a singleplayer game that never even expressed intentions of releasing a DLC or Multiplayer. How is that relevant is my question. Singleplayer games without DLC have thrived for years. I bring up God of War as a perfect example.
The story is brilliant for many of the reasons that some fans are pissed, it challenges expectations & notions we had going in, they weren’t kidding when they said there are No bad guys in this game, to me this only raised the level of the first game, part 2 was a perfect second Act of this franchise, to me this entire series up to this point is a master class in story telling, animation & gameplay, at this point Naughty dog is embarrassing the rest of the gaming studios out there.
I called Ashley Johnson Ellie Johnson please don’t tell her on Twitter lol. And please excuse my horrible mixing 🥲
I chuckled at this lol
That's okay, she'd probably laugh too if she saw this
i do this too. i say do because it's happened several times, hahah. it's not like it's a lie, ellie is very much ashley.
Ha
I think she would be honored if people made this slip up. The best thing an actor can achieve is total connection to their character.
I wonder how ashamed on the inside she must feel for being a part of this.
i knew that the abby & lev, joel & ellie parallels were there, but those two bits of dialogue from the end of each game... holy shit.
Ok, off the bat, that 'Warning, this is a positive review,' is hilarious but also so sad that THAT has to be a warning! lol This is an amazing game and it doesn't deserve the crazy hate it gets...
Many gamers didn't get the goddamn point of the game
@@michaelscott494 Many of them got it. They just didn't like it. I for one almost didn't buy the game before it came out because of all the controversy. But I came home from work the day it was released and decided why the hell not? I can gladly say it wasn't anywhere near as bad as they made it out to be. They complained that the game just murders Joel for nothing and that was all there was for him in the entire game. But then I got to the roller coaster of emotions that was the museum. The game did a good job of showing that all of us regardless of race, gender or religion are capable of both good and evil. Everyone was always in a gray area and I liked that. It's definitely not for everyone. Although I will say the game does feel like it drags a bit towards the end. But that's about it for me.
@@Zee-Core-Gaming ok....but I was talking bout the gamers that didn't get the point of the game so....!!
@@michaelscott494 Ok... And I was adding another perspective so.... No need to be a douche. Lol
@@Zee-Core-Gaming jeezz......
The greatest gaming experience I’ve ever had, and honestly, it’s not very close.
What was the second greatest and third greatest for you? Just curious.
@@sirazazeloflowkey6424 Probably The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption 2
@@ryanmelton2182 Ever try any of the Metal Gear games or Witcher games? Resident Evil games? Final Fantasy titles? Spec Ops The Line?
Those are great as well.
For me TLOU2 was great, until the Abby section dragged itself out and overstayed it's welcome by a lot.
And the fact that you don't finish the job at the end. Otherwise it was indeed a good game.
Same, one of the greatest games ever made
@@sirazazeloflowkey6424 I have! Witcher is fantastic! Resident Evil games are solid too.
I personally thought Abby’s part of the story was the best. Also, Ellie not finishing the job was the whole point. She knew killing Abby wouldn’t free her of her pain about what happened. Abby moved on from her past. Ellie, in that moment realized that’s what she needed to do too. I absolutely loved the ending.
I mean the pacing is not the best, but the people that hate the game, does not hate the pacing, they hate Abby because she did what every single one of us would have done if some dude kill our dad, I guess that since I really don't like Joel as a person, by the time he dies i was like, well, consequences man, and having the chance to play as the "bad guy "in a video game is just great, the game is not perfect but look at the response towards the game, the director and the studio, thats the reason why bigger studios rather play it safe with predictable stories
No, people hate the game because of its shit writing.
ur just mad joel died lmfao. game is amazing and expresses heartbreak and hate amazingly. grow up
@@jailinet4593 Maybe learn to spell, your lack of comprehension betrays your lack of intelligence.
First off: Joel needed to die. That's not something anyone with any sense can argue against. The thing is, he died so early on and then every single bit of Ellie's side of the campaign just makes her an idiotic revenge monster. Abby is just as bad, and they both get wrapped up in these nonsensical love triangles that really shouldn't be given the time of day. If Joel hadn't died so early on or in such a narratively contrived way, people would have been fine with his death.
The only reason you think this story is amazing is because you either haven't actually experienced a revenge story in your life (which means you're incredibly poorly read) or your bar for good writing is so fucking low that you'll swallow this shit whole. You want a better story about revenge? God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, Bioshock Infinite have all got it. Even Devil May Cry 5 weaves a better story about revenge and familial love than this schlock.
I would not kill anyone who just saved my life... rethink your statements please
@@AirahsELL
Joel didn't "need to die", simp. A sequel where Ellie and him went on another adventure together would have been great all on it's own. You game of thrones mentality type of people need to go first yourselves in the mirror so you can attempt to get some satisfaction out of your jaded and saturated lives.
Outstanding video. To me, it comes down to this. At that last moment, when he sees the flash of memory of him playing the guitar, she realizes that Abby is Lev's Joel. If she ends her, she will just continue to cycle of hate and loss, only passing it down to Lev. She breaks the cycle. And it's beautiful.
Also, I feel like many people interpret the final epilogue differently. I personally think that the ending is happy, or at least positive: I believe that Ellie has ALREADY rejoined with Dina. She didn't return to the empty house surprised that she is gone, shocked. She has already reuinted with Dina and JJ, she's only returning to the house to collect her own things. I think the bracelet on her hand is a key - she doesn't have it with her when she goes to Santa Barbara.
But she realizes she has to leave that part of herself there - her belongings, Joel's guitar. It symbolizes her finally moving on with her life.
Finally somebody with a brain; the bracelet and Ellie having no weapons indicates that she already has reunited with Dina and JJ, I felt like she just went to say goodbye to Joel (the guitar) and finally move on. She’s free and happy. It’s a brilliant well written ending.
:O That's what I call painstaking attention to detail. Thank you!
Like many, I jumped on the hate wagon and hated naughty dog and Neil Druckmann for making TLOU 2 and thought it was the worse game I've ever played. I didn't even bother with Abby's section. When I got to that point and realized they wanted me to see things from Abby's POV I stopped the game and got it refunded. I refused to accept that they wanted us to actually like an overly muscular grotesque woman who bashed the old protag from the first game's head in with a fucking golf club. I was practically seeing red and bashed naughty dog every chance I got. But after watching many reviews and breakdowns of just what TLOU 2 is, it's helped me see things, just like naughty dog wanted: from another perspective. That there is always two sides to something and I was ignoring the other side because I wanted another TLOU 1, and naughty dog could've easily done that but decided to take the concept of the first game and flipped it on its head to tell another compelling narrative just as good as the first game. I can say I'm more pleased with the game than I was initially. To me, will it ever come close to the first game? No, that game is a masterpiece and will stay that way but this game is good it just takes a while for everything to fully sink in. I'm glad I decided to look up others' opinions and thought of the game instead of being so closed-minded like I was originaly. Thank you for making this video and expressing how amazing it is, it has its flaws but the parts of it that are good do it well and I'm glad to be able to see it in a better light than before.
I hope you also realize that immediately running out to bash and abuse people online cause you didn’t like something is a really awful thing to do
That's great to hear. Maybe if people like you can change their opinions there is still hope lol. Also, I hope you don't still think muscular women are 'grotesque.' WTF Open your mind some more in every direction from now on. You're on the right track!
@@JumpingMuffinGirl I have no issue with muscular women. That was my initial thoughts only of the model for the game. After watching lots of scenes with Abby in it I got more use to it.
what I hate most about people is that they say their favourite scene was when lev got punched into a garage door
Ik some of them are probably jokes but knowing this fanbase they aren't
These people empathized most with a literal slaver who assaulted a young teenage boy. These people are all psychos.
it is a joke bruh, people call the big guy "fat geralt" and it's a meme, so obviously they're sarcastic
@@Purtle No, you're wrong. Jokes aren't a cover to say hateful shit, dude.
Yeah I don’t get why anyone would joke about that… how about a hat on a dinosaur. That’s funny, not violence.
What TLoU2 did was expose the soul of anyone who played it. The sad part is that a lot of those souls lack empathy and tue ability to see beyond themselves
The director of TLOU2 forced a talented and acclaimed writer, Amy Hennig, out of the company. He also protected a sexual predator by the name of Robert Cogburn. He also fired people when the pandemic started, IE threatened the very lives, for the gall of not liking a fictional character he created.
*A game written by this man is what you base morality on?*
@@crazyinsane500nobody has time to argue with you dude. If your so immature that you can’t understand what I wrote then you don’t have a leg to stand on to question me. No, ND is not my mf basis of morality. I’ll say this once : no matter what I believe about religious deities Jesus had a lot of really solid truths about the human condition. One was
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a](A) and hate your enemy.’(B) 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,(C) 45 that you may be children(D) of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.(E) 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?(F) Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
It costs you nothing to hate someone but to step into their shoes, understand how they feel and realize that maybe your not the only person in the world who matters will cost you your ego. It’s the loss of that ego that will create a world without hate and without war. But before anyone can ever see peace we have to see beyond ourselves
@@crazyinsane500 he is not basing morality on this game. And it has nothing to do with the man who wrote it. It's a bout what was written. The story of this game. How the haters can't be open minded to see all perspectives of a story. How people are being selfish and want revenge just like the characters in the game.
@@paddyjohnson2313 So Neil Druckmann's perspective is valid, that he was morally correct to protect a sexual predator, give the boot to better creators than him, and fire people for not liking his *fictional* characters? All of his victims are just "being selfish and want revenge?"
This is why the author's relevant: The game tries to teach you his morals. Well fucking apply them to a real person, the writer himself. It's not profound, it's the writer trying to say "but both sides guys" after he's done nothing but morally reprehensible things. So let's hear it: With the morals taught to you by this game, what should be done regarding Neil Druckmann?
@@crazyinsane500 Try separating the art from the artist dude
Look at all the haters in the comments. It's been months, they still haven't finished the game but can't stop shit talking it.
It’s like a badge of honor to them to not finish a game and pretend like they understand everything about it,
I've finished this game 7 times now. I still think the writing is horrible.
@@alessandroofthemediterranean lol
@@EzioMAltair who said I'm lying? Going around the internet and saying that opinions are lies is a pretty miserable way of making a point dude. I guess it goes to show the kind of people who actually defend bad writing, go figure.
@@EzioMAltair you seem to lack common sense. If I finished the game seven times, it must mean I liked the gameplay. It's one of the best third person shooters I've played. The writing and gameplay are two different things.
Absolutely the best story driven game ive ever played
Even better than it’s first part? That’s doubtful
Honestly I’d second that. Much more mature game
I think this game is the worst
Thanks for this. The title of your video is verbatim what I said to my brother right after we both finished this game.
Narratively it feels like a game from the future.
I think sizable portion of the gaming community wasn’t ready for something like this yet.
nah its not because gamers weren't ready its because the BS pathetic war between anti sjw and sjw ,, make no mistake friend but the majority of TLOU2 haters are anti sjw sheep ,, they hate the game so much because of abby appearance and the lesbians scenes ,, sure they're some legit haters out there with legit reasons to dislike the game but they're rare to find and also you won't see them absolutely trash TLOU2 like how these anti sjw sheep usually do ,,, hopefully the true gamers can one day wake tf up so we can united and kick these losers out of the gaming community ,, especially the anti sjw because right now they're behaving way worst than all of the sjw combined ,, and what happened to TLOU2 and cyberpunk 2077 is a perfect example to the toxicity of the anti sjw sheep and how they're destroying gaming ,, just look how they're still bitc#ing about TLOU2 and still considered it as a 0 of 10 game and at the same time they're praising and worshiping cyberpunk 2077 (a game with tons of bugs and glitches) and call it a perfect game and all of that just because some sjw woman disliked cyberpunk !!! these clowns are the covid19 of the gaming community.
This game is going to age so well.
THE HATERS are just used to the same generic stories over and over again...they are dumb
One of the cleanest to the point videos on the game I've seen. It deserves to blow up on views. Great work man
I love last of us 2 and I think it truly deserved the game of the year the story was great in my opinion it shows us that in the apocalypse isn't all butterflies and rainbows you can lose anything or anyone you love at any moment not only that watching ellie make bad decisions based on revenge is just amazing you really feel the emotion on both sides with Abby and ellie
I love the gore in this game. It’s not like doom, where you shoot someone and a geyser of blood comes out. The gore in this game feels like something that would actually happen to a human being if you grabbed a gun and shot them in the face. This is supplemented horrifyingly (in the best way possible) with the graphics. I actually winced when Yara was getting her arm smashed, even though it never happened. I never saw something like that happen in real life, but I can just imagine that’s how it’d look.
I loved this game. Wish I could erase it from my memory, and play this masterpiece all over again.
I love Part 2 due to the fact that it gives you expectations, and does what you dont want it to.
Just like life. It's like Joel said, at the child's grave right before Tommy's Dam...
"Things happen, and we move on."
Big Congrats for your detailed analysis! Still, nothing can fully describe the depth and quality of the last of us part 2. What a masterpiece...
I think its ok to not like it because of the "sad" story NaughtDog is telling, but I just cant understand people hating it, and giving it the worst score possible. I mean, even if the story was a piece of shit (which in my opinion its quite the opposite) the game is undeniably technically top notch. Does the game deserves the worst score because u didn't like one of the many elements that builds the game?
@@doncorleone4943 That's actually the highest completion rate ever for any major PS4 game. 59% is a very high completion rate, especially given the length and how supposedly a lot didn't finish it due to the story (a lot of liars/haters). I loved the game and am still thinking about after finishing it a few days ago. I just wanted to address the fact that its completion rate is impressive.
@@somerled5513 Oh damn i didn't know that, but still the 41% of people who didn't finish lose all credibility when it comes to rating the game. I also finished the game for a second time a few days ago and the last conversation between Ellie and Joel hit me like a bag of bricks. You just cannot miss it.
@@doncorleone4943 Yeah man, to be honest that ending and that scene in particular really got me feeling quite depressed/sad. I want to play the game again but don't know if I can face going through all that again. Such a strange feeling seeing as it's a video game. There's something traumatic about it, especially given the first game. I have a feeling it'd be worse the second time around because you know what's coming at the end....
@@somerled5513 Yeah, I can totally agree. If your first playthrough made you feel sad for losing a video game character, the second playthrough will make you feel as if you had lost someone very close to you, like a family member. The game is unapollogetic, depressing and gut wrenching in the best kind of way. It truly is the pinnacle of storytelling and no one can convince me otherwise.
@@doncorleone4943 Damn son.. so you don't recommend a second play-through right after the first? I'm sure the story/ending will be sad no matter when it's played.
The game is a masterpiece. The fact they had the balls to flip us into Abby's shoes and managed to make it work at the same time is just amazing. By the time I got back to the scene in the theater lobby, I wanted to fight Ellie. And having Lev help break Abby's cycle of vengeance was a really nice touch. The only complaint I had with the game was in that Epilogue. I didn't want to fight Abby. I spent a good ten minutes just dodging attacks hoping there was going to be some scene to take over of Ellie letting her go.
I guess that was probably the point - the game forcing you to do things you don’t want to, just as the character doesn’t want to yet feels compelled.
Ain't sure it worked because many people didn't sympatize with Abby just because it worked on you doesn't mean it worked on everyone
@@smoker5989 well that's their problem, isn't it? not the developers. the game is a litmus test for empathy and a lot of people failed.
i think in time people will come around to this game
Yes and that's the most annoying part about it. I'd rather them hate it for stupid reasons like Joel dying or not understanding why Ellie let Abby live than to later in a few years say it was a masterpiece or a really good game
Did not happen. Yet, obviously. Maybe we will check back in another years time?
Still considered as the trash product that it is.
Love your interpretation of the narrative. Was a really interesting watch.
Imo it isn't perfect, but this game does have brilliant moments and provides a story just as engaging as the first game. This is a game I will never forget.
i never understood the idea that abby’s introduction was poorly done. if anything it proves a point. TLOU universe shows morally grey characters doing actions that are unforgivable and redeemable. Joel’s introduction to the game series, is that of pity… the dude literally lost his daughter. He found comfort and hope through ellie. His greyness as a character is not truly explored until part 2 because we feel so guilty for questioning the man who we pitied. Abby’s introduction shows true greyness to the storyline, sure these characters did horrible things but that doesnt me they’re not a human lol. Abby may have done something unforgivable but that doesn’t make her just ‘the villain’. Abby’s arc to me is a true exploration of morally ambiguous characters and how they should be revealed within media. Not someone to be pitied/loved but hated and likable at the same time.
I love this analysis! This game is a masterpiece. In my opinion I feel like people that have deeply been through some stuff in losing loved ones understand this masterpiece more. I loved this after my first playthrough understanding that life is a bitch, but you learn to move on even when it's super difficult and traumatic and slowly accept the change. Everyone will handle grief or deal with their problems differently. Mad respect to Naughty Dog and you for a through breakdown.
this review is outstanding... says & asks all the right things, everything that gets overlooked and underappreciated.
I finished the game for the 1st time last night & I think it is the best/my most favorite game, and perhaps even story (movies, books, games, etc), I've ever experienced... words can't describe its tangible impact on me both during gameplay and after completing it.
I'm on my 7th playthrough. I'm a trophy hunter and rarely play games twice. I have 190 platinum trophies and I 100% games in game and trophies. But I keep coming back to part 2. I completely get lost in its world and characters. I absolutely love it. Thanks for the great video
TLOU2 is a new mark in gaming history. It transcends the game in its base and blends into a movie experience where the audience can participate. The argument and direction are tremendous here....Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey give so much to the characters that it's impossible not to feel connected to them.
This is the most human story you can play in a videogame...the depicture of love, hate, self destruction, vengeance and redemption, as well as making you look at the other side of the coin in such a hard and truthful way...for me....make TLOU2 the game of this generation.
thank you for this video. THIS is exactly the summary of everything i wanted to say about this game, and how misunderstood it was to so many people. this is the video i really feel like i want to make but i dont possess the ability to. The Last of Us 2, and both game as a whole, was one of, if not THE BEST story i have ever seen in a video game, hell it is even better than many other media i've ever been exposed to.
TLOU2 is just as much of a masterpiece as the first one.
I can't decide which one I love more. I think part 2 edges out a bit more for me because it has the best stealth gameplay i've ever played whereas part 1 had good gameplay but was missing Ellie's agility.
The greatest writing and story in a video game. Rip all the brain dead "fans" who failed to understand this masterpiece.
It is well-written for sure, considering all the critical acclaim, plus I've seen 3 Hollywood writers praise it. And I fucking love the game.
But still I can totally understand why someone wouldn't like it. I don't understand absolutely hating the game, but just not liking it, sure! It's just a very unique and risky game, and even though the writing is good, just the direction they took with the story just turned a lot of people off.
I get so tired of saying the writing is bad. The dialogue and writing is just as good as the first. They confuse the writing with the story. And the story is also great and I think much more powerful than the first game. Watching Ellie descend down this obsessive path and seeing Abby finally break her path of hatred was so moving. Then when you get to the end and you are just begging Ellie to stop and finally she does and then getting that last piece of the puzzle with Joel and Ellie s last time talking was so heartbreaking knowing they were finally going to fix what was broken. Just amazing work and easily one of the ballsiest games in history
Yeah, rip to people who are missing such a good expirience
@@sablemae8853 👍
@@nitish_atreides I’m 100 percent with you. The hate for this game is confusing to me. The game doesn’t have micro transactions, isn’t buggy and is complete. I get the hate for fallout 76 and Anthem etc but this I just can’t understand. So you didn’t like how they told the story? So what. Move on.
I understand the hate for the last of us but I think people cry too much. It's just a game, yea it sucks what they did to joel but people completely disregard the whole game over the story -_- idk if anyone paid attention to how detailed the actual game is but it's very impressive. From the gameplay to the drama, the game Is solid.
I think people will look back at it and realize they slept on it, like days gone. Joel's death needs to marinate a little longer
Best part of the game to me is the ai
I can literally play encounters of this game over and over
I’ve probably beat the Santa Barbra section over 100 time but idk
To me the best gameplay and animations in a game ever
First game to make gameplay feel like a cutscene(if that makes sense)
people wasn't able to pay attention to the gameplay because they didn't like abby most youtubers didnt even wanna play through the game because the story plot
Because the game desperately wants to be a movie and sucks at it.
@@40drawsmall24 yea I kno, I mean I'm not a fan of abby but I ain't out here crying about some game character. I played the game for what it is and its dope as fuck
@@youngwhitemale1366 I played it in the hardest difficulty my first play through and the AI was the most realistic shit ever. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
The combat animations are so intense, if you kno how to play the game it almost looks like a cutscene
I fully agree with what you are trying to say. It's funny how (most) people right now want to live in an echo chamber, surrounding them with their own ideas of the world, to such an extent of hating even the actress for playing a part in this so called "worst game". TLOU 2 is good. Too good. I felt remorse for each characters that had to die for this endless cycle of senseless revenge. And this feeling grew stronger and stronger as I felt abhorent towards Ellie's actions. She did not know how to stop, she did not know how to yield and let all of this pass, even though it made her feel sick in the gut. She even got a PTSD for all of this killing for god sake! Man, the writer did some very very good work creating such a compelling story.
Firstly, I am one of those who really loved the game. Second, I have watched many videos and reactions towards this game and your insights are one of the best! Man I am really really satisfied with this video of yours. I really want to post in social media about how this game is so amazing and and how I loved it and if I am going to make a vlog, This video is exactly how I want my reaction video to turn out. Wow I really love this. You are also the only person I watched who saw the resemblance of the final act where Abby carried Lev and when Joel carried Ellie to save her. I also think the same regarding why haters hate this game. One of the main reasons is that naughty dog have shown us the two sides of the story and that many people are not ready for that and so they couldn’t accept it. But you are right, love it pr hate it is one’s choice and no one could rob that from them. I myself want a happy ending when in fact, there isn’t always a happy one and that is a reality we need to accept. Wow you are amazing bro sorry for the long comment. I hope you notice me. You definitely earned a sub. Great Job!
Check out the yt channel tlou strategist. He mad a 3 part series analysing tlou in depth
@@sirmustard5337 yes bro ive already watched it. Thank you for recommending ❤️
Excellent job. Keep up the great analyses
The Last of Us II is brilliant. Can't stop thinking about it. Thank you for your analysis.
I agree with this video, I absolutely love this game it's very deep. It takes a matured mind to understand the depths of what this game not only presents us but teaches us as a human race.
I thought I was watching a 50k+ subs RUclips channel at the very least. Very good content my man. Keep it up and I'm sure you can exceed even that number.
Came back to this video after a while and it’s still really good, nice job!
I would just like to say, I thought the game was amazing, it’s my favorite video game. This is just my personal opinion.
The haters:
"Abby is a monster for killing Joel. He doesn't deserve to die, and especially not in this manner" (they'd do the exact same thing as abby if someone killed their father)
"I hate that Ellie didn't kill her at the end. Bad writing"(seriously you have to be a complete an utter nut job to want abby to die at the end, and think that Joel didn't have it coming)
"Misleading trailers. Trash game" (the scene with Jessie that was made out to look like Joel had literally zero impact on my experience with the game. Its borderline irrelevant)
Lets take a deep dive into Ellies revenge: kills everyone close to Abby, including a pregnant woman, one of them in the exact same manner that Abby kills joel, and a cute dog. Later in the game after being found by abby and let live for a second time, she goes on a second rambo mission. Finds abby in an emaciated state. Puts a knife to a child's throat threatening to kill them if the emaciated human doesn't fight them. Starts this fight with a knife and her opponent had just fists. This is not eye for an eye but 100 eyes for an eye, and then some.
^ but all of that is justified because abby killed Joel! They have such a naive view. The divide over this game is basically illustrating two types of people...those who think revenge is justified no matter how you carry it out, and those that forgive. Essentially both Ellie and Abbie become driven by revenge but one comes to her senses before the other (even if its at the help of Lev). Would an abby that didn't care about Lev have just slaughtered everyone in the theatre? Probably but that is such a boring cycle of revenge because someone else on ellies side would come after abby in a TLOU3. Similarly if Ellie does kill abby at the end what if an older Lev comes back for Ellie in TLOU3? Again yawnfest rambo/revenge stories
Having Ellie take the moral high ground makes no sense after they killed each other’s friends and Ellie killed a bunch of other people that had nothing to do with Joel’s death.
@@nathannix3217 yep
Abby didnt just kill Joel, she tortured him. If my father was trying to kill a little child, and as a result got killed I would probably still pursue revenge, however if the same man that killed my father later saved me, and knowing my father died because he was about to kill an innocent child... I dont think I would avenge him.
Yeah, bad writing. She showed that she doesnt care about a fair fight since she had a knife while Abby only had her fists, Ellie should have killed her as soon as she cut him down from that pole. Or even just consider not cutting her down and leaving her there to rot.
"I dont care that 1+1 doesnt equal 3, it doesnt bother me."
@@thorthewolf8801 lol listen to yourself though. Ellie literally does the exact same thing with a metal pipe (tortures someone), but on top of that kills everyone close to abby including a pregnant woman, a dog, and threatens to kill a child as blackmail
It's not even subjective who is the bigger evil by the end of the game. In that moment of joels death yes abby is a greater evil but its not like she didn't have her reasons (like Joel killing her father and making it impossible for the human race to create a vaccine). Also abby could have killed everyone in the theatre and chose not to
Your analogy of "I don't care about how people feel if I go rambo" is not really any different to what abby did. Sure you may have a view of "do anything to my loved one and see what happens" but you also have to take the consequences of that. Cause and effect. Joel had a consequence to his actions(he not only lost his pife but he ruptured his relationship with ellie). Ellie had several devastating consequences to her actions(losing her partner and child, losing a finger, regret etc). Abby had a consequence to her action since killing Joel = all her friends died).
It's really strange you detest abby but literally say you'd do the exact same as her. Saying "I don't care that 1+1 doesn't = 3" is admitting that you'd do anything (like torture multiple people and "leave them to rot") as revenge for someone killing or harming someone close to you, yet have this disgust for abby. Its the same thing
@@nathannix3217 Ellie is shown snapping out of her murderous rage when she sees someone as analogous to her friends. She stopped when she killed Mel not because she was pregnant but because Dina is pregnant. She sees Joel in Abby. So she just can't kill her.
Can’t stop thinking about this game every time I beat it I’m ready for part 3 when ever that comes out
😂😂😂 r u kidding me who is paying u guys the game looks good and was fun with the kills but that’s it know where near as good as Lou 😅
@@rolandsmalls8886 why would someone pay him to say that lol
@@notantisocial5875 i forgot about this video it made me laugh that's why i wrote that true comment😂
You hit every point I've been saying in favour of this game. It was devastating and brutal and you feel like your spirit's been carved out at the end but that's absolutely the point. This series was never going to have a happy ending. The first game was about Ellie's rise, we learn to love her through protecting her, and the sequel is about her fall - there are no heroes in this story. In the end she loses everything to vengeance and the cycle of violence. Even though, at the last minute, she chose to walk away... it wasn't enough. You don't come out of this clean. She has been brutalized and disfigured emotionally and physically because violence leaves scars. If she'd had her "win" by killing Abby, it would have felt hollow and cheap. There was no blaze of glory, she wouldn't be a hero, she'd just be starting it all over again. We'd have seen her turn into an empty vessel for vengeance. When she makes the choice to leave that quest, we see what the whole series has been about from the beginning. Showing us that there are no monsters -- just people.
spot on. it’s an origin story
of the fireflies who were stranded after joel and ellie tore them to shreds; despite them earnestly looking for fireflies in part 1. it’s a story of karma
and vengeance and the consequences of action. with some spotty fillers in between but man was i on the edge of my seat for most of the game
words cant explain how much I love the last of us 2
NGL, on my 1st playthrough, there were multiple times when I had tears in my eyes but managed to not actually cry. When Abby says to Lev, "I got you." the dam broke. All the pent up emotion just flooded out. I had to pause the game because I was crying uncontrollably. Gawd this game just puts you through the emotional wringer.
It's funny how people keep leaving shitty comments about the game. I mean.. they clearly can't get enough of it if they're back day after day. It's like watching someone who has a crush, but won't shut the hell up about how "awful" they are. Shit's sad, haha 😂
Hahaha, here's another one!☝
Yeah, the people who hate this game are fucking ridiculous and childish about it. They're the same people that said Ghost of Tsushima and Cyberpunk 2077 were going to bury The Last of Us Part II this year 😂. Ghost was great, I enjoyed it quite a bit, but it wasn't GOTY material. And we all saw how Cyberpunk 2077 turned out 😂. The Last of Us Part I and II are on equal terms in my eyes, they're my third and fourth favorite games of all time next to Red Dead Redemption I and II.
I didn't personally play Ghost, but it looked pretty good. Definitely not GOTY, but good nonetheless.
I also just picked up Cyberpunk. Quite a bit of controversy on that one, but I'm playing it on PS4 Pro and it's been running fairly well.
It really seems that TLoU Pt. II got a ton of unwarranted hate. Then again.. it seems like everyone on the internet hates everything this year - even more so than previous years.
@@JoMcD21 It's because everyone is miserable this year I reckon, going stir crazy because of the conditions that COVID-19 put them in. So they're projecting that on to anyone and everything. I don't have anything against the folks that don't like TLoU Part II for good reasons, but the people that don't even give it a chance bother me quite a bit.
Definitely agreed
Greatest game ever
Not even close.
@@darkninja9135 lies
@@iamneo1690 I mean it's a great game but I would never say that it's the greatest game ever.
@@darkninja9135 Cool. What's your favourite game e ever? Right now I'm loving Ghost of Stushima
@@iamneo1690 My favourite game is Horizon Zero Dawn, I also want to buy Ghost Of Tsushima.
I’m still mulling this story over a year later and planning to do a replay soon.
I went into the game putting aside my preconceived notions from the only real spoiler I know of was Joel's death and a couple of other small things. There was a lot of things I think were great with the game, but I feel a few parts of the story were very well written but some were not (which I think couldve been easily been great if they just had a little more written to them). But when the credits started to roll and me and my girlfriend talked about what we think of the game as a whole, even now I still feel conflicted about how I feel about the game and Im still figuring out what my final verdict on it is
The game was amazing, I enjoyed the story. I enjoyed playing as Abby way more than Ellie, she had the cooler weapons... flamethrower, crossbow, the ability to craft fire shotgun shells AND SHIV’s again loool I might be the only person that kinda wanted Ellie dead at the end of the game because of her decisions, she left her family to find Abby just to let her go (leads into the last of us part 3) but I liked Abby because at least she tried to redeem herself by helping Yara and Lev 🤷🏾♂️
The story for this game is f'n epic and those that hate it are truly missing out..
The gore and the mayhem? yep, agree. the rest of the story? hum ..... I don't think so
@@Erick-er2zi to each their own 🤷♂️
those that lack emotional intelligence are the ones hating it...
My feelings on the plot
Prologue: Oh this is actually pretty goo-OMG WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!??
Ellie Section: I CRAVE WLF BLOOD!! MUHUHUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA
Abby Section: All I care about is Yara & Lev, screw the rest of ya'll
Last Quarter: Dude Im so fed up, just let it end
The Last of Us 3 will be a satisfying conclusion of both Abby and Ellie. It must be.
Great Video and thats being said, for me, an Personal opinion, TLOU2 is the perfect sequel for the unbelievebal first game (the all time favourite for me) and a truly masterpiece
my heart is racing so fast while watching this
I don't know how anyone could not love this game? It's the most emotional game I have ever played. After playing Abby I found myself liking her and getting attached. My only bitch is with Ellie on the farm with Dina and JJ. I wish Ellie would have given up on her vengeance. I know that's hard to deal with but she had a family at that point and she wasted it. Such a roller 🎢 coaster of emotions in this game. Incredible.
She might've until tommy played the reverse uno guilt card she did to him after Joel's death. But she might not have ever gotten over her PTSD and her health would've continued to suffer
i think she would have killed herself if she didn't get closure, so in a sense i think she had to go. it's just that it came at a cost.
You have given my opinion a voice. I felt the same anxiety when playing LOU2, not wanting to finish the game because I was afraid of what would happen. Would Ellie's rage consume her? Would I be forced to kill Ellie as Abby? I was so scared, because I loved Ellie and grew to love Abby. I was so relieved when neither one killed the other, ans was literally yelling at the screen during the final battle "don't do it" Naughty dog truly pulled my heart apart with this story, and the people who don't understand it's depth are worse off for it. This game and story, was a triumph.
I was one of those people who really disliked the leaks from the last of us 2, dare say hated it, but after watching the game movie by another youtuber.. I couldn't help but to love/hate the game... Its brutally honest and real... honestly made me tear up in some moments, If I would of played it myself I would of definitely ugly cried haha. The greatest lesson is often taught with dire situations, like you said in the video.. the actors in this game movie were phenomenal, soundtrack was on point, writing was great, it elevated gaming to a new stage... I think the reason most people hated it was cause people were being fed up with SJW's ruining most entertainment everywhere.
The game made me question, forgiveness... what is it?
Hey I think you’re right about people watching rather than playing. I am one of those people as I don’t have a PS4. I watched the whole game twice.
My theory about the game is that if you play it, you’re more likely to suspend disbelief or your self of being. As for me, I hated seeing the puppet master behind the curtains.
My main issue with the game is that all the lessons this game wants to teach are never really tested by the gamer, but resolved by the story. E.g. one player I watched wanted to forgive Abby so he liked the ending and thinks the game is a masterpiece. But the other streamer hated Abby and just couldn’t forgive her. But the ending doesn’t change. Now I think we should have been given a choice. Because forgiveness is extremely hard sometimes, and the game just did it for you. It would have been next level if they made us choose and made us live with our weakness of non-forgiveness.
@@Klutch29 if they gave us an option we wouldn't be still talking about this game. The fact that they forced us into a corner to swallow the sadness, pain, guilt, and anger is what made the game what it is. If their was an option at the end it would of killed the purpose of playing a story based game. If it was choice based game from the start, like the first game, then I would agree otherwise I believe it would of zapped the emotion out of the game... just to satisfy peoples escapism addiction.
@@KidbuuGODMODE I can understand you when you say the game is forcing you to go through it all. If that is the case, then we have to stop saying this game is about empathy. Because EXPLICIT empathy is where the game tried to engage the audience, not inherent implicit empathy. At that point, its even MORE about escapism.. but it's not about killing or blowing stuff up. It's the escapism to moral superiority. It's recreational piousness. Basically, this game allows people to pretend to be better people than they are because they just pressed the button to have Ellie let Abby go (or worse, killed a bunch of people to get to the cutscene where the character does something morally just). I'll even let you keep the choice argument. Let's keep the current no-choice ending. There is no other way the story affected your actions in the game. I'm sure you made a lot of people explode during gameplay and killed a lot of dogs. The game even goes the extra distance to give enemies names so the player is invited to be empathetic towards survivalists in this bleak apocalypse. and what did we do? We headshot and blew them up. Did we turn off our hearts during gameplay and turn it back on during cutscenes? Non-lethal takedowns or COMPLETE stealth walkthrough would have GOATED this game in my opinion as it would give the players an opportunity to express themselves alongside the turmoil of the characters. But the fact that our in-game or contextual behavior is UNCHANGED makes me question how this is accepted as a masterpiece of storytelling in GAMES.
Sorry for the long paragraph. But ultimately, and I don't mean to sound harsh, I think how you're looking at the game is how we look at a movie or a TV show. The script of the game itself is probably one of the best in gaming but the implementation is extremely outdated.
@@Klutch29 hmm no argument here , I agree 100% :) Thanks for the convo
@@KidbuuGODMODE Yeah I dont know why I was arguing myself. Agree to disagree I guess.
One of the best games out there. Abby's story was a redemption arc.
It's not really a redemption arc. Because she never felt remorse for anything.