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The Last of Us Part II - Review Thread
- Thread starter vestan
- Start date
That wasn't the police. That was 3 white men stalking a black man, hitting him several times with their truck, as he tried to escape with his life before he was finally caught and shot. Yes, people are coming together, but it took the decades of bloodshed and violence to get to this point. Just because America is finally coming together and singing kumbaya doesn't mean that ND's view of the world is somehow negated.
I'm going to be frank, I question the value of a lot of these reviews when they can't talk about the narrative in any serious way since it seems like the NDA required an extremely strict unwillingness to address those topics. On one hand, I get that Sony doesn't want anyone spoiled on the story (at least more than they already are after the leaks)... but on the other, this is an incredibly narrative intensive game and that's the main thing it brings to the table. Not being able to more deeply analyze and critique the narrative, which is objectively meant to be the center piece of the entire game, makes the reviews I've read so far just so incredibly limited and unable to address what the game does on a fundamental narrative level or if it achieves its stated themes, etc. There's been loads of criticism for years regarding the Day One embargo reviews, and this is prime example of that trend hurting the criticism of the game. Some outlets seem to touch upon these elements a little, but it also feels like they're not allowed to devote enough attention to actually discussing the narrative on a critical level because of the embargo...
As soon as the game releases they can obviously expound further upon their feelings about the narrative. (Which is what Gamespot is doing)
I get what you are saying though.
You can easily talk about a full narrative without referencing anything after a certain point. As most have.
Read and watched a few reviews that said they were going to put out story related content later; Eurogamer was one of them (assuming next Friday or the week after next). I agree that it's pretty ridiculous.
Astounding reviews as expected. A shame about the Gamespot 8 or it might have joined Breath of the Wild and RDR2 on a 97. Maybe it can still get there with an Edge review or something.
What is this in reference to lol?
What is this in reference to lol?
I don't know what you mean but I wasn't intending to upset anyone. Can you elaborate on why SkillUp was banned? I am new and so maybe I'm not aware of some things, but I thought his review seemed pretty genuine. Again I'm not really aware of context and everything.
In any case, the reviews overall make me want to play the game :)
The gamexplain review is very, very good.
The first review I watched for the game and I dont feel the need to watch another.
Wonderfully detailed and explained. Well structured.
Good stuff.
The first review I watched for the game and I dont feel the need to watch another.
Wonderfully detailed and explained. Well structured.
Good stuff.
yeah honestly i dont really think the sexual orientation matters, but i definitely think a teenaged girl and a 50+ year old man in a realistic world would have different journeys for revenge. or maybe not, maybe im just projecting because I would have a different journey for revenge than what i can see joel (and now apparently Ellie) doing
j..joels shoulders?
In the PlayStation OT, some weeks back I said I didn't think the game was going to touch 95 meta because it has too much baggage in terms of expectations and controversy. Then the previews came, and they made me change that stance, so I said it was going to get a 96 meta in this thread. Game is currently at 96 meta but I'm sure with plenty more reviews to come it will probably drop one or two points.
All in all, seems like a stellar title and will likely be contender for GoTG. I loved the first game so much so I can't wait to get my hands on this one.
All in all, seems like a stellar title and will likely be contender for GoTG. I loved the first game so much so I can't wait to get my hands on this one.
You and me friend. Felt so stupid for not noticing, but it is what is is
Not really from a critical perspective. Literary analysis and story analysis requires you to engage with either the entirety of the text or with a microscopic lens to particular ideas within the text. This is an issue that has plagued Day One and Embargo based reviews for years, but is especially apparent with this game where it seems Sony has had an even more strict than usual NDA when it comes to discussing narrative. I appreciate the fact that outlets seem interested in revisiting this topic later on, but it certainly makes reviews and current critical analysis seem incomplete for the time being regardless of which conclusions they come to. Like if someone really loves the narrative of the game, but can't speak to specifically why because it happens at points they're not allowed to discuss and that's the main focus of the entire game is that central narrative, isn't that kind of a big deal that they can't speak to that in any amount of detail? And vice versa if people agree that the narrative doesn't achieve its goals?
There's a lot of games where narrative doesn't matter as much as in this one, but here this is THE defining element Naughty Dog claims to bring to the table. Again, I understand not wanting to spoil people, but there's also a seriously frustrating limit place on people analyzing that core element. Maybe this is just a lot of continued frustration with these types of reviews over the years coming to the surface, but I wish reviewers got more of an opportunity to actually discuss that central element and apply critical lenses to it.
I can't get mine to preload for one reason or another. I can click the game and click 'Download', but the page flashes and nothing happens, even though auto download has yesterdays date. Maybe it's too soon or everyone is currently trying to preload so it's causing some issues. I just want the game on my system so bad!
Why do people said this? The gameplay isn't just there as a prop you know
What? Yes you can. You can alude to the themes and narrative which multiple reviews did without specifically spoiling those story beats.
That was happening with me yesterday but I just turned my PS4 on and the download started this time. Maybe your console needs a genuine reset? If not, give it a go tomorrow.
It reads like murdering a lot of people (and dogs) is unavoidable and is part of the central thesis of the game.
I get what you are saying, but The Last of Us Part II is one of the worst games to spoil things. Even the smallest details could point out the outcome of important story points, specially because of the leaks. You will understand when you play the game.
Woah, like, non at all? What insensitives are there for playing on the harder difficulty? Unlockables ? There has to be something worth while in comparison to very easy?
Expected 91-92.
Woke up to 96.
We need a 2020 version of this gif
Most game and film reviews aren't true critical analysis. They're just buyer's guides. Like with film criticism, you'll have to wait until the game has been out for awhile to get in-depth critique.
Are there any new tidbits on the performance on a base PS4? I'm worried it'll explode or something because of this game lol
Man I cannot remember my prediction, nor find it. But I think it was 93.
I was very confident that the game was going to be amazing and something very special. But score wise I was not sure it could beat the TLOU since the sequel brought a lot of expectations with it.
So yes, 96 is flippin good. ND did it once again.
I was very confident that the game was going to be amazing and something very special. But score wise I was not sure it could beat the TLOU since the sequel brought a lot of expectations with it.
So yes, 96 is flippin good. ND did it once again.
Reviews are not the place for in-depth analysis that you're looking for. Those require time and reflection. Book reviews for genre fiction are often fluff pieces too - the true critical engagement with a text doesn't come until later.
The type of analysis you want will come.
Well I'm surprised by the ultra high review scores, I expected them to be high but not this high.
The thing is for me that historically the Naughty Dog games have the largest margin between critical reviews reception and my own views on their games. Watching Skill Up's review has pretty much confirmed I am unlikely to enjoy the game very much, but i will certainly be giving it a chance, I'll buy physical, beat it if I enjoy it enough and sell on. I feel as though I have to give it a chance as a gamer who likes to try things and keep an open mind. But everything that has made me not enjoy Naughty Dog games in the past, particularly around enemy AI, pacing and the general gameplay loop suggests TLOU2 won't change my mind going by what Skill Up had to say.
I personally think the overall user perception will not be anywhere near as praise filled as the critics, but we'll see. It seem fans of TLOU will love it and even if that's not for me, many of my close friends who love it and other fellow gamers are going to be very happy about that and that's a good thing. Who knows maybe I'll love it as well when I play next week..
The thing is for me that historically the Naughty Dog games have the largest margin between critical reviews reception and my own views on their games. Watching Skill Up's review has pretty much confirmed I am unlikely to enjoy the game very much, but i will certainly be giving it a chance, I'll buy physical, beat it if I enjoy it enough and sell on. I feel as though I have to give it a chance as a gamer who likes to try things and keep an open mind. But everything that has made me not enjoy Naughty Dog games in the past, particularly around enemy AI, pacing and the general gameplay loop suggests TLOU2 won't change my mind going by what Skill Up had to say.
I personally think the overall user perception will not be anywhere near as praise filled as the critics, but we'll see. It seem fans of TLOU will love it and even if that's not for me, many of my close friends who love it and other fellow gamers are going to be very happy about that and that's a good thing. Who knows maybe I'll love it as well when I play next week..
Good to know you picked out the one highly negative review to reaffirm your confirmation bias
The fact that one is panned and the other praised is frustrating though. I do wonder how TLOU2 will lean into exploitation though. Patho2 never felt, for lack of a better word, cruel, but some of the footage of TLOU2 seems to be crossing into torture porn territory
Just turned it off and back on and still nothing. What's really strange is that whenI go into my library, the game is labeled as "The Last of Us II Pre-Order" and there is no thumbnail image. I click to auto download, go out, go back in, and the auto download keeps unchecking itself. Buggy to say the least, but I'll keep trying.
I know gameplay isn't just a prop, but as controversial as it may be, The Last of Us was never particularly innovative or unique in terms of gameplay to me. It was solidly made, but it never felt like Naughty Dog really presented that as their defining element of the game, but rather than what they brought uniquely well to the table was the narrative and characters on a scale with much higher production values than most in the industry. Without those elements, The Last of Us is just a competent third person survival shooter game. The narrative always drove the game more than the gameplay, to me at least.
I guess that's also what I'm getting at. Because The Last of Us Part II is so story driven, the value of the Buyer's Guide Early Review feels seriously diminished. I understand reviews are not entirely critical pieces, but it just feels like a shame to not let the narrative be the focal point of the conversation on the game when its what Naughty Dog touts as its defining element, especially again with the context of one of apparently the strictest NDAs we've seen in a long while.
Yeah it's super annoying. Seems buggy all around and maybe we just need to wait a little longer? No idea.