They've had bandits invade the area for how many years? David's Camp didn't just completely die off, and Tommy had intel of the WLF, they weren't the Seraphites who were absolutely unknown to the settlement. There was intel of the WLF hanging/camping around, the minute Abby began to show off that she can tackle or kill with ease clickers in their rendezvous should have been a red flag in itself. Why go to a place brand new to you where you have 8 or so people vs you two?
The problem is then telling the player to go on and play as her as a protagonist/main character, why? The player has been built to dislike her and view her as the enemy given most if not all are Team Ellie after TLOU1. Telling players to go play as Abby and see her backstory after what she did sort of puts her behind the 8 ball in connecting with a portion of the audience. Everything her and her crew did are portrayed as villains. Add that she cheats with Owen, is/was a lead gun for the WLF in invasions which included killing Seraphites and anyone against the WLF and she really isn't a good person outside of maybe 1-2 events.
In this world they can have flaws and do controversial decisions but we at least had a full game to know Joel and Ellie, this we barely see if at all of Abby and have no idea the meaning behind this character but are given full control of her, based off what was shown, why would players want this in the sequel to TLOU?
They also made it obvious that finding and procuring more people for town was a normal occurrence in Jackson through dialog and through collectibles
That's exactly my point though, people can't let go of their "heroes". We only care about Joel and Ellie because we have history with them. You find the meaning through the gameplay, same as you did with Joel and Ellie.
You really missed the main, not-super-subtle-at-all theme of the game eh?
My issue is telling the player to go play as her after she is portrayed after the intro scene as to being the enemy after you've built a connection with Ellie and Joel from TLOU1. Some people lost their care of the character as the lead up to.
I was spoiled of the event leading to so I know why she did what she did and she does have justification in that regard(I imagine I would hate her more if I didn't know who what why where how) but I played TLOU1 for as long as possible and grew to know Joel and Ellie, not Abby and her crew so I felt no care of anyone except those two as main characters. Why would I want to kill Ellie as a boss in the showdown in the theater?
Ahhh.
I mean, just because deaths can be random and quick doesn't mean that people won't feel a deep sense of remorse or anger about it. Look at how much Joel's daughter's death rippled throughout his entire arc in the first game.
tvtropes.org
The game is silent on how much of a Bandit problem Jackson has anymore now that it's an established trading hub. They don't live in fear of David's camp because as far as they know, either no one from that group wants revenge or else they don't have the resources or knowledge to go on a cross country hike for revenge when they, last we heard, can barely feed themselves. Tommy didn't have WLF intel, he said he just heard them call themselves that and knew that the WLF was based in Washington. The idea that Abby is suspicious for being able to handle clickers is the second dumbest thing because they are 45 years deep into the infection, the only people likely to survive are the ones who know how to handle them. Lastly, the absolute dumbest is the most obvious that the reason they went to a brand new place (where they didn't know how big her group was by the by, they just knew it was 'a group') was that the alternative was staying in the log cabin and having brunch with about 50 infected.
And I am cool with Joel dying, he isn't Nathan Drake and should not be invincible but my main issue with this game was forcing me upon this Abby character and trying to connect me with her after what she did in the intro off the get go. Either it was done in poor execution for me or I just really wanted a game primarily focused on Ellie's ordeal which was what was marketed.
What you're describing is the entire point of the game. We grew attached to Joel in TLOU1, even while he was killing several dozen people throughout the game. He's the monster to many, many people. Joel is the villain. We were able to see his motivations in TLOU1 and why he made his decisions, so there's an understanding for why he did what he did. And now we play as another villain - Abby. That's the point. Every one of these soldiers in the TLOU universe is causing grief, pain, heartache, and loss with every enemy they kill. We saw the human side of the prolific killer that is Joel. Why can't we give Abby the same benefit of the doubt?
The 1st game certainly wasn't silent on the bandits terrorizing the town, so they just get up and vanish? You had people DEFECT from the camp over time as evident by the teen couple that ultimately died trying to get away from the town. Why is is implied that they aren't a threat to the town? A stationed town is always going to come under fire. WLF was scouring through the area and had a pickup on Tommy's town, I find it hard to believe that the town didn't likewise know there is a threat outside, especially if they are making runs how many times a week? They let their guard down and EVEN TOLD THESE PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR CAMP NEARBY! People they've never met before, basically told them where and when in the hopes of recruiting them to the town, not knowing who the heck they are. Put loved ones in danger, that is absolutely uncharacteristic of the two. And yes Abby suplexing or doing whatever to these runners with no real fear is a red flag in my book, doesn't matter how many years it is into the outbreak. This isn't some gee golly teen who left town and got killed, this is someone who was equipped and knew how to fend for themselves and then some.
Not just carelessly walk into a group of 8 people they've never met before and let their guard down and give them the red carpet to their town practically.
Their options:
Didn't Joel and Bill share a similar sentiment in TLOU1 that people are far more deadlier than the infected? They've made runs borderline daily if not weekly, I trust they can handle a horde of infected over a random group hanging in a log cabin this far removed from the outbreak. Good point about the Blizzard though they probably know how to get home though.
It mainly had more impact because you witness an innocent child being gunned down while you the player aren't wholly aware of the circumstances. Children dying in video games, or in any media for that matter, have a more visceral impact than seeing an adult getting killed. Why do you think the Dead Island trailer is so widely regarded as one of the best game trailers ever? It's because it subverts expectations and deals with the death of a child. It's disingenuous to compare the characters to one another in that regard.
Joel trusted Henry & Sam within a minute of meeting them in TLOU1. And Joel, Tommy, and Abby were just running for their lives from that same horde because it's not something they could have fought off indefinitely.
No, they had people raid the power plant that is near the town, but the town itself is heavily fortified.
What does that have to do with anything? The teens died in a hotel. To infected, not bandits. And 'defect' is a very strange word to use for it. Jackson isn't some military organization you have to swear alliegance to. You can leave when you want. And they left with good intentions, they wanted to go help people out in the world.
Jackson is a fucking trading hub. It's not a secret. It's become big enough that hiding is impractical and they are an established power such that it's simply more practical to open up it's doors to travelers because, spoilers for real life btw, that is actually more practical than trying to hide and scrounge away your resources. They obviously take sensible precautions, but they are basically pretty open with strangers.
Sure, I never said otherwise, but this? This is suuuuuuuuuuper dumb. These are bad arguments that simply refuse to accept the circumstances that are established by the game. The only way your objections make sense is if I pretend there that Jackson isn't being a trading hub would create a culture of being friendly with strangers or that someone who knows how to fight is common in this world, or that people leaving the camp is the same as 'defecting' when jackson is just not that kind of town.
Naive from me I just wanted a Ellie and Joel simulator.. I liked those characters and Ellie her DLC in the first time really moved me. I think I did like their handling of Joels dead now after some time.. It made Ellie her story more. But the story was also really really grim
