The Old PlayStation Thread | *NEW THREAD IS UP*

So i finally finished "The Last of Us 2" last night after about two months. I recently moved into a new home, so that combined with I take my sweet time to enjoy games/moments like this, allowed for me to fully digest this game.

Here are my thoughts below to anyone who cares to read:

So, I obviously didn't get to read much of anyone's thoughts on this today, as most of the discussion happened way earlier in this thread & It would take too long to go back and find everyone's posts. But I'm pretty sure I know what all the "fuss" was about...

-First, this is probably the most beautiful/detailed game I have ever played on the PS4. My previous would have been God of War. (Enemies reactions to when I kill their peers, the workbench animations, overall graphics, the soundtrack, voice acting, etc) :pimp:

-The gameplay was incredibly fun for me. I had the option of going into a fight scene, shoot one guys leg off, throw a bottle at them to stun them, surprise grab them from the back and use them as a hostage to kill one of their peers or straight feed them to a clicker if I wanted. When my health was low, I could slide & kill someone all before I get to the next cover spot to heal up or jump off a platform and stab someone. :wow:
The L1 button & crawling under spaces in hand to hand combat made those encounters joyful too! AI was suspect initially for me, but man once I switched to HARD, the game became quite challenging in the combat scenes as the callouts & communication amongst the enemies in battles & dogs were STRESSFUL. :angry:
I also noticed if I injured someone & I didn't kill them & they were the last to survive in a given scene, that character will tend to talk some kind of hot ****, so it made that last kill satisfying as hell! :lol:

-The immersion/character motivations was enhanced in this game tremendously. Also, I can't tell you how tense I was throughout the game due to the jump scares, stalkers & scene environments. I didn't know what was going to happen next & man that was such an experience!

-So Joel's death. :frown:
To me I can understand both perspectives here & I personally ain't mad at ND. Joel & Tommy were both two individuals who have been very cautious throughout the course of this franchise, so to see Joel just get bodied like that, as someone who we all connect with was tough. :smh:
But, I think given the time that has passed in this game, i could make sense of how it happened. He lived in this town for so long & it allowed him to feel "safe". Even during that scene, I think both Tommy & him want to take the group back to Jackson (refill supplies etc) as being surrounded by that group felt like a threat, but the key here is i don't think Joel saw Abby as a threat because she was another girl that reminded him of Eliie. So when she knocked his block off, I'm sure he was shook, as were we. But at the same time, even in this game, its hard for me to believe Joel just completely lost his entire survivor instinct with the patrols he had to do & even the dialogue he had with Jesse about being very careful in his patrols with Ellie. So i definitely can see the frustration here, as I had it, but I could only express how I'm expressing it now after allowing some time to feel it, given how long it took me to play the game. Joel died at the hands of Abby, who i do not care about at all, but my perspective changed as I kept playing. Also, the death had to happen given the nature of THIS game. What else could push Ellie that far? Then seeing how their dynamic played out through the cutscenes throughout the game was fantastic. Like seeing Ellie and Joel’s last interaction at the end of the game makes his death even more heartbreaking. He died without Ellie fully forgiving him. :frown:

-Playing as Abby. I didn't care for it initially, but as I played, I didn't mind it. Would have preferred playing as Ellie the entire game though.

-In reference to the ending, I can see both perspectives like the Joel scene. It was very anti-climatic given the build that Ellie was going to get her revenge. But seeing it play out was eye opening for me. Ellie was on the verge of losing it all the entire game both emotionally and physically. But she felt the revenge would consume her, corrupt her, and destroy everything good left around her, so what good would this do for her? Plus, they needed to show this character growth if they ever plan on using Ellie for a part 3 etc.
Also, for Abby, Joel was a symbol of her hate & the end of HER happiness. Finally killing him, did nothing for her. She was completely lost in her hate. It only when she comes across Lev that she finds purpose & doesn't even want to fight Ellie at the end. Nonetheless, given this franchise I feel they should have created dual endings & let the gamer decide if they wanted to kill/not kill Abby kind of like how Lara could shoot the person at the end of Rise of Tomb Raider and then just alter the ending cinematics given the choice. For me, I can respect the ending & i think its a fine way to finish off this franchise with these characters if that is what actually happens.

-Does anyone feel Dina didn't just leave or abandon Ellie at the end of the game? Or is that just me? :nerd: Because the last scene felt more of like a return to close a chapter in her life etc rather than walking into a surprise as Ellie didn't have any dialogue to suggest that like " Dina?!?! You there?!? etc.

So despite these storyline surprises I can definitely see people having an issue with, that I didn't as strongly as I feel others did, this was still a memorable experience for me. As a gamer, I may have a specific want or need, but if it isn't met ENTIRELY, it's fine because how else can a developer have freedom if we don't critique it objectively. Naughty Dog's storytelling and attention to detail as I mentioned above was still appreciated. :pimp:

Bad Religion Bad Religion , I faintly remember you posting some podcasts with Neil. What were the major takeaways from those if you remember in references to criticisms etc. I remember they were like two hours long & I didn't want to listen to them all. Feel free to post in a spoiler if needed. Also, any tips on how to obtain the Platinum efficiently after completing the game? I'm at 47%. Saw you got your usual 100%. :lol:

Thanks.

PO
 
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Now it's on to playing Fall Guys (anyone play yet?) & finishing up RDR2 before the year is over. :lol:

PO
 
I played a handful of matches and thought it was cool. It's a great way to pass time but it's not something that I can see myself playing for more than a few hours. It'll probably be the first to get deleted if I run out of room again :lol:
 
I cost myself 2 easy victories last night jump for the crown when it was out of reach.

I don't like the final round games that much.
 
I had a weird thing where I would always buy the same color controller as my vehicle.

Red Jeep Liberty
Black Nissan Titan
Blue Nissan Titan

Well, probably going to have to break that moving forward...

1597089149112.png

Son that is the freshest parking lot I have ever seen :wow:
 
po2345 po2345

I dont think Neil was necessarily defending his choices, but he certainly goes on at length as to why these choices were made. The biggest takeaway from listening to him and Troy Baker was that expecting any sort of happy ending in the world and characters they created was not seeing the larger picture. I got the impression Neil isnt necessarily mad seeing all of these reactions (well, the ones that aren't dripping in ignorance); his goal was to illicit strong reactions with this game. Say what you will, there are some extremely strong opinions on both sides which isn't a bad thing. As a few people have since posted after watching them, he doesnt really quell anyone's criticisms, but it is certainly fascinating hearing the creator speak about their decisions.

As for platinum, its actually super manageable.

First beat the game, then make sure the save file created (I think it is listed as completed save or something) is never deleted.

Next, start a new game on whatever difficulty you want with the focus on upgrading all abilities and weapons. This should take you through another 60-70% of a playthrough. While doing this, you can look for any missing collectibles.

Once you have the trophies for the guns and abilities, you can work on everything else using chapter select. In chapter select you can see what you are missing for each area. I would recommend playing backward at this point. Start with the latest chapters and move backward. The reason, is the game sutosaves. Once you pick up a missing collectible and quit to the menu (collectibles save to your profile so you can quit a few seconds after finding them) the game will now show where you quit as your furthest point in the game. Normally you would have to load the completed save every time you want to go into a new chapter. But if you go backward you can just knock them all out in a row.

It sounds like a lot, but it is actually pretty easy. Just make sure you do not delete the complete game save and you really cant miss anything.
 
So i finally finished "The Last of Us 2" last night after about two months. I recently moved into a new home, so that combined with I take my sweet time to enjoy games/moments like this, allowed for me to fully digest this game.

Here are my thoughts below to anyone who cares to read:

So, I obviously didn't get to read much of anyone's thoughts on this today, as most of the discussion happened way earlier in this thread & It would take too long to go back and find everyone's posts. But I'm pretty sure I know what all the "fuss" was about...

-First, this is probably the most beautiful/detailed game I have ever played on the PS4. My previous would have been God of War. (Enemies reactions to when I kill their peers, the workbench animations, overall graphics, the soundtrack, voice acting, etc) :pimp:

-The gameplay was incredibly fun for me. I had the option of going into a fight scene, shoot one guys leg off, throw a bottle at them to stun them, surprise grab them from the back and use them as a hostage to kill one of their peers or straight feed them to a clicker if I wanted. When my health was low, I could slide & kill someone all before I get to the next cover spot to heal up or jump off a platform and stab someone. :wow:
The L1 button & crawling under spaces in hand to hand combat made those encounters joyful too! AI was suspect initially for me, but man once I switched to HARD, the game became quite challenging in the combat scenes as the callouts & communication amongst the enemies in battles & dogs were STRESSFUL. :angry:
I also noticed if I injured someone & I didn't kill them & they were the last to survive in a given scene, that character will tend to talk some kind of hot ****, so it made that last kill satisfying as hell! :lol:

-The immersion/character motivations was enhanced in this game tremendously. Also, I can't tell you how tense I was throughout the game due to the jump scares, stalkers & scene environments. I didn't know what was going to happen next & man that was such an experience!

-So Joel's death. :frown:
To me I can understand both perspectives here & I personally ain't mad at ND. Joel & Tommy were both two individuals who have been very cautious throughout the course of this franchise, so to see Joel just get bodied like that, as someone who we all connect with was tough. :smh:
But, I think given the time that has passed in this game, i could make sense of how it happened. He lived in this town for so long & it allowed him to feel "safe". Even during that scene, I think both Tommy & him want to take the group back to Jackson (refill supplies etc) as being surrounded by that group felt like a threat, but the key here is i don't think Joel saw Abby as a threat because she was another girl that reminded him of Eliie. So when she knocked his block off, I'm sure he was shook, as were we. But at the same time, even in this game, its hard for me to believe Joel just completely lost his entire survivor instinct with the patrols he had to do & even the dialogue he had with Jesse about being very careful in his patrols with Ellie. So i definitely can see the frustration here, as I had it, but I could only express how I'm expressing it now after allowing some time to feel it, given how long it took me to play the game. Joel died at the hands of Abby, who i do not care about at all, but my perspective changed as I kept playing. Also, the death had to happen given the nature of THIS game. What else could push Ellie that far? Then seeing how their dynamic played out through the cutscenes throughout the game was fantastic. Like seeing Ellie and Joel’s last interaction at the end of the game makes his death even more heartbreaking. He died without Ellie fully forgiving him. :frown:

-Playing as Abby. I didn't care for it initially, but as I played, I didn't mind it. Would have preferred playing as Ellie the entire game though.

-In reference to the ending, I can see both perspectives like the Joel scene. It was very anti-climatic given the build that Ellie was going to get her revenge. But seeing it play out was eye opening for me. Ellie was on the verge of losing it all the entire game both emotionally and physically. But she felt the revenge would consume her, corrupt her, and destroy everything good left around her, so what good would this do for her? Plus, they needed to show this character growth if they ever plan on using Ellie for a part 3 etc.
Also, for Abby, Joel was a symbol of her hate & the end of HER happiness. Finally killing him, did nothing for her. She was completely lost in her hate. It only when she comes across Lev that she finds purpose & doesn't even want to fight Ellie at the end. Nonetheless, given this franchise I feel they should have created dual endings & let the gamer decide if they wanted to kill/not kill Abby kind of like how Lara could shoot the person at the end of Rise of Tomb Raider and then just alter the ending cinematics given the choice. For me, I can respect the ending & i think its a fine way to finish off this franchise with these characters if that is what actually happens.

-Does anyone feel Dina didn't just leave or abandon Ellie at the end of the game? Or is that just me? :nerd: Because the last scene felt more of like a return to close a chapter in her life etc rather than walking into a surprise as Ellie didn't have any dialogue to suggest that like " Dina?!?! You there?!? etc.

So despite these storyline surprises I can definitely see people having an issue with, that I didn't as strongly as I feel others did, this was still a memorable experience for me. As a gamer, I may have a specific want or need, but if it isn't met ENTIRELY, it's fine because how else can a developer have freedom if we don't critique it objectively. Naughty Dog's storytelling and attention to detail as I mentioned above was still appreciated. :pimp:

Bad Religion Bad Religion , I faintly remember you posting some podcasts with Neil. What were the major takeaways from those if you remember in references to criticisms etc. I remember they were like two hours long & I didn't want to listen to them all. Feel free to post in a spoiler if needed. Also, any tips on how to obtain the Platinum efficiently after completing the game? I'm at 47%. Saw you got your usual 100%. :lol:

Thanks.

PO
I think Dina abandoned Ellie. Emptying the entire house except for her room of stuff was a sign that she didn't want to hold on to anything of hers. I have a feeling she ended up going back to Jackson. As for Ellie, IDK where else her story can go.

But yeah, I wish Joel didn't die so early in the game.
 
So what does this mean if I have Plat'd already?

Nothing.
The overall percentage will be like 95% now or something, but you will still have your Platinum. They never take it away. Platinum is only for the games core trophies. Never the DLC.

PO
 
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