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Sacred Symbols+, Episode 241 | Revisiting The Last of Us: Part II

For more than two years, the conversation surrounding Naughty Dog's PS4-exclusive The Last of Us: Part II has largely been toxic, unenjoyable, and regrettable. Yet, we here on Sacred Symbols have tried to put out constructive and worthwhile conversation around the game, specifically back in its launch year of 2020 when we (for the first and only time) did two review discussions and spoilercasts for it. With our coordinator and shopkeep Micah having recently played it for the first time, we thought it would be a great time to sit down once more and -- with renewed vigor! -- examine the game through a critical lens. And so, we present to you a third conversation dedicated to The Last of Us: Part II, our first in more than two years.

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 241 | Revisiting The Last of Us: Part II

Comments

Hi guys. The conversation about TLOU2 has obviously been so toxic that it's hard to even engage in it without being labeled as a -phobic person or hater, but here goes nothing. You've got people hailing it as a groundbreaking 10/10 on one end, and people actively hating it for 'wokeness' on the other end. I feel like I'm kinda in the middle on this - I wouldn't rate it below a 7/10 (on the merits of its technical acomplishments/music/acting alone), but it's a game i'm never going to play again, cause it's pacing, structure, story, and characterization make it boring and quite infuriating. ND's trademark forced walking segments are in overdrive in this game - there's a moment when a string of cut-scenes is interrupted by a 20s barely interactive 'go as Abby to a room' gameplay bit, that feels like is just there so that the DS4 wouldn't power off, since these cutscenes are going for well over 10min combined, and that wouldn't be a great look. Gameplay cannot sustain a 25-30hr game, and it gets boring halfway through. Weapon selection is the clunkiest thing I've seen since PS1, and it requires Tekken combo inputs to select just one gun (i.e. left, left, up, up, X or something - add holding triangle at the end if you want to add silencer or change ammo). The themes and messages are so plain and simple that they're almost insulting - killing bad and final, revenge=vicious cycle, love, obsession, etc. All the emotional manipulation attempts that ND put into the game come off as clumsy and very transparent. Abby kills Joel and I'm already sure that he killed someone she loved during his dark period mentioned in TLOU1(turns out it was a retconned doctor, but whatevs), and that we're supposed to rethink our stance on her later on. You kill a dog in an unskippable QTE - they make you feel bad about it by making you play catch it with it later, the game stops and waits for your input before you torture Nora, so they can make you feel bad about it later, even though we were forced to do it, Ellie loses a finger, so she's bound to play the guitar, etc. It's kindergarten-grade stuff, and frankly it's below the writing level or the twists of the first game (where I was actually worried about Joel being dead when we switched to Ellie). The story and level design feels disjointed, and it feels like they cut 40% of the game and glued what got left together by whatever method they could figure out in time - that's why Ellie is bipolar and changes her mind, about killing Abby or letting her go, 8 times throughout the game(I counted), or that's why characters make choices that don't gel with their previous state of mind, and current circumstances every now and then, or why your character often gets ambushed and the level ends either via a fade to black, or a friend saves you (~15 times throughout the game?). Earlier levels are strange remnants of the time when the game supposed to have a more hub-based level design, there's so many mentions of scar's priestess, yet we know she got cut - it's just obvious that stuff got cut and shuffled around, even as you're playing the game. Most of the cast is bland and pointless - they're acted and animated great, but they're nothing more then empty avatars that are supposed to fuel Ellie's or Abby's hatred more, once they get inevitably killed, and never mentioned again. You can shuffle around names, genders or character models of most of the WLF characters with the scars, and Ellie's crew and it wouldn't change a thing. Just like in Plinket's EP 1 reviews - try to describe, say, Jesse, without talking about his actions, or what he looks like, and you'll come up empty in most cases. Game's structure makes meeting WLF guys even more pointless, since they're all already dead in Ellie's timeline, and Abby's 10hr long gameplay segment feels like a chore, since it's explained why she killed Joel right of the bat, and we're shown immediately that WLF guys are normal people just trying to survive, yet we keep playing as Abby and going on pointless side-quests, like : gathering medical supplies, searching for a character, going on patrol, and looking for a different character (though at least we meet the scar kids, that have some actual characterization work put into them at this point, which is nice). Ellie is made totally unlikable, aside from being undecided and bipolar, she kills everyone left and right without thought, she makes very dumb decissions (like killing a pregnant lady and her dude, when she needs info out of them), she leaves her family, treats Joel like shit, even though she knows why he lied to her, threatens a dying kid with a knife, is driven mad by her revenge obsession by the end, and I honestly hope she's not the protagonist of any future ND projects. Even TLOU's unique setting feels wasted - a story about 3 warring factions, and the people involved, could've worked even in a Far Cry game. I was excited when we were aproaching ground zero to find out more about the cordyceps zombies, but all that came out of it were some patient diaries, and a monster to kill. I honestly feel like all the GOTY's are undeserved and given on the face value, by people that never given it any thought. I feel like all the praises about the attention to detail just expose how uneven it really is - you've got soft clothes that have attached physics to them in Joel's house, but then there are clothes made of metal in WLF's cafeteria, abandoned cars have intricate interior detail, but then you come across ones that have a flat non-transparent texture for windows, you can break any glass in the shops, until you come across a shop where you can't interact with any glass surfaces, etc. Obviously a lot of work has gone into this, and cuts were made for optimization reasons, but that extra detail makes objects, that didn't get as much care, you see later on, stand out much more. I wonder how Neil and the rest of ND feel about TLOU2, cause it feels unfinished and cobbled together, to me, even though TLOU1 is one of my favorite games. I think there was a 'why ND storytelling is outdated' video I came across on youtube, once, that shared some of my sentiments - it was refreshing to see that someone made similar observations to mine, and that I'm not going crazy.

MISZCZOGRZMOT

I wasn’t upset, I was bored. Partly because just as I leveled up Ellie and felt like the game was soon to be over I wasn’t half way done but also because Abby’s story was boring because it had no stakes. You already knew everyone was dead. I think I would have enjoyed the game so much better if you played as Abby first or majoritively instead of Ellie. Wish they had the balls to do it like metal gear solid 2 did.

Sean McCann

Just started this up again the other day and, man, that opening conversation between Joel and Tommy just mesmerized me. The acting, writing, and facial expressions are done so exquisitely they put this game on par with Cohen or Tarantino caliber films. I will be persevering through this harrowing experience once again after I finish Ragnarok. May even put “A Plague Tale: Requiem” on the back burner after having put hours into it. Games like this are a very rare gem.

Nikitas Gagas

So refreshing to hear someone gush about this game! I absolutely loved it, and agree with you in regards to the sophistication of the story. I totally get wanting to wring people’s necks for boiling it down to “revenge is bad.” Reminded me why I’ve been listening to you for so many years! You’ve always been a champion of the potential of games as a narrative medium, and can recognize when a game is important and boundary pushing.

Henry Morgan

Can we get a Witcher 3 spoiler cast hosted by Micah?

Messenger

I gave the game an 8. HZD is the true GOAT.

Michael

As far as I'm concerned, if a person was upset because they were forced to play as Abby (after her direct involvement in Joel's death), then the game did its job in getting the intended emotional response. You felt exactly what they wanted you to feel. A job well done.

Kevin Cooper

Thumbs down episode

larry Seitz

I’m not a fan of this game particularly. I’m only part way through this podcast, but I have to comment as I listen to Colin discuss how the fans are the ones who deduced the game down to its woke ideas and trans characters. Am I wrong here in remembering, much prior to the launch of the game, there was a presentation of sorts where Neil Druckmann is explaining the motivation for making Part 2. In it, he specifically says something along the lines of “In Part 1, we made a really sexist game.” When I heard that I rolled my eyes SO fucking hard, as well as many others I’m sure. This is what shaped so many fans’ view of the story far before launch. It’s this comment from him that made me incredibly skeptical for the game since then. It has nothing to do with Ellie being gay or trans people or whatever. I have no issue with that. It’s the fact that the creator of the game I so much adore (Part 1) is now saying that such game is “sexist”. Huh? Anyway, I hope someone can illuminate more of this. That is all.

SnipaMasta

Love this game. I always feel conflicted and a sense of discomfort while playing as Abby, but that’s the point I guess. I did end up liking the character by the end of her campaign. When I took control of Ellie again in the epilogue, I felt discomfort again as I knew I was controlling Ellie with the intention of killing Abby (again), but I sympathized with Abby this time. It’s a bummer not everyone felt that way about Abby, but it worked for me.

Alex Gould

I'm very grateful that you decided to do this episode. I agree with the majority of what was said, particularly by Colin. I felt the game forces the player to utterly confront humanity in the most visceral and intimate way, from the most loving and hopeful aspects to the darkest and most perfidious. I understand Micah’s criticisms with the “love triangles” stuff, maybe those could be done in a different way, though Dina’s relationship with Ellie I felt very endeared about and showing Abby’s “side” and making you relate to her gives perspective to things. When I played I started feeling like “yeah, we don’t have to do this, it’s dangerous, but I HAVE TO do this, Joel is gone!”. Then more and more the feeling of “why am I doing this? Going through all this darkness, doing these terrible things for the sake of revenge” crept in. And by the end the harrowing realization (even though you could argue it’s cliché) that revenge is not worth it – Joel is still gone! – this conclusion was arrived not just by long gameplay hours but actually by making you live all those moments intensely and viscerally throughout the game. And this is what speaks to it being a masterpiece, I feel. Cheers and thanks for all your work.

Manuel Nascimento

I agree with Micah in that the first one was better, and the 2nd one felt to long and bloated. By the end of it I felt like I had spent more time watching cutscenes than playing the actual game, and if you count the time difference between cutscenes and gameplay it’s way closer than it should be.

Trevor Myers

It’s pretty intellectually dishonest to act like only fans of the game were getting their opinions trashed on. There was an equal amount of toxicity thrown at people with genuine criticisms of the game; acting like everyone who didn’t like the story structure were bigots. That said, Micah’s views on the game seemed very reasonable and free of professional biases.

NotJack

Does anyone know what religion Micah grew up in? As someone who also grew up in a weird religion and got shunned by my family after leaving, her mentioning that really caught my attention.

OnkiDonkGinkGonk

Shout out Jesse for ruining this game for me and so many others :/ Whether the spoilers are correct or not, you go into it with expectations of things to happen, story beats, locations etc. It spoilt the experience for me. I would like to do what Micah did and wait until the bad taste has left, then give it another go.

Liam Fagan

Colin has never been more correct about anything than his is about this game. I see you

Adam Barnes

TLOU: 1st game, 2nd game, predicted 3rd game, remake, online game, TV show. Horizon: 1st game, 2nd game, predicted 3rd game, remake, online game, TV show, VR game. "They're ready to run Horizon completely into the ground and TLOU they're just like, eh, we'll just do one game" (Moriarty, 2022). I guess Colin really doesn't like VR!

Tom Hannay

An all-time game!! Thanks for going back to it…I really can’t understand why someone wouldn’t like it…to each their own…

Napoleon in Rags

It’s interesting that Micah said the first game isn’t about love when Neil himself has said that 1 is about love and 2 is about hate. I get what she means with the love triangles and such but to me that’s just character development. I figure 3 is happening as Neil has said before he has the outline in his head. He made it seem like Abby and Lev will be in it continuing their quest for the fireflies. My guess is you’ll play as both Ellie and Abby again with Ellie finally dying to save the world, and maybe they’ll let you play as an older Lev or even Dina’s baby to see the impact of her choice.

NeO JD

Colin let Micah talk challenge

Pussy Grenade

40:50 "This man is not the best of us..." I was really expecting Colin to say "he's the last of us" after

joefray_

I’m always conflicted with this game. I’ll start by saying I wasn’t a fan but it’s in no way the 0/10 people say nor is it 10/10. When I talk with friends about this on opposite side I have come to see it really is all about the characters. A year later I can only recall a few supporting characters names because I didn’t actually find them interesting and I know my friends that dislike the game feel the same. I don’t think a character being gay or trans was the problem. Levs story was actually interesting and sympathetic. I just could not be forced to care about Abby. Which probably made me hate the second half of the game. One thing we all agree is this game was too long.

Michael Tunstall

God, I should have taken notes while listening to this podcast. There's so much to analyze about this game, and maybe even that contributes to this being one of the all-time greats. An element that kept pulling me into this discussion is Colin's question of "What is this game ABOUT." This is a question with which I've wrestled over the past two years, and as my answer has constantly evolved, I've never been satisfied with the idea that this game is ABOUT "revenge". It just feels too simple for a game drenched in complex characters and themes. At this point, I'm believing that this story is about what happens when someone hits rock bottom, and the choices that someone ACTIVELY needs to make in order to kick out. Sure, revenge is a component of this story and clearly drove the plot, but it's background to any dominant theme or parable. To piggyback on Colin's theme of "love", it's only through choosing to really love and live for another that Abby was able to pull herself out of the depths (as seen through Lev). We see Ellie when she first hits rock bottom, and we suffer through her failure to really choose to live FOR loving others and NOT for death and vengeance until she finally CHOOSES to let Abby goal. This is why Ellie had to fight Abby, and she had that flashback to Joel, as she realized that only by Joel choosing to live for her was he ever able to save himself; by truly choosing to let Abby go, it was the step she needed to take to begin her road to recovery, which, sadly, starts in an equally dark place. The last shot of the game does show her walking away, having lost everything, but hopefully walking to towards finding someone to love (be that Dina, JJ, or anyone else). Sorry for the length; it's anything but pithy!

Zach Brown

I respect the game on a technical level + Ellie stealth (felt like MGS) - I wish Ellie got the cool set pieces - Joel dying was implied from the first reveal. So I'm not mad. - I don't really vibe with Ellie & Dina (didn't have the same spark as Riley) - Abby and Lev were cool but Yara's death felt annoying. We went on fetch quest for her to die a stupid death. - Looting felt tiresome due to big areas - Issac? Why hire such a prolific actor for a minor role. - Infected seemed sidelined. - I'm not one to look into things. But how did an injured Ellie/Dina and a bleeding Tommy get back to Jackson safely. - I also cried during the porch scene, but I think that stems from the fact the Ellie couldn't get a chance to reconcile with Joel. I only pushed forward because of the flashback scenes.

Moonshot Md

Maybe by design. But I did.

Colin Moriarty

I just think the game tried to hard to make you like/sympathize with Abby.

Chris Griffith

I honestly never even considered Ellie 'accepting her fate' and going for the cure. I agree that it would almost feel like a copout.

Colin Moriarty

I'm glad you were able to enjoy it without spoilers.

Colin Moriarty

I do believe that's where a lot of it begins in the pre-release environment.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you. <3

Colin Moriarty

It's not my favorite topic, for sure.

Colin Moriarty

It has to happen now, I think.

Colin Moriarty

To this day so glad I never had it spoiled. I do think the structure of the story needed some rearranging, but no game has made me feel the way this did. Not one of my absolute favorites but a must play, undeniably.

Noah Friscopp

Glad you called it like it is. A lot of the hate has to do with the gay characters

Clint

Great discussion, I am of similar mind in thinking it’s likely the GOAT. I feel that the melodrama mainly serves to add depth/context to the characters. It takes TLOU beyond being a game to being more of a franchise like The Walking Dead. I mainly wanted to offer an opinion on a PT3. Personally, Naughty Dog will disappoint me if we return to an “Ellie dies for the cure” savior direction. I would like to have a third game serve as more of a unifying game, with Ellie learning to find meaning in living. My thought was that a new faction enters the scene, perhaps from Europe, arriving near Santa Barbara off the coast. It would begin with the rest of the Fireflies getting destroyed and Abby/Lev fleeing. The game would center around Abby/Ellie (I’d find it cool to play as Lev instead of Abby) and having to unite local factions against this new threat, potentially building up the factions as a new web of communities for the future. I won’t go on to bore with all the details, but a story in that vein would have potential for me.

TL

I agree 100% we’re getting a Last of Us Part 3.

Jeremy Shook

My biggest issue with the game is that it builds to a climax in the movie theatre and then you have to play 12 hours as Abby before finding out what happens. It's pretty hard to care about all these new characters when you're already invested in Elli and Tommy and are desperate to know if they made it out. I really think the game would have hit a lot harder if you finished Ellie's section, and actually killed Abby, then unlocked Abby's story and realised the story behind who you'd killed. Thanks for doing this anyway Colin, I know it's not the easiest topic.

Your Boi Nicky V

Yup. I agree.

Colin Moriarty

Nice, it'll be fun to go back.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you for your comments.

Colin Moriarty

It's nowhere near Horizon territory.

Colin Moriarty

Why would you be here if you think this about me? Weird comment. You can go.

Colin Moriarty

I'd argue we'll never know how it would have been truly received without being intentionally ruined.

Colin Moriarty

Could be. I know they moved things around a bit.

Colin Moriarty

I think they got it right. It was early, unexpected, and violent.

Colin Moriarty

To each his own, but I certainly cannot defend your strawman, since I never said that about people.

Colin Moriarty

Great conversations, guys. It was a nice treat to hear you guys talk about this game.

Will Hahn

Yes.

Colin Moriarty

Indeed.

Colin Moriarty

I like the Saraphites a lot.

Colin Moriarty

Yes.

Colin Moriarty

People really only hated this game because of the internet. Without the leak, I believe Joel’s death would’ve been a huge conversation point but people would’ve all around loved the game. Everyone wants to be contrarians today. It’s hate just for hate. No real logic behind it

tone

Fun fact: after I beat the game the first time I didn’t play it again until this year. Now after a play through and a platinum trophy, I when from this game is okay to its a masterpiece.

Christian

This was a conflicting game for me. first let’s get the easy thing out the way. How naughty dog polish the gameplay is amazing I just wish they added a rope mechanic into the game. Sound in the game amazing how the game looks amazing. The plot in the flashbacks are so good and is easily the best part of the LOUP2. Now for the conflicting parts the story. where the main story fails for me is how basic it feel’s compared to last of us. Last of us is like a one of the best movies you have ever seen where Last of us part 2 is like a tv series where it has great parts yet has a lot of filler so it can fill a run time to count as a series. The two parts I dislike most about story has to be all this forced empathy trying to get me to like Abbey or at least see her as a person not this plot point. I understand that Naughty dog needs to win the crowd back on possibly liking Abbey yet they don’t need to do so much. The end of this game I find ridiculous how Ellie doesn’t kill Abbey especially after seeing the flashback of her finally accepting Joel back in her life, you would think this would have made her more determined to killed Abbey even though we might know what Abbey has done to help lev, which Ellie has no idea of so for what reason would Ellie not killed Abbey. This point is where the writers fail hard because they consider us and what we know about Abbey rather then what Ellie knows. How i would fix the LOUP2 with major fix and minor fix. One being if they wanted to make Abbey’s story feel similar to Joel’s. is by not giving her Lev but a father figure she lost like a old man that’s on his last legs trying to survive as a companion instead. I think it would make more sense since she lost a father not a friend or a sister or even a daughter like Joel where Ellie made more sense because Joel had strong feelings for her since he lost Sarah not a brother, sister or father. imagine if Ellie was the same age as Joel or older the story wouldn’t hit as hard in the last of us. The other fix is the ending they don’t have to change the ending because clearly that was their final goal yet they could have had a moment where Ellie helps Lev and Lev helps Ellie (this happens before Abbey meets Lev) so they a rapport and when the finally moment happens Lev struggles to tell Ellie to stop before she kills Abbey and then Ellie remembers who Lev is. in that moment Ellie realises if she kills Abbey she is no different to Abbey when she killed Joel in that moment. Apologies for being so long. Have a great day everyone.

Tyee

I liked TLoU Parts 1 & 2, but I feel like a Part 3 isn't needed at all. Since Part 2, we've had Part 1 remake and next year we're getting an HBO show and a Factions game. It's not overdone yet, but it's getting there. If there is a Part 3, I don't want to hear about it until 2024 and have it release in 2025. But I would prefer for Factions to be the last TLoU game and Naughty Dog to move on. I like how there is so much time we don't see and know almost nothing about. And I don't need totally unconnected stories with different characters in the same universe. I like peeking into this universe, I don't need to be inundated in it. If there is a Part 3, I would want it to be about Ellie, probably after another time jump of a few years.

Matthew Cooper

For what the gameplay is it’s extremely polished the only thing they could of done to make the game perfect for me is a rope with you that you can either use to climb things setup traps with either something people trip over or tie some clickers and set them up as a trap.

Tyee

I agree with you on the flashback scenes in the hospital. The fact that some people try to make Joel the bad guy for that scene specifically. If they actual ask Ellie what she wanted to do and Joel saw that conversation and still did those things then absolutely he would be in the wrong. yet it’s clear to me that the bad guys are the fire flys for not asking or not even trying to find a way to figure out how to do procedure safely without killing Ellie . Here’s where I disagree with you. I actual think Ellie would of done the procedure at the time but as we go through the flashbacks in the LOUP2. where it seemed to me that she was upset at Joel from taking that opportunity from her to be the saviour of the human race. until the final flashback scene where once again it seemed to me that Ellie not only accepted Joel back but accepted what he had done so she could have a life with people that care about her, also love her and that she cares and loves back. So Ellie in LOUP2 would of definitely said no to the procedure in my opinion.

Tyee

No surprise pulling punches about the Right's extremism towards this game. This is why no one can take you seriously when talking about the Left's issues. It's disingenuous and biased. And being okay with Tucker Carlson but not okay with Adam Sessler is icing on the cake. Both are terrible by the way, it just shows the kind of person you are when you're okay with one and not the other.

Andre Watt

It’s weird, I think Part 2 is a more profound, thrilling and addictive from a gameplay sense than Part 1, but it also has a lot more bumps and weird design ideas. I really wish we got like a mini Abby based game before Part 2 released. Fiction is kind of weird because usually the character were introduced to first we cling onto, even if they’re not a great person like Joel. Abby was just at a disadvantage.

Diddy’s Dong Quest

I really tried to like this game. Too much plot contrivance and heavy-handed dialogue that makes it seem like the writers feel there is a "correct" takeaway from what's otherwise a very divisive story. Yes people went out of their way to spoil/ruin the game for others and that sucks but I'd argue this has to be the most disappointing sequel I've ever played from a narrative standpoint. I think you read way too far into it with this idea that people just want to hate naughty dog. In my mind this game is hated by the majority of people due to how heavily they sold this game as a continuation of Joel and Ellie's story, only to be blindsided with Joel's abrupt and contrived death, followed by a very heavy-handed second half that is begging you to sympathize with a character that we were supposed to hate. I understand that's the point but it was very sloppily delivered.

Khyle Claeys

it’s interesting because i never felt any bit of sympathy for abby and her whole group. part of that was how ham-fisted any attempt to endear you to them was, i could feel naughty dog trying to pull my strings. play fetch with this dog, isn’t abby so kind? abby’s dad rescued the zebra, isn’t he so altruistic? the other side-characters like owen, manny, and mel were so flat and boring they never had a chance. i fist pumped when tommy sniped manny which i guarantee was not the intended reaction. if anything, the flashback scenes in the hospital justified joel’s decision in the first game even more. they made it clear ellie was never given the choice in undergoing the procedure for a chance at a vaccine. this whole game could have been avoided if the fireflies woke ellie up, told her the risks of the procedure, and let joel see her.

Jacob

Part of me felt that Abby and Lev were supposed to be the main characters at some point in development because of how the story was structured. SPOILERS It was jarring for me when Abby finds the group at the theatre and is justifiably distraught because of Ellie's killing spree, and then suddenly we're Abby for a long time. It felt like a long pause in the middle of a sentence. In addition, trying to recreate that Joel/Ellie energy with Abby and Lev wasn't working with me because of what Abby already did. Other than the story gripe, I enjoyed my time with it! It's a masterclass of environmental story telling and animation. The side notes you find are fantastic! The beautiful scene of Ellie singing to Dinah in the beginning of the game was so touching. I am genuinely shocked that so many people missed that scene as it is one of the best scenes in gaming! I definitely won't mind a TLOU 3.

looper

My biggest problem with the Last of us Part 2 was how Joel’s death was executed. When you kill off a main character you really have to get it right IMO. I don’t think Naughty Dog could’ve done a worse job in that regard. His death was set up by so many conveniences that I couldn’t look past. The biggest one was Tommy acting like a complete moron by telling these strangers everything about where they live and then they both give up their names. Then Abby and her crew let Ellie/Tommy live even after Ellie saying “I”ll kill you.” Everything that happens in this sequence is completely at odds with what was established in the first game. I know the biggest counter argument to this is Joel has mellowed since the first game and let his guard down. I just think there’s a difference between letting your guard down and acting like someone who doesn’t know what world they’re in anymore. However, I still think everyone who owns a PS4 should play this game it has out of this world production value, incredible performances particularly Troy Baker in some of those flash back scenes. Satisfying survival gameplay and the classic Naughty Dog spectacle set pieces. Sorry for how long winded this was Colin, really enjoy everything you’ve done with Last stand.

Domenico Smarto

Steve Forgione

I never did complete the game. I should go back to it.

Fabian

Thank god, we shouldn’t let trolls ruin a great game for us. We need to make sure this game gets its flowers

Brian

I thought it was well worth playing and a great game, but there were some silly almost eye rolling ideas. The Saraphites for instance are ridiculous. Lev speaks of terms like "elders", "traditions", "prophets". What she describes would make sense if the world as we know it ended 100 or 150 years ago. It's only been around 30 years since the outbreak. I know that in the 50s there were many new wave religions popping up (Scientology). Some new belief systems make sense, but that was way over the top. It was playing out like a parody of post apocalyptic movies. The game felt like a "blank check" movie. A director who had a great success and are then allowed to do anything the want with almost no one saying no to an idea. I found it fascinating for that reason.

LongJohnSivers#1Fan

Now this... is epic.

Paul McFerron


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