The Last of Us | Voting has opened for the second round of the TGA Player’s Choice category. Let’s cast our votes! |
- Voting has opened for the second round of the TGA Player’s Choice category. Let’s cast our votes!
- Neil Druckmann Becomes Co-President of Naughty Dog
- Neil has been promoted to Co-President of Naughty Dog. Fret not, he'll still be directing stuff and mentoring other creators.
- Reloading
- A cool Ellie picture I took
- Lev ❤️
- Few things scare me but this was a game changer...
- It’s been a wild ride but after 3 playthroughs I’ve finally done it! Props to Naughty Dog for creating such an amazing experience
- The Last of Us Part II Ending Explained : A Purpose In Love
- Young Manny. That’s it, that’s the post.
- After Joel getting lost in the mail *twice*, him and Ellie are finally together! Couldn't bring myself to display one without the other.
- I've Finally Come To Terms With The Ending Of TLOU2
- Are you with me?
- Has anyone managed to play through TLOU2 in one sitting? I'm gonna be trying to do it for a charity stream soon and could use some advice
- 'The Last of Us Part II' Named as Best Action-Adventure Game of 2020 at the TIGA Games Industry Awards 2020
- Finally got my Ellie funko pop!
- Since it is my cake day I decided to post something. I tried to catch her emotions, it doesn't really look like her but ut shows the hate she had towards Abby. :)
- Promises, Promises
| Voting has opened for the second round of the TGA Player’s Choice category. Let’s cast our votes! Posted: 04 Dec 2020 10:39 AM PST | ||
| Neil Druckmann Becomes Co-President of Naughty Dog Posted: 04 Dec 2020 02:53 PM PST
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| Posted: 04 Dec 2020 06:40 PM PST
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| Posted: 04 Dec 2020 02:27 PM PST | ||
| Posted: 04 Dec 2020 05:50 PM PST
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| Posted: 04 Dec 2020 01:37 PM PST
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| Few things scare me but this was a game changer... Posted: 04 Dec 2020 03:11 PM PST
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| Posted: 04 Dec 2020 01:59 PM PST
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| The Last of Us Part II Ending Explained : A Purpose In Love Posted: 04 Dec 2020 09:03 AM PST Well, I wanted to talk of the ending of Part II because I don't interpret it the same way most of people do. And because I had all those thoughts in my head for months and I needed to write them down somewhere. I put a lot of thoughts in that post, I hope you will enjoy it, and I hope you have a lot of time because it's going to be long (but it will be worht it). And of course, SPOILERS AHEAD ! ELLIE'S FANTASM First of all, to understand the ending of this game, it is necessary to understand Ellie's motivations and goals throughout the game. Because if you don't understand that, it's no wonder why you find the ending strange and out of character. When Joel dies, Ellie falls into a destructive hatred. A hatred for his killer. But above all a hatred towards herself, a guilt consuming her from within. A guilt that she will blame on this group that she decides to hunt down. She thinks that it will give her peace, she convinces herself that this is what Joel would have done for her, that he would already be in Seattle already if it were her who had been killed. It is his defense mechanism: this fantasm that revenge will give her closure. But in reality, it's not really about justice for Joel and more about her ego. The fact that, once again, someone decided for her. That someone take her chance of forgiving him. And then, later in the game, comes Nora. A moment really violent in which Ellie tortures and kills her in a horrible way. But the thing is, Ellie doesn't get better after. Killing Nora didn't solve any of her problem. She feels the same, just... empty. And more sad than she already was. It's what we call in storytelling : a gap. In his book "Story" (a classic for everyone interesting by writing and storytelling), Robert McKee describes a gap in that way :
A little further in his book, he says :
That's exactly what happens here with Ellie. She thinks killing everyone involved in Joel's death would help her heal. But she killed Nora and things didn't go the way she was expected them to go. Killing Nora didn't help at all. So Ellie reachs to another conclusion, another vision of seeing things : the only person she has to kill to find peace is Abby. She's the real responsable. She is the person who killed Joel. From then on, Ellie takes yet more risks to accomplish her goal. She lets Dina alone in the theater, she lets down Jesse and Tommy to go after Abby even if it means to do it alone... She doesn't care about the others people involved in Joel's death, she only wants Abby, only her. That's what she says to Owen and Mel : You guys can survive this, I just need her. Ellie is traumatised after killing Nora. A gap is created. Then, much later in the game, comes the scene of the farm where Ellie leaves Dina. To understand Ellie's action, it is important to realize that during the game, Ellie faces the 5 stages of grief. Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. And acceptance. At that point, Ellie is at the fourth stage : Depression. She doesn't eat, she can't sleep. Ellie is not happy with Dina. She can't see the end of the tunnel. But Ellie no longer has the hatred she had towards Abby at the beginning of the game, and this can be observed by comparing the scene when she leaves Jackson, to the scene when she leaves Dina. In the first, we feel Ellie's hatred, anger, rage. But in the second, we only feel sadness, despair, grief. She is haunted by Joel's death and continues to believe in this fantasm of revenge. She has to kill Abby to get closure. She has to finish it. Once and for all, because her life is hell, and she doesn't know how to heal. Ellie is at the second stage of grief : Anger. Ellie is at the fourth stage of grief : Depression. So we get to this point at the end of the game, when Ellie is drowning Abby. And at that moment, Ellie feels no joy, no peace. Just more anger, pain and sadness. She feels miserable, at the bottom of the hole and she lives what is called, a cathartic moment. A moment when she finally releases all the emotions she had kept in her for so long. It's the final gap. And while she drowns Abby, her fantasm is destroyed (if you want to know more about catharsis in story, I recommand you the video of Lesson From The Screenplay "Good Will Hunting" that is really great) . Even when she's able to kill the person responsible for Joel's death, she doesn't feel that peace she was supposed to feel. She doesn't feel it at all. And that cathartic event, that destruction of her defense mecanism leads to Joel's flashback, the one that makes her stop. And to understand why, we need to understand what this flashback is about.
Ellie is living a cathartic moment. She releases all her repressed emotions. THE PORCH SCENE I don't think it's a coincidence Ellie started wanting to forgive Joel that night specifically. Because that last night, something really important happened to Ellie. She kissed Dina. And I really think that when Ellie danced with Dina, she was happy for one of her first times in her life. Ellie had a community, friends, a girlfriend. She was happy to be alive, to be able to experience this kind of thing, to be able to kiss the girl she had been in love for years. From then on, she could no longer blame Joel for taking away her reason for living, because she had just found a new one: Dina. Ellie is happy for one of the first time in her life. On the porch, Joel decides to talk about Dina. And at that moment, Ellie says the kiss didn't mean anything, but it's not true. It does. A lot. And Joel knows that. So he answer that Dina would be lucky to have her. The thing is, that by saying that, Joel is trying to justify his actions. Because if he didn't save Ellie at the end of the game, Dina couldn't have been lucky to have her, because she would be dead. And Ellie understands what Joel is trying to do, that's why she tells him he's an asshole and talks about the fact that he took the meaning of her life. And Joel answers by one of the best sentence of the game. He would do it all over again. He would save Ellie again because he sees that she is happy, and that is why he saved her. And he wouldn't trade that for anything in the world. No matter the price, no matter if it means that Ellie must hate him for the rest of his life, no matter if he should die for what he did, he has no regrets because he sees that she is finally happy. She's the one who give a meaning to HIS life. Ellie understands what Joel is trying to do. That's what the porch scene is about. It's not about forgiveness. It's about Joel learning to Ellie what gives a meaning to life. That her immunity doesn't define her. That a life of meaning is a life made with someone else. And for Ellie, that someone else is Dina. So when Ellie has this flashback while she's drowning Abby, she remembers that she lost the real thing that gives her a meaning to her life. She lost it because of her ego, like she lost Joel because she was too hurt to forgive him sooner. But she also remember that it's not what Joel would have wanted for her. She remembers that Joel always put the people he loved first. Joel would not have wanted Ellie to go down this path of hate, of revenge, of violence, of loss. He never would have wanted her to put herself in danger, to put her friends in danger, to leave Dina and JJ. And that's why it kills me everytime someone says "Joel would have wanted Ellie to kill Abby !" or "Ellie betrayed Joel !". But no. If it was the case, Joel would be a horrible father. Because what kind of father would want his daughter to do that kind of thing ? What kind of father would like his daughter become a killing and violent machine ? What kind of father would like his daughter to leave the only people that still love her ? Joel saved Ellie because he wanted her to be happy, and that's why he doesn't have any regret, because he sees her happy and healthy. Sparing Abby is not Ellie betraying Joel. It's Ellie understanding his lesson. The one he learned him that night, on that porch. Joel doesn't have any regrets. Ellie says \"Okay\" to the truth this time. Robert McKee (once again) says in his book "Story" that a character's true personnality is revealed in the choices that he makes under pressure. The greater the pressure is, the deeper the revelation and the greater the choice of the character's essential nature will be. Ellie is not a war machine, she is not a person devoured by hatred of the other and only driven by revenge. When Ellie is under pression, the player see who she really is. Someone emotionaly vulnerable. You see that when she kills Nora, Mel and Owen, and when she tried to kill Abby. But it's also something that has been shown before The Last Of Us 2. There's that moment in the first one when she killed David in a very violent way. And in Left Behind, when she had smashed everything around her when she learned she had been bitten and Riley too. But it's also under pressure that Ellie is revealed to be a character that deeply care about others. When Abby goes to the theater, kill Jesse and threaten to kill Tommy, Ellie could've tried to kill her. But she decided to sacrifice herself and let go her hate in order to save Tommy. Whereas a few hours ago, she was ready to let him down just to find and kill Abby. And when Ellie is drowning Abby, this is probably the most intense moment of the game. It's the moment when the pressure is the greater. So it's also the moment when the choice that Ellie will make will define who she really is deep down. And that moment reveal us the two major things we already know : Ellie is highly emotional, but she's not a killing machine, she has humanity in her. Under the pressure, Ellie chooses the love she has for Tommy, over the hate she has for Abby. Ellie is a traumatized young woman, desperately trying to heal, to find her place in this violent world and a reason to keep fighting. Ellie is a lover of life, she wants to do the right thing, but she just doesn't know how to do it. She doesn't know how to shout that unbearable pain she's carrying with her. When Joel died, Ellie lost herself and forgot who she was. Until that moment of intense emotion and this final vision of Joel, reminding her what gives a meaning to life, reminding her of the person she once was. That person who loved space and dinosaures, that person full of life, that person who was willing to try to forgive others, even when they had betrayed her. Her defense mechanism is destroy, she can no longer justify the murder of Abby because it doesn't give her closure, because that's not what Joel would have wanted for her, and because that's not who she really is. So she understands the futility of this kill following the destruction of her fantasm and personal beliefs and decides to spare Abby. And she stay alone, on the beach, in the fog. Lost. Crying. And more than Abby, it's Joel that she lets go. Ellie lost herself when Joel died. Then Ellie returns to the farm. She no longer has guns on her, a symbol that she has left hatred and violence behind. And like Joel who wore Sarah's watch to remember why he kept fighting, Ellie wears Dina's bracelet to remember why she keeps fighting. The atmosphere on the farm is quiet, peaceful. No more hate. No more violence. No more noise. Just peace. Ellie enters and Dina is gone with JJ. She goes upstairs and tries to play the guitar. She can't do it, she's lost two fingers in the fight. When Ellie had a flashback after playing the guitar, it was always a happy memory (the museum and the dance with Dina), but when the guitar isn't there, it's an unfortunate memory (the hotel and the revelation that Joel lied to her). But this time, she can't play the guitar, and despite that, she's able to remember that last night when she wanted to forgive him. That night, where, just before she left, she said to him, okay. Okay, not to a lie like last time, but to the truth. With the guitar, they both created a very powerful bond, a bond that no longer needs her ten fingers to keep existing. Because like Joel said : All my stolen missing parts I've no need for anymore. Ellie no longer need all her stolen missing parts. Dina and JJ are gone. And the flower is now in the corner of the room, dead. There is SO MUCH more to say about The Last Of Us Part II. I think that the reason why so many people thought it was bad written comes from a misunderstanding of the game's theme and a misinterpretation of the characters' motivations and psychology established in the first game. Because they see Joel more like a badass paranoia survivor instead of like a father able of deep love, because they see Ellie more like a killing machine full of hate, instead of a young woman trying to find her place in a violent society and to cope with her trauma. Because they think it's a game about hate and revenge instead of a game about love and how love for and from others can help you to find acceptance and closure. But the thing is, if you pay attention to detail, if you take the time to understand the characters and why they do what they do, if you understand the subtility of some scenes, you will have the most satisfying and beautiful story ever told. The Last of Us Part II is deeply human. Maybe too human for some people that couldn't understand all the nuances, complexities and subtilities of its story and of its characters. And a thing that I love about the ending, is that it doesn't reward the players that wanted to kill Abby, it doesn't do that. But it rewards the people who have been able to forgive Abby and move on. The players who have been able to question themself, to question the certainties they had at the beginning of the game. While the others are trapped in that endless cycle of violence, in that desire of a revenge that will never happen. And the only escape for those people, is to move on. To accept it is what it is.
The Last Of Us Part II is a maturation plot. A plot about the loss of illusion. About growing up. There are lessons to be learned, mistakes to be made, but at the end, the protagonist will be a better person. And the lesson is often the hidden or unexpected ones. Expectations are baffled, illusions are destroyed and reality overtakes fantasy.
The Last Of Us Part II is an echo to our own world. It's a game about finding our place in a violent society. In a society where human beings are trapped in this cycle of violence, in the hate of others, where people jump at the throat of the first stranger who dares to think differently. But in the society like this, what's worth surviving for ? Why do we keep fighting for our lives if it's to live in a world full of hate ? What gives a meaning to our life in that kind of society ? And the game cleary give one answer : the love we have for and from others. That even in the darkest times of our lives, we have to keep looking for the light, like a moth does. That we can go back from that cycle of violence, that we can go back on the path of the right, even if we've been wrong for so long. Because at the end, what will save this world is not a immune person who will allow us to make a cure or a bloody revenge quest. What will save the world is the love we carry around us. Because, once again, a life of meaning is a life made with someone else. Because you can't find a purpose in loss. But you can find a purpose in love. [link] [comments] | ||
| Young Manny. That’s it, that’s the post. Posted: 04 Dec 2020 03:50 PM PST | ||
| Posted: 04 Dec 2020 12:34 PM PST
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| I've Finally Come To Terms With The Ending Of TLOU2 Posted: 04 Dec 2020 12:35 PM PST While I have always been an Xbox true-blood, playing through The Walking Dead series last spring thrust me into the world of compelling single player stories, and although the post game depression always hits me hard, I can't get enough of them. I ended but borrowing my friend's PS4 and playing through both TLOU games in a little over a week, which may impact my perception of the games going from one straight to the other. I've seen a lot of hate towards Part 2, and I understand it. It's a tough story and ending to swallow. Most of my playthrough through Part 2 simply filled me with dread, and was just very bleak overall. However, I commend Naughty Dog for not going for a stereotypical "hero's ending" where it's simply good vs. bad. Part 2 truly showed the horrors of an apocalypse, and every kill felt like that person had a story, background, and family (which is why I feel the story of Abby was so effective). Scenes where you hear the screams of agony after killing someone's dog or loved one chilled me to the core (killing Bear and Alice and then seeing them in Abby's playthrough). This feeling was really set in perspective for me due to the ending of the first game. While I was desperately praying for Ellie and Joel to make it throughout the first game, the ending made me realize Joel is not an admirable protagonist (depending on your POV obviously). Joel is selfish and throws out all of viewpoints when he feels that his second opportunity at being a father matters more than everything else in the world, (this is understandable decision from a parents point of view, as stated at the end of Part 2, where Joel said he would do it all over again). Yet the gut-wrenching feeling of Joel's decision still lingers, how many parents then lost their children because of his decision to save Ellie and vice versa; the level of grief in the world only rose because of this decision. Ellie even states that Joel stole her decision to make her life matter, which brought me to tears as you could feel the pain from both Joel's POV as a parent and Ellie's POV as a guilt ridden survivor. From an outsiders POV (Abby and the Fireflies), Joel is a menace to society who in one action doomed the world. Not just by saving his daughter, but killing innocent loved ones fighting for a noble cause (basically all the Fireflies). Ellie's character development into an irrational person hell bent on revenge throughout Part 2 is brilliant. There is no "golden protagonist" to get behind anymore (although we all still should be rooting for Ellie). Abby has arguably had it harder than Ellie, largely due to the actions of Ellie, Joel, Tommy, and the Seattle Civil War. The fighting scenes between Abby and Ellie were truly tough to stomach and get through, because Naughty Dog made you understand the struggles of both sides (which you can then imagine the struggles and background of everyone you kill throughout the course of the game). Yet after contemplating the ending for a couple days, I'm satisfied, and would be even more if the series ended with a more obviously upbeat ending to a 3rd installment. Many say the game should've ended with Ellie and Dina living on the ranch, yet Ellie's instances of PTSD showed how she wasn't okay; she hadn't yet come to terms with either Abby or Joel. But after having the opportunity to kill Abby and not doing so, I like to think that Ellie finally found peace. She may still not agree with what Joel did in Salt Lake, but she now has come to terms with why he did what he did, and killing Abby won't help that. From what we know, the PTSD is finally gone, and leaving Joel's guitar at the ranch may symbolize how she's finally letting go of him, the ill-will towards Joel, as well as her feelings of revenge towards Abby. Ellie appears to be at peace at the end of TLOU2, which is what we should really look for in the eyes of a protagonist. I also want to add in how breathtaking the gameplay, sound design, graphics, voice acting and overall mood of the game is, you really felt immersed within the world. Not going to discuss any of that, but just... wow. This may have just turned into an all over the place rant, but I think the biggest takeaway towards enjoying TLOU2 is letting go of the preconceived notions of Ellie, Joel, and Abby. Understand all of their struggles and why they all made the decisions they did in a world where there are no right decisions. Let me know your thoughts as well, I just need to get all these emotions off my chest. [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 04 Dec 2020 01:24 PM PST | ||
| Posted: 04 Dec 2020 02:23 PM PST Hey everyone, I agreed to partake in quite the challenge and am looking for some advice/encouragement I suppose. In a couple weeks on Dec. 19th, I'm going to be attempting to play through Part II in a single (probably 24+ hour) sitting. A friend and I are doing it for the Trevor Project, a charity that helps LGBT youth considering suicide, and we're gonna be streaming it on Twitch. I'm so ready to do this and raise as much money and support for the Trevor Project as I can, but as the day gets closer, I'm starting to wonder if I can even do it. I know staying awake will be the main challenge...but has anyone else managed to do this? How long did it take you? Are there any strategies that helped, or areas that can be easily cleared? I'm not looking to skip cutscenes or to do a speedrun, so anything that involves directly skipping parts of the game won't work for this. But any other help would be appreciated :) And if anyone wants to know more about the charity event, let me know and I can post links to stuff! Thanks for being awesome y'all. [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 04 Dec 2020 08:51 AM PST
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| Finally got my Ellie funko pop! Posted: 04 Dec 2020 11:06 AM PST
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| Posted: 04 Dec 2020 06:22 PM PST | ||
| Posted: 04 Dec 2020 09:58 AM PST |
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