Greatoneshere

Great review - I didn't read the spoiler tag as I'm not done the game yet but I read the rest. I agree with all your points, though it's a video game so I'm more accepting of some of the limitations inherent to the game's design. However, on this point with the upgrades, I think that's there to accomodate different playstyles. I also play mostly stealth so your descriptions of a stealth play through are exactly like my own, but like MGS5 or Death Stranding, there's a ton not relevant to the way I play that's there if I want to (or for others). Some people like gunning their way through, and for them those upgrades would be more relevant than stealth ones. I think that's why those options are there.

It can definitely be done, but it is difficult and probably not by David S. Goyer.

I believe David S. Goyer is involved right? Foundation is so good, but I never had hope once his name was attached. I'll remain cautious with this one.

Exactly.

I'm not sure if this is directed at me, but as I said, there's a very real and interesting conversation to be had if you can divest the toxic group from the group that genuinely wants to engage in critical debate over The Last of Us Part II's finer points. I'm just saying that that is hard is all, there are at least two clear distinct groups with some overlap that dislike The Last of Us Part II to varying degrees. I don't buy the "both sides are equal" debate here. The game was review bombed before people even played the game by over 10,000 users. If there's any overzealous defense (which I don't think there is), it's in response to that, not out of thin air. Such thinking and groups of people do need to be defended against so it can't be that unreasonable to want to go to bat against such groups. Does that mean all negative critical reception towards the game is wrong or incorrect? Of course not, but who is lumping Vox or Polygon's reviews with the user review bombing?

For the reasons Spork mentioned. Additionally, alt-right people hate LGBTQ and Jews and so a character who is both makes it worse to them. Agreed, my take as well so far at least.

I think Ready at Dawn deserves another crack at it - it's Ready at Dawn's Ru Weerasuriya's basic concept, story, writing, and direction in the first game. But they could do that, and I'd take that too, but I want the original creators back, preferably.

It's not just because you're playing (not really a spoiler, but being careful):

I want an Order: 1887 though . . .

They were, and critics were accurate in their assessments about the films as being mediocre/terrible, that's my point. They didn't do the same to TLJ or FF7R because they are genuinely good. If they weren't, they would have rated them like Rise of Skywalker and Captain Marvel, presumably.

Yeah, just because they are more widely known, it's lame. Phone Booth was legit, and Tigerland (also starring Colin Farrell) is severely underrated. He made mediocre and bad films, but I think we should also focus on the good films he made too, if any.

All well put - I haven't been reading reviews to avoid spoilers but I did read the Polygon review and it was strangely focused on what is true of humanity at large (kept going on and on about "we're better than what this game tells us we are" and I'm like, what world are you living in?). It is true that internet discourse always works in extremes, even moreso with controversial big releases, both in terms of positive criticism and negative criticism. I'm always baffled when reviews don't ever look at the other side of the coin, like how you mention some reviews failing to even recognize or acknowledge what a game does do well. Baffling all around. And I'm 100% with you on my preference as well being in what the artist's want to say or make over just trying to give me what I want. This is why I had an issue with the Mass Effect 3 ending DLC. The original ending was horrifically bad, but that's the ending they wanted to tell. Altering it only to cater to fan outcry robs any artistic integrity you once had. Stick to your art, whether it was received well or not.

One way to maybe help distinguish them is Joel is a movie director and Jerry is a movie producer.

Definitely pumped to play this day one.

While I agree with you, you are being far too fair to users/the audience. Critics (actual, real critics) universally praised The Last of Us Part II, and having played 13 hours or so, even if I didn't like or enjoy the story or characters because I don't get to live out some old white man prepper power fantasy, which I do, the technical aspects of the game are so top notch as to make the user rating on Metacritic seems laughable. The people user review bombing this game are the same ones who hated the end of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, couldn't stand The Last Jedi (which was successfully review bombed on RottenTomatoes), and did their damndest to hate films online like Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel entering the superhero film space, much less being annoyed with films like Widows or Hustlers. There is a very clear lowest common denominator amongst all this incredulous, toxic, unearned hate and I think we can all see it all pretty clearly. Even setting aside their sexism and racism, the average person who consumes art hates to have their expectations messed with. They want stories to play out the way they want them to play out. It's why everyone hated Walter White's wife in Breaking Bad because she was an obstacle to his success in the illegal meth drug industry. But then if they bothered to think about it for two seconds, one would see it's an innocent wife trying to save her family from her slowly going dark husband. She's not an obstacle, she's the moral compass. Same thing happened with Don Draper's wife on Mad Men, being more annoyed with her than him, even though he's doing all the cheating and not being there for his family because audiences just want the power fantasy of Walter White or Don Draper just "winning" all the time against cool villains who almost but not quite beat them. Things like The Last Jedi, FF7R, The Last of Us Part II, etc. challenge all of that. It was why Avengers: Endgame was so universally loved even though I thought it was just okay. It was really well done but it played out exactly like one would more or less expect in terms of characters' dramatic arcs. Art like TLJ or FF7R push us in ways we don't like, or makes us uncomfortable, or isn't the way we saw things playing out, and I appreciate art that challenges us in this way more than things playing it safe. There's a real conversation to be had about whether TLJ or FF7R or TLOU Part II subvert and challenge expectations well and successfully (time usually only tells with this) or their gambits and storytelling choices didn't work, but to divest that conversation from the toxic user review bombing group who do it for all the wrong reasons is quite difficult and it's hard to separate it. Again, critics seem to be more objective here - they rated FF7R pretty well as well as TLJ and TLOU Part II and Wonder Woman, but before someone claims "Disney paid them off", etc.; critics were harder on Captain Marvel and had no love for Solo: A Star Wars Story or The Rise of Skywalker so critical bias just doesn't make sense. Critics don't always get it right, but their scores at least seem way more on point in these highly charged situations than users.

Despite having made some bad films, he made some really good ones too. I don't know how well some have aged, but I remember these all being good to great when I saw them over the years, now looking over his filmography: -The Lost Boys -Flatliners -Falling Down -The Client -A Time to Kill -8MM -Tigerland -Phone Booth -Veronica Guerin -The Phantom of the Opera He stopped directing 7-8 years ago, but he left a solid body of work.

I agree with you on all points, and must say that I too have been most impressed by the level design (I'm 13 hours in), which feels and is more open for a linear-type game. There's always at least a few buildings to explore in any given set or location and exploring it all does take some time.

Yes thank you!

Very true. I mean the game is over 25 hours long and it hasn't even been a day yet it has over 10,000 user ratings and a score that couldn't possibly be true given the technical skill and quality production values on display alone just makes the whole thing feel baseless in a situation like this one.

About 5-6 hours in. Holy shit, so good, but harrowing. The user review bombing on Metacritic just looks obnoxious now.

Lived a great, long life; excellent actor, saw him in numerous classics - he will be missed.

I think so - not per se essential but definitely helps fill out Ellie's character, etc. It's short but definitely worth it.

Don't forget to do the story DLC as well if you haven't yet.

Novels and screenplays (for fun), primarily! Short stories as well, from time to time.

I do indeed write on the side, have most of my life, though have never turned it professional. Who knows?!