Sony The Last of Us Part II OT - Best Served Cold, update: the story behind the game's realistic facial animations (PlayStation Blog)

[Spork3245]

Just now, SaysWho? said:

My God, I'm going slow as fuck  

 

I thought I was a little bit further because I retrieved what I thought was the final training manual. But at the same time, since I heard that

 

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SOMETHING happens 50% of the way through the game

 

that maybe I wasn't actually that far yet.

 

But it's cool! Why rush it, right? 

If you play like you me, you try not to miss ANYTHING in terms of items/events/dialogue triggers since you rarely replay games. ENJOY IT  

[Spork3245]

BTW, @SimpleG

Spoiler

I legit thought he was where you were saying too until I reread his previous post  

 

[SaysWho?]

Just now, Spork3245 said:

If you play like you me, you try not to miss ANYTHING in terms of items/events/dialogue triggers since you rarely replay games. ENJOY IT  

 

I actually replay games a lot, but I think around a couple years ago, I wondered why the hell I was rushing things just so I could be part of the conversation within the first two weeks. It's like, I'm spending the money to buy a game, why rush things and probably not enjoy them as much?

 

Fuck though, this gon' be, like, a 40 hour experience for me even though a lot of people are getting it done in 25ish.

[SimpleG]

2 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

BTW, @SimpleG

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I legit thought he was where you were saying too until I reread his previous post  

 

Spoiler

Yea the 17 hour mark through me off, I would have felt super bad for spoiling it 

 

[Spork3245]

1 minute ago, SimpleG said:

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Yea the 17 hour mark through me off, I would have felt super bad for spoiling it 

 

Spoiler

He’s taking so long because he’s probably just dying a lot because he sucks at video games. I know he won’t read this so I can say what we’re all thinking. He’s probably playing on the easiest mode too! 

@SaysWho? make sure you don’t read that spoiler tag until you finish the game!!!

[johnny]

48 minutes ago, SaysWho? said:

I just finished Day 2.

 

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Pretty fun and at times intense. Not that it was kept a mystery, but it did seem reasonable that WLF could have been former fireflies and wanted to make Joel pay. However, Abby did say, "Do you know who I am?" to Joel, which makes me wonder if she's anyone else.

The end of Day 2 had the shortest flashback but a memorable one.

 

I have, like, 17ish hours? But I don't feel like I'm super far into the game. Could someone spoiler how far into the game I am?

Oh you sweet summer child 

[heydude93]

 

 

 

[Brian]

I guess I am on Seattle Day 1 still, about 6 hours in.  It has been a really chill game so far unlike the first. Most encounters aren’t tense. Maybe due to the amount of materials you get and knowing all of the items and what works best for each encounter. Exploring has been a highlight for me.  If you devote the time to explore, the game rewards you with items and lore. 
 

[atom631]

I’m about 10hrs in. Just got to day 2. I took a peak at a walkthrough just to see what chapter I’m actually on and how many and holy shit this is still like the beginning of the game. are all the chapters this long? 
 

so far I’m enjoying the hell of out it. Although it doesn’t feel like a drastic change from the 1st one. The biggest change for me is how hard stealth seems to be. I always wind up altering someone/thing and just go guns blazing after that. It’s a bit different from the first one where I played mostly stealth. However, given the context of the plot it kinda makes sense to go in guns blazing. 
 

I feel like ND even set the game Up like that bc I’m never short on supplies. 

[SaysWho?]

40 minutes ago, atom631 said:

I’m about 10hrs in. Just got to day 2. I took a peak at a walkthrough just to see what chapter I’m actually on and how many and holy shit this is still like the beginning of the game. are all the chapters this long? 
 

so far I’m enjoying the hell of out it. Although it doesn’t feel like a drastic change from the 1st one. The biggest change for me is how hard stealth seems to be. I always wind up altering someone/thing and just go guns blazing after that. It’s a bit different from the first one where I played mostly stealth. However, given the context of the plot it kinda makes sense to go in guns blazing. 
 

I feel like ND even set the game Up like that bc I’m never short on supplies. 

 

 This is great. Look on the previous page; I had the same crazy realization. I'm around 17ish hours and just finished Day 2, and hearing that it was a 25 hour experience, I wondered where I actually was in the story.

 

You must be exploring a lot and finding places that you could have easily missed. That's my guess because that's what I'm doing. I'm very impressed with the exploration aspect. I loved exploring neighborhoods and city blocks in the first, but they really upped that part of the game. There are two-story places that you could miss out on if you don't look around a bit more.

[ShreddieMercury]

I don't think this is a spoiler per se, but I just go to:

Spoiler

Seattle Day 3

...and I'm loving this game.  I'm going slowly and soaking up all of the atmosphere that the game has to offer.  It's astounding how much is suggested by the game's environmental design.  Each time you walk into a new area, it feels like you can piece together what happened there.  It's unlike any game I've played in this regard, except perhaps the first one.  After being somewhat skeptical of The Last of Us but really warming to it upon replay, I'm completely blown away by the huge swings that this game is taking and how it's responding to the first game's story.  I'm struggling to think of another sequel that feels this essential.  I'm guessing that I've played about 15 or so hours so far but I can't be sure.  Despite the oppressive atmosphere and dark tone, I'm already excited to replay the game.

[Greatoneshere]

Beat the game yesterday. It was amazing, I loved every minute of what it had to say is, for a game, reaching for some interesting things. It reminded me a lot of the film I Saw the Devil, which I also love. Down to discuss - really was something unique.

 

And the game is between 28-32 hours if you try to do everything like I did.

[johnny]

 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Why in God’s name does the system keep removing my HDR and surround sound settings? Really annoying having to redo this shit all the time. 

[TheLeon]

The “dissonance” that always hits me most in games like this is the collectibles, not the violence. When I’m in the middle of a very urgent mission (like you are in 80% of this game) and you know your objective is to the left, you first go right. Why? You don’t want to miss a trading card or a note. I’m not against hunting for crap in general, but I don’t like it when the story says I should be in a hurry. 

[johnny]

21 minutes ago, TheLeon said:

The “dissonance” that always hits me most in games like this is the collectibles, not the violence. When I’m in the middle of a very urgent mission (like you are in 80% of this game) and you know your objective is to the left, you first go right. Why? You don’t want to miss a trading card or a note. I’m not against hunting for crap in general, but I don’t like it when the story says I should be in a hurry. 

At least in the last of us I just think of it as Ellie has to look for supplies. I changed resources to be less plentiful in the settings because I was almost always loaded up. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

19 hours in. 
 

Spoiler

Just finished Seattle Day 3 and started what I assume is the Abby portion of the game. 
Jesse deserved better.  

Wonder what my final play time is gonna be. 

[BloodyHell]

6 hours ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

19 hours in. 
 

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Just finished Seattle Day 3 and started what I assume is the Abby portion of the game. 
Jesse deserved better.  

Wonder what my final play time is gonna be. 

Enjoy. Im interested in hearing what you think of this part!

[BloodyHell]

20 hours ago, heydude93 said:

 

 

 

All of this assumes we want our games to be realistic? Thats the last thing I want. I play games when I have free time because its an escape from reality where I can play through great stories and gameplay. 
 

Experiences without killing are excellent too, but sometimes I just want to shred through hordes of demons, or rage through the post-apocalyptic wasteland and live out the grudges of imaginary characters. 
 

Mario, Zelda, Souls, those games are legendary for their mechanics. tLoU is legendary for being an interactive cinematic experience. Games do different things. Sometimes simultaneously.

[Mercury33]

20 hours ago, ManUtdRedDevils said:

I guess I am on Seattle Day 1 still, about 6 hours in.  It has been a really chill game so far unlike the first. Most encounters aren’t tense. Maybe due to the amount of materials you get and knowing all of the items and what works best for each encounter. Exploring has been a highlight for me.  If you devote the time to explore, the game rewards you with items and lore. 
 

same, I’m about 6 hours in. Just finished exploring the first big area you get to. Def very chill and laid back. Which is in actuality extremely stressful since I keep waiting for whatever moment kicks off the intense brutality lol

[Greatoneshere]

1 hour ago, BloodyHell said:

All of this assumes we want our games to be realistic? Thats the last thing I want. I play games when I have free time because its an escape from reality where I can play through great stories and gameplay. 
 

Experiences without killing are excellent too, but sometimes I just want to shred through hordes of demons, or rage through the post-apocalyptic wasteland and live out the grudges of imaginary characters. 
 

Mario, Zelda, Souls, those games are legendary for their mechanics. tLoU is legendary for being an interactive cinematic experience. Games do different things. Sometimes simultaneously.

 

I don't think there even is any dissonance like the article suggests. Engaging in violence and then having a message about abhoring violence isn't strange or dissonant to me at all. They are both a commentary on human nature. Though I loved Spec Ops: The Line, a game that also comments on this as the article suggests.

[SaysWho?]

I find this game much tenser than the first O_O

[Greatoneshere]

42 minutes ago, SaysWho? said:

I find this game much tenser than the first O_O

 

It's not even close, I agree with you. The higher and better production values all around help with that.

[Spork3245]

2 hours ago, SaysWho? said:

I find this game much tenser than the first O_O

Lol

Oh you sweet summer child /meme

[best3444]

24 hours in and I don't think I'm near any kind of ending. 

[SaysWho?]

I just finished Day 2. I have an idea as to how this will play out.

 

Spoiler

Seattle Day 1 and more unlockable upgrade branches? I'm replaying both days as Abby. Which would explain the 2017 trailer I saw of this game that had scenes with Abby IRRC.

If that's the case, I'm actually REALLY excited to do this. Not what I was expecting, but I heard something changed dramatically halfway through and some people fucking hated it.

 

[johnny]

Tweet directed at the morons 

 

Spoiler

 

 

[legend]

@Spork3245 I *think* (but am not sure) that the fast kill is what happens if you have someone grabbed, but you get seen by someone else before you start the kill.

 

I noticed the kill was fast in that context, but I can't quite remember what the animation of it specifically was.

[Spork3245]

12 hours ago, legend said:

@Spork3245 I *think* (but am not sure) that the fast kill is what happens if you have someone grabbed, but you get seen by someone else before you start the kill.

 

I noticed the kill was fast in that context, but I can't quite remember what the animation of it specifically was.

Unfortunately it’s not (post-game spoilers)

Spoiler

After you beat the game you can do “encounters” which lets you play through selected sequences with enemies and nothing else (side-note: it’s disappointing that it’s pre-set on weapons, inventory, and skills and does not allow the use of your save file stats  ). I tried playing a few sequences to see if I could replicate it, attempting various different presses of square (repeatedly tapping, long presses, etc), throwing a brick then charging + grabbing as per Johnny’s suggestion, and other things. If I was spotted while stealthing/grabbing the animation would change from a long choke to Abby starting to choke then flexing/jerking her arm for a neck-snap (similar to her stealth kill for runners), but still not the Jean-Claude Van Damme style twist-and-snap I was referencing  

 

[legend]

35 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

Unfortunately it’s not (post-game spoilers)

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After you beat the game you can do “encounters” which lets you play through selected sequences with enemies and nothing else (side-note: it’s disappointing that it’s pre-set on weapons, inventory, and skills and does not allow the use of your save file stats  ). I tried playing a few sequences to see if I could replicate it, attempting various different presses of square (repeatedly tapping, long presses, etc), throwing a brick then charging + grabbing as per Johnny’s suggestion, and other things. If I was spotted while stealthing/grabbing the animation would change from a long choke to Abby starting to choke then flexing/jerking her arm for a neck-snap (similar to her stealth kill for runners), but still not the Jean-Claude Vam Damme style twist-and-snap I was referencing  

 

 

I see. Well at least my memory was right that it was faster in that condition  Either that or they're sprinkling some RNG in. Dunno.

[atom631]

On 6/28/2020 at 1:06 AM, TheLeon said:

The “dissonance” that always hits me most in games like this is the collectibles, not the violence. When I’m in the middle of a very urgent mission (like you are in 80% of this game) and you know your objective is to the left, you first go right. Why? You don’t want to miss a trading card or a note. I’m not against hunting for crap in general, but I don’t like it when the story says I should be in a hurry. 

This so far is my only gripe with the game. The story has a sense of urgency and here I am exploring every nook and cranny In the opposite direction. The first game and its lack of open exploration had a better pace to the story. I’m finding the pacing to be slow bc my OCD wont allow me to not check every house and building. 
 

In RPGs we kind of accept this silliness but in a heavily story-driven game - it doesn’t work as well. I think I’d rather have more linearity to help the pacing along. 

[Kal-El814]

23 hours ago, BloodyHell said:

All of this assumes we want our games to be realistic? Thats the last thing I want. I play games when I have free time because its an escape from reality where I can play through great stories and gameplay. 
 

Experiences without killing are excellent too, but sometimes I just want to shred through hordes of demons, or rage through the post-apocalyptic wasteland and live out the grudges of imaginary characters. 
 

Mario, Zelda, Souls, those games are legendary for their mechanics. tLoU is legendary for being an interactive cinematic experience. Games do different things. Sometimes simultaneously.

 

I think this is kind of the point, though, and I’ve generally come around to the way of thinking within that article.

 

There are games where “the gameplay is the story” and there are games where that isn’t true. I don’t think either approach is inherently better, but I think AAA games like the ones Naughty Dog makes are generally the “least consistent” when it comes to how the narrative and the gameplay intersect. I don’t think it’s problematic to point that out and I do think that it should be expected that different people will react to that in different ways. Personally I’ve come to care less about it even though I still find it hard to ignore... it’s just easier for me to compartmentalize it than it was a few years back.

 

In the case of this game, do I think that dissonance undercuts anything ND was trying to say about the cycle of violence and hate? Yes. Did that affect my enjoyment of the separate aspects of the game? No. But if it did for other players, I would understand that perspective completely.

[TheLeon]

I'm about 18 hours in. As much as I'm enjoying the game, I can't really play for more than about an hour at a time. It's a draining experience. Now that I have some sense of what this game is like as a whole, I'm starting to understand the backlash, even if I don't agree with it at all. 

Spoiler

It was cool and interesting to play as Abby for those small sections in the beginning. It's fuckin' ballsy for her to be the protagonist for what feels like a full 50% of the game, complete with her own flashbacks, upgrades, etc. They could have made the point that "everyone in this world is both good and bad" with much less Abby time, but they are really going for it, and I respect that. I can understand that people wanted to play as Joel/Ellie and might be disappointed, but this is a far more interesting approach to this world/story. 

 

I don't like that she has to craft shivs though. Ellie's knife is a real miracle in this world, apparently. 

 

[atom631]

43 minutes ago, TheLeon said:

I'm about 18 hours in. As much as I'm enjoying the game, I can't really play for more than about an hour at a time. It's a draining experience. Now that I have some sense of what this game is like as a whole, I'm starting to understand the backlash, even if I don't agree with it at all. 

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It was cool and interesting to play as Abby for those small sections in the beginning. It's fuckin' ballsy for her to be the protagonist for what feels like a full 50% of the game, complete with her own flashbacks, upgrades, etc. They could have made the point that "everyone in this world is both good and bad" with much less Abby time, but they are really going for it, and I respect that. I can understand that people wanted to play as Joel/Ellie and might be disappointed, but this is a far more interesting approach to this world/story. 

 

I don't like that she has to craft shivs though. Ellie's knife is a real miracle in this world, apparently. 

 

Same for me. This game gives me massive anxiety. On one hand, I can’t stop thinking about playing and on the other hand I’m reluctant to fire up bc of the feelings it invokes in me. 

[Spork3245]

1 hour ago, TheLeon said:

I'm about 18 hours in. As much as I'm enjoying the game, I can't really play for more than about an hour at a time. It's a draining experience. Now that I have some sense of what this game is like as a whole, I'm starting to understand the backlash, even if I don't agree with it at all. 

  Hide contents

It was cool and interesting to play as Abby for those small sections in the beginning. It's fuckin' ballsy for her to be the protagonist for what feels like a full 50% of the game, complete with her own flashbacks, upgrades, etc. They could have made the point that "everyone in this world is both good and bad" with much less Abby time, but they are really going for it, and I respect that. I can understand that people wanted to play as Joel/Ellie and might be disappointed, but this is a far more interesting approach to this world/story. 

 

I don't like that she has to craft shivs though. Ellie's knife is a real miracle in this world, apparently. 

 

Spoiler

Apparently knives that don’t break after 4-5 stabs, besides Ellie’s, just don’t exist in this world