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

[Brick]

I wonder what difficulty I should play it at, and what difficulty features I should tweak, if any. A little higher than normal for sure to make the tension better, but I do fear it being too difficult. Gotta find that nice balance. 

[Dodger]

15 minutes ago, Brick said:

I wonder what difficulty I should play it at, and what difficulty features I should tweak, if any. A little higher than normal for sure to make the tension better, but I do fear it being too difficult. Gotta find that nice balance. 

 

 

I played through the first on normal and normal + and then did  Grounded and Grounded + after watching a speed runner and seeing that you could skip like half the encounters without any actual combat. 

[Bloodporne]

23 minutes ago, Brick said:

I wonder what difficulty I should play it at, and what difficulty features I should tweak, if any. A little higher than normal for sure to make the tension better, but I do fear it being too difficult. Gotta find that nice balance. 

From what I've read, it's definitely not harder than the first and several reviews implied that resources are surprisingly plentiful. I think first run on Hard seems reasonable based on that. 

[Brick]

Survivor was unlocked after a first playthrough in the first game, right? Grounded was DLC, I remember that. 

[Dodger]

I did do a few runs so I must if forgot the survivor play through. I was only the multiplayer  trophies away from getting the platinum from what I remember 

[johnny]

2 hours ago, Dodger said:

 

 

I played through the first on normal and normal + and then did  Grounded and Grounded + after watching a speed runner and seeing that you could skip like half the encounters without any actual combat. 

I’ve heard in this game there are a lot of human interactions that you can stealth past like in the first one. Like in the gameplay demo you can avoid killing the people. 

[TwinIon]

Saw this thread on Twitter, and the reactions to it continue to show why gamers are just the worst people:

 

There are the people that seem to think that the X/5 numbers are his score, and not his numbering the thread, so he gets attacked by people who think he hates the game, even when he calls it a masterpiece. There seems to be a lot of people that deeply dislike that he says it's not "fun." Then there are the folks that dislike his comparisons to other media or calling the game "art." And then there are people that haven't played the game taking issue with his opinion that it confronts violence in games better than other games.

 

 

I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what to expect, and I seriously doubt I'll have the same opinion as Jeff, but I'm constantly saddened by how people react to video game reactions or reviews.

[AbsolutSurgen]

5 hours ago, Kal-El814 said:

Not checking the reviews beyond the scores and I haven’t checked the spoilers but if people are expecting a narrative deeper than “what if the virus is violence” from Naughty Dog... I dunno what games they’ve been playing. :p

 

Can’t wait to play it tho. 

 

4 hours ago, Dexterryu said:

Doing my best to try to do the same. I think the ones that are primarily not reviewing it well are the types to inject their political opinions and think that every game needs to be politically correct within the current culture. While I can understand them feeling that way, and being annoyed/bothered if a game and its story are contrarian to their beliefs I really just want to know if the game is good.

You've got it backwards:

 

 

[SimpleG]

14 minutes ago, TwinIon said:

Saw this thread on Twitter, and the reactions to it continue to show why gamers are just the worst people:

 

There are the people that seem to think that the X/5 numbers are his score, and not his numbering the thread, so he gets attacked by people who think he hates the game, even when he calls it a masterpiece. There seems to be a lot of people that deeply dislike that he says it's not "fun." Then there are the folks that dislike his comparisons to other media or calling the game "art." And then there are people that haven't played the game taking issue with his opinion that it confronts violence in games better than other games.

 

 

I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what to expect, and I seriously doubt I'll have the same opinion as Jeff, but I'm constantly saddened by how people react to video game reactions or reviews.

When anyone ever questions why devs dont listen to gamers, devs should immediately point to this thread as its the only needed talking point. The levels stupid in that tread are mind blowing.Aside from the lack of reading comprehension , how do people not have the basic ability to critique or understand someone else critique of a piece a media..

[maddux4163]

Anyone know if Amazon does release day delivery?

[CastlevaniaNut18]

13 minutes ago, maddux4163 said:

Anyone know if Amazon does release day delivery?

They always do?

[Littleronin]

5 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

They always do?

They have been hit or miss since covid-19. I ended up getting Animal Crossing a week late and FFVII 3 days early. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

7 minutes ago, Littleronin said:

They have been hit or miss since covid-19. I ended up getting Animal Crossing a week late and FFVII 3 days early. 

Ah, yeah, maybe I could see that. 
 

so who knows, given the circumstances. Not sure anyone can give him a straight answer. 

[Ghost_MH]

2 hours ago, TwinIon said:

Saw this thread on Twitter, and the reactions to it continue to show why gamers are just the worst people:

 

There are the people that seem to think that the X/5 numbers are his score, and not his numbering the thread, so he gets attacked by people who think he hates the game, even when he calls it a masterpiece. There seems to be a lot of people that deeply dislike that he says it's not "fun." Then there are the folks that dislike his comparisons to other media or calling the game "art." And then there are people that haven't played the game taking issue with his opinion that it confronts violence in games better than other games.

 

 

I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what to expect, and I seriously doubt I'll have the same opinion as Jeff, but I'm constantly saddened by how people react to video game reactions or reviews.

 

In all fairness calling any game as emotional draining as Schindler's List is ridiculous. One of them is emotionally draining because, while it is a masterpiece of cinema, it's also a window into a horrific and monstrous real life event. The other is wholly imaginary tale and while I'm sure the comparison wasn't meant to belittle the events in Schindler's List in any way, it's still tone deaf in ways that are flat out shocking. It's not a comparison anyone should ever make because making it shows a disconnect from the reality of the events in Schindler's List. It would be as horrifically callous as saying a stealth game had you feeling like a runaway slave or Anne Frank. Those are just comparisons you don't make out of respect for the people that lost their lives in the real world.

[maddux4163]

7 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Ah, yeah, maybe I could see that. 
 

so who knows, given the circumstances. Not sure anyone can give him a straight answer. 

Guess I’ll find out early next week. I’ve got it pre-ordered. If I see It won’t come Friday, I’ll have to cancel and go digital. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

2 minutes ago, maddux4163 said:

Guess I’ll find out early next week. I’ve got it pre-ordered. If I see It won’t come Friday, I’ll have to cancel and go digital. 

Why not just pick it up in store?

[maddux4163]

5 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Why not just pick it up in store?

My local Walmart is un-reliable on release day games. Always has been.   

[CastlevaniaNut18]

33 minutes ago, maddux4163 said:

My local Walmart is un-reliable on release day games. Always has been.   

No Best Buy?  

[Nokt]

5 minutes ago, maddux4163 said:

Anyone know if Amazon does release day delivery?

Mine doesn’t have a release date yet, but I’ll update if it changes

[maddux4163]

1 hour ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

No Best Buy?  

Yep. 40 mins away. Screw that. I’ll save gas and time. Download it 

 

Obviously I’m a collector of physical games. But “this gen” I find myself not caring. It’s kinda nice to click in and out of games with no disc. Are they getting to me Cnut? Making me enjoy digital? They got me on PC. It’s not even worth attempting physical copies when you have STEAM

[CastlevaniaNut18]

8 minutes ago, maddux4163 said:

Yep. 40 mins away. Screw that. I’ll save gas and time. Download it 

 

Obviously I’m a collector of physical games. But “this gen” I find myself not caring. It’s kinda nice to click in and out of games with no disc. Are they getting to me Cnut? Making me enjoy digital? They got me on PC. It’s not even worth attempting physical copies when you have STEAM

Eh, I’m a mix. I’m pretty much all physical on PS4 because I have no incentive to go digital. Except for digital only games, duh. 
 

Switch, I’m probably 60-70% physical, but given the portability of the system, some games just really benefit from being digital, like Smash and Animal Crossing. 
 

I've got the Special Edition of TLOU2 ordered at Best Buy. 

[maddux4163]

21 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Eh, I’m a mix. I’m pretty much all physical on PS4 because I have no incentive to go digital. Except for digital only games, duh. 
 

Switch, I’m probably 60-70% physical, but given the portability of the system, some games just really benefit from being digital, like Smash and Animal Crossing. 
 

I've got the Special Edition of TLOU2 ordered at Best Buy. 

They’re still getting us Cnut. I was 100% physical last gen 360/PS3 

 

now I’m a “meh” on whatever is easier 😳

[SimpleG]

 

[SaysWho?]

Is there anything resembling a spoiler in the Digital Foundry video because I'd love to watch a tech vid. If not, I'll just wait till later since I enjoy their videos anyway.

[SimpleG]

Just now, SaysWho? said:

Is there anything resembling a spoiler in the Digital Foundry video because I'd love to watch a tech vid. If not, I'll just wait till later since I enjoy their videos anyway.

No they are still under the same embargo as everyone else,. Its the same areas we have seen before so if you have seen the trailers you wont be spoiled.

[SaysWho?]

A bit into the video, the base PS4 version runs fantastically. From Sony's first party, it's unsurprising.

 

Also, they have a nice comparison between this and the first game. Both game out the last main year of the console's life before the successor came out, both are TLOU games, but TLOU2 performs like butter, whereas the first TLOU wasn't smooth on the PS3.

[SimpleG]

3 minutes ago, SaysWho? said:

A bit into the video, the base PS4 version runs fantastically. From Sony's first party, it's unsurprising.

 

Also, they have a nice comparison between this and the first game. Both game out the last main year of the console's life before the successor came out, both are TLOU games, but TLOU2 performs like butter, whereas the first TLOU wasn't smooth on the PS3.

ND really has mastered the PS hardware.

[SaysWho?]

7 minutes ago, SimpleG said:

ND really has mastered the PS hardware.

 

I think it's also this gen. The PS4 was just better top to bottom and significantly easier to develop a game. Compare UC2/UC3 to UC4/Lost Legacy in terms of performance, and UC4/LL were much better performers. UC4 had barely any drops in performance, while Lost Legacy had a few more (the rainy tall grass area and the ambitious final chapter), but the performance was better throughout the game. And it still impresses me that Guerrilla pulled off a game like Horizon Zero Dawn with consistent 30fps performance.

 

Performance issues were just way more frequent last generation.

[johnny]

Does anybody else say think it’s weird when they say they didn’t enjoy the game but then praise it as a masterpiece? Multiple people have said it. I think they just mean it’s not a fun story. There are plenty of movies and shows I didn’t have fun watching because of the subject matter but I’d still say I enjoyed. It’s not fun to learn about the Holocaust, but I enjoy learning about it. Idk, maybe I’m wrong 

[SimpleG]

1 minute ago, johnny said:

Does anybody else say think it’s weird when they say they didn’t enjoy the game but then praise it as a masterpiece?

Nope

Mcarthys's Blood Meridian is not a enjoyable read but its a damn good story. Come and See is another film that is not a enjoyable to watch but it is a masterpiece.

[Brick]

Yeah we need to get out of this mindset that video games need to be "fun". Part of the reason why people say we need to come up with a better term than video game, because the term "game" implies having fun. 

[johnny]

1 hour ago, SimpleG said:

Nope

Mcarthys's Blood Meridian is not a enjoyable read but its a damn good story. Come and See is another film that is not a enjoyable to watch but it is a masterpiece.

Sure. But if say somebody has seen Come and See multiple times, how could you say that person doesn’t find enjoyment in watching it even if the film is brutal and disheartening. I guess what I’m saying is I believe you can enjoy something even if there’s no “fun” or “pleasure” because you get something else from it. 

[heydude93]

ND has mentioned before they feel games have potential to be more than fun escapism. Just as not all movies are fun, but any good movie is probably going to be considered engaging.  That seems to be their goal with TLOU2.

[Greatoneshere]

39 minutes ago, johnny said:

Sure. But if say somebody has seen Come and See multiple times, how could you say that person doesn’t find enjoyment in watching it even if the film is brutal and disheartening. I guess what I’m saying is I believe you can enjoy something even if there’s no “fun” or “pleasure” because you get something else from it. 

 

Agreed - I've seen Mandy, Schindler's List, Enter the Void, and more multiple times. There's a lot to take away and learn from things that don't always simply give us pure unadulterated pleasure or fun. Not everything has to simply be a good time, and I often feel a lot more honesty in art that seems disinterested in my needs than art that caters to me. And it tends to be more unpredictable and far more enjoyable for me as a result. People find this point of view pretentious, but I also enjoy base pleasures such as Independence Day (as a for instance) as well. It's about enjoying things on their terms, and then judging whether it was good or not for what it was going for, not whether it pleased me specifically or not.

[SimpleG]

1 hour ago, johnny said:

Sure. But if say somebody has seen Come and See multiple times, how could you say that person doesn’t find enjoyment in watching it even if the film is brutal and disheartening.

You certainly kind find enjoyment in brutal and disheartening but not everyone will, for some they can say "yup it was good but I dont want to do it again" and I dont find that strange at all.

 

1 hour ago, johnny said:

I guess what I’m saying is I believe you can enjoy something even if there’s no “fun” or “pleasure” because you get something else from it. 

No one is disagreeing with you , I absolutely do agree with you in fact but I can accept that that not everyone will.