@throwawaydetective9080

7 months ago

This is probably the biggest definition of a game that is truly striving for greatness and not sticking the landing for me. The buildup is so aggressive and the mechanical intent is in your face, but the ending goes back to the first game’s tactic of not letting you have a solid answer as to the morals or message behind any of it. I think that tactic works with the first game greatly, but for part 2, the player is unfairly implicated in the atrocities so often that there’s just no satisfaction to be gained. To be clear, satisfaction in a storyline does not necessarily mean an ending that PLEASES the reader, but Last of Us 2 doesn’t seem to offer anything. It is horrible to its characters and sometimes the player, gives you glimpses of a greater beauty and meaning with Abby, and then it is ambivalent to all. However, I ended up replaying it for the podcast, and while I don’t think my opinion has changed whatsoever, I do think removed from the discourse, I’m actually glad it exists. When the game got announced, I said “The first game didn’t need a sequel!” And felt justified in that statement when I beat Part 2 for the first time. But after replaying Part 1 via the remake, then replaying part 2, they just feel so inseparable now. As in, if someone gave me a Time Machine and told me I could make Part 2 not happen, I would now refuse that offer. I had a lot more thoughts on Joel and Ellie’s relationship and how it might be coloring her emotional reactions and relationship style in part 2, and it made me relate more to it all, I related more with Abby too. Not going to get into that, but it’s safe to say I think I had a much better critical experience with it all this time around. I don’t think I came to a conclusion, but I’m not mad about that anymore. Edit: TLDR, didn’t like the game first play, had fun this time. I’m friends with Part 2 now. We get lunch every couple weeks :3

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