Coded Games
Member
Just finished the game today and was successfully never spoiled! Basically after the first couple trailers I completely stopped following the game, not wanting to know anything about it. The first game was one of my favorite games of all time and wanted to go into the second completely blind.
This choice to ignore everything was very important. I knew the story had leaked so I was extra careful to avoid everything related to the game.
Overall I really enjoyed the game. I don't think it is AS good as the first but still was a very enjoyable experience. I love TLOU's gameplay, I still don't think there is any game that matches the physicality and brutality of its combat.
THIS MESSAGE CONTAINS SPOILERS. Leave if you don't want the entire game spoiled.
Now about the story. I don't think it is as good. I think there are really cool things that the game did but instead put too much focus onto other less interesting things. I absolutely loved the game up to the point where the game switched from focusing on Ellie to Abby. The open world part of the game with Ellie and Dina exploring Seattle was AWESOME! I wish the game did more of that. The flash backs to Ellie and Joel were also really good. The game answered an important question that the first game left open. Did Ellie believe Joel? Also like the first game, the game had its lighter moments like the museum tour.
Now the controversial part of the game: Abby. I don't dislike her. I feel like they did a good job at building her backstory and gave enough reasoning as to why she would go out and kill Joel. I feel like the game did a pretty good job at ordering these events also. Joel dies toward the beginning of the game before you know any of the backstory. I like this ordering as it puts you into the position of Ellie. You don't know who these people are and you just want to kill them. This feeling would have been ruined by spoilers.
What I think the biggest weakness of the game as a whole is the wolves. Why are there so many semi-"important" characters? Owen, Manny, Mel, Nora, Asian Girl, maybe someone else? Owen is the only character of these that matter. Mel, Manny, Nora and Asain girl all didn't matter. They all die without any really character building or plot importance. I hated Mel she didn't need to be in the game. She was just a reason to pull the pregnant card 2 out of 3 times and make Owen seem like a bad person? But she also didn't like Owen, Owen didn't like her? I don't get that relationship. Also what is the goal of the wolves? They just exist to kill scars? Was Issac supposed to be an antagonist? He was another character that seemed like he was supposed to be important but just died.
Abby's side of the story did have it's good moments. The hospital section of the game was awesome and one of the most intense parts of the game. Like Ellies side, Abby's flash backs were interesting too. Out of the new characters Yara and Lev were awesome. Besides Abby I feel like they had the most character building and really wish the game spent more time on them and the scars instead of the wolves.
Here are my thoughts that I think would have made the game more interesting. Rename the wolves back to the fire flies. Now you don't need to explain anything about them. Cut most of the side characters out except maybe Owen for the flash backs. Emphasize a fight between the scars and the fire flies over the use of new world stuff or something else. Introduce Abby to Yara and Lev soon after it switches to Abby side and focus on this inner battle that the scars have between following their leader's word and how it's being twisted to be violent and stuff. Continue the idea that Owen and Abby want to leave their group maybe join the scars but the fireflies nation is about to attack. The ending to Abby's side remains mostly the same and Ellie's side goes untouched.
On Ellie's side I was really expected more of twist. In one of the trailers I did see one of the Ellie's quotes was "I'm going to find them and kill every last one of them" does she say this in the game? Really the only one she is out to kill is Abby. What I thought what was going to happen was Ellie believed Joel at the end of the first game. Or she at least convinced herself that he was telling the truth. Then the events of the second game happen. Joel dies, Ellie goes after Abby and eventually finds her. Beats the crap out of Abby and then Abby tells her what Joel did. He killer her father and that Ellie was the only chance to save humanity and that Abby was sent by the fire flies to kill Joel. This would then setup Ellie to hate both the fire flies and people connected to Joel because of the lie. Then the murder rampage fully begins. Maybe this idea was stupid but the game kind of led toward it. For example in the museum scene it leaves on the fire flies logo with the "Liers!" writing below it. I thought that would have been interesting if Joel put that there. Showing that he was continuing to reinforce his lie years later. But the game did not end up doing this. Which might have been good, my idea might be stupid and it is bad for a game to be predictable. But the direction it took just didn't put enough focus onto Ellie I think. Abby was too big of a part of the game.
The final section of the game in Santa Barbara was meh mostly because it was short. I think the Rattlers were pretty interesting but the game really didn't explain who they are, what they are doing, why they have prisons, why they keep infected chained up really anything. Why they hang people on pillars, basically everything. Just like with Yara/Lev and the Scars I think it would have been better to take focus away from the wolves and put it maybe on this. Or just take this section of the game out because it wasn't that interesting. Instead of a whole new group it could have been the wolves/fire flies that captures Lev and Abby and imprisoned them, since they are a scar and a traitor. Ellie would then come and save after a good beating.
The ending of the game also I thought was fine. It's not a happy ending, or a thought provoking ending like the first game. Ellie lost basically everything. Joel, Jesse, maybe Dina and JJ all over her need to get revenge and eventually end the cycle of hatred and violence between her and Abby. What does Ellie do now? We don't really know the game just ends. I don't think this game and it's themes deserve a happy ending. Ellie goes out of her way, killing hundreds of people to kill one person. The main idea is that unless you kill everyone even innocent people, the cycle will continue. Ellie got the chance to end the cycle and took it. Without as much violence as needed.
Overall I give the game like 8/10 rating where I would give the first game 10/10. I'm happy I played it and I enjoyed the game, it could have just been better.
This choice to ignore everything was very important. I knew the story had leaked so I was extra careful to avoid everything related to the game.
Overall I really enjoyed the game. I don't think it is AS good as the first but still was a very enjoyable experience. I love TLOU's gameplay, I still don't think there is any game that matches the physicality and brutality of its combat.
THIS MESSAGE CONTAINS SPOILERS. Leave if you don't want the entire game spoiled.
Now about the story. I don't think it is as good. I think there are really cool things that the game did but instead put too much focus onto other less interesting things. I absolutely loved the game up to the point where the game switched from focusing on Ellie to Abby. The open world part of the game with Ellie and Dina exploring Seattle was AWESOME! I wish the game did more of that. The flash backs to Ellie and Joel were also really good. The game answered an important question that the first game left open. Did Ellie believe Joel? Also like the first game, the game had its lighter moments like the museum tour.
Now the controversial part of the game: Abby. I don't dislike her. I feel like they did a good job at building her backstory and gave enough reasoning as to why she would go out and kill Joel. I feel like the game did a pretty good job at ordering these events also. Joel dies toward the beginning of the game before you know any of the backstory. I like this ordering as it puts you into the position of Ellie. You don't know who these people are and you just want to kill them. This feeling would have been ruined by spoilers.
What I think the biggest weakness of the game as a whole is the wolves. Why are there so many semi-"important" characters? Owen, Manny, Mel, Nora, Asian Girl, maybe someone else? Owen is the only character of these that matter. Mel, Manny, Nora and Asain girl all didn't matter. They all die without any really character building or plot importance. I hated Mel she didn't need to be in the game. She was just a reason to pull the pregnant card 2 out of 3 times and make Owen seem like a bad person? But she also didn't like Owen, Owen didn't like her? I don't get that relationship. Also what is the goal of the wolves? They just exist to kill scars? Was Issac supposed to be an antagonist? He was another character that seemed like he was supposed to be important but just died.
Abby's side of the story did have it's good moments. The hospital section of the game was awesome and one of the most intense parts of the game. Like Ellies side, Abby's flash backs were interesting too. Out of the new characters Yara and Lev were awesome. Besides Abby I feel like they had the most character building and really wish the game spent more time on them and the scars instead of the wolves.
Here are my thoughts that I think would have made the game more interesting. Rename the wolves back to the fire flies. Now you don't need to explain anything about them. Cut most of the side characters out except maybe Owen for the flash backs. Emphasize a fight between the scars and the fire flies over the use of new world stuff or something else. Introduce Abby to Yara and Lev soon after it switches to Abby side and focus on this inner battle that the scars have between following their leader's word and how it's being twisted to be violent and stuff. Continue the idea that Owen and Abby want to leave their group maybe join the scars but the fire
On Ellie's side I was really expected more of twist. In one of the trailers I did see one of the Ellie's quotes was "I'm going to find them and kill every last one of them" does she say this in the game? Really the only one she is out to kill is Abby. What I thought what was going to happen was Ellie believed Joel at the end of the first game. Or she at least convinced herself that he was telling the truth. Then the events of the second game happen. Joel dies, Ellie goes after Abby and eventually finds her. Beats the crap out of Abby and then Abby tells her what Joel did. He killer her father and that Ellie was the only chance to save humanity and that Abby was sent by the fire flies to kill Joel. This would then setup Ellie to hate both the fire flies and people connected to Joel because of the lie. Then the murder rampage fully begins. Maybe this idea was stupid but the game kind of led toward it. For example in the museum scene it leaves on the fire flies logo with the "Liers!" writing below it. I thought that would have been interesting if Joel put that there. Showing that he was continuing to reinforce his lie years later. But the game did not end up doing this. Which might have been good, my idea might be stupid and it is bad for a game to be predictable. But the direction it took just didn't put enough focus onto Ellie I think. Abby was too big of a part of the game.
The final section of the game in Santa Barbara was meh mostly because it was short. I think the Rattlers were pretty interesting but the game really didn't explain who they are, what they are doing, why they have prisons, why they keep infected chained up really anything. Why they hang people on pillars, basically everything. Just like with Yara/Lev and the Scars I think it would have been better to take focus away from the wolves and put it maybe on this. Or just take this section of the game out because it wasn't that interesting. Instead of a whole new group it could have been the wolves/fire flies that captures Lev and Abby and imprisoned them, since they are a scar and a traitor. Ellie would then come and save after a good beating.
The ending of the game also I thought was fine. It's not a happy ending, or a thought provoking ending like the first game. Ellie lost basically everything. Joel, Jesse, maybe Dina and JJ all over her need to get revenge and eventually end the cycle of hatred and violence between her and Abby. What does Ellie do now? We don't really know the game just ends. I don't think this game and it's themes deserve a happy ending. Ellie goes out of her way, killing hundreds of people to kill one person. The main idea is that unless you kill everyone even innocent people, the cycle will continue. Ellie got the chance to end the cycle and took it. Without as much violence as needed.
Overall I give the game like 8/10 rating where I would give the first game 10/10. I'm happy I played it and I enjoyed the game, it could have just been better.