crunchyflies

@pezen: Thanks!

@justin258: I've personally never seen a point in video game adaptations. Like you said, they're practically a tv show already. The ways in which HBO is changing/expanding on The Last of Us story aren't deep enough to get me super hooked on the narrative they're telling. It's a show for people who've never played the games; not for those who have.

@trulyalive: People getting upset over how Joel dies is an interesting thing to watch happen. There's something to be said/written about how people's expectations of a certain thing can often mar their appreciation of a story. They go into a piece of entertainment (perhaps because it's entertainment) with the expectation that their heroes will be the exact kind of person they idealize or romanticize them as being. And when a writer comes around to "ruin" that vision, the audience gets upset. I think it's because the writer's ultimate goal is to reflect a more realistic or grounded narrative, but because of how entertainment is often written (especially in the mainstream or in this era of high production cost blockbusters) these stories which go against the status quo are often attacked. People have likened TLOU II to The Last Jedi for such a reason. To toss another example out there, I would say it's similar to The Legend of Korra where people got upset over Aang and the original cast not being quite the perfect cast of characters they all envisioned them as being. But I would argue: are you the same person you were when you were twelve years old? People change. People grow. And like Joel said, "I wish things were different, but they ain't." It is what it is.

Also, Joel dying in such an "insignificant" way only plays into the game's overarching themes. Ellie is searching for meaning in life when there really isn't one. You're just supposed to live as best you can until the end. Having Joel die like he did drove that home. Most people don't die in heroic, dramatic ways. Sometimes it just comes. And we're always helpless (some brutally so) to let it happen.

@deathstriker: I think we have a philosophical difference of opinion here. Personally, the manner in which a video game tells its story is irrelevant to me so long as it tells it well. You brought up books before as an example of non-interactive storytelling that video games should build off of; I'm curious what you think about choose-your-own-adventure books? In essence, they embody the same level of interactivity that you wish all games storytelling had. Should, then, all books be written to be choose-your-own-adventures?

@pie: 👊

@nodima: Thanks! Sorry for the late reply. Interesting thought on companion dynamics. Switching them might've been interesting, but ultimately I think Ellie would've done what she done anyway. For instance, throughout the game Dina is this more caring personality trying to be nice to Ellie during a rough time until the very end, when she stands her ground and tells Ellie they're done if Ellie leaves. And yet, Ellie still leaves. Having a more forceful companion wouldn't have dissuaded Ellie of anything. She's stubborn. She has been from the moment you meet her in TLOU. Changing companion dynamics would've only led to different discussions and arguments, but ultimately they would've all followed the same paths.

@gornogorno: @deathstriker: Games can be many things (go figure), and to, after the fact, go "they should've done this," would be antithetical to the entire purpose of a game's vision. Giving players agency in TLOU Part I and II would completely change the message/theme of the story. Players might not accept Joel's lie at the end of TLOU and while they would've begun Ellie's revenge story, halfway through (probably when Dina says she's pregnant), they would've turned back and therefor not gotten Druckman's point. Simply because a game can give players choice, doesn't mean it should.

To talk about @deathstriker's question of character morality: the reason people don't question Capt. America or Superman's decisions when they choose one girl over the rest of the world is because they usually always end up finding a way of saving both in the end. Joel saves a kid; but damns the planet. You can write entire thesis's around our like of morally grey characters, but in part I think our love of them comes in how unpredictable they are. We watch a Superman movie and we know what he's going to do. We know the issues he's going the grapple with and we know what side he's ultimately going to fall on because those stories trade in black and white narratives. But in something like TLOU or Game of Thrones or what-have-you, we find characters dealing with deeper issues that aren't easily fixed. It's more real. It might even be more "close to home." Which was the point of Joel saving Ellie in TLOU I. This is a FATHER saving his DAUGHTER. A lot of people can relate to that. The wider implications come later, when Joel (and the player to a large extent) catches up to what they're doing and is faced with questions from Marlene and Ellie about their actions. When I mentioned how Ellie didn't have control. I didn't mean that Joel took that from her maliciously. He meant well. Just as most every parent means well when they do something for their child behind their back. But from Ellie's perspective, it's just another example of how powerless, and ultimately meaningless, she finds herself in life.

There is so much more to be written about this game. But in leu of making something that was short and easily digestible, I cut it down to what you just read. Perhaps in the future, when I have time and distance and energy, I'll come back and flesh it out into this much longer dissertation. Or maybe I won't. I could see a scenario where the third game is announced and the discourse around this series starts all over again; but as it stands, a month from now, an article such as this won't be relevant anymore and, thus, pointless to write. So who knows? Plus, to be honest, my motivation for revisiting such a game in a time such as this is low. I'm exhausted just by the thought of its existence; by the reminder of its haunting content amid a world of such strife. So... Yeah. Good story, but right now, I don't ever wanna revisit it.

Ipad Pro: at some point during every viewing the videos reset and I have to go hunting through to get back to where I last was. Anyone else having this issue?

@cmungall: If you’re having issues: