Something went wrong. Try again later
    Follow

    The Last of Us

    Game » consists of 11 releases. Released Jun 14, 2013

    Joel and Ellie must survive in a post-apocalyptic world where a deadly parasitic fungus infects people's brains in this PS3 exclusive third-person action-adventure game from Naughty Dog.

    Just Beat the Game... Wanna Talk About it? SPOILERS

    Avatar image for rongalaxy
    RonGalaxy

    4937

    Forum Posts

    48

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 1

    #1  Edited By RonGalaxy

    Update: Some folk have been talking about a tape recorder at the end of the game that possibly reveals there were more like ellie and joel wasnt lying at the end. this is completely false. Here's what I said in this thread

    He's definitely talking about people who are infected and not immune. "her infection is nothing like I've ever seen" "as we've seen in all past cases (infected), the antigenic (toxin, bacteria, bad stuff) titers of the patients (Ellie) cordyceps remain HIGH in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid". He then goes on to explain what separates Ellie from past cases... He's basically saying she carry's the virus, but is not affected by it.

    Well, that ending... Not sure how I feel about it, to be honest.

    It's the complete polar opposite of the road SPOILERS FOR THE ROAD AHEAD

    The ending for the road is a sad ending that's really happy (dad dies, but the boy ends up with a good family) and the last of us is a "happy" ending that's really a bad/morally ambigious one.

    It's refreshing that naughty dog wanted to subvert what everyone expects from them/this particular genre, but the ending result is less entertainment and more macabre. Don't get me wrong, they did a great job at what they set out to do and I'm glad I experienced it; I'm just not used to a game doing this/making me feel this way. And as a trophy/collectables whore, I won't be doing any clean up to get the platinum

    In fact, I probably won't be playing the game again anytime soon

    Final question: Was it inferred that the crazy dude in charge of the hunters was trying to rape ellie, or just kill her? I was too caught up in the moment to notice, but when she said "he tried to...", I was thinking "wait, did that really... What?"

    It's also complete fucking bananas that Sony let Naughty Dog make this game in the way that they did. It's all completely out of left field

    Avatar image for yummylee
    Yummylee

    24646

    Forum Posts

    193025

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 88

    User Lists: 24

    #2  Edited By Yummylee

    Yes, it was heavily implied that David wanted Ellie for sexual purposes. I really liked the ending, too. Joel's obviously a bit of a scumbag (by necessity mind) and become morally-challenged long before the game begins, so while it was still shocking to see him put his own selfishness ahead of potentially saving the human race, it still seemed... fitting.

    The part where you play as Ellie, now that I really wasn't expecting -- or rather that you'd go through so much combat as her. I figured you'd play as her purely to hunt the deer, but then you're shanking enemies with her stiletto like she's a rabid hyena and shit. A little strange that they made her to be just as effective as Joel, though, even going as far as to give her his ''super-hearing'' ability.

    Avatar image for rongalaxy
    RonGalaxy

    4937

    Forum Posts

    48

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 1

    @yummylee: I wouldnt say just as effective. Meleeing dudes is a death sentence, and stabbing dudes from behind alerts everyone near by.

    Avatar image for daspazz
    daspazz

    6

    Forum Posts

    106

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    #4  Edited By daspazz

    Please help. I am currently stuck as Ellie in the blizzard. What is required to proceed? Kill all the hunters?

    I do know its a maze that seems to be one big circle. I've been around it in both directions several times......

    I did "run" through a fence once and thought I was free only to be caught and killed trying to duke it out with a man, I totally agree Ellie is NOT Joel.

    I'm even playing through on easy mode because the next one up is too hard even for Joel.

    I was stuck a few times during the game but eventually figured it out. This time Im not so sure what to do. Any hits would be much appreciated...

    Avatar image for somethingsaurus
    Somethingsaurus

    70

    Forum Posts

    267

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 5

    @daspazz: I just hugged the left "wall" of the area, while keeping to cover, and eventually got to a restaurant/diner/whatever it was. That's pretty much how I got through it, anyway.

    Avatar image for rongalaxy
    RonGalaxy

    4937

    Forum Posts

    48

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 1

    @daspazz: follow the oil drums that are on fire

    Avatar image for fredchuckdave
    Fredchuckdave

    10824

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 2

    #7  Edited By Fredchuckdave

    @naru_joe93: Shit's not morally ambiguous at all, you're both pretty much the worst person on the planet by the end.

    Avatar image for daspazz
    daspazz

    6

    Forum Posts

    106

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    #8  Edited By daspazz

    @somethingsaurus said:

    @daspazz: I just hugged the left "wall" of the area, while keeping to cover, and eventually got to a restaurant/diner/whatever it was. That's pretty much how I got through it, anyway.

    Thanks for the tip. I will give it a go when I get a chance. I was stumped totally and finally gave up there after playing for about 18 or more hours straight after restarting on easy. After about 4 hours and being stuck in the falling building with clicker and runners.....

    Almost quit the game because of the frustration with that sequence, I almost completed it once by stealthing the guys at the far end of the floor but then set off the clicker and a few runners and it was "game over man"....

    I did finally stealth some hunters with bricks and my knife, then the pistol fest began! I made it to the place.

    That window was hard to see.... I got there and now the f00ked up survival battle begins. I should have known it wouldn't be an easy "escape"! I might just have to quit playing it here, if I can't kill da fuka!!! It would seem I'm now stuck getting a machete to the back or to the side of my head! This sucks Mah0r!!!

    It figures that I would have to be a badass 14 year old to get any further. But I hate that part too!

    Avatar image for rongalaxy
    RonGalaxy

    4937

    Forum Posts

    48

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 1

    #9  Edited By RonGalaxy

    @fredchuckdave: its arguable, getting a cure wasnt a guarentee, distribution/manufacturing of such a vaccine would be impossible for the worlds current state, the vaccine wouldnt get rid of the zombies that are already out there (something like 2/3's of the planet), and he saved someone he has a deep emotional connection with.

    His choice could have been a bad one for the world, but it doesnt make him a bad person.

    Id argue the games most prominent underlying message was choices, "good" or "bad", dont determine what kind of people we are. We're all in the gray; whether we like to believe otherwise is pointless.

    Joel was being selfish in a selfish world

    Avatar image for mistergrux
    MisterGrux

    3

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    I think there's only one simple little thing that describes the ending to its fullest. The whole game was about being human.
    Joel was a simple human, with all his strengths and weaknesses, his perfections and his flaws.
    What I really liked about this game, was that it was a great portrayal of humanity, of how humans act and how they are in each and every situation. The game came under my skin, which very few games do.

    I really didn't see that specific end coming, and I actually liked that it wasn't a total mindfuck or a big "holy fucking crap"-ending, it was a simple selfish human act, by a flawed human being, as we all are.


    Avatar image for fourwude
    FourWude

    2274

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 0

    What was the last sentence of the game?

    Avatar image for rongalaxy
    RonGalaxy

    4937

    Forum Posts

    48

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 1

    @mistergrux: yeah, the ending is kind of perfect after having sat with it for awhile. It makes me wonder what the fuck the single player dlc is gonna be. Really hope it leaves joel and ellies story alone.

    Avatar image for wraxend
    Wraxend

    616

    Forum Posts

    148

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 11

    Man I embodied Joel at the end in the hospital, where before I had been careful and sneaky the shear panic that Ellie was going to die made me go in guns blazing. Sure I went through most of my resources but I was ready to kill everyone just to save her and Joels choice to let the human race suffer instead of letting Ellie sacrifice herself I agreed with. Also I liked the fact he killed Marlene because at the point where I thought he was gonna let her live I was saying "don't she'll only come after ya"and what does he say "you'll come after us" and then he shot her, brilliant. But yeah at the end kept thinking ok Joel is gonna get infected or something bad is gonna happen at any moment now but nothing occurred was excellent writing by Naughty Dog.

    Also where the hell did they get the idea for the god damm Giraffes haha.

    Avatar image for deactivated-60dda8699e35a
    deactivated-60dda8699e35a

    1807

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    I figured that it was a downer ending. Seriously, Joel just destroyed one of the last chances for the human race at the end, and he lied to Ellie to make sure she wouldn't go leaving him behind to try and do the right thing. Whether it would have worked or not shouldn't be taken into account - he decided to go with his own selfish desires over what was right, and I actually applaud the game for doing that, since any other game probably would have ended with him doing the right thing. Still, I can't say that I really support his decision at all, and I think he deserved to die when he was trying to save Ellie.

    Avatar image for deep-_-thought
    Deep-_-Thought

    45

    Forum Posts

    26

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 12

    #15  Edited By Deep-_-Thought
    @fourwude said:

    What was the last sentence of the game?

    Ellie asks Joel if what he said about the Fireflies was true, Joel hesitates and then finally says, "I swear." Screen cuts back to her and she says, "Okay."

    Avatar image for chaser324
    chaser324

    9415

    Forum Posts

    14945

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 15

    #16 chaser324  Moderator

    In my view, one of the biggest thematic elements of the game, especially in relation to Joel, is dealing with survivor's guilt. The ending essentially comes right out and says as much with Joel telling Ellie, "I struggled with surviving for a long time."

    Joel's entire path through life is dealing with death, and it's the death of his daughter and Tess that shapes his relationship with Ellie. His failure to ever deal with the death of his daughter is what leads to him refusing to let Ellie die in the end. Then, in the final scene Ellie reveals the guilt that's been driving her, including the guilt associated with having an immunity to the thing that's killing the rest of humanity.

    Avatar image for fourwude
    FourWude

    2274

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 0

    @variable_: And what did Joel say about the fireflies?

    Tell me everything.

    Avatar image for deep-_-thought
    Deep-_-Thought

    45

    Forum Posts

    26

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 12

    #18  Edited By Deep-_-Thought
    Avatar image for fourwude
    FourWude

    2274

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 0

    @variable_: Was the thing about the fireflies really true though? Really?

    Avatar image for deep-_-thought
    Deep-_-Thought

    45

    Forum Posts

    26

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 12

    #20  Edited By Deep-_-Thought

    @fourwude: No, it wasn't. You should really play the game man, the story is pretty good.

    Avatar image for noremnants
    noremnants

    439

    Forum Posts

    1475

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    #21  Edited By noremnants

    Honestly I don't think Joel was selfish. I think the Fireflies were selfish. Joel couldn't have been unconscious for more than a few hours and the Fireflies were already prepping to kill her to get at the spores or whatever in her head. They were so dead set on finding a cure that they immediately decided to take the simplest option of just hacking her head open and taking them with no care of what happens to her. They could have easily spent at least a few weeks running tests to see if they could get at the spores some other way.

    Avatar image for deactivated-5985ee6460d86
    deactivated-5985ee6460d86

    443

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 0

    survival horror at it's finest. I think the game is pretty much perfect but the only grip I had with it was that the ending felt like such a downer and having played 15 plus hours of wanting Joel and Ellie to finally be at peace it felt bad. It never occurred to me to sacrifice Ellie since the game made me really get attach to the character(great writing) but it bothers me on how the game just cuts to a blank with her questioning Joel as in she will probably always think on that. I don't think it was bad writing that led me to this rather the polar opposite, I feel bad that Joel lied to her and that it will always linger in their minds. I wouldn't mind DLC based on their story, I feel they could really build another 2 hour segment solely on that. Still the game doesn't really need to add anything, it fulfilled it's purpose.

    Avatar image for somedelicook
    SomeDeliCook

    2353

    Forum Posts

    61

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 1

    I'm really, really glad they didn't kill off either character. Parts of the story (coincidentally) felt a little too much like the Walking Dead game so it was refreshing to see both characters are going to try to survive together.

    Avatar image for re_player1
    RE_Player1

    8074

    Forum Posts

    1047

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    I'm really, really glad they didn't kill off either character. Parts of the story (coincidentally) felt a little too much like the Walking Dead game so it was refreshing to see both characters are going to try to survive together.

    Killing them off would have been predictable. This was the best thing they could have done and in way perfectly blends a happy and sad ending and speaks volumes about both characters growth.

    On the one hand Joel saved Ellie, a girl he now treats as his daughter as evident through his conversation at the end saying how much they are alike and how they would have been friends. He sacrificed everything to get her back and finally he can do more than just survive. On the other hand Ellie knows full well what he did which could cause serious strains in their relationship going forward. Ellie also isn't very cheery at the end like Joel especially when his daughter comes up. She knows she is filling a void now.

    Avatar image for granderojo
    granderojo

    1898

    Forum Posts

    1071

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 12

    User Lists: 1

    You can't blame Joel entirely for his actions at the end of the game. If Ellie hadn't have been playing the role of the idiot. It is her own unrealistic expectations she places on Joel that drives him to go with her to begin with.

    She gave him something worth living for again, and the price she had to pay was gaining a father at the behest of saving humanity.

    Joel is the villain, let this be clear, but man is he a likable villain only because his moral fiber is so prodigious.

    Avatar image for reelife
    reelife

    451

    Forum Posts

    2

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 2

    User Lists: 1

    #26  Edited By reelife

    I didn't know that David (the raper)... Was voiced by Nolan North.

    What I liked is that from a character perspective it was a good ending for Joel. The game starts with him carrying a child to death and in the end he carries a child away from death. So in a way he redeems himself for his own personal needs. He is the villain of this story. They also set up so they could return to this game later on, possibly playing as Ellie.

    I really liked the ending, because the one that was in my head was worse.

    Avatar image for geirr
    geirr

    4166

    Forum Posts

    717

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 5

    #27  Edited By geirr

    Play 20 hours (save bug wiped 30% of progress) to find out that Joel is a lying piece of shit. Man I really want to play it over again knowing that. It puts the prologue in a new light though knowing what Joel will become. Even worse is how uncharacteristic it seems for someone like Ellie to just accept the shitty person he's become, she's too smart and strong-willed for that. Or I guess not. Stockholm syndrome happened.

    I still fucking love the game though, I just hate it too.

    Avatar image for yummylee
    Yummylee

    24646

    Forum Posts

    193025

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 88

    User Lists: 24

    BTW, did anyone else initially assume during the final scene as Ellie that she was going to kill Joel?

    Avatar image for reelife
    reelife

    451

    Forum Posts

    2

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 2

    User Lists: 1

    #29  Edited By reelife
    Avatar image for emfromthesea
    emfromthesea

    2161

    Forum Posts

    70

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 10

    @yummylee said:

    BTW, did anyone else initially assume during the final scene as Ellie that she was going to kill Joel?

    I didn't think she was going to kill him, but the hesitation before she said, "Okay" definitely makes me think she isn't as trusting of him anymore. As if she's beginning to see the darker side of him.

    What I'm wondering, is if her immunity was fading. Is it me, or did her arm (when she glanced at it before catching up with Joel) look like it had more boils/infected stuff on it? I may just be paranoid.

    Avatar image for white
    white

    1697

    Forum Posts

    47

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    #31  Edited By white

    I actually thought that the game was gonna end after the conflict with David and they'll reach Salt Lake City and it'll just end with some happy conclusion.

    I think there's only one simple little thing that describes the ending to its fullest. The whole game was about being human.

    Joel was a simple human, with all his strengths and weaknesses, his perfections and his flaws.

    What I really liked about this game, was that it was a great portrayal of humanity, of how humans act and how they are in each and every situation. The game came under my skin, which very few games do.

    I really didn't see that specific end coming, and I actually liked that it wasn't a total mindfuck or a big "holy fucking crap"-ending, it was a simple selfish human act, by a flawed human being, as we all are.

    More on to that point, I think the game is trying to highlight that humans are the worst creatures and it reflects it both in gameplay and story. In the game, I'm actually more concerned with fighting a group of dudes as opposed to a mixed bag of infected. Those "creatures" are predictable. Humans; not as much. Also, dudes shoot back.

    And yea, the whole story is about the lengths people go to and, like you said, the selfishness of humans. Marlene just wanted the easy way out and Joel just wants to have a family again.

    Put yourself in Joel's shoes. I doubt anyone, given what the man's been through, after he had found a reason worth living again, would've sacrifice Ellie.

    Avatar image for fredchuckdave
    Fredchuckdave

    10824

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 2

    @naru_joe93: You're conflating modern morality with tribal morality; in a situation where the human race is threatened the largest group's concept of morality is generally the best one unless they're killing for no other reason than killing. Love is a selfish emotion, Joel acts to defend Ellie but also acts so that he doesn't become an emotional wreck himself; he doesn't want to relive past experiences. Just look to his conversation with Tommy:

    "We survived because of me"

    "It wasn't worth it."

    This is basically the point the game is making throughout. I suppose it's a tossup whether Tommy's group or just the plain old army is the highest moral authority, both seem to be relatively competent at organization and keeping people alive. The best decisions that Joel could have made if he were moral is probably stay with Tommy in the first place since there's absolutely no guarantee he'll be alive by the time they get back, second is probably stay with Bill; albeit it seems like Bill can handle himself.

    Beyond that you kill 3 entire groups of human survivors, 2 of them are hostile and aggressive but they're still just trying to survive same as you. David's pedophilia is disturbing (and arguably unnecessary to be in the plot) and cannibalism is a tough route but neither of these make their attempts to survive any less viable than yours. Also even if pedophilia is fucked up at least it gives some vague chance of reproduction which seems to be rare as hell outside of the Quarantine Zones, I wish they had made David seem less villainous in that respect, he's a little too much and he could've just been a "normal" guy explaining why they do what they do.

    If cannibalism is viable for tribal/post-tribal societies at other points in time (Aztecs and so on) then who are you to say it isn't viable in the new scenario? As long as the members of the group themselves aren't targeted and as long as other hunting methods are prioritized. Judging by the "Meat Ledger" Joel and Ellie have killed far more people than the hunters, and the fact that they have a ledger demonstrates an organization and conservation of resources. While the banners in the lodge are unsettling to say the least they do show at least some restraint and overall respect for what they have done, no one is happy about being cannibals.

    Avatar image for re_player1
    RE_Player1

    8074

    Forum Posts

    1047

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    Hey guys what was your favourite season of the game? Winter took me for a loop in terms of what happened and how long I was controlling Ellie for. The scene where Joel is trying to find Ellie in the town and walks through the butcher shop full of dead, cut up human bodies was probably one of the most haunting scenes as well.

    Avatar image for rongalaxy
    RonGalaxy

    4937

    Forum Posts

    48

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 1

    @fredchuckdave: how am I confusing the 2? When I said "joel was being selfish in a selfish world" I was definitely referring to the state of the world in the game.

    Avatar image for amlabella
    amlabella

    413

    Forum Posts

    77

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 25

    Seems like a lot of people think Joel was kind of a bad character (in terms of good/evil). Am I the only one who liked him? I thought the way his connection grew with Ellie was genuine and his early skepticism was totally understandable considering the prologue. Like someone else pointed out, he felt human. I probably would have been reacting the same way if I were in his shoes.

    I absolutely thought he was going to get shot at the end when he runs off with Ellie, so props to Naughty Dog for subverting my expectations. I understand his reasons were selfish to a degree, but it takes a really big person to sacrifice someone you care about to save others, and in the end Joel cares about Ellie.

    Avatar image for fredchuckdave
    Fredchuckdave

    10824

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 2

    @msavo: Winter is the best since it's pretty tightly paced and constructed, you could probably make a really good movie just out of the winter section of the game.

    Avatar image for sooperspy
    Sooperspy

    6485

    Forum Posts

    935

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 9

    User Lists: 17

    #37  Edited By Sooperspy

    @msavo: Yeah I'm gonna have to go with Winter. By the end of the season, after killing David, I had no idea how they continue the game after that. I was so physically and emotionally drained by the end of Winter.

    Avatar image for reelife
    reelife

    451

    Forum Posts

    2

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 2

    User Lists: 1

    Playing the game on survivor and Im at the end now... again(need dat trophy). So here's an interesting thing that happens between Joel and Ellie. Ellie starts talking about a dream, where 'a plane was crashing and there was no pilots in the cockpit, she don't know how to fly so they all die'. Now when I've finished the game the reason of that dream can be broken down to this. Ellie is the savior of humanity but she is not in control of it. Just like a plane crash. Man i love this game.

    Avatar image for rongalaxy
    RonGalaxy

    4937

    Forum Posts

    48

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 1

    #39  Edited By RonGalaxy

    @naru_joe93: You're conflating modern morality with tribal morality; in a situation where the human race is threatened the largest group's concept of morality is generally the best one unless they're killing for no other reason than killing. Love is a selfish emotion, Joel acts to defend Ellie but also acts so that he doesn't become an emotional wreck himself; he doesn't want to relive past experiences. Just look to his conversation with Tommy:

    "We survived because of me"

    "It wasn't worth it."

    This is basically the point the game is making throughout. I suppose it's a tossup whether Tommy's group or just the plain old army is the highest moral authority, both seem to be relatively competent at organization and keeping people alive. The best decisions that Joel could have made if he were moral is probably stay with Tommy in the first place since there's absolutely no guarantee he'll be alive by the time they get back, second is probably stay with Bill; albeit it seems like Bill can handle himself.

    Beyond that you kill 3 entire groups of human survivors, 2 of them are hostile and aggressive but they're still just trying to survive same as you. David's pedophilia is disturbing (and arguably unnecessary to be in the plot) and cannibalism is a tough route but neither of these make their attempts to survive any less viable than yours. Also even if pedophilia is fucked up at least it gives some vague chance of reproduction which seems to be rare as hell outside of the Quarantine Zones, I wish they had made David seem less villainous in that respect, he's a little too much and he could've just been a "normal" guy explaining why they do what they do.

    If cannibalism is viable for tribal/post-tribal societies at other points in time (Aztecs and so on) then who are you to say it isn't viable in the new scenario? As long as the members of the group themselves aren't targeted and as long as other hunting methods are prioritized. Judging by the "Meat Ledger" Joel and Ellie have killed far more people than the hunters, and the fact that they have a ledger demonstrates an organization and conservation of resources. While the banners in the lodge are unsettling to say the least they do show at least some restraint and overall respect for what they have done, no one is happy about being cannibals.

    Okay, here's my retort (I was trying to read this and respond on my phone, which wasn't the smartest idea

    What you're forgetting is that this society (the one in the game) wasn't raised on tribal morality; that aspect of the world is only 20 years old. When this comes into play, it all becomes morally confusing because you have people who were "good" in the past trying to rape little girls and eating people. When you're raised in a society that demoralizes tribe mentality, and all of a sudden you need it for survival, it's automatically morally ambiguous.

    Avatar image for re_player1
    RE_Player1

    8074

    Forum Posts

    1047

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    #40  Edited By RE_Player1

    @msavo: Yeah I'm gonna have to go with Winter. By the end of the season, after killing David, I had no idea how they continue the game after that. I was so physically and emotionally drained by the end of Winter.

    Felt the same way. I honestly thought it was going to end there, the David encounter feeling as tense as a final boss would be. Yet Spring comes at it has even more amazing moments.

    Avatar image for ike7779
    ike7779

    373

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 7

    The ending reminded me of the movie The Graduate where Hoffman steals his love interest away from the middle of her wedding and when they get on the bus and the credits roll, the melancholic music plays and you slowly realize it was the exact opposite of a happy ending.

    Avatar image for bkbroiler
    bkbroiler

    1739

    Forum Posts

    438

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 11

    @msavo said:

    @redbullet685 said:

    @msavo: Yeah I'm gonna have to go with Winter. By the end of the season, after killing David, I had no idea how they continue the game after that. I was so physically and emotionally drained by the end of Winter.

    Felt the same way. I honestly thought it was going to end there, the David encounter feeling as tense as a final boss would be. Yet Spring comes at it has even more amazing moments.

    Same, I had to stop playing after Winter. I was so frightened that something terrible was going to happen (Ellie dying being my primary concern). It probably lessened the emotional impact of the Spring section, but I was about to have a nervous breakdown, practically.

    I really love the Winter sequence in general. Ellie played a bit differently than Joel, being weaker but much quicker overall (mantling things, running around to stab dudes). I also liked how small you feel playing as her.

    Avatar image for themasterds
    TheMasterDS

    3018

    Forum Posts

    7716

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 31

    #43  Edited By TheMasterDS

    I felt like what the game was trying to say is that everyone is an asshole and yet everyone has good reasons to be because family. I just use my good old fashioned rule of thumb moral which is "someone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill 'em right back!" Sore losers, that's what all the enemies in the game are. I only wish they ran out of dudes at some point. They must have 100, 200 men in some of those savage encampments! Maybe more considering they don't seem to be in short supply of them other than the whole small enemy squad thing.

    I also feel the cure thing was actually hopelessly naive on everyone's accounts and the Fireflies are too focused on it to realize it wouldn't solve shit and their methods are extreme.

    I sort of liked how everyone reacted to Joel killing (in self defense usually) all of their friends. It was very human in a way video games rarely are. It's a bit bizarre really when a bastard tells you you've killed a bunch of his friends in self defense. It's a very human thing to say but at the same time you want to shout back "Fuck you! You tried to kill me first fuckface!" Like the enemies are acting like humans but that doesn't make you want to kill them less. I was very happy the one point they decided to run rather than fight. That was smart for once.

    Avatar image for fredchuckdave
    Fredchuckdave

    10824

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 2

    @naru_joe93: It's 20 years since the previous society really existed in any form, which is more than long enough to disrupt every function of society; it only takes a few years for social deconstruction to occur. To be clear it is possible for people to still adhere to traditional morality like the main characters do in The Road (though that was only a few years later) but Joel and Ellie definitely don't and thus can't be subject to it; I suppose Tommy might have some sort of moral structure left but Joel definitely doesn't and Ellie was raised apart from any such system.

    Avatar image for re_player1
    RE_Player1

    8074

    Forum Posts

    1047

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    @bkbroiler: It was smart how they handled the beginning of Spring with the 30 minute+ calm intro with Joel and Ellie talking and witnessing the Giraffes in the city. If there was action immediately after Winter it would have been too intense and draining for the player.

    Avatar image for mongoose
    mongoose

    227

    Forum Posts

    188

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 3

    #47  Edited By mongoose

    I wonder now whether it's a case of - both characters need something, and both are willing to live with the consequences to make them happen.

    I mean, Joel needs a daughter and needs to absolve himself, and by the end he is willing to doom humanity and lie to Ellie to get that.

    For Ellie's part, it seems to me she needs a father (everyone around her has always died) and feels the same survivors guilt as Joel, and yet she is willing to believe his lie about the fireflies for her own needs (and perhaps his) and to continue the relationship with him that she has and needs.

    She seems to know that he's lying, but is willing to accept it. Everyone has needs, everyone is selfish to a point?

    Avatar image for scroll
    scroll

    641

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 1

    I was expecting Joel to die at some point, in fact I swear the is a sequence in one of the trailers that implies that. I couldn't do that again so soon after the walking dead and this game has been pretty exhausting without ending on a hugely depressing ending.

    Avatar image for thebarrylad
    thebarrylad

    49

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    #49  Edited By thebarrylad

    I loved this game. It feels weird saying 'it met the hype' because to be quite honest, some of the hype was cartoonish and impossible to take seriously. I know everyone ridicules it, but the 'Citizen Kane of games' comment is just so moronic for a multitude of reasons. I think anyone with even a casual interest in games should resent the idea that games in 2013 are still yearning for that break out moment where they get taken seriously. Comments like that aside, I do think this game met the majority of the hype. Did it have its issues? Sure. Did Ellie occasionally wander in front of enemies and go totally unnoticed? Yeah, and it blows extra hard for 'gamey' moments like that to ruin what is such an amazingly crafted world. Does that make it not a masterpiece? Of course not. A true five star classic is, to me, above things like that. This game had amazingly crafted gameplay, jaw dropping visuals and sound, and a story that will stick with me for a long time.

    I have to echo the statements of others in that I really loved that the ending was NOT that ending. You know, the one we were probably all expecting. Ellie gets shot or something, and we fade to black with Joel holding her like his daughter. The game was very Walking Dead-like in its endless stream of misery and grimness, with tonnes of surprising deaths and twists. But the ending was just a very macabre, very heavy one, that was probably designed to keep you thinking for days after it. And it has. I dunno how to feel. I felt so unbelievably bad for Joel and to be honest I thought his actions were justified (even though shooting the surgeons felt heavy as fuck), but at the end of the game when he lies to Ellie you just have that sinking feeling of -- this isn't going to work, and this relationship will ultimately fall apart. Joel is just grasping to Ellie as a surrogate daughter and she knows something is up. I'm hoping there is single player DLC that acts as a direct follow up to the main story because there are so many ways it can go from here.

    (Also hi, I'm new)

    Avatar image for bkbroiler
    bkbroiler

    1739

    Forum Posts

    438

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 11

    #50  Edited By bkbroiler

    @msavo said:

    @bkbroiler: It was smart how they handled the beginning of Spring with the 30 minute+ calm intro with Joel and Ellie talking and witnessing the Giraffes in the city. If there was action immediately after Winter it would have been too intense and draining for the player.

    Totally. I actually played all that stuff and really loved it, though I had this mounting feeling of dread the whole time. I stopped right after Ellie gives you the picture of your daughter.

    @thebarrylad Hi!

    This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.