GRcade

The Watching Artist wrote:Looked hella scripted

Hime wrote:Mainstream for for gaming isn't exactly mainstream though is it? Your average person on the street wouldn't have a clue what The Last of us is. I'm not sure why it's an issue when it's OK for mainstream Cinema, TV and Literature to be just as if not more gory.

Maybe this game isn't for you.

Tafdolphin wrote:- I still think the violence is way, way too much. As our very own rudderless pointed out on twitter, this isn't some 18 rated niche title, this is as mainstream as it gets for gaming.

NickSCFC wrote:Joel's interrogation scene and Ellie hacking that rapist's face to pieces seems to have been forgotten.

Tafdolphin wrote:

NickSCFC wrote:Joel's interrogation scene and Ellie hacking that rapist's face to pieces seems to have been forgotten.

I specifically, specifically mentioned one of those previously and you certainly aren't the first to mention the second.

I'd feel a lot better if my arguments were being considered and reasoned against rather than generally being dismissed out of hand.

Tafdolphin wrote:Just watched it again.

- I still think the violence is way, way too much. As our very own rudderless pointed out on twitter, this isn't some 18 rated niche title, this is as mainstream as it gets for gaming. The gore on display here, especially the guy being disembowelled, was repellent. I'm no flushing violet when it comes to violence, but this was gratuitous.
- I think it played into the 'Joel is dead' theory that came about after the first trailer: the opening and closing sequences are flashbacks and Ellie is hunting down those responsible for destroying her camp and killing Joel.

Moggy wrote:

Tafdolphin wrote:

NickSCFC wrote:Joel's interrogation scene and Ellie hacking that rapist's face to pieces seems to have been forgotten.

I specifically, specifically mentioned one of those previously and you certainly aren't the first to mention the second.

I'd feel a lot better if my arguments were being considered and reasoned against rather than generally being dismissed out of hand.

Tafdolphin wrote:Just watched it again.

- I still think the violence is way, way too much. As our very own rudderless pointed out on twitter, this isn't some 18 rated niche title, this is as mainstream as it gets for gaming. The gore on display here, especially the guy being disembowelled, was repellent. I'm no flushing violet when it comes to violence, but this was gratuitous.
- I think it played into the 'Joel is dead' theory that came about after the first trailer: the opening and closing sequences are flashbacks and Ellie is hunting down those responsible for destroying her camp and killing Joel.

As I pointed out above, this IS an 18 rated title. We could argue over the meaning of "niche" but I would argue that this is not as mainstream as it gets for gaming. It sold well, but it is not up there with the mainstream of gaming, everyone has heard of FIFA, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Mario, Sonic, Tetris etc. Very few people would know what "The Last of Us" was.

As people have pointed out (and you have generally dismissed out of hand, like with Nick’s post above), the first game was also full of extreme violence, that’s why it received an 18 rating in the UK. The graphical fidelity on offer might be more “photo-real” for the sequel, but the violence on offer is pretty much the same.

I am not sure what arguments there are to make with this. A hyper violent game is getting a hyper violent sequel, it’s hardly shocking that that is the direction the game is going in. It’s not like this is a gritty blood spattered reboot of the Zelda series.

You can argue against videogame violence in general, there is a valid argument there, but it’s hard to agree that a violent sequel to a violent game is somehow an example of the downfall of society.

Tafdolphin wrote:See my PM

Tafdolphin wrote:NVM. Resolved!

Albear wrote:Gamespurt had an interesting article about the torture mechanic that nobody else seems to be talking about. I'll see if I can dig out a link.

The demo at the E3 showcase introduced Ellie’s more placid life, and her new friends Jessie and Dina, the latter of whom Ellie shares a kiss with. “It’s an opportunity for her to feel some sense of real stability and safety and not prioritise her life every single day,” says co-writer Halley Gross. “She gets to be a teenager.”

When we talk about Ellie “getting to be a teenager”, this means she does what teenagers do, which includes fooling around at dances. “Ellie is gay,” says Gross. “ Ellie was born gay. This is just who she is. And to explore who she is as a teenager and as an adult, it wouldn’t be honoring her character to hide some facet of herself. We want to engage with her as a full character. She’s also a great shot, and a great fighter. But she’s also nineteen. Nineteen’s a fun age.”
But, as Druckmann puts it, “sh*t goes down” in Jackson, and the journey that follows - which will include a journey to Seattle - will change her. Gross says that what Naughty Dog really wanted to do was have a conversation about the effects of violence and trauma on Ellie’s soul. “She’s had this real opportunity to find stability, to build relationships in a way she couldn’t before,” she says. “To have security in those relationships and investment in those relationships. And then something will happen in Jackson that will irreparably change her. So it’s about her dealing with change and growing and struggling with this tragedy and who it turns her into.”

For those worried that Ellie may turn into a one dimensional hate-filled-husk bent on revenge, Gross promises that there will be some levity in The Last of Us Part II, as there was, so memorably, in the original. “What we’re really trying to do is create a complex multifaceted character,” she says. “There has to be a balance of light and darkness. To engage in this journey is motivated from a place of love and compassion. It’s not just about the darkness. It's about the light and the love that she has for the people she’s had for the last five years.

“We really - I sound a bit like a broken record. What we’re really trying to do is honor Ellie’s character that was established. She’s not ‘good’ or ‘bad’. She makes difficult choices. And Neil really painted a beautiful picture of her in the original.

"I want people to have faith that we love Ellie as much as they do, and we will honor who she is.”