[speedfreak01]

So has anybody played Last of Us II for PS4. How are the reviews ? Is it as good as the first franchise ?

[Ithaca]

Far Cry 6 revealed.
It is expected to drop 18th Feb 2021.

The scene shifts to a South American country and you will be the rebel who will fight for its freedom.
As per online reports, most of the scenery is reminiscent of Cuba - the buildings, cars etc.
This may be the prequel to Far Cry 3 as the young son of the villain is rumoured to be Vaas Montenegro - the villain of Far Cry 3.
The franchise has spent some good money to get Giancarlo Esposito "Gus Fring" as the main villain of this part.
You play as a rebel who is leading the rebellion against the main villain.

Here is the trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IJuKT1mHO8&t=4s

Originally Posted by Dante

If you love TLOU for the story don't bother buying the second part.

Concur. I was eagerly waiting for part 2 to drop - should have released in Feb 2020.
Then came reports that a few changes to the story were made and now along with zombies, Ellie will fight humans too.
Then I read the reviews - lot of reviewers clearly stated that this game is going to polarize the TLOU fanbase.
I am glad I sat this on out. Don't plan on buying it as I do not want to ruin my TLOU Part 1 experience.

Far Cry 6 drops on 18 Feb 2021 and it is rumoured to be the backstory for Vaas - the main villain of Far Cry 3.

[Pequod]

Originally Posted by speedfreak01

So has anybody played Last of Us II for PS4. How are the reviews ? Is it as good as the first franchise ?

I finished the game last week. Took me 34+ hours, generally trying to be stealthy and exhaustively scouring for collectibles.

Whether you like the game or not depends on how prepared you are to let the game challenge your established notions and opinions about certain characters and situations from the first game. I have already referred in an earlier post, the game forces you to engage with the viewpoint of characters you naturally want to dislike, and that is something that video games rarely do, given certain intrinsic limitations of the medium. The game is trying to reach higher, push the medium forward into something like the realm of good literature.

I liked it, and the impression has grown the longer it sits with me and I have time to think about it all. Planning to play a second time in the coming weeks.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by Pequod

I finished the game last week. Took me 34+ hours, generally trying to be stealthy and exhaustively scouring for collectibles.

Whether you like the game or not depends on how prepared you are to let the game challenge your established notions and opinions about certain characters and situations from the first game. I have already referred in an earlier post, the game forces you to engage with the viewpoint of characters you naturally want to dislike, and that is something that video games rarely do, given certain intrinsic limitations of the medium. The game is trying to reach higher, push the medium forward into something like the realm of good literature.

I liked it, and the impression has grown the longer it sits with me and I have time to think about it all. Planning to play a second time in the coming weeks.

Well said! To be absolutely honest, I am not rushing through the game either. I am taking my time and enjoying it. I mean, the game does break into some new territory and even some of my friends who loved the "straightness" of TLOU don't even want to try TLOU2. But for me, I love the game and I am sure when I end it, I will put it high up there on my list.

[bigron]

Originally Posted by speedfreak01

So has anybody played Last of Us II for PS4. How are the reviews ? Is it as good as the first franchise ?

I gave it a go few days ago.

Cinematics and visuals not withstanding , few hours into in, I stopped playing it.

I could not stand the lead protagonist Ellie. One of the worst leads for any video game in recent memory IMO. And the story leaves a lot to be desired. I dont want to talk to much about the storyline a this stage and give spoilers.

Give it a go, maybe you ll like it.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by bigron

I gave it a go few days ago.

Cinematics and visuals not withstanding , few hours into in, I stopped playing it.

I could not stand the lead protagonist Ellie. One of the worst leads for any video game in recent memory IMO. And the story leaves a lot to be desired. I dont want to talk to much about the storyline a this stage and give spoilers.

Give it a go, maybe you ll like it.

No offense but have you played TLOU? Or did you mean the character that Ellie has grown up to be in TLOU2?

[bigron]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

No offense but have you played TLOU? Or did you mean the character that Ellie has grown up to be in TLOU2?

Yes I have. She was passable in TLOU, since Joel was a wonderful character and held the game brilliantly.

But the way her character has grown and projected in TLOU2, I do not like her.

[Pequod]

Originally Posted by bigron

Yes I have. She was passable in TLOU, since Joel was a wonderful character and held the game brilliantly.

But the way her character has grown and projected in TLOU2, I do not like her.

Just to understand your viewpoint, but was Joel really a ‘wonderful’ character (in TLOU)? He is incredibly violent, possessive and his final choice and the cold blooded murders it leads to, is driven more by his need to find meaning in life, rather than ‘saving’ Ellie which is only a psychological defense mechanism. While many of us here might agree with his choice, it doesn’t wholly exculpate him.

If you meant he is a ‘wonderfully’ written character, I do agree.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by Pequod

Just to understand your viewpoint, but was Joel really a ‘wonderful’ character (in TLOU)? He is incredibly violent, possessive and his final choice and the cold blooded murders it leads to, is driven more by his need to find meaning in life, rather than ‘saving’ Ellie which is only a psychological defense mechanism. While many of us here might agree with his choice, it doesn’t wholly exculpate him.

If you meant he is a ‘wonderfully’ written character, I do agree.

And for me, such discussions itself say how wonderful the characters have been built up by Naughty Dog.

[bigron]

Originally Posted by Pequod

Just to understand your viewpoint, but was Joel really a ‘wonderful’ character (in TLOU)? He is incredibly violent, possessive and his final choice and the cold blooded murders it leads to, is driven more by his need to find meaning in life, rather than ‘saving’ Ellie which is only a psychological defense mechanism. While many of us here might agree with his choice, it doesn’t wholly exculpate him.

If you meant he is a ‘wonderfully’ written character, I do agree.

Most video game characters are anti-heroes. They are selfish, have a myopic view of the world around them and kill indiscriminately through the story line.

If TLOU gave me an option to not help Ellie and advanced the storyline with Tess, I would have opted that. But the game was rigid in what choices I had to proceed.

Lets just say, I bought the 2nd version to play as Joel. A character who I thought would be in a much better space than the first game where he was barely getting by.

If you have played the 2nd part you would know what I am talking about.

[Pequod]

Originally Posted by bigron

Most video game characters are anti-heroes. They are selfish, have a myopic view of the world around them and kill indiscriminately through the story line.

If TLOU gave me an option to not help Ellie and advanced the storyline with Tess, I would have opted that. But the game was rigid in what choices I had to proceed.

Lets just say, I bought the 2nd version to play as Joel. A character who I thought would be in a much better space than the first game where he was barely getting by.

If you have played the 2nd part you would know what I am talking about.

I have played the 2nd part.

Well the first part doesn’t give the player any agency, agreed, because Joel was meant to be not just grey, but a deep shade of grey. That’s how Naughty Dog wanted him to be, in their narrative.

By twisting the narrative, by upending the player expectation in the 2nd part, I believe the developer made a bold choice, and that augurs well for the medium.

I also respectfully differ with the view that most video game characters are ‘anti-heroes’. It’s the limitation of the video game medium, that the most common and easy form of engaging with the game universe is to kill/destroy (be it with any weapon). The Uncharted series in fact has one of the most impish, charming protagonists around, but in the context of his in-game actions, he may be easily seen as a mass murderer. Does it make the character an anti-hero? In fact Naughty Dog even sneaked in a meta-reference in Uncharted 4 with a trophy titled ‘ludo-narrative dissonance”, earned for killing 1000 enemies.

[bigron]

Originally Posted by Pequod

By twisting the narrative, by upending the player expectation in the 2nd part, I believe the developer made a bold choice, and that augurs well for the medium.

This is where we differ. You liked the twist in the story line and the way the developer portrayed the lead character.

I did not like that twist and it only left a sour taste in my mouth once I realised where the game was progressing.

To each his own i guess.

[Turbo_anup]

Well, i just got myself a new laptop with GTX 1660Ti and am currently playing Doom Eternal, Metro Exodus on same. Wanted to ask a general question to all gamers here - i find it extremely difficult to get 100% collectibles in even relatively simple games like Doom Eternal without referring walk-throughs. Do other folks also refer to online walk-throughs to get 100% collectible and secrets completion? i find it extremely tedious to hunt for collectibles every now and then in each level / mission.

[Justin]

Originally Posted by Turbo_anup

Do other folks also refer to online walk-throughs to get 100% collectible and secrets completion? i find it extremely tedious to hunt for collectibles every now and then in each level / mission.

If you want to collect all collectibles quickly, yes. Searching by yourself takes a lots of time. In my case, I first finish game without bothering about collectibles, and if I like the game and feels like playing again, I will hunt for collectibles at that time. Would miss a few, for those, I refer walk-throughs.

You need nice observations skills, and time for collecting all by yourself.

[knrn]

Originally Posted by Turbo_anup

Well, i just got myself a new laptop with GTX 1660Ti and am currently playing Doom Eternal, Metro Exodus on same. Wanted to ask a general question to all gamers here - i find it extremely difficult to get 100% collectibles in even relatively simple games like Doom Eternal without referring walk-throughs. Do other folks also refer to online walk-throughs to get 100% collectible and secrets completion? i find it extremely tedious to hunt for collectibles every now and then in each level / mission.

Yes. I recommend it.
The first time I play the entire game to get the hang of it. Then I watch walkthrough videos to know all the collectibles and secret issues. The second run I play chapter wise and complete the game. Voila. Now with all the upgrades and unlocks, not to mention the experience of completing the game twice, it becomes more beneficial and satisfying to play again. And if you can unlock unlimited ammo/ god mode the fun just begins.