Last of Us 2 announced

[Jockney]

Somebody link the teaser trailer, I'm on my phone. Some continuity with characters and plot is interesting post-Brexit and Trump. Expect this to be even more explicitly political.

 

[Oaf]

Ask and ye shall receive.

For some reason I totally assumed they'd be going with new characters and such, but I'm happy with them sticking with Joel and Ellie. Can't fucking wait. I'm not sure how you possibly try to go and make a sequel to something like TLOU without it being a complete disappointment, but if this is anywhere near as good as the first one... GOTY 2017 is probably all but wrapped up already. And I'm saying this knowing that ME: Andromeda and other beastly games are coming out as well. Nothing touches TLOU when it's at its best.

 

[Don Tonberry]

It has extremely high expectations to live up to. I didn't think the first game was as great as some make it out to be but it was still one of the most important games to be released in modern times, if only to show the general public that games could be taken seriously as an alternative entertainment source to TV shows and movies whilst retaining the same production values.

 

[RavenBish]

You will play as Ellie this time, which isn't surprising and in my opinion strengthens the assumption that Joel will die at some point.

 

[Jockney]

It has extremely high expectations to live up to. I didn't think the first game was as great as some make it out to be but it was still one of the most important games to be released in modern times, if only to show the general public that games could be taken seriously as an alternative entertainment source to TV shows and movies whilst retaining the same production values.

I think that was an inevitability with the amount of money being pumped into production and the drive for better tech. TLOU apes the movie format more closely than any other example in the medium that I can think of. It's imo not a great argument for video games as a potential art form but then I think very few triple a games exhibit that potential (only mgs2 and dark souls that I can think of to hand, though I'm sure there are others)

 

[Stevencc]

Another massive mainstream title I've not played due to it being a console-exclusive.

 

[Oaf]

You will play as Ellie this time, which isn't surprising and in my opinion strengthens the assumption that Joel will die at some point.

You know what? I've already got my theories on that...

In the trailer, Ellie is clearly pissed off. She almost seems emotionally destroyed. And she's giving it all the "I'm going to kill them. Every last one" speech. With Joel asking if she's "Really going to go through with this?". So I was thinking of what exactly could have happened in her life to cause her to be so pissed off and seemingly want to go on this killing spree...?

And the only thing I can think of is losing somebody she is close to... but the only person she's really close to in that world is Joel. So my theory, right off the bat...

Joel will be killed right near the start of the game and the game will focus on Ellie wanting to get revenge on the people who did it. Joel will show up once in a while as a sort of "ghost" type thing, in Ellies head, and that's what he did in the trailer. He'll be sort of like her conscience... and the story of the game will be something to do with Ellie wrestling with her own morality as she basically becomes darker and darker in exacting her revenge. She'll know that he'll have not wanted to see her become such a murderous bastard, but as the same time she won't be able to stop herself. Until right near the end of the game when she's got the chance to be a real evil prick and she'll show signs of morality right at the last second.

 

[Eski Boi]

looking forward to it, but along with Death Stranding it will probably be 2019 by the time it comes out

 

[RavenBish]

You know what? I've already got my theories on that...

In the trailer, Ellie is clearly pissed off. She almost seems emotionally destroyed. And she's giving it all the "I'm going to kill them. Every last one" speech. With Joel asking if she's "Really going to go through with this?". So I was thinking of what exactly could have happened in her life to cause her to be so pissed off and seemingly want to go on this killing spree...?

And the only thing I can think of is losing somebody she is close to... but the only person she's really close to in that world is Joel. So my theory, right off the bat...

Joel will be killed right near the start of the game and the game will focus on Ellie wanting to get revenge on the people who did it. Joel will show up once in a while as a sort of "ghost" type thing, in Ellies head, and that's what he did in the trailer. He'll be sort of like her conscience... and the story of the game will be something to do with Ellie wrestling with her own morality as she basically becomes darker and darker in exacting her revenge. She'll know that he'll have not wanted to see her become such a murderous bastard, but as the same time she won't be able to stop herself. Until right near the end of the game when she's got the chance to be a real evil prick and she'll show signs of morality right at the last second.

That's one of the popular theories I've seen but it would also be SOOOO UNORIGINAL so I hope they steer well clear of it.

I expect him to die but I don't think it's linked to Ellie being the main playable character. I think that will be more down to the fact that essentially the story is about her now - Joel's character is fleshed out where as Ellie has a bit more importance - Druckmann's also a bit of a feminist so it's also a bit of a political statement (which I'm fine with by the way).

Besides, stealthily negotiating enemies with Ellie in the winter section of TLOU always seemed a bit more appropriate than Joel running around making noise and busting heads.

 

[Jockney]

if they head down the road of that 'be kind to one another' liberal bullshit, i will be so fucking disappointed.

 

[RavenBish]

they said the theme of the game is 'hate' so I don't think it will be. I expect some not-so-implicit social commentary but I've always thought TLOU was great at being unapologetically dark and cruel.

would be very cool for it to end with a harrowing finale too, if only to juxtapose Uncharted's action movie happily ever after epilogue.

 

[Jockney]

I expect it to be unrelentingly grim, that is almost a given. What I'm a little bit wary of is that ambiguous claim to a loss of humanity with the implicit claim that we need is a vague humanism. The first game was pretty good (in the end) at counter posing Joel's individualism against a collective greater good where the greater good wasn't going to be achieved Through non violent means. More of that would be nice.

 

[Oaf]

That's one of the popular theories I've seen but it would also be SOOOO UNORIGINAL so I hope they steer well clear of it.

I expect him to die but I don't think it's linked to Ellie being the main playable character. I think that will be more down to the fact that essentially the story is about her now - Joel's character is fleshed out where as Ellie has a bit more importance - Druckmann's also a bit of a feminist so it's also a bit of a political statement (which I'm fine with by the way).

Besides, stealthily negotiating enemies with Ellie in the winter section of TLOU always seemed a bit more appropriate than Joel running around making noise and busting heads.

You know, just after posting that theory I suddenly realised that basically everybody online had come to the same conclusion too. They can all fuck off, I thought it up first.

And yeah, for the record, I don't really feel that that'd be the best story that they could tell. It just feels like the sort of route that I could imagine them going down. Though yeah, I hope they do something a bit more original.

Also, a random thought got me excited earlier today. Basically, remember how good Uncharted was before they completely outdid themselves with Uncharted 2? And then before that, Jak and Daxter 2 was apparently a heck of a lot better than the first one. And Crash Bandicoot 2 was a lot better than the first one as well. Basically; Naughty Dog are brilliant at making superb games and then somehow managing to completely out do themselves on the second go around. I don't really see how they could do it again with TLOU... but just imagine

 

[Moriarty]

cant wait for this. the first game was GOAT

 

[Conker]

Can Joel not die? Why is everyone obsessed with old characters dying all the time.

 

[Megaclyde]

Because he's old and theoretically more likely to die given the condition the worlds in. He's also not immune to the infection like Ellie