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Naughty Dog did it; TLOU2 made me forget it was a video game.

Meus Renaissance

Meus Renaissance

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,081
Graphics.
Gameplay
Levels
Set pieces

I can barely remember any of these details. I couldn't tell you about any of these things because all I was left with the sheer emotional rollercoaster of trying to process what was happening on screen. It was as if I had discovered this incredible world in a novel, and I would wake up wanting to turn the page eager to find the next part of the story. In a lot of ways, people talk about this title as if it were a TV series. The character arcs; the decisions by the writers; the debate around whether there should be a sequel.

There are some games that have really immersed me in their world (Bioshock, Mass Effect 1, Red Dead Redemption 1), but those still felt like video games.

This doesn't, and I still think about that, and in some ways, it reminded me that the sort of immersion and storytelling I want is more available in the world of literature than it is in video games. And so for Naughty Dog to have created something that triggers so many emotions in people, regardless of what those emotions may be, I think they need recognition of having achieved something all artists aspire to; make you forget that it's not real.
 
ResetEraVetVIP

ResetEraVetVIP

Banned
Nov 20, 2019
1,861
Meus Renaissance said:
Graphics.
Gameplay
Levels
Set pieces

I can barely remember any of these details. I couldn't tell you about any of these things because all I was left with the sheer emotional rollercoaster of trying to process what was happening on screen. It was as if I had discovered this incredible world in a novel, and I would wake up wanting to turn the page eager to find the next part of the story. In a lot of ways, people talk about this title as if it were a TV series. The character arcs; the decisions by the writers; the debate around whether there should be a sequel.

There are some games that have really immersed me in their world (Bioshock, Mass Effect 1, Red Dead Redemption 1), but those still felt like video games.

This doesn't, and I still think about that, and in some ways, it reminded me that the sort of immersion and storytelling I want is more available in the world of literature than it is in video games. And so for Naughty Dog to have created something that triggers so many emotions in people, regardless of what those emotions may be, I think they need recognition of having achieved something all artists aspire to; make you forget that it's not real.
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Bingo. It's my game of the generation, period. No game can match this game IMO in all aspects. Dev's need to strive for this goal and quality next gen. I think naughty dogs engine is the best engine available. Period.
 
Omar310

Omar310

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,704
UK
Strongly disagree. My favourite thing about the game was how fun it was to play. One of the best cover based TPS I've ever played.
 
-Pyromaniac-

-Pyromaniac-

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,435
What was so great about it is they nailed the story and presentation aspects but also nailed the gameplay. Home-run.
 
Dolce

Dolce

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,266
Thankfully, it's pretty easy for me to get immersed into almost every genre and game and forget they're a video game.
 
TheSpaceBetween

TheSpaceBetween

Member
Jan 11, 2018
9,673
Actually... From a gameplay perspective, this was the best ND have done in the last 13 years. In that way it actually felt even more gamey to me than their others.
 
MazeHaze

MazeHaze

Member
Nov 1, 2017
8,640
Its good and fun but idk, I'm a couple hours into the second half and I fell off it, I haven't played it in months, its just so goddamn long. Oh look, a big open area, and another patrol group. Makes it really hard to stay interested
 
The Third Heat

The Third Heat

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,555
I don't think I ever forgot it was a video game, but I definitely forgot that the cutscenes were being played out by digital humans. Even back with Uncharted 2, I was so impressed with how much I cared about them. TLOU2 did the very same thing.
 
Cerulean_skylark

Cerulean_skylark

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account.
Banned
Oct 31, 2017
6,408
Omar310 said:
Strongly disagree. My favourite thing about the game was how fun it was to play. One of the best cover based TPS I've ever played.
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the AI in the game is brutal and smart. I am playing days gone on ps5 right now and am just constantly remembering how fantastic the stealth/tps/melee hybrid of tlou is instead
 
PsychoRabbit

PsychoRabbit

Banned
Sep 14, 2019
14
I forgot it was a game too, it felt like an horrible nightmare.
This playthrough of the first one felt like a series on it's own. Recommended if you didn't played the first one and do not plan to play.
 
The Shape

The Shape

Member
Nov 7, 2017
5,027
Brazil
Game of the generation. It was hard but fair, and that can be said about gameplay and story. Played twice to completion in one week, and loved every minute of it. I'll play again on PS5 soon.
 
ghibli99

ghibli99

Member
Oct 27, 2017
18,052
I remember all of those things, but yeah, it did have me on an emotionally invested rollercoaster from beginning to end that very few games ever have.
 
dodo

dodo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,011
I feel like this is a dubious claim to begin with, but is it really praise for a video game to not feel like a video game?
 
StrappingYoungLance

StrappingYoungLance

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,473
Melbourne, Australia
I fucking loved the game and think it'll go down as an all time favourite (and I don't think any game has hit me as hard emotionally) but I never forgot it was a video game.
dodo said:
I feel like this is a dubious claim to begin with, but is it really praise for a video game to not feel like a video game?
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With criticisms like "X is too gamey" there are definitely some people who think games should be ashamed of what they are.
 
Garlador

Garlador

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
14,131
Inversely - and no detriment to TLoU2's triumphs - I see no problem with a game BEING a game and even feeling game-y.

"Immersion" is the main thing. Game elements that just suck you in are fine. There's never a moment where I'll see Animal Crossing and not remember I'm playing a game.
games_culture_anch-fall.jpg

But it's engaging and immersive in its own way.

Just as Dead Space can make me "feel" like I'm there on the Ishimura, surviving against waves of living death, no matter how game-y it can be.
3681287-deadspace.jpg


Just as Mario Galaxy is so traditionally game-y, but immersive at times.
galaxy-switch.jpg


This is a roundabout way of me saying that game design and aesthetics don't break my immersion. I'm far more inclined to be sucked out of a game by a realistic looking game with a janky animation or a terrible visual glitch than I am by a Mario collectible or an RPG stat-based turn-based battle.

In that regard, Last of Us (1 and 2) do a very good job of mostly using their game mechanics to create a certain type of atmosphere. It's easy to "break" that illusion, if you try, but their success is in coaching players to inhabit the roles they created so that's less something players would be inclined to do. It works great for the world they created.
 
Askherserenity

Askherserenity

Prophet of Truth - Chicken Chaser
Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,074
Guess this is exactly why I'm not into ND games. Actually feel like this for a lot of the modern Sony games.
 
thenadamgoes

thenadamgoes

Member
Nov 17, 2017
108
My wife watched me play the entire thing, and she just watched it like a TV show. Even commented when it was over about wanting another season. I felt the same way about the first one, it was like playing one of the best seasons of TV ever.
 

lost7

Member
Feb 20, 2018
2,750
I played the perma death mode and it was probably the most fun I've had in a long time. I understand what you mean, but the actual gameplay of TLOU2 was probably the best in the genre for me. I enjoyed it way more than MGS5 which is generally talked about as the cream of the crop
 
Phellps

Phellps

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,920
I was very much aware that it was a video game at all times, but that's in its favor. The story the game is trying to tell works so much better because it's a video game. Specially after the first half of the game. No movie, book or TV show could pull that off, merely watching that part of the story would not have the same impact as playing it.

I agree, though, that it's such a cohesive, polished experience that all elements kind of mesh together. The game is a special piece of work, and it's only sad that it came at great cost for its developers.
 
Th3BranMan

Th3BranMan

Member
Nov 8, 2017
688
My wife sat and watched me play through this game since she absolutely adored the story in the first game, but it was always very obviously a videogame. (A game that I wished would end much sooner than it did. The california bit nearly put me over the edge).

I can only play these games once, which is why I sold it immediately after completion. So in that sense, it's not the kind of game that retains replay value in the same sense that Mario would. It's not a "pick up and play" experience. You're either completely engrossed, or you're wasting your time.
 
Jiraiya

Jiraiya

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,352
I thought it was great but dragged on for too long. I didn't want to pluck another damn guitar.

It did lead me to believe ND could create one of the better horror games if they tried their hand at it. I really really want them to... visually i think it would be masterclass.
 

Deleted member 59126

Banned
Aug 10, 2019
2,053
One of my top 5 games of this gen and one of the best games of all time in my opinion. It asks even tougher questions than the original and pushes narrative further in video games than most movies or television series are willing to go. The Last of Us 2 is an absolute masterpiece.
 
Thrill_house

Thrill_house

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,710
Can't agree. Unnecessary paths, going back to using glass shards to make knives instead of, oh I don't know, picking up one of the many machetes and steel knives laying around and a few other glaring video game tropes kept reminding me it was a game.
 

Deleted member 59109

User requested account closure
Banned
Aug 8, 2019
7,877
Not wanting to be video games is probably why Naughty Dog games since Jak/Daxter ended haven't really appealed to me
 
Zeal543

Zeal543

Next Level Seer
Member
May 15, 2020
5,865
Opposite for me, I didn't really care for the story much but I remember the "arena" levels with the stealth mechanics
 
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