14/8/2020 0 Comments The Last of Us Part 2I Love Video GamesI often ask myself when I'll stop playing video games. Now, let me begin by saying that I know that the majority of my audience on this blog won't have much interest in this subject, but sometimes, when you feel so strongly about a subject, you just need to write about it. I don't play that many video games. I wouldn't consider myself what you would call "the average gamer" - I don't play Call of Duty, FIFA or ever really play online at all. I like to reserve my gaming time for immersive single player experiences, with captivating stories. Games like The Last of Us. After finishing my first playthrough of The Last of Us Part 2 (which took around 30 hours), I felt compelled to write about my experience. I just couldn't stop thinking about what I'd experienced over those 30 hours and I had to put it down in to words, to at least try to explain why I could not get this video game out of my head. Note that there will be some spoilers for The Last Of Us Part 2 (and Part 1) in this post. The Last of Us (Part 1) is one of my favourite games of all time. It arrived during the tail end of the PlayStation 3's lifecycle in 2013 and it completely blew me away. It's the first time that I really felt that a video game could be comparable to a movie in terms of complex characters and narrative. I enjoyed it so much that when it was beautifully re-mastered for the PlayStation 4, I bought it again and loved it every bit as much as the first time round (maybe even more). The Last of Us, is set in a post apocalyptic near future that is ravaged by infected, zombie like creatures and human factions struggling to survive. The story follows Joel (the protagonist), an emotionally damaged smuggler, a man still struggling with the death of his long dead daughter, who is tasked with transporting Ellie, a young teenage girl on a journey across America. It turns out that Ellie is immune to the disease and there are doctors out there who want to study her, and attempt to make a cure. Throughout their journey their relationship grows from Joel initially seeing Ellie as just "cargo" in the beginning, to seeing her as his daughter by the time that the credits roll, and it is beautiful to watch. Their interactions, from Joel teaching Ellie about "the old world" to them both looking out for eachother every step of they way is some of the most compelling video game dialogue I'd ever seen. Naughty Dog (the developers) along with Troy Baker (Joel) and Ashley Johnson (Ellie) did an outstanding job of making you care for these characters, and I did. What truly made The Last of Us stand out from the rest was its groundbreaking performance capture (by Troy Baker & Ashley Johnson), along with its shockingly iconic opening sequence, and equally as shocking ending (that you had no choice but to partake in) - two events that I cannot wait to see play out on the HBO TV series (more on that later). Fast forward to The Last of Us Part 2, set five years after the events of Part 1, and very early in the game, Ellie witnesses one of her closest friends get beaten to death with a golf club - a moment that had me on my feet, with my hands on my head in disbelief. Less than two hours in, and this game was already blowing my mind. It is these events that set the main story in motion, and this time around you play as Ellie as she journeys through Seattle over the course of three days to try to hunt down the killer and extract what we believe to be justifiable revenge. The game plays quite similar to the first as you, and various allies need to combat both savage human threats and the terrifying infected monsters as you make your way through the city. Throughout the first half of the game, we are also treated to some playable flashback sequences that fill in some of the gaps between Part 2 and the first game and these are easily some of the most evocative, emotional moments in the game - moments that make what happened in the opening act all the more devastating. Ellie's character arc throughout all this is absolutely one of the most heartbreaking aspects of this game. She goes from being the lovable teenager that we remember from the first game, to being a young woman, goofing around, flirting with her girlfriend, to going down the darkest of paths. She is so driven by hate and the need for revenge that she is willing do to almost anything - including torturing and murdering relatively innocent people to get what she wants, and this wreaks havoc on her mental health throughout the latter stages of the game. Actress Ashley Johnson is at the centre of all this - delivering one of the most beautiful, real and heartbreaking performances you'll likely ever see in a video game (I would suggest you'll struggle to find this in most movies). Just watch the video below, and try your best not to smile. Around 15 or so hours later, we reach what seems to be the game's natural climax. Ellie, having been through an emotional and physical journey unlike no other, has all but completed her mission - she's killed several of the group responsible for the horrible acts at the beginning of the game, and while she hasn't extracted revenge on the person responsible, she's willing to accept that for now, she's done enough. It's at this point that we are suddenly confronted by the game's villain - Abby, who is now looking for revenge for all the things that Ellie has done to her group on her journey. Before we get to see this encounter play out, the screen cuts to black and what this game manages to do next is incredible. I couldn't believe what was happening. I was now in control of Abby, the villain. Ellie hated this person and I hated her too. I did not want to be playing as her, trying to keep her alive - but it's a video game, and I didn't have any choice in the matter. It quickly became apparent that I was now going to be replaying the events of the previous three days from Abby's point of view, something that I wasn't initially keen on - but as the old saying goes, there's two sides to every story, and Naughty Dog was about to do the impossible. By this point we already knew why Abby did what she did at the beginning of the game, which was something that tied back to the events of Part 1's shocking ending. But whilst playing as Ellie, it was easy to dismiss Abby's reasons, because we didn't know her and I certainly didn't care, I wanted revenge. But as we make our way again through the previous three days, we start to learn more of Abby's story, and her relationships - and while it's clear that she's by no means a perfect person, she certainly isn't as evil as we first believe. Naughty Dog took an incredible risk putting you in Abby's shoes for such a large portion of the game. However, it is a risk that paid off beautifully. We spend around 10-15 hours in control of Abby, and in that time we watch her fall in love, confront her fear of heights and risk her life to save two people (Yara & Lev) that she'd only just met - two people that she'd spent most of her life believing were the enemy. Whilst these actions don't completely excuse her for her violence at the beginning of the game, it's clear to see that she regrets it, at least in some part, and is trying to make up for by doing the right thing for Yara & Lev. Her relationship with Lev is one of the most compelling aspects of the whole game - almost to the point where it mirrors Joel & Ellie's relationship from Part 1. When the game circles back on itself and we eventually reach its conclusion, the game puts you in a really tough spot trying to figure out who you should be rooting for. We've just spent the best part of 15 hours each with these two women, with both of them mentally, and physically exhausted, and now here they are fighting each other to the death. I found it a really uncomfortable segment of the game to play - and although it pretty much meant the end of the game, I was kind of glad when it was over. This game was relentless. All of this would not be possible without actress Laura Bailey's outstanding performance as Abby, who is truly phenomenal in the role - she really deserves all of the plaudits she is getting for this. I would absolutely love to see her back in any potential Part 3 (please). I've not even touched on how beautiful this game looks, and sounds. It is STUNNING, and easily the best looking video game I've ever seen. I found myself pausing to play around with the in game photo mode almost every 10 minutes. I took hundreds of screenshots throughout my playthrough, and every picture in this post was taken on my PS4. Composer Gustavo Santaolalla does a masterful job of scoring the game as he did with the first - the soundtrack is absolutely perfect Some of you might think I've gone a bit overboard here with some of the words I've used to describe a video game. However, any form of media - whether that's a book, a TV show, a movie or a video game, at its best should be able to draw some form of emotion and encourage discussion. That's exactly what The Last of Us Part 2 has done for me - since finishing the game I've read countless number of articles; reviews, opinion pieces, theories and listened to several podcasts on the game. It's maybe around 3 weeks since I finished The Last of Us Part 2, but I still find myself thinking about it. I've even started playing another game on my PS4, and it just isn't satisfying me even remotely like The Last of Us - this really was a once in a generation experience, and I can't imagine another video game coming along and having this impact any time soon. Unless, of course, Naughty Dog wants to give us Part 3 on the PlayStation 5... I mentioned earlier that HBO are turning The Last of Us in to a TV show and I could not be more excited about this. If seeing the characters from one of my favourite games brought to life isn't enough, it's being produced by game director Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, creator of the incredible HBO mini-series, Chernobyl. Whilst no specific casting details or story details have been announced, it has been said that it will be true to the game whilst enhancing it at the same time, and with Neil Druckmann heavily involved, along with game composer Gustavo Santaolalla, this only heightens my excitement for it. I can only imagine this is how excited fans of the Game of Thrones books were when the HBO adaptation was announced. I urge every single one of you with the means and ability to do so, to play this game. Sure, it's relentless and heartbreaking, but you will not regret a single second of it. For all you non-gamers, you will just need to wait for the TV show to fall in love with these characters and their story. I for one, can't wait to do it all over again. So, in closing, to answer my opening question on this post. When will I stop playing video games? As long as games like this keep getting made, then it won't be anytime soon. There just isn't another form of media that comes close for me. I better start saving for that PS5... Before I go, I want to leave you with one of my favourite parts of the game, a moment that happens maybe only 10 minutes into the game - Joel signing Future Days by Pearl Jam to Ellie. Thank you to Naughty Dog and everyone who worked on The Last of Us Part 2 for delivering this masterpiece.
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Giant Killin'If you are roughly the same age as me & played video games, then the chances are you will have owned a PS2. If you did, then you may or may not have played the Team ICO classic Shadow of The Colossus. I came across the game quite late in the PS2's life-cycle, I think I picked it up maybe a couple of weeks before I upgraded to a PS3 on launch day - hence I never got round to finishing it. I felt really bad about not finishing the game because it was such a celebrated title, and what I did play of it was fantastic. Luckily though, Bluepoint Games have fully remastered this classic for PS4 in glorious HD & following the overwhelmingly positive reviews, I decided to pick this up & finally play through it in full. Check out the launch trailer below: Shadow of The Colossus tells the story of a character called Wander who enters a forbidden land in search of a cure to bring his girlfriend, Mono, back to life. In order to restore her life, he makes a deal to defeat 16 beings known as Colossi that are spread throughout the land. And with that, you are set on your way - with nothing but your horse (Agro), a sword (which acts are your compass) & a bow. The gameplay starts from a central point - the temple where you begin your quest, and from here you must make your way across the sprawling, barren, but beautiful landscape in search of the Colossi. This is where the game really differs from other titles; there is no levels, towns or dungeon that you need to explore & there is no enemies other than the Colossi. Using your sword to guide the way (you hold it in the air and it shines a light in the direction of the Colossi), you make your way across the landscape, often traversing bridges & obstacles that will lead to a remote location where you discover the giant Colossi. The Colossi battles each serve as a cross between a traditional boss battle & a puzzle, usually requiring the player to figure out the giants weak-spots, and how to get to them. This would typically involve finding a way to scale the beast to reach these glowing weak spots & whilst they start relatively simple, as the game progresses they do become quite challenging! The battles are incredible, and offer some of the most rewarding moments I've ever experienced in gaming & the soundtrack that kicks in when you finally get on a Colossi is such a memorable track. With being a re-master there is a few drawbacks; the controls can be slightly shonky (although not as bad as the original) and they do take some getting used to - the amount of times I forgot to hold R2 whilst climbing & fell to my death was unbelievable. The camera can be a nightmare at times, but it's something that you just get used to eventually. Visually, the game is spectacular & offers some absolutely breathtaking scenery. Whilst not as vast & certainly not as populated, it reminded me somewhat of last years Game of The Year - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild. It offers for some fantastic moments to use the in game photo mode - a feature that now seems to be standard for most Sony 1st party releases. Check out some of my screenshots below: Overall, I'm delighted that I decided to finally play through this game. It is a true classic, and one that I feel all gamers owe it to themselves to play. It was such a thrilling experience from start to finish - and such a nostalgia rush to when I first played it back in 2006. I wonder if similar will be done to Team ICO's first outing, ICO as I never played that game at all & also it has given me appetite to play their game that spent years in development hell - The Last Guardian. You can pick this game up for less than £20 now & for the satisfaction I took from it, I certainly feel it is money well spent.
You won't play many games like Shadow of The Colossus & it gets 4.5 out of 5 from me. Goin' Down To South PArkOne day over the Christmas break when I found myself with some time to kill, I booted up my PS4, went on to the PlayStation Store & had a browse. I ended up downloading the 1 hour free trial of South Park: The Fractured but Whole. Fast forward a couple of hours later & I had just bought a second hand copy on eBay. It impressed me that much. The Fractured but Whole is the squeal to 2014's critically acclaimed South Park: The Stick of Truth. Check out the trailer below: The Fractured but Whole is an RPG that riffs off the superhero themed episodes of the TV show such as The Coon, Mysterion Rises & Professor Chaos. It sees you take control of "The New Kid" (who you create) & quickly find yourself a member of "Coon & Friends" one of the games two superhero factions, the other being "Freedom Pals". It's a wacky take on the whole "Marvel vs DC" fanboy culture that takes over social media so much these days.
The plot sees Cartman (aka The Coon) task his team of superheros to find a missing cat in order to claim a $100 reward that he will use to create his own version of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), that includes movies with multiple sequels & Netflix shows - it's utterly bonkers! The game is broken up into chapters that are separated by you re-living your origin story where you acquire new superhero powers each time. Within each of these chapters you will split your time between side quests & main missions. The main missions will usually end in a "dungeon" like area; a strip club, Italian restaurant, police station & a genetics lab to name a few. These areas usually require you to gain a new special ability that will help you progress through towards the boss fight at the end of each area. The side quests are usually trivial fetch & retrieve quests for the colourful characters of South Park but there are a few that will grant you rewards that will make your game-play experience easier. The RPG mechanics them self are simply; turn based combat that is set on a grid system, usually involving you and 3 other members of your team. There is also a basic crafting system where you can craft new costumes, consumables & upgrade items. The town of South Park itself has been painstakingly re-created to the point it feels like you're watching a 15 hour long episode of the show. Navigating the town itself, along with the fantastic voice work - it is such an authentic re-creation that you often forget your playing a game. It is populated with so many of the shows familiar faces & even though I haven't really watched South Park in a while, there was still so many references that I was able to relate to. Word of warning...do not play this game if you are easily offended! South Park: The Fractured but Whole was a pure joy to play from start to finish & packed with non-stop laughs. I don't tend to play many RPGs's but the simplistic game play made it extremely refreshing & accessible. I sank 15+ hours into my play-through and not once did it feel like it was dragging. South Park: The Fractured but Whole gets 4.5 out of 5 from me. Now, it's time to go back & check out The Stick of Truth. |
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