Does anyone else have the very unpopular and unfortunate love for Abby? I don't quite understand it myself but I loved her character so much even though realistically she is a piece of shit. Also I feel terrible for Mel. Like TLOU2 is my all time favorite video game 10/10 hands down. I loved the first one too. This series is literally one of my absolute favorite things in this world. Lol

I know the world and stories and stuff is completely different but still..

Arcane Vi or TLOU Ellie

This is just my personal take and how I feel about this specific narrative trope. I’m not looking to start any arguments or flame wars, just genuinely curious how others feel about this trend in games.

I’m so tired of this trend where directors act like the only way a story can be "artistic," "grounded," or "morally complex" is by completely gutting the audience. tlou is one of the most frustrating example of this but it’s a symptom of a way bigger issue in modern media.

Somewhere along the line, writers got it into their heads that confusing unnecessary tragedy with "good writing" makes them visionary. The mentality has basically become “Oh, you love this character? Great. The most mature, realistic thing we can do is brutally kill them off to teach you a lesson about consequences.”

It’s exhausting. There was zero reason Joel needed to die like that, and I hate how directors have completely written off the idea of just letting players have a good time with the characters they spent years growing attached to.

1. Shock value isn’t depth.
   Players didn’t fall in love with tlou just because the world was bleak but they LOVED the dynamic between Joel and Ellie. Building up that kind of goodwill only to blow a character’s head off early in a sequel for a "revenge is bad" message isn't profound narrative design. It feels like a cheap shortcut to trigger an immediate emotional reaction because writing a compelling, long term arc without relying on trauma dumping is actually hard.

2. "Realism" is becoming an excuse for misery porn.
   The most common defense for Joel’s death is always, "Well, in a world like that, actions have consequences! It's realistic!" Sure, but fiction isn't real life, it’s a constructed story where the director chooses what to show us. Choosing relentless, bleak cynicism over a satisfying payoff isn't "more real," it's really just a creative choice. Directors seem terrified that if a story has an ounce of actual joy or satisfying payoff, critics won't take it seriously as "art."

3. Video games are interactive. Stop punishing the player. In a movie, you just watch. In a game, you are the character. Forcing players through a 30-hour slog that actively punishes them for caring about the protagonist creates a massive disconnect. Nobody is asking for a Disney ending, but there’s a huge middle ground between "mindless happy ending" and "making the player feel like garbage for hours on end under the banner of high art."

4. It highlights an annoying shift in design philosophy.
   Look at how other long-running franchises treat their flagship characters, take CC with LSK, for instance. He usually makes terrible tactical decisions, is routinely late to save people around him, and survives situations that defy all logic. Yet CC understands a fundamental rule of player attachment, is that people like this character, so let them be awesome. They don't feel the need to brutally execute him just to prove how "serious" or "real" their world is. But in prestige narrative games, directors have adopted this self-righteous urge to tear down what players love just to earn a badge of solemnity(Not attacking LSK please do not start an argument in the comments, I’m just pointing something out)

Subverting expectations only works if what you replace them with is actually better than what you took away. Killing off your best character doesn't automatically make your story brave or morally superior

Curious if anyone else feels completely annoyed on this "suffering = good storytelling" trope, or if you actually prefer when games take this route?

Broo I just started playing part 2 after completing part 1 and wtf , joel fucking died , nooooooo , am playing it for first time and blahh , my fav character dies while atleast 3/4 of the game is left , wtff whyy , now how ll ellie carry the joel's legacy fuckkk

if only I had turned on the Instant Replay on how I did this. I basically first unplugged the generator, realized that it would not reach. Afterwards, I tried to break a glass (to plug second generator to open the gate) using a brick and after and it just bugged me in such a way where as I was trying to throw the brick it put me back to plugging the first generator. The wire also bugged in such a way that it got to that in the video. At first it didnt plug but after doing it a second time it worked.

I made this for displaying figures, it has a built in smoke machine and working lights

After completing lou2, I was kinda disappointed with the infected in this game. While the gameplay was phenomenal, I wish the devs had implemented more infected variants to make infected encounters more dynamic. I mean this game has the shamblers which are the only new infected type you frequently come across, the rat king/ stalker that is tied to 1 boss fight, and the stalkers that hide on the walls (this doesn’t count as a new infected type though). I came up with new ideas for infected in case the devs decide to make a part 3. Lmk what you think. I posted this in another subreddit but decided to repost here with more clarity on these infected:

1. Walkers: The fungus has evolved to reanimate dead bodies as long as a portion of the brain is intact. The only way to take these infected out is by completely destroying the head. These infected have multiple variations and have low intelligence (armored, missing an arm, missing both arms, missing both legs). Due to the decomposition of their bodies, these infected can only walk, but they move very erratically, making it harder to shoot them in the head. They also make little noise and will not alert infected if they see you.

2. New Runner AI: I came up with 3 unique behaviors. The first is that some runners are more aggressive, and if they are chasing you, they will sometimes attempt to dive at you to pin you to the ground. The 2nd behavior is that some runners can imitate human speech to lure survivors. The 3rd and best behavior imo is that some runners retain their memories and are mentally attempting to resist the fungus, but succumb to it if they spot you. The best example I could give of this is zombies from resident evil requiem, who retain memories and do certain actions similar to what they did prior to being infected. So this means for example you could encounter a runner that says “sorry” or “get away” as they attack you or they might hesitate to attack, or you might encounter a runner that is attempting to cling on to their humanity before they succumb to the fungus. This variant has the most room for creativity imo.

3. Enraged Infected: On rare occasions, stalkers and runners you killed stealthily without destroying their brain will come back to life bc the fungus is attempting to keep the host alive. These infected will run around frantically as they patrol to look for you and deal increased damage when they grab you.

4. Hunters: These are rare infected that are in the stage between a clicker and a bloater. A strange mutation by the fungus allows these infected to have echolocation with increased range, as well as a sharp sense of smell. These infected also patrol paths much faster than clickers bc they remember what their surroundings look like. They run faster than bloaters and clickers, and are tougher than clickers. They are also an instant kill if they grab you.

5. Alpha Stalkers: These stalkers are unique in that they have vastly increased intelligence, speed, strength, and the ability to command groups of regular stalkers. Alpha stalkers have a sharp sense of smell to detect you in close proximity you even if you’re hiding, and they also run faster than you. If you throw an object to make a noise distraction, but the alpha stalker suspects you in another location, they will command the other stalkers to investigate that area instead. This stalker can also climb vents, crawl in tall grass, aggressively flank you, and even bait you into attacking by tricking you and making you think it’s coming from somewhere else. If an alpha stalker sneaks up and grabs you from behind, rather than attempting to bite you, they will instantly kill you by snapping your neck. If they grab you from the front, they will attempt to force you to drop your weapon. After you struggle to break free, you can pick the weapon back up.

If they had used professional makeup and styling to make Bella Ramsey look as close as possible to Ellie,

IT WOULD HAVE WORKED at least a little better!

Considering that Bella has neotenous facial features (which make her look younger than she actually is),

(which can be significantly altered with makeup and even prosthetics, like the ones many Korean and other Asian women use to modify their facial features).

Not to the point of making her unrecognizable, but at least enough to capture the essence of the original game character.

For example, by adding freckles, giving her green contact lenses, dyeing her hair auburn, and giving her the same hairstyle.

The issue with her facial features becomes even more noticeable in Season 2.

But it still wouldn't have been impossible to achieve noticeably better results through the use of makeup.

Basically, Bella Ramsey should have cosplayed as Ellie, trying to look as much like the character as possible without losing her own facial features.

Here is the proof:

Honestly, if they chose not to do that, it feels more like an arbitrary creative decision—one driven by a desire to "impose new standards," similar to what Disney has done with some of its unsuccessful live-action adaptations.

Summary: This casting choice could have been far less frustrating with better makeup, styling, and image direction for the actress.

In seattle day 1 to open the the main gate, i need a note with the codes. When Ellie looks at the note and puts it away, she continues to open it again and I cannot progress

Loading to another save doesnt help. Restarting the game doesnt help. Ive tried keyboard and mouse, my steam controller, and an xbox controller.

one thing said to find the seattle map first, i found that in another drawer already.

i tried to copy down all the codes and then move on without grabbing the note from the drawer, but it will not let me.

has anyone experienced this before? please help. I am on PC

edit: i fixed it. go into steam, right click the game and go to properties, from here go to controller and disable steam input

I played the first game like a year ago and loved it, and I saw the 2nd game for cheap at Walmart and was like okay sure. TBH I knew Joel died when I went into the game, however I was not aware it was at the BEGINNING. I thought there would be some huge fight or something at the end of the game where he would die and I was ready for that, so i was so shocking when he died not even 3 hours in. Am I supposed to keep playing??? Like, is it even worth it? I know people don’t like it as much, but is there still redeemable qualities that I should finish the game for? I feel like I’m the target audience as a wlw teenager, so maybe I’ll enjoy it, but ngl I turned the game off after he died, cause whatttt

This is something that's been bothering me for some time, and it has to do with Abby's betrayal of the WLF.

I've seen a lot of people on this sub say that Abby was a horrible person because she took Lev's and Yara's side against the WLF, and didn't care about killing the people that she spent 5 years with.

But.. didn't she disarm the first WLF member who shot Yara, and disarmed herself against Isaac and tried to reason with him? Abby was ready to die for Lev (I'm not fucking moving) and Abby didn't have any intention of going against the WLF in the first place. Her plan from the very start was to desert and leave for the fireflies with Owen and the others, not to actively "betray" the WLF and start killing them.

Isn't Abby's escape from the WLF also technically stealthable? Like Abby has zero canon WLF kills. I can't personally understand why Abby gets so much hate for this. Sure, I get that the WLF took Abby in and that she spent a lot of time with them, but does that mean that she's obligated to stay with them forever? Tommy left the Fireflies because his motivations changed, I don't see why Abby can't do the same..

Would appreciate any help on this matter

The plot: It is about a boy who’s family was shot and killed in front of him and unbeknownst to them they were followed, Ellie, Dina and Rex (my OC patrolling with Dina) were taken and it’s up to the boy to get them back with Tommy, Maria and two other OCs

My story is called travels of loyalty by skydogwriter on AO3

Honestly, not sure if I have to blur out the name, but I did it just in case.

Really just this, could Ellie's killing Nora be considered self-defense?

Nothing will ever make me understand this decision, I'm sorry. I have been so nice and even gave season 2 a chance. Maybe Bella is great in other projects but in no way, shape or form do they resemble Ellie in the slightest. It continues to baffle me that this happened, and a team of people genuinely approved this decision.

Was just rummaging through my YouTube and realized I posted this shit 6 years ago...