Roy Wu

What was supposed to be one of the last great releases of this current gen cycle, ended up being a poorly written and forced narrative that rivals Season 8 of Game of Thrones. Part II follows a fairly similar formula to the first but tries and fails to capture the thematic elements of the original. Warning: Spoilers below. Before I talk about the stinger that everyone is talking about, let's talk about the gameplay and overarching story. The gameplay mechanics and UI are refined. It's improved yet maintains the same feeling from the first. Here's the thing though, the gameplay isn't enough to make up for such a screwed up story that caters to no one. Counter-critics say mature up and who cares if a beloved character dies, but that's the problem right there. Why play a game you have no attachment to? It's fine if favorites die, but it's how/why they die that makes or breaks a game that relies so much on characters. The sequel spits on, literally and metaphorically, one such character, in a way that makes it difficult to finish the game, and the hypocritical ending makes it worse. The way this character died felt so unnatural and forced, and he's forever gone. Who wants to remember a person who was kneecapped, tortured, and had his skull caved in by a golf club? Keep in mind, I still expected Joel to die, but not as a precursor to the entire game. The following is a breakdown of how I processed the events leading to Joel's death. He dies within the first 2 hours of the game. In fact, the only time we "see Ellie and Joel together", before she attempts to rescue him, is in a few flashbacks. So how did Joel and Tommy end up falling into a trap? Abby ends up nearly getting killed by a horde of infected, and magically gets RESCUED by them. They fight together and while catching their breath, Tommy thinks it's a good idea to tell Abby his and Joel's name....The foreshadowing is set and then Abby recommends they hunker down at her basecamp at the lodge. Now for some reason Joel knows of the lodge, but doesn't question why another group is there? She clearly isn't a part of their group because any patrols that would be sent out would no doubt know of Joel and Tommy, yet they oblige and follow her to the camp. They arrive and are greeted by a crowd of like 6+. Still no warning bells? Tommy once again introduces himself but this time, Joel himself reveals his name. Why?! So here we go again with them trying to get shock value in the beginning of the game, similar to when Sarah is killed in the first. Yet this time, they treat Joel and Tommy as if they're first time patrols. Remember in the first game when Joel and Ellie drive into a city and is met by a limping man in the middle of the road? Joel of course knows it's a trap and drives through. People say Joel has been softened up by being a father figure, but c'mon, you don't just lose all your instincts. All of this leads to the end of the game which is an absolute slap to the face of fans. It's such a convoluted way to end the game especially when Naughty Dog kept referring to the cycle of violence. Anyone getting GoT breaking the wheel horror flashbacks? In essence, Neil Druckmann killed off Joel for shock value and treated him as another NPC. What did Ellie get or better yet lose? Well she lost several fingers, lost Joel, lost Jesse, and apparently lost her sense of character because she decided to stop the cycle of violence against the person who killed the closest she had to a father figure. Oh and I still don't care for Abby.