Why is the TLOU2 such a polished game despite the crunch?

[Aliven]

Funny how it's a "subjective opinion" yet Ghost of Tsushima was lauded by both critics and players alike. So which is it because either the critics are full of shit about TLOU2 or they are full of shit about GoT. Even with all of the troll reviews nuked from orbit on metacritic, TLOU2 still bombed by player standards compared to it's predecessor. And considering there's a lot more players than there are journalists, I'm leaning more towards the journalists being in the wrong here. At best the game is a 7, because nothing I've seen in the playthrough streams I've watched suggests it's even remotely close to a 9.5 average. Especially since it is, as others have put it, a movie-game.

Ghost of Tsushima is actually a shiny tur, or rather typical open world murder fest with collectibles but with a new and shiny coat of paint. At least this is my take.

Review bombing of any game does not provide clear view of quality of a game. Thats why player opinion should be always ignored. As gamers we are pretty much abysmal.

[everydaygamer]

I love how it's not enough to simply not like tlou2, the haters need to believe that the game failed despite the profits, the awards and the fact that people did actually like it.

Clearly everyone else is wrong and only the haters are enlightened enough to see the truth and now take on the holy mission of bringing that truth to others.

[Kumorii]

I love how it's not enough to simply not like tlou2, the haters need to believe that the game failed despite the profits, the awards and the fact that people did actually like it.

Clearly everyone else is wrong and only the haters are enlightened enough to see the truth and now take on the holy mission of bringing that truth to others.

I mean, that's true for almost all games. This site in particular is pretty good at trying to convince others how X game is failing.

[Tech614]

I love how it's not enough to simply not like tlou2, the haters need to believe that the game failed despite the profits, the awards and the fact that people did actually like it.

Clearly everyone else is wrong and only the haters are enlightened enough to see the truth and now take on the holy mission of bringing that truth to others.

I like how they claimed the game only sold for the first weekend, then when the NPD came out last month, 11 months past release its still charting and in the top 5 games sold for the last 12 months.

For Sony exclusives... Best selling games of last 12 months

#3 The Last of Us Part II - June 2020 to May 2021 (12 months)
#4 Spider man Miles Morales - November 2020 to May 2021 (7 months)
#5 Ghost of Tsushima - July 2020 to May 2021 (11 months)

The top 3 are multi platform games even. Pretty funny how they still try to cope that the game was a failure when it has sold more then a juggernaut IP in spidey launched with a new console and their beloved ghost of tsushima.

[phattsao]

Honestly, I totally bought the hype from the leaks and avoided this one. Finally picked it up when they released the PS5 performance patch.

And HOLY SHIT. This is one of the greatest achievements in gaming ever. I don't think anyone will argue that from a technical perspective, but even the story is amazing, and uniquely suited to interactive media.

The fact that everyone loved Joel so much despite him being a horrible person is kind of the point. Because his deeds and rationalizations were presented to us from his point of view, we identified and agreed with the decisions, even though they were evil ones.

Abby was the counterpoint to that. She has the EXACT same motivations and justifications for her actions as Ellie does. To hate her is to hate Ellie. In fact, in many ways, Abby is shown to be a better person than Ellie. Ellie murders dozens of people without remorse, jamming her blade into necks without hesitation. Abby just chokes people out. She only kills when she has to.

It's a revenge tale presented from two sides, and both sides are not only justified, their justifications are basically the same. Abby is going to avenge her father. Ellie is going to avenge her "father". No one wins here. Pretty sure that's the point.

[deenman]

watch out, the TLOU fanboys will call you sexist, horrible, etc etc just for not blindly praising the game. It's adorable really.

not a fanboy,i dont like these type of on rails adventure games but....if the reason you disliked this game is because it had a lesbian scene,than i have some bad news for you

[oplawlz]

If something is polished, it probably wasn't affected by the crunch, nor needed it. There is still 8h work days regardless of crunch. So people who work in areas that are finished can continue to polish it. Or the crunch was for the polish you refer to who knows.

It's not like every crunch is the same or even development and its issues aren't the same either... Not sure what it is to discuss about this tbh. To many unknown factors to have any value.

Sums it up pretty well, it's impossible to say what the crunch was actually for.

- - - Updated - - -

not a fanboy,i dont like these type of on rails adventure games but....if the reason you disliked this game is because it had a lesbian scene,than i have some bad news for you

I've never heard anyone even put same sex relationships/a trans person on their top 20 reasons that story is terrible. It's kinda the opposite - a terrible story propped up by progressives simply because it did have same sex relationships in it.

[8bithamster]

not a fanboy,i dont like these type of on rails adventure games but....if the reason you disliked this game is because it had a lesbian scene,than i have some bad news for you

Or you know.. people dislike it for the horrible forced plot shit just to shove it in. It's cool if it fits within the game and the story. Not if it is shoehorned in

[deenman]

Or you know.. people dislike it for the horrible forced plot shit just to shove it in. It's cool if it fits within the game and the story. Not if it is shoehorned in

I dont rly get whats ''shoehorned'',its the story they wanted to tell,and people will like or dislike it for their own reasons,wile i didnt play it myself,i did enjoy the ''movie'' version of the first one,basicaly the cutscenes i mean,and i was pretty pissed when joel died,and i realised the first game did an amazing job at making me like an actual monster somehow lol

[Kallisto]

I've never heard anyone even put same sex relationships/a trans person on their top 20 reasons that story is terrible. It's kinda the opposite - a terrible story propped up by progressives simply because it did have same sex relationships in it.

Then where were you when during the E3 presentation it had Ellie's lesbian kiss which had people outraged (Because somehow they forgot Ellie showing she was a Lesbian in the original TLOU). Or when the leaks showed there was a Trans character it was outrage 2.0? People actually at first believing Abby was the Trans woman and going absolutely ape shit over it.

Do not pretend it didn't happen

[ONCHEhap]

I haven't played any of the games, but I've followed the story via playthroughs.

I L O V E D that Joel saw consequences for what he did. But clearly, a lot of people are OK with the protagonist getting away with everything simply because it's the main character? Take Walter White, Gilligan himself was shocked to see just how supportive fans were no matter what the character did, and how hostile fans were to characters challenging his methods and ideas (Skyler, Hank, even the son) despite the challenges being completely reasonable reactions from people learning of what he did.

It's probably why very 1-dimensional characters can still go on to create billion-dollar franchises.

Joel getting sent to the shadow realm made sense and was deserved (and let's be real,someone would have gotten him at some point,even if not Abby and her crew).

But it sounds kinda ridiculous when the people who got him were just looking all across the country for a dude named Joel. You can't just scour the lands gunning down every person sharing a first name with the person you're hunting,and they pretty much didn't have anything else to look for. It's absurd that they somehow managed to just find the right guy at the right time and somehow know it was the right guy

[oplawlz]

Then where were you when during the E3 presentation it had Ellie's lesbian kiss which had people outraged (Because somehow they forgot Ellie showing she was a Lesbian in the original TLOU). Or when the leaks showed there was a Trans character it was outrage 2.0? People actually at first believing Abby was the Trans woman and going absolutely ape shit over it.

Do not pretend it didn't happen

I didn't say there weren't assholes in the world. I said that wasn't the reason people who actually played the game said it was terrible.

[Tech614]

Joel getting sent to the shadow realm made sense and was deserved (and let's be real,someone would have gotten him at some point,even if not Abby and her crew).

But it sounds kinda ridiculous when the people who got him were just looking all across the country for a dude named Joel. You can't just scour the lands gunning down every person sharing a first name with the person you're hunting,and they pretty much didn't have anything else to look for. It's absurd that they somehow managed to just find the right guy at the right time and somehow know it was the right guy

They scouted the area and had intel he was in Jackson by that point. They knew it was him because not only did he say his name, Tommy also said his. You think Jackson had multiple Joels that also had a brother named Tommy? Seems highly unlikely, and they definitely knew of Tommy to since they had been gathering intel for years at that point trying to find him.

You make it sound like it came out of no where when it was actually a man hunt that took years, and the game portrays it as such. They where in the area for Joel and you make it sound like they where just randomly there lol. You say they had nothing to go on but the game makes it clear they learned where he was because Jackson was a big trading town for the time and has many travelers pass through, that is how they got intel on him after so many years. It wasn't some locked down fallout shelter lmao. Tommy finds Abby at the end of the game the exact same way.

I love when people try to point out plot holes and it's just a comprehension error on their part.

[Rendark]

Then where were you when during the E3 presentation it had Ellie's lesbian kiss which had people outraged (Because somehow they forgot Ellie showing she was a Lesbian in the original TLOU).

That was in the DLC, not the main game.

[zealo]

I dont rly get whats ''shoehorned'',its the story they wanted to tell,and people will like or dislike it for their own reasons,wile i didnt play it myself,i did enjoy the ''movie'' version of the first one,basicaly the cutscenes i mean,and i was pretty pissed when joel died,and i realised the first game did an amazing job at making me like an actual monster somehow lol

Just gamers showing their true colours yet again, when even implementations of such is being called shoehorned even in situations where it's handled well within the story they wanted to be telling, which it was in TLOU2.

[Kallisto]

That was in the DLC, not the main game.

No there was a scene in the main game where she showed distaste for the male body. Which pretty much was "Yeah she's into women.". Just after they get into the car. The DLC just expanded it.

[Rendark]

No there was a scene in the main game where she showed distaste for the male body. Which pretty much was "Yeah she's into women.". Just after they get into the car. The DLC just expanded it.

So a young girl sees gay porn and her not being into it means she is a lesbian? OK....

[zealo]

No there was a scene in the main game where she showed distaste for the male body. Which pretty much was "Yeah she's into women.". Just after they get into the car. The DLC just expanded it.

That the part that expanded upon it was technically in a DLC and not in the base game doesn't really matter to it's canon status anyway. It happened in the story, period.

That whole Left Behind piece of content with memory flashbacks were chronologically in between Joel getting hurt at the university, and that whole cannibal village, and ND shipped it on the disc included at no extra cost when they re-released the first game on the PS4 a bit over a year later.

[Askyl]

The fact people HATE this game so much just proves it's brilliance. It's a game supposed to mess with our emotions and our mind, and it does so brilliantly.

And then we have the bunch of hating bigots that just can't stand that every person in the world isn't straight or white, so as soon as something else is put in media it's "FORCED DOWN OUR THROATS".

10/10 game, I'm waiting for TLOU3 and hypin' my self up!

[Kumorii]

The fact people HATE this game so much just proves it's brilliance. It's a game supposed to mess with our emotions and our mind, and it does so brilliantly.

Doesn't make much sense to me. It's ok for games to make you emotional in any direction of the spectrum. It should never make you dislike the game though. If people hate the game the game just isn't good or brilliant; to them that is.