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[Hydrogen Bluebird]

SPOILERS

So I finished The Last of Us a few days ago and while I easily see why it got so much acclaim (it does take a little longer to get going but easily one of the best games I've ever played), I found the ending unsatisfying and too open-ended.Yes, the ending was very unique but I don't think it provided enough of an emotional payoff considering the journey that Joel and Ellie went through.

How would you have ended it? Personally, I would have liked to see Ellie become a sacrifice/sacrifice herself consciously for a cure. Maybe Joel makes it to the operating room and while he initially tries to stop the procedure, he eventually gets to talk to Ellie and finds out that Ellie herself wants to push through with the procedure to make a cure, that she wants to help mankind and not let the sacrifices of everyone that helped them along the way (especially Tess) be in vain.

Alternatively, maybe Joel gets bit in the process and Ellie's blood can help him by slowing down the infection but they'd have to go through with the procedure to produce an actual cure (which they do) and Joel wakes up all cured.

How would you have ended it?

Edit: sorry, typing on my phone.

 

[Skilletor]

So I finished The Last of Us a few days ago and while I easily see why

Wut?

I wouldn't change a thing. It was the best ending I've ever experienced in a videogame.

 

[Noray]

The ending is perfectly pitched. I wouldn't change anything about it.

 

[Silky]

DP

 

[GavinUK86]

I wouldn't change the story or the outcome, I would just allow the option to not shoot those poor docs.

 

[TUSR]

Why would I change it?

 

[Andrefpvs]

I would keep it as it is, but before the screen cuts to black, Joel would say:

"You know, Ellie, we really are The Last of Us."

Then they laugh as the camera pans to the sky.

 

[NAPK1NS]

?

Well, anyway, that's how it needed to end. The whole game exposed you to how greedy and self-sustaining people are. It only made sense.

Edit: after reading your whole post... It sounds like the Hollywood three-acts have gotten to you.

 

[arekuso]

They should have given the choice to kill the doctors or not. When I played it the first time, I waited for something to happen, but when I realized I HAD to kill them... well, I insulted the developers out loud -_-

 

[WJD]

"You know Ellie, we really are the Last of Us."

 

[kazegami]

It is already a satisfying ending for me. I would not change it.

 

[Michael F. Assbender]

SPOILERS

So I finished The Last of Us a few days ago and while I easily see why it got so much acclaim. I found the ending unsatisfying.

How would you have ended it? Personally, I would have liked to see Ellie become a sacrifice/sacrifice herself consciously for a cure.

Edit: sorry, typing on my phone.

Exactly as it ended.

Also, you may want to add spoiler tags. Some folks haven't beaten the game yet.

Edit: And yes, I realize your post says "spoilers" at the beginning, but it's easy for the eyes to wander.

 

[jon bones]

It was perfect as is.

It would have been terrible, tired and clichéd to go your route, story-wise.

 

[x-Lundz-x]

I couldn't write anything better than perfection.

 

[James Scott]

"Thank you, Joel! But Ellie is in another hospital!"

 

[Silky]

Joel snaps Ellie's neck and goes all Punisher.

Tess is Robocop and they fight

Ellie comes back as zombie ellie and wrestles Joel in Tommy's backyard

Thayd be sick

 

[Mononoke]

Would have kept it exactly how it was. Joel's actions tie into the entire themes of the game and is the perfect resolution to a character arc set up from the intro.

 

[Summer Haze]

I would keep it as it is, but before the camera cuts to black, Joel would say:

"You know, Ellie, we really are The Last of Us."

Then they laugh as the camera pans to the sky.

Lmao. Came here to post this.

 

[TsunamiOfSwagger]

The people in the world were a lost cause. Sacrificing ellie to save them would have not sat well with me.

 

[GrizzNKev]

I would keep it as it is, but before the camera cuts to black, Joel would say:

"You know, Ellie, we really are The Last of Us."

Then they laugh as the camera pans to the sky.

"You know Ellie, we really are the Last of Us."

I've been beaten.

 

[Dragon1893]

Wouldn't change a word, it's perfect.

 

[deoee]

I'd hide the ending behind a DLC paywall :|

 

[Nightengale]

Don't know if I would had written it differently, but I would had kept the original tone of how the ending was originally written, which was "Joel & Ellie walk back to Tommy's, as the shot pans out."

You know, like how generic endings play them out.

 

[SolidChamp]

I couldn't write anything better than perfection.

.

 

[Diprosalic]

if you want a better written game you need to change more than the ending, which was fine.

 

[Trickster]

I'm far from a fan of TLoU. But the story, ending included, is really good. It fits the world the game is set in.

 

[The Praiseworthy]

I would keep it as it is, but before the camera cuts to black, Joel would say:

"You know, Ellie, we really are The Last of Us."

Then they laugh as the camera pans to the sky.

Hahaha.. That would have made me laugh so hard XD

 

[ShadowSoldier89]

I wouldnt have written it nearly as well, so I'm glad I wasn't the one writing it

 

[Markitron]

The ending was perfect.

If they had ended it with the version where everyone sings, that also would have been fine.

 

[imBask]

I was not a huge fan of the ending but i'm not a writter so i'm not gonna risk myself. not saying it was bad, but I was expecting more, or something different

anyway seeing how this thread is going i'd get buried alive, enjoy your usual ND circlejerk

 

[Americanmushroom]

The anti climax is the climax. Wouldn't change a thing myself. Would have made Ellie even more doubtful about the explanation though

 

[GavinUK86]

Exactly as it ended.

Also, you may want to add spoiler tags. Some folks haven't beaten the game yet.

Edit: And yes, I realize your post says "spoilers" at the beginning, but it's easy for the eyes to wander.

The thread title is "how would you write the end". I don't think spoiler tags are needed.

 

[MichaelFassbender]

I've always imagined that the entire affair is the death-dream of Fonzie, who got electrocuted when he tried to fix that jukebox one last time.

 

[James Scott]

The people in the world were a lost cause. Sacrificing ellie to save them would have not sat well with me.

Doesn't the ending imply

Spoiler

that Ellie isn't immune anymore?

That's what I got out of it

 

[Markitron]

Doesn't the ending imply

Spoiler

that Ellie isn't immune anymore?

That's what I got out of it

It does? I don't know where you got that from.

 

[BumRush]

Differently, but that's why I love it so much.

 

[Cess007]

I wouldn't change a thing. The ending for me, it's perfect, not for Joel and Ellie, but for the game.

 

[Americanmushroom]

Doesn't the ending imply

Spoiler

that Ellie isn't immune anymore?

That's what I got out of it

Wut?

 

[James Scott]

It does? I don't know where you got that from.

Spoiler

She looks at the bite near the end and it looked a bit worse to me

Give me a sec going to rewatch the last cut scene
Edit: guess i remembered wrong. She does look at it, but i don't know if it's noticeably worse

 

[CHC]

I would make it so Ellie falls in love with Tifa and they both become goddesses.

 

[Tamanon]

I wouldn't. It's not my story to tell.

 

[TsunamiOfSwagger]

Doesn't the ending imply

Spoiler

that Ellie isn't immune anymore?

That's what I got out of it

No. He just made her feel as though she wasn't the only to be immune, so she was not needed.

 

[Henkka]

Not every story has to be satisfying or comfortable. I wouldn't change it.

 

[toastyToast]

In my version Ellie would kick Joel in the dick and he'd roll down the hill. She'd then jump into the car from Knight Rider and drive off into the sunset.

Hours later the car would say to Ellie "You know, Ellie, we really are The Last of Us."

 

[WrenchNinja]

There's nothing wrong with the ending. I wouldn't change it.

 

[hendersonhank]

Ending was perfect.

 

[Banana Aeon]

The ending was perfection I wouldn't change a thing.

 

[Meneses]

It's pretty much perfect as it is, although I would have preferred if it cut to black right after Joel says "I swear".

 

[Storm Raider]

The people in the world were a lost cause. Sacrificing ellie to save them would have not sat well with me.

This. This so much.

You pretty much journey through the world and see how shitty everyone has become, fending for themselves, trying to survive... Everyone pretty much turned into a piece of garbage. Is it worth saving all the shitty people left in the world, or is it worth saving your best friend and child, which Ellie pretty much became throughout the game.

 

[Brian_FETO]

I would add more doctors to kill

Maybe give Joel a rocket launcher or something.

He shoots and kills Marlene. Fast forward to him and Ellie walking to Tommy's. What's that sound? A tree falls. It's Mecha-Marlene. The Fireflies really were evil. Joel and Ellie take her down, Joel kills her again. Ellie's mad though cuz like Joel lied you know? Wait who's that with Tommy? It's Riley. Wow, she's miraculously healed and WHOA. She fixed The Turning arcade cabinet. As she ultra kills Ellie, she remarks how they truly were The Last Of Us. Joel pokes his head in: "Hey, that's my line!"