Still not finished it but I'm beginning to understand where the hate is coming from.
Without spoiling it for anyone, the main problem comes when the perspective of the story shifts. Flashbacks within flashbacks for characters we care little about.
Naughty Dog always do these flashback things so it comes as no real surprise, except here it doesn't really work.
Instead of the witty banter between Ellie and Joel in the first game, they decided to swap that for 'strong women' stereotypes as if that was supposed to draw people in. My favourite being the slightly built heavily pregnant woman who they send out on a dangerous patrol and can easily climb ropes. Go sister!!
The problem with this is by doubling down on the realism AND feminism it's starting to feel seriously wacky and deluded. Don't Naughty Dog realise that you can't just pile on the same message again and again?
It's all so gritty and violent and realistic and loves to push your face into the mud EXCEPT for those characters. This is just the flip side of everything Sarkesian always mentions -- Now instead of girls sexualised in the normal way (bikini and bra -- Kojima styl, what she objects to.) we have Druckman's particular sexual kink -- or Sarkesian's if she's been whispering in his ear.
This wouldn't bother me if the story wasn't so pointed but he can't have it both ways. If he wants the story to be taken this seriously then we have to -- and that's frankly impossible.
If Kane and Lynch can get marked down for it's sorded Macho portrayal of people back in the day then this should too.
I also take umbrage with one of the story elements that has retroactively sullied the first game for me. I always thought the ending of the first was Joel Lying to Ellie but Ellie ACCEPTING that lie, because Ellie saw Joel finally as her surrogate father -- She trusted him enough to know that lie was to protect her.
This is ruined by one scene in this game, and that scene doesn't even ring true as the reaction of a child. So what I saw a great writing in part 1 wasn't even intentional. What a shame.
The good thing about that game is that the gameplay, graphics and AI are all superb. I had no real problem with the story until about halfway through when that perspective shift occurred, I admired the bold choices and liked the simple storytelling, but after that it's just s shitshow. I felt like the game was reaching a climax and now it just feels so damn empty -- like the game is forcing me to play it just to get back to the main storyline. I'm still enjoying it, but it's coming very close to skippable cutscene time for me. It's just not very interesting anymore.
RedVIper
You need except the fact western developers really no longer interested making "sexy design" either its stylize or realistic. I made peace with that and I will I get that in my Japanese games, besides Japanese developers does far better job in that regard compare to western developers.
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