Finally, I am not here to tell you there's some problem with what they're doing, that it doesn't fit, that it's forced or that it's unnatural. I'm not even here to tell you there's a problem with them having an agenda and admitting to it. I think I worded my posts well enough that I can't be accused of any of that. I'd argue few people here are more hyped for the game than I am as the first is among my favorite games of all time and I expect even better from 2. This is 100% trying to be fair to the other side of the issue.
Thanks for links btw
The Kotaku story. I don't see the issue tbh. The character of Nadine being jacked makes sense on
some level If they're going to have her fight Nathan Drake in the game.
They wanted to make her look more intimidating so they made her muscular. I also don't see the issue in that boss fight. Hell, I wasn't even aware people actually took issue with it. I actually like her design as well.
If some people didn't like it that's fair, more power to them. Although this is Uncharted we're talking about here. If I can suspend my disbelief for things like Nathan getting shot in the face thousands of times and taking on literally hundreds of dudes single handedly. Scaling everything without ever getting tired or escaping getting crushed to death by falling debris time after time, after time. It would be silly for me to draw the line at a muscular woman throwing him around in a boss fight.
I wouldn't go as far as to call that play tester "sexist", but he was defiantly making a big deal out of nothing with Nadine and Nathan having a daughter. I agree with Druckmann on this one when he asks "why does that matter?"
In the Rollingstones article, Yes Neil Druckmann does mentioned that he enjoys watching Anita's videos, but he also mentioned that he disagreed with her interpretation of Elena
The Feminist Frequency review that I just watched, which I actually really enjoyed, talked about this. I disagree with them. They said they didn’t like how Elena was handled in the story. That she becomes an obstacle to Nathan, that’s she’s this wet blanket, and she’s the thing that’s holding him back.
My interpretation, or at least our intention, is that she’s not. The only thing holding Nate back is Nate.
Even despite enjoying her opinions, it doesn't mean he nor anyone else at Naughty Dog won't also disagree with her on some things. There are many things I disagree with Anita on and the conclusions she draws in her videos. I also think she's a rather disingenuous as a person, but I digress. Although I do agree when it comes to the overuse of certain tropes in games; as I'm not a fan of the over reliance of tropes or conventional design in general. Which is why I'm looking forward to games like Death Stranding. And as someone who enjoys many types of games, I argue for why I think AAA games like that need to be made more often. There is still nuance here.
That Crafty Ape video was bit tongue in cheek with the editing, but the shot of Druckmann making reference to characters Quiet and Cortana was something I've actually ever watched. Would like to watch that event he was speaking at however. He does in fact use the term agenda in this, you are right. So you using the word wasn't just for the sake of argument. Fair enough.
RobinGaming's video is well articulated, and he makes some very fair arguments. I actually agree with him on nearly all the points he addresses.
Playing Naughty Dog games, I've never really felt that their games were pandering or were compromised by SJWs or social justice agendas.
I have a similar attitude as Robingaming does; if the personal ideology and beliefs of the creator aren't forced in at the expense of a well made game or a compelling narrative, then I have no issue.
Everything I've seen about the TLOU Part II looks very interesting to me, regardless of where Neil Druckmann's personal ideology lies. The plot and the characters are compelling to me. The gameplay looks even more engaging and intense. I take issue with some making these argument of Naughty making Ellie "ugly" on purpose, or more silly ones like "is she taking steroids" because her back has visible muscle tone which is more than achievable for a young woman of her stature without steroids. All of this without having played the game or see what it actually has to offer.
I make a deliberate choice of not following celebrities or even prominent figures in the gaming industry on social media. so I guess that's why I wasn't aware of much of Druckmann's personal views. The only exception is Kojima's Instagram, most of his posts consist of movies, photos, and screenshots lol.