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The Last of Us Sequel: Joel & Ellie again or NO Joel & Ellie again? | What about MP?

Venuspower

Member
Single Player:
I don't think that Ellie and Joels Story is over. Thats why I want to see both of them again.
IMHO it would be could if they will start TLOU a few weeks after TLOU 1. Not right after. But enough time for Joel and Ellie to start living a "normal" life at Tommys village.

One of my ideas was that Ellie really believes Joel. Everything becomes normal for her. But Joel feels bad about his "lie". And so it all starts. After lots of feelings, emotions and so on Joel leaves Ellie (maybe at night). Ellie doesn't know why. So she is concerned. Maybe Joel writes a "good-bye-letter". And thats basically the beginning. Also got some ideas for things after they seperate. But it would be to long to write it down here.

So just a short version:
- Ellie becoming "more important" for the player (more playtime)
- Would like to see Joels hometown again
- No really new types of infected (Bloaters are enough I think :D)
- Cliffhanger at the end (^__^)
- Ellies immunity not in foreground (same goes for fireflies).


Multiplayer:
Infected. Already missed that in TLOU 1. Could be really funny. Especially while last man standing. Could be really funny if they add a system like they did in Left Beft (infectets can kill your enemies after you through bottles or bricks near the enemies.
 

daveo42

Banned
Cameo at best for Joel and Ellie. Their story is done based on how the game played out and what I came away with in the last few moments of the game. I'm sure if there's a way to bring Ellie or even both back for a sequel and make it matter, Neil and Bruce could do it. As a player though...that story should stay the way it is.

Edit: Man...I'd still kill for Ish DLC. I don't think there's enough for a full game based on how that story plays out, but damn man.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I feel like so many people expect a new cast that the crazy and subversive thing to do is to make it about Joel again. That would be nuts. What does that game even look like? Where do you take that character after he fucking condemns the human race to extinction?

Going by the Fireflies actions, I seriously doubt they are "Heroes". They would probably monopolize the cure for their own personal gain. They are terrorists after all.

I feel you're both doing the same thing.

Joel bad, Fireflies good? No, Joel good, Fireflies bad!

They're clearly both morally grey. No easy moral solutions here. No good guys and bad guys.

Also... it doesn't really explain a thing away to call the Fireflies "terrorists". If you'll remember from the VO of the intro, the Fireflies were started when the democratic powers of the government were stripped and all power was handed over to the Fedra military. The Fireflies are a resistance movement against a military dictatorship wanting to restore the original state of the US government... of course to Fedra they are terrorists. But nonetheless the Fireflies themselves are morally grey.... probably well-intentioned but will use dark methods to get what they need. Just like Joel, actually.
 

JTripper

Member
I think Joel and Ellie again would be a mistake, but if Naughty were to ever actually confirm that they'll be revisiting them, I'd trust that they'd have a confident vision.

The MP to TLoU was actually really good considering how the game didn't need it at all. If they left the multiplayer as is with a few visual tweaks, more of an execution variety and more weapons, I'd be totally fine with it. Oh, and no meta game survivor bullshit. Just rank.
 

jiggle

Member
Yes to more Ellie and Joel
But not if it's about teenage rebellion and stuff like that
Keep everything the same except make Ellie the MC
 

MrHoot

Member
Mmmmh

I'd be up for a different team with Joel and Ellie as cameo. Or just ellie.

Or only ellie as playable if it's later (i'm guessing Joel got quite old and isn't as acrobatic)

Plus I kinda think Joel's story is done, kinda. At least as a protagonist or a main drive of the story.
 

Floody

Member
The only thing I really don't want is a Joel backstory set in the 20 years before he met Ellie, just doesn't seem necessary to me.

Be fine with either a much older Ellie & Joel (much prefer Ellie as the main playable character though) game, or something with completely new characters, set in a different part of the world, with nothing to do with Joel & Ellie. ND knows what they are doing, whatever they do I'm sure it'll be great.
 
I want it to be a direct follow-up, a crescendo of Joel falling into his madness. The last act should be him chasing Ellie trying to kill her.
 

TheXbox

Member
Condemns the human race? Where would you take the character after Joel allowed
his "daughter" to be slaughtered for medical experiments?

It's always interesting where people bring down their moral judgements upon a character.

For my part, within the reality of the story, Joel was justified. He had to commit
the major sin of throwing away hope for the cure, the minor sin of slaughtering the Fireflies, in order to save the one he loved.
I get it. I see it as a sacrifice that he had to go into the darkness to save her.
It's not a moral judgment. It's a statement of fact. It is what he did. Throwing away the cure was the cost of his decision. I already said I agree with it, but I don't see any room for alternate interpretation as to what the cost was. And after four or five responses going off on a perceived slight against the character, not one has offered an alternative. Human race, or Ellie? He chose Ellie. Right or wrong, that was the choice he was given.

This is such a common yet completely bullshit misunderstanding of the game's universe that it's practically a litmus test regarding TLoU discussion.
Okay. Give me something else. Someone. Setting aside whether or not you think Joel was justified, tell me why this was not the case. Because as far as I'm concerned, Joel's options at the end of TLOU are absolutely straightforward. There's some room for maneuvering as far as how trustworthy the Fireflies are, or how certain you are that the surgery will be successful, but a cure is a cure. You can do the cost-benefit analysis however you like, but that is the game's ultimate dilemma.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
They are not wrong, that was just their interpretation.

I think that's true. It's not like it's hard fact that Ellie knows.

But I think those who think she doesn't know have to watch Ellie's performance and judge the emotion in the way she says "okay". Is this the response of someone believing what the other person is saying? I think not, it's the response of someone who's agreed that they aren't going to get the truth out of the other, and that she has to accept that this is the lie she will have to agree to live with.
 

Vexingsruzz

Neo Member
If they are doing a sequel, I'd think it would be interesting to see the Last of Us world earlier in the timeline. Joel met Ellie roughly 20 years after the initial infection, so I'm thinking a story set 5-10 years after the breakout could be interesting. Things are still awful but more major cities are still standing and there may still be some semblance of government/control outside of quarantine zones. New characters/location would be a must but we could also encounter Joel and Tommy when they were being shitty people just trying to survive.
 

Zaheer

Member
I would honestly like a game starring Tess or Ish. Maybe a prequel with Joel and Tommy over the past 20 years.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
It's not a moral judgment. It's a statement of fact. It is what he did. Throwing away the cure was the cost of his decision. I already said I agree with it, but I don't see any room for alternate interpretation as to what the cost was. And after four or five responses going off on a perceived slight against the character, not one has offered an alternative. Human race, or Ellie? He chose Ellie. Right or wrong, that was the choice he was given.

I wrote a post earlier but edited after I re-read I saw you were embracing the ambiguity of the situation.
 

ComputerBlue

Gold Member
I wouldn't mind Ellie making a return. But Ideally, someone new. New locations, new story and characters.

But Joel, not so much. Perhaps as an encounter at some point but not as a playable character.

Multiplayer is so good.

I would like for them to remove the meta, keep everything else. Bring on a co-op mode and bring in another mode as you mentioned. PvP with NPC enemies.
 
D

Deleted member 471617

Unconfirmed Member
Story wise, a new setting and characters. Maybe outside the U.S. to see how the pandemic affected and dealt with elsewhere. The four seasons setup was good and should be retained. Start at Fall and End with Summer.

Purely single player. No co-op of any kind in the single player story. Wouldn't mind switching between characters (ala RE Zero) on the fly or how it was done in the first game. Would like to see the clickers get into fights with the enemy groups like at the end of Left Behind. What I want the most would be for the partner AI to be better or have an option like RE4 where you can make the other character "wait" or "follow".

Don't care about online/multi-player so as long as it doesn't affect the single player story in any way, im fine with it.

Not much else needs to be done. You already know how the visuals, gameplay, music, sound and voice acting will be.
 
If they do a sequel it should be new characters and new setting.

Love this first game. Really wouldn't be clamoring for a sequel. I'd love for it to,just stand on its own.
 

Plasma

Banned
If there is a sequel I want a whole new set of characters in a different location maybe a bit closer to when the outbreak hit. I'd play a sequel with Joel and Ellie but I just don't think it's needed.
 

Elandyll

Banned
Team new story here.

Don't even think we need a cameo tbh, the world is huge and seeing the consequences of the spores in an entirely different continent would be great imo.
 
To be honest, I don't even want a sequel, as I feel there's no way to replicate the journey or touch upon the same characters without spoiling what was already perfect.

If they need to go back, create new characters, and if they can't / won't then a prequel would be the best option.

Let the ending of TLoU be the end of Joel and Ellie's story, because it's the best I think I've seen the medium serve up, and for once I'd like to think perfection could over ride the clamour for sequels and their bankability.
 
Imagine in the sequel, Joel turns and Elie has to kill him.

Nah that's too easy and has been done in zombie media so often. Besides it'd be more interesting to have to kill him as a human since it's a lot more morally complex, since when he's an infected it's like...well yeah of course you should kill him, that ain't Joel anymore.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
So I'm on team "no Joel and Ellie".

But then again, I'm not even sure if I want "further adventures in The Last of Us universe" either. Do we really want this to be Walking Dead, and endless series of zombies, ruins, new companions who sometimes betray you or die on you. Seen it all before, and it's just kind of sad when it goes on forever.....
 
I want Joel and Ellie. Doesn't have to be a ton of those characters, but even crossing their path for two chapters would be enough for me.

I like the idea of playing as Ellie. Sometimes the simple solution is the right one.

I wouldn't say "their story is over", I would say 'that story is over.' I trust the Naughty Dog writers enough to give them more time with these characters, to find a new story.
 

deriks

4-Time GIF/Meme God
#TeamNoSequel

If a sequel HAS to be done, ditch Joel and Ellie because that story is done.

They could have small cameos were we run into an adult Ellie and a grey haired Joel.

I can see that working. And no open-world too

But the game is perfect as it is. Don't make a sequel, guys
 
Okay. Give me something else. Someone. Setting aside whether or not you think Joel was justified, tell me why this was not the case. Because as far as I'm concerned, Joel's options at the end of TLOU are absolutely straightforward. There's some room for maneuvering as far as how trustworthy the Fireflies are, or how certain you are that the surgery will be successful, but a cure is a cure. You can do the cost-benefit analysis however you like, but that is the game's ultimate dilemma.

Because this is not a Walking Dead, everyone's-already-infected scenario. As long as there are groups of humans in sustainable, defensible towns like Tommy's, it's entirely likely that the infected (and the cordyceps) will die out before humanity does.
 

Ascenion

Member
Depends. Is the universe the main focus or were the characters? If it was the universe then just pull a Dragon Age. Same universe, different characters and motivation. Maybe Ellie can return as a party member for a bit. I'm honestly in favor of this approach it makes the game more personal yet expansive to see the same events through fresh eyes rather than follow the same protagonist. In fact I'd love Ellie as a villain. Her secret gets out Joel dies defending her and she escapes. 30 years go by she ends up in hiding with a family that also has the immunity. You play as a bounty hunter tracking her and her kids down to harvest them for study on the promise that your own family will be granted immunity when a cure is available. Family being a loose term for Ellie. Most people would get their sequel wish with that.

For the character driven approach then no sequel would be best. Joel is absolutely done, and Ellie isn't far behind. I don't think the best writer in the world could create a worthy sequel containing both characters and if you'd only keep one it would be Ellie. In that case just default to option A.

Multiplayer can just lose the meta game and I'm fine. Roll that into campaign. A State of Decay/TLOU cross could be beautiful. Send survivors you find in the main game to a base camp that allows you to play a state of decay style side game that serves as a single player/co-op horde mode.
 
I trust Naughty Dog in whatever they do and better people than I will be getting paid a lot of money to do it right. And I think the name/world of Last of Us with the Gameplay/Focus on Story is what will sell, not necessarily "Joel and Ellie". Obviously these two are big draws but people were attached to them as two good characters in a great playing game with an awesome story... not necessarily JOEL THE BADASS ZOMBIE KILLER AND ELLIE THE QUIPPING YOUNG GIRL!!! kinda thing... we aren't talking Metal Gear Solid where people were outraged at Solid Snake going.

That said my preference is that they aren't the player characters. Maybe at some point have them be in it as NPCs, or even work with Ellie or Joel at some point.

I really do feel that Joel's story is over. He lost his family. He met someone. He lost her. He met Ellie. He suffered across the country for her, almost dying, and she means so much to him that he is willing to lie to her just to protect her. I don't want anything else bad happen to Joel.

A time skip and like, you playing as a young character and maybe even meeting up with Ellie as an adult who is helping run a settlement out in the woods would be nice. Show some even further destroyed stuff. Or just somewhere else in the world...
 

Inspector Q

Member
SP

I would definitely love a sequel to TLoU. I would be cool if they decided to leave Joel/Ellie alone, but would probably prefer a sequel starring Ellie.

I am thinking a slightly older Ellie, maybe in her 20s? They could have playable flashback sequences that shows her falling out with Joel and why she eventually decided to leave the settlement.

I definitely want some improved enemies for the sequel. Stalkers in particular should adopt some of the AI from David's boss fight. There can be some really intense sequences with Stalkers trying to sneak up on you. I felt like they were too similar to Runners in the first game.

I am not sure how they can come up with new infected types, but they can probably brain storm some cool stuff. Human enemies would probably be a lot easier to diversify by giving them different weapon types and behaviors.


MP

The MP portion of the first game is pretty much on par with the SP as far as I am concerned. It was kind of shocking how good it was. Wasn't expecting it at all.

Anyway, I probably wouldn't mess with the basics at all. If they want to add NPC enemies, then it would have to be in an all new game type. I don't want to lose out on the pure pvp that the other modes offer.

The main thing that I would add is just more customization options to unlock. I want to be able to customize my character completely for both Hunters and Fireflies. Obviously, they need to keep the customization options to a level that makes sense. So military inspired stuff for Fireflies and dirtbag-wear for Hunters, lol.

But yeah, I want to customize how dirty my dirtbag Hunter looks, damnit!

Anyways, I agree that they should keep paid DLC to cosmetic stuff. Keep maps and weapons/perks free. Don't want to separate the player base in any meaningful way.


Anyways, looking forward to whatever they decide to do.
 

wapplew

Member
Title spoiler?
I want more Ellie but I'm sure ND can make new interesting character, so I'm fine with anything they want to do.

Best case for me, Eliie & Joel in new setting, infected enemy getting old.
 

TheXbox

Member
Because this is not a Walking Dead, everyone's-already-infected scenario. As long as there are groups of humans in sustainable, defensible towns like Tommy's, it's entirely likely that the infected (and the cordyceps) will die out before humanity does.
I think the game goes to some length to show us how vulnerable these supposed strongholds are. Boston is a shithole on the brink; the QZ in Pittsburgh is abandoned; Bill's safehouse is compromised; Ishmael and his sewer crew are routed. If memory serves, I believe the game also alludes to other quarantined zones that were destroyed. Even Tommy's town is threatened when the power goes out. It's a temporary refuge, but I don't think the game really tries to make a case that it'll somehow outlast this extinction event.

Anyway, the game's title is fairly explicit. "The Last of Us." End of the human race. Thematically, that is what the ending was driving at.
 

TissueBox

Member
Joel as a villain? Again? Psh.

How 'bout the same thing as the original narrative outline, except this time with Ellie: as in, a slight reverse-reincarnation of the first game, where yes, Ellie ends up finidng out about Joel's lie, yes, ends up wrapped in a deep sense of betrayal, yes, ends up breaking Joel's heart and causing him to cowardly run away, provoking her to look for him all the while weighing the morality of her motivations, when finally, over a long, deteriorating, soul-draining and psychologically corrosive adventure involving Plot Point X, Y, Z, becomes wholly self-interested (as an evolution of her being self-sufficient by the end of TLOU1 and the consequence of whatever seeds of traumatic doubt are planted in her in this one) and angrier and more cynical until finally reaching Joel at the end of the game in a dramatic confrontation, where I'm thinking either a) she kills him mercilessly, at the expense of some greater good, perhaps (ie he had organized a new group to re-initiate the Firefly's vaccination agenda in order to assuage his guilt and redeem himself in Ellie's eyes) and at the service of her own unsteady thirst for revenge or b) in one incredibly moving sweep, forgives him, after everything they've been through, and says, "It wasn't for nothing," and boom, cut to Joel's face, enveloped in an extremely ambiguous expression before finally closing his eyes, and then a brief epilogue and roll credits. And in both this segment and the beginning, you initially control Joel instead of Ellie.

Thus, the games literally become bookends of the same pod, the arcs come full circle, and fanfiction will finally have made it.

EDIT:
Oh, whoops, misread the 'Ellie killing Joel' posts as purely motivational and not a result of him turning, lol. Oh well.
 

Aters

Member
I want Naughty Dog to create whatever they want. If they think they have more story to tell about Joel and Ellie, go for it.
 

GnawtyDog

Banned
They better not touch up MP a single bit. If anything just add more modes, work on balacing and add online CO-OP. They hit the sweet spot with MP.
 
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