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[Iva Demilcol]

Thinking about the world itself I'd say that the chances that Ellie is the only human being kind of immune to the effects of the cordiceps (or whatever they are called) is pretty unlikely and therefore it was safe to leave the story of Joel and Ellie as it was in the first game. Why don't give them a happy ending after all they went through?

 

[Xe4]

This argument doesn't make sense. You're right, Joel and Ellie didn't exist until TLOU. And without them, there is no TLOU. The game is so focused on them and about them that it would not be a sequel without them. The world on its own is just a zombie world. It is not what made TLOU what it is, and a sequel without them would be in name only. You can't make Breaking Bad without Walter White either. It's not Game of Thrones or Bioshock where the world is the star. TLOU IS Joel and Ellie.

What I'm saying is the creators can make great characters in this world. Joel and Ellie aren't the only ones. Bill, Ish, Marleine, Riley, etc, etc. Are all good. There is no shortage of great characters you can make given the right world and writing.

Breaking Bad was about Walter White, explicitly (it's why it's called Breaking Bad). There was no one else in the world with a story like him. The world of TLOU was ripe for different stories, as seen by all the other fantastic characters.

Thinking about the world itself I'd say that the chances that Ellie is the only human being kind of immune to the effects of the cordiceps (or whatever they are called) is pretty unlikely and therefore it was safe to leave the story of Joel and Ellie as it was in the first game. Why don't give them a happy ending after all they went through?

I certainly wouldn't call the ending of TLOU happy. It wasn't sad either, but a range of feelings like no other game. It's why I loved it so.

 

[Fury451]

I want to see Joel get his ass handed to him for lying. I'm excited as heck. Ellie should kill him.

Ridiculous, why would she ever do that? It's also pretty implied that she knows already, if not in the game then definitely in the epilogue performed by the actors that took place at a live event.

http://www.polygon.com/2014/7/29/5948073/the-last-of-us-epilogue-joel-ellie

Love the dynamics between Joel and Ellie.

Really glad they make a return for the sequel. To me, at least they really are the Last of Us.

This is good.

 

[SmoothRunningGun]

Two great characters. Why screw with what works.

 

[Bold One]

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed, I think it's a world worth exploring through the perspective of different characters.

The first game ended well in an ambiguous sort of way, so yeah... ideally I would have had new characters who crossed paths or interact with Joel and Ellie somehow.

But I'll reserve judgment until I have played it.

 

[Musolf815]

I trust Naughty Dog for stories more than most other game studios so I'm sure it'll be great.

 

[LookAtMeGo]

I would have been happy either way but I am happy to get to experience the world through their eyes again. They are 2 of my favorite characters ever in a videogame. The chemistry between them is incredible. I bet Ashley and Troy have bonded a lot over the last few years and I firmly believe this will translate into their performances in this game. I cant fucking wait.

 

[B33]

I trust Naughty Dog, Neil Druckmann, and Halley Gross. Let's see what they come up with for Part II.

 

[SolidChamp]

Very interested to see where they take it. I'm in, day-one of course, but part of me is very, VERY curious to see the early days of the pandemic with Joel and his brother surviving ("I still have nightmares from those days"), Joel dealing with the immediate aftermath of his daughter's death, and of course, more of Tess.

We'll never get such a prequel, but so much interesting shit was hinted at in TLOU that it left me wanting to see it unfold.

I'll take more Ellie & Joel anyday, though.

 

[LookAtMeGo]

Very interested to see where they take it. I'm in, day-one of course, but part of me is very, VERY curious to see the early days of the pandemic with Joel and his brother surviving ("I still have nightmares from those days"), Joel dealing with the immediate aftermath of his daughter's death, and of course, more of Tess.

We'll never get such a prequel, but so much interesting shit was hinted at in TLOU that it left me wanting to see it unfold.

I'll take more Ellie & Joel anyday, though.

That would be a great SP DLC for the next game. I doubt that will happen but it would be cool to see that time period.

 

[darkwing-buck]

Cautious at first, but after listening to that panel I cannot wait.

My thoughts from the reveal thread:


I really do think ND has the potential to explore some pretty deep issues around masculinity here. It sounds like TLOU2 will primarily be Ellie's story, but I'm sure they'll give us some significant character development with Joel, too. I really hope the old man comes through.

I like this idea.

 

[Nozem]

I would have chosen different characters. But I am not one of the best developer studios in the world, so yeah. In ND we trust.

 

[FarFromAnyGame]

There's a thread discussing that. and it has opinions in it.

 

[Lingitiz]

Any new characters would have been endlessly compared to Joel and Ellie. The heart of the series is the relationship between those two characters, not so much the zombie apocalypse backdrop. I trust in ND to find a new story to tell for them that feels meaningful.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Thought the ending of the first was perfect but I'm open for the idea that their story goes on. If anyone can do it right, it's ND.

 

[StrongBlackVine]

It is exactly what I wanted. Ellie and Joel as the focus again with Ellie as the main character. I couldn't be more pleased.

 

[Nightengale]

I don't know about Joel yet, but absolutely the right choice for Ellie.

Yes, TLoU was a self-contained story that doesn't need a sequel. But at the same time, it felt to me like a story that nurtured Ellie and made her grow up as a character that exhibits her capacity and her individuality in a very distinct way.

Something that would make her a worthy hero of her own story in another tale, if opportunity permits.

In my mind, a potential TLoU2 was always going to be Ellie's coming-out story. Couldn't be happier about that angle.

 

[rataven]

I finished a replay of TLoU just last night. The story is about the relationship between these two people, not the infection, not the world. But these two. How they've helped each other survive. What they've taught each other. Their relationship is so unique and fascinating. I'm excited to see more of it.

 

[Kettch]

I'm fine with it. I was actually expecting more story DLC originally, but clearly they decided to go with another full game early on, since they never released any. Left Behind was obviously just a cut sequence from the main game, since they wanted to go straight into Winter.

 

[robertsan21]

Its fine and really the only reason to go back to this universe.
It will be amazing. Hopefully after this game ND won't go back and start creating a new IP.

Joel is going to die!
Thats why the start screen for last of us part 1 is over looking that window that Elle is playing gitarr at in part 2 trailer. Its actually Joel thats looking at the window/curtains until he dies from his wounds or sickness.

 

[Steve.1981]

Haven't heard anything about this till now. My initial gut feeling is a part of me wishes they would just leave Joel & Ellie, because I do think their story in TLoU is pretty much perfectly self-contained with nothing more to add. I'm a bit worried that the sequel will have a negative impact on the original story now.

But at the same time, it's Naughty Dog. They're damn good. If they feel there's a compelling reason to continue with these characters, I'll give them a chance.

 

[Spikematic]

I was expecting a poll. Where is the poll, preferably with a Thor Dark World option?!

Anyway, I'm super stoked. The ending of the game was perfection and I would've been happy if they left it at that, but I definitely don't mind them choosing to continue Joel and Ellie's journey if they feel there is more to the story. So let's trust them! I mean the trailer was simply incredible so that should be encouragement enough!

 

[CrimsonSquall]

I see people clamoring about about happy endings and I gotta ask when did Gaf get so soft? Real life is majorily never peaches and rainbows and I respect it when a developer dares to go deeper

 

[Earthpainting]

It's the safe, predictable thing to do, which I suppose is the appropriate route if they're going to make a sequel. If I had to pick between one or the other, I guess I'd have gone for new protagonists. I didn't particularly care about Joel, and Ellie was mostly just kind of there. I guess I can see this as the series' second chance to build on the characters.

My trope alert goes off because of the time skip though. With both being adults now, I'm suspecting one of two routes they'll take this. The first thing that came to mind, was that Joel is going to bite the dust. It's kind of a thing in this genre of fiction, give easy drama, and it would give purpose to bringing them back. The other possibility is that they could turn it into a co-op experience with two adult characters, though I'm not sure how compatible this is with stealth and the cinematic flair. I would also assume they'd make a point to advertise a feature change like this more prominently too.

As a side-prediction, the laws of game tropes state that if Ellie is indeed the main character, she'll have to get a bow at some point. It's her white brunette destiny.

 

[Raylan]

The Last of Us = Joel and Ellie
God of War = Kratos
Halo = Master Chief
Tomb Raider = Lara Croft

It is what it is. If I want different characters, I can play a different game.

So yes, I'm happy they're back. I'm scared, because I love them so much (TLOU = Best game ever). But it has to be them. The story isn't over and now it's Ellie's part.

 

[TsunamiOfSwagger]

I think it's a good thing. I feel like it was a certainty that they would use Joel and ellie, but in doing so they may have limited any future sequels ND make.
If they had used different characters for this story, there would have been constant comparisons to J & E, most probably in a negative light, because of how loved they are.
But by not breaking away from J & E now, it will be hard to introduce new leads if they intend to make part 3.

 

[Bjoern the Smexy]

Joel and Ellie really are the Last of Us.
Jokes aside though, these two characters are what define the game and series to me.

I wanna know them. I wanna play them. I wanna experience what they experience. Until their fight is over.
If Joel and/or Ellie die/s during TLoU2 I will not be displeased though. If both of them survive, all the better.
If only one of them dies, the other will inevitably be the protagonist (or at least a major character) in the game after.
If both of them die, I can't see that being the end of the series either. There most probably are some other people out there having the same condition as Ellie. Or other people who can be interesting enough to tell their story in the world of TLoU.

I just wanna play the game. And if Joel and Ellie are still the main characters that's for the better. Not every sequel of any game needs to be about different main characters.

 

[Allonym]

I feel that it's a wise decision and I'm confident in Naughty Dog whether they'd have chose to go with Ellie and Joel or a new protagonist altogether. I also don't feel as if I have any say or governance over Naughty Dog's creative/narrative design decisions. Some people are flipping out way too much over this, the fact that Ellie is the lead protagonist or the fact that we're getting an actual sequel. Some enthusiasts in this market need to realize that this game isn't their creation and lose this mentality of entitlement that's been plaguing them. Just my thoughts.

 

[panty]

I love it. Absolutely loved the first game and the relationship they had and can't wait to get back.

I'm sure there'll be a huge twist along the way. Something's off with Joel for sure.