If anything at all in that final scene echoed Joel's execution, I would've called it a day.

Joel flashing right then doesn't really explain the change in heart, since that exact same flash of memory is exactly what drove Ellie away from Dina. If that last flash of memory also flashed back to Ellie pleading on the ground and Lev was doing the same thing on the boat, we would get the exact same ending we did, but tighter, imo.

It's not the same memory, though. That final memory where she wants to try and forgive Joel was only flashed once: just before Ellie let her live. It's arguably the most painful memory for Ellie as it was her finally trying to come around and then Joel is stolen right from her.

But what changed in her character between leaving Dina and the beach? There was no moment of change, no real introspection. There COULD have been if Abby told her Joel killed her father. But as presented, Ellie has no reason to change.

Characters shouldn't just change their minds on a whim. They should have an experience which leads them to change.

If anything at all in that final scene echoed Joel's execution, I would've called it a day.

Joel flashing right then doesn't really explain the change in heart, since that exact same flash of memory is exactly what drove Ellie away from Dina. If that last flash of memory also flashed back to Ellie pleading on the ground and Lev was doing the same thing on the boat, we would get the exact same ending we did, but tighter, imo.

It's not the same memory, though. That final memory where she wants to try and forgive Joel was only flashed once: just before Ellie let her live. It's arguably the most painful memory for Ellie as it was her finally trying to come around and then Joel is stolen right from her.

What we perceive as the uncanny valley is a moving target. Early film, while obvious to us now, looked like reality. Violence, digested through time, has looked real in its various incarnations. Sure, it is more realistic now, but I'm not sure the psychological impact is different now.

We've been using digital representations of violence to make humans more killable for years. From changing the shape of targets to represent humanoid shapes to using simulators to practice killing, we have used technology and visual styles to wear away our initial hesitancy to kill.

I'm with you that this is probably a bad thing (and I have my own convoluted rationalizations for my own consumption of violent media as a filthy vegetarian wannabe pacifist), but I'm not sure that changing the "realism" threshold makes this worse than previous iterations.

I haven't owned a Playstation since it was... well, PLAYSTATION. (Which still is just THE BEST intro.)

Jerk.

:-p

Game Platform Exclusivity sucks. Once again, like a steam sale, the library of games "I must play", grows larger. I haven't owned a Playstation since it was... well, PLAYSTATION. (Which still is just THE BEST intro.)

Silver lining though, as long as I don't dig in too greedily and too deep like some Lord Of the Rings Dwarf, I can skip across a field of spoilers and get to the other side unscathed. Most of the stuff I've read about which involves the story of Last of Us 2, fortunately doesn't MEAN anything to me at this point. At this point all I have is some names of folk (which I'll probably forget), a Zombie Apocalypse, and the apparent(?) shock that valley girls probably wouldn't survive said apocalypse. Other than that, I don't know shit about this game. I'm OK with that.

Why am I saying all this? Well, in my peeks around the corner, selectively eavesdropping on conversations about Last of Us 2, one thing is blatantly true - even with the pre-reivews I read; Through the level of realism Naughty Dog has achieved, THIS SUCKER IS STRAIGHT UP VIOLENCE PORN!

Violence, of course, is nothing new in games. If you have been playing videogames at all, you know what to expect if you play a Mortal Kombat game. Shoot, it's why we have the ESRB in the first place. For their latest iteration, there was apparently at least one Developer for Mortal Kombat 11 who apparently got PSTD from the process of creating Mortal Kombats ever infamous Fatalities, Brutalities, and what not. Just in case you don't know, part of the creation process that must be done is to collect REAL WORLD VISUAL references. Man, what does THAT Google history look like! Essh! Link to the source of this has an expectantly, Mortal Kombat Violent picture.

I bring this up, as, the little I've seen for Last of Us 2 is 110X more violent for our minds than anything Mortal Komabat has done. Of course, your results may very. It all depends on your natural tendency, for lack of a better word. If you're a hunter who has in the field skinned an animal moments after getting a kill, your mental space is arguably wired differently than... a vegetarian who has become such for reasons not due to dietary needs. Not calling out anything, just throwing out examples.

Watching someone pull out a beating heart with their bare hands? Or even a human spine? Ripping off an arm and beating the poor sucker to death with it? It's so out there, even with the realistic-ish look of modern games, it's debatably arcadeish. It's JUST SO crazy enough to possibly be able to separate yourself from the violence you see, like one may also do in a movie. As long as you aren't a toddler, you can separate "real" from this crazed "shared imagination".

Than, there is Last Of Us 2. There is some pretty cool tech and tricks in this game. I've seen the rope physics, which... how long did that take to make? I love the trick they used to fake global illumination in dark rooms, which as I understand it is essentially using the flash light as a color picker and than tinting your screen though post-prosessing. Very cool.

Than I watched a character stab viciously bearing teeth, with fear drenched intent, as if some poor animal who has long forgotten warmth, shank repeatedly-rapidly-again-and-again as if a motion was a scream and time a blur *SHK* in neck of some poor poor fool. Boom Boom. Blood with a realistically accurate shape gushes out with each jagged stab, only to be thrown aside a former person now slab of meat, recklessly collapsed in a crumple slopped to the floor, doomed to draw one last gurgled breath in some bloody pool of their own will-less making. That's... how I'm going to describe it anyway.

"Oh... SHIT!"

That was just one. I've seen a few other clips too. Folks... that shit can stay with ya. We're at a point now in virtual visualization the question needs to be asked, "Has Science gone too far?". In fact... before I continue this... whatever this is, now seems a good time as ever for some eye bleach.

I've long enjoyed the pursuit of realism in games. Learning how these things work, and WHY it works, helps bring an appreciation for things that you wouldn't even know to think of. What makes something look real versus a more stylized look or just... not even "right" at all? It's all very fascinating. But now... now as we are at the cusp of breaking that visual 4th wall practically completely (which I say, as I'm note sure where else needs to be improved visually), it seems to me that with great power comes great responsibility.

It's one thing to watch a movie with some sort of realistic violence in it, but playing a game that is visually realistic is different. It's an experience. And right now... y'all experiencing the tribalistic end of all things. AND THAT'S JUST 2020! /s(?)

I've not even played the game and man... even if it was a movie. Would this shit be R or NC-17? Man.

Look, I worry bout y'all. It's a casual worry, but its a worry. Y'all take care of yourselves. It all might be 1's and 0's, but wow... it really seems to be transcending to be something else. Be careful out there.

---
Next Time On "INSANEdrive Rambles about [Subject Goes Here]"
Cyberpunk 2077; How Much Snoo Snoo is Too Much Snoo Snoo?

So no, Ellie can’t change. She can’t change because AAA games can’t change. Let’s say Ellie learns her lesson, that violence begets violence. That to save the world and herself, she must put down the gun. What would she even do? Literally, what would a AAA game even allow for her to do?

I've always said, the future is in RPGs. AAA games will inevitably all have to become RPGs.

I do wish they hadn’t sidelined Dina, because their little conversations were good.

The game can definitely feel oppressive. There are some absolutely great lighter, happy moments throughout, tough.

I can think of TWO. The rocket ship, and the weed bunker. MAYBE the first bit on the farmhouse.

Eager to hear what you think.

BTW, I probably won't read comments for a while, but try to keep them spoiler free.

Joel Kills Dumbledore.

BTW, I probably won't read comments for a while, but try to keep them spoiler free. For reference, Joel & Tommy & Abby just escaped the horde.

You mean Pearl Jam’s song. Which was released a full two weeks after Outbreak Day.

The album was released two weeks later (it’s even advertised in the Seattle music store as “coming soon”). Songs off of albums are often released well in advance. Future Days was first performed on July 19, a full two months before the first game starts (September 26), so it makes sense that Joel would have locked into that song if he was a fan.

Even Neil addressed this particular nitpick from people:

But how did Joel know @pearljam's Future Days if the song didn't drop until October 2013 -- a month after Outbreak Day? Glad you asked! You see... it was performed live and posted on youtube months prior to the album's release. https://t.co/WEQmwPrE7L pic.twitter.com/g6Wa3GcMUh

— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) June 28, 2020

This is hilarious. Spoilers obviously, not that anyone should care at this point.

https://youtu.be/6UDi8pL4RWg

Worst game he ever played huh? He must not have played Final Fantasy 15.

You know, the internet’s constant mocking of Abby’s appearance I think really does expose an ugly truth. It’s specifically why the trope of the strong masculine woman typically has her being either uninterested in sex, or a lesbian. Men are uncomfortable with heterosexual displays by masculine women. And lo and behold this is what we see in aggregate with Abby, a masculine heterosexual woman, while Ellie fits the trope and is loved. I cannot believe this is solely due to her being “poorly written” when her motivations and reasons for change are the most clear of any characater.

It’s so weird when critics of the game are accused of hating women, while the game so completely re enforces the patriarchal subjugation of the feminine. I didn’t even talk about Lev, who is subject to such overt oppression (being a child bride), that the solution is to shave his head and become a man. Rather than fight for women, he discards the feminine all together.

I’m just baffled that no critics really even discuss any of this. Is their ability to analyze so shallow that they think female leads automatically mean the game is good for women?

https://youtu.be/6UDi8pL4RWg

You mean Pearl Jam’s song. Which was released a full two weeks after Outbreak Day.

[Go to 1:50:02 if hitting play on the clip doesn't take you straight there.