The Last Of Us 2

jones

Smyths deal is great i think i'll cancel my PSN preorder although i'm not sure how to go about that? They already took the money anyone know how to do it? Doesn't seem apparent from the app/console?

Apparently I've to write to Sony to cancel a preorder? WTF

sniper_samurai

jones wrote: »

Smyths deal is great i think i'll cancel my PSN preorder although i'm not sure how to go about that? They already took the money anyone know how to do it? Doesn't seem apparent from the app/console?

You need to contact Sony for a refund, it can't be done via the digital store.

jones

sniper_samurai wrote: »

You need to contact Sony for a refund, it can't be done via the digital store.

Just found out thanks. How do they mean contact though do i just write an email to them? Very backwards and i wont be in a rush to preorder through the PSN again i've never had to cancel one before though. Also looks like the money just goes back into your wallet as opposed to your card

shrewdness

I see that reviewers have been allowed post their first impressions today, although the embargo for the actual reviews is the 12th June.

Posted some snippets I seen from a post on Reddit.


The Last of Us 2's firefights are fraught, uncomfortable, fantastic | Push Square:

The violence, at this kind of fidelity, will make you feel uncomfortable – but that’s all according to Naughty Dog’s plan. While we can’t elaborate further, this is a game about hatred and vengeance; it’s about obsession and how the cycle of violence destroys everything it touches. If you want to know more, you’re going to have to wait for our full review on 12th June. Until then, we’ll leave you with our overall impressions on this short sequence we’re allowed to preview: chef’s kiss.

The Last of Us Part 2 Preview: Shockingly Ruthless | GameSpot:

The melee combat feels incredibly good, but it's hard not to wince when you slam a machete into a person's shoulder or take them down with a knife to the side of the head. The damage modelling is satisfying, but there's always going to be a shock when someone's head shatters from a rifle shot or someone's skin gets melted by a Molotov cocktail. And when other enemy characters cry out the name of the guard dog you just exploded in front of them in disbelief, it's hard not to feel like a bad person. Whether this approach translates well to the rest of the game is something you'll have to wait until June 19 to discover.

How does ‘The Last of Us Part II’ play? The answer is extremely well. | Washington Post:

The decisions to hide or kill feed perfectly into the overriding moral journey and the humanization of non-player character adversaries. Many of those you kill feel distinctly human. Even the infected have stories to tell, through notes they left behind in their abandoned homes or elsewhere. Ellie is evolving into something she herself may not be proud of in her quest for revenge. The bloody gameplay syncs extremely well with the journey of the protagonist, and with the ravaged world that only has tiny remnants of humanity left. As a player, it’s so effective that it can feel downright disturbing.

The Last of Us Part 2’s beautiful world is filled with death | GamesRadar:

That The Last of Us Part 2 can create such complex emotions in the short segment I can discuss says a lot. But it’s how that plays out over the wider context of the full story that will really leave its mark. It’s a game that’s going to be discussed for a long time to come.

The Last of Us Part 2 initial review | Pocket-Lint:

In short, even from just this section it is clear to see how much effort and love has been poured into the look and sound of The Last of Us Part 2. It is a cinematic experience that stays with you long after the TV has been switched off.

Indeed, if this proves to be the swansong for this console generation, Naughty Dog has seemingly once again given a Sony machine a fitting end.

The Last of Us Part II – could this be the best game ever made? | Evening Standard:

From the pacing, the detail in the environments to the humanising of your enemies, this game is going to blow you away.

The Last of Us Part 2's Combat Cycle: Beating Hearts and Butchery | IGN:

Enemy encounters are frequent, but it’s credit to Naughty Dog that each one feels different to the last. Whether that be down to the variety in enemy type, items at your disposal, or your chosen playstyle, every fight feels dynamic. You can go in with a plan, but have to think quickly on your feet as Ellie’s cover is blown or a new threat enters the scene. The combat of The Last of Us Part 2 is constantly rotating between heart-pounding tension and brutal butchery and forms a circle of violence that is wholly unpleasant, but necessary for the story it is trying to tell.

The Last of Us Part II Preview: Bigger, Better, Bolder | GameSpew:

Your journey from the theatre to the hospital is just one small part of The Last of Us Part II, and so how much it crams in should be telling. It hints at a bigger, better and bolder sequel in which everything feels more dynamic and natural. Though while the gameplay of this particular segment is exemplary, what really drives you forward is the story; the reason why you’re doing what you’re doing. Unfortunately I can’t mention any of that here, though to be honest I wouldn’t want to. I don’t want to spoil it for you. But if you loved The Last of Us, you’re in for a treat. Even if you think you might have been spoiled.

The Last of Us Part II: so much more than just another zombie story | The Guardian:

Naughty Dog’s willingness to tackle difficult and sometimes distressing themes and material, in a way that’s grounded in believable characters, make this more than just another zombie story. Like the best post-apocalyptic fiction, from the early seasons of The Walking Dead to The Road, it’s a story about people, and the extraordinary and horrific things they can do for each other, or to each other.

The Last of Us Part 2 Preview: The dreary streets of Seattle | Stevivor:

To say that The Last of Us Part 2 is immersive is an understatement; I went in focused on linear progression and on-screen prompts about hints but that quickly melted away as I sat gripping a DualShock with my pulse racing, happy to have scraped by in a fight with the infected. In mere minutes, I stopped thinking about Ellie as a character in a game and started thinking about me — her — and my survival. Naughty Dog is great at character and equally as good as a compelling narrative, and what I’ve experienced is no exception.

We Cranked The Last of Us 2 to ‘Survivor’ Difficulty, It Left None | PowerUp!:

All I can really say is that come June 19, you’re going to want to block a few days out in your social calendar. Some of your allotted hours will be spent on playing, others will be needed for quiet contemplation…or a foolish replay attempt on Grounded. Either way, clearly what we have here is a sequel that’s guaranteed to grow on you quicker than cordyceps wall fungus.

Greg Miller's The Last of Us Part II Preview:

I don't understand how anything else could be game of the year.

The Last of Us Part II Preview | Game Informer:

Obviously, a lot of the context that informs this whole two-hour sequence is missing here, especially since it’s set partway through the game. But even if we could talk about story stuff now, we wouldn’t want to. The less you know now, the more you will enjoy the experience when you’re playing it for yourself on June 19.

The Last Of Us Part II Preview: A Bigger, Braver Sequel

New enemies, new abilities and new details - hands-on with The Last of Us Part 2 | Eurogamer:

The story will eventually speak for itself in the full context of the game, but as for the extended gameplay section we've played, it shows that in terms of gorgeous, terrifying spectacle and scrappy, panicked survival, The Last of Us is still unrivalled.

The Last Of Us Part 2 preview – love and hate in Seattle | Metro:

But as impressive as the technology is, it’s the story and characters that is most important to The Last Of Part 2. But whether you’ve read the spoilers or not you, literally, don’t know the full story and that’s definitely going to be worth discovering when the game is finally released later this month.

The Last of Us 2 Preview | Trusted Reviews:

The Last of Us 2 is an accomplished sequel in every regard. It feels marvellous to play, and doubles down on the thematic elements that helped the original shine. Ellie is a stunning, nuanced lead who exhibits far more emotional depth than her black and white tale of revenge would have you believe.

The Last of Us 2 Review | TechRadar:

The Last of Us 2 doesn't seem to be simply a rehash of its predecessor. Instead it elevates the original formula, adding some small but vital features, while keeping the elements that made us fall in love with the original.

J. Marston

I don't understand how anything else could be game of the year.

That seems very presumptious considering Cyberpunk is out this year but I guess that line is to get social media mentions.

Zero-Cool

J. Marston wrote: »

That seems very presumptious considering Cyberpunk is out this year but I guess that line is to get social media mentions.

Ah Greg, I like him but he's team Sony all the way. If both this and Cyberpunk live up to my expectations, it's gonna be hard to choose the Boards GOTY vote.

Zero-Cool

Over 60 accessibility options to make the game easier to play for visually impaired. Naughty Dog, the absolute bastards.

https://twitter.com/thegreatbluebit/status/1267489156046843904?s=19

Mr.Fantastic

Changed my order from simply games to Smyths , hopefully they have enough stock.
Would like it to play it day one

The Raging Bile Duct

It looks like there SJWs have really destroyed this franchise. Bastards.

Blaze420

Look forward to seeing all the cheerleaders back here after they finish it!

The Raging Bile Duct

Blaze420 wrote: »

Look forward to seeing all the cheerleaders back here after they finish it!

They'll probably be too busy fisting each other after being turned gay from playing it to report back here.

Leroy42

Those reviews are pretty awesome.

Of course the usual caveat about these type of reviews, none of them will want to p1ss a big player like Naughty Dog off to ensure future access, but even with that it sounds very promising.

Be interesting to see if there are many less effusive reviews and what they are saying.

Retr0gamer

Leroy42 wrote: »

Those reviews are pretty awesome.

Of course the usual caveat about these type of reviews, none of them will want to p1ss a big player like Naughty Dog off to ensure future access, but even with that it sounds very promising.

Be interesting to see if there are many less effusive reviews and what they are saying.

That's complete rubbish. Sony are very good about sending out review copies and respecting review scores.

The Raging Bile Duct

Retr0gamer wrote: »

That's complete rubbish. Sony are very good about sending out review copies and respecting review scores.

Well totalbiscuit dissed Last of Us once and suddenly died of stage 4 cancer several years later. Connect the dots...

johnny_ultimate

TBH I always find the sort of ‘preview’ pieces a week or two before a review embargo of limited value. Sure, it can give you some early idea of what to expect, but similarly it’s very obviously a carefully calculated step in the PR cycle as well where reviewers are fairly restricted in the kind of things they can talk about.

I’d be very surprised if this doesn’t get very enthusiastic reviews in a few weeks time, because games of its ilk almost always do... but will as always will be primarily interested in seeing how the few remaining discerning publications get on with it, as opposed to ‘PlayStation fan site that managed to make it onto Metacritic for some reason’ (with all due respect to the staff of PSFSTMTMIOMFSR.com)

johnny_ultimate

Zero-Cool wrote: »

Over 60 accessibility options to make the game easier to play for visually impaired. Naughty Dog, the absolute bastards.

https://twitter.com/thegreatbluebit/status/1267489156046843904?s=19

Always really pleased to see developers putting so much care into these things. I’ll hopefully never have to use any of these options - although who knows what life will bring! - but allowing more people the options to play the game the way they want (or *at all* as the case may be) is a wonderful thing.

Good to praise individual developers who go the extra mile, but we should hopefully get to the point in the future where these things are accepted as the norm rather than exceptions. Especially with AAA games with such large budgets, it’s important to put those few extra resources in to ensure the best experience for as many people as possible.

Zero-Cool

Fascinating thread here. The vast majority will never need the options and it's easy to take for granted but the fact you can play through the whole game by audio alone is crazy.

https://twitter.com/robkrekel/status/1267534713230508032?s=19

Leroy42

Retr0gamer wrote: »

That's complete rubbish. Sony are very good about sending out review copies and respecting review scores.

You don't think reviewers ever let bias get in the way?

It is very clear you have to stick to the embargo, don't and you lose access. Why do you think it would be different if a reviewer published a bad review?

nix

Zero-Cool wrote: »

the fact you can play through the whole game by audio alone is crazy.

Sounds easy..

:pac:

Retr0gamer

Leroy42 wrote: »

You don't think reviewers ever let bias get in the way?

It is very clear you have to stick to the embargo, don't and you lose access. Why do you think it would be different if a reviewer published a bad review?

I've actually done a short stint as a reviewer and while this was an issue years ago, publisher pressure is mostly not an issue anymore and hasn't been for a number of years. And I only say mostly because it's very very rare and usually due to an extreme change up at a publisher. You give a game a bad review the publishers don't care. You might get a call from their PR but that only happens with overzealous or newbies that soon learn not to be dicks.

Publisher can be like that with bloggers and influencers who should never be trusted anyway. Many treat them like the bought off advertising that they are but with genuine press the publishers don't pull anything like that. Unless you go full Jim sterling on them.

And yes bias can get in the way for some reviewers, just look at easy allies, but that's just bad reviewing practices. There's good reviewers out there that don't.

Zero-Cool

The Phantom Pain wrote: »

Did you watch his Days Gone review? He was by far and away the most unforgiving of that game on the kinda funny review panel.

Ah sure it's cool to hate Days Gone You can't make that kind of statement when Cyberpunk is out this year and we still know very little about it.

CastorTroy

Just going by the reactions to the leaks, we can expect comments for reviews being based around wokeness.
Saying they only gave a high score because they're scared of backlash.
Look forward to lower scores getting comments from both sides.

Zero-Cool

TV ad. The cgi looks a bit strange.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqAIw-MtDGw

splashthecash

Sorry all, pardon my ignorance but what exactly is the reason for all the forum chatter about LOU part 2? There seems to be all manner of comments about Naughty Dog's behaviour, potential poor review scores, wokeness....where is this all coming from? Its hardly cos of a leak is it or cos yer wan is a lesbian is it?

I watched the trailer and am very much looking forward to it - the first is one of my all time favourites

shrewdness

splashthecash wrote: »

Sorry all, pardon my ignorance but what exactly is the reason for all the forum chatter about LOU part 2? There seems to be all manner of comments about Naughty Dog's behaviour, potential poor review scores, wokeness....where is this all coming from? Its hardly cos of a leak is it or cos yer wan is a lesbian is it?

I watched the trailer and am very much looking forward to it - the first is one of my all time favourites

There were a ton of leaks a while back which has got some people all sorts of angry. I'm in much the same boat as yourself, I haven't heard much about it all or what the leaks contained, so pretty much in the dark myself and I'm just looking forward to playing the game.

I've since read somewhere that not all the leaks were necessarily accurate, so that reinforces my decision to just play through the game first and make my own mind up on it.

Retr0gamer

splashthecash wrote: »

Sorry all, pardon my ignorance but what exactly is the reason for all the forum chatter about LOU part 2? There seems to be all manner of comments about Naughty Dog's behaviour, potential poor review scores, wokeness....where is this all coming from? Its hardly cos of a leak is it or cos yer wan is a lesbian is it?

I watched the trailer and am very much looking forward to it - the first is one of my all time favourites

Without giving anything away it's a load of bigots getting upset over nothing.

J. Marston

Fúck off labelling everyone who doesn't like the leaks a bigot.

Retr0gamer

J. Marston wrote: »

Fúck off labelling everyone who doesn't like the leaks a bigot.

bigot
/ˈbɪɡət/

noun
a person who is intolerant towards those holding different opinions.

Yep. Sorry but it sums it up really well.

J. Marston

Retr0gamer wrote: »

bigot
/ˈbɪɡət/

noun
a person who is intolerant towards those holding different opinions.

Yep. Sorry but it sums it up really well.

Cite you definitions all you want but don't lump me in with that word because I don't like a video games story's direction. My reasons have zero to do with gender, race, sexual preference or anything else like that. It's purely to do with hacky writing.

I'll never understand how you're a mod. Pointlessly antagonistic.