The Last of Us: Part II

Which scene from the game is this? 😅
it's funny how the TV series is hiring all these hotties where in the video game the female characters were more masculine looking...

‘Last of Us’ Season 2 Casts Isabela Merced as Dina

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/last-of-us-season-2-cast-isabela-merced-dina-1235868899/
They may look decent in real life, but they'll do their best to de-beutify them for the show. Same as they did with the IRL models they used in the game. They'll prolly have to even wear chest binders so they look less feminine, since that's progressive (regressive) these days.
 
Which scene from the game is this? 😅
The love scene. 😉

They may look decent in real life, but they'll do their best to de-beutify them for the show. Same as they did with the IRL models they used in the game. They'll prolly have to even wear chest binders so they look less feminine, since that's progressive (regressive) these days.
I don't think they're going to go out of their way to make her unattractive. It's also quite difficult to make attractive people ugly without prosthetic makeup. She'll probably just get toned up for the role. They should leave her cute face alone. I'm tired of the influx of ugly people in media lately.
 
it's funny how the TV series is hiring all these hotties where in the video game the female characters were more masculine looking...

‘Last of Us’ Season 2 Casts Isabela Merced as Dina

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/last-of-us-season-2-cast-isabela-merced-dina-1235868899/
For Abby, I think they are prioritizing acting ability, rather than a body which looks like the game's character model. So far, UFC fighters have not translated well to acting. Arnold isn't a great actor. So....LeanBeefPatty from youtube (for example), would be a gamble on acting.

Kaitlyn can tone up in the gym for 6 months and otherwise act androgynous, etc. And if needed, they can slightly re-write the character so that otherwise being super swole, isn't a visual character requirement.

As for Isabela Merced: The image in that article, has her with professional make-up and hair styling. Put her on set with a post apocalypse minimal/no-makeup day, and she's about as close a match for Dina, as you could hope for.
 
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For Abby, I think they are prioritizing acting ability, rather than a body which looks like the game's character model. So far, UFC fighters have not translated well to acting. Arnold isn't a great actor. So....LeanBeefPatty from youtube (for example), would be a gamble on acting.

Kaitlyn can tone up in the gym for 6 months and otherwise act androgynous, etc. And if needed, they can slightly re-write the character so that otherwise being super swole, isn't a visual character requirement.

As for Isabela Merced: The image in that article, has her with professional make-up and hair styling. Have her on set with a post apocalypse minimal/no-makeup day, and she's about as close a match for Dina, as you could hope for.
I've only ever seen her in Transformers and Sicario. She was just a kid in those movies, but she seemed like a good actress. The actress for Abby is good at going the tomboy route from the things I've seen her in, so I don't think there's going to be any issues in that regard. Terrible acting really does pull me away from whatever I'm watching. The only terrible acting I've actually enjoyed is Reacher. Alan Ritchson's terrible acting almost makes his character seem more endearing somehow.

Hollywood has all but corrupted Bella Ramsey. She used to have a YouTube channel singing songs about God on her guitar. Now she's nonbinary or something. She's since deleted her YouTube channel, but some people reupload her stuff:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW1etl718xI

I guess the only good thing to come from this is she'll have no problem playing guitar and singing in season 2. Still very sad, though.
 
Seems like this is only for hardcore fans (including me) and people who have never played the game before. Luckily it's only $10.
I do like the VRR options to run the game at an ever higher framerate than usual, though. 60fps is great, but once you get to around 80'ish things start hitting uncanny valley territory if the graphics look realistic enough.

EDIT: After playing it for a few days, I'd say it's definitely only for fans and new players. The other stuff in the package = not that substantial and a 15% VRR FPS boost to a game that was butter smooth doesn't add much. If anything, it also seems to cause weird bogdowns and physics glitches here and there. Stuff that isn't there in the original PS5 update. TLoU2 still one of my all-time favorite games, but I'd call this update unnecessary. It was probably just a matter of salvaging some of the time/effort originally planned for the multiplayer game.
 
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Seems like this is only for hardcore fans (including me) and people who have never played the game before. Luckily it's only $10.
I do like the VRR options to run the game at an ever higher framerate than usual, though. 60fps is great, but once you get to around 80'ish things start hitting uncanny valley territory if the graphics look realistic enough.

EDIT: After playing it for a few days, I'd say it's definitely only for fans and new players. The other stuff in the package = not that substantial and a 15% VRR FPS boost to a game that was butter smooth doesn't add much. If anything, it also seems to cause weird bogdowns and physics glitches here and there. Stuff that isn't there in the original PS5 update. TLoU2 still one of my all-time favorite games, but I'd call this update unnecessary. It was probably just a matter of salvaging some of the time/effort originally planned for the multiplayer game.
I bought it for $10. It's better than Activision charging $70 for MW3. New maps for $70.....
 
I bought it for $10. It's better than Activision charging $70 for MW3. New maps for $70.....
same.. for $10 the new additions are perfectly fine. i would recommend it to any fan of the game w/ a ps5.

ps: anyone watch the "Grounded II" making-of featurette? neil druckmann strongly hints at the very end about tlou part 3. it's nothing CLOSE to a 'confirmation' but that being said, dropping that as the very last line does seem to make it pretty clear what their intent is. and it's not like, shocking or anything, but i felt it was certainly possible that they would not return to the franchise after 2
 
same.. for $10 the new additions are perfectly fine. i would recommend it to any fan of the game w/ a ps5.

ps: anyone watch the "Grounded II" making-of featurette? neil druckmann strongly hints at the very end about tlou part 3. it's nothing CLOSE to a 'confirmation' but that being said, dropping that as the very last line does seem to make it pretty clear what their intent is. and it's not like, shocking or anything, but i felt it was certainly possible that they would not return to the franchise after 2
Yeah, I at that and he said he would like it to follow Joel's brother Tommy, which could be interesting. That's about the only way I see anyone being interested in another game, as I think Part 2 soured most people's attachment to Ellie and most definitely Abby.

I think the most interesting thing they could do with the series now is a prequel with Joel and Tommy somewhere in the 20 years that preceded the first game.

But honestly I would much prefer ND just move to a new IP now. With 6+ year dev cycles now for these teirs of games and how divisive this series is now, they're prolly better off going with a new IP.
 
Yeah, I at that and he said he would like it to follow Joel's brother Tommy, which could be interesting. That's about the only way I see anyone being interested in another game, as I think Part 2 soured most people's attachment to Ellie and most definitely Abby.

I think the most interesting thing they could do with the series now is a prequel with Joel and Tommy somewhere in the 20 years that preceded the first game.

But honestly I would much prefer ND just move to a new IP now. With 6+ year dev cycles now for these teirs of games and how divisive this series is now, they're prolly better off going with a new IP.
i'm hoping they continue Ellie's story and do make part 3. i'm 95% sure that's exactly what they have in the works
 
If the make another, they'll follow lev, gotta dial the wokeness up.

Honestly though, a prequel would be great, Joel was a great character, bring us a game where he becomes the smuggler.
 
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joel's dead, get over it
He is, and for sequels I accept that. I'd still rather prefer a prequel though, where would they go with Ellie?

Her story is done, she kind of avenged Joel, has a kid, and, is with Dina. She has no reason to be in a sequel, the only way I reasonably see a way to continue her story is to have Tommy get mad at her for not killing Abby and turn him into the antagonist.

Abby is done, but she's going to join the fireflies with Lev, so that's most likely the next storyline for a sequel.
 
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He is, and for sequels I accept that. I'd still rather prefer a prequel though, where would they go with Ellie?

Her story is done, she kind of avenged Joel, has a kid, and, is with Dina. She has no reason to be in a sequel, the only way I reasonably see a way to continue her story is to have Tommy get mad at her for not killing Abby and turn him into the antagonist.

Abby is done, but she's going to join the fireflies with Lev, so that's most likely the next storyline for a sequel.
I am game for a prequel. I don't want a game with Abby and Lev being the main characters.
 
He is, and for sequels I accept that. I'd still rather prefer a prequel though, where would they go with Ellie?

Her story is done, she kind of avenged Joel, has a kid, and, is with Dina. She has no reason to be in a sequel, the only way I reasonably see a way to continue her story is to have Tommy get mad at her for not killing Abby and turn him into the antagonist.

Abby is done, but she's going to join the fireflies with Lev, so that's most likely the next storyline for a sequel.
if you think Ellie's arc in TLoU2 was "she kind of avenged Joel" you missed the boat entirely, my friend
 
if you think Ellie's arc in TLoU2 was "she kind of avenged Joel" you missed the boat entirely, my friend

I said "kind of" because she let Abby live.

Sure Ellie took away everyone Abby loved just like Abby took Joel away from her, but, Abby is a loose end, who knows where Jackson is, and can come back again at any moment and kill Ellie in her sleep.

So, 99.8% avengement. 100% would of been to off Abby, leave no loose ends.
 
Honestly though, a prequel would be great, Joel was a great character, bring us a game where he becomes the smuggler.

Yes! A prequel would be a great story.. and shouldn't be as divisive
Give us insight into the time between the time when the SHTF in Texas to Joel in Boston.. all that time in between
 
I'm never a fan of prequels. When you know how things turn out, it's hard to create any sort of viable conflict. It can be done, but there are way more misses than hits. For every Godfather 2 there are 40 prequels like Gotham. I'm all for a sequel that takes place down the line and doesn't necessarily feature Ellie, Abby, Lev, Tommy, or anyone else as the lead. They can be featured big and bold in the trailers (to hammer home that it's a sequel to huge pair of games), but the game doesn't have to revolve around them.
 
I think I’ll be okay in whatever direction they go. The wokeness part of it is small given events that took place.

The idea of part 2 plot was great, just think the execution wasn’t an A+, given how the game plays by default.

I saw the leaks before the game came out so I knew. That probably spoiled the game a bit.

I remember playing the game and once I was done with Ellie and transitioned to Abby, I put the game down for a week because it was so heavy. I give ND credit for accomplishing making us feel the weight of killing people.

Where it didn’t work in my opinion is the pacing of when you’re actually playing. When we explore and loot etc, it’s slow. Check this corner, check that drawer. It simmers your emotions down and then something happens and you’re not there to match the extreme swing.

Ellie was spiraling in a white hot rage and killing anyone getting in her way. But when we played, having her check every drawer took away from that.

We do have the freedom to play it fast paced though, I just wasn’t one of those players. I explored, checked all the corners and it ended up having an adverse effect
 
I'm never a fan of prequels. When you know how things turn out, it's hard to create any sort of viable conflict.
If you already know where the characters end up later that makes everything happening in the prequel so pointless. The only way prequels work for me is if it focuses on characters who are not part of the previous titles. But then might as well make a sequel if you are already creating new characters anyway.

I'm all for a sequel that takes place down the line and doesn't necessarily feature Ellie, Abby, Lev, Tommy, or anyone else as the lead. They can be featured big and bold in the trailers (to hammer home that it's a sequel to huge pair of games), but the game doesn't have to revolve around them.
I'm down for having a new lead, I'd not mind actually if we could create a custom character, but I doubt that will be the case as Neil really doesn't like player choice. There is zero of it in the first two games.

I know I'd definitely not play a game focused on Tommy, I disliked that character from the get go when he first appeared in part 1. And Ellie's arc is done there is nowhere interesting they can take the character that wouldn't also be possible with a new one. The least bad option imo is the Abby / Lev route, as that story is still hanging in the balance there is no conclusion there. But I'd still prefer a new fresh character instead without baggage.
 
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