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marshmanben
Reviews
The Last of Us: Part II (2020)
A technical marvel with a flawed story
SPOILERS
I'm very open minded
I was very sad to see Joel's fate but saw the opportunity for a beautiful and interesting story
I sat back and welcomed something I wasn't expecting
And for the first ten hours of the game I was really really into it
The small moments with Ellie and Dina are beautiful as the relationship progresses between them
The world design is gorgeous
The combat is intense and impactful, each enemy I kill felt engaging as I craved my revenge
The exploration felt new and interesting
Each moment was special and made me excited for how the story would slowly unfold
Then just at the apex of the game
We switch perspective to Abby
Another change but one I was enjoying and welcomed
But as time went on a small thought entered my mind
As I started to climb a skyscraper with lev, I started to detach
I realised I didn't really care
It was a slow realisation
But one I couldn't shake
Characters around Ellie and Abby kept dying
And the more shocking the death
The less impactful it'd feel for me
Jessie was hard
Then Manny felt forced
Levs sister (can't even remember her name) didn't feel earned and made that whole skyscraper segment feel like a waste of time
Then the game tried to make me feel like Ellie was the bad guy for killing Abby's dog
I had no choice in killing that animal
Then the game tried to make me feel bad
It wasn't earned
I felt like a beautiful story of revenge and anger wanted to feel smarter than it is
The last of us one isn't a complex story
It's simple on paper
Man takes young girl from A to B and forms a bond along the way
But it's the small beautiful moments with these complex characters in complex situations
Part 2 has reversed that
It's taken simple characters and unsuccessfully put them into complex situations
Abby isnt a complex character with conflicting morals
She's just a buff killing machine who even near the end holds no value for human life
Ellie is a confused character who never has a clear goal on revenge
Constantly changing her mind without any clear reason
These aren't characters who do thing's naturally
These are characters who are moving the story along because the writers told them to
No real purpose or reason
Why do we play as Abby?..... So we get perspective
What do we learn to enhance our perspective?..... Abby isnt a good person no matter what she's does, but we already knew that
I'm honestly confused with the direction on this game
The story concludes with Ellie losing everything and the audience gaining nothing
We feel unsatisfied in multiple ways
Even when a character has nothing, the audience still needs something
And to leave the game feeling like I wasted my time isn't something I look for in movie's or games or anything
Even the darkest and most bleak movies leave you satisfied
You learned something along that journey
But as I sit here and look back on my time with part 2
I haven't taken anything from it
No lesson
No reason for playing it
It's bleak in a very un earned way
The game never earns it's bleak and depressing ending
It's empty for what feels like shock value
You're shocked it took 7 years to tell and meaningless story
Shocked you spent 24 in games hours to see Ellie lose everything and gain nothing
Shocked to see Joel die and Abby walk away basically the same character as to when she started the journey
I recommend playing this game for its incredible game play
When I replay this game it won't be for the story
But for the fantastic gameplay and world
But not for the characters
Which is why it's a 6 out of 10 for me
When such a story heavy game fails at being a story worth telling
It detracts from the core experience
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Way more fun and heartfelt than I was expecting with a fantastic message for kids
Being a cynical 24 year old, this movie weirdly brought out the fun, carefree kid in me.
I sat back and just enjoyed a character I haven't been with in so many years
This sonic doesn't try to be anything different and I really love that
I'm not here for some deep storytelling but it doesn't treat the audience like an idiot
It's a weirdly heartfelt story about friendship and finding where you belong, a really fantastic message for kids in a year that's brought a lot of hardship
I really think alot of the internet memes have made people forget sonic is for kids
I'm really excited to see what the future holds for this version of sonic
Also
It's so fun to see Jim Carrey just being himself again
He really enjoys his time in this movie and it really shows
Borderlands 3 (2019)
Doesn't reach the heights of the previous games
The core gameplay mechanics work beautifully, shooting hasn't felt this amazing in a borderlands game before, the ability to slide and mantle onto ledges makes the core loop of shooting and looting even more satisfying than the previous games.
But unfortunately those new additions can't save the game from poor pacing and a lackluster story that leaves much to be desired, mix that with really forgettable villains and a horrible mid section on eden 6 that last far too long
Borderlands 3 definitely went the wrong road in story but the right direction in gameplay
If you're like me who loved the story of borderlands 2 you won't find that here
If you're someone who is here for just the story and a laugh then it's definitely the game for you
Pros:
Fantastic loot
Movement system is a major step up
New vault hunters are all a welcome addition
Cons:
Boring story
Empty worlds
Poor pacing and mid section