@yasso @Treadstone86 I think that depictions of characters that are morally gray creates more beneficial and meaningful discussion. Actually, I'll go a step further. I would argue that black and white thinking is a sign of moral immaturity; the world simply doesn't operate that way. Thinking that it does creates an extremely harmful "us versus them" mentality.
Why should characters in video games be either inherently good or inherently evil when no (or at least very few) real-world people or entities are either of those things?
The truth is that selfish pricks not only do good things sometimes, but they are often capable of real growth. Additionally, "good" people will sometimes act in ways that resemble the aforementioned selfish pricks.
One of the greatest moral virtues is that of forgiveness, and forgiveness is extremely difficult to achieve when you think in complete absolutes. As mentioned before, even good people sometimes act like selfish pricks towards others. Being on the receiving end of wrongs is something that (unfortunately) everyone experiences at different points in their life.
After all, empathy isn't really empathy if you only display it towards people you agree with.
@yasso Having a character as the main character of a video game does not inherently glorify that character or condone his actions. There is a difference between describing actions and prescribing those actions.
@yasso @Treadstone86 Holy unnecessary personal attacks, Batman.
I never said that I would choose to do any of the same things that the characters in the game choose to do (in fact, I alluded to disagreeing with their choices). I simply stated that 1) You can at least see where they are coming from, 2) A game shouldn't be docked points simply because you disagree with the choices characters make, and 3) Those are the types of people that would probably survive that long.
I for one like that the characters were morally gray. It doesn't mean that if I met them in person, I would like them or that I aspire to be like them.
@Gravity_Slave @Treadstone86 Good point. The adults in TLoU had more to lose than those that grew up in that world.
Frankly, There were only a few named characters that I felt like I had any right to judge. The ending of civilization completely upends a lot of the morals we take for granted. They need a reviewer who gets that.
My problem with this review is not that it gives this game an 8. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. My problem has to do with the reasons behind it. The two major knocks he has on the game are actually things that I found to be strengths.
First of all, I completely disagree with the idea that the supporting cast is not sympathetic. Without providing information that could spoil, every character in the game has strong reasons for doing the things they do (even if you as a viewer completely disagree with those reasons). Even if you are unable to find some type of empathy for any of the characters, one of the major themes of the game is that Ellie and Joel ultimately have to survive on their own in a world that is f***ed up. I question the opinion of a person who does not seem to understand this obvious theme.
In fact, the one character that Tom sees as a strength (Ellie) is probably the most one-dimensional from a morality standpoint. His statement that Tess has no empathy or humanity is simply false. Most of the characters have some empathy and some aspect of their humanity left, but cupcakes and pushovers (which the reviewer seems to expect) don't survive a zombie apocalypse.
In relation to his issue with the combat system, I thought it added to the immersion. A limited supply pool was a very real consideration in combat planning. Its incredible brutality mirrored the world that Naughty Dog created while forcing varied attacks. Almost every enemy (at least on the harder difficulty settings) was a significant obstacle.
All this is to say that I get that a game like the Last of Us is not for everyone, but a professional reviewer should not play off personal dislikes in style as mistakes made by the developers.
The whole situation is indicative of a company that is reactive instead of proactive. A damn survey could have prevented all of this. They didn't change a damn thing when people were complaining. This is not to make you happier, but to up their preorders.
@Canadianloki I did not read all of your post, but wanted to chime in with the fact that Mass Effect doesn't appear to be the most female friendly game out there. That isn't to say that females can't enjoy it, but I've been trying to get my very nerdy and open to video games wife to play the Mass Effect series with no success.
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