Summon Sign, Episode 68 | The Last of Us Part II: Overrated or Overhated?
Added 2025-04-15 16:00:20 +0000 UTCThis week, Lock and Jimmy join Brad to discuss The Last of Us Part II, South of Midnight, Ready or Not, and more!
Please note the Last of Us section contains some spoilers.
Timestamps:
0:00:00 - Intro
0:06:45 - Marathon impressions
0:18:55 - The Last of Us Part 2 (CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS)
0:52:21 - Ready or Not
1:03:45 - South of Midnight
1:17:14 - Sort It Out/Keep It Up
1:41:19 - Uncharted 4
1:56:45 - Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
2:10:03 - Ending Questions
Comments
In terms of why some people don't like UC4 much, it might come down to what I think about it - horrendous pacing, huge empty open spaces that contribute to bad pacing and boredom, and overreliance on forced walking + one-off walking simulator story levels to tell the story in an interactive medium(all of young Drake levels fall in that category, but there are more levels like that). The combat is, again, paced badly, cause there's only like 25 combat encounters in the entire 20-25hr-long game(all counted and available in the main menu). 1 combat encounter per hour would've been fine, but it's spaced out unevenly, so it's more like 4 hours of auto-climbing, walking and talking, so you're bored, then 2-3 encounters in a row, they drag on too much(roughly an hour on normal difficulty setting), so you're getting bored of it again, and then it's back to 3-4 hours of climbing, walking, and talking. Then the ending has like 10 combat encounters in a row, which gets exhausting, too. The story is just a rehash of the plot points from previous games - another lost city, Nate dragging Sully to his death on their adventures, etc. It has the most popular default happy ending, too (think Naruto, Bleach, Harry Potter), where the protagonist's offspring takes on their mantle - nothing wrong with that in a pulpy story like this, per se, but it's hard to get excited about it, or see people crying over how amazing it is. Did I mention it takes 4hours before you get full control over Nate? Before that it's just cut-scenes, swimming, walking, talking, climbing, QTE melee combat, and a super brief lame turret-like shootout on the boat. I bought it excited at launch, started it in the evening, and I didn't even get to the actual gameplay before I had to shut it off. There are like 3 exciting setpieces in the entire game, and the best one was already shown at E3. ND lost the plot when it comes to gameplay - they should just make movies at this point. The last great Uncharted game was UC2. I'd personally take the Vita game (which I had the plat in) over UC3 or UC4(which incidentally I had the plats in, too). Lost Legacy (made by a different team) was good, too, but it's because the story wasn't as intrusive there. Sometimes I really think that someone should lock them in a room with nothing to play but Half-Life games, and Bioshock, so they can see what seamless, unintrusive, storytelling looks like, and remind them what medium they work in. But, hey, it's just my opinion. I can see people liking this if they can stomach a telltale game+shooter hybrid. I personally prefer either a slower paced game, or an action game - an action game that slows down to a crawl constantly is too much for me.
MISZCZOGRZMOT
2025-04-19 11:35:01 +0000 UTCSo much TLOU this week.. I liked both games and had fun but I personally just can't find it in me to see them as anything close to a masterpiece.
David P
2025-04-18 22:26:13 +0000 UTCBrad, I did end up turning off combat in South of Midnight eventually. 😅 Ended up giving it a 3/5. Sucks hearing about Huber not being able to be on especially since he tweeted about having to borrow money for rent. I really wish him the best. We need him in the industry and on a better team.
NeO JD
2025-04-18 13:02:07 +0000 UTCI kept hearing Jimmy’s name on other last stand stuff, but this is the first time I’ve heard him speak. I can most accurately describe his opinions as a cavalcade of complete L’s. I have never seen a more concentrated series of dog water takes in any podcast/video/ piece of media. I’m sure he’s a fine person and he seems like he’d be pleasant to speak with, but our thoughts on games cannot be further off. I will never watch anything where he is featured again.
Michael Hebert
2025-04-18 02:12:48 +0000 UTCJimmy’s TLOU2 take kinda sucks imo. What’s his take on Silent Hill 2? Arguably the most pretentious horror game of all time
Nat Patterson
2025-04-17 02:18:16 +0000 UTCShout to Lock and his cat. My cat, who I adopted during the pandemic shortly after finishing TLoU2, is also named Ellie. Shout out the the cat Ellies of the world.
Lunar Tear
2025-04-16 20:28:27 +0000 UTCEllie doesn’t know what loss is??? Really?
KillnStrangers
2025-04-16 17:55:35 +0000 UTCRespectfully, I don't think TLOU2 is a masterpiece at all. Ellie's campaign is repetitive and way, way too long. Didn't like the transition to Abby's playthrough, although Abby's campaign is a lot better. What I remember of Ellie's "boss" fights were quick time events that were uninteresting. The inventory management system is slow, cumbersome, and un-evolved from the first game. The aiming/shooting still shows that Naughty Dog jank where they can't quite make it feel right. Lastly, was the writing and characters. I thought the writing went down in quality. Especially, where they set up the events with Joel. Could have done that character right, but instead we got sitcom setup. The characters, again aside from Joel, were unlikable as all hell. I'm sorry. For me, not even close to a masterpiece. You shouldn't have to play a game twice to get there, if in fact it's a masterpiece. Anyways, respect your opinions and can see the other side as the game is extremely gorgeous and there are a lot of things to like Skill up summed up this games perfectly.
Mr. Scott If You're Nasty
2025-04-16 09:33:50 +0000 UTCI just started South Of Midnight. The vibes are great but I can tell its like a worse Evil West. Same type of structure but less gameplay more lore/world elements.
Fat Lee Adama
2025-04-16 07:21:33 +0000 UTCFun episode as always, boys. (POTENTIAL TLOU2 SPOILERS) I’m not saying Brad or Jimmy have to like the story or ending of TLoU II, but they are misunderstanding what it’s about—it’s not about revenge and resolution through getting it, it’s about anger through regret and learning to let it go, which becomes apparent with the porch scene Lock talked about. Having it resolve through exacting revenge would undercut Ellie’s character arch.
Evan
2025-04-15 21:22:08 +0000 UTCNakeyJakey’s video on TLOU2 sums up my thoughts exactly on my gripes with the game. Easily one of the most disappointing games I’ve ever played. Excited for Intergalactic though!
Adam Martinez
2025-04-15 21:20:50 +0000 UTCI’m genuinely so curious about how they handle Season 2 and 3 of TLOU show - because I think the gameplay is great, I think the story is great, but I think the message of the story is massively juxtaposed by how much fun it is to turn people’s limbs into a paste. In a show, where I can sit back and uncomfortably observe? Bring it on.
Russell Garrett
2025-04-15 20:44:36 +0000 UTCI love TLOU 1 and 2. Among the best games I’ve played. And I hope I never hear anyone talk about them again. I’m spent.
Dante B
2025-04-15 19:36:17 +0000 UTC
