Last of Us 1 or 2?
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Wild how the show tried making Ellie dumb when it was literally known in the game that she was being groomed to be a fedra captain/leader because of her intellect and survival skills

My biggest complaint is the shows violence, or lack there of, whenever i say this. it just get interpreted as "Not enough blood" but thats not what i mean. The biggest example i can give is the kansas/pittsburgh ambush,, in the show ellie and joel just step out of the car and take cover, doesn't show their care for eachother while the game, ellie gets grabbed and Joel kicks the man then slams his skull into a table, it shows Joels desperation to care for ellie, and he would go far beyond just protection, even before the hospital. The show needed more violence and even then this is a game about raw human nature and the show kinda forgets that

Giraffe scene is such a game moment. to me the shock of the giraffe scene cant work if joel and ellie were not working together the whole time doing task like finding planks and ladders to traverse and build a bond you feel that distance when that mechanic is missing or played with...

Therefore When ellie becomes distant after david you feel it because she is not as responsive making you concerned for her then she finally does it and then runs off making you more concerned for her, then boom giraffe scene... we dont get that feel in the show and it could never even come close to that ...

I think a reason you don't see much hate for the game right now is that people who actually disliked part 2 didn't even care to watch the TV show and I'm including me, I really really disliked part 2 and I'm not a mindless hater, I knew I didnt like the source material and most likely wouldn't like the TV adaptation so I didn't  even bother

Ashley Johnson’s Ellie is the greatest acting performance ever imo

42:12 so happy to see someone else has noticed moistcritical's ability to switch his opinion based on what the internet thinks and you also showed how contradicting he and the internet as a whole are.

I think Bella was just unable to effectively portray the same maturity growth in season 2 that Ashely Johnson did in Part 2.

Other people's opinions about something you enjoy shouldn't diminish your own enjoyment. If they do, it likely means you're placing too much value on external validation. You can either seek out like-minded people and form your own echo chamber, or simply accept that others might not enjoy it as much as you do and that's totally okay.

Again, you don't have to "join" a fandom for something you enjoy, nor do you have to force yourself to seek out discussions about it. You can just... enjoy it silently and move on with your life.

About the fan criticism: I 100% agree with basically all of your video, including the part where it's basically impossible to have a discussion about it. It's either the greatest thing since the sliced bread, or the worst piece of media ever created.

For me, the issue is with the player emotions (other comment). Which also means that I was looking forward to a linear interpretation of it, which I, arguably, didn't get... Why is Abbie shown on her revenge quest without the surprise twist, why isn't she "unlikable by default" anymore, Why isn't Ellie on a quest, why it feels more like a fun road trip most of the time, Why show scars as humans before showing them as danger, what was that boat trip to scar island about, including it's WTF resolution etc. etc.

The porch talk took the cake by a mile. I was literally angered when they shown that and I've shown my wife how the events unfolded in the game for comparison. How they put two dialogs, separated by months, into one dialog, with a timespan of one minute, and how they just expect it to work... How series Ellie doesn't talk to Joel basically, because of a hunch, and then discovers the thing and accepts it in one line.

I didn't like the game for how it treats the player and I dislike the series for how it treats the original story.

Took me a while to understand the same thing that you said at the end of the video. I spent so long getting annoyed by other opinions on Part 2 that I forgot that I was the one letting them take my joy away. Great video essay.

The part 2 series doesn't really understand its own material.

To me, its crystal clear when Dina reveals she's pregnant: in the game Ellie (a shell of a person, guided by hatred, pain and frustration, never forget) explodes against her, signaling both how irresponsable of her it is to embark on the journey without revealing this to Ellie, while also mentionening that she'll become dead weight.
In the show Ellie stops for abrief second, smiles in a way that looks ridiculous (her expresion honestly kinda reminds me of Stiffler in American pie) and says the immortal words: "I'm gonna be a dad!"
I'm sorry for the audience that hasn't played the game, they have an absurd, unfocused and silly notion of the real story told.

I was curious about how they would translate the OG material to TV: the first game is a solid blockbuster, a very standard story that translates really well to tv or movie. The second one demands an auteur to truly translate its vision: relentless and grim af. Now I know the answer: they didn't, they cowarded  and betrayed the work in favor of a bland, directionless product.

24:36 My favorite part of season 2 has to be Isaac and literally every scene he’s in. Im so glad they gave Jeffrey Wright that role again and expanded it so well too.

The issue with the last of us is that it was clearly made to cater to a fanbase that analyzes and enjoys the discussion. It was made to be played meticulously but considering the studio and their popularity its no wonder why we get the average gun and ball gamer

i think one of my favorite things about TLOU part 2 is that it goes into issues that, in the first game, would be considered 3rd world, simple things like a snowball fight or the argument with Sean and Ellie the night before the game begins on Ellies part, and those are such miniscule things that go to show civilization has grown beyond zombies being their biggest worry and that in most scenarios they can be taken care of with ease meanwhile they introduce internal conflict between one or multiple characters and then we're introduced to the Seraphites which offers a lot of world building and a big option to bond with characters such as Abby because when you play her its just as aggravating for us to fight the Seraphites as it would be for Abby

i feel like the elephant in the room with joel's decision is that he isn't the one who took away her purpose and autonomy. the fireflies did that when they decided to go through with the surgery while she was still unconscious. granted we probably wouldn't have gotten the second game which i love and adore, but if they had waited for her to wake up and consent to it, then it would be a much bigger betrayal on joels part to go against her very clear wishes.

the fireflies made a decision that meant ellie wouldn't get a say and told joel to suck it if he didnt like it. they wouldn't let him go near her, and they meant to kill him if  he tried. they kind of brought it on themselves tbh

At this stage, I don't really like to talk about ANY of the things I'm a fan of with anybody, but close friends because you can no longer discuss anything without it becoming contentious.  I no longer go to conventions, which used to be the one place I could go to hang out with people who liked the same stuff I did.

I don't necessarily believe that all the voices you hear on the internet are necessarily "fans" of the things that they're raging about.  I think a lot of it are grifters that are leading people into a certain line of discourse.  The thing is they are tapping into an ugly part of a lot of people that was always there, but kept in check, and worse the developers and creators are "feeding the trolls" and making the environment worse than if they just ignored it, because in engaging with the toxicity, they've let if influence how they are creating.

It's ironic that we find ourselves living in both the best time to be a creator and a fan,  and the worst time to be a creator and a fan at the same time.

As an Uncharted fan, I hope they wouldn't touch that series anymore but it is possible to happen 🥲

My mom and i started watchin the hbo show together shes 66 and im 28 when she got to the cliffhanger atbthe end of season 2 my mom was like damn if only we could see what happened,lol the face i gave her and said u know they have a game right ma, her eyes got wide 👀 so ur tellin me we can play a game instead of waiting a whole year on whats gonna happen…Me picks up the mic 🎤 and im like yep, now shes watched me play the game and she liked the game way better she just wished when u touch the cordyceps it doesn’t alert infected which woulda gave a walk on lava sense in the game but when the next season comes shell still watch it just cuz its something to watch

19:14 HOLY HELL you perfectly described the whole conundrum of part 2 and the Fanbase
Literally life imitating art.