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A CONTROVERSIAL EPIC THE oColly review’s Playstation’s latest hit game: The last of us part II

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REVIEW: PlayStation’s Controversial Epic The Last of Us: Part II J o n athan H a rri ngto n

Staff reporter, @ocolly

It is rare for a video game to receive the same sort of critical analysis and widespread attention that, say, a prestige TV show might get, but last month’s PlayStation 4 exclusive The Last of Us: Part II has made quite the impression. A product of some seven years of work, the sequel to the PlayStation 3’s 2013 original has been mired in controversy and debate even as it shatters sales records and receives widespread critical acclaim. The Last of Us was a thoroughly ambitious and influential title. Its cinematic presentation, combined so fluidly with competent gameplay and top-notch character writing, made for a landmark in gaming history, and as a result story-driven games have since taken much inspiration from The Last of Us. Few such titles, however, have become so beloved as the original’s post-apocalyptic American road trip. Understandably, the sequel to such a beloved work will have high expectations, and so it is curious that The Last of Us: Part II has exploded into one of the most disturbing controversies to hit the industry in years. Story is at the core of The Last of Us: Part II. Decades following an apocalyptic outbreak, humanity has scattered across America in the ruins of cities as TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020

The Last of Us Part II is surrounded by controversy.

they attempt to eke out a living among the hordes of infected (which are, for all intents and purposes, zombies). Ellie and Joel settled down in Jackson, Colorado, following the events of the original game, and four years have since passed. While out on patrol, Ellie experiences a horrific event and sets out to Seattle to get revenge. There she encounters warring factions and unexpected allies as she faces the costs of her vengeance. This is a character piece, first and foremost. Like the original The Last of Us, the actual plot is straightforward; it is in the interactions with characters, their evolving relationships, and their decisions that the story shines. Whether in flashbacks of better times or the present as characters grapple with pain, rage, and strained relationships, everything is presented with patience and care.

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First-class acting – Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Troy Baker, and Shannon Woodward are especially noteworthy – all bring their characters, their relationships, and the already engaging dialogue to vivid life. There is a lot going on thematically in The Last of Us: Part II. The game is interested in the cycle of violence and revenge, and in the mutually destructive nature of conflict. It is interested in redemption, in the brokenness of man, in the complexity of human motivations. It wants to make you feel others’ hurt, to make you perform horrific actions by characters you disagree with, to make you control people you despise. It wants to make you see how people can view the world so differently, and how this divide can cause so much suffering. It wants to make you feel the awful depths to which love and

regret can drive us. Part II does not do all of this concisely, or cleanly. Much of this is rather ambiguous, and no one seems to entirely agree on what this game is trying to say. That is a good thing, perhaps, or maybe it is the sign of an uncontrolled narrative. Regardless, The Last of Us: Part II can be powerful, a tour-de-force of heavy emotion and poignant insight into the characters and into humanity. What I know for sure is that, as the game reached its end, I felt the hope that relationship and memory gives to broken people in a way no entertainment had before. But to be sure: there are issues with the story. Parts of Ellie’s motivation for revenge are hard to fully understand until the end of the game, which makes empathizing with her poor decisions in the moment rather challenging. Another main character in the latter

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half of the game has an arc that strains to feel entirely believable, and certain character beats don’t fully make her as likable as she needs to be – although the effort is valiant, and she gets close. This is a video game, of course, and gameplay ultimately makes or breaks how fun the game is. Fortunately, much work has been done to create a thrilling stealth and action game. As the player, you usually get to decide how to take on your opponents – whether taking them out one by one with stealth, avoiding them completely, or attacking head on. There are several abilities and tools at your disposal to pull these options off, and you will move seamlessly between stealth, hand-to-hand combat, and gunfights as you fight tooth and nail through this brutal world. These segments are interrupted by exploration, scavenging for

supplies, and the occasional set piece, which keeps the pace moving with just enough time to breathe. There are problems here as well, to be sure. This is a long game, nearing 30 hours, and crafting can become tiring. There are moments where combat encounters just feel unnecessary, mere padding before the next story beat. And a mid-way reset in upgrades and skills harms the pacing of the gameplay. Generally, however, the game manages to stay engaging throughout. The Last of Us: Part II is a gruesome game, but is gorgeous nonetheless. Taking place largely in a post-apocalyptic Seattle, the city is increasingly overrun by vegetation reclaiming the land. The art direction is superb, and the level of detail is truly staggering. Each area’s design leads brilliantly to whatever emotion it tries to evoke in the player: disgust, melancholy, terror, peace, unease. Cutscenes are also astonishingly realistic, the facial animations especially impressive. The soundtrack backs all of this up beautifully: though the music does not reach the heights of the game’s predecessor, Gustavo Santaolalla and Mac Quayle‘s score still sets the scene and accentuates emotion well. The current controversy surrounding The Last of Us Part II is an important

C OV E R S tory event in the internet’s long history of vile debates. Plenty of both the criticism and the praise heaped upon the game has been quite rational, but Part II very much pushes back against expectations and at times does so in ways not everyone found acceptable. In fact, certain decisions have led to a maelstrom of hate rarely seen even in the gaming industry – an industry which is no stranger to ugly controversies. First were the leaks. A little over a month before the game was set to release, some of the most controversial moments from the game were posted online with minimal context. The outrage was immediate as videos and screencaps spread across the internet; many were furious at the narrative choices and execution, and some had made up their minds over the game before it ever released. This naturally poisoned the discussion over the game long before it reached store shelves, and once it did finally come out, opinion had already split. Though the game received high scores from professional reviewers and sold over 4 million copies in its first three days, there was also an immediate campaign from those who hated what was done with the story to review the game poorly and to spread extremely negative feedback across social media platforms, forums, and YouTube. TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020

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The Last of Us Part II.

Things only got worse. At the time of writing, several creators of the game – game director Neil Druckman chief among them – have received furious messages, slurs, and death threats. Astoundingly, so have the actors, who were not in charge of the major story decisions. Laura Bailey especially received an enormous number of dreadful messages, including death threats against her young son. A lot of the most radical pushback against the game vilifies it for its “socialjustice” elements – Ellie is homosexual, the main characters are women, another character is transgender, Abbey is considered too muscular for a woman (and is herself assumed to be transgender by those who haven’t played the game). Others focus exclusively on the story’s controversial moments, and the execution of those moments. Whatever the case, the vehemence of the cam-

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paign against The Last of Us: Part II is breathtaking, horrifying, and just plain creepy. This is about more than narrative decisions, on some level; it has to be for this to make any sense. The worst elements of our wider culture war are present here. Some of the response to this stuff has been heartwarming – an outpouring of love for the game and its creators. But parts of the positive reception are rather disquieting, if not nearly to the same extent as the revolt against Part II. A review on Vice was critical of the game, and the reviewer received a phone call from publisher Sony to explain why his opinion was wrong. Troy Baker, who plays Joel in the title, posted a quote on Twitter demonizing critics in response to a journalist who exposed developer Naughty Dog’s poor development practices. And generally there is a section of the fanbase which seems

utterly devoted to the game, and is dismissive of criticism in any form. In between these extremes are the people pretending to be reasonable while nevertheless making excuses for the radical fringe. And then, presumably, there is the majority of people who like or dislike the game for reasonable reasons and to a reasonable degree – although this group gets far less attention than the others, and on average is far less vocal. All of this represents a rising level of a conflict over media, a level of conflict that has been rising for over a decade. Creatives now face immense pushback from segments of their audiences over making controversial decisions, over making content that defends one group or another’s sensibilities - or on some level, over making original content at all. It is a disturbing phenomenon, and The Last of

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Us: Part II is just the right game to ignite another battle on a larger scale than ever. Such extraordinary hatred, and to a lesser degree the reactionary belief in the game’s immunity to criticism, makes it a challenging environment for constructive criticism and debate to flourish - a pity for a game which deserves just that kind of conversation. It is a worrying omen for the future. The games industry has never been great about this sort of thing, but things are getting worse, as they are on the internet and in our culture more broadly. Worth adding is that Naughty Dog has also become the center of a rising conversation about development companies’ treatment of their workers – extreme hours were put in and excessive sacrifices were made by developers in the making of The Last of Us: Part II, which is true for most video games over the past decades but is nev-

ertheless rather unacceptable on this level. This has become tied into criticism by The Last of Us: Part II’s more sober critics, and deservedly so. The whole situation is really quite a dumpster fire, but at its base – even if you don’t agree with the game’s choices - The Last of Us: Part II is a pretty good game. In fact, I would argue that The Last of Us: Part II is an astounding game: a marvel of technical ingenuity, of intricate care, of artistic vision, of storytelling ambition, of character writing, and of stealth, action, and horror gameplay. It has stuck with me for a week since first completing it – few works of entertainment so thoroughly occupy the minds of those who experience them. This is a rare video game that has, relatively speaking, entered the wider cultural conversation, and it generally deserves to have done so. One ought not ignore its questionable development practices nor the game’s flaws, but the current explosion of vile hate has shone yet another spotlight on the way in which creators must face horrific consequences for creative endeavors. More than anything, though, it is a cruel irony that a game so interested in love, hate, and the suffering hate brings might lead to such needless, absurd fury in those who once cared so much for what came before.

TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020

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TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020

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TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020

Horoscope

FOR RELEASE JULY 14, 2020

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

By Nancy Black Tribune Content Agency Today’s Birthday (07/14/20). Collaboration is the name of the game this year. Generate valuable results with disciplined coordination. Consider new educational directions. Personal breakthroughs this summer inspire changes with a shared venture. Lay low and recuperate next winter for thriving physical health and performance. Nurture each other. To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is a 9 — Unexpected income could arise. A surprising development may require immediate attention; is it a distraction? Or an opportunity? Ponder your discovery. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 7 — Adapt to unexpected personal circumstances. Urgent matters take priority. Confer with your team. A friend has just what you need. Talk about the situation. Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is a 7 — Consider things from a higher perspective. Changes the next level up affect you positively. Look for silver linings and find them. Solutions recharge your spirit. Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is a 7 — Monitor the news. Social changes require adaptation. Expect the unexpected. Share resources, information and connections with your community. Check out an interesting suggestion. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 7 — Professional connections open doors. Avoid provoking jealousies or controversy. Discover an unexpected benefit. Keep an open mind and share what you can do. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is an 8 — Explore an interesting educational opportunity. Compare past events to the present moment. History doesn’t repeat exactly. It rhymes. Adapt lessons from before with a modern twist. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is a 9 — Find a brilliant but unusual solution to a shared financial challenge. Ask for suggestions and get some good ones. Action inspires your team. Share insights. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — Use your insider information to anticipate and sidestep disagreement or discord. Change directions intuitively. A creative spark ignites. Collaborate with someone inspiring. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 9 — Prioritize health and wellness. Focus on short-term rather than long-term needs and plans. Natural settings recharge you emotionally and spiritually. Move your body. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 7 — Unexpected romance is worth pursuing. Spontaneous opportunities get revealed. Someone finds you especially attractive. Kindle sparks into flame. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 7 — Focus on short-term domestic solutions. Frugality may be required. Research a variety of materials and options. Interview family to get clear on what’s needed. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 7 — Do more research before drawing a conclusion. Look at the situation from a different vantage. Consider the consequences from another view. Notice stunning implications.

Level 1

7/14/20

Solution to Monday’s puzzle

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk

ACROSS 1 Poindexter 6 Co. known for music compilations 10 Sign of things to come 14 Scarlett in love with a Butler 15 Folk singer Guthrie 16 Funeral rite heap 17 __ spray: decongestant 18 *Athletic brand for yoga class 20 Iron mine output 21 Look creepily (at) 23 Get up 24 *Beachgoer’s footwear 27 More, for Miguel 28 Smidgen 29 Like the simplest instructions 33 Portfolio item 36 Having all one’s marbles 38 Rap sheet abbr. 39 *Stops smoking suddenly and entirely, say 43 Coffee dispenser 44 Cheers for matadors 45 Must-haves 46 Kabul native 49 PC-to-PC system 50 Chair support 51 *Raid with a K-9 unit, perhaps 56 “Let __ be light” 58 “No __”: “Beats me” 59 Whiskey barrel wood 61 Specialized unit seeking explosives ... or what the ends of the answers to starred clues comprise? 64 Poke fun at 66 Mine, in Montreal 67 Chomp or nip 68 Like recycled bottles 69 Italy’s capital 70 Blacken on the grill 71 Medicine amounts

7/14/20

By Craig Stowe

DOWN 1 “__ harm”: Hippocratic Oath principle 2 Pier 3 Canvas holder 4 Historic period 5 Kids’ play boxes with plastic spheres 6 Superman’s birth name 7 Cape Cod town 8 Building wing 9 Comical Costello 10 Verdi works 11 “I stand corrected” 12 God with a bow 13 Hawaii’s state bird 19 Poor, as an excuse 22 Young salamander 25 “Dream on!” 26 Lily pad habitats 30 Ice hockey target 31 __ out a living 32 Forks over 33 Color akin to turquoise 34 Steak : turf :: lobster : __ 35 Divorced female parent

Monday’s Puzzle Solved

36 State of matter 37 Part of IPA 40 Fast one, so to speak 41 At full strength 42 Contact lens solution brand 47 Grammywinning jazzman Hancock 48 Grows older 49 L, on clothes: Abbr.

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52 Gaucho’s rope 53 Milker’s handful 54 Serialized daytime TV 55 Sample, as food 56 Vanishing ski lift 57 __ sapiens 60 They open doors 62 Gridiron VIPs 63 180-degree turn, in slang 65 Fall Out Boy genre