This game, I will die on my hill saying the story is absolute nonsense and garbage, no matter how many people pile on me in the comments section that I'm misogynistic, a bigot, that I don't get it, etc.. Don't get me wrong, like you stated, this game is visually and mechanically a work of art, but the gameplay is mediocre to ok, and the story is a jarring mess.
I could spend hours picking the story apart. Literally from the onset it doesn't make sense. Joel, a seasoned dude in a post-apocalypse world, just ups and gives this random group of organized people on the outskirts of his town, his name. Abby, who we're later suppose to sympathize with, brutally murders the guy who just saved her life. None of that makes sense. There are so many better movies, books, and other games about revenge that this game could have taken it's cues from and this was the route they went. It makes me question my sanity to see so many people praise this game.
Late to the party, I guess, but here's my two cents anyway. I'm not actually a gamer, I'm actually more of a literature guy. I got a used PS4 specifically to play TLOU and TLOU2 about half a year ago after watching the HBO show and I have played both games three times since (- actually I'm nearing the Santa Barbara section of TLOU2 on my third playthrough just now).
I get where you are coming from but I feel lile some of the things you're criticizing might stem from your profound knowledge about narrative cycles and structures in games and TV/movie narratives, which naturally come with certain expectations.
For example, I feel that the ending, with Ellie rescuing Abby, then attaching her, then letting her go, is messy but realistically messy. Grief, hatred and trauma are complex feelings that make people behave in extremely unpredictable and somewhat insane ways. I believe the game tried to show that with the repetition of Ellie's memory of her conversation with Joel on his front porch. The first one ends on a bitter note, she is basically shutting him out, hence her feeling of guilt which drives her hatred and obsession. Then, upon the repetition, the memory goes on to include her concession that she is willing to try to forgive him, so it ends on a more forgiving note. I agree, it's a bit clumsy, but I don't think it's entirely unrealistic, just not typical of conventional narrative structures.
Same goes for Abby and Lev. You write that you wish that Abby would recognise Joel and Ellie in her relationship to Lev. I believe this is exactly what happens in that moment when she is about to slaughter Dina ("She's pregnant!" - "Good!"). Lev calls out to her and she looks at him for a good long time before showing mercy. There is no reason why Abby should hesitate to show extreme violence in front of Lev after everything she has done right in front of him. The only explanation is that she starts to understand, finally.
I think TLOU 1 is better, I enjoyed it more, but then I'm a sucker for good character development and the game is a masterpiece in that respect. TLOU2 with its revenge/redemption arcs has almost Shakesperean scope, albeit without the quality in "narrative language" (in the broadest possible sense). But those are high standards, to say the least.
Having said all this, maybe it is my lack of experience with gaming narratives that makes me a bit more lenient towards certain shortcuts the game takes. I'm fully willing to accept games (as well as comics and movies and TV shows) within the range of "serious" literature but of course I don't have much of a frame of reference in this specific area.
Look at the record number of GotY awards The Last of Us Part II garnered, the critical success of The Last Jedi, or more recently the critical success of Masters of the Universe: Revelation. Deconstructing and subverting popular franchises has become the highest creative virtue, and mere effort is lauded over execution. Pervert the image of an iconic hero beyond recognition, insert an abrasive checkbox character to absorb their branding power, have that character forcibly snatch the torch while screeching 'this is MY story now!', then belittle the predictable responses of long-time fans on social media. Watching this cycle of delusion has become more entertaining than the products themselves.
This game, I will die on my hill saying the story is absolute nonsense and garbage, no matter how many people pile on me in the comments section that I'm misogynistic, a bigot, that I don't get it, etc.. Don't get me wrong, like you stated, this game is visually and mechanically a work of art, but the gameplay is mediocre to ok, and the story is a jarring mess.
I could spend hours picking the story apart. Literally from the onset it doesn't make sense. Joel, a seasoned dude in a post-apocalypse world, just ups and gives this random group of organized people on the outskirts of his town, his name. Abby, who we're later suppose to sympathize with, brutally murders the guy who just saved her life. None of that makes sense. There are so many better movies, books, and other games about revenge that this game could have taken it's cues from and this was the route they went. It makes me question my sanity to see so many people praise this game.
Late to the party, I guess, but here's my two cents anyway. I'm not actually a gamer, I'm actually more of a literature guy. I got a used PS4 specifically to play TLOU and TLOU2 about half a year ago after watching the HBO show and I have played both games three times since (- actually I'm nearing the Santa Barbara section of TLOU2 on my third playthrough just now).
I get where you are coming from but I feel lile some of the things you're criticizing might stem from your profound knowledge about narrative cycles and structures in games and TV/movie narratives, which naturally come with certain expectations.
For example, I feel that the ending, with Ellie rescuing Abby, then attaching her, then letting her go, is messy but realistically messy. Grief, hatred and trauma are complex feelings that make people behave in extremely unpredictable and somewhat insane ways. I believe the game tried to show that with the repetition of Ellie's memory of her conversation with Joel on his front porch. The first one ends on a bitter note, she is basically shutting him out, hence her feeling of guilt which drives her hatred and obsession. Then, upon the repetition, the memory goes on to include her concession that she is willing to try to forgive him, so it ends on a more forgiving note. I agree, it's a bit clumsy, but I don't think it's entirely unrealistic, just not typical of conventional narrative structures.
Same goes for Abby and Lev. You write that you wish that Abby would recognise Joel and Ellie in her relationship to Lev. I believe this is exactly what happens in that moment when she is about to slaughter Dina ("She's pregnant!" - "Good!"). Lev calls out to her and she looks at him for a good long time before showing mercy. There is no reason why Abby should hesitate to show extreme violence in front of Lev after everything she has done right in front of him. The only explanation is that she starts to understand, finally.
I think TLOU 1 is better, I enjoyed it more, but then I'm a sucker for good character development and the game is a masterpiece in that respect. TLOU2 with its revenge/redemption arcs has almost Shakesperean scope, albeit without the quality in "narrative language" (in the broadest possible sense). But those are high standards, to say the least.
Having said all this, maybe it is my lack of experience with gaming narratives that makes me a bit more lenient towards certain shortcuts the game takes. I'm fully willing to accept games (as well as comics and movies and TV shows) within the range of "serious" literature but of course I don't have much of a frame of reference in this specific area.
Look at the record number of GotY awards The Last of Us Part II garnered, the critical success of The Last Jedi, or more recently the critical success of Masters of the Universe: Revelation. Deconstructing and subverting popular franchises has become the highest creative virtue, and mere effort is lauded over execution. Pervert the image of an iconic hero beyond recognition, insert an abrasive checkbox character to absorb their branding power, have that character forcibly snatch the torch while screeching 'this is MY story now!', then belittle the predictable responses of long-time fans on social media. Watching this cycle of delusion has become more entertaining than the products themselves.