The Last of Us Part II

[Nightingale]

Yeah, I agree a dog wouldn't make much sense because even though they could have AI ignore it like they did with Ellie in Part I, it still wouldn't be sensible in that universe to bring something with you that could bark or make noise without warning.

Not to mention, I think they mentioned how domestic animnals went feral in the twenty years following the outbreak.

And really, even if the AI was to ignore the dog, you still had to do a bunch of things in Part 1 that simply would have been impossible to pull off with a dogo by your side (namely, the many instances of you moving around destroyed/partially flooded/not very safe buildings).

[Moonface]

The Last of Us Part II Release Date and Collector's Edition Announced
After a long period of silence, Naughty Dog come back swinging with a brand new trailer for The Last of Us Part II.

As the trailer shows, you'll be able to finish it when the game releases on Feb. 21, 2020. It's going to be a big journey too, as the game will come on two discs.

There are also multiple editions of the game, and are as follows:

Collector's Edition - Image

• 12" Ellie statue
  
• Life-sized replica of Ellie's bracelet
  
• Custom steelbook case
  
• 48-page mini art book from Dark Horse
  
• Six enamel pins
  
• Lithograph art print
  
• Set of five stickers
  
• PS4 dynamic theme
  
• Six PSN avatars
  
• Digital soundtrack
  
• Digital version of the mini art book
  

Ellie Edition - Image

• All the contents of the Collector's Edition
  
• Full-sized, fully functional recreation of Ellie's backpack
  
• Embroidered patch
  
• 7" vinyl record featuring music from the OST
  

Special Edition - Image

• Custom steelbook case
  
• Digital content of the Collector's Edition
  

Digital Deluxe Edition - Image

• All digital content of the Collector's Edition
  
• Standard copy of the game
  

Pre-ordering any edition of the game will reward the two following in-game unlocks at launch:

• Ammo Capacity Upgrade: Instantly unlock an ammo capacity upgrade for Ellie’s pistol.
  
• Crafting Training Manual: Instantly unlock the Crafting Training Manual, which provides access to new crafting recipes and upgrades.
  

If today's trailer wasn't enough for you, the press will be showing hands on footage from two levels of the game when the embargo lifts on September 26, also known as Outbreak Day.

[Moonface]

The Last of Us Part II Previews
Today is Outbreak Day, and the embargo has been lifted for previews of hands-on gameplay for The Last of Us Part II. Here's a rundown of the previews various outlets have put together:

• IGN: What We Think After Two Hours
  
• Gamespot: It's Meant to be Unsettling
  
• The Verge: You Will Question Ellie's Descent Into Violent Darkness
  
• Eurogamer: Faithful and Finessed
  
• Game Informer: Four Things You Need to Know
  
• US Gamer: Naughty Dog Wants You to Feel Vulnerable
  
• Giant Bomb: Video Preview
  
• Games Radar: Video Preview
  
• PlayStation Access: Video Preview
  
• Easy Allies: Video Preview
  

Notable takeaways relating to gameplay features and new additions are as follows:

• Enemies have attack dogs that can track your scent. Your trail can be seen in listen mode.
  

• Tall grass will not put you into full stealth like it does in most other games, including the most recent Uncharted titles. It will only obscure you from enemy vision. You must be behind a fully solid object such as a counter or wall to be truly hidden.
  

• Ellie can now jump with a dedicated jump button.
  

• Ellie can go prone on the ground, making her harder to see. I haven't yet seen whether this makes her aim steadier, but I would like to assume it should.
  

• Due to the addition of jumping, environments feature a lot more verticality than Part I did. Basically, slap Nathan Drake into The Last of Us and you get an idea of the level of movement you now have.
  

• Ellie has a shiv on her at all times, presumably meaning they are no longer consumable craftables. Shiv doors are likely out, since the way to open them is no longer limited.
  

• There is a dodge button, so Ellie can get out of harms way a lot easier.
  

• Dogs are difficult to stealth kill as they can sense you coming much easier than humans can. Most previews seem to have found a distant approach with stealth weaponry such as a bow and arrow are the best approach.
  

• The Shambler is a new infected type. They seem to be a close relation to Bloaters, being either a stage before them (but after Clickers) or the stage following them. They are blind, can not be stealth killed, are very tanky, and will release a spore cloud from their body if you get close. Fortunately, they're rather slow unless they come charging after you because you were being too noisy.
  

• Unlike Part I, Naughty Dog have made a big effort to have any AI buddies actually remain hidden and away from enemies. They probably still can't be seen by enemies, just to avoid any problems, but you won't find situations like the first game where Ellie runs through rooms of enemies, or hear Bill plodding along while telling you that we need to be quiet.
  

Something not covered in previews, but has come out in the past hour is that apparently this game will not feature any multi-player component. Whether that means it will only lack one at launch, or lack one permanently, doesn't seem to have been properly confirmed yet.

[Mr EliteL]

Was the best and only good thing from the State Of Play showcase.

Getting to finally see Joel was good. He's about 50-odd now, isn't he? Should still be able to be ruthless. Wonder if that moment is something like halfway through one third earliest perhaps, and given dialogue from the 2018(?) trailer from another character he's about early on in the game too I hope. Enough about him.

Cool editions there, especially Collector's and Ellie.

Feb 21st, I'm patient enough for that. Although don't know if I'll be getting the game day one yet, or even at all. There's a matter of still completing the first game on my part. Perhaps as time moves closer to release, I'll be compelled to play and then pre-order TLOU 2.

Just found out that TLOU 2 isn't having multiplayer. US Gamer had an interview with a Naughty Dog Lead Game Designer, who said

We're focusing on a single-player experience, so we're just making a single-player game for this

Was verified by a Sony rep later. I'm sure that puts off quite a number of players. Especially reading comments saying that apparently Factions is still being played. Never did play online multiplayer myself, so I'm not too bothered.

[Moonface]

I'm disappointed at the lack of MP, just because it was one of Naughty Dog's best multiplayer components they've ever done. I expect the news will help really boost player numbers for Part I's MP though, especially with it being free next month for PS+ owners.

The added movement is good to see, especially given Ellie is a lot younger than Joel and therefore should be more agile than he was/is. I wonder how Naughty Dog will explain new infected turning up, since not encountering those in Part I but seeing them now is going to open the door to why now. I know technically it's because game design, but that doesn't work for world lore.

I grabbed the Special Edition of the game, since I didn't like the statue too much. There was a better statue going on Dark Horse today for $170 as part of Outbreak Day, but that's already sold out. I'm just waiting for the art book to go on sale so I can get that. I know the SE comes with a mini one, but the full book will obviously be more than 48 pages.

[Moonface]

The Last of Us Part II Delayed Until May
Despite announcing a release date only a month ago, Naughty Dog has stated that The Last of Us Part II is now delayed until May 29, 2020.

However, it was during the last few weeks, as we were closing out sections of the game, that we realized we simply didn’t have enough time to bring the entire game up to a level of polish we would call Naughty Dog quality. At this point we were faced with two options: compromise parts of the game or get more time. We went with the latter, and this new release date allows us to finish everything to our level of satisfaction while also reducing stress on the team.

While we’re relieved that we won’t have to compromise our vision, we’re disappointed that we weren’t able to avoid this exact situation. We wish we could’ve foreseen the amount of polish we needed, but the size and scope of this game got the better of us. We hate disappointing our fans and for that we’re sorry.

We hope you understand that this additional time ensures that The Last of Us Part II lives up to our collective ambition as well as our commitment to the highest level of quality. We know the extra few months will add to what may already be an excruciating wait for all of us. We are grateful for your patience and continued support. Come next May, you will finally rejoin Ellie in The Last of Us Part II.

[ShiraNoMai]

It's a shame that they had to do this, but at least Naughty Dog are still of the belief that if a game needs time to finish, they'll take that time.

Wondering if the cut from that trailer that had the release date in it from before was made well before they even came to realize that they won't have the time to do it in, too. I know a lot of people are pressing them on that fact that they only announced a date less than a month ago and are already delaying it, but I know that the marketing department would've had that stuff done (well, have needed the assets and such to cut and produce a video) in advance, so who knows.

[Moonface]

If a delay was already expected prior to that trailer, then the trailer could have just had its date cut and still gone out. Nothing would have forced the marketing department to keep a release date in that wasn't certain if concerns were already being raised about meeting it.

[ShiraNoMai]

Well, that's what I mean: It's certainly possible both departments weren't coordinating their efforts, and the developers could have lost track of time, and only realized after the demo had been put out for press. Or it's even possible that they realized some flaws that were in the vertical slice that they then realized "Crap, we need more time to polish that up".

Either way, I'm still looking forward to its completion and seeing it through at the end of May

[Moonface]

So in an amusing moment of irony, The Last of Us Part II won't be at PAX East because Sony has cancelled their appearance citing fears of the coronavirus. A game about a viral outbreak was inconvenienced by a viral outbreak.

[Daltonio]

[Moonface]

Understandable, but it sucks having to wait for who knows how long for the game now. Some new screenshots came out alongside the announcement, but I'm really hoping for a trailer to drop soon or even some more gameplay.

[Dragon Lord]

Some people believe this is a ploy to delay the release of the game so they can make it a PS5 Launch Title instead of releasing it on the PS4.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised by a move like that. Especially of Ghost of Tsushima doesn't get delayed (being another huge first-party title for Sony). With other major releases not seeing a delay at all, to see this get indefinitely delayed just reeks of something fishy going on.

For me it doesn't matter, as I don't care about the game at all, but it's going to be very interesting to see if Sony does pull a move like that to try and force all the people who have been looking forward to it to go out and buy PS5s at launch.

[Moonface]

The claims people are making about this being delayed to be a PS5 title is ridiculous. Final Fantasy 7 and RE3 both had to see their street dates broken because the publishers had to ship the discs out earlier than usual to try and ensure they get to their locations on time, and even then still put out statements that people may not get their copies by release day. Trying to finish up this game outside of the office is probably a fucking nightmare to do, and then the discs need to be printed and shipped out. Shipping has already been an issue for games coming out this month, and I doubt producing discs is a simple task these days.

The most it would do is dual-launch on both systems, since PS4 games can run on PS5 (but then at that point it's still really just a PS4 game just like a PS1 game coming out after the PS2 launched is still a PS1 game). I'm just happy they're not putting out the digital version so that people who ordered physical editions don't have to either pay twice or spend who knows how long dodging spoilers for a game where the story is going to be very important.

[Dragon Lord]

So apparently the entire game plot of the game has been leaked online (believed to be a disgruntled employee's doing), so for those of you who are waiting for this game, I would highly recommend avoiding anything to do with the game on places like Twitter.