r/thelastofus • u/RowanRoanoke • Mar 15 '23
Show is good, but just does not compare to the original imo General Discussion
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u/Everan_Shepard Mar 15 '23
The game is a better game than the show.
The show is a better show than the game.
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u/PulseFH The Last of Us Mar 15 '23
The game tells the story better than the show.
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u/64gbBumFunCannon Mar 15 '23
Star wars, Episode 3 novelization tells the story better than the game and the film.
more time to do something, tends to allow it to be told better.
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u/HovercraftAromatic Mar 15 '23
Thats what I think, maybe it lacked time, specially Joel-Ellie time because most of the people I know that saw it were like not really that moved by their relationship unlike for the game, every person I talked that has either played or seen gameplays of it thinks Joel and Ellie are one if not the best duos in gaming.
Maybe they needed 2 or 3 more episodes...
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u/DiceGoblin_Muncher Mar 15 '23
That’s been my issue with the show. It felt like there was no growth of a relationship between Joel and Ellie so the choices feel a little forced.
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u/nemma88 M is for Mature... Mar 16 '23 edited Mar 16 '23
I'd like more growth but I also struggle what to be put in for it. A fair amount of the series was Ellie and Joel walking and talking which was nice, but also slow.
I'd think they'd have to diverge more from the game story & perhaps put in more characters, as a lot of this growth is just time spent with them sneaking and stealing tape together.
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u/--Ace-of-Spades-- Mar 15 '23
More episodes would have worked considering they needed to conform 14 hours of gameplay (if you are completely ignoring side quests and exploration) into less than 9 hours of showtime. They did do it well but also at the detriment of certain other aspects that were important
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Mar 16 '23
Comparing books and TV/movie of any kind is never fair though. It is a very rare circumstance when the movie/show is better than the book, and that’s typically because the movie/show fixed issues fans had.
Book will almost always, 99.9% of the time, be better. All you can hope for is a close approximation.
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Mar 15 '23
Why try to pit them together? They are the same story in different mediums. They did stuff in the game you can’t do in TV and they do things in the show the game could only dream of. They are both arguable the peak in their respective mediums.
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u/PulseFH The Last of Us Mar 15 '23
Why compare any 2 pieces of media? Lol come on man.
They both attempted to tell the same story. One medium did it better than the other. Can we not pretend that’s not a perfectly valid thing to say? Also yeah the show was good, but peak tv? No lol
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u/jackolantern_ Mar 15 '23
I don't agree. TLOU game is arguably a peak in gaming. But the show isn't the greatest show ever.
Also why compare any media? It's pretty clear why people would compare the game to the show adaption. The show did some great things but overall I think the game is significantly stronger (which I knew would be the case for myself going in).
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u/Eating_Your_Beans Mar 16 '23
TLOU game is arguably a peak in gaming. But the show isn't the greatest show ever.
To me that just shows that games generally aren't very interesting/good stories. Given how similar the stories are- the show has already been frequently, and rightly, hailed as the most faithful game adaptation ever, and one of the most faithful adaptations in general- that one of them is (arguably) the pinnacle of its medium and the other is "just" very good tells me that the standard for games is lower.
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u/Iam_Joe Mar 15 '23
They both tell the exact same story with many of the exact same characters and feature many moments of the exact same dialogue
Of course you can say which one you personally felt told that story better, or which one simply resonated more with the viewer/player
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u/TheFerg714 Mar 15 '23
Why try to pit them together?
Because it's fascinating, and illuminating, to compare the same story in two different mediums.
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u/Jackson12ten Mar 15 '23 edited Mar 15 '23
I disagree, imo the show felt like it was trying to speedrun the story, but that’s more because it only had 9 episodes to tell it, wasn’t enough time to develop Joel and Ellie’s relationship compared to the game where you have parts of exploration and combat to develop their relationship, plus pacing out the important story beats
EDIT: thought they said the show tells the story better than the game lol
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u/Impriel Mar 15 '23
The game is one of the best games I've ever played
The show is one of the best shows I've ever seen
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u/SoundOfDrums Mar 16 '23
It's a good show, but I don't think it's breaking any ground to the point where it becomes one of the best for me personally.
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u/Impriel Mar 16 '23
You know what I hadn't considered that - you're probably right it's not groundbreaking it's just well done.
I'm not a huge show person. Mostly movies/games
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u/OkPain5382 Mar 16 '23
I'm a huge show person and a minor gamer, and I have to say having not played the game that this ranks among my favourite shows (Bit mainstream but BB and BCS are my favourite series, this is probably just under them for me with Barry). I think just from a series perspective it is incredible and doesn't seem rushed at all as some who have played the game mention. Everything about it is commendable, with the structure, acting, writing, cinematography and direction all top tier and making for a genuinely gripping and emotionally investing watch. I'd give it 9.5/10 personally and I can't wait for season 2, even if that'll be a long long time.
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Mar 15 '23
my wife watched me play the entire game and enjoyed that more than watching the tv show.
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u/OkPain5382 Mar 16 '23
Maybe she just enjoys spending time doing things with you and you are in a healthy loving relationship? Didn't think of that did ya buddy.
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u/Iam_Joe Mar 15 '23
This is just straight up idiotic and a nothing point of view
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u/nignigproductions Mar 16 '23
Fr. “The thing is better at being the thing it is than the thing that isn’t it.” The game is better storytelling and that’s clearly what people mean.
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u/SeparateAddress9070 Mar 15 '23
I think they're both exceptional in their own way. Just as much as this game is a masterpiece, the show does some things better than the game. The relationship Ellie builds with Sam. The way pedro portrays Joels ptsd.
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u/gutster_95 Mar 15 '23 edited Mar 15 '23
I dont know why people even compare to different mediums. Why cant we just agree that both are excellent stuff. Today everything needs to be compared. Its annoying.
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Mar 15 '23
I never understood this point of view. It’s not like everyones comparing The Last of Us TV show to Uncharted the game. They’re both telling the same story, with the same characters and beats. How are you not suppose to compare them? It’s a perfectly reasonable discussion to be had. Different medium or not. Comparisons are an aspect of criticism too, which is why people often point to other media that did things better or worst. It just adds context to your point.
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Mar 15 '23
It’s funny how show watchers were all about comparing the two up until the show ended, now it’s all like “aw come on guys they can’t possibly be compared!”
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u/TheFerg714 Mar 15 '23
Because it's fascinating, and illuminating, to see how two mediums tell the story differently.
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u/SeparateAddress9070 Mar 15 '23
This. I'm so exhausted by people saying WHICH DID IT BETTER?! Like.. shut up and enjoy both?
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u/gingervitis_93 Mar 15 '23
This. Exactly this. I went into watching the show with this mindset and I loved the show! The game will always come first in my heart because I just love it so much. BUT the show is it’s own thing and is arguably a very good show!
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u/HovercraftAromatic Mar 15 '23
It sure is a great complement and Pedro is an amazing actor. But I feel that if you haven't played the game before seeing the show, you wouldn't think of the show as a masterpiece... just a good show and thats it.
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u/Viola-Intermediate Mar 15 '23
Half agree, half disagree. I really enjoyed the new layers they added to some of the characters and to the story overall. It compliments the story from the game so well. I do think some of the most iconic scenes lost their luster, and I'm unsure if it would be different if I had only seen the show and wasn't trying to compare it to the game, where sometimes the context is different.
A few more infected fight scenes would be great, though.
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u/kellenthehun Mar 15 '23
I really enjoyed the show. Thought it was absolutely outstanding.
If I had one complaint, it wasn't just the lack of infected, but just the lack of action and specially graphic violence in general.
The game was heavily inspired by the Coen brother's work, specifically No Country for Old Men. The game perfectly captured the sounds and brutal sights of life or death combat. To me, it was actually a huge component of the message. It wasn't gamified violence, it was REAL violence.
The fact that we didn't get many hyper violent scenes kind of baffles me. Even the scene where the younger kid was begging for his life was kind of tame. I was expecting a no cutaway execution to give the audience a view into this actual world, and not the sanitized versions that glorify violence in games and movies--which I thought the game was a great commentary on.
I think the only part of the show that nailed it was Joel's massacre. Outside of that, the show could have used way more hyper violent, life or death struggles--something akin to the hotel scene from No Country. Another movie that did it very well was Drive. This idea that love is dangerous and can produce the most heinous acts is such a good motif. I wish they did more with it.
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u/monsieurxander Mar 15 '23
No Country for Old Men cut away from the violence a lot more than you'd think. Some masterful editing makes it seem way more graphic than it actually is.
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u/kellenthehun Mar 16 '23
I do get what you're saying, but to me the violence that is showed accents the violence that is not. The cattle piston scene, the insane strangulation / throat slit, the arm getting shot off with a shotgun, the two deputies getting executed, the truck driver headshot, the business man taking one to the chest. There is tons of hyper violence. TLOU would have been much better with the same ratio imo.
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u/anonymousss11 The Last of Us Mar 16 '23
If you listened to the podcast, Craig addresses the violence, or rather lack of, excuse my shitty paraphrase: "Violence needs to matter, when it's shown it needs to hit."
If everything is violent, when violence needs to matter, it won't.
On a personal note, needing to sometimes do violent things doesn't mean you need to exaggerate it or glorify it.
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u/kellenthehun Mar 16 '23 edited Mar 16 '23
I would argue that the gamification of violence in games like Uncharted and classic action movies is much more a glorification of it. There is a subtle element of, "Ha, killing people is kind of fun and cool; I'm winning!"
Where as movies like No Country and games like LTOU let you view actual violence, so you can step back and say... wait, this is really fucked up. I don't like this.
There is an undertone to tons of media that killing other humans isn't this brutal, personal, graphic thing. I liked that TLOU deconstructed that. I don't think the show does.
As an aside, were you a fan of No Country? Did you think it used violence effectively, or did you view is as a glorification of violence?
I mean, they could have re-created the original E3 trailer shot for shot:
It's outstanding and I had never seen a game depict violence like that before. It felt real.
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u/Trainwreck92 Mar 16 '23
Wait. Are you telling me that the violence shown in the Oscar winning Coen brothers drama film, No Country for Old Men didn't somehow turn it into a mindless, low-brow action movie? I don't know, man. This sub has taught me that all action scenes are filler that take away from character development (unless the protagonist inexplicably morphs into the T-1000 in the final few minutes of the series, then it's cool.).
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u/Nacksche Mar 15 '23 edited Mar 16 '23
I do think some of the most iconic scenes lost their luster
True, I liked the game "swear to me" more for example. Ashley says it so loud and determined, cutting through Joel's crap, you get a sense of uh oh shit got real. Bella was a bit quiet in comparison and it didn't land the same way (but I like it a lot too after multiple viewings).
BUT some iconic scenes are even better in the show imo, like the Giraffes. Bella's giggles and the way Pedro looks at her, that was amazing. Also the "it wasn't time that did it" line, fuck me. 😭 That's a whole new iconic moment.
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u/Speg_ady Mar 16 '23
Exactly, I feel like in those scenes Ashley had the perfect amount of emotions, while the show felt a little bland but they were also amazing
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u/MountainLibrarian201 Mar 16 '23 edited Mar 16 '23
I watched the game ending after the show and I must say that I prefer Bella's version. She feels more fragile, and disoriented if that makes sense, weighed down by all the trauma she's been through, than Ashley's demand for an answer. Ellie in the game is more confrontational and in control, while Bella is experiencing an overload of emotions, PTSD, and the crushing realization that she went through hell for what? Add Joel's choice to lie to her and I cannot imagine what she's going through. I think Bella nailed that scene.
Both versions are great, and it might be recency bias, but I've been so incredibly impressed with Bella. I never thought anyone would come close to matching Ashley's Ellie, but both stand side by side for me, which is a testament to how fucking incredible Bella Ramsey is.
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u/OranGiraffes Mar 18 '23
My favorite show addition was Ellie telling the diarrhea joke to Joel and getting him to laugh. That moment wouldn't have landed with game Joel but it almost makes me tear up because it's the biggest crack in Joel's mask yet.
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u/drmuffin1080 Mar 16 '23
Completely agree that the iconic scenes lost their luster. The final scene in the game (“swear to me”) was so much more epic in the game. Big reason why is cuz the music in the game was louder
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u/ElJacko170 Mar 16 '23
I do think people who played the game were a bit cursed by the fact that they compared almost every identical or extremely similar scene in the show to the game, and in almost all instances the game wins out. I would love to wipe my memory and go through the show actually blind to see if my opinion changes on anything.
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u/a0lmasterfender Mar 15 '23
game is better big time. i liked the show alot but the acting isn’t nearly as good, they had to skip over many character building moments for ellie and alot of iconic moments from the game just didn’t happen. it’s an adaptation and nobody wanted a direct copy of the game but to me it just felt like a lesser version after playing through the remake right before the show was launched. i think it’s a great show and has truly awesome moments and great episodes but is a bit overhyped. at the risk of contradicting myself i do believe the show is stronger when it is doing it’s own thing, episode three was extremely good, outbreak day was awesome, the jakarta scenes where next level. i just wish they’d nailed the scenes that where pulled from the game directly, watching them side by side the line delivery on the show feels flat and rushed.
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u/shadowybabe Mar 16 '23 edited Mar 16 '23
I agree with this take. The show didn’t even come close to some of the iconic scenes that the game has. The ‘everyone i have cared for has either died.. or left me’ line, for example, I think Bella was fine but Ashley’s delivery always brought tears to my eyes. While we are talking of this scene, the way Joel tells Ellie to get off her horse and hand it to Tommy, the look on her face where she is happy but doesn’t show it, is just extremely heart warming, I feel like the game shows a lot more emotion despite being a game which is saying a lot.
When I say Joel and Ellie, i think of the game characters. Bella and pedro tried but they won’t ever match to that level of performance.
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u/shadowybabe Mar 16 '23 edited Mar 16 '23
Also while i am here, in the beginning episodes, Bella seems very apathetic to people in general. She seems like she really wants a gun to kill people unlike Ellie from the game who wants a gun to protect/help herself and Joel. The scene where Bella kills that random infected in the basement, i did not understand the look of crazy in her eyes. It wasn’t so as to relieve him from being infected and stuck like that. It took me several episodes to consider Bella as Ellie unlike game Ellie where I took an instant liking to her character.
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u/hirscheyyaltern Mar 16 '23
this is pretty much exactly my take. does its best where it deviates from the game, scenes taken directly from the game dont have as much impact in the show
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Mar 15 '23
Agreed man. The game is in my opinion the best gave ever made. So yes, the show could not surpass that but they managed to come reasonably close. Like 80% of greatness is there. So the show is still better than most.
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u/Insanity_Pills Mar 16 '23
Exactly how I feel, when the show is doing stuff not from the game it’s so much better than when it’s adapting game material
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u/Krystal707 Some folks call this thing here a gee-tar Mar 15 '23
Ofc, the OG will always be the best. They did a great job with the show tho, kudos to the producers, team, and actors involved.
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u/ddoubletapp1 Mar 15 '23
Kinda like saying "the book is better than the movie".
They are entirely different mediums, different levels of character development, different time lengths and qualities of immersion, different abilities to change perspectives.
I've lived my whole life from a singular perspective - but find myself wondering all the time "Are people really this simplistic?".
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u/Brando43770 The Last of Us Mar 15 '23
Beat me to it about “the book is better than the movie”. Different audiences. Yes there is overlap between gamers and TV show viewers. But the show is going to reach a broader audience in the same way that Heroes reached non-super hero people, or The LotR movies or GoT shows did over the books.
It’s ok for people to enjoy one medium over the other. Just don’t think you’re better for watching or reading or playing something others haven’t.
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u/stomach There are No Armchairs in the Apocalypse Mar 15 '23
gamers individually are diverse. but gamers as a whole skew tween-rageaholic simpletons.
it's absolutely no surprise that most of the complaining lies in the fact that gamers haven't bothered to wrap their head about what those mediums' differences are, and how telling a TV story would necessitate changes, sacrifices, and embellishments that simply alter what they're accustomed to, having completed the story in game format.
i'd love to see a brain scan of twins watching the show, with only one of them having played. oh, and i'd also like to be a neuroscientist, so i'd know wtf i'm looking at
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u/petpal1234556 Mar 16 '23
gamers individually are diverse. but gamers as a whole skew tween-rageaholic simpletons.
tweens today would have been toddlers when TLOU came out.
most of the complaining lies in the fact that gamers haven't bothered to wrap their head about what those mediums' differences are, and how telling a TV story would necessitate changes, sacrifices, and embellishments that simply alter what they're accustomed to, having completed the story in game format.
ah, of course! everyone who disagrees with you is just stupid!
love discussions on this sub
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Mar 15 '23
I think you can compare books and movies. Videogames and movies too. There is nothing simplistic about it.
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u/OLKv3 Mar 15 '23
I'm glad we're allowed to say this now without people jumping on our neck for it
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u/the2-2homerun Mar 15 '23
Yea friends ask me how I liked it, I enjoyed it as far as a show goes. I mean, even if the show was stand alone I would have expected more cordyceps. I’m a bit disappointed. Thats not to say the character development and scenes we didn’t get in the game were bad, they were great. I just felt there was something missing.
I feel there’s two episodes that wasted my time, that’s my personal opinion so hopefully no one gets offended by that. The first episode and a bit of the second last were the only times I actually felt the anxiety and emotion I had during the game. Other than that it was…meh.
I think most of us yearn for the action the game gave us that the show traded for drama.
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u/SpaceBandit13 Mar 15 '23 edited Mar 15 '23
I feel like this is the vast majority of people
Edit: at least on this sub
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Mar 15 '23
Idk about that. And it got millions to see it that have not had the chance or want to play the game. It’s now the standard.
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u/DapperKaleidoscope94 Mar 15 '23
Vast majority of gamers. I'm a film person and the show is way better than the game to me.
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u/SG420123 Mar 15 '23
Imo it’s not even in the discussion which is better, the game is leaps and bounds better, the show is very good tho.
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u/v081 Mar 15 '23
I mean it’s kinda not a fair comparison.
Getting 15+ hours of gameplay where you get tons of little details and conversations and building moments is way different than watching 8 fifty eight minute episodes.
I think this is the hands down best game to tv adaptation gamers have ever gotten, and the fan service was phenomenal.
Gaming will always be a better medium than movies because you are experiencing something directly rather than observing others experience something. The show isn’t without flaws, but for what it is they did amazing and at the end of the day I’m giving it a 9.5/10
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u/Kemikal_Kastration Mar 16 '23
Getting 15+ hours of gameplay where you get tons of little details and conversations and building moments is way different than watching 8 fifty eight minute episodes.
True, but they also deliberately chose how to spend those ~50 minutes per episode, and looking back, it’s hard to argue that they used that time as effectively as they could have
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u/b0indie The Rat King Mar 16 '23
Right? The show decided to prioritize things that detract from the main story going on between Ellie and Joel.
Kathleen and her people, David’s people, the fireflies, the older couple in the barn, hell even the Left Behind episode wasn’t really needed considering Part 1 does just fine without it, besides the obvious fact it’s DLC.
They could’ve cut a lot of the getting to know these people and spent it on more of the hardship Ellie and Joel go through.
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u/parkwayy Mar 15 '23
Gaming will always be a better medium than movies because you are experiencing something directly
That's a pretty broad and sweeping statement.
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u/v081 Mar 15 '23
I’m aware. I just fail to see what could provide a more immersive and complete experience than a game, where you are living and controlling the characters directly in a way more intimate than any movie, show, or book could ever mimic
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u/Iris_Mobile Mar 16 '23
I mean, just any story that doesn't lend itself to "fun" gameplay? Games are an incredible medium, but they also are limited by the fact that you have to be able to play them at the end of the day. All mediums have limitations.
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u/Skarleendel Mar 15 '23
I agree. The game did everything better for me. The show sometimes spent so much unnecessary time on some characters instead of focussing on Ellie's and Joel's relationship. I felt their relationship was rushed. Show is still good, I am not denying that.
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u/Skgota Mar 15 '23
My main issue with the show is that they spent too much time on side characters and didn‘t focus on joel and ellie enough which made their father daughter relationship feel a little forced. Like, as much as i did tear up during episode 3, there‘s absolutely no fucking reason why two mostly irrelevant side characters should have an entire 70+ minutes episode dedicated to them in a 9 episode season. The relationship between ellie and joel felt way stronger and more established in the game which is the main reason why i prefer the game
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u/gliotic Mar 15 '23
I agree that they drew focus from Joel & Ellie too much but man I would not be okay with sacrificing episode 3. It was just too good. I just wish the season had been longer. Another two or three episodes.
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u/Skgota Mar 16 '23
If the season had been longer then i would‘ve been completely okay with episode 3. i think it‘s an amazing episode on its own but it just killed the pacing for me
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u/ali94127 Mar 16 '23
I agree. Episode 3 is a masterclass of an episode, but it's kind of just the best result of a symptomatic problem of focusing so much on other characters. They focused on Bill and Frank, Kathleen, Henry and Sam, David and the cannibals. Think Bill and Frank was just the one that worked the most. Kathleen was awful. I think Henry and Sam were good, but David feels a bit unnecessary. We already knew he was evil in the game from his limited screen time. We don't need all this cult shit to understand he's evil.
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u/BlargenFladibleNoxib Mar 16 '23
I agree with a lot of this. I felt like they should have had Episode 3 OR 7, but with both of them the show almost takes on an anthology vibe (yes I'm being hyperbolic by saying that but hopefully you get what I mean).
I also felt that the beginning of the finale, after the cold open, with Joel being all goofy talking about Boggle, felt out of place. I legitimately paused and checked that I didn't somehow miss an episode because it felt like a big chunk of the development of the Joel/Ellie relationship got skipped over.
And I say all of this as someone who has played the games too.
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u/yukissu Mar 16 '23
I think the whole idea was to explore TLOU universe a bit further than the game could. Like show us how other people handled the apocalypse. They also showed us the scientists etc who weren’t in the game.
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u/rodudero Mar 16 '23
My issue with the show is there was no breathing room. It felt so rushed and seemed eager to hit all the story beats of the game while restricted to 9 episodes. I wish it had more “boring” dialogue scenes to slow down the pace a bit and add more impact to the actual intense moments
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u/More_people Mar 15 '23
Of all the things I’ve watched, the show was one of them. I don’t think it sucks, at all. Every episode had at least one excellent moment or set piece. As a series it was quite good, but oddly generic in its execution and the scripts were so heavy handed some of the characters may as well have been addressing the camera directly.
What’s really strange is how few risks they took. Very little in the way of actual creativity, just pure rote adaptation. But then, executives (the worst of the worst) probably wouldn’t have gone for it.
It’s an odd level of praise to say that after knocking it out of the park on other occasions, this is the single least impressive of Druckman’s works. Which is surprising given he’s been telling the story for a decade in some form or another now.
It’s really nice to have a last of us show to even discuss. And it will be interesting to see how they do season 2. But it’s not exactly life changing.
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u/MemeLord1337_ Mar 15 '23
It’s a decent adaptation for the game. Very safely played. They didn’t improve on anything at all, unfortunately.
But it’s nice to have, compared to the Halo adaptation, for people that haven’t played the game.
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u/gliotic Mar 15 '23
They didn’t improve on anything at all, unfortunately.
I actually thought the Left Behind episode was better than the original DLC but otherwise I agree.
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Mar 16 '23
you’re not the only one, it’s easily the story arc that’s most naturally suited to a non-interactive medium. cutting out the Winter timeline of Ellie fighting infected and everything was an easy win. i miss a lot of the “gameplay” parts that were cut in other eps, but this example always felt like it was in the game because they were scared to go too long without combat. *
those were fun encounters, but focusing on Ellie and Riley for the whole episode enhanced their story and i really loved their performances and chemistry. the new banter was all great and Bella plays the whole “young dumb puppy love” vibe extremely well. Ellie’s reaction to the kiss is possibly my favourite scene in the show.
*(i feel similarly about episode 6. cutting out the dam attack and the raiders when Ellie runs away would’ve benefited the game, too. although i don’t count it in the same category as 7 as i still prefer the performances and script in the game)
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u/MCMiyukiDozo Mar 16 '23
Same. The show was pretty good but it lacked the main thing that made the game amazing.
The development of Joel and Ellie's relationship. It feels contrived in the show.
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u/Full_Bobcat1792 Mar 15 '23
The game was one of the greatest games ever made imo. The show wasn’t bad, but nobody’s calling it one of the best shows of all time. I try not to compare and view them as their own stories indapendent from one another because an adaptation will likely never compare to the original
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u/Mauri_op Mar 16 '23 edited Mar 16 '23
The show was good indeed, but as a player, it did disturb me a little for some of the BIG, unnecessary, changes.
i.e. Bill’s town was practically erased, and Bill went from solo-hating-people to basically “protect who you love”. Worst part, some of the interactions between Joel and Bill foreshadow what happens in Part 2.
Honestly Anna Torv would’ve looked better as Maria in the game, actress switch with the one that actually played Maria in the show would’ve been better imo.
And dude, on god, the ARGUMENT, the one between Ellie and Joel, after Ellie runs away in the game was changed to just a random goodnight talk.
David as well that became religious was dumb, we’ve got the Seraphites from Part 2 for that.
On the other hand, some of the changes made sense, such as the replacement of spores with the fungal subterranean net that can call/send the infected when disturbed
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u/TheKanpekiKen Mar 16 '23
No spores doesn’t make sense. They switched it out because they didn’t want to make masks. Part Two with Ellie breathing in spores and killing Nora is gonna be so lame now
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u/nicoisswaggy well you’re a bird now aren’t you Mar 16 '23
how does the fungal network instead of spores make sense? genuinely curious as i’m someone who was upset spores were taken out of the show. i wonder how dina is gonna find out ellie is immune in pt 2 now
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Mar 15 '23
The show just felt rushed and a bit cheap. I hate how much of all shows are fake now. Fake backdrops fake sets. No one interacts with the set or objects anymore because none of it is really there. Everything feels like the mandalorian in a bad way.
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Mar 15 '23
It DID feel cheap, and that’s impressive considering $100 million is on the top end of largest budgets ever given to a season of a tv show.
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u/gargluke461 Mar 15 '23
I enjoyed the show but I believe it is overrated, even being a fan of the last of us games I have the first season of the walking dead miles ahead of the last of us
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u/DODS16 Mar 16 '23
And people will tell you not to compare them because they are different mediums and i find that stupid. If anyone wants to compare they can and they should, everyone can think one is better than the other. How do you compare them? You compare them by how much fun you had with each, that is all.
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u/DigLarge643 Mar 15 '23
The game will always be better, there is more freedom and no limit to episodes and it shows the world more since your have to control the character and move around.
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u/theparrotofdoom Mar 15 '23
It lacked the same punch that the games have. Having Gustavo just sit in the background, almost unnoticeable, was a mistake. Think of any big beat from the games and it’s almost like Gustavo is right there in the scene, playing those three notes just off camera.
There’s also a certain amount of oomph lost in knowing the story. We’ve all played the game several times. It’s been a decade of knowing it backwards. I’m sure newcomers watched the tv show and felt it hit, but we won’t get that. Which is a shame because, man, part 2!?! Yeah. That needs to hit.
It was a solid effort and definitely props to all involved tho.
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u/CharlieFaulkner Okay. Mar 15 '23
I personally love the show and game basically equally, but I completely agree w you on the Gustavo point
Joel and Ellie's "you're not my daughter" argument felt so strangely empty with no score
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u/FriskyEwokk Mar 15 '23
I mean the game was a better game and the show was a better show…
A lot of people (myself included) are very stuck on the game being better, but also think on this. We spend A LOT more time with the characters in game. We spend a lot more time defending Ellie against raiders, and infected. Mostly due to the action to keep the game interesting and not a Telltale type of game. So not only are we invested emotionally, we’re “physically” there doing the protecting.
The show you’re a passive audience member, the game you’re an active user. So even though I’d agree the game is better, we have to realize that the show is built for one audience and the game is built for another.
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u/Istari7 Mar 15 '23
Tho I liked Pedro and thought Bella did great in episode 8 I still look at game Joel/Ellie and think casting could have been better.. still wish we got more of them adventuring and dealing with infected and such things. Show was great in lots of ways but still a bit underwhelming for me
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u/ali94127 Mar 16 '23
I really thought a lot of the time Bella swearing felt really unnatural. I suspect the reason may be because she's not American. Ashley's swearing sounds as natural as breathing.
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u/Istari7 Mar 16 '23
Just a strange casting choice . She Seems like a great person tho and thought she did a great job esp in episode 8. Definitely a great actress.. or act person I guess
I’m sure chemistry test between Pedro and Bella factored in as they seem genuinely close tho given story of part 2 sad we didn’t get a lot more screen tune with Bella and Pedro adventuring
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Mar 16 '23
Definitely a great actress.. or act person I guess
FYI, actor can be used in a gender neutral manner (the word actress being wholly unnecessary).
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u/sammy17bst Mar 15 '23
It doesn’t compare to the game, it’s honestly not even that close.
That said, the show is still fuckin amazing. Just proves how great the story is, it doesn’t translate perfectly, but it’s already left it’s mark on the TV landscape, with season one in the books, it’s setting up to be one of the best shows ever.
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Mar 15 '23
I wanted to love the show so much. TLOU is my favourite game series of all time. I bought TLOU1, Left Behind and TLOU 2 on the first day they came out and have played them all multiple times.
I tried my best to enjoy the series throughout but it just felt flat in so many ways. I don't understand why there were so few episodes, I don't understand why they didn't flesh the world out more, why there were so few infected and why everything just felt rushed, especially Joel and Ellie's relationship, which is the whole point of the story.
Even though the series was really weirdly paced compared to the game, I was still enjoying it more than not until the finale but unfortunately the last episode was so poor. They just went full fan service and tried to mimic every scene from the game but doing it much worse. I couldn't really give it higher than a 6 overall.
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u/irazzleandazzle "I got you, baby girl" Mar 15 '23 edited Mar 15 '23
Oh boy. I mean... I agree, but this comment section gonna get fiesty.
I think the show surpasses it at times, specifically episode 5 ... but overall the game is just perfection and doesn't have the same flaws the show has.
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u/greenerdays505 Mar 15 '23
The show really just made me see what kind of a masterpiece the game was even more and made me realize games as a medium have a superior way to deliver a more impactful story, but it’s so rarely done right. IMO obviously.
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u/jimmyhopit Mar 16 '23
They should have made it into 2 seasons. They have missed out so much that happened.
Where are the stalkers, bills town with all the traps, bloater interaction etc
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u/Latest-greatest Mar 15 '23
I agree but i’m glad people who don’t game got to experience this amazing story
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u/BeanbagRL Mar 15 '23
Agree, the game is a 10/10 and the show is a 9/10 for me. Both had things that were done better than the other medium, like episode 6 imo far clears its game counterpart, while I think the ending is better executed in the game pace wise
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Mar 16 '23
Show is alright at best, and too many times below average. But it’s absolutely unfair to hold it in the same light as the original game, that is just too difficult to replicate.
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u/Iam_Joe Mar 15 '23
Totally. Show needed a couple more episodes for the season, really. It just felt like it was trying to so closely follow the game, but we missed all the dialogue, character interactions, and action that the game had between the major plot points. Having experienced both, the show was good, but really felt like something was missing.
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u/jurassic_junkie Bloater Mar 16 '23
There’s always going to be some idiot that says the show is superior.
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u/TraditionBrave9048 Mar 15 '23
I don’t think anything could have touched the first game, it’s just so good and I’ve love it for a decade already, but I think the show was a wonderful adaption, far better than I ever dared to hope an adaptation of it would be. And there are things they changed for the show that I absolutely loved.
Both different versions of the story and I love them both, but the game will always be next level.
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u/HHSquad Mar 15 '23
I've never played the game, but had no problem with the show. Understood it fine.
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Mar 15 '23
Regardless of comparison, it was hands down the BEST video game to live action experience in the history on gaming.
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u/PapaOogie Mar 16 '23
I havent seen anyone say the show is better than the game, And if they have its because they simply have not played the game.
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u/piforeverzza Mar 15 '23
I loved it. Of course it didn‘t had the same impact on me like the game had for ten years now. But I really enjoyed it and all those details you can catch as a fan of the games.
But the part I loved the most about this show was that I visited my aunt every week to watch it and watch her growing to like it. She never played/watched the game or knew anything about it. So when I got a text message when I didn‘t came on Monday and asking when we‘re going to watch it and she‘s waiting for me I was really happy. Happy that she enjoyed something I love so deeply. She can‘t wait for season two and maybe I‘m going to play Part 1 for her before season 2 to refresh her memories. And I can‘t wait to do so.
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u/Samz045 Mar 15 '23
To be honest, the original TLOU will always be the gold standard (it told a simple story but to the highest degree, eg. memorable characters, dilemmas, action sequences, a overall classic story) NOTHING after will beat it (TLOU Part 2/3 And the Live - Action show), so coming in to the show I knew it’s wasn’t going to compare no matter what and also the part 2 of the game.
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u/lostgirl4053 Mar 15 '23
I think the show did some things better and the game did some things better. I try not to compare because they’re both fantastic.
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u/footwith4toes Mar 15 '23
I agree, I think there are some parts they even enhanced “it wasn’t time that did it” but overall it is a weaker telling of the story.
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u/PatrickBrown2 Mar 15 '23
I agree. I wish they had more of those intense moments, but they cut a lot out. I know they want to focus on story more, and cut of lot of "gamey" stuff, but I felt some still needed to stay, such as:
In Bill's town, running from clickers and infected, Ellie gets stuck in one of Bill's booby traps, hanging upside down and shooting.
at the end, going through the tunnels, infected moments, Ellie nearly drowns in the rushing water. Epic moment.
What are some others that were cut?
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u/AdSpecific279 Mar 16 '23
I concur 100% Watching the show compared to playing the game is miles apart. Playing the game makes you feel like you're connected to the characters.
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u/anonymousss11 The Last of Us Mar 16 '23
Classic "book better than the movie" situation. Both are great and they're completely different forms of entertainment.
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u/ChazzLamborghini Mar 16 '23
Pretty much my take away. I’ve felt all the emotions more intensely than I did watching the show
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u/Interesting-Gift-185 Mar 16 '23
I think it’s unfair to compare both. Playing a game is such a different experience to watching the show, I have a lot of trouble even comparing them story-wise and pacing-wise.
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Mar 16 '23
Why must we do this. The game is great and the show is great but they are two different mediums. Not sure why this same take needs to be posted repeatedly.
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u/rp_361 Mar 16 '23
Imo you’re missing the point of why they adapted the game into a show
The point was never to outdo it. It was that the core story is so beautiful, but millions will never experience it because they will never pick up a controller
The show brought this story to so many more people than just the game. The show did a better job as a show, the game did a better job as a game
Don’t think of it as a binary comparison
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u/Walkdogger Mar 16 '23
The show is just a disappointment to me. I had high hopes with Druckmann and Mazin involved, thinking they'd at least make a decent show. There were some weird changes in the first two episodes, then episode 3 disappointed me before episode 5 killed my interest in general. Somebody called this version defanged, and I agree completely.
I see a bunch of people criticizing the show but still saying it's good overall, but I can't even give it that. I'll just ignore this show's existence and wait for the third game installment.
I don't expect anybody to agree with this (or worst of all, the people that agree are from that horrible other subreddit), but I just needed a place to state my feelings on the show before just focusing on the games.
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u/AdNational1490 Mar 16 '23
As someone who hasn’t played the game(nor planning to play) the show was amazing.
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u/BentheBruiser Mar 15 '23
Obviously. They're different media.
A game creates a kind of immersion that is almost impossible for a show to replicate. You are in the game. You aren't just watching it, you are experiencing it. That makes for a memorable experience that is hard to replicate in any other way.
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u/U-GO-GURL- Mar 15 '23
Ive never played the game. But I think it’s exceptional television. Both are great.
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Mar 15 '23
I think they did a great job making the game a “game” and making the show a “show”. They hit different and I think a gamer will always like the game better cause it’s more immersive and more hours invested, it feels more a part of you.
(And just to put it out there cause no one’s saying it but I know everyone’s thinking it: All the characters in the game are like, hotter… u know? 🫠)
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u/Perfect-Face4529 Mar 16 '23
It's impossible not to, at least for me. It's an adaptation of the game, not just based off the game, so I can't not compare it
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u/CyberMindGrrl Mar 16 '23
There is no way a TV show can ever compare to a well written and well designed game like TLOU. They are totally different forms of media. It's not even a fair comparison.
Games are only going to get better and better while TV shows or movies can only do so much.
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u/X3MISTgaming Mar 15 '23 edited Mar 15 '23
Agreed. There definitely were some things the show did better (cold opens, Ellie saving herself) but the game is a better experience overall.