TLOU2 & Demon's Souls & Meaningful Combat

sometimes video games. other times other videos games. some times two video games at once. video games.
#demonssouls #tlou2 #thelastofus2
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Links:
Twitter: tinyurl.com/a2ns479
Patronize: www.patreon.com/user?u=2285408
My music: adolfnomura.bandcamp.com/music
Thanks for watching!

[@thorhighheels]

patronize me to get name in video like at 16:46 how cool! patrone: www.patreon.com/user?u=2285408 the devin: kzbin.infovideos ppl are gonna ask, but YES i will get to deadly prem 2 soon. ive already played through the first one again taking notes and capturing footage to .mp4 files for use in a video. just not gonna rush it, i wanna take my time with the game, u know.

[@ytfisthisathing]

Hey Thor, have you played a Contra game?

[@theorganizationxiii9765]

i loved how you completely misunderstod the hate for tlou part 2 in the first part of the video... annnnnddd unsub

[@PiterLauchy]

@@theorganizationxiii9765 lol

[@arnoldnickatina1147]

I'll patronize you, now gibs me title of track at 17:03 so I can fucking jam plz ty mr high heels

[@trailraya646]

First video you posted since I started sharing on patreon and thank you so much, I really fucked with both of these games and really really enjoyed hearing your take on the everything being said on last of us since release.

[@ArninoStorm]

Demon's Souls still has the best boss killing message. A POWER BEYOND HUMAN IMAGINATION!

[@ChuckPalomo]

Personally I'm partial to "YOU DEFEATED"

[@dralakba-dusk31]

"The real demon's souls start here" now this one bru

[@Krystalmyth]

I love the subtitles to all the announcements.

[@arisumego]

You SHALL obtain the demon soul...

[@duffman18-ky2ff]

​@@dralakba-dusk31 you mean Irn Bru? The national drink of Scotland? (Americans who claim they're Scottish because their great great great great great grandfather once drank a dram of scotch, and so they cos play as Scottish despite being born and raised in America which makes them American not Scottish, well these people get a lot of stuff wrong with what Scotland is actually like. They think everyone walks around in kilts playing bagpipes. And they think scotch is the national drink of Scotland. But it's not. Irn Bru absolutely dwarfs scotch by a long long long _LOOOOOOOOONG_ way, yet it's rare to find someone from outside the UK who's ever even heard of it. So it's cool to see you reference it like that tbh)

[@Bleinsfield]

I had a problem with the enemies crying out for each other in TLOU2, like "OH NO, CHARLIE!!!" I just saw Charlie gut a dude in a ritualistic murder I'm not gonna feel bad about him.

[@Yeshua_is-Cool]

Ha ha lol

[@tomkrawec]

That's your perspective, and it's a self-serving one. Try looking at things from more than one perspective. You're going around killing people too, so if you want to apply a "killer doesn't deserve respect" perspective, look at yourself from the outside with it.

[@xanaxodgrindcorelover9191]

@@tomkrawec uh well, yeah, thats part of the point. ellie and abby arent rly worthy of respect unless they finally stop killing people.

[@animebro14]

@@tomkrawec i would agree if it wasn't for the fact that they attack on sight, even when you don't fire your gun.

[@cybercop0083]

@@tomkrawec Bleinsfield is killing for the greater good. Charlie on the other hand was operating towards the greater bad. Nobody should grief for "Forsaken Chuck". Just sayin'.

[@Mrxau1]

I never really felt judged by the violence in TLOU2 like a lot of people, the first game made the rules of that world pretty clear. I thought about it more as a game about perspectives then anything else, other then trying to judge the player or the characters in the story it was more about making their struggles feel real and open a window to their lives. Never really taking a stance in what's wrong or right, as these concepts really don't matter much anymore, but shedding a light in what a life like that would do to people as collectives or their mental states as individuals.

[@josealejandromontilla1106]

the game wants you to hate the people you killing

[@josealejandromontilla1106]

while showing you there human begins too

[@SFUWags]

Yeah I feel like games criticism is too often focused on trying to tie a thread between player and protagonists. Stop thinking the narrative is about you, thats as much a hangup in the gaming world as trying to continually try to make playing a game be like this metaphysical thing were you game is trying to play you player or some shit. Never once in the last of us are you giving a true choice in the characters actions, but people treating as if they are Joel or Ellie. In games with far more choice people don't examine treat the game like its judging the player, for instance tell tale games where the core of the game is literally decision you don't got wow the games is making me feel bad for making a choice I see what you are doing game developer asshole, trying to manipulate my emotions with a narrative. Wow, this bigby wolf sure is a fucking cop, wow you trying to say I am a cop game? Like I don't feel like this story was really driving you be subverted of your expectations there are like 2 twists in this game, both of which hare heavily foreshadowed in various ways. Maybe its because I don't really find it fun to constantly peak behind the curtain and sus out what the director is thinking and trying to judge them based on my pretense, at least on my first way a least. I was watching someone play it and completely murdering the opening scene by continually assessing the scene and talking over it trying to parse out the quality of the game. Like, they were all like 'wow they are really going for this goofy dad joel' because he said a joke to ellie and 'there is like this dark forboding tone to this scene like trying to set up emotional forshadowing but why why are they so awkward'. like it was the most infuriating this I have seen in a while, not saying thor is doing any of this I just feel like , and confirmed, that he game into this game with not an expectation but an already half baked interpretation based on its budget and marketing and shit like that. Like I imagine if last of us was instead of a 3rd person shooter was like a top down or isometric indie title with exact same narrative and thematic approach to gameplay people would throw a lot of the pretension with narrative out and just judge the game for what it is a game. I don't think the violence in it supposed to guilt the player but ground them, the first games combat was similarly gory it was just made on a system from 2005 and a lot of the 'player guilting' shit is simply a progression of technology, we now have incredible laser scanning and motion capturing technology make the enemy characters more expressive and emotive. If you are improving the AI and adding enemy tactical callouts then have them react to their deaths of there comrades. The game decided to pursue guilt as much as it pursues exhaustion towards the end I was sneaking through most situations with WLF, and the game is mostly gives you that option with the exception of a handful of set pieces. This is also felt in that combat while more agile than the first is also a lot more difficult as the enemy act like trained soldiers and actually hit shots I normally expected AI to miss, like I was shot through car windows and cracks and wall from a distance I thought their accuracy gradient would fall into nothing or hit my surroundings. Yeah, this isn't a morality play as I have heard it described but a character study and yes gameplay does help paint the characters but its part of the cohesive experience. I know this video was primarily about gameplay but it feels incomplete because the bulk of the game is about the narrative and I didn't mind the pacing because many of those flashbacks literally coincided with the characters sleeping like you literally play as Ellie for like 8 hours in the first day and then you chill out and there is a flashback sequence. IDK, even with all the survival games and day cycles this is the first game where I truly felt like a day was a day, it was exhaustive and plays incredibly well if you stop on those clearly segmented sections. I also think its partially to a games credit like demon souls that it is jank and ugly and has little attempt in the way of an explicit story with actual characters that it benefits its interpretation. Like even dark souls is incredibly jank and can be frustrating because of it.

[@vaporsaver]

@@SFUWags Exactly!

[@nickv1212]

Exactly. It's the same reason there's thousands of notes everywhere giving you just a little bit of someone's life here and there. It's the reason all of the rooms, last minute shelters, and environmental details look the way they do. It's why enemies call out for their friends, share stories about their lives, and are animated with excruciating detail. Naughty Dog went through painstaking work to tell everyone's story, not just Ellie's. And in everybody's story, they wanna be the good guy. And sometimes, they're actually the bad guy. But none of that matters because they're all still human. And humans are an endangered species, go around killing the bad guys and you'll exterminate the race. If Joel could come from the brink and be loved by an entire community, what could someone like David have done if given a second chance? If he never ran into Ellie and continued being a possible child raping cannibal, could he renounce that life and be genuinely loved by another group who didn't know him then? He was capable of showing compassion and he was a skilled fighter (got murdered by a crazy 14 year old though) in a world where that really matters. It's entirely possible. It's even entirely possible Joel himself was once a cannibal. We don't know his whole story, just parts of it. But if we're gonna judge Abby, if we're gonna judge David, then we should judge Joel too. Or try not judging them at all. This world breaks people.

[@jp5394]

17:10 with production values like that, instead of shocking the player with extreme violence, you're just putting a mental strain on your employees.

[@pinkcloudsnightlightbell]

Well said

[@KnightSquire]

Demon Souls is the Dark Souls of From Softwares games... It really makes you FEEL like a demon's soul.

[@_cripticon8004]

Ah a demons dunk souls to you good sir

[@mariobianchi2313]

lol... well i do agree.

[@moister3727]

We are the demon souls!

[@j0nnynoname]

"Took about 4 hours of floundering about not knowing what the game wanted from me...but I did it. And from then on it clicked in a big way." - every demon's souls stan ever

[@aX0n777]

every souls fan ever *

[@jacoblevenson7934]

@@aX0n777 it's ridicules how accurate that is.

[@richardnash6111]

It's weird and wonderful how the games almost require you to just accept being lost and ultimately that's how you become found. If you pay any level of attention that time you wander around lost you're learning tells, becoming familarl with your move set and it's speed and getting the gear you need to start to fight back. If if wasn't for the atmosphere of Demon's Souls I'd have never kept playing but the eerie calmness is really intriguing and magnetic.

[@axelprino]

There's something about the way you edit and deliver the lines that makes me love your style of videos, it feels polished but rough at the same time.

[@Zayindjejfj]

It's as jank, raw, and genuine as the games he plays.

[@spookydonkey42]

"Cry over guy die" was a great line. I really hated far cry 5 by the end of it because after hours of *jobber-hunter simulator* it tries to preach to you with "when r u gonna learn u can't solve everything with a bullet?" But Like Hey fucko game U never equipped me with a "diplomacy" button. But u sure as fuq equipped me with a rocket launcher!

[@crazycoot647]

This is why I love Metal Gear Solid series it gives you the choice to be non-lethal so when I kill someone i don't feel like "Oh well another enemy that left me no choice but to kill" and I fell more like "I could've avoided this"

[@Antonio_Ortiz]

32:11-32:46: Being self-aware that people are biased and will try to only search for evidence that supports their narrative, but then being fair and still acknowledging that there's other evidence that contradicts it. *D* *E* *E* *P*

[@dhoffnun]

The juxtaposition of your thoughtful analysis and flawless English pronunciation with the purposefully broken, internet-comment-like phrasing is the video essay aesthetic I never knew I needed. 10/10, buying all your albums come payday

[@PiterWandercleydson]

Man, my vibe on this game was about how much I cared for the characters and at what point I felt from no engagement to ultra caring about them, and why I felt that way. A reflection of what you see as "ok, this person had a legit motive to murder" from "wtf, this person is crazy". Never felt the game blaming me (the player) for anything, as a linear story game, it is much more of a "puzzle" approach from point A to B, as you have no options at all on what happens. Its was more like accompanying a dear friend in middle a lot of bad decisions (and I loved it).

[@brandonclarke436]

It’s so hard going through ten million comments talking about the game as if it’s about THEM

[@quiettimegaming3642]

29:26 *THIS* (for like next minute, lol) was my biggest issue with the title. This game almost universally *delivers the payoff before the set up* in almost every significant (and hundreds of insignificant) point of the story. It becomes very difficult to attach yourself to the character’s actions or TRULY put yourself in their shoes (which typically would be a crucial element of pulling off a narratively-driven experience) when you’re tricked/forced into doing something, only to be given its significance AFTER the deed has been done. The player doesn’t feel responsible for anything the game made the player-character do, because they weren’t privy to its importance beforehand. And I think that if you play this game and apply the same perspective that you normally would for ANY GAME there’s just an inescapable disconnect between the player’s actions and the consequences, and it’s not even a case of ‘cognitive dissonance.’ You just always have the feeling meaning and purpose being intentionally withheld and supplied AFTER the events have taken place leaving the player to suffer consequences they couldn’t have measured against the actions, and that just doesn’t work from the typical perspective of a game. Even games like Spec Ops and Braid understand that if you’re going to shift the perspective of the actions the player has done, you’ve *should* save it for a last-minute reveal or a ‘third-act twist’. Having said *ALL OF THAT,* once the game had Abby kill Joel after having the player control Abby *IMMEDIATELY* reframed how I approached the narrative. I stopped looking at it as ‘characters I’m supposed to relate to’, and more about an overall narrative and the player is designed to facilitate and experience’, not really ‘impact’. Sorry for rambling. Lol, AND 30:06 you literally said the same thing... but I took the time to type it out, so I’m leaving it.

[@MemoriesLP]

But I thought that was kinda the point... Whatever you do with Ellie, feels like The Last of Us 1, justified, and you are just fighting bad people. You are the hero, and they are not. Then with Abby, you see the other side of the coin, so that impact you are asking the player to feel, was not felt by Ellie anyway. I also don't get this idea from the video and from you, that the player feel disconnect or something. It is not abou me, you, the player, its about those character and their story. If they go and do something that you have no part of, that's because you are just controlling them, and checking their story. This is part of games since they started existing, so I didn't get this argument of yours.

[@brandonclarke436]

What are you even talking about. The game is about Ellie and what she did the game isn’t tricking you. They’re fighting too survive regardless of if the enemy has cool friends or not

[@WritingOnGames]

I LOVED THIS VIDEO SO MUCH HOLY MOLY

[@Doctor-Infinite]

Didn't expect to see you here lmao

[@Superblamblamman]

WE REPPIN THOR

[@Glassandcandy]

Get this boy a shout-out. He deserves it

[@yeetleslaw8529]

Have you played Pathological 2 yet? That game has meaningful combat.

[@erinfee5104]

I love how disorienting and uncomfortable Pathologic 2's "combat" is, especially after how easy it was to farm bandits in Classic. Being mugged in the street shouldn't feel satisfying or graceful, and I think they nailed it

[@yeetleslaw8529]

@@erinfee5104 Totally. The first combat experience I had was being jumped from behind. I desperately tried to pull my knife but I pulled out my barely functioning pistol on accident. I Fired twice. Only one bullet hit, but it wasn't fatal. The mugger knifed me again and I died. And reflecting on that, that's how real life mugging would be like. I had take a break from the game because the themes were too real for me. I mean, the plague is all fun and games until it happens in real life. lol

[@gronkiusmaximus]

It warms my heart so much that a game from 2019 can get a 9/10 on Steam and a "masterpiece" tag in this current day game industry

[@evilfreak7]

You'd like Pathologic. Just sayin

[@Thaltas]

I wanted to say i've been one of those silent viewers thanks to youtube o consoles/TV doesn't really help with commenting, but yeah. LOVE the whole style of your channel and social input on the games you play and enjoy! Know that I definetely know how your childhood feels being a non-american who self-taught myself english. Hope your carreer in game development becomes a reality because i'd definetely love what ideas you have in store! Also, would it be a safe bet to check if you have any plans on playing NieR Reeincarnation or the remake/port of Replicant?

[@MidnightSt]

I just realized what Last of Us (both 1 and 2) needed. A "Just leave me alone" button - that would make you shout things like "I don't want to kill you, I'm just passing through, let me be and i'll let you be". To which enemies would occasionally react by actually leaving you alone, either if you haven't killed any of them yet, or if you killed enough for the rest to realize they have no chance.

[@quiettimegaming3642]

17:01 see I’ve played through it 4 times completely and I didn’t personally ever ‘get’ or feel that the game was making a statement on anything, for better or for worse. And it’s not that you aren’t supposed to be ‘shocked’ with the level of detail given to the violence, it’s that you’re supposed to feel it’s justified, at least for a while. Having said that, it’s entirely possible to get through almost this entire game without killing a soul (besides the forced encounters, of which there are only a handful of). So in many ways this game is only as violent and visceral as you choose to make the experience. For one, they don’t even really contextualize any of the violence you perpetrate until after it’s happened (for the most part), as the game expects you to be so caught up with Ellie’s cause (and Abby’s survival) that you don’t consider any of that until the effects are displayed. I think you can APPLY whatever meaning you’d like to it because the game is ver non-committal with any theme it introduces... especially when we’re SO USED to narrative-driven games telling us EXACTLY how we’re supposed to feel at all times. But the LoU2 INTENTIONALLY separates the player from the cause STRICTLY for the purpose of displaying how futile the endeavor is, but that’s only through omission of purpose (besides the obvious) because they want you to have those moments of, *“What I am I even progressing towards? Something that will only leave the characters (and by proxy the player) lost and more broken than when they set out on their quest?”* And I personally loved that. I enjoyed being able to reach my own conclusions, and apply my own value to each character’s cause. And that’s why you have people all over the place on this title. But I can legitimately say that the game doesn’t frame the violence specifically because that was INTENTIONAL, and necessary because of the narrative.

[@brookhaven86]

This! The game turns you into a rage fueled monster whose only focus is revenge. Much like in real life, one would not consider the damage of their actions until way after the act. It was not until the end with both main character finally going separate ways do you finally see them have that thought of... well shit this would have ended so much better if I had just walked away any number of months ago. I personally felt it was never about teaching us a lesson about "murder bad" in the moment like many people flimsy latched on to for their main criticism. Naughty Dog wanted that sense of satisfaction we got from revenge to stew before flipping the script. Judge actions before committing them was my takeaway if there was a lesson to be learned from my 2 playthroughs.

[@tigerfestivals5137]

Dude props for that "A Serbian Film" ost when talking about violence.

[@yagopone7404]

Hello, we are B R A N D and we are with the status quo and against being against a certain group by another certain group. B R A N D will stand it’s ground without having any legs to stand on and change depending on what is or what is not popular at any given time. Also, stay inside and consume B R A N D and be afraid to go outside.

[@Zayindjejfj]

*S I L E N C E B R A N D*

[@seetclear8947]

You have an amazing narrative voice and your editing skills are elite. Love your content, Thor. Keep mixing big brain analysis with crass irreverence 💖

[@Nimbereth]

Love his style, but there are little Nintendo games in his channel.

[@OfficialRoxanneMusic]

I see somebody has watched "A Serbian Film" before.

[@maxphamousHD]

Finally someone else who noticed

[@SOBEKCrocodileGod]

I don’t dare view the movie, but the theme music fucking slaps

[@tigerfestivals5137]

@@SOBEKCrocodileGod i have listed to much of the soundtrack many times but ive never actually seen the film

[@nautilusinthejungle]

@@tigerfestivals5137 Just keep it that way, don't go out of your way to watch it.

[@Hoshikage869]

I never played a TLOU game, and I'm not really interested for reasons of setting and gameplay, but I've seen the argument made that the game isn't saying "you are bad for doing this violence that we're forcing you to do," but "these characters who you control, but are narratively distinct from you, are bad or are making bad decisions." KZbinr Curio had an interesting take on it (after the analysis of the chud backlash).

[@QuintessentialWalrus]

I've seen this take a lot, and I respect it to an extent -- but if that's the case, then I think it just reflects poorly on The Last of Us. The series doesn't really play with concepts like determinism or interactivity, which IMO is the only reason why a video game should lean so heavily into the idea that the protagonist can and will defy the player's wishes. It was interesting in Bioshock and Spec Ops: The Line, but TLOU2 in particular doesn't handle this concept well, to the point where I think the mechanics are essentially meaningless to the story. If the narrative is front and center and I don't get to influence the plot, characters, or context in any way, then why is there gameplay at all?

[@ApenBaard]

Of course thats what the game is saying...im still baffled some people dont get this..... This also clearly was a reaction to all the nagging about the fact that nathan drake cant be portrayed as likeable without it feeling wrong because hes all light hearted and fun and then seconds before and after kills hundreds of people and irl would be a psychopath so they were like: Ok here your go: shooting game where everyone who shoots each other is a miserable person. Its funny how games like the last of us are actually more like actual roleplaying than most rpgs xD roleplaying means inhabiting different role then yourself, a different character then you are and making descisions you maybe wouldnt but the character would...but almost everyone plays rpgs as if they were "selfplaying games" haha as in they only want to do what they would do irl, what they think is right or wrong not the character their inhabiting for the duration of the game.

[@GuyOnAChair]

I think someone said it best when they described TLOU 2 as a game about right and wrong where the writers think they're always right.

[@franklinbasil3666]

Really, is that an argument you've seen or one you're too much of a coward to make yourself

[@GuyOnAChair]

@@franklinbasil3666 It was in a Japanese/Korean guys review and while wish I had come up with it I'm not the originator of the line. I don't see how quoting him is obfuscating intent or being cowardly. 🤷

[@mh-lh7jr]

i have so much respect for you as an video game video essayist vidoe person guy. the way you genuinely try to appreciate games for what they are while staying true to your own tastes gives your videos this elevated sense of honesty regarding both your feelings and what the games actually are. it puts it above many of the other more contrived things on this site and on the internet as a whole. it's great. it's been so infectious that I've been more open-minded as well in my life, generally speaking. thank you

[@pinkcloudsnightlightbell]

And the video editing ! 🙂The use of cool OSTs like from "Lisa"!!👌🏻

[@crazycoot647]

That's Thor for ya

[@patriciopannucio2844]

So happy to see that you enjoyed Demon's Souls. It's still my favourite souls game to this day. Idk there's something so weird, unique and even experimental about it that isn't really there in the rest of the franchise. Bloodborne comes very close to emulating that feeling tho

[@cloudbloom]

Same. Demon's is one of my all time favorite games

[@patriciopannucio2844]

@@cloudbloom I really hope the remake adds the Giants world that was cut from the original and some other stuff

[@Odinsday]

Because Demon's Souls and Bloodborne are Fromsoft and Miyazaki at their weirdest and most creative. Miyazaki even stated that one of the reasons DeS is so unique is that he could basically do whatever he wanted with no repercussions and BB feels like Miyazaki contacted Cthulhu and wrote down his thoughts and made it into a game. Not to fault Dark Souls 1 as it feels really different from the rest of the series in a lot of ways, mainly atmospherically. DeS and BB both have this oppressive and ominous atmosphere making you fear walking down every corner into the unknown (Both games take huge inspiration from Lovecraft). DS1 does this as well, but the game makes you feel more lonely and isolated with trips being made place to place leaving you only with your thoughts. It's very quiet and gives the world a very sad and "hollow" vibe to it, like everything is gone and is never coming back.

[@JC-cb8oi]

Samesies!

[@roondar6141]

The message of violence being bad rings hollow when you don’t give the player a nonviolent option Undertale and Metal Gear Solid 3 pull this sort of message off way better

[@breadordecide]

Heres how to play demon souls: play all the 1-1 levels in each world. Then play all the 2-2 levels in each world. Etc.

[@charlytavernier6241]

Although, always go to the Valley of Defilement last, just so you one shot everything. Blighttown, Black Gulch and Nightmare Fontiere have nothing on 5-2, this shit is the worst, it's not worth the hassle.

[@LINKchris87]

@@charlytavernier6241 Completely agree. Valley is the OG Blighttown 🤣

[@pavma7]

Well there is an easy mode for demon souls called playing a mage but yeah I get your point

[@Ckoz2829]

Lol firestorm everything!

[@lukasjuszczak1664]

I love how people consider souls hard. Like. FROM literally made Armored Core games. Come on.

[@greglane334]

Pyromancy ftw

[@blackRXrider]

@@lukasjuszczak1664 look out we got a badass in the comments section.

[@lukasjuszczak1664]

@@blackRXrider heh. I won't mention just how many tries it took me to kill Nineball or White Glint, cause that would include unmanly noises on my part.

[@Chiefoniontm]

Man it always makes my day when you upload. I love coming home and just to pop one of your videos like a TV show in the background.

[@stubdteauzgautugaux]

I hate you so much for using the CTR menu music 😭 It's such a bop tho 🤣

[@Max-sn3hr]

What.

[@nicouu4335]

I'm currently playing Bloodborne and IIt's my first souls game, sometimes is so satisfaying but also I rage A LOT, I can't play online but you the game lets you summon npcs to help with the bosses when I can't or I get bored of them. I love your videos Thor

[@dragoniraflameblade]

I don't have much to say about the games, but serious shout for using the music to set the mood for the topic. I love both LoD and Lisa's soundtracks, too.

[@Cousin_Uli]

"one trick doesn't always work" hahahaha soul arrow go ssshhhwwoooooo

[@eugenewatson1456]

People say this but especially for a first time player there are a decent number of bosses who will be a nightmare for a magic build.

[@meaninglez100]

I see you using that LISA theme.

[@amrooo1997]

Got love these semi constant upload :0

[@mekannatarry1929]

Love your style of videos, also love those Legend of Dragoon tracks lol.

[@deathmetalhell]

THE SERBIAN FILM TRACK

[@orateusdijin6557]

Your videos really make me smile tbh, cause nowadays it really be crazy out there. So thanksssss.

[@xerxBreak]

totally an aside, but whenever i hear someone use "chuds" i gotta ask this, how did this get popular as an insult? Like the meaning of "cannibals from a certain B-movie" doesnt seem to have any relation to what its now used for so how'd that catch on?

[@apigeon4192]

It's been an insult for decades, but recently was popularized in leftist circles by the podcast Chapo Trap House. As for why they use it, refer to the former.

[@TheOnlyLunaKage]

So that means Thor is a leftist? Disappointing, but I love his style too much to let it bother me.

[@cloudbloom]

Demon's Souls is absolutely top tier. Can't wait for the remake

[@tigerfestivals5137]

You've come a long way, man. I remember discovering your videos when you barely had any subs. Keep it up, these videos are always entertaining and have an interesting editing style.

[@River_StGrey]

Your videos actually feel like they take the amount of time to watch that they are. In a good way, I don't know why but I'm always engaged and thinking and periodically pausing to reflect on or deconstruct something you said. Lots of other long-form videos I'll put on with the intent of actively engaging with, and then forty five minutes later I wake up because there was a sudden absence of sound in my room.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

17:00 This montage style is SO cool!

[@rassault]

damn, two nice videos in one, right on. keep it up

[@johannesparkmann3899]

Ohhh thanks for reminding me of the awesomeness of Sky Wikluhs contribution the a certain film

[@greenhowie]

I missed the music when you said the thing... Good viddy tho and I'm glad you pushed through with Demon's Souls. I don't have the tech for such a thing but it looks like it's kinda better than its more popular brother in places.

[@candicefarrington2208]

Hilarious as always and very informative.

[@Mygrandpaspodcast]

I think the yakuza games are a perfect example of this other than “the guns” lol and yakuza gave every single enemy a name as early as yakuza 3 maybe earlier I can’t remember

[@georgielockhart6686]

Cool that you've been playing Demon's Souls. I literally just did a playthrough and platinum it last week. (The remake has me hyped)

[@957charly]

That song of Sandoras Prison of Legend of Dragoon, hit me hard. too much for my old heart.

[@juanpuertas8042]

I'm so happy you enjoyed Demon's Souls. Such a refreshing game even after playing every Soulsborne game that came after.

[@pugsleyuser345]

Man you deserve way more subs I love your channel

[@diamondmetal3062]

I just found your channel. I gotta say, I love how goddamn a e s t h e t i c it is.

[@titanscar2183]

And suddenly a new favorite youtuber has appeared in my feed

[@bryal7811]

9:58 Legend of Dragoon has some great music. Good pick

[@TheOneAndOnlySame]

Oh, yes, it was that.. Thanks.

[@syntheticteapot]

They need to make a remaster tbh.

[@intelligenceparadigm4931]

I think many players have a disconnect as if the developers of TLOU2 are talking directly to them in terms of actions and guilt.....but that's absurd. That's not right at all. Look at it in universe. It's Ellie and Abby who are doing all these things. You don't really have a choice. You're more like an observer as the player, you can choose how to approach the violence but you can't ignore the violence, because THEY can't. It's in their nature, and their motivations. Characters can do bad things without calling the PLAYER bad smh

[@yesthatdash]

Thank you!I honestly think your comment here perfectly describes the huge disconnect between fans of the 1st game and the 2nd.And also shows that the "dudebros hate the lesbians"excuse is ultimately the biggest red herring of 2020.

[@KnightSquire]

I disagree, all fiction has that disconnect, it still aims to be relatable. If they've failed to make you feel, or even understand a characters remorse, hope, or anger, then they've failed. Most people can't even understand why characters in TLOU2 would feel the way they do in the situations they are placed in. Its so important to understand a characters reasoning, even if you ultimately disagree with them. Its especially important in media attempting to illustrate the moral grey area of someone who at first appears to be a Villain. I think Last of Us 2 is far too mechanically lazy for the bold narrative it reaches for. It's a really interesting idea to have a game based around the notion that "an eye for an eye leaves the world blind"... but the moment to moment game play is almost exactly the same as "desperate man tries to get daughter figure to safety". Remember those early GTA clones that made the player character a police officer, but on the way to missions you would run down like 20 pedestrians... The gameplay and narrative didn't match up, and it's distracting for a lot of people. That's how I think people feel. Well, except all the assholes transphobes and homophobes.

[@JarlFrank]

See, that's the problem I have with cinematic games in general. I'm the player. I'm supposed to slip into the character's shoes and make the choices. When the game forces me to do things in exactly one way without alternatives, and my character acts in cutscenes without any input from me, I get pulled out of the game and stop caring about the story.

[@traviscue2099]

I'd explain it like you're in control of almost an actor playing a scene. The game isn't judging you, you're just playing the script. It's not your story, its Ellies and Abbys.

[@viczio]

Netflix viewer POV vs Videogamer POV. Gamers tend to insert themselves in the characters. It comes back to what the dude in the video said about it being closer to a series than a videogame.

[@Jehnubis]

Just wanna say this is an excellent video essay and helped put into words the complicated feelings I had toward TLOU2, as well as make an incredibly good argument as to why it's perfectly fair to compare it to games that are so different from it. Astounding work, great job.

[@thuropendragon7498]

Dude, leaving a like for that Legend of Dragoon ost.

[@benmcmanus4154]

This is a weirdly unique video for me among the TLOU discourse because FromSoftware and Naughty Dog are pretty much my favourite developers. Great video man. 👌 The main difference between my feel and yours is the whole "you're meant to feel bad LOL" , which I gotta say I never felt. Because I didn't have the choice , I was merely on this ride and not deciding it. And that's what ND do, they make rides and these rides despite being rides can only be expressed truly as the video game they are. I was impressed with Last of us Part II because perspectives are something that video games can do extraordinarily well, since we play the character. We might as well be called actors (I'm here all night 🥁).

[@user-ti2xu3wp5l]

I'm glad you mentioned chatting about Souls games. I think one of the best thing about the Souls series is that all the vagueness and complexity leads to people having to talk about them in order to understand any mechanics outside of stabbing everything with a sword and walking around. Most of us aren't going to figure out what the main story is or how weird things like world tendency work from the info we get in the games, so when we're confused about mechanics we don't understand we hit up google, register on whatever site we find, and there's another person involved in the conversation. It's lead to a really strong online presence and community.

[@notopianne2906]

Damn man your transitions are getting cooler with each video, very cool

[@kerem121]

you've come a long way....i remember when u had 3k subs

[@lilstrawhat]

Beautifully done.

[@innovade7887]

Your voice has been missed, can't wait to watch!

[@Zayindjejfj]

Your insight of these things is very impressive. Your take on The Tower of Latria explains why I love it. It almost demands you to play it like a third person thief game, and I love stealth options in immersive sims. The dark foreboding sense of the level matches with your intentions to sneak and take advantage of the enemy that would otherwise take advantage of you. The level's design feels restrictive, petty, and punishing as seen with how the Octopus dudes restrict your movements with their magic. Leaving an overall sense of paranoia and claustrophobia. Valley of Defilement is also amazing due to it being caustic and terrifying. The swamp makes you slow and makes you feel enfeebled and a bit bored. Juxtaposed with falling off the rafters into the abyss being breathtaking in the same way meeting that NPC that can just straight up walk, run, and roll in the swamp and also has a giant knife to fuck you up. You feel like a small rodent sludging through shit and then out of nowhere, you're about to be shoved off or pummeled by something that wants you dead.

[@dextrodemon]

the bit about learning demon's souls at the start there is exactly what people mean when they say 'git gud' it's nice to see it summed up so cutely

[@WezYouTube]

I’m glad you’re getting more attention now. It’s so deserved. Now please play and do a video on Sekiro. I’d love you forever

[@squadalaa8901]

This might just be the best video about videogames I've ever seen.

[@groovstoov4717]

Wow. At ten minutes, you spliced in some tunes from The Legend of Dragoon. Much respect dude. Subbed.

[@masaitheguy]

Love your videos dude!

[@showem9575]

oh shit, a thh Demons Souls video, been waiting for this, love you

[@mzed561]

Dude you should play Pathologic 2. It's *the* game to analyze especially through this lens

[@martinwalker6145]

He really should that game saps my will to live

[@djbeema]

Bizarre, I started playing Demon's Souls for the first time right as I was finishing up on TLoU2 last week!

[@JoshBurcham104]

now that you've done demon's souls I'm so curious what your thoughts are on Dark Souls and Bloodboobe

[@bitterbatterdog]

I haven't played the last of us 2 for the opposite reasons pushed here, but at the same time, the same disconnect. I was spoiled before the game came out and knew what would occur. Turns out, because I really enjoyed the characters in the first game, I don't want to play as a character who kills them. I'm not sure if it's an overthought or I'm just an emotional idiot but when I watch a movie or TV show, I am a third party, and have no control, so if this occurred there, It would be on the director to make me sympathize with the "villain". But this does not translate to a game. You have put me in the driver's seat of a car I don't want to drive, hindered by the fact I know I will not like where the journey ends and because of that, I have no intention of starting that car. It may be considered childish since clearly none of these characters exist but from the very existance of the game want's me to do something I don't want to and, therefore won't (at least for a long while). It's just interesting that this is the first time I've truly felt a disconnect between using cinematics styles in line with games.

[@Happyjethappy]

35:40 I am getting dejavu have you said these lines before? "Both games single highhandedly defined the trends" "x feels fun" "y feels like the end of an era".

[@jacobcore6278]

You are pretty good at making videos

[@o_caetano]

excuse me, why you are not famous? thats some good ass content

[@syntheticteapot]

Ikr such a criminally underrated channel. This should be one of the indesputable top video game commentary/video essay channels of all time.

[@heintz223]

i'm still watching it but man your vids are good i really like you for giving us such good content

[@Ravendawn-oi4yq]

Great video, love your content, I thought that you would ignore this game or hate it completely for being too cinematic?? idk, I judged you badly, you actually said both good and bad things about the game, and not only you made me want to play tlou2, but also be hyped for the remake of DS so good job

[@Spike294]

you could have tried the other -1 levels after tower knight @_@ but yes that is pretty much everyone's experience with their first souls and was mine for DeS too. had it on hold for months, finally went back at some point and it clicked

[@shuragear5259]

the legend of dragoon song threw me off, it sounds so fitting

[@crozraven]

I wonder if Demon's Souls Remake will be as hard as the OG one, as the game is develop to be more polished, better animation, less janky, better performance, & overall a better quality of life game experience.

[@Ripcookiethief]

I bet it still turns out janky. But pretty.

[@PabbyPabbles]

Maybe we'll finally get the stage linked to that broken stone

[@Jess_1999]

@@Ripcookiethief What's the point of remastering it then? The Old Look is fine it still looks good on a normal HD tv, in my opinion.

[@Ripcookiethief]

@@Jess_1999 I don't know. Ask FromSoftware.

[@flo.g.]

@@Jess_1999 it isn't only remaster, but a remake (from what I've heard)

[@beastlymachop]

What song is playing at 17:00 after the mid video roll call, while Thor was talking abt TLOU2?

[@curtwildschutt595]

the background track at around 17 mins slapped my ass clean off thank u

[@goncaloferreira6429]

Life things almost broke a boy but some friends, some persistence and some learning brought him back from the brink. Umbassa!

[@Kuzushi42]

This discussion of violence reminds me of the problem Sam Peckinpah was faced with the reception of The Wild Bunch. His violent ending ended up glorifying the violence for most viewers rather than vilifying it.

[@berserkerf0x574]

Great video as always. I love your videos , keep it up . I think TLOUS2 it's a pretty good game , it only failed to express what it wanted to express

[@pinkcloudsnightlightbell]

Same!♡

[@jthopkins]

I think it’s pretty amusing to be kind of down on TLOU2 and to simultaneously prop up the story of a Souls game.

[@cacherow]

That Lisa soundtrack really taking me back

[@RuYevon]

I found that with TLOU2 I was able to disconnect myself from the horror of the super realistic combat but still stay connected with the characters. There's a lot more going on than just a message about violence, and even with that, a lot of the gruesome stuff is brief if you choose to take the quickest route. Maybe the struggle it has with violence is just something the medium always has with this kind of game. Interestingly TLOU1 has more encounters that you can just run from or sneak around without killing, but doing that felt really out of character for who you were playing. I actually feel a different kind of disconnect with the souls games, where sometimes it's combat is fun and even humorous, but I can never not feel the sense of loneliness about it. And where the multiplayer is supposed to change that and give you some cooperation, the amount of griefing just felt like bullying.

[@damiensawyers4133]

I literally just started playing Demon's Souls for the first when this came out...

[@cloudbloom]

Enjoy the game, it's one of my top 3 favorites of all time

[@dhoffnun]

THH's description of Demon's Souls... that's been pretty similar to my experience with Dark Souls 2 so far: > Kill lots of enemies without taking damage > Beat an early boss no prob , feelin sassy > First death is from missed jump in starting area, feel the dumbs > Second through 34th deaths @ Pirates of the Caribbean attraction with the big monkey-spider knife-hand guys > Finally kill all the monkey-spider knife-hand guys, feel super victorious > Hissing assassin dood drops from sky and knocks me into some deep ass water Y O U D I E D > Contemplate loss, struggle, acceptance, perseverance, and blood pressure medication

[@hesiolite]

Play on the private server buddy if uou want to experience the multiplayer. We can coop when you want.

[@anaflavia1744]

OMG ME TOO, it's my first time playing it

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Great stuff, love your insights on DeS. Little conflicted with the comparison though. TLOU is pro-authorial, ie play moves as author intended with some room for player expression (like how to take on enemies). The emotional impact (including stuff like handling violence) is limited by how author's imagination ie Naughty Dog writers, and remains unchanged from player to player. Demon's Souls is co-authorial, which is both author and player create the story. Rule set and general world and NPC is laid out by the author, but the rest of the interaction (build choice, path to take, NPC to kill etc) is up to the player. The emotional impact is very much player's own combined with authors, which can be wildly different from player to player. IMO, it'd been better if you'd picked a pro-authorial game to compare with TLOU 2. Something like Hotline Miami, whose violence message still holds ups by being unabashedly fun.

[@ryusaranyawut7913]

37:41 That outtro, the gunshot and the pixel blood. What inspired you to do that style?

[@raphaelhemery152]

You are one of my favorite youtubers. I really appreciate your writing style, and you somehow feel far more honest than most. I love how you try to find what the game was going for, but also what it accomplishes willfully or not. Keep it up, you are doing fantastic.

[@JackieFroSTALKER]

Just wanna say how much your vids help me in these difficult times. Gives me some nice, chill, and insightful gaming content to consume with my eyeholes and earholes. Keep up the good work, champ!

[@SpartanBerseker]

that based god in the soundtrack thooo

[@Luke--99]

Lmfao I thought I was imagining things

[@thepointlessstruggle7194]

It's weird that I'm playing the last of us 2 on ps4 & demon souls on ps3 simultaneously at the moment. For real though if you like Demon's Souls, you gotta play Bloodborne. It's the same but you get a gun & it's all Lovecraft & gothic horror. I have a few tattoos of it. Something about Miyazaki games speaks to me. The last of us 2 was good but for some reason I just wanted it to end the whole time & I don't know why. Anyway, love the video. You gotta make some more, I can't keep watching your old stuff repeatedly, lol! Oh & thanks for getting me into final fantasy... One of my favorite series now. Thorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrf

[@Kinghog58]

Woah, Helena Prison theme got me feeling some type of way