The Last of Us Almost Had a Different Ending (Spoilers)

[Toastngravy]

..Wait what?
I'm..wait....I'm a tad confused here and I do apologize if it's been mentioned as I only skimmed the first page, didn't touch the second. Did the person that talked about this (not the writer, the person being quoted) play the game? Or at least pay attention to what was put into the game?

You find collectibles....I can't recall if it was a note or a recorder, that out right says there were more people just like ellie that were immune but they didn't manage to work. I don't believe it outright said they tried the brain surgery, but they did have a bunch of immune people that didn't do any good for them.

As far as I can tell Joel never lied to her...So yeah I'm a tad confused.

 

[Formica Archonis]

You know, the more I hear about this game the more glad I am that I wasn't going to play it. I read a good bit of pulp and amateur fic as a teenager, and over a decade later I am still completely sick of the humanity-loses-no-matter-what nihilism angle.

When I clicked on this headline I was intrigued. Was there debate within the company about the theme? Potential for a tiny hope spot? Nope! "Different ending" means "same ending, slightly different end of a character arc".

Eugh. I'll be over here burning copies of Greg Bear's novelette Blood Music if anyone needs me.

 

[Reeve]

She needs her brain removed so a cure can be developed? For the writers this is a case of the trope: You Fail Biology Forever. What a hamfisted choice of writing just so that the ending could be miserable. /rolleyes.

 

[yo mato]

In all honesty, I would´ve done the same as Joel. I mean, look at that gorgeous little face, I sincerely can´t picture her in the same situation as Kane in Robocop 2...you know, with her brain removed and all.

 

[Cheeseman Muncher]

I loved this game, but I think its story is getting WAY too much credit. Most of it seemed pretty cliche to me. The gameplay on the other hand was ecxellent and a departure from mechanics that have long been considered industry norms (hooray for no regenerating health).

The Last of Us may stand the test of time as the first game that the guts to go truly and utterly dark. Whereas other games will bounce back and forth between notes of silly and serious, there are few moments of levity in the game. Rather, it embraces a tone of ever intensifying desolation. Things never get better, they only get worse.

Oh, come on man! Has nobody played a Silent Hill game, a Fatal Frame, Spec Ops: The Line or just about any game out of the survival horror genre? You're giving the Last of Us too much credit for something that has been done before and has been done better

It's in the execution, a story can have a premise that's been done a thousand times and still be interesting (ex: The Walking Dead).

I still don't understand why they had to kill her though. I don't think medicine works that way.

The fungus they needed roots in the brain, so they kinda had to go poking around in there. Chances of her surviving where probably limited at best.

I think some of her blood would have been enough. Regardless of whether it took root in the brain or not, it would be her immune system that's the interesting bit. Presumably, it was capable of keeping the infection in check and would likely have a good starting point. While one could argue the infection would have needed to cross the blood-brain barrier and that would need to be studied, again it would be the immune system that would be the interesting bit. Couple of vials of blood, and maybe a lumbar puncture for some CSF, and you'd have at least something to start on.

Despite that I can understand why they went for the whole brain option. Whether it was from a lack of experience or just pure simple desperation, I'm guessing they saw it as their only choice.

Either way, best game I've played this generation. I look forward to the day that something manages to top it.

 

[Karoshi]

I loved this game, but I think its story is getting WAY too much credit. Most of it seemed pretty cliche to me. The gameplay on the other hand was ecxellent and a departure from mechanics that have long been considered industry norms (hooray for no regenerating health).

The Last of Us may stand the test of time as the first game that the guts to go truly and utterly dark. Whereas other games will bounce back and forth between notes of silly and serious, there are few moments of levity in the game. Rather, it embraces a tone of ever intensifying desolation. Things never get better, they only get worse.

Oh, come on man! Has nobody played a Silent Hill game, a Fatal Frame, Spec Ops: The Line or just about any game out of the survival horror genre? You're giving the Last of Us too much credit for something that has been done before and has been done better

It's in the execution, a story can have a premise that's been done a thousand times and still be interesting (ex: The Walking Dead).

I still don't understand why they had to kill her though. I don't think medicine works that way.

The fungus they needed roots in the brain, so they kinda had to go poking around in there. Chances of her surviving where probably limited at best.

I think some of her blood would have been enough. Regardless of whether it took root in the brain or not, it would be her immune system that's the interesting bit. Presumably, it was capable of keeping the infection in check and would likely have a good starting point. While one could argue the infection would have needed to cross the blood-brain barrier and that would need to be studied, again it would be the immune system that would be the interesting bit. Couple of vials of blood, and maybe a lumbar puncture for some CSF, and you'd have at least something to start on.

Despite that I can understand why they went for the whole brain option. Whether it was from a lack of experience or just pure simple desperation, I'm guessing they saw it as their only choice.

Either way, best game I've played this generation. I look forward to the day that something manages to top it.

It wasn't Ellie that had a lucky mutation - it was the fungus. Therefore her immunity wouldn't be passed on to her children. They already had about 10 people with the same case and each time the Fireflies cut them up and failed to make a vaccine.

I will agree, it would have made much more sense to take out a small part of fungus by drilling a small hole and then try to cultivate the fungus. Better chances of survival at least, with a plan B to work with as well.

 

[luckshot]

it really seems that whether you liked the ending or not depends on how you viewed joel

some viewed him as a good guy in general who would want to do the right thing, even if it was extremely violent

others (including myself) may have seen him as just a violent monster, only kept in check if there are good people around to stop him from being a monster. for me some of the scenes where it goes into his past supports this...or it could support the idea of keeping those he cared about alive

 

[bladeofdarkness]

in the end, joel did a horrible thing in order to protect Ellie,
whats new ?
he's been doing terrible things to protect her from day one.

that said, I love the ending
its perfect.
literally, my favorite ending of anything, of all times.

 

[Rainboq]

I loved this game, but I think its story is getting WAY too much credit. Most of it seemed pretty cliche to me. The gameplay on the other hand was ecxellent and a departure from mechanics that have long been considered industry norms (hooray for no regenerating health).

The Last of Us may stand the test of time as the first game that the guts to go truly and utterly dark. Whereas other games will bounce back and forth between notes of silly and serious, there are few moments of levity in the game. Rather, it embraces a tone of ever intensifying desolation. Things never get better, they only get worse.

Oh, come on man! Has nobody played a Silent Hill game, a Fatal Frame, Spec Ops: The Line or just about any game out of the survival horror genre? You're giving the Last of Us too much credit for something that has been done before and has been done better

It's in the execution, a story can have a premise that's been done a thousand times and still be interesting (ex: The Walking Dead).

I still don't understand why they had to kill her though. I don't think medicine works that way.

The fungus they needed roots in the brain, so they kinda had to go poking around in there. Chances of her surviving where probably limited at best.

I think some of her blood would have been enough. Regardless of whether it took root in the brain or not, it would be her immune system that's the interesting bit. Presumably, it was capable of keeping the infection in check and would likely have a good starting point. While one could argue the infection would have needed to cross the blood-brain barrier and that would need to be studied, again it would be the immune system that would be the interesting bit. Couple of vials of blood, and maybe a lumbar puncture for some CSF, and you'd have at least something to start on.

Despite that I can understand why they went for the whole brain option. Whether it was from a lack of experience or just pure simple desperation, I'm guessing they saw it as their only choice.

Either way, best game I've played this generation. I look forward to the day that something manages to top it.

Blood serums are an extremely difficult to do, even with a full lab setup. These doctors were working with scavenged, derelict equipment.

Although, even if they did figure out how to make a vaccine, how would they make it? And distribute it?

 

[StewShearerOld]

No matter if it is good or bad story-wise, I am not trying to play it ever again because of how incredibly stupid the AI is in this game. I died about 10 times because little miss sunshine decided to play with infected.

Who the hell though that stealth-like game will be any good with moronic AI companion?

Plus, Ellie is unlikable (unlike Clem).

Hmm I'm calling bullshit here, sorry, if you had played the game, you'd know that the AI doesn't alert the infected.. In fact it is one of the major conflicts that a lot of reviewers have pointed out.. that your AI companions are invisible to the enemies until -you- alert them... ... so maybe it's not the AI companion that is moronic...
To be honest AI companions in the game are generally more helpful than anything else, in many situations you can even allow them to do the heavy combat while you scurry around the darker corners of the map.

So I'm guessing you are just badmouthing it without having played it, and as such you are also just calling Ellie unlikeable to stir some shit... But I'm still gonna respond. Clem is a great character, there is no denying that. But Ellie is fantastic in a very different way, her post-apocalypse native aggressive reality clashes with a genuine innocence and cluelessness about humanity before the incident. Her views on her present and the past are extremely interesting and profoundly layered, even sometimes quite insightful to our current values... as you find out as the game progresses.

i'm curious about this recent trend of 'sad makes the ending more memorable'. I've not played The Last of Us, and I really don't intend to, but I'm wondering why so many games are taking that ending. It doesn't make the ending more memorable in my opinion, but rather is just a low-brow, lazy way of making an ending 'dramatic'.

I'm loathe to bring this up again, but I recall when I was buying Mass Effect 3. I picked up and stated, out-loud: "Shepard is going to die in this." because I knew that was how they would make their 'dramatic ending'. Because it seems that's how writers make drama.

It seems they believe making a happy ending is too cliche or something :/

To be honest.. playing the Last of Us, I was constantly thinking that there was simply no way in which it could end in perfect happiness...it was just a matter of which party would impose their will.. however, what is funny is that the ending they finally chose, is in many ways, the "happy ending" but as many things in the game... it imposes us to ask: Happy for who?. I would advise you to play it, simply because in terms of narrative and screenplay (plus character interaction and dialogue delivery), it is probably one of the best realized games up to date, but also because the gameplay unlike in many other games, does profoundly reinforce the precariousness and the stressful aspect of the situations.

So.. no I don't think it is the case here.. the game is sad, brutal, heartfelt and relentlessly melancholic. So much that people have described it as not being fun but also undeniably engaging (It's been a while for me since I stopped caring about fun and started caring about engagement). So in that sense.. it is just an ending that fits the arc perfectly.

 

[Mister K]

No matter if it is good or bad story-wise, I am not trying to play it ever again because of how incredibly stupid the AI is in this game. I died about 10 times because little miss sunshine decided to play with infected.

Who the hell though that stealth-like game will be any good with moronic AI companion?

Plus, Ellie is unlikable (unlike Clem).

Hmm I'm calling bullshit here, sorry, if you had played the game, you'd know that the AI doesn't alert the infected.. In fact it is one of the major conflicts that a lot of reviewers have pointed out.. that your AI companions are invisible to the enemies until -you- alert them... ... so maybe it's not the AI companion that is moronic...
To be honest AI companions in the game are generally more helpful than anything else, in many situations you can even allow them to do the heavy combat while you scurry around the darker corners of the map.

So I'm guessing you are just badmouthing it without having played it, and as such you are also just calling Ellie unlikeable to stir some shit... But I'm still gonna respond. Clem is a great character, there is no denying that. But Ellie is fantastic in a very different way, her post-apocalypse native aggressive reality clashes with a genuine innocence and cluelessness about humanity before the incident. Her views on her present and the past are extremely interesting and profoundly layered, even sometimes quite insightful to our current values... as you find out as the game progresses.

Well, as I already replied to other person in this very thread, I was aware of this feature. Yet, when I played it, most of the time it happened like this: I change hiding place, nobody notices me, then an AI companion tries to follow me, enemy looks at him/her and, um, stuff happens. Maybe I have somekind of "special edition" *shrugs*.

As for Ellie... I didn't mind her untill we met (forgot his name) crazy survivalist, who owed Joel a favor. And then this girl starts acting like that: "Yeah b*tch! I am cooler then you, because you own Joel a favor! I am with Joel, so know your place, f*cker! And clean my shoes!"
With all due respect, I hated people (especially kids) like this when I was 14. Surely you do not expect me to like them now.

As for your "shitstirring" comment. For the first time in my life I am slightly offended by a comment. Why would I do such a thing? For trolling? For "Lulz"? I do not do things this way. Hell, as far as my experience goes, nobody on the Escapist acts like this. Only about a week ago, for the first time in two years I saw such element. And it wasn't even trolling, it was freshly made account from anonymous source that promoted the Xbone and was rather aggresive with replies to commenters.

 

[Talee Mandel]

The Last Of Us is truly an original game, it has its sad moments where you think there's no more hope left, then there's its happy moments where you take a good breath in and smile.
The ending to the last of us it a little bit of both, I really liked it because it makes me feel that there will be another Last Of Us.
Joel saved Ellie for the fact that he didn't want to lose another "daughter". I thought it was a perfect ending to go with the game! It makes you happy that Ellie is still alive but at the end Joel lies to Ellie when Ellie asks him to "Swear that everything he said about the Fireflies is true", Joel lies and says "I swear".
I think it's okay that Joel told this lie for the safety of Ellie, Joel really cares about her like a daughter so he did anything and everything he could to save her and keep her safe.
But to wrap this up, it was a perfect ending to go with the game and Im really looking forward to another Last Of Us, if Naughty Dog makes another one.

 

[StewShearerOld]

Well, as I already replied to other person in this very thread, I was aware of this feature. Yet, when I played it, most of the time it happened like this: I change hiding place, nobody notices me, then an AI companion tries to follow me, enemy looks at him/her and, um, stuff happens. Maybe I have somekind of "special edition" *shrugs*.

As for Ellie... I didn't mind her untill we met (forgot his name) crazy survivalist, who owed Joel a favor. And then this girl starts acting like that: "Yeah b*tch! I am cooler then you, because you own Joel a favor! I am with Joel, so know your place, f*cker! And clean my shoes!"
With all due respect, I hated people (especially kids) like this when I was 14. Surely you do not expect me to like them now.

As for your "shitstirring" comment. For the first time in my life I am slightly offended by a comment. Why would I do such a thing? For trolling? For "Lulz"? I do not do things this way. Hell, as far as my experience goes, nobody on the Escapist acts like this. Only about a week ago, for the first time in two years I saw such element. And it wasn't even trolling, it was freshly made account from anonymous source that promoted the Xbone and was rather aggresive with replies to commenters.

Well maybe you are not just rattling cages, but to be hones there was little explanation to your disliking, just calling something unlikeable is quite blunt, dot you agree? IMO that description you make of Ellie is only superficial, and the game DOES manage to delve much deeper in the reason for that defensive attitude (because as many up front agressive characters, her violence is just a coping mechanism to deal with the society that she has been brought up to live in, and only masks the real innocence behind it).

In any case, it still seems to me that you are criticising the game from A: a false gameplay observation. and B: A very prejudiced perspective of a character (which many people have commented on how well written it actually is).

So I don't really understand your motivations, maybe not for trolling or the "lulz", maybe because you just want to be on the contrarian corner.. or don't want to fall on the mainstream praising of the game, cant really answer that. I personally find a lot of problems with some gameplay aspects of The Last of Us, but none of them you have pointed out.

*and just so you know, I don't mean to insult you, I'm also a bit surprised by your initial comment that seem'd to come out of nowhere.......and also... I've been in the escapist for years now...*

 

[Lucky Godzilla]

If you wanted to go truly desolate you take Ellie's brain, not only does it not work, it creates a virus far worst than before but alas they made Joel look like a sociopath, kidnapped the worlds only chance for survival making everything from this point Joel's fault and now Ellie is with someone who is far more dangerous than say Ethan, not to mention Joel essentially thinks of her as Sarah. The saving grace is that Ellie picks it up.

I'm just hoping Ellie kills Joel in The Last Of Us 2.

Three things

1) Who said the fireflies would've actually been succesful ? Even TODAY in our real world, medicine is struggling to find cures for actual fungal infection with 30-40% mortality rate. How to expect a rag tag assembled team of scientists would ever achieve to reverse engineer a cure

2) Joel is not a hero, never presented as such. His only goal is survival, and yes his choice was selfish but at least it made the ending actually interesting and not cliche

3) Humanity is so beyond fucked at this point I'd doubt that even if they managed to make a cure, it would've been of any good.

Yeah, especially with point #3. Humanity is gone, over 60% of the worlds population was wiped out, and our infrastructure remains in ruins. I mean when you think about it, how the hell are the firefly's going to manufacture enough of the vaccine (assuming they are even successful in creating one) to immunize enough of the population to bring about the end of the fungus? Hell, look at what happened with H1N1, we had significant problems creating meaningful quantities of that vaccine, and that was before everything went to shit!

 

[Mister K]

Well, as I already replied to other person in this very thread, I was aware of this feature. Yet, when I played it, most of the time it happened like this: I change hiding place, nobody notices me, then an AI companion tries to follow me, enemy looks at him/her and, um, stuff happens. Maybe I have somekind of "special edition" *shrugs*.

As for Ellie... I didn't mind her untill we met (forgot his name) crazy survivalist, who owed Joel a favor. And then this girl starts acting like that: "Yeah b*tch! I am cooler then you, because you own Joel a favor! I am with Joel, so know your place, f*cker! And clean my shoes!"
With all due respect, I hated people (especially kids) like this when I was 14. Surely you do not expect me to like them now.

As for your "shitstirring" comment. For the first time in my life I am slightly offended by a comment. Why would I do such a thing? For trolling? For "Lulz"? I do not do things this way. Hell, as far as my experience goes, nobody on the Escapist acts like this. Only about a week ago, for the first time in two years I saw such element. And it wasn't even trolling, it was freshly made account from anonymous source that promoted the Xbone and was rather aggresive with replies to commenters.

Well maybe you are not just rattling cages, but to be hones there was little explanation to your disliking, just calling something unlikeable is quite blunt, dot you agree? IMO that description you make of Ellie is only superficial, and the game DOES manage to delve much deeper in the reason for that defensive attitude (because as many up front agressive characters, her violence is just a coping mechanism to deal with the society that she has been brought up to live in, and only masks the real innocence behind it).

In any case, it still seems to me that you are criticising the game from A: a false gameplay observation. and B: A very prejudiced perspective of a character (which many people have commented on how well written it actually is).

So I don't really understand your motivations, maybe not for trolling or the "lulz", maybe because you just want to be on the contrarian corner.. or don't want to fall on the mainstream praising of the game, cant really answer that. I personally find a lot of problems with some gameplay aspects of The Last of Us, but none of them you have pointed out.

*and just so you know, I don't mean to insult you, I'm also a bit surprised by your initial comment that seem'd to come out of nowhere.......and also... I've been in the escapist for years now...*

I won't say that I dislike the game, but there was nothing that actually made feel anything like atraction to it. I will not play it anymore only because of the problem I've encountered, not because it has a bad story or anything.

As for me disliking her and, as you said, lack of motivation for doing so. I am not saying that my opinion regarding her would not have changed if I've played a bit more. That is why I am watching a lets play of this game (TBFP one, if you are interested).

But to explain me disliking her a bit more: I can understand when she asks for a gun and is pissed by Joel not giving it to her (I am old enough to bear arms, it's a dangerous world, blah blah blah...). I can understand other such situations. But when you encounter a person, that can provide you with goods, or deeds, or just a piece of info, that YOU need, you do not act like he/she owes you. You act calm, you put a smile on your face and you say please (indirectly, most of the time). This is basic human relationship tactic.

Everyone understands it, from young to old (at least those young and old I knew and know). But at this very moment she acted like a spoiled child of some kind of big buisnessman/woman. To imagine me, or my friends, or my relatives acting like this, even at the age of juvenile maximalism... None of us would have had people that are close to us, that's for sure.

Meanwhile, Joel and (his partner female partner, forgot her name, sorry) act, well, likable. As likable as realistic smugglers act, at least. They are cold, proffesional, not without human traits.

Maybe in the later part of the game it is explained why she acts like this. Maybe. But untill TBFP complete their lets play, I don't think I'll change my mind about her.

 

[SinisterDeath]

I wouldn't say the worlds doomed. It is entirely possible, that her mutation with this fungus, can be passed along genetically. And, a cure could never be reverse engineered. Those Firefly's are hacks.

They don't have the skill, or sophisticated enough technology to pull off what is required. If that disease, couldn't have been eradicated by every government in the world, before it reached the state it did, with modern technology, in the timeframe they had.. How on EARTH could they possibly do it, with remnants, of remnants of that said technology?

No, if anything, Joel might have actually saved humanity, through his own selfish reasons. If Ellie goes on, to live an eventful life, and have kids, that are immune. Evolution alone, will allow her future offspring, who are now immune, to be, the survivors of Generations past.

If she can't pass on that immunity. Well, she'll still have that fungus in her brain on her corpse, and the firefly's can do it then. (and that's not even going along the possibility that they will continue their hunt. Through out her life. Perhaps she'll have kids that are immune, and they'll capture her, take her brain out... And fail at creating a cure.)

 

[Quellist]

Okay first off, no the game doesn't exactly end stating that humanity is going to go extinct because of Joel's decision. Second, that is only ONE part of the world in terms of their apocalypse. What about Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia? It certainly is a sorta grim ending but you really put too much emphasis on the outcome of Joel's decision.

Because America is the whole world, didnt you realise that? i mean shit, its something Hollywood figured out years ago. Fuck every other country, if theres a cure it has to come from America, the rest of the world is either dead or sitting on their hands waiting for America to save them

 

[cikame]

While there are very specific little things i liked about this game, i just put the final hours into it and overall, it was a chore.
It got abit better once i decided to throw out the entire frustrating stealth mechanics and just charged into every fight screaming for progress, but with a best case scenario frame rate of about 27 per second, Naughty Dog's now trademark input lag, scripting problems, missing geometry, long load times, a few tedious checkpoints and a not hugely inspired ending... It's safe to say it didn't leave the same impression on me as it seems to have done for so many others.