Now that I’ve finally played The Last of Us, who wants to talk about that ending?

‘OOkay, Dad, that is an unbelievable essay on the consequences of grief and gray morality in a postapocalyptic society,” says the eldest little one, AKA the millennial. “It’s obtained correct feminine characters, progressive takes on sexuality and tonnes of rain.”

“They’ve made a online game of The Handmaid’s Story?”

“No, Dad. It’s The Final of Us. Don’t fear. It’s nonetheless a zombie shooter. And each video games have the perfect ending ever.”

Now she has my curiosity. Online game endings fascinate me, as a result of my technology began out with arcade video games that didn’t have them. Pac-Man saved consuming dots and chasing ghosts and the House Invaders saved coming, wave after incessant wave. The primary arcade sport that had an precise ending was Dragon’s Lair and no person truly noticed that as a result of it was so exhausting to finish.

I've a tricky begin with The Final of Us as a result of I hate video games the place you seek for stuff in each room of a home. I spend my regular life doing that with automobile keys and headphones. I would like video games the place you stroll right into a room and all of the objects get sucked right into a magic pocket. However that isn’t sensible, I hear you cry. Nicely, neither is barely with the ability to carry three shivs in a world the place, regardless of the zombie apocalypse, cargo pants clearly nonetheless exist.

Jaw-dropping … The Final of Us. Photograph: Sony

I additionally hate any type of crafting, as a result of that was what my technology needed to do for “enjoyable” as children earlier than we had video video games. Whether or not it’s smoke bombs from sugar and explosives or a set of Motion Man drawers from matchboxes, it’s all boring to me.

“Hold going,” I inform myself. “The millennial says it’s obtained the perfect ending ever.”

All through the primary chapter of Joel and Ellie’s jaunt throughout a post-infected US I maintain making an attempt to guess what this nice ending might be. Possibly Ellie isn’t proof against an infection in any case? Possibly Joel is her actual father? Possibly they’re each unwitting members in some actuality TV present, I’m Contaminated Get Me Out of Right here?

As you'll all know by now – and when you’ve but to play The Final of Us then please cease studying – the ending has Joel homicide a wonderfully harmless and well-intentioned physician who desires to chop Ellie open to discover a remedy that can save humanity. However Joel has no truck with utilitarian philosophy, as a result of Ellie has now turn out to be a alternative for the daughter he misplaced. So, he disregards mankind’s future and, by stopping the operation, successfully murders the whole human race (alongside an entire hospital’s value of docs).

“Why does he try this?” I requested the millennial, in certainly one of many unbelievable discussions we had in regards to the sport.

“As a result of he’s a white male,” got here the reply, as a result of it’s 2022 and he or she’s in her 20s. And possibly she’s proper. Both manner it's a jaw-dropping, supremely courageous ending and the terrific Left Behind side-story additionally introduced the feels.

Gray morality … Ellie in The Final of Us Half 2. Photograph: Naughty Canine

So, when it got here to The Final of Us Half 2, I used to be past excited. Fifty million hours later I used to be past upset.

Don’t get me mistaken, the millennial nailed it when she stated it was an amazing exploration of the consequences of grief and gray morality. However after spending the entire sport switching between two sturdy feminine characters (actually, have you ever seen Abby’s arms?) and contrasting factional creeds, you have got the ultimate confrontation. They combat. And … they each stay. And go their separate methods. The one actual harm is Ellie shedding a few fingers, and the sport portrays the worst consequence of this as not with the ability to play guitar any extra. Significantly? That’s the largest disadvantage to being fingerless in a zombie apocalypse? The primary sport ended with Joel murdering a complete civilisation, the second ends with Ellie murdering one music on a guitar. It’s a scene you may need present in The Secret of Monkey Island. It’s hilarious.

The Final of Us Half 2leaves us with precisely the identical non-ending as these authentic arcade video games. Ellie and Abby will go on killing to maintain their respective postapocalyptic factions going, each pushed by the grief of murdered family members. They're each trapped, endlessly chasing ghosts. Sounds acquainted…

The millennial says this exhibits there aren't any winners in terms of revenge. I say they need each protagonists alive for The Final of Us 3. It’s a cynical cop out. However then, The Final of Us Half 2 is a sport that options probably the most cynical scene ever, the place apropos of nothing, after genuinely bravura portrayals of girls, transgender and homosexual characters, alpha feminine Abby immediately will get rogered from behind by some man. It occurs out of nowhere. The sport spends umpteen hours portraying progressive sexuality, after which it’s like some advertising and marketing man determined they wanted to toss the incels a chunk of pink meat to cease them hate-bombing throughout 4chan (which didn’t work). It's simply probably the most gratuitous little bit of nudity I've ever seen in video games, and I've performed The Witcher 3. The rogerer in query even has a girlfriend. Who's pregnant. Strategy to shit on a sister, Abby.

“It’s principally Pac-Man with gratuitous boobs,” I say to my eldest, who sighs and pours herself a big cup of espresso. This might be one other lengthy dialogue.