Having a daughter… the scene with his daughter broke me a bit. I don't know why but it triggered me hard, but I guess that means they did it right.

Amazing start from a non gamer perspective.

Also I assume there are things they will explain better about Ellie's backstory, none of it made much sense to me.

I really enjoyed it. The first 30 was great. I do think it kind of drug for a short time in the middle, and then finished strong. I'm curious about reviews from those who haven't played the game. It's possibly it felt slow to me because I already know what is coming.

I also felt it dragged in the middle.

Non gamer here. Really enjoyed this. I finally gave up on TWD a few seasons ago. So this may scratch my dystopian itch.

Madmarttigan said:

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Having a daughter… the scene with his daughter broke me a bit. I don't know why but it triggered me hard, but I guess that means they did it right.

Amazing start from a non gamer perspective.

Also I assume there are things they will explain better about Ellie's backstory, none of it made much sense to me.

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they go into her background in the game so most assuredly they will do so in the show….

Ghost of Bisbee said:

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Madmarttigan said:

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Having a daughter… the scene with his daughter broke me a bit. I don't know why but it triggered me hard, but I guess that means they did it right.

Amazing start from a non gamer perspective.

Also I assume there are things they will explain better about Ellie's backstory, none of it made much sense to me.

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Yeah, based on the trailers HBO has shared, you will learn more about her backstory in this series.

If you buy The Firefly Edition of The Last of Us Part 1 for PS5, there's a series of comic books included that also uncover more of her backstory in more detail than what the show or either of the games delves into.

All I can say is, I can't wait for this series to cover the events of the 2nd game.

No spoilers here… things get really brutal in the 2nd game. I expect HBO will keep things tamer to appeal to more people. But The Last of Us franchise is just so phenomenal, in every regard.

When this is all said and done, I expect we'll be in shock at how we lived with TWD for as long as we did.

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there's a lot of brutal stuff hinted at in the first game that I'm expecting to be expanded on here….like when Joel and Ellie are ambushed by someone pretending to need help….once they escape the initial attack they are hiding in a room with a bunch of clothes/shoes from presumably other people/families they've brutally killed…..not to mention the cannibals that capture Ellie in the game

I loved the pine trees of Austin and I-183.

Really solid start. I don't know anything about the game other than I'd enjoy it is I had a PS, which I don't.

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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Why would you think HBO would keep things tame?

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Well, I'm assuming HBO wants to cast as wide a net as possible with this being their January tentpole premier. If the show is too brutal or scary, it limits reach

I work in the games industry, and something publishers like to do with mature rated games is nerf the scariness or level of violence from being too gratuitous so they reach larger audiences. Reminds me of Resident Evil 4 -> 5, when capcom decided to dial down the horror while dialing up action. EA did this as well following Dead Space 1 -> Dead Space 2 & 3.

I don't think HBO will be as willing as Sony was when it comes to telling the story in TLOU2 with all the brutality that comes with it. TLOU2 gets darker and has probably 3x the violence TLOU 1 has.

I selfishly hope I'm wrong and HBO goes all in on TLOU2 when we get there

jokershady said:

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Ghost of Bisbee said:

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Madmarttigan said:

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Having a daughter… the scene with his daughter broke me a bit. I don't know why but it triggered me hard, but I guess that means they did it right.

Amazing start from a non gamer perspective.

Also I assume there are things they will explain better about Ellie's backstory, none of it made much sense to me.

---

Yeah, based on the trailers HBO has shared, you will learn more about her backstory in this series.

If you buy The Firefly Edition of The Last of Us Part 1 for PS5, there's a series of comic books included that also uncover more of her backstory in more detail than what the show or either of the games delves into.

All I can say is, I can't wait for this series to cover the events of the 2nd game.

No spoilers here… things get really brutal in the 2nd game. I expect HBO will keep things tamer to appeal to more people. But The Last of Us franchise is just so phenomenal, in every regard.

When this is all said and done, I expect we'll be in shock at how we lived with TWD for as long as we did.

---

there's a lot of brutal stuff hinted at in the first game that I'm expecting to be expanded on here….like when Joel and Ellie are ambushed by someone pretending to need help….once they escape the initial attack they are hiding in a room with a bunch of clothes/shoes from presumably other people/families they've brutally killed…..not to mention the cannibals that capture Ellie in the game

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I hope so I forgot about the cannibals. Would like them to dive deeper on this characters. Hope they do!

I only played a couple of hours of the Last of Us several years back. Ended up putting it down and playing something else because I just wasn't in that mood.

However, I remember being blown away by the opening scenes of the game. The show absolutely nailed the intro and even surpassed it by giving us Sarah's point of view and actually getting us to like her before **** it the fan. I spent that first 30 minutes in actual dread and anxious about what we all knew was coming.

I had no problem with the pacing slowing down in the middle because they had to introduce us to the world a bit. I'm glad shows don't mind slowing down the pace in a pilot episode. I wish all great shows through history had done this *cough* Firefly *cough*.

Is this season supposed to be all of game 1?

The game came out 10 years ago so I forgot most of the storyline but it definitely started coming back as I watched. Great start.

Yep.

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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Pedro Pascal is making a career out of playing protector/father figure roles.

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Lone wolf and cub

Or as Ringerverse put it

Reluctant daddy

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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Olsen said:

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HBO really pulled off their own version of TWD

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Don't insult this show by comparing it to that crap.

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These two came out within a year of each other and have influenced each other closely ins the years since. It is naive to ignore otherwise

And I hate TWD

Haven't played the game and don't know much about it, but the 1st episode was pretty good. Nice to see Lyanna Mormont from GOT again.

That was phenomenal.

beanbean said:

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A little Depeche Mode at the end. Nice.

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I couldn't believe it!!

The guy stuck to the wall was one of the most grotesquely beautiful things I've seen in a movie.

Also, this deserves a "Last of Us - Season One" thread.

Glad I'm seeing unanimously positive reviews by both gamers and non-gamers. I loved the first episode, and it crushed me as well. The girl who played Sarah was just perfect and had the hardest job in the first episode, make you fall in love with her, and then rip your heart out. The entire sequence in the truck was damn near identical to the game, shockingly close.

For the non-gamers it's not a beat for beat remake, there are changes that were made but they make sense. I thought they amped up the horrific nature of the zombies. A big one is in the game the disease is spread by spores, but the producers didn't want to have gas masks on the actors faces, a good decision.

I thought they did a good job of showing how bleak the world is, being in a city is effectively being imprisoned. Had a very Soviet feel to it, not hard for the show runner of Chernobyl to pull off.

I thought casting was basically perfect, we'll done.

I'm glad they're really reinforcing how rare and impactful music is. Closing the episode with 'Never Let Me Down Again" was so good, one of my favorite Depeche Mode songs. The game is almost devoid of music so when you hear it, you notice it.

There was a question about whether season one will be the whole first game, I don't think so. The game is too big to do that without sacrificing some of the story IMO. I also think they'll need to add to the story of some of the characters we're going to meet. I think they'll cover about 75-80% of the first game.

Off to a great start.

When the credits popped up I said "No way that was 90 minutes!"

Can only echo the other sentiments in here - they did a great justice to the game early on - shot for shot, it was uncanny. I even liked Bighead and the scientist panel at the very beginning setting us up with all the fungus information early on (not game meta).

My friend that I was watching with commented "I feel like I'm watching a video game - and I like it" she was equally impressed.

It is funny, with how similar the two different types of media are, how distinct the tropes are between a video game and a tv show.

The car separating them in the alley felt exactly like the end of a video game level, and the metal pipes they were hiding in felt while hiding from spotlights felt straight out of any video game.

We're doing a re-watch of FNL with my 15 year old, and I was like, Wow...Buddy Garrity sure has let himself go!

Quality 1st episode. Only complaint is the dog wasn't saved at initial onslaught. I thought there was a companion dog but probably have games confused like 'dogmeat'.

For my gamer friends, what was the last part of the video game you saw in any trailers for TLOU series? I remember seeing some "Left Behind" DLC shots in one trailer so (prequel)...and we know that Bill, Henry/Sam and David are in the series...I just wonder how far into game one this HBO season 1 goes? You could easily make TLOU game 1 into several seasons of TV content.

For us game nerds:

Ashley Johnson (Ellie's voice and mocap actor) is listed as cast for TLOU series. One episode. Great easter egg for gamers. Just like Nolan North's cameo in the Uncharted movie.

I've looked at IMDB and other sections and do not see an Abby Anderson or Dr. Anderson (dad) in any casting lists. But what a cool call out if the final episode Joel passes Abby in the hospital while getting to Ellie in the OR.

AvsB said:

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For my gamer friends, what was the last part of the video game you saw in any trailers for TLOU series? I remember seeing some "Left Behind" DLC shots in one trailer so (prequel)...and we know that Bill, Henry/Sam and David are in the series...I just wonder how far into game one this HBO season 1 goes? You could easily make TLOU game 1 into several seasons of TV content.

For us game nerds:

Ashley Johnson (Ellie's voice and mocap actor) is listed as cast for TLOU series. One episode. Great easter egg for gamers. Just like Nolan North's cameo in the Uncharted movie.

I've looked at IMDB and other sections and do not see an Abby Anderson or Dr. Anderson (dad) in any casting lists. But what a cool call out if the final episode Joel passes Abby in the hospital while getting to Ellie in the OR.

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Troy Baker showed up in a trailer looking like a grunt

i have been waiting for this show to start for months. The first episode was amazing, so happy that it looks like we are going to have a great adapatation.

Have they said how much of the first video game season 1 will cover?

aggiebonzo said:

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Have they said how much of the first video game season 1 will cover?

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i haven't seen the first episode yet.....but played both games....

and my educated guess will be they will end season 1 either right where the first game ends....OR....due to the extreme gut punch the beginning of the second game was....we will end on that note.....

and i say that due to just how long these episodes appear to be and there are 9 of them.....but again there's a lot to cover in the first game and this whole season 1 could end with joel helping ellie escape the cannibals after he gets injured....which that alone would be a hell of a climax cause there's a lot to flesh out here and i sincerely hope they take their time....

edit: keep in mind from the first game, there were 2 sections of DLC that were amazing! one was some of the back story with ellie and her friend when they spend time together in but then get bit in the end....and also the other DLC where it shows more of her trying to help joel with getting medicine in the snow after he's been injured.....just those 2 DLC's alone could be amazing episodes and most assuredly we're going to see them......dangit ive got to get this streaming service......crap.....

id also go ahead and put this out there it's great to see the level of respect from us gamers keeping things under wraps here......same way y'all did such a nice job of keeping things quiet when i was going through the MCU because there are some big time plot points that are gonna rock y'alls world with this story and i can't wait to see some of y'alls reactions to them!

BTW.....still working on the MCU.....almost there.....

Ghost of Bisbee said:

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Brian Earl Spilner said:

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Why would you think HBO would keep things tame?

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Well, I'm assuming HBO wants to cast as wide a net as possible with this being their January tentpole premier. If the show is too brutal or scary, it limits reach

I work in the games industry, and something publishers like to do with mature rated games is nerf the scariness or level of violence from being too gratuitous so they reach larger audiences. Reminds me of Resident Evil 4 -> 5, when capcom decided to dial down the horror while dialing up action. EA did this as well following Dead Space 1 -> Dead Space 2 & 3.

I don't think HBO will be as willing as Sony was when it comes to telling the story in TLOU2 with all the brutality that comes with it. TLOU2 gets darker and has probably 3x the violence TLOU 1 has.

I selfishly hope I'm wrong and HBO goes all in on TLOU2 when we get there

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Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 were both action games with horror elements to begin with (Dead Space was spawned from RE4). If anything RE4 was the departure because it completely changed everything about the series, from the gameplay to the types of enemies. Their sequels leaned heavily into this, not because of expanding the audience, but because they were both such runaway successes.

I also feel like Dead Space 2 in particular doesn't fit. The action is more fluid because of improvements to the combat mechanics (and a much improved zero G experience), but any game that has a scene like this (don't watch if squemish) is certainly not shying away from horror.

And on the Resident Evil side, if anything, RE7 and Village returning to the horror roots of the original three show the exact opposite.

Either way, Last of Us 2 100% did not follow that, and judging by this first episode, the showrunners are showing they want to stay true to the content. And HBO doesn't really shy away from that kind of thing.