Rate top gamesIf you love The Last of Us 1. Don't play TLoU 2. It ruins the story. 2/10
«Disappointment of the year»
«Reviewers bribed»
I know some people hate this, but I think if the first story meant something to you, this story will mean even more if you get past the antiquated beliefs people are using as weapons against this game. It doesn’t give you what you want, but it gives you what is DESERVED. No one makes it out of this game unchanged, and it often means they have to experience the worst thing possible. It’s raw, brutal, and overwhelming, but also beautiful, intimate, and haunting. Without a sequel, the first game was complete, but this game fundamentally alters the first game, and without this chapter, it now feels like only part of the story. It’s incredible, I truly do not understand how fans of the first game can not appreciate the story being told here.
«Blew my mind»
«That ending!»
The story line is shit. 3/4 of the game is spent played as abby on a pointless quest. The story would have been better if ellie got her revenge and after started on a quest to search for the fireflies again in hopes of righting Joel's wrong, and hopefully finding someone that can use her to make a cure. Instead abby takes over the game just to fuck off in the end. Smh. Wait until this game is at a $20 mark down or just borrow it from some sorry soul that already has it.
«Disappointment of the year»
«Waste of time»
Phenomenal achievement in gaming and storytelling. 'The Last of Us Part II' is a truly immersive experience which is challenging, thought provoking, and beautiful. The team at Naughty Dog should be super proud of what they have created.
Before playing the game I made sure I knew practically nothing about other opinions on the game. I didn't want their thoughts to hinder my experience of the game. I made sure to finish the game at a solid pace to ensure nothing was ruined or spoiled for me. This made me shocked at the amount of hate that was directed towards the game. I initially couldn't understand why people disliked the game so much. However, I do believe there are some valid points why people may dislike the game. I understand the story is not for everyone. For instance, Joel right at the beginning, Ellie being an unplayable character for a couple hours in the game, Abby being a character who takes a quite long time to develop a connection with, and so forth. It's challenging. Whilst I believe Naughty Dog did an excellent job at making these creative decisions work.
I honestly didn't want a game that just did what a lot of other games do; satisfy fans. I feel some of the best creative projects (that be in film, gaming, music, etc.) are those which do something new and unique. Naughty Dog have done just that. They made me not want to kill the person that killed one of my favourite video game characters ever. They made me realise how revenge serves no purpose. That revenge is something that feels like it will make things right, however, it does the exact opposite. It destroys people. It destroys Abby and Ellie. More importantly, it destroys the people they love.
Neil Druckmann does an excellent job with the writing. The dialogue feels authentic, and the world in which these characters inhabit feels real and lived in. One criticism I hear a lot is how Abby is an unlikable character. This may be because she is so different to Ellie or maybe because she is somewhat emotionless for a large part of the game. However, I don't think the pure fact she is unlikable means the writing is poor. She is just different. She takes a while to grow and to realise that she is in fact flawed as a person. She wants to present herself as unbreakable and emotionally tough, whilst deep down, she knows that is not who she is. She has room to love, and Lev is the person who offers her that chance to love.
At the end of the day, The Last of Us has always been a series looking at morals and the choices we make in life. Joel made a bold choice to save Ellie at the end of the first game, even when he knew that would prevent the world from finding a cure. Ellie and Abby make bold choices to avenge the death of those they love. They kill many along the way and that's because they are inheritably flawed as people. They are blinded by passion and love. This is why I think The Last of Us Part II is a masterpiece. It's complex, layered, and truly spectacular.
Also, if you haven't played the game, don't listen base your opinions on the game on what others have said. Video games are after all different to every other medium because they require you to be a 'player'. Immerse yourself in this world. Immerse yourself in this story. I promise you it will be worth your time.
Before playing the game I made sure I knew practically nothing about other opinions on the game. I didn't want their thoughts to hinder my experience of the game. I made sure to finish the game at a solid pace to ensure nothing was ruined or spoiled for me. This made me shocked at the amount of hate that was directed towards the game. I initially couldn't understand why people disliked the game so much. However, I do believe there are some valid points why people may dislike the game. I understand the story is not for everyone. For instance, Joel right at the beginning, Ellie being an unplayable character for a couple hours in the game, Abby being a character who takes a quite long time to develop a connection with, and so forth. It's challenging. Whilst I believe Naughty Dog did an excellent job at making these creative decisions work.
I honestly didn't want a game that just did what a lot of other games do; satisfy fans. I feel some of the best creative projects (that be in film, gaming, music, etc.) are those which do something new and unique. Naughty Dog have done just that. They made me not want to kill the person that killed one of my favourite video game characters ever. They made me realise how revenge serves no purpose. That revenge is something that feels like it will make things right, however, it does the exact opposite. It destroys people. It destroys Abby and Ellie. More importantly, it destroys the people they love.
Neil Druckmann does an excellent job with the writing. The dialogue feels authentic, and the world in which these characters inhabit feels real and lived in. One criticism I hear a lot is how Abby is an unlikable character. This may be because she is so different to Ellie or maybe because she is somewhat emotionless for a large part of the game. However, I don't think the pure fact she is unlikable means the writing is poor. She is just different. She takes a while to grow and to realise that she is in fact flawed as a person. She wants to present herself as unbreakable and emotionally tough, whilst deep down, she knows that is not who she is. She has room to love, and Lev is the person who offers her that chance to love.
At the end of the day, The Last of Us has always been a series looking at morals and the choices we make in life. Joel made a bold choice to save Ellie at the end of the first game, even when he knew that would prevent the world from finding a cure. Ellie and Abby make bold choices to avenge the death of those they love. They kill many along the way and that's because they are inheritably flawed as people. They are blinded by passion and love. This is why I think The Last of Us Part II is a masterpiece. It's complex, layered, and truly spectacular.
Also, if you haven't played the game, don't listen base your opinions on the game on what others have said. Video games are after all different to every other medium because they require you to be a 'player'. Immerse yourself in this world. Immerse yourself in this story. I promise you it will be worth your time.
«Blew my mind»
No Return Review:
Well I’m obviously a sucker so I bought the Part 2 Remaster. Full price too. Just really wanted to play that Roguelike mode and I’ve only played the campaign once and one of these days I want to play it again.
It’s so fun. I’m loving it. Even when I die. Which can happen quickly. I just love the gameplay. It’s intense. I’ll pull off a desperate last second headshot on a guy running at me with an axe or some shit like that. It’s thrilling.
Joel’s 12 round revolver is so good. I just wish he could dodge.
Lev is pretty fun too. I love the bow so Lev awesome.
Abby might be the best. I won with her. It was intense still. Also very fun.
This game mode is a lot of fun, primarily just because the gameplay of TLOU is so good. But I love it.
I’ve unlocked every character and I’ve beaten 5/6 bosses. Rat king is last. I’m loving the game mode. I’ve had tragic deaths, comical deaths, insanely clutch finishes, and perfect encounters. And all of it has been fun.
Beat the last boss. The Rat king. Funny enough I found him to be one of the easiest. I might keep playing a few rounds here and there. I’d like to beat all the challenges I think but I’m not sure if I will. This rogue like was awesome because TLOUS is awesome, my one complaint is I wish they had a stats page that showed how many runs you’ve attempted and succeeded on and all that. I also wish there was something else progression wise. Besides a few more random challenges there isn’t much more to do besides try to get high scores just for the sake of getting high scores which doesn’t do anything for me.
Original Journal Review:
The graphics, animation, and art design are fucking incredible. The different environments from the snow, to the lush overgrown abandoned city, to the sewers, to the infected buildings, to a burning cult village, it all looks amazing. I especially enjoyed that the game is in Seattle. Seeing century link field and other seattle landmarks recreated so well really added to the immersion. There is a bar that you go loot and fight enemies in and I’ve been to that bar. It’s just another reason why I feel this game was made specifically for me. The cutscenes and character models are amazing. The voice acting is amazing. Are you getting the pattern here? It made me question whether this is the best looking game ever made. And then it answers the question. Yes it is.
The combat feels so intense. I don’t know exactly what it is. I’m having difficulty describing why it feels so much better than other games of this genre. On paper it’s pretty much the same type of gameplay as tomb raider. But it feels so much better to play than tomb raider. I think it comes down to a lot of small things packaged together so well. I’m playing on hard and the fear of death is real. Every kill in this game feels intense, exciting and scary. Every death is unsettling and disturbing.
The sound and music is so effective at making you feel what emotion they want you to feel. The repeated use of the guitar throughout the story is very impactful.
The crafting, upgrades and gun customization is simple but effective. It isnt doing anything new. It doesn’t need to. The creative level design, beautiful environments, and the fear of running out of supplies adds plenty of motivation to explore and loot. But you never spend so long searching and looting that you lose sight of what your character is trying to accomplish story wise.
I am early on still but at the 12 hour mark I really like the story and how they tell it. I love playing as Ellie. I love what they have done with Ellie.
And then the big Abby twist happens. I can see why people would be upset about this. It’s wrong for them to be upset, but I can see it happening. It’s a big story cliffhanger and you need to build up Abby’s customization and perks again. For a very brief moment it feels like you are losing gear and abilities. But they do a good job in quickly giving you new cool items and guns to use. And Abbys missions are sweet. They are even better than the early Ellie missions. The creepy cult bits were great. The skyscraper crossing level followed by the descent through the infected building level was amazing. And the patient zero hospital bit followed by the rat king boss was fan-fucking-tastic. That was so good. Then they follow that up with the sniper scene! This game is incredible. Next we get burning scar island ending with that big scar fight with the sickle and arrow. Sweet Jesus. This game is so much fun. It is currently on a 6 ish hour stretch of being absolutely perfect. It jumps from one unreal section to the next. I can’t believe people are complaining about this game. I can’t believe it.
And now the ending. What a sad ending. Right in the feels. That’s going to stick with me for awhile. Brutally effective. Incredibly well done. The ending to first game left me thinking about it for weeks. This ending will be no different.
After reading the reddit comments about this game they have left me sad. How can people miss the point by so much? How could they not hear what the game is saying? This is why democracy doesn’t work. Because of the people.
The only valid criticism I’ve seen is about the pacing of the game. But even then, the pacing is deliberate and the pacing decisions are made because they result in the best story telling possible. As a result, the pacing of gameplay is sacrificed. Switching up characters and not knowing who you will play as and for how long makes it difficult to plan your upgrades. And you become attached to Ellie. It’s difficult to want to play as Joel’s murderer. It’s difficult to jump back 4 days with such a story cliffhanger. It’s difficult to give Abby a chance and care about her backstory. It’s almost like that’s the point...Also, the ending to the game is anticlimactic from a gameplay perspective. But, even that makes sense because you don’t even want Ellie to go back and hunt Abby down! When Ellie says she can’t let it go it’s painful to see her leave again. You don’t get this big beautiful action sequence to end the game. That’s not the story they are telling.
Now for the serious journalism part of the review. The big topics that need to be discussed. That main debate that everyone is focused on. Are Abby’s arms too big? Are they too big for a women? No that’s ridiculous. Are they too big for a women in the apocalypse? No, her camp is doing fine and she’s been hitting the gym for years. But are they so big that I wasn’t able to focus on her story for about 45 minutes because I could only focus on how big her arms were? Yes. Was I exclusively going for head locks just so I could see those puppies in action one more time even though it wasn’t beneficial or practical? Yes. Did I take momentary breaks to pump out a set of curls so I could get swoll and feel more like Abby? Of course I did, and then my arms got tired and my aim was shaky.
I was late to the game on Naughty Dog because I never had a PlayStation as a kid but since then I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the last three naughty dog games. The last of us used to be my favourite linear story game of this generation. Uncharted 4 I think is the best action adventure game of this generation. And this one is better than all of them. I can’t wait to see what they do next. Good luck cyberpunk. It is going to be a very hard task to beat this game.
Final Score: A++
Well I’m obviously a sucker so I bought the Part 2 Remaster. Full price too. Just really wanted to play that Roguelike mode and I’ve only played the campaign once and one of these days I want to play it again.
It’s so fun. I’m loving it. Even when I die. Which can happen quickly. I just love the gameplay. It’s intense. I’ll pull off a desperate last second headshot on a guy running at me with an axe or some shit like that. It’s thrilling.
Joel’s 12 round revolver is so good. I just wish he could dodge.
Lev is pretty fun too. I love the bow so Lev awesome.
Abby might be the best. I won with her. It was intense still. Also very fun.
This game mode is a lot of fun, primarily just because the gameplay of TLOU is so good. But I love it.
I’ve unlocked every character and I’ve beaten 5/6 bosses. Rat king is last. I’m loving the game mode. I’ve had tragic deaths, comical deaths, insanely clutch finishes, and perfect encounters. And all of it has been fun.
Beat the last boss. The Rat king. Funny enough I found him to be one of the easiest. I might keep playing a few rounds here and there. I’d like to beat all the challenges I think but I’m not sure if I will. This rogue like was awesome because TLOUS is awesome, my one complaint is I wish they had a stats page that showed how many runs you’ve attempted and succeeded on and all that. I also wish there was something else progression wise. Besides a few more random challenges there isn’t much more to do besides try to get high scores just for the sake of getting high scores which doesn’t do anything for me.
Original Journal Review:
The graphics, animation, and art design are fucking incredible. The different environments from the snow, to the lush overgrown abandoned city, to the sewers, to the infected buildings, to a burning cult village, it all looks amazing. I especially enjoyed that the game is in Seattle. Seeing century link field and other seattle landmarks recreated so well really added to the immersion. There is a bar that you go loot and fight enemies in and I’ve been to that bar. It’s just another reason why I feel this game was made specifically for me. The cutscenes and character models are amazing. The voice acting is amazing. Are you getting the pattern here? It made me question whether this is the best looking game ever made. And then it answers the question. Yes it is.
The combat feels so intense. I don’t know exactly what it is. I’m having difficulty describing why it feels so much better than other games of this genre. On paper it’s pretty much the same type of gameplay as tomb raider. But it feels so much better to play than tomb raider. I think it comes down to a lot of small things packaged together so well. I’m playing on hard and the fear of death is real. Every kill in this game feels intense, exciting and scary. Every death is unsettling and disturbing.
The sound and music is so effective at making you feel what emotion they want you to feel. The repeated use of the guitar throughout the story is very impactful.
The crafting, upgrades and gun customization is simple but effective. It isnt doing anything new. It doesn’t need to. The creative level design, beautiful environments, and the fear of running out of supplies adds plenty of motivation to explore and loot. But you never spend so long searching and looting that you lose sight of what your character is trying to accomplish story wise.
I am early on still but at the 12 hour mark I really like the story and how they tell it. I love playing as Ellie. I love what they have done with Ellie.
And then the big Abby twist happens. I can see why people would be upset about this. It’s wrong for them to be upset, but I can see it happening. It’s a big story cliffhanger and you need to build up Abby’s customization and perks again. For a very brief moment it feels like you are losing gear and abilities. But they do a good job in quickly giving you new cool items and guns to use. And Abbys missions are sweet. They are even better than the early Ellie missions. The creepy cult bits were great. The skyscraper crossing level followed by the descent through the infected building level was amazing. And the patient zero hospital bit followed by the rat king boss was fan-fucking-tastic. That was so good. Then they follow that up with the sniper scene! This game is incredible. Next we get burning scar island ending with that big scar fight with the sickle and arrow. Sweet Jesus. This game is so much fun. It is currently on a 6 ish hour stretch of being absolutely perfect. It jumps from one unreal section to the next. I can’t believe people are complaining about this game. I can’t believe it.
And now the ending. What a sad ending. Right in the feels. That’s going to stick with me for awhile. Brutally effective. Incredibly well done. The ending to first game left me thinking about it for weeks. This ending will be no different.
After reading the reddit comments about this game they have left me sad. How can people miss the point by so much? How could they not hear what the game is saying? This is why democracy doesn’t work. Because of the people.
The only valid criticism I’ve seen is about the pacing of the game. But even then, the pacing is deliberate and the pacing decisions are made because they result in the best story telling possible. As a result, the pacing of gameplay is sacrificed. Switching up characters and not knowing who you will play as and for how long makes it difficult to plan your upgrades. And you become attached to Ellie. It’s difficult to want to play as Joel’s murderer. It’s difficult to jump back 4 days with such a story cliffhanger. It’s difficult to give Abby a chance and care about her backstory. It’s almost like that’s the point...Also, the ending to the game is anticlimactic from a gameplay perspective. But, even that makes sense because you don’t even want Ellie to go back and hunt Abby down! When Ellie says she can’t let it go it’s painful to see her leave again. You don’t get this big beautiful action sequence to end the game. That’s not the story they are telling.
Now for the serious journalism part of the review. The big topics that need to be discussed. That main debate that everyone is focused on. Are Abby’s arms too big? Are they too big for a women? No that’s ridiculous. Are they too big for a women in the apocalypse? No, her camp is doing fine and she’s been hitting the gym for years. But are they so big that I wasn’t able to focus on her story for about 45 minutes because I could only focus on how big her arms were? Yes. Was I exclusively going for head locks just so I could see those puppies in action one more time even though it wasn’t beneficial or practical? Yes. Did I take momentary breaks to pump out a set of curls so I could get swoll and feel more like Abby? Of course I did, and then my arms got tired and my aim was shaky.
I was late to the game on Naughty Dog because I never had a PlayStation as a kid but since then I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the last three naughty dog games. The last of us used to be my favourite linear story game of this generation. Uncharted 4 I think is the best action adventure game of this generation. And this one is better than all of them. I can’t wait to see what they do next. Good luck cyberpunk. It is going to be a very hard task to beat this game.
Final Score: A++
For the first time in my life a video game made me cry. The leaks made me doubtful of this game pre-release... All aspects of the leaks came true and still this game is a masterpiece and should only be considered so, it trancsends The Last of Us Part 1 in every way. It is an epic.
«Blew my mind»
This game was well worth the wait. It was way above my expectations and I could not put my controller down. It has tons of new features and awesome characters that the groundbreaking original game didn't have. There is so much detail in the dialogue and all the notes left by characters in the story tie in to you unlocking safes and finding supplies. One of the most beautiful games i have ever played and the cutscenes and the gameplay blend so well. I have already finished it and am looking forward to the cool features in new game+. If you liked the original game then you will be very pleased with this new addition.
«Blew my mind»
«Can’t stop playing»
The first two hours were the best gaming experience of my life. Awesome vibes, everything goes perfectly fine and I think to myself ''alright, this is it, this is the peak of gaming industry''. Then it all goes to sh*t in one moment. Don't get me wrong, it's not like it's bad, but the whole story becomes so negative, anxious, depressing. The problem is that this doesn't change through the entire game and when it looks like it might get little bit happier, it all goes to sh*t again. Even the ending gives you such a wrong feeling, like there's something wrong and you can't even really tell why. There's literally not a single positive thing about the story. I guess it tries to show you the reality of post-apocalyptic world and I respect Naughty Dog for what they tried. It was risky shot and people are now hating on them.
Story aside, Naughty Dog as always raised the bar when it comes to graphics. Even on a 7 years old console the game looks just phenomenal.
Gameplay basically stayed the same, they just added few improvements, but if you are like me fan of stealth combined with action and exploring, there's nothing you can complain about.
Soundtrack is amazing.
The only thing I can really grumble about are these trailers. Why the hell would you bait us like that? This just wasn't fair and whoever came up with it should slap himself and step on a lego.
No game, movie or book ever had such a huge emotional impact on me. I feel like I bought an amazing game together with anxious and sadness. It's really well written and it has a strong message. I just don't feel like this is anyhow close to what I truly wanted or expected, but I take it as it is.
8.5/10
Story aside, Naughty Dog as always raised the bar when it comes to graphics. Even on a 7 years old console the game looks just phenomenal.
Gameplay basically stayed the same, they just added few improvements, but if you are like me fan of stealth combined with action and exploring, there's nothing you can complain about.
Soundtrack is amazing.
The only thing I can really grumble about are these trailers. Why the hell would you bait us like that? This just wasn't fair and whoever came up with it should slap himself and step on a lego.
No game, movie or book ever had such a huge emotional impact on me. I feel like I bought an amazing game together with anxious and sadness. It's really well written and it has a strong message. I just don't feel like this is anyhow close to what I truly wanted or expected, but I take it as it is.
8.5/10
I keep flipflopping between Recommended and Meh ...
I’ve finished the game once and am currently in my second playthrough. However I’ve also played the first Last of Us, Resident Evil 2 Remake and Half Life: Alyx, and this game doesn’t do anything new or too special compared to those. I’m considering ending my second playthrough prematurely and spending some more time with the other games, because I’m not really enjoying it.
Adding to this, I have one major problem with Part 2: the first game had one of the best, most interesting endings and didn’t need a follow-up. Part 2 doesn’t take away anything from the first game’s ending, but also feels very unnecessary.
I do very much like the astounding amount of menu and accessibility options, some quality of life stuff, and a couple of the characters (though I don’t care about a lot of the others).
I’ve finished the game once and am currently in my second playthrough. However I’ve also played the first Last of Us, Resident Evil 2 Remake and Half Life: Alyx, and this game doesn’t do anything new or too special compared to those. I’m considering ending my second playthrough prematurely and spending some more time with the other games, because I’m not really enjoying it.
Adding to this, I have one major problem with Part 2: the first game had one of the best, most interesting endings and didn’t need a follow-up. Part 2 doesn’t take away anything from the first game’s ending, but also feels very unnecessary.
I do very much like the astounding amount of menu and accessibility options, some quality of life stuff, and a couple of the characters (though I don’t care about a lot of the others).
Naughty Dog have created a bold, exceptional masterpiece that expands on it's world and echoes messages that will have you questioning your own morality, and a duality path of revenge leading to empathy.
«Blew my mind»
«Time-tested»
This game is everything I wanted it to be and more!
It's gut wrenching, nerve wreaking journey of some of the best written characters in recent gaming history. It's brutal as all hell and it goes ways other games would never go.
I get that some people have certain problems with the story, but to me the story is incredible. The depth to which Naughty Dog went to create believable characters is incomprehensible. Not to spoil anything all I say is - the story of this game is the epitome of the phrase "Every coin has two sides".
The technical aspects are also worth mentioning - game feels real even in the most unbelievable parts. From visuals to the sound and animation - every single artist who worked on this game deserves the highest praise.
I hope Cyberpunk 2077 will deliver, cause if not, than The Last Of Us Part II is easily my game of the year ;)
It's gut wrenching, nerve wreaking journey of some of the best written characters in recent gaming history. It's brutal as all hell and it goes ways other games would never go.
I get that some people have certain problems with the story, but to me the story is incredible. The depth to which Naughty Dog went to create believable characters is incomprehensible. Not to spoil anything all I say is - the story of this game is the epitome of the phrase "Every coin has two sides".
The technical aspects are also worth mentioning - game feels real even in the most unbelievable parts. From visuals to the sound and animation - every single artist who worked on this game deserves the highest praise.
I hope Cyberpunk 2077 will deliver, cause if not, than The Last Of Us Part II is easily my game of the year ;)