Rate top gamesso overall i really enjoyed the game, although there were a few parts that dragged it down for me.
what i liked: the gameplay is so much better than the first game, everything flows really well and that intensity in every encounter makes you really value your resources. easily the best part of the game was "The Seraphites" chapter on seattle day 2, where you have to use all the tactics you've learned up to that point and apply them to a new environment with new enemies and new combat techniques. the level design in the game (especially seattle day 2) was outstanding, with large open areas full of different pathways and ways to hide. the story during the first half of the game is also fucking great, joel dying is honestly fine with me and everything really clicked story-wise in that first half. one of the most powerful moments in the game for me is when abby beats nora with a pipe to make her talk, the game even making you press the button prompt to swing the pipe, then we see her hands shaking and she's clearly shaken by what happened. another pretty powerful moment was when abby kills mel, who she then finds out was pregnant, and you can see ellie hyperventilating and panicking because i imagine she was thinking of dina, who is also pregnant. this really had a profound effect on how i thought of the wolves, as it made me understand that they're people too, and abby's section of the game also helped in creating this sense of no one in this world being truly in the right or the wrong.
the overall production value of the game is out of this world too.
the music, level and sound design, graphics and gameplay all exceeded my expectations by a mile -
it's an amazing technical feat for the playstation 4 and a great swansong for naughty dog's ps4 era
abby's section was really great... to a point. i feel like the writing really dropped down a notch in quality after abby goes to the seraphite's island, and also jesse's death? no one ever talks about him or even mentions him except for one note after he dies. isaac, who is built up from cutscenes and from notes as being this terrifying and imposing figure (who really should have been pitted against abby more in my opinion), gets killed by one bullet from another character who had already been stabbed. it just felt... cheap for both of these deaths and i didn't find it very dramatic. i was upset when jesse died, but the game doesn't do a very good job making it feel truly meaningful to the story in my opinion. however, abby's story really does humanise her and made me sympathise not just with her, but the scars/seraphites too. lev is a really good character who i empathised with a lot too.
joel's death is the main motivator for the entire story, it's what makes ellie want revenge on abby and it makes sense in the context of the story in the way that it's set up. abby tracks down joel, only to be saved from a horde of zombies by him, and abby leads him back to her lodge, where joel obviously chooses to go because who would want to fight a horde of zombies instead of keeping safe with a bunch of survivors? of course, what joel doesn't know is that abby is the daughter of the doctor he killed near the end of the first game when he saves ellie. joel's actions have had consequences in this world, and abby decides to exact her revenge in a rather over-the-top way, but i think it's still a very powerful moment. joel was not a good person, nor is abby, they were just humans trying to survive, one of whoms father was killed by joel because of selfish reasons.
«Blew my mind»
«Can’t stop playing»
«That ending!»
J
Other reviews62
There are some things that really didn't get to me in this game, mainly around some artistic / storyline decisions. I liked that it tried a bit to be like Attack on Titan, to make you see both sides of the same story and of the same conflict, in a morally ambiguous setup. And while Attack on Titan manages to make you love and feel sad for Reiner, which represents the other side, The Last of Us fails to make Abby more than a mediocre character which saves some kids because she felt bad. That is probably due to more decisions of how she is presented in game or her personality, but, for me, a big contributor to this (which also made everything feel a bit anticlimactic) was the storyline splitting decision: to have me (almost) finish Ellie's storyline and then make me start all-over from the beginning playing with Abby. That's quite a bold decision, pretty hard to digest - maybe if they made the storylines side by side, more intertwined and linked together it could've build up more immersiveness? I am not sure. But I am sure that the current version feels flawed.
Anyway, all that aside, the game is absolutely gorgeous. It hits you with the same emotional rollercoaster as the first one, maybe even a bit more, as it is more mature and more brutal, and it knows exactly how to handle the wounds, that it inflicts to you right at the beginning of the game, throughout the story. The gameplay is from another world, the visuals are unforgettable, the ending is brutal as hell. Makes you wonder who the real villain really is, while rooting for the same villain (because, again, the other protagonist is not that likeable).
I really hope people don't miss out on this game because of some storytelling decisions that they did not like. The game is totally worth it and it comes at you with an emotional rollercoaster and also a fun challenge I liked to play while in-game - how many times and how brutally can you kill Abby?
PS: the soundtrack is absolutely <3
Anyway, all that aside, the game is absolutely gorgeous. It hits you with the same emotional rollercoaster as the first one, maybe even a bit more, as it is more mature and more brutal, and it knows exactly how to handle the wounds, that it inflicts to you right at the beginning of the game, throughout the story. The gameplay is from another world, the visuals are unforgettable, the ending is brutal as hell. Makes you wonder who the real villain really is, while rooting for the same villain (because, again, the other protagonist is not that likeable).
I really hope people don't miss out on this game because of some storytelling decisions that they did not like. The game is totally worth it and it comes at you with an emotional rollercoaster and also a fun challenge I liked to play while in-game - how many times and how brutally can you kill Abby?
PS: the soundtrack is absolutely <3
«That ending!»
«OST on repeat»
Just got done with my second playthrough of this. *spoilers for those who may have not played it*
Honestly I think I like it more than the first time I played it. Really took my time this time around.
Gameplay is solid. Character movement feels amazing.
I love how quickly stuff can go wrong in a conflict. It's probably something that wouldn't play as well in other games and end up being irritating but with the setting of this game it makes total sense that you make a couple wrong moves and it's over for you.
Game has an excellent balance of supplies (I assume this game has somewhat of a dynamic difficulty?), It's very rare I like a crafting system these days but it works quite well in this game what with you having to make decisions as to what you need more in any given moment.
A key moment for me in the game is pitting infected against human enemies, but there's so little of it. I think you get to experience this like ...twice or three times in the whole game. I could fuck around with that for hours.
There's a few parts that irk me, story wise. But things considered for a sequel, they did a really fucking job pulling it together, props for them really trying something off the beaten path for a sequel narrative too. Considering the first game was such a hit, it would have been easy (and probably advised by investors to play it safe).
The final scene still hits hard.
A few extra notes:
I wish we learned more about the seraphites and the rattlers. I think it's perfectly plausible that groups like this would arise in the post apocalypse world after 30 years or so, but I'd love to know how they came about recruiting people and whatnot.
I wish there was some gameplay for the final part of Santa Barbara, when you release the prisoners, would be good to get involved in the chaos as they revolt against the Rattlers and would make for an excellent gameplay crescendo right before the final fight.
I'm not sure what they fuck they'd do if they made a part III, maybe something about Abby and the regrouping of the fireflies. But I'd be here for it if they made it.
There's probably a bunch of other things I thought of while playing this, but I didn't bother taking notes. this was the general gist of it tho.
9/10
Honestly I think I like it more than the first time I played it. Really took my time this time around.
Gameplay is solid. Character movement feels amazing.
I love how quickly stuff can go wrong in a conflict. It's probably something that wouldn't play as well in other games and end up being irritating but with the setting of this game it makes total sense that you make a couple wrong moves and it's over for you.
Game has an excellent balance of supplies (I assume this game has somewhat of a dynamic difficulty?), It's very rare I like a crafting system these days but it works quite well in this game what with you having to make decisions as to what you need more in any given moment.
A key moment for me in the game is pitting infected against human enemies, but there's so little of it. I think you get to experience this like ...twice or three times in the whole game. I could fuck around with that for hours.
There's a few parts that irk me, story wise. But things considered for a sequel, they did a really fucking job pulling it together, props for them really trying something off the beaten path for a sequel narrative too. Considering the first game was such a hit, it would have been easy (and probably advised by investors to play it safe).
The final scene still hits hard.
A few extra notes:
I wish we learned more about the seraphites and the rattlers. I think it's perfectly plausible that groups like this would arise in the post apocalypse world after 30 years or so, but I'd love to know how they came about recruiting people and whatnot.
I wish there was some gameplay for the final part of Santa Barbara, when you release the prisoners, would be good to get involved in the chaos as they revolt against the Rattlers and would make for an excellent gameplay crescendo right before the final fight.
I'm not sure what they fuck they'd do if they made a part III, maybe something about Abby and the regrouping of the fireflies. But I'd be here for it if they made it.
There's probably a bunch of other things I thought of while playing this, but I didn't bother taking notes. this was the general gist of it tho.
9/10
«Beaten more than once»
I simply don't have words to describe how good this game is.
Luckily, I had the opportunity to play this game and its precursory at once. That was crucial to my experience since Part II is an organic peace of Part 1. Why? well, let me explain. Basically, all events of Part 2 happen as consequences of the epilogue of Part 1. All the development we saw involving Joe and Ellie is elevated to extremes. But you have to play the first game to feel it. Going straight to the point, the prologue shows how impactful the new engine is. I played the Part 1 remake and was incredible, but still tied in the PS3 script. Here, there is no limit. It`s almost unbelievable to believe that this runs in a PS4. The expressions, lightning, physics. My god, is so verossimile. The gore though... insane. After that shocking beginning, we go thirsty to get our revenge. Fortunately, this game just shows us how important a perspective is. At first, I didn't like the Abby section. But when I started to get involved by the scars arc, man... I was totally into it.
This game is a study of human nature, such as Game of Thrones and Red Dead Redemption. Its connections to the first game add to the original narrative and integrate even more into the discussion about what we do for love. Powerful story. Unfortunately, since English is not my mother language, I really can't express myself about how impactful this game was for me. But anyway, I know you understand me if you played as I did.
Luckily, I had the opportunity to play this game and its precursory at once. That was crucial to my experience since Part II is an organic peace of Part 1. Why? well, let me explain. Basically, all events of Part 2 happen as consequences of the epilogue of Part 1. All the development we saw involving Joe and Ellie is elevated to extremes. But you have to play the first game to feel it. Going straight to the point, the prologue shows how impactful the new engine is. I played the Part 1 remake and was incredible, but still tied in the PS3 script. Here, there is no limit. It`s almost unbelievable to believe that this runs in a PS4. The expressions, lightning, physics. My god, is so verossimile. The gore though... insane. After that shocking beginning, we go thirsty to get our revenge. Fortunately, this game just shows us how important a perspective is. At first, I didn't like the Abby section. But when I started to get involved by the scars arc, man... I was totally into it.
This game is a study of human nature, such as Game of Thrones and Red Dead Redemption. Its connections to the first game add to the original narrative and integrate even more into the discussion about what we do for love. Powerful story. Unfortunately, since English is not my mother language, I really can't express myself about how impactful this game was for me. But anyway, I know you understand me if you played as I did.
«Blew my mind»
«Can’t stop playing»
-- The game is about not judging by people's worst actions, context matters
-- so that's why it's crazy how they can do that but switch protagonists to make you embody and empathize. It;s so meta that people hated the story and that's exactly what they're trying to get you to feel.
-- Revenge! Is it ever worth it? They're the same!
--the game is maybe too long? Stretched out and the back (like I had to do the revenge) and I didn't want to restart the story with Abby
-- The stealth mechanic was fun but the sound sucked for it and I wanted more interesting encounter styles
-- The world building is sublime
-- so that's why it's crazy how they can do that but switch protagonists to make you embody and empathize. It;s so meta that people hated the story and that's exactly what they're trying to get you to feel.
-- Revenge! Is it ever worth it? They're the same!
--the game is maybe too long? Stretched out and the back (like I had to do the revenge) and I didn't want to restart the story with Abby
-- The stealth mechanic was fun but the sound sucked for it and I wanted more interesting encounter styles
-- The world building is sublime
«Blew my mind»
«Just one more turn»
After budgeting a good amount of time between release and actually playing this, I can confidently say that the backlash to this game is maybe the worst of all the non-troversies that have shook nerdom in recent years.
I thought it was unanimous that the strengths of The Last of Us were always its commitment to complex characters, a gritty, dangerous world where no one was ever safe, and a genuinely morally grey journey. The Last of Us' ending is not some edgelord fake-deep ending. It's messy, it's uncomfortable, it's gut-wrenching. Joel does not emerge a hero, he's just Joel, with more blood on his hands and just a shred of hope left. It's this experience that left the impact on fans.
While Part 2 may have a different kind of story, at the end of the day, it's still The Last of Us at its core. I don't see any of the strengths from The Last Of Us absent in Part 2. If anything they're here stronger than ever. The journey may be a little darker and more complex, but it's always profoundly human in a way that few games are. Beyond that, gameplay has also been improved. Combat is highly energetic, kills are SO brutal, traversal is fun and intuitive. I was motivated to go at it again in New Game + (something I hardly ever feel), though I think I'm playing too many games right now to give that a go.
I still love Elli. Now I love Abby and Lev. I have no idea what they could do for Part 3, but I'd love to see them try.
I thought it was unanimous that the strengths of The Last of Us were always its commitment to complex characters, a gritty, dangerous world where no one was ever safe, and a genuinely morally grey journey. The Last of Us' ending is not some edgelord fake-deep ending. It's messy, it's uncomfortable, it's gut-wrenching. Joel does not emerge a hero, he's just Joel, with more blood on his hands and just a shred of hope left. It's this experience that left the impact on fans.
While Part 2 may have a different kind of story, at the end of the day, it's still The Last of Us at its core. I don't see any of the strengths from The Last Of Us absent in Part 2. If anything they're here stronger than ever. The journey may be a little darker and more complex, but it's always profoundly human in a way that few games are. Beyond that, gameplay has also been improved. Combat is highly energetic, kills are SO brutal, traversal is fun and intuitive. I was motivated to go at it again in New Game + (something I hardly ever feel), though I think I'm playing too many games right now to give that a go.
I still love Elli. Now I love Abby and Lev. I have no idea what they could do for Part 3, but I'd love to see them try.
I played TLOU I for the first time right before playing this game, which helped me see TLOU II as an extension of Part I. Still raw from the events from the first part, the second part ripped my heart out and I hated what was happening ...until I played as the antagonist. The game really underlines the fact that everyone, even our favorite characters, are only human and imperfect. The only misgiving I have about this game is the pacing. I mistook two chapters for the Epilogue before it actually ended. But what an ending.
«Blew my mind»
«Can’t stop playing»