Here’s my review of The Last of Us Part II. This will be an honest take on the game and won’t lean towards one opinion/feeling. I will express everything I liked and disliked about the game

Before I get into the game, I just want to say that I respect all opinions on the game. Some people hate it, some people love it, some just don’t care for it. All the views on TLOU 2 are valid and shouldn’t be dismissed

So if anyone remembers my intiral tweets on the game, I wasn’t happy. Despite the leaks, I took Troy Baker’s advice and played the game with an open mind. I don’t believe in letting any review, positive or negative, influence how I view the game before I play it

The into of the game was really disappointing. I struggled playing it and found myself pausing the game more than I normally do while playing a new video game. Remember the intro of the first game? TLOU 2 wasn’t that and failed to get me hooked like the first installment did

I’m not going to get specific, but some of the reaction towards the narrative choices of the story are completely valid and understandable. The main choice of the game can feel spiteful from the main writer and fans have every right to not continue playing the game after that

Are some of the reactions towards the game ridiculous? Yes. I don’t believe in breaking discs or whatever people do in anger. But I truly understand how people feel. They have every right to be angry

TLOU 2 reminds me a lot of Heroes in Crisis, in terms of the overall tone and the overall reaction from fans before release and post release

Both TLOU 2 and Heroes in Crisis’ “twists” were spoiled before release. While Heroes in Crisis was a bit different, the same idea still applies. A major plot point was spoiled, more or less, and fans were angry

Just like TLOU 2, I read Heroes in Crisis with an open mind and didn’t let the initial reaction influence my judgement on the book before reading it. I still didn’t end up liking it, but I respected the overall process that the team went through making the book

The same idea applies to TLOU 2. There were many parts of the story I don’t agree with. Despite all that, I truly appreciate what Naughty Dog went through when making the project. The game is beautiful and the gameplay was actually fun to play during certain parts

I’ll talk more about the gameplay. If you liked the gameplay of the first game, you’re not going to have any problem with the gameplay for TLOU 2. It’s more or less the same, with some improvements along the way. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

I also really appreciate the difficulty of the gameplay. Fighting the different kinds of runners was both fun and very frustrating, particularly the clickers and the brand new stalkers

I found myself frustrated in some parts, constantly getting killed by whatever enemy game my way. But fortunately, it really made me rethink my strategy and do better the next time I play. That’s a part of the gameplay I truly appreciated personally

*came

The exploration of certain levels of the game is truly great. After the rough into of the game, there’s a part where you’ll spend a portion of your time exploring such a large area. I had a blast and was really glad I took my time, finding things because of not rushing the game

The second half of the game is my favorite part of TLOU 2. Again without getting into spoilers, I found enjoyment in this portion of the project

Unfortunately, there’s another significant portion of the game that I was forced to play and sit through. With no spoilers, the game wants to make a point by making the player learn about something that they probably don’t care for or ever will care for

I think the main writer of the game really did not want the reaction that the first Last of Us received. He really wanted to reiterate a point that he probably wanted to make in the first game, but did not receive the reaction that he expected

“You know those characters that most of you loved from the first game? Well, they’re actually terrible people and you shouldn’t like them at all. Here’s why they’re terrible, despite you already knowing that fact”

I’ll talk a little bit of what that quote means. The game wants to make a point that a majority of the characters are awful people, who do awful things in an awful world

The game’s story reads like a hot take twitter thread that someone makes years after the release of something popular that everyone loves

I don’t know this for certain, but if you never played the first game or if you hated the characters from the first game low key, but didn’t have the courage to admit it openly, you might completely love TLOU 2

I think certain parts of the new narrative could’ve worked if it had no connection to the protagonists of the first game. Naughty Dog could’ve explored new characters in the same universe that they started

But unfortunately, this game was meant to shock and anger people. The head writer and director knew what he was doing. I have respect for his talent and his accomplishments, but I heavily disagree with his approach for the recent Last of Us

So to summarize everything, I loved the gameplay and the overall design of the game. This game looks great and I don’t think anyone can disagree with that

Story wise, this game misses the mark. I understand what they were trying to do, but the negative reaction towards those decisions are completely understandable

If the first game inspired hope and happiness despite being in an awful world, the sequel does the exact opposite. This game made me feel sad and cynical in this very messed up world

The first Last of Us left such a positive impact and legacy after its release. I loved the first game and played it multiple times, once on the PS3 and then four more times on the PS4 release

I won’t be replaying TLOU 2 anytime soon. Despite liking some parts of the game, I have no desire to revisit it like I did with the first game. In my opinion, Naughty Dog missed the mark with this game. This isn’t like Uncharted 2. The first game is better, IMO

I hope this thread provided helpful info. I can’t say confidently whether you should buy the game or not. That’s entirely up to you. Buy the game, don’t buy the game, rent it, borrow it from a friend... Do whatever you feel is right

Just please respect all the opinions that come from the game. If you hated the game, don’t go after people who like the game. If you liked the game, don’t insult those who didn’t like the game and jump to whatever conclusion you have about those people

If a majority of people loved the first Last of Us, this sequel is much more divided. Despite the great reviews you see from popular critics and the sales reports, that should not be used as an argument if the game is good or not. What matters is what YOU think

As I get to my conclusion for this thread, I think this game will have the exact opposite impact the first game had. In the next 7 years, I don’t think people will discuss this game the same way they did the first one