Not sure if anyone cares about my thoughts on The Last of Us Part II now that we're a month from release, but I finally finished it last night and this website is built for thoughts no one cares about so here we go. #TLOU2 (thread)

#TLOU2 felt like a playable HBO drama, which is fitting since it is being adapted into an HBO drama. But whereas TLOU1 was like an incredible season 1 of that show, TLOU2 felt like seasons 2-5 that you binged all at once – and I think that hurt it a bit. It did feel too long 2/x

I got really, really tired of looting buildings for materials. Combat was also frustrating at times in how it controlled. I know it's SUPPOSED to be brutal and punishing, but the combat gameplay suffered a bit in service of the stealth gameplay. 3/x

I adored the storytelling, even if a few character motivations made me . The way the narrative threads weaved back and forth was really compelling (after initially being a bit frustrating). It was also great to see a AAA game normalize gay characters and a gay relationship. 4/x

#TLOU2 is also a technical and artistic achievement (I played on PS4 Pro). It's stunning to look at and listen to, with music (and silence!) that amped up tension, incredible sound design, and gorgeous locations in a post-apocalyptic world. 5/x

#TLOU2 also has absolutely incredible performances. As I'd previously tweeted, this is hands-down @TroyBakerVA's best-ever performance IMO; Naughty Dog gets more out of him than any other developer, for whatever reason. Joel was the emotional ground-wire of this game. 6/x

In the end, #TLOU2 is excellent, IMO; for people that like numbers it's an 8 or 9 from me. It won't get my GOTY vote (anti-fanboy shields up, Captain! Red alert!) – Half-Life: Alyx is my vote for now – but its cast deserves a LOT of recognition on this year's awards circuit. /end