PSN: DipDopDoopidy_ You can check my trophies to confirm I've beaten the game. I would say this game was disappointing, considering the first game is my 2nd favorite game of all time, but there are many strengths of this game that I am absolutely proud of Naughty Dog for achieving. What I mean is the game is easily still worth full price in my opinion, because the combat is among the best 3rd person gameplay mechanics of any game of this generation, even if the story falls short in some aspects. From level design, music, animation, graphical fidelity, to voice acting, this game is incredibly solid and worthy the price of admission. Also, the game runs flawlessly (it's 30fps, but it's a very stable 30, especially since I played on release). The level design and combat especially make you really want to see more of Seattle and this is easily Naughty Dog's best work when it comes to gameplay. It's incredible how far they've come in this department and they do not get enough credit for it, especially since they're mostly known as a narrative driven developer. However, what brings this down from being a masterpiece is the pacing and story. I think the pacing only gets really tedious towards the very end since it won't bother me as much as others since I'm always interested in the world building and slower moments. However, I can see if the pacing can turn people off at times. The story, although well written for the most part, feels like they put many story beats in the wrong places. It beats you over the head of revenge and the obvious themes that come with that, but it comes off as very ineffective. I wish Ellie and Abby's storylines were more chronological instead of reaching a focal point in the story with Ellie and then going back as Abby, especially since the Abby and Ellie's story rarely intersected at all. I feel as if this type of story structure would've worked better if Ellie and Abby intersected each other more during their Days in Seattle to see the consequences. But because the arcs are completely separate, I wish there was more back and forth with who we got to play as. Overall, a great package and I highly recommend this title. The story is still good and remarkable in certain places, but it doesn't reach the peaks of other prior titles. But the gameplay is among the greatest in the genre.

The Last of Us Part 2: Games have Matured The Last of Us Part 2 made me contemplate a lot. I sit here listening to its official soundtrack and stare at a blank screen. Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 2’s review is one I considered not writing. Part 2’s heavy subject matter, violence, and overall saddening plot led me into a hole that I didn’t expect. One that didn’t involve other games. I didn’t wanna pick up the controller again after playing Part 2, but that doesn’t mean the impact it had on me was negative. Furthermore, under Neil’s vision is a game unlike any other I’ve ever played. The polish in production is out of this world and that alone needs to be talked about. This post-apocalyptic game picks up five years after the first in Jackson, a town run by Tommy and Maria. Jackson has a community set up; bustling even. After a brief intro with Joel at the end of the sticks you are handed over to Ellie. From there, new characters are introduced and sweet enlightening moments take center stage, until they don’t. After a PTSD encompassing event, Ellie is driven to Seattle by the dark driving force known as hate and finds herself caught between tensions of a paramilitary group and a religious cult. Part 2 is an action adventure, survival game, but I would also add horror to the end of it. This game is scary and it doesn’t even have to try half the time. Some horror elements are straight forward while others are inferred in the environment and atmosphere. You play as Ellie and other characters using mostly guns, brute force, or stealth, but always strategy. You combat familiar enemies with a particular liking to cordyceps fungus as well as humans and new enemies. Additional to familiar enemies, comes familiar mechanics. Mechanics such as having AI companions who can actually be helpful. The void they leave behind, as well as added anxiety, is made clear early on. They would assist in taking down multiple enemies, furthering your pursuit, or having an escape plan. Without them you now have to handle that on your own. Skill trees, crafting, resource management that grows more vital with the complexity of combat, and Listen mode, a sort of spatial perception through walls and objects via hearing, make their respected returns as well. New mechanics are also introduced such as going prone, crafting silencers, a puzzle oriented rope feature, and guard dogs who can follow your scent. The new feature that surprised me the most might have been the most subtle. Every once in a while Ellie will pick up a guitar and just start playing utilizing the touchpad on the Dualshock 4. Early on, this seems small in comparison, but as I played I grew to cherish the moments those strings provided throughout the story. The combat always gave me anxiety when pursuing a target. You need a level head to set a plan into motion. The game will usually clump enemy types in a single area which leads to a compelling challenge. The approach for one type is a death sentence for another. So, how to approach any given combat encounter is its own conundrum. Although some enemies seemed inconsistent, the shooting felt good. The aiming seemed reminiscent of Rockstar games which I enjoyed considering I am NOT an FPS player. The aiming reticle would aim at the torso of incoming enemies and you could then aim up to get headshots. There is much more friction in the headshots than in any given current Rockstar game making it a bit harder to land shots. Free aim is also something that happens often. I found myself relying on stealth, shotguns, and Molotovs, but I am positive that is just my experience and my experience alone. I also struggled with dodging early on. The timing seems later than other games or the range may be smaller. I would be amiss to leave out my favorite gameplay encounter. There is straight up a Resident Evil type boss in this game and I loved every second of it. You’ll know it when you see it. Exploration seemed much more supported here than in the first game. While areas are linear, they are absolutely massive areas disguised by the environment they are in. You explore what they want you too with natural hints on how to progress. Simply put, the environmental storytelling & notes for background narratives (Boris) are brilliantly paced. One area in particular I really enjoyed as it seemed reminiscent of another Naughty Dog game, Lost Legacy. Early on you find a map. You fill out this map by discovering hints in one area detailing a different area. This fills out the map with locations outlined by question marks for you to pursue. I dug this so much that it burdened me. I wish I didn't because I wanted to further the story yet I was compelled to explore. A subtle moment stood out while playing as Ellie. I missed a jump. Once I respawned, extremely quickly, this led to Ellie saying something along the line of, " ****, I know I can make that." Which made me feel like I was on the right track all while having a neat interaction with her as well. Having a level head in combat, for me, always lends itself well from gameplay to narrative. If a plan goes south spraying and praying might not save you and the same can be said for taking in what the narrative throws at you. The Narrative is a ride through love and hate that Naughty Dog tailors for you. It’s not a story of good vs. bad. If anything it’s bad vs. bad. It’s a story about duality. Ellie’s pursuit for revenge draws comparisons to the bearer of her hate. The paramilitary group to the cult right down to the salute. Going forward in the heavy narrative was difficult, but it isn't without powerful moments of levity. A father daughter moment between Joel and Ellie still runs through my head days after playing. Nonetheless, I don’t think the narrative itself was the feat. The way Part 2 mends gameplay, characters, and progresses with the narrative into one cohesive paced product is incomprehensibly good. Early on you compete in a snowball fight with some children and your love interest, Dina (Yes, Ellie is a *******. If that rubs you the wrong way turn away now. I don’t want your click). The snowball scene, as cute as it is, introduces the bulk of the combat mechanics in a chill environment. This method has totally been done before, but still as effective. Naughty Dog continues that trend of showing you things that have been done before just polished beyond belief. However, once you approach the bulk of the game, which is similar to the first, it’s still new and compelling when paired with the narrative, pacing, atmosphere, and gameplay. One aspect that enforces the narrative is its characters. Every character seems real with real personalities and real struggles. They are easily likable. Even the ones you don't expect initially (I really enjoyed Jesse and Manny). One character in particular, I started out with genuine hatred for. Yet, when I was handed the sticks to control them and see their story, I was both angry and compelled to continue. The character ends up having a fear of heights which, with the help of the narrative, helps humanize her, her pursuits, and even her mistakes. Playing them as compared to Ellie with entirely different sets of weapons & tools lends itself to what drives them. They are literally a killing machine, focusing on revenge for so long. While Ellie, hasn’t had that motivation until recently. When you think foreshadowing is taking place for the plot going forward, you are probably right yet still wrong. You might call the overall beat, but the way it comes to volition is in an unpredictable direction. Personally, the story hits on a lot of points, but not without me having to fill in some emotional gaps. For instance, for me, a character’s change of heart was a clear goal in the story, but it seemed a little forced while her motivations didn't. In a different moment that worked for me, Ellie puts on a gas mask when heading into a spore infested area. She does this because she is around Dina and she has attempted to tell her she is immune, but their relationship has blossomed enough for it to really hit. At this point in the story, Ellie is reluctant to attempt again, but more so to open up to Dina. Part 2 is the heaviest title I have ever played in more ways than one. Not only in terms of the content, but how far games have matured and come production-wise. Even though some major plot points are predictable, the quality, production, and pursuit make it superb nonetheless. As you progress, scenes stand out, but even the ones that don't seem stunning and noteworthy. All environments are stunning and lively without sacrificing relativity. There were times when I genuinely couldn't tell if I was in a cutscene or gameplay from time to time. That's a feat. Don’t even get me started about the accessibility options, Troy Baker’s voice, the fact that you can actually unlock safes by listening to in game audio, or the music. Music is something that has always stood out to me as important, but only when pertaining to in-game moments. I have never had the urge to listen to the soundtrack so quickly as this one. I can’t say much more than the fact that I truly feel that I just played the best video games have to offer. Overall, The Last of Us Part 2 is the pinnacle of modern video games. I have matured, or at least I like to think I have, alongside the games I play. Part 2 felt like an experience that encompasses that. Comparing Part 2 to an Academy Award Winner doesn’t do it justice. It delivers a narrative turned on its own head, mended beautifully with its pacing, gameplay, polish, and presentation. Part 2 is the gold standard of its medium and that medium is video games. This journey is only available in games. Play this game. 👍👍

To preface, I was not a fan of the first game. Thought it was good, but not the phenom everyone holds dear. I only played this game because I had a lot of free time when it launched. It absolutely floored me. Never have I played a game that has pulled more emotions than happy, sad, anger out of me. When I played, I had a strong visceral anger and frustration to it until I hit the final third of the game. Then everything clicked, went from thinking it was a regular revenge plot to realizing its really a game that is hyper focused on using its themes as the motivator for what occurs throughout the story. Its a story about how trauma & grief inflicts the people in this world. This little realization even made me much more positive on the first game, as I also realized that was a much more simplified telling of this theme. It's a very harrowing and unforgiving tale, but this is where I find its genius and why I understand a lot of people do not like it. Its been almost 6 months since launch and the writing of this review, I still think about it. Technically it was pixel perfect in my initial play, new game plus I would occasionally trigger some stretched limbs from rushing through animations. The audio design is something in a whole different realm, especially with 3D audio enabled on headphones. Mix this with the additional music from Mac Quayle and the subtle touches to animations, when the game wants your heart to beat from the tension, it will. Overall, this may be the best experience in a game I've had, and I'm not a fan of horror-survival elements in other games at all. I would not recommend this to anyone who prefers the "Super Man" feeling most games give to the player, it really makes the player as vulnerable as the characters in the world. But if you have played the first one and are up for a roller coaster of emotions, this is the most brilliant game I've ever played.

An absolute masterclass in the exploring the depths of characters who are nothing but flawed emotional human beings that have their own trauma, guilt and moral dilemmas that makes the heartbreaking rollercoaster of the games story all the more powerful, paired with gold standard visceral and raw combat to make for an intense and harrowing experience in an overgrown gritty post apocalyptic world that I do not want to live in but one that I can't help but gaze at its incredible visual beauty. This game was one that didn't need to be made, but the dark themes, artistic ideas and perspectives this game brings is one that needs to be played to understand. What a masterpiece!