The Last of Us Part II

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!

I have a bit of a strange history with The Last of Us. When it was first released back in 2013, I really didn’t pay much attention to it because I was more into Xbox 360 back then and overall, I was more preoccupied with my guitar playing. It was only in the fall of 2018 that I was able to buy the remastered version of TLOU1. I enjoyed the game when I first played it and I

I have a bit of a strange history with The Last of Us. When it was first released back in 2013, I really didn’t pay much attention to it because I was more into Xbox 360 back then and overall, I was more preoccupied with my guitar playing. It was only in the fall of 2018 that I was able to buy the remastered version of TLOU1. I enjoyed the game when I first played it and I now realize that I care about it more than I initially thought I did, but it wasn’t life changing or anything. Maybe it’s because I didn’t experience the game when it was first released, but by 2018 I had already played all sorts of games that took a game’s narrative to new heights. TLOU1 wasn’t the first kind of game to do this and it wasn’t the last, but something about its story was still able to touch the millions of gamers that played it. Despite feeling that I enjoyed TLOU1 and didn’t think it was the greatest thing ever, I still felt that part two would really have to impress me, seeing as how part one was a really well-done game. I was aware of part two’s trailers and I knew that it was eventually going to be released, but I wasn’t as hyped for it as I was when say Metal Gear Solid V was soon to be released. I previously thought that I’d eventually get to this game, maybe 3-6 months down the line, since I very rarely buy full priced games, and especially because I have close to a dozen PS4 games that I’ve still yet to play. Still, the strong emotional reaction that this game got made me want to play it as soon as possible. I always feel that no matter what the general public is saying about a game, I’ll be the one to judge things for myself. I didn’t know how I’d end up feeling about this game, but I knew that I had to play it sooner rather than later. Having just finished playing it for myself, I’m glad that I played it and actively avoided spoilers for as long as I did. I’ll expand on how I really feel about this game throughout the rest of this review, but I really liked this game. I say that I like it and part of me wants to say that I love it and think it’s amazing, which is true, but I feel as if I can’t fully commit to saying that due to how flawed this game is. I know that it’s incredibly difficult and maybe even impossible to create something that can be considered perfect, but sometimes I’ll still consider a game to be perfect to me. I’d love to be able to say that this is one of those games where I could ignore all of its flaws and say it’s a 10/10 masterpiece, but it’s not. The game took me to unexpected places, it left me feeling conflicted about certain things, and it even left me thinking about how I would approach this situation if I was in the shoes of either Ellie or Abby. To me, that’s the sign of a great piece of media, but I’m still left thinking that this game suffered due to its flaws. From how I’m setting things up you may think that I’m preparing to completely shred this game to pieces, but that’s not what I intend to do. There was a decent number of things that were wrong with this game, but at the same time, there was a lot that I enjoyed. Maybe it’s because the stuff that I consider to be wrong with this game really affected what I ended up thinking about it, so that’s what most of this review will focus on. Some of the main problems that I had with this game was how it handled important events throughout it, how the story was arranged, and how it was paced. Sometimes the change of pace was good, much like when you go from a scene where Ellie and Dina are kissing to them having to start running for their lives. This stood out to me because that was a pretty big change of pace and the game was constantly pushing you out of your comfort zone. Sometimes that was good, but other times it left me questioning whether or not things were done as well as they could’ve been done. I’m sure that many of you will agree with me, but one of the most important moments of this game is when Joel is brutally killed by Abby. I didn’t think that would happen in this game and even if that was surprising, I was probably more surprised by the fact that it happened so quickly. Joel’s death happening around two hours into the game left me thinking that Naughty Dog knew it’d create a lot of outrage, so they might as well get it out of the way sooner rather than later. Part of me wanted more of present-day Joel, but at the same time, TLOU1 was enough to make you care and feel the weight of his death in TLOU2. I didn’t expect to react in such a way and that’s one of the reasons why TLOU2 surprised me in more ways than one, but I actually squeezed the controller as the scene was playing out onscreen. I guess you can say that I had an emotional reaction to what was going on. To further expand on this, I understand why Joel was killed in the beginning of this game, but this could’ve been more impactful had we already been more familiar with Abby. TLOU2 attempts to familiarize you with Abby by having you play as her for a little while before Joel’s death scene, but it leaves me feeling as if this decision was a compromise between familiarizing the player with Abby and killing off Joel as soon as possible. Seeing as how there’s enough unknown about Abby’s past, it’s possible to play as her for quite some time before you get up to Joel being killed. Maybe it’s just me, but I believe that it would’ve been more dramatic to have spent a few hours with Abby while unknowingly leading yourself to the point where you kill Joel. This situation kind of mirrors what Hideo Kojima did with Raiden and Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 2, but it wouldn’t come off as trying to pull a trick on players that were hopeful that they’d be playing as a beloved character right from the start. Maybe I’m focusing on this one moment way too much, but with how it greatly affects things, it’s worth trying to get the game’s writing to the highest possible level it can be. To me, some aspects of the story could’ve been better arranged and certain moments felt as if they were glossed over (much like Joel’s get done quick death) or made to feel more impactful than they really were. At the end of the day, people will always argue about a character’s death and whether or not it was necessary or done in a believable manner. I guess it comes off as Naughty Dog showing us what kind of a world these characters live in. It’s possible to lose a loved one when you least expect it and that’s also true in real life (thank you, Captain Obvious), but at the same time, it seems as if the story quickly moves on and doesn’t get to the point where the living character(s) can reflect on what just happened. This is most obvious with Jessie, Owen, Mel, Yara and Manny. I know some will say “doesn’t Abby heading to the theater for revenge count as reflecting upon the death of Mel and Owen?” and while this is true, it’s dealt with in a very fast manner. With how the game builds up Owen and Abby’s past (not as well as I would’ve preferred), you’d think more would be done with his passing, but the result is a brief moment of vengeance that quickly leads to the story’s next event. I previously mentioned that I had some issues with how the game was paced, but that’s not always a bad thing. It all depends on how things are handled. With Jessie, I guess the reflection comes through the appearance of Dina’s baby. This makes sense, but when it comes to Abby’s friends being killed, it’s not done as well as how Ellie deals with the death of her loved ones. With this aspect of the story it feels as if things are mishandled. Everything is happening so quickly and moving from one shocking moment to the next, it feels as if the story isn’t as impactful as it could be. This wasn’t just experienced through how the story drops shocking moments on you, but also with how the story makes use of flashbacks to push forward the present-day situation. The problem in regards to these flashbacks happening just as serious situations were going down was that I wanted to see where the story went next. I wanted to see what was next, but the game then jumped into Abby’s past. I know that it was necessary to do this, seeing as how you caring about a character is what makes events happening to them matter, but I was left thinking that it could’ve been done at a better moment. Maybe it’s because I’m too used to conventional stories that follow a single path towards the conclusion, but jumping back and forth during pivotal moments was annoying and it created a disconnect. My issue is that a story loses what makes it special/impactful when the focal point is changed around during very climactic situations. I know that some will say that this just leads to the comeback being even greater, seeing as how the suspense of not knowing what will happen would keep you on your toes, but a payoff taking too long to arrive just leads to the story suffering. It's not as if the entire game is fast paced, but there were times where I was left thinking “why is so much time being spent on this?”. I knew and understood why Naughty Dog didn’t immediately tell you what happened between Joel and Abby, it was to create suspense and to have you guessing. Once I knew how everything would turn out, I’d say that things turned out well, but I was a bit bothered with characters knowing what was up with the situation and you as a player being kept out of the loop. I guess it was to play with your emotions, but if that was the point of all this, maybe things would’ve been better had Ellie herself also not known what was up. Rather than Ellie also being kept out of the loop, there were moments later on in the game where she was saying something like “I know what happened between Abby and Joel”. This gave the impression that the game was playing with you and even if in this instance it was annoying, some of the emotional manipulation that was used throughout the game was good. I realize that it’s strange to say that a game was trying to play with your emotions, but that’s how it came off to me. To clarify, what I mean is that Naughty Dog wants to get you to a point where you care for both Ellie and Abby. On one hand you side with Ellie because you grew to care about her and Joel in TLOU1, but at the same time, you realize that what Joel did was messed up and you see how it affected Abby. Not only did he kill her father, he also killed a large number of her comrades and this led to the Fireflies being disbanded, something that greatly changed Abby’s life. Maybe it was just me that felt this way, but I thought that it was amazing that Naughty Dog was able to get me to care about Abby, even if she violently killed Joel, a character I grew to care about. Abby was humanized and you could see why she got to that point and just how much hardship in general she had to deal with. In this game, things aren’t so black and white so it makes it difficult to say who’s right or wrong when it comes to this situation. It all comes down to your own personal opinion. This kept coming up numerous times throughout the game and this is something that’s really worth paying attention to. The situation between Ellie and Abby was worth thinking over because I really felt conflicted in regards to who I’d side with and why. I know this is just a game, but it left me thinking about what I would do in a situation like this if it were to occur in real life. It’s difficult to do that, seeing as how you really won’t know how you feel about things until they’re affecting you. I think that I’d do what Ellie did and go all the way, but at the same time, you know that you’d probably never get a moment of peace again. You’d constantly be looking behind your shoulder, waiting for someone to come and enact their revenge upon you. Maybe I’m just getting too into what went down in this game, but I like how it really left me thinking about things. Very few games have done that to me and it leaves me thinking that this is the sign of a good game. I mention that this game got me thinking about things and I liked that, but it regularly hammers you with half of its overall message. Part of what Naughty Dog wanted to say came off as overly simplistic and unoriginal. This being the idea that violence begets violence. A lot of people were jokingly posting things like “revenge bad” online, but that’s how it came off during multiple parts of the game. My opinion started to change once I realized that the story was straying away from the cliched ending found in most revenge stories. I really had no idea where the story was going and that excited me. In particular, it was when you were able to play as Abby. With the game heading in this direction, I didn’t know if things would get to the point where I’d be forced to kill Ellie or do something else that could be considered very drastic. Honestly, I liked where they went with this, but it still left me feeling very confused over whether or not I agreed that that was the right thing to do. With how things were going with the story, at one point I expected both Ellie and Abby to kill each other or for Abby to be killed, but ultimately, I feel as if the right decision was made. A ton of people online were complaining about how they were disappointed that Ellie wasn’t able to go through with killing Abby, but I can understand why she did that. She did this because at that point, she was exhausted (in more ways than one) and she saw that Abby had been through hell. To kill her would be to continue the vicious cycle of violence and the only way to end that cycle was to let Abby go. It was a difficult decision to make, seeing as how Joel was such an important person to Ellie, but in that moment, she saw that she was straying away from what Joel would’ve wanted for her. It’s for this reason that Joel sitting out on the porch flashes in Ellie’s mind as all of this is going on and she decides to let Abby go. I previously thought that TLOU2 would end like a typical revenge story, but I was ultimately surprised with how things played out. Just as Ellie was questioning herself, I too was going through a similar situation. It’s obvious that TLOU2 is a very violent game, mainly because of its post-apocalyptic setting where it’s survival of the fittest, but that still didn’t take away from the fact that the final fight between Abby and Ellie was absolutely brutal. One thing that stood out to me was that I hated having to inflict so much damage onto Abby while punching and slicing her up. I grew to care about her side of the story and I didn’t want to kill her. I did what the game wanted you to do, but I did so reluctantly and at times it was hard watching cutscenes play out, in more ways than one. Being that this is a story heavy game with a lot of cutscenes, it’s worth noting that a great deal of them and the game in general suffered due to how many bugs were present. This is one of the main reasons why I don’t think this game is a 10/10. I can ignore bugs happening every now and then, but when it was happening throughout the game and led to me losing out on 3 hours’ worth of gameplay? That was truly frustrating. At one point this led to the game freezing and my data being corrupted. I looked up solutions online, I replayed through the chapter from the start, and I even tweeted at Neil Druckmann about this issue. In the end, I had to reinstall the game and thankfully, an update was available. It more or less fixed the problem, but I still had buggy cutscenes during the last few hours of the game. Had this not been an issue, I would’ve said that this game was much better. Up until this point, I’ve largely discussed TLOU2’s story and how I felt it was flawed. The game spends a great amount of time on this aspect of the game, but it also offered much more throughout its entirety. It’s worth noting that this game had great attention to detail in places that surprised me. Some of these details don’t make or break the game, but I figure that they’re still worth mentioning. TLOU2 is largely a story driven game, but there are moments where you have to solve puzzles. These puzzles generally revolve around you having to swing to the correct ledge/platform or having to connect a power cord to a generator to restore power to a specific area. In order to do this, you sometimes have to throw a cord over a fence and if you try to walk through it, you end up disconnecting it. I realize that most won’t care about a small detail such as this one, but I liked that little things such as this mattered to Naughty Dog. The previous example of attention to detail wasn’t the only one, but it was one of the more positive ones. I understand why Naughty Dog allowed you to play guitar during multiple parts of the game, seeing as how music/guitar means a lot to Ellie, but it was weird how things were done. Maybe it would’ve been more appropriate for Ellie to have carried a guitar on the horse that she rode around early on in the game, or maybe even limiting the amount of times that you could play guitar throughout the game, but Naughty Dog decided to include multiple guitars spread out through the game. This left me feeling a bit confused because this is the kind of game that wants you to forget that you’re playing a game. It comes off as if it wants you to feel as if you’re controlling characters within an HBO drama, but things like this take you out of that immersion. Not only that, but I find it hard to believe that you can stumble upon so many well preserved and playable guitars in a post-apocalyptic world. I’ve noticed that this has been a trend in modern gaming for quite some time, but it’s still annoying when it happens. Maybe things would’ve been different had I turned off absolutely all hints, but it was still annoying to be nearly 20 hours into the game and still being told how to turn on a flashlight. I played on the moderate difficulty setting and yet I’m pretty sure that I was getting tips such as this one once I had started to play as Abby. It just came off as being too **** about things that really didn’t require extra attention. If I can manage to get through 20 hours of infected and hostile humans, I think I’ll be able to figure out how to turn on a flashlight on my own. In some situations, it was more necessary than in others, especially because of how certain levels were designed. For the most part, the levels found within TLOU2 are pretty straightforward. It’s not quite open world, but at the same time, these areas aren’t totally restrictive. Some of them were more memorable than others and in particular, I was really fond of the lower levels of the hospital that you go through as Abby. I doubt that this area was designed with Aliens in mind, but that’s immediately what came to mind as I was going through this level. A strong sense of imminent danger despite the fact that everything more or less seemed okay, tight enclosed spaces deep within hostile territory, and you could sense that the area was quickly abandoned. TLOU2 has multiple memorable areas, but this was definitely on the top of that list. What’s interesting about the levels/areas found within TLOU2 is that depending on how they’re designed, they more or less push you towards a specific playstyle. The combat/weaponry that’s offered within TLOU2 offers a great number of possibilities, but sometimes the game more or less nudges you towards a specific playstyle. In particular, there’s a flooded area towards the later parts of the game. It’s not the first, but it’s noteworthy because it’s an area that’s filled with hostile wolves (WLF soldiers). You can easily go underwater to sneak up on them, which is really cool. In general, being able to use the environment to your advantage makes the gameplay more interesting than if it were just constantly ducking behind cover and blasting enemies until they’re all dead. One of the problems with offering these open-ended areas is that it leads to you having no idea if an area is worth exploring or if it’s simply nothing. For the most part, I was able to scavenge a lot and find useful equipment, but sometimes it felt as if I was wasting time due to going down an alley just to find that there was nothing there. Things aren’t always this way, but it happened enough times that It started to get bothersome. It took too much time trying to scavenge for items and rather than being incentivized to be thorough with areas, it made me want to stick to what was the clear path to advance through the game. Being that the world of TLOU is a very hostile one, you don’t have to look very far to find a fight, whether it be with live humans or with infected ones. For the most part, the combat found in TLOU2 is pretty straightforward. It’s possible to mix things up, but you’re generally either shooting, engaging in hand to hand combat, or using stealth to get past enemies. I wouldn’t say that this is boring, but it’s also not something to write home about. If I remember correctly, I recall that one of the big talking points about TLOU2 prior to it being released was how different the AI would be this time. The AI wasn’t completely horrible, but there were moments where I was left thinking that it wasn’t as impressive as I thought it was made out to be. The issue with this game’s AI is mainly due to problems with enemies and companions. With the companions, the problem was that they came off as buggy in certain situations. Sometimes they didn’t help at all and they’d even get in your way. This prevented you from being able to move freely during hectic moments and ultimately, it led to taking damage. The issue I had with the enemies really wasn’t that big of a deal, but it’s still worth mentioning. Maybe it has to do with the fact that scars are melee-based enemies, so by default they’re up close and personal to you, but in doing this, their performances suffered. Simply put, the scars are way too easy to take down. It’s possible that this was done on purpose, but this made me feel as if I was cheating whenever I fought against them, seeing as how different kinds of enemies actually required tactics other than me getting as close as possible and killing them within a short amount of time. I played on the moderate difficulty setting and yet fights with scars were probably the easiest to deal with in the entire game. I gripe about this, but it was still cool flowing from enemy to enemy. It came off as if you were stringing together combos when in reality you weren’t. Had this been implemented in a more balanced way it would’ve come off as much better than it did. Another new addition to this game that I recall was discussed in trailers/previews is the fact that enemies now shout the names of their comrades as they’re being killed off. From how this feature was explained, it was to make your actions weigh more heavily on you. Honestly, shouting a random person’s name seems like a half-assed way of making you care/be aware of the fact that you’re killing someone, even if it is just within a game. I realized what Naughty Dog was trying to do, but this feature didn’t affect me at all. I know that probably makes me sound like a bloodthirsty maniac, but I was more bothered by the screams when I killed enemies in brutal ways. Shooting off limbs or hacking into enemies with a machete or hatchet was much more disturbing than random names being shouted. Maybe it had to do with the fact that one approach resulted in a more graphic scene playing out, but I would’ve preferred if more time had been spent on expanding on that instead of trying to do something different with the names being shouted. In general, TLOU2 is trying to make certain aspects of the game come off as more realistic than they really are. Maybe this is done as a way to try to get the gameplay on the same level as the story that’s being told, but Naughty Dog partially failed in their attempt to do this because of certain situations that play out during the game. In some ways this is well executed, kind of like when Ellie unknowingly kills a pregnant woman. I’ve been playing games for nearly 30 years now and I’ve done all kinds of crazy things in a game that I’d never do in real life, but I still felt like a piece of **** for being involved with this. I didn’t react as strongly as Ellie did, but it still left me thinking if things were being taken too far, all for the sake of revenge. I guess that’s what Naughty Dog wanted you to think/feel and this is seen through how you confront certain enemies. I’ve already mentioned that it’s interesting that TLOU2 is not only attempting to take the story to a higher level, but it does the same with combat and the enemies you encounter. I’m pretty sure that some of the wolves that Ellie killed are the ones that you eventually interact with as Abby. More specifically, I recall this occurring with the psp playing woman whose throat Ellie slits. I liked this because it expanded on things and it showed how what you did as Ellie really affected Abby’s life. It’s nice when your actions really matter and cause change. I liked this, but it also reminds me of what I previously brought up, that things may have meant more had you initially played as Abby. When you play as Ellie, just about most of the enemies you kill have no real identity. Had you gotten to play as Abby first and then killed them as Ellie, it would’ve been much more surprising. It’s for this reason that the outcome of combat situations is more memorable, but at the same time, some of these situations come off as too outrageous. I find it hard to believe that someone can be slashed multiple times with a sickle and still be able to come at you. This occurred during a fight between Abby and a large member of the scars. This goes back to the game wanting to be viewed as if it’s more than just a game, but that immersion is then lost when something as exaggerated as this occurs. This was kind of like a mini-boss fight and it was much longer than it needed to be. It also doesn’t help that the damage that you unleash on this enemy results in realistic lacerations all over their face. You see that even if this enemy survives, they’ll be disfigured for the rest of their life and yet they still keep coming at you. The decision to do this didn’t make sense to me and I’m left to believe that it’s probably just Naughty Dog wanting to offer a different experience when it comes to dealing with live humans, but that time could’ve been spent on newer enemies. When it comes to games, especially sequels to a beloved classic, new isn’t always a good thing. One thing’s for sure, I’m glad that Naughty Dog added new enemies. It was good that the enemies from the original game were present here, but it would’ve been boring had it just been the same thing all over again. In particular, I loved the blob thing in the hospital, it reminded me of William Birkin from Resident Evil 2. A lot of people said that this fight was a brutal one, but it really wasn’t that hard. I died around 2 times and it wasn’t as difficult as other moments, such as being surrounded by multiple enemies and having to stealth your way through them. What I loved about this fight was that it changed things up for you. It’s really just offering a combination of earlier situations, but it’s cranked up a notch, so the situation is more hectic than what you’ve experienced early on in the game and I liked that. For the most part, the combat in this game is good, but it’s disappointing that just as the game is close to ending, you encounter new features. This is seen throughout the time that you’re fighting with The Rattlers and it left me feeling confused as to why Naughty Dog would add helmeted enemies at the end of the game. It came off as funny, seeing as how this adds more variety to the game and it would’ve been great to have to deal with this right from the start or even the middle of the game. I liked this feature on enemies because even if it’s something simple, it forces you to change up your tactics. Rather than being able to headshot The Rattlers with one of your many weapons, especially the bow, which is super useful for when it comes to sneaking around, you have to get up close and personal. I realize that this occurs throughout the whole game, but it’s different when the game forces you to play in a specific manner rather than giving you a large number of options to choose from. In continuing to discuss your encounters with The Rattlers, another new feature worth discussing is how you’re able to use infected against them. I don’t recall if this was doable in TLOU1, but when I found out that I could do this, I was highly amused. Seriously, it was incredibly fun being able to use the infected against other humans and it showed me that Naughty Dog could’ve made the overall gameplay much more hands on than it already was. What I mean by this is that having many options to choose from is nice. The reason that you’re able to use infected against The Rattlers is that they have multiple infected chained up around their base and you have the choice of letting them loose by hand, or shooting the chains apart. You’d think that one of these options is better than the other, but in reality, you see that each has its pros and its cons. When attempting to release infected by hand, the drawback is that you have to get really close to them and since most of the infected here are clickers, that’s an instant death. With shooting the chains off, you risk alerting The Rattlers to your presence, even if you use a silenced weapon. On the topic of weapons, I really don’t have anything too specific to say about them. It’s nice that you can choose to use multiple long range, short range, and other sorts of special weapons to take down both humans and infected. Naughty Dog could’ve been lazy and just let you use the same kinds of weapons with Abby and Ellie, but they changed things up by offering specific weapons that could only be used by either of them. They’re all pretty similar to one another, but one thing that stood out to me was that I eventually grew to miss Abby’s pipe bombs. They created a lot of mayhem and they were more effective than the Molotov cocktails that Ellie was able to use. The problem with the Molotov cocktails is that they really were only effective on a single enemy. The fire would sometimes spread onto adjacent enemies, but the problem is that if the Molotov cocktail (I like writing that) wasn’t thrown directly onto someone, people close by would only be slightly affected, and they’d be aware of where you were. With the pipe bombs, two to three people could be affected at once and it was nuts seeing how much carnage was created as a result of using them. A large variety of weapons are usable in this game, but the problem is that ammo is really scarce. I understand why this happens, seeing as how TLOU2 takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where every kind of resource is scarce and you have to make do with what you can scavenge. That’s understandable, but at the same time, I thought it was dumb that there was a limit to how much ammo you could pick up. I can understand that this is done to make you feel as if you constantly have to rely on a small amount of resources to overcome huge obstacles, but it doesn’t make sense to stumble upon ammo and not be able to pick it up simply because your weapons are already full. You can get around this by upgrading your weapon, but it felt as if things were made more difficult than they really needed to be. This issue spilled over into the fact that you have the ability to fire off more bullets. Maybe more people were thankful for this feature, but I didn’t see the point because it’d just result in me wasting more ammo than was necessary. Based on the length of what I’ve written so far, it’s obvious that I had a lot to say about this game. As the game was coming to an end and all I could do was watch how things were playing out, I appreciated more of the detail that Naughty Dog put into this game. Most of the attention to detail that I’ve previously mentioned was related to the gameplay, but some of the more memorable moments were when the game was showing how much had changed since the game first began. From how much attention is given to Ellie’s guitar playing, you know that it means a lot to her, especially because it was a skill that was passed down to her thanks to Joel. I bring this up because it’s both great and sad that she’s trying to play Joel’s song just as the game is close to ending and all you hear now are the imperfections after everything that happened. That scene came off as Naughty Dog wanting to show just how much Ellie lost as a result of what went on throughout this game. It’s true that because of this journey she eventually forgave Joel, but in the end, Ellie lost much more than she gained. Experiencing TLOU2 made me want to play TLOU1 again, and even if I do plan on doing that at some point, soon after I beat this game, I was looking up clips of TLOU1 on YouTube. I realize that this seems like an overall good thing, but to me, it’s both good and bad. It means that I enjoy being in this chaotic world, but at the same time, I feel as if a truly great game would leave me wanting to replay it soon after I beat it. I’m sure that that also depends on your proclivities as a gamer, but very few games have left me feeling this way and it’s easy to see why. One of the main reasons why I feel this way is because part one has a better crafted story. TLOU2 isn’t awful, but as I’ve said, there were moments where I was left saying “that could’ve been done better”. I know I’ll eventually replay this game and over the last few days I’ve realized that I want to replay it again sooner rather than later, but that doesn’t mean it’s on the same level as TLOU1. Ultimately, I enjoyed the game. It took me to some unexpected places and I liked that. I recognize the fact that I spent a great deal of time discussing what I didn’t like about this game. I understand that this may come off as confusing, because I genuinely enjoyed the game, but when I reflect on everything, that reveals to me how much I care about TLOU in general and this game. I doubt I’m the only person that does this, but I tend to really critique the things that I care about. I know that this doesn’t apply to everything I’ve ever critiqued, seeing as how I’ve previously had to play some truly horrible games, but it’s because I see that the potential was there to make this game greater than it was, and yet things ended up going in a different direction. That’s disappointing, but it didn’t leave me to believe that this game was a waste of time or that it’s as horrible as a lot of people online are saying that it is. It’s easy to understand why TLOU2 is such a polarizing game. People have such strong feelings for TLOU1 that to see things dealt with in a manner different than what was expected is taken as an insult. I don’t feel that way at all and I definitely don’t condone the outrageous acts that have resulted due to some not enjoying this game. The conclusion that I’ve reached is that this is one of those games that you recognize as being flawed and yet still consider it to be great. Part of me wants to say that this game is an imperfect masterpiece, but that’s a bit of an oxymoron. To conclude, I recommend this game. I can’t say that you’ll love it or hate it because it’s something that you have to decide once you’ve experienced it yourself.

Naughty Dog had the audacity to model their game logo (and title of the sequel) after one of the best movie sequels of all time, The Godfather Part II. There is no direct comparison, of course, but both sequels were following up on a landmark work of their respective medium. There were a thousand possible traps for Druckmann and Co., story and design decisions which might have given the fans what they wanted, but would have made The Last of Us Part II a lesser experience. Is it perfect? No, but it is simply an unmissable and unforgettable game.

Playing this game does not present an easy ride, both from a story point of view or from the perspective that it's a blood-filled and brutal game. The game mechanics and gameplay are tight and responsive and whilst the game is very linear, moving from area to area, that movement doesn't feel like one long corridor. The characters are fascinating and particularly the player is taken on an interesting journey. The biggest potential flaw is that it may be a journey that the player doesn't want to be taken on, though I felt challenged by it rather than repelled by it, so for me the game was successful. One of the best games of the year for me (based on 2 full play-throughs).

I ended up really enjoying my time with the Last of Us: Part 2 despite some shortcomings. The weakest element of the game is definitely its length—it’s a few hours too long, and some chapters of the story, especially during the second half, really drag on. It takes too much time getting to the ending, and even though I was relatively satisfied with how it concludes, some sections could have been shortened or replaced with a cutscene. However, it was definitely fascinating to see how Naughty Dog justified a direct sequel to a game that I felt didn’t really need one. But what really makes Part 2 so good is the open level design, improvisational combat, and gorgeous visuals. Throughout the game you’ll be transitioning between two gameplay mechanics: exploration, and combat with either human enemies or infected. Even though the game is relatively linear, the levels are designed in a way that you can explore all sorts of abandoned buildings or houses to find resources and collectibles, or chat with companions. I even got lost on occasion because not only is the game visually dense, but the levels are so wide. The game usually funnels you to your objective pretty well though. There’s also a lot of really cleverly designed environmental storytelling bits and an Uncharted: The Lost Legacy-style open world area near the beginning which I appreciated. The combat is similar to the first game but it feels more much dynamic this time around. You can go prone and crawl in tall grass to pick off enemies one by one, and you’re given a ton of different weapons throughout the game like a silenced pistol and a bow & arrow. Even if you get caught, it’s easy to scamper away and hide—it allows for more improvisation. The game is also pretty brutal—stabbing dudes in the neck or shooting them in the face with a shotgun is especially grotesque. It’s not perfect—fighting the infected is still sometimes frustrating, especially those damn one-hit-kill Clickers. The combat is overall really fun though, and made the slightly uneven campaign quite a lot of fun to play. I obviously wish the pacing was better but the exploration, combat, and the stunning visuals still make it a must-play in my eyes.