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[FunkMiller]

These days I actually think the story is a little lazy. It trades the nuance of the first game’s narrative for shock value... and that’s never a good trade. Revenge stories are rarely that creative, original or compelling, and that’s this game’s main issue. Would have vastly preferred a story about how humanity learns to cope better with the world created by the cordyceps virus, rather than a pretty run of the mill take about how revenge is bad.

Still a masterpiece of game construction though, no doubt about that.

 

[Spaceman292]

Still haven’t played Part 2.

I liked TLOU1 a ton but kinda opted out of Part 2 early because of the brutality. Then I got the whole story spoiled like many others, after that point the interest faded even more.

Eventually I saw this nakeyjakey rant video


...and after that I didn’t think it was worth spending my time there even though it looked amazing visually, I already knew everything about the story and the gameplay wasn’t too spectacular on it’s own.

The rope tech is insane though! Like holy crap, give that coder a budget and a small team to make a unique puzzle game!



The door isn’t completely closed though, I might still play through it if they make a PC version, but right now I feel like it’s no big deal if I skip Part 2 and jump in on Part 3 instead. I hope ND goes back to fighting the virus in the next game, they should go nuts with crazy evolved monsters and evil wildlife etc instead of focusing on crazy hateful people, there is so much potential in the IP.

I wish people would play the game themselves and make up their own minds before ranting about it, instead of parroting some chirpy, brainless youtube influencers.

Anyway Abby did nothing wrong.

 

[Physiognomonics]

These days I actually think the story is a little lazy. It trades the nuance of the first game’s narrative for shock value... and that’s never a good trade. Revenge stories are rarely that creative, original or compelling, and that’s this game’s main issue. Would have vastly preferred a story about how humanity learns to cope better with the world created by the cordyceps virus, rather than a pretty run of the mill take about how revenge is bad.

Still a masterpiece of game construction though, no doubt about that.

Exactly this. He focused on the very uninteresting revenge but completely let aside the story about survival, love or the search for a cure (with Ellie at the center of that them in the first game).

The main problem about the story is not the political agenda, it's just that they used TLOU world (and killed some of the loved characters) to propel others (uninteresting) characters who were almost all of them obsessed with revenge. This is my main problem with TLOU2.

 

[Valentino]

Perfect game for me. Perfect, BUT, the use of Lev and Yara could have been a bit better..... Lev’s actor sticks out as a little mediocre. The solum talking and the scene after he kills his mother were a little eye wincing for me in a game with top tier acting. It kind of pisses me off how stupid he was going back to his obviously unaccepting mother and ends up killing her off screen! And all of this gets Yara killed, who we just spent an entire day risking ourselves for getting supplies to amputate her arm. Descending the hotel and then the hospital with the rat king is such a great level, but it was for nothing in the end. After Yara is dead Lev has the nerve to barely cooperate and tells abby it was “her men that shot Yara” .....hmmm after Abby just risked herself going to the island to save him and stood in issacs way and wouldn’t let him shoot Lev.....and Lev has this silly punk attitude? Not on my watch! *slap*

 

[Neff]

First ND game I would consider a classic.

 

[Fredrik]

I wish people would play the game themselves and make up their own minds before ranting about it, instead of parroting some chirpy, brainless youtube influencers.

Anyway Abby did nothing wrong.

I’ve seen the GOTY awards, I know there are people who love the game. But I’m not going to invest in it now to see if I can still like a highly story-focused game where I already got the story spoiled unless there is something else there that pulls me in. Maybe I’ll reconsider if there is an upgraded PC or PS5 version but as of right now I’m fine with waiting for Part 3.

 

[Shmunter]

I’ve seen the GOTY awards, I know there are people who love the game. But I’m not going to invest in it now to see if I can still like a highly story-focused game where I already got the story spoiled unless there is something else there that pulls me in. Maybe I’ll reconsider if there is an upgraded PC or PS5 version but as of right now I’m fine with waiting for Part 3.

The gameplay is superb. The environments are draped in bleak atmosphere. The sense of isolation and desperation is turned upto 11. The gfx are a technical marvel.

The story is just one part of a AAAA package.

 

[Guardian's Light]

I’m happy to of played this game and overall it was good and it’s a future for Naughty Dog, here’s my take away.

ND seems to clearly know how to be dramatic and they like building around characters (Ellie, Tommy, Abby etc.) Enemies make you feel very anxious in a good way where I couldn't put down the controller a lot of other things too like building up your weapons, taking minutes to admire scenery, and the story really has it's own identity because you fall in love with Abby and I give ND a lot of credit on the game.

The world in Seattle is legitimate and is linear as opposed to open world, it’s fun moving around but leaves you thinking about it’s potential rather than what it is ultimately the levels put you in the line of fire or stealth.

Choke job map design, no excuse here... the game needed a legit organized pause menu map.

Ellie and Joel are pushed out the door instead Abby and her people are here this is a character who’s obviously the daughter of the doctor Joel killed in the Last of Us 1, and at the end of the day it feels like Naughty Dog changed their mind on the main character but nevertheless
Abby shows producing under pressure, leadership and for the first time you’re rooting against Ellie.

Final bad guy.

The game has zero puzzles and when you think of naughty dog games they average some sort of puzzle every other chapter and that’s very limited here. It’s a traditional survival horror action adventure game

Clickers (infected)
WLF
Rattlers (gang)
Seraphites (cult)

At some point you’ll meet one of those enemies.

The story is a service to apocalypse fans and honestly if you put the last of us 2 next to other games it’s just better. It’s a complete top 10 game with very little issues.

What does GAF think of the last of us 2?

Worse than tlou, for me this game has been pretty anonymous if compared with his predecessor, and most of it is also a borefest ( were all those walking segments and flashbacks in aquarium and such really necessary? Game has near zero replayability for me because of this) but its gameplay certainly is something else, it's out of this planet

And in all of the first game - and in zombie apocalypse or similar scenarios - I always wonder how military is doing, in tlou1 i'd have liked to play as a soldier, in tlou2 I got to play as a motherfuckin badass soldier with Abby and this made me really happy, this is also a +1 for me

Bonus: I think Uncharted's Nadine could have been an incredible Abby in tlou universe

Pretty curious for the inevitable dlc or part 3,and I'd also be totally down for a tlou remake with tlou2 mechanics

 

[dan76]

I thought it was good, but not great. The biggest disappointment for me was a lack of variety in enemy encounters, it's just more of the same. The pacing was all over the place and flashbacks within flashbacks are never good.

I can't really think why they went in this direction, but it is what it is. I prefer the first game for it's more focused approach.

I just want Factions!

 

[Woggleman]

Great game and while on the surface the game is about revenge underneath it it is about tribalism and the cycle of hatred. There are many layers to it. It also has some of the best combat I have ever experienced in a game. The AI is superb when it is turned all the way up to grounded.

 

[Calverz]

I just played and finished this game once they fixed performance with the 60fps. It’s a good game. I enjoyed the story and Abby was easily my favourite character. Ellie is an utter prick in the game tbh but all the characters have their flaws at end of the day. I was glad Abby survived.
The game isn’t perfect by any means. I felt it was too long and started to drag a bit. I’m also not a fan of the many walking simulators part. Some are just way too long and could have easily been done in a cutscene. Also similar to the first game, I was a bit annoyed at the lack of choice. For example in the original game I chose not to shoot the surgeon. IIRC after a couple of minutes just standing there, the game forces you to kill the surgeon regardless. At the end of tlou2 I chose not to attack Abby and just let her kill Ellie but again, not possible.
If there is a sequel, I’d like a choice in crucial story moments like this.
I still believe the first game didn’t need a sequel and tbh I’d be happy if this was the end of story now anyway. Let’s see what new stuff naughty dog come up with.

 

[Bartski]

I just ended my casual 60fps TLOU2 permadeath run on god mode aka "very light+", going Rambo through the game with tons of spare ammo.

Which was a lot of fun and almost a different game after beating New Game (no upgrades) on Grounded this week.

Grounded is easily the best, most intense and satisfying way to play this game but I can't imagine doing it without some accessibility tweaks like lowering the accuracy of human enemy gunfire, 25% slo-mo on aim, or a soft lock-on.
It's really fucking hard man and you literally can't miss a shot, most encounters = around 10 fails until I got it perfect or just wing it to survive.

It incentivizes avoiding combat giving you way fewer resources than it takes to kill everyone but how is sneaking past easier with enemies this alert and clickers on turbo... I don't know.

I also don't know how some people manage to beat this in Permadeath Full-Game mode on Grounded, that's just insane.

I'm sure I'll give it a shot one day but I'll wait for more patches, unfortunately, pop-in and asset streaming issues are on display way more often than this game deserves.