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The Last of Us Part II - Review Thread - *NO. SPOILERS. PERIOD.*

What will TLOU 2 average score be?


  • Total voters
    341
  • Poll closed .

Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
Sitting Pretty at 96 on MC with 89 Reviews so far.

Here we go ladies and gentlemen.

T-minus

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Sample of an early, leaked review. Dont know where it was from as yet.


Im sticking with my prediction of it settling at 96.



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THEAP99

Banned
Here is the full review that includes a new screenshot, but nothing spolier-like

It is incredibly difficult to put into words just how close-to-perfect The Last Of Us Part II actually is.
Not just because there are some truly jaw-dropping, hand-over-mouth gasp-inducing moments that are essentially the final nail in the coffin for any arguments against video games being considered an art-form.
Instead, the problem lies with just how much greatness is on display here, that a single review won’t do it justice. But we’ll do our best...

It has been seven years since The Last Of Us was released on the PS3 and promptly invaded most people’s Best Games Of All Times lists, but inside the world of the game itself, the world is still struggling to survive from the devastating contagion that has wiped out the majority of mankind, turning many into a kind of evolved breed of hunting zombie.

We are controlling Ellie, still keeping the secret of being the one known person who is immune to the contagion, as she and father-figure Joel attempt to live a relatively normal life in a gated community. However, following a violent attack, Ellie sets off on a mission of single-minded revenge, forcing her to cross paths with the two factions fighting for control of Seattle: a military-trained group known as the Wolves, and a highly-religious, cult-like organisation nicknamed the Scars.

While the first game found Joel and Ellie traversing across the majority of the ruined states of America, the sequel manages to both narrow the focus down to pretty much one city, but also widen the sense of scale and scope. Ellie has learned some new skills since the first game – She can finally swim! – which add a sense of depth and height to the world, to a sometimes dizzying level. The need for stealth has also been increased, as Ellie doesn’t have the stamina or strength of Joel, so going prone or creating pistol silencers are massively important due to the new threats. Hearing the clicks of the mutated creatures attempting to use echolocation to find you is now as scary as hearing the Scars using whistles to communicate to each other, while the Wolves have trained guard dogs that can follow your scent trail and attack you once they’ve found you.

It all combines to a constant ratcheting of tension, keeping you on the edge of your seat and making sure you’re as quiet and barely-breathing a sound in real life as your character is on screen. The message of the cyclical nature of violence, as well as in a world of monsters you’ll find that man can be the most monstrous of all, is barely a new one. But rarely has it been told so well, with an overarching plot that a high-end HBO plot would kill for. Everyone talks about the beauty of That Giraffe Moment in the first game, but to list off the instantly iconic moments in the sequel would take all day. It is also unarguably a tremendously scary game, as you’re forced into some nightmare scenarios that seem totally inescapable at the time.

Every aspect of The Last Of Us Part II is astonishing, from the eye-wateringly lush visuals, to the tremendously detailed sound design, and the now immediately recognisable music themes that manage to get across both hope and despair simultaneously. The character work and story is on another level, taking some big risks that pay off in ways that most video-games wouldn’t even dare to dream of.


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Approaching the end of its run, the PlayStation 4 has given us not only one of the best games of its generation, but one of the best games of all time. Darker, scarier, deeper, bigger, and better in every way imaginable, The Last Of Us Part II will go down in history as a landmark moment in the medium of video games.
 
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The one thing I hate about reviews is that they are either hater bullshit, or fanboy bullshit. Both groups bitch about each other, even though they are no different. I question anyone who gives this game 1's and I question anyone who gives it 10's. I cringe every time I see something that says this is the worst game ever made and is pure cancer, and something that says this is the best game ever made and cured cancer!

I tried giving breath of the wild a 7 on 10 once and was very nearly crucified for it at gamefaqs.
 
Review scores will be high. People will praise it like its the second coming.

Meanwhile, I will probably have the same reaction I had to the first game: "That's it? That's what all the hype was about? What was bold and revolutionary about that?"

(I liked the first game, but man, some of the praise around it is unjust)
 
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Handel

Member
The first game had the advantage of being one of the first dad games these 30-something game reviewers had to latch onto, and had high enough production values+standard style of writing to give them something to hold up to make them feel more mature in their career.

We'll have to see if the lesbian experience in this game hits home for them as well.

I'm predicting a 93. It won't deserve it like a God of War, but ND games always score overly high.
 

THEAP99

Banned
...Surely this guy doesn't have a review copy? Looking at his Twitter he's very clearly anti Sony.
He does have a review copy. I wonder if he's hinted at he will hate the game and tlou fans will go after him, or if people will hate on him for liking the game as that group, would make it much more of a point...

24 minutes..
 

Geki-D

Banned
he loved God of war (2018) He said it was his game of the generation at the time.
Fair enough. Seems he doesn't really give scores anyway.

One thing I will say about YT reviewers, though is that they tend to grift in favor of what their viewer base wants, and their viewer base tends to be reactionary gamer bros who get angry and buy into outrage very quickly (because that shit gets clicks very easily). I hope we actually get honest reviews from YT'ers and not "OMGZ GUIZ!!!! SO WOKE GO BROKE!!!! BETA CUCK LEFT WING AGENDA! CULTURAL MARKIZES! FRANKFURT SCHOOLZ! DOWN OUR THROATS!!!" shit.
 
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Shantae

Banned
where are the reviews
No intention of watching it because I don't care, but it was in my subs, so here's one for ya.



Edit: I find it funny...the lazy fucks at giant bomb who are sitting on their ass working from home now, didn't have anything ready to post once the embargo lifted. Probably will do something tomorrow. Meanwhile the guy who does work for home had something ready and posted right when the embargo lifted.
 
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Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
Next Gen Base - 10/10
The Last of Us Part 2 makes some bold moves. Whether it’s from a story perspective or a gameplay one, Naughty Dog haven’t been afraid to make some big leaps with this game. Fortunately, it’s almost all for the better, and the result is a game that is as diverse as it is challenging, with visuals that I can’t see being beaten until the new consoles hit, and a story that will raise some eyebrows but ultimately sticks the landing, in spite of how dark it can get. A magnificent example of what is capable in the medium of video games. We absolutely needed this sequel.

Spiel Times - 9/10
The lives of the sad, desperate characters featured in The Last of Us Part II are ripe with dramatic irony, blind to the hate and suffering their skewed senses of justice have created. That same irony can be found in the bizarre online slanging match bleeding into nearly every comment section and social media thread about this game, where spoiler-crazed keyboard warriors spew bile at a game they haven’t played because of a story they’ve yet to experience. Perhaps the contents of this review are just another cry into the digital void, but I still implore you to make your own mind up about The Last of Us Part II. For my money, it’s a thoughtful work, full of creativity, clever writing, and impressive game design. As it did seven years ago, The Last of Us is again offering a console generation its somber swan song. It’s a hell of a tune.

IGN - 10/10
The Last of Us Part 2 is a masterpiece worthy of its predecessor. Taking strides forward in nearly every way, Ellie steps into the spotlight and carries the sequel in a manner that feels like the culmination of everything that’s made Naughty Dog’s blockbuster storytelling so memorable since the original Uncharted on the PlayStation 3. It delivers a layered, emotionally shattering story on top of stealth and action gameplay that improves the first game’s mechanics while integrating a bit more of Uncharted’s greater mobility and action. But while Part 2 is a thrilling adventure, it still makes time for a stunning, nuanced exploration of the strength and fragility of the human spirit. The PlayStation 4 has one of its best exclusives in one of the generation’s best games.

GameSpot - 8/10 (they gave the first an 8/10 as well, im done with their opinion lol)
By the time I finished The Last of Us Part II, I wasn't sure if I liked it. It's a hard game to stomach, in part because so much of who Ellie is and what she does is beyond your control. She is deeply complicated and flawed, and her selfishness hurts a lot of people. At times, the pain you inflict feels so senseless that it can leave you numb. It's all messy and bleak and made me profoundly sad for myriad reasons, but the more I reflect on it, the more I appreciate the story and characters at its core. I wanted almost none of it to happen the way it did, and that's what's both beautiful and devastating about it.

Game Informer - 10/10
I can rave about the attention to detail, the world, and the combat, but the story is where The Last of Us Part II sets a new bar. It is more about challenging your heart than your reflexes, and I simply cannot recommend it enough. There is much to be said about this game that can’t be said here due to spoilers, but you should play it as soon as you can with as little info as possible. But you don’t need to know specifics to appreciate how the gameplay and environmental cues all play into a single purpose: They make you feel the choices, helplessness, and the violence at the heart of this world and its characters. I can safely say this is the best narrative game I have played. I felt the loss. I felt the confusion. It is a game that turned me inside out with each twist of the screw.

Press Start Australia - 9.5/10
Though it’s destined to displease those who built Ellie and Joel up as infallible, as an observation of impermanence, tribalism and the terrible cycle of violence that exists at the centre of what’s left of the human experience in this world. The Last of Us Part II is a spectacular sequel, it’s a brave and unexpected direction for the series, expanding on the world both narratively and mechanically, producing a far sounder and rounded experience that never falters or gets in the way of the game’s clear storytelling strength.
 

Geki-D

Banned
lol They actually rated down the game because of the violence.
THE BAD
Much of the violence you inflict goes unexamined, which makes the gruesomeness of it just unpleasant
In the second half of the game, these exploration issues persist, as do the horrors of combat and violence. But for reasons I can't explain due to spoiler restrictions, the narrative shifts significantly at a certain point, and the context of everything you've done up until then changes along with it. There's a lot I want to say that I'm not allowed to until the game is out, but this half of the game is the reason anything in it works at all. It examines a lot of the violence that happens early on, though not all the violence in general, and it's where the story finds its meaning.
She is deeply complicated and flawed, and her selfishness hurts a lot of people. At times, the pain you inflict feels so senseless that it can leave you numb.
 
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