The discourse around The Last of Us Part 2 went really well didn’t it. On one side we have many mainstream critics in their own world that didn't critically engage with the game well and ended up just giving it 10s. Then on the other side we have a large chunk of the gaming community behaving the way they did and being unable to deal with a piece of media/art. The truth is The Last of Us Part 2 is a well made and ambitious game. But unfortunately the developers may have bit off more than they could chew and the game is a bit of a mess that didn’t land right.
The most important thing to say about The Last of Us Part 2 is I am so glad they tried and that they were allowed to try. Most games in the AAA space are so safe. The fact that nobody stepped in at any point to say just give us a safe, predictable sequel and that Naughty Dog was permitted to do their thing is excellent. Naughty Dog could have just given us a basic journey across the country with Joel and Ellie on some simple revenge quest but instead they aimed higher and tried to deliver a grand, ambitious game about hate. I really hope the backlash to this game doesn’t cause future AAA games to be even more risk averse because that would be sad to see as AAA games are already, typically too frightened of interesting characters/stories, challenging and/or new gameplay, real puzzles, bold style, old genres, etc.
The most obvious thing is this game looks phenomenal. This is as good as it gets on PS4. The attention to detail is staggering. The number of unique objects and animations in this game is ridiculous. I cannot stress enough how impressive it is. I don’t think anyone else is even close to being on the same level as Naughty Dog. All aspects of the presentation including visuals, attention to detail, atmosphere, sound, acting performances, how well it runs, etc, is all top notch and if this was the only thing games were rated on then maybe a 10/10 wouldn’t be so silly.
The gameplay is exactly what you expect if you have played the first game. It is solid and enjoyable but not exceptional. They make a number of sensible improvements over the first game, like going prone to hide under things and to crawl through grass. I really enjoyed that the areas are larger and more vertical which allowed combat encounters to be more dynamic and free. Resources are just limited enough to keep you changing up your weapon and approach. The combat is very violent and visceral and the AI reacts pretty well to what you are doing both verbally and mechanically. I had a good time jumping out of stealth causing some horrific carnage and then diving back into stealth. The environmental puzzles felt more varied this time too. However the game regularly wasted my time and the gameplay just isn’t enough to keep me coming back for multiple playthroughs. It also feels like a missed opportunity. They could have done more with the gameplay especially with two playable characters.
Now for the games biggest issues; story, characters and pacing. First of all this game is a bloater, god damn why is it so long? An editor needed to come along a just cut so much fat off this game. The pacing is a complete mess and most of the time feels too slow. It starts off way too long and slow. Then there are two middle sections both of which are a little too long, then a long lead up to the end and then the actual end. The returning characters are great but the new ones are just nothing. I still remember Tess, Bill, David, Sam, Henry, Marlene and even Ish from the first game. But I can’t remember the names of these side characters and I don’t care enough to look them up. The story is a mix of highs and lows there are some excellent moments and I really liked the ending. But there are plenty of moments that just do not land at all and so much that I just didn’t connect with. The whole thing is too contrived as well.
The other big issues I have are no multiplayer and no replayability. The Factions multiplayer was so damn good in the first game and I know a lot of people won’t understand it but for me it was one the best multiplayer experiences ever and a big part of why I bought the remaster. It hurts that it just isn’t here and still to this day there is no new multiplayer released. I also can’t bring myself to play through this more than twice, which was enough to get the platinum trophy, even though I finished the first game 7 times. It’s too long and bloated and wastes too much time and the gameplay isn’t enough to pull me back in.
The Last of Us Part 2 is a must play for anyone that played the first game and if you haven’t then what are you doing here, go play the first one. You really should play this for yourself. Don’t listen to the mainstream critics or the angry gamers. Play it and form your own opinions. I think it is a really good but uneven game and I would still easily recommend it.
7.5/10
The most important thing to say about The Last of Us Part 2 is I am so glad they tried and that they were allowed to try. Most games in the AAA space are so safe. The fact that nobody stepped in at any point to say just give us a safe, predictable sequel and that Naughty Dog was permitted to do their thing is excellent. Naughty Dog could have just given us a basic journey across the country with Joel and Ellie on some simple revenge quest but instead they aimed higher and tried to deliver a grand, ambitious game about hate. I really hope the backlash to this game doesn’t cause future AAA games to be even more risk averse because that would be sad to see as AAA games are already, typically too frightened of interesting characters/stories, challenging and/or new gameplay, real puzzles, bold style, old genres, etc.
The most obvious thing is this game looks phenomenal. This is as good as it gets on PS4. The attention to detail is staggering. The number of unique objects and animations in this game is ridiculous. I cannot stress enough how impressive it is. I don’t think anyone else is even close to being on the same level as Naughty Dog. All aspects of the presentation including visuals, attention to detail, atmosphere, sound, acting performances, how well it runs, etc, is all top notch and if this was the only thing games were rated on then maybe a 10/10 wouldn’t be so silly.
The gameplay is exactly what you expect if you have played the first game. It is solid and enjoyable but not exceptional. They make a number of sensible improvements over the first game, like going prone to hide under things and to crawl through grass. I really enjoyed that the areas are larger and more vertical which allowed combat encounters to be more dynamic and free. Resources are just limited enough to keep you changing up your weapon and approach. The combat is very violent and visceral and the AI reacts pretty well to what you are doing both verbally and mechanically. I had a good time jumping out of stealth causing some horrific carnage and then diving back into stealth. The environmental puzzles felt more varied this time too. However the game regularly wasted my time and the gameplay just isn’t enough to keep me coming back for multiple playthroughs. It also feels like a missed opportunity. They could have done more with the gameplay especially with two playable characters.
Now for the games biggest issues; story, characters and pacing. First of all this game is a bloater, god damn why is it so long? An editor needed to come along a just cut so much fat off this game. The pacing is a complete mess and most of the time feels too slow. It starts off way too long and slow. Then there are two middle sections both of which are a little too long, then a long lead up to the end and then the actual end. The returning characters are great but the new ones are just nothing. I still remember Tess, Bill, David, Sam, Henry, Marlene and even Ish from the first game. But I can’t remember the names of these side characters and I don’t care enough to look them up. The story is a mix of highs and lows there are some excellent moments and I really liked the ending. But there are plenty of moments that just do not land at all and so much that I just didn’t connect with. The whole thing is too contrived as well.
The other big issues I have are no multiplayer and no replayability. The Factions multiplayer was so damn good in the first game and I know a lot of people won’t understand it but for me it was one the best multiplayer experiences ever and a big part of why I bought the remaster. It hurts that it just isn’t here and still to this day there is no new multiplayer released. I also can’t bring myself to play through this more than twice, which was enough to get the platinum trophy, even though I finished the first game 7 times. It’s too long and bloated and wastes too much time and the gameplay isn’t enough to pull me back in.
The Last of Us Part 2 is a must play for anyone that played the first game and if you haven’t then what are you doing here, go play the first one. You really should play this for yourself. Don’t listen to the mainstream critics or the angry gamers. Play it and form your own opinions. I think it is a really good but uneven game and I would still easily recommend it.
7.5/10
Xicrinho
9 months ago