Game of the Year: #1 - The Last of Us: Part II

Push Square: "The Last of Us: Part II is our Game of the Year, but it means so much more than that to so many. Despite the otherworldly entities roaming post-apocalyptic America, this is a human story fuelled by emotions."

[SullysCigar]

Awesome game, well deserved - this game has proven to be beloved by many, after the initial mindless attacks. Great to see quality shine through!

[TheKingKratos]

If it keep going this way it might beat the amount of GOTY awards both TLOU and Witcher 3 got

[SullysCigar]

That would be amazing! I don't know the current count, or how many more are expected, but I recall that TLOU and TW3 got north of 200 each - just imagine the 'outrage'!

[mgszelda1]

*shudders*

[lukasmain]

Leading the FAN VOTED awards by a mile.

Leading the WEBSITE awards by a mile.

The game is a masterpiece and a huge success. Well done ND

Of course not everyone likes it and that's ok. That doesn't mean it's not a masterpiece in it's own right. No piece of media or art is ever universally loved. The first game wasn't and neither is this game.

[mgszelda1]

The first game was definitely more well loved compared to the split on this sequel.

[Freshnikes]

This is debatable ( but this I know the majority of the ppl who bought this game or any game don’t go on Reddit or YouTube to praise it or complain ) so the dislike towards this game is by a small % of the user base

[SullysCigar]

Any facts or just your gut feel born from your own hatred?

Here's a counter point to get us started: MANY more people completed TLOU2 (60%+) than TLOU1 (40%).

It happens to have the highest completion rate of ANY AAA game on PS4. Impressive, non? :^)

[gamer7804]

Oh absolutely, it’s amazing how many played through the game and didn’t like it compared to the previous, of course more people finished this game sequels have the gift from their predecessors of increased audience and exposures, it should have just ended there and started a brand new game. If you liked it cool people like different things, just my opinion.

[SullysCigar]

^ @gamer7804, "Oh absolutely, it’s amazing how many played through the game and didn’t like it compared to the previous"

And how many is that then? Enlighten us with the number/portion - it must be impressive if you're amazed by it! You see, this is the problem, when faced with facts you revert to conjecture. What about the players' choice/voice awards, how do you explain all of those away?

You don't share the love for this game and that's fine, but you need to quit with the projection, unless you feel you can back it up. Can you?

[RauLeCreuset]

@Sull, mgszelda1, & Gamer

Sully, Gamer and I have danced this dance, commenting until both of us exhausted our comment limit, as you can see on this thread: https://n4g.com/comments/re... Why did I bother? To have it on record for moments like this.

"The first game was definitely more well loved compared to the split on this sequel."

I, too, would like to know what you're basing that on. Please don't mistake the vocality of its critics for lack of love. As I pointed out to gamer, detractors may like to point to the review bombed Metacritic user reviews, but it still has more positive user reviews than negative and mixed combined, and it has at least 691% more positive user reviews than the original, all scores of 80 or more.

"Oh absolutely, it’s amazing how many played through the game and didn’t like it compared to the previous, of course more people finished this game sequels have the gift from their predecessors of increased audience and exposures, it should have just ended there and started a brand new game."

To Sully's point, how many is that? You love pulling claims out of thin air (to put it nicely) about this game. You can surely give a more concrete figure and a source, seeing how "amazing" it is. Last time it was "podcasts I listened to" and Metacritic user reviews, which do not filter for people that played the game, let alone completed it. I do believe even you acknowledged some had simply read about it.

[WillyC009]

Ah yes, hyperbole, conjecture, opinions stated as ‘alternative facts’. This current belief that people hold where actual facts and numbers don’t matter & they can just say whatever nonsense they want and believe it as ‘truth’ needs to end ASAP.

I enjoyed part 2 more then the first game, even with the vocal minority throwing a temper tantrum.

[FYouDad]

The Last of Us started on PS3 so this 40% bit is misleading. 85% of players finished the game on PS3. I don't see what finishing it has to do with being a confirmation that everyone actually loved it either. If I shell out $60 and it's not some 100 hour slog I feel inclined to push on and hope things will get better.. in the case of TLOU2 it only got worse but I finished it regardless to inform myself firsthand on the overall product.

[RauLeCreuset]

@FYouDad

"The Last of Us started on PS3 so this 40% bit is misleading. 85% of players finished the game on PS3."

Not sure what you're referring to with that claim or what it's based on, but here are the PSN story completion trophy completion percentages for TLOU, TLOU Remastered, and TLOU2:

TLOU PS3: 39.7%
TLOU PS4: 40.3%
TLOU2: 59.1%

(TLOU2 was at 60.1% when I checked 9 days ago. Make sense that people would have picked the game up for the holidays and for new players to account for the 1% drop.)

"If I shell out $60 and it's not some 100 hour slog I feel inclined to push on and hope things will get better.."

That's you. An observation that has been made about TLOU2 is that it felt like it went on too long, whether imparting that feeling was by design or not. Do you have any evidence that would support your anecdote applying to the broader gaming population?

https://metro.co.uk/2017/11...

The easiest way to establish your claim would be to produce comparable PSN trophy data.

[LucasRuinedChildhood]

@RauLeCreuset

The completion percentage for TLOU2 was over 60% a week or 2 ago. The fact that it suddenly dropped a point implies that a lot of people recently purchased it over the holidays and just started playing the game as well.

[RauLeCreuset]

@LucasRuinedChildhood

Agreed. It was at 60.1% when I posted the facts to counter gamer7804's claims 9 days ago.

Edit: Which, for the factually challenged among us, can only occur as a result of more people starting the game recently, despite the best efforts of some detractors. You can't un-beat a beaten game.

[mgszelda1]

@Freshnikes
Out of all the people I know that played and beat both only 2 enjoyed part 2. And one even admitted the first game game was better and set the bar too high for part 2 to even hit in terms of just story.
@SullysCigar
Hatred? Just not blown away by the story. In terms of gameplay its awesome. In my personal opinion it's sitting around 6.5 or 7 and honestly that's just because what I feel is a weak narrative.
Look at the user score on metacritic. People talk about players voting. Who cares about the completion rate. There are a ton of AAA games that have a small completion rate. Plus it's this compared to lou1 or lou1 remastered?

[RauLeCreuset]

@mgszelda1

What you are doing is trying to counter emperical evidence with anecdotal evidence. That's not how it works. You wouldn't make it through a high school English class attempting to base an argument on "all the people I know." The completion rates and player votes considered in isolation are more compelling evidence than "all the people I know." It gets worse for your "all the people I know" argument when those things are considered together, and worse still when they're considered along with other metrics such as the record sales.

[badz149]

@mgszelda1

6.5 or 7?? if what you're saying is true on how to rate games, no Nintendo game EVER should be scored more than 7 because their almost non-existent story and narrative in ALL their games SUCK!

but of course, the defense will be "gameplay is everything" when it comes to Nintendo's games, right? I hope you realize that you barely mention any "gameplay" in your vendetta against TLoU2. aside from the divisive story, TLoU cranked up EVERYTHING to 11 in terms of gameplay, graphics, animation, level design, performance in terms of fps, level of polish, production values....you name it! sorry to burst your bubble but TLoU2 is an examplary of game design and wholly deserves its spot as the overall GoTY for 2020!

[RauLeCreuset]

@badz149

The funny thing about mgszelda1 rating the game "6.5 or 7" is that it invalidates the very next thing they say, to "look at the user score on metacritic." By mgszelda1's own accidental admission, a 10/10 score is more accurate than all the 0s trolls scored to review bomb the game and lower the meta user rating. 6.5 or 7 means mgszelda1 is more in agreement with people who scored it 10/10 than anyone who scored it less than 3/10.

[Tacoboto]

It might just be my personal Game of the Gen. Boost it to 60fps on PS5 and I'll NG+ that right after I beat Ghost of Tsushima.

With as much post-release dev support Ghost has received, I'm kinda surprised we haven't seen it yet.

[SyntheticForm]

Well deserved and a juggernaut of a game. Some of the coolest, most memorable moments, narratively speaking. The skyscraper was intense.

[Elda]

Still getting its praise & flowers!!

[mgszelda1]

This game is much more inferior to part 1.
Name a scene from part 2 more emotional than
The opening
The ranch
Or fleeing the hospital in part 1

[Redemption-64]

Wow, this made up story in this game is truly killing you isn't it? And seeing it getting awards from both fans and critics must be worst than salt on an open wound.

For me, there are more scenes in part 2 that were far more impactful than anything in part 1. But that's just my opinion

[mgszelda1]

Name one then

[mgszelda1]

For your information, it is lol. Normally I wouldn't care but lou1 stuck with me hard and so naturally I had high expectations for a sequel and I was beyond disappointed with it.
I feel like it is such a misstep from the first game. Honestly I would of rather we never got a sequel at this point.
It somehow disappointed me more than MGSV (In story)

[Redemption-64]

I honestly do not think it's worth my time explaining what I found impactful in a video to someone like you.

The game is here to stay, you getting triggered by it or wishing it was never made isn't going to change the fact that it's here and a lot of people love it. I am happy to see the game getting awards, from both critics, fans and happy knowing Sony stood behind Neil and the studio as they were being harassed by self proclaiming salty fans.

[Doomeduk]

Who says it's inferior to part 1.. You?
And your opinion means much more to anyone else's because... ( fill in please)
Give us your favourite film or band and we can pick the shit out of them
Opinions are like arse holes we've all got one, doesn't mean my opinion is more valid than yours
Move on chap you feel better for it

[mike32UK]

The final fight scene turned me into an absolute wreck. Not the same kind of sadness as Sarah's death scene but just as (of ot moreso) impactful to me personally

[bRuud83]

I just started the game this week after playing the first entry. I am just past the first gruesome part and I was really shocked. I have played a lot of different horror games the last 20 years, but this is something else. Still I cant stop playing the game. It looks and plays fantastic. This shows how talenting ND is.

[badz149]

the first game really shooked me. Coming from Jak and then Uncharted, it was nothing like what I have expected from ND. I love TLoU to bits. in fact, it's the only thriller/horror (whatever you wanna call this genre) game I've ever pushed myself to finish. I don't like this kind of games/movies, just not my cup of tea but TLoU is amazing!

I am currently playing GoTsushima, will definitely play TLoU2 next. maybe I can get myself a PS5 soon, might play it there for better experience too.

[Redemption-64]

It's 2021, seeing this game getting more awards, must not be making some people happy. It seems both fans and critics keep giving the game awards

[dangerousbrian0]

The Critics are the fans are not

[Redemption-64]

Says who you? Sony literally had an award show where every Playstation user had the chance to vote, you know fans that actually own the platformthe game is on, and take a wild guess which game won the most awards? Also do you care to take another wild guess which game won the golden joystick awards? Want me to list more awards were users/readers voted for TLOU or you only count awards it didn't win?

[Nyxus]

Very well deserved, it's an amazing game in every aspect, with an exceptional story.

[LiViNgLeGaCY]

Woooooo! Amazing game!!

[S2Killinit]

Best game of the generation for me along with God of War.

[DFresh]

Ghost of Tsushima:
Am I a joke to you?

[dangerousbrian0]

The sales say something completly different. The game dropped by 80% from second week on sale never climbed back up again since Ghost Of Tsushima has not dropped once or if it has a little later on during the game being on sale.