The Last of Us Part 2 Review: Not as Good as It Thinks It Is - The Wrap

Like the 2013 original, "The Last of Us Part 2" is still too much of a video game to tell its very emotional story very effectively

[DOMination-]

Its about where I thought it would be in all honesty.

Pretty good. But not as good as {i}"The Settlers by Blue Byte[/i} on the Commodore Amiga

[Vx_]

Still, it will be GoTY.. keep the tears flowing 🙂

[Marquinho]

I'm not sure a game with so much hatred against should be GOTY... doesn't sound right, not mentioning the questionable practices inside ND.

I thought the fight would be TLOU2 and Cyberpunk, but I don't know if Cyberpunk can aim to GOTY anymore, by releasing in November 19th, which is the date nominees were announced last year.

[sushimama]

The game is 10/10. It's a Masterpiece. I'm on my second playthrough now just cleaning up trophies for the Platinum. My GOTY so far.... still got Ghost Of Tshushimama

[Marquinho]

All I can say is... you don't mess with such iconic characters and get away with it... whatever your agenda is, ND.

[zeuanimals]

Oh no! The game's selling like crazy. They're getting away with it, those damned Naughty Dogs!

Do you ever listen to yourself?

[roboteye]

Being able to play as a gay character really hurt your feelings huh?

[rainslacker]

Yeah, that's why George RR Martin lives in hiding all the time.

What's there to get away from? People on the internet that fuss about stuff too much?

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

This is so stupid,m were si your logic? What do you mean get away with it, are you 4 years old? This is why no one takes gamers seriously. Grow up dude. the Game will sell a truckload, and it's their story to do with what they want, they don't owe you anything. It's their story and what happened to Joel was perfectly fine. Considering what he did.

[Marquinho]

I can't elaborate on my answer without spoiling, so I won't, but I will say that it has absolutely nothing to do with any sort of prejudice.

Why are you even asuming that? Have you even finished the game? If you haven't, then the prejudiced is not me.

[NewEnds0186]

After what joel did why should he be immune to consequences? He potentially killed many people's loved ones and potentially screwed humanity but nope no consequences....come on...

[soulrebel]

Except... The characters are theirs to do whatever they want with.

[n1kki6]

The second paragraph of this review sums up my feelings on the game.

[luckytrouble]

Honestly, what is with the disparity in exclusive reactions?

Nintendo: You either love it or you're so wrong that your right to an opinion gets revoked.

Sony: Everyone feels the need to say the games aren't as good as they are because after over 20 years, people can't seem to accept that Sony first party games are actually usually really good.

Microsoft: Either you care as much as Phil Spencer or you don't care at all.

Gaming media is such trash.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

Yep - and if we as a gaming community continue like this, publishers will shit themselves green lighting new projects.

Before the Sony event - I had to look forward to GOT and CP2077. Now there's SM: MM, H: FW, KENA: BOS, RETURNAL, Little Devil Inside and R&C: RA.

Everyone is allowed an opinion - but not everything has to be how 'random' person wants it to be.

[BehindTheRows]

Indeed. That’s why you have to basically tune most gaming media (and the gamers who mimic their nonsense) out.

Naughty Dog told the story they wanted to tell. Don’t like that? Don’t buy their games. Simple. Me? I’ll continue to buy them.

[DankSinatra]

“Nintendo: You either love it or you're so wrong that your right to an opinion gets revoked. “

Except this is what I’ve seen for the last of us^^^

[3-4-5]

It's backlash against the over praise of Sony for everything.....

This is a snap back to reality but the Sony fan boys who think Sony can do no wrong.

It's a good thing....Sony gamers should expect much better games on the PS5 and I have no doubt Sony will deliver on that end.

I didn't expect this game to be as good...

[morganfell]

The game media is trash. But these people with no qualifications who go about their jobs telling us what to like and what to hate, who praise bad games and damn good ones with no standards in place get a pass. Instead people are flipping out over gamers hitting a title they do not like as if that is going to make a difference. The game media on the other hand who really can affect games gets a shrug and is allowed to continue stomping on our hobby. Amazing people can be so misdirected.

[TheHateTheyGive]

The constant spamming of hate articles for this masterpiece is amazing. im 3 hours in and its without a doubt the best looking and playing game of this gen on pc or console. Im playing on og ps4, i could imaging how it looks on pro.

[Bathyj]

I think it's exactly the same, just resolution. ND really are technically wizards. No one got Left Behind. See what I did there?

I am so loving all the tiny little graphical details that people wouldn't even notice consciously but really do form the picture forsuch a dense world.

Look down the barrel of the revolver and you can see the rrifling spiral actually on the inside of the barrel. I could see the bullets were hollow points and I counted 5 of them and sure enough when I checked my inventory I had 5 bullets.

When I came in out of the snow and I had snow all over my clothes I stood there and watched as it slowly melted and then my jacket was wet and I stood there further and watched as my jacket slowly dried.

I found a small backyard hot tub full of dirty brown water and when I went up to it to have a look inside it was full of little tadpoles. I was smiling so much.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

I've taken over 3 gigs of photos, the details are insane. Even my mate who is on the hate train is blown away.

I keep telling him he'll kick himself in a few years for not playing it.

[MetalGearsofWar]

@Bathyj
Sounds like Red Dead 2

[Nitrox]

Their attention to detail is crazy! Another example - fluid physics inside the bottle of a Molotov when your holding it and moving around, complete with the sloshing sound... What other developer takes the time to get so intricate with things like that?

The wait and delays are well worth it to have such a polished result! Hopefully Cyberpunk is going through that same process...

[SyntheticForm]

I killed someone in front of some signage at a gas station, and I was shocked to discover the blood that pooled completely reflected the sign and its colors.

The detail in this game is absurd, lol.

[RandomPolishGuy]

Yeah, but the hate isn't about the game play or graphics, but the plot hole riddled story with questionable decisions by beloved characters.

[Snookies12]

*Minor early game spoilers*

Please tell me you're not talking about the "questionable decisions" of Joel and Tommy going with Abby at the beginning of the game. That's a stupid one I'm hearing being played up a lot as something Joel wouldn't do. Despite the fact that Joel trusted and went with Henry and Sam back to their place in the first game without knowing them at all either.

[IRetrouk]

Not to forget they were running for their lifes, wasnt even trust, he was just trying to survive.

[gamer7804]

Sure it looks great, but graphics can’t turn a poorly written story into a good one. That’s the issue people have. It’s very clear that the gaming media do have a bias towards this game/publisher.

[TKCMuzzer]

Or the people playing did not create a fantasy for the characters lives after the first game, therefore are more willing to except the realities of the world created and the story being told.

[gamer7804]

@TKCMuzzer it’s about creating characters that are believable, it’s clear that of course reviewers in the mainstream aren’t directly paid for their reviews but they do have personal relationships with some developer which can skew reviews a bit. But more so sometimes writers write the games for their peers, rather than their audience, which is a combination playing out with clear transparency here with visible results from the critics, audience, and the game itself.

[rainslacker]

I'm about 12 hours in. Taking my time mostly. I think the game play is pretty solid and an improvement on the first. Story so far is good, although so far not as good as the first, and despite a lot of the hate, I don't feel it's SJW undertones feel forced or preachy. They're just there as part of the character. The story does tend to meander though, and I'm still not sure it's a good or bad story as a whole, as I think I'm starting to finally get to the point where the plot opens up. The flashback scenes have the magic of the first game, but I feel that's lost on the present day sections. Graphically the game is top notch, and the animations are excellent. About my only gripe so far is the dogs. I can't find a way to handle them without causing all the bad guys to be alerted.

[BenRC01]

wait till you see the trans girl getting bent over. I mean seriously... no Russian for the 2020s?

[rainslacker]

Well. thanks for that unsolicited spoiler.

[BenRC01]

Exactly. Your 3 hrs in. come back when you're 20hrs in and you've been doing the exact same thing the whole time. And your forced into the most boring assassins creed style fetch quests over and over.

[got_dam]

Someone didnt like the game. Happens. Everyone can have their opinions. Looks good to me. Looking forward to playing it. I have no issues with the LGBTQ stuff, so long as it comes across as genuine. If it seems like virtue signaling then I'll probably not like it. Virtue signaling is just insincere pandering and hurts the cause. Overall, though, I'm excited and some negative or positive reviews aren't going to sway my opinion.

[sampsonon]

please tell us oh great one. Tell us your wisdom. Tell us what they think it is.
But on top of that what else do you do besides make money off of games that think they are better than they are?
Intrigue me please oh great writer/critic of games.

[drunkenspy007]

clickbait crap

[Elda]

I'm enjoying every minute playing TLOU2 so far!!

[DaGR8JIBRALTAR]

Technical marvel and a pretty good story to boot. I'm loving it too!

[oof46]

Technically, it's a masterpiece. Runs great, fantastic graphics. Gameplay is more of the same from the first (if you liked it, you'll like it here, if not, then tough luck). QTE events could've used some variety. The story is where all the controversy comes from. Yes, there are trolls shitting on it, just for the sake of shitting on it. But, you can't disregard that people hate TLOU 2 for unraveling everything you loved about the characters from the first.

[Snookies12]

"But, you can't disregard that people hate TLOU 2 for unraveling everything you loved about the characters from the first."

And that's the beauty of it. Subverting expectations. If you know where the story and characters are going to go, why even bother playing it? I don't want to invest my time into something if I know every main character is safe from death. Nothing will change. Everything will work out fine. That's just not how life works. And realism has always been a rather big component to The Last of Us as a series.

As an example, I love the Halo series. Always have, always will.

*Spoilers for Halo 3 if you haven't played it*

Halo 3 made it appear as though Master Chief didn't make it back at the end. With his number carved into the memorial grave and everything. Then they show, he somehow made it back alive despite the ship being ripped in half. That always bugged me. It could have had such an emotional impact if he actually died from that. But they knew they couldn't afford to kill off their main character because he's what sells the game. I don't like that line of thinking. As it narrows down the story to what you can and can't do as a creator. Limiting yourself is never a good road to go down as a writer. You'll lose what gave you that creative drive to begin with.

[oof46]

Subverting expectation can be a good thing, if it is written well. If it isn't, like Metal Gear Solid 2, the last 3 Star Wars films and the last season of Game of Thrones, it will do nothing but anger a lot of the fans of the first game.

Like I said in another comment, it's Naughty Dog's story to tell and they have a right to tell the story the want. However, there will be a backlash from fans who are invested in the characters of the first game and don't like how the sequel didn't do them justice. And fans do have that right to feel that way.

The problem is, you have to wade through a ton of review bombs to find valid criticism, and then you'll find those who will lump all criticism into one big group.

[Sirk7x]

That's the whole point though; In real life, shit unravels. People you love die without you ever getting a chance to say your peace to them, and people grow apart as they age. Most people don't get their happy ending.

[InUrFoxHole]

Loving it so far. My only dislike is the over emphasis on the lesbian aspect. The relationship its self is fine and well written but it seems like they then keep pounding it into the story. Idk

[TricksterArrow]

They should've pounded more. Lesbians are hot.

[InUrFoxHole]

Lol

[SyntheticForm]

I'm actually quite surprised at how tame, mild, and relatively subdued the lesbian aspect is. I expected a lot more gratuitous, in-your-face pandering, given the nature of the dev, but it really and thankfully hasn't been like that.

It comes across naturally and I'm happy about that.

[Tex4242]

I literally just finished it. 2 sessions with a 31 hour total. I thought it was great. The graphics make me hyped for next gen, cuz this is PS4 and these graphics are sick. Now it's time to scour the net and see what people didnt like about it. Tale of revenge, and consequences for your actions.

[CaptainOmega]

I can see why people wouldn’t like how a character was killed off. I can see how people wouldn’t like an ending with a complete tonal shift...

But lets sit down and be real about this. Neil probably had about 2-4 stories for the game. These were probably focus tested. The one that released is probably the one that was the most well received. I’m about 6-7 hours in the game. I just got to the Theater after the tunnels. I can say there isn’t much for emotional story beats up to this point accept for the ‘big one’ very early in the game but I can already sense 100% vengence won’t make Ellie feel better. You can hear it in dialogue.. you can see it in her journal..

I’d say the game isn’t perfect.. but so far it’s not trash. It’s not even bad or average.. it’s keeping me on my toes and engaged enough to want to know what happens next.

[Cmv38]

The only thing I disagree with is indirect spoiler, and I know you're just trying to make a fair point and assessment, but its a spoiler.

[AK91]

100% Agree.

[kevinsheeks]

I don't care for it anymore I'm finishing it but I'm no longer interested.

[Cmv38]

When I don't care for a game, I don't bother finishing it...... why force yourself to be unhappy.

[SLiSH83]

I was gonna get this but assetta corsa comes out Tuesday I’m going with that

[gigzamillion]

"is still too much of a video game to tell its very emotional story very effectively"

What does that even mean? So this video game is too much of a video game, my God some people are reaching really hard to come up with an excuse to hate on this game. LOL

The thing about all of these hate article is they are all predicated on the idea of someone reading them that isn't actually playing it becasue the people who actually playing it know articles like this are full a bull butter.

[Final_Aeon]

Hmm, I keep seeing everyone defending the game like crazy. I was seriously looking forward to this as a fan of the original but had the leaks spoil the experience for me. It's been interesting to see someone else play through it, but I have zero intention of playing it myself.

I think most of the overblown reactions (like all the 0's) aren't meant to make the game seem unplayable, as from everything I've seen, technically and gameplay wise alone should ensure a 7,5-9 score. However killing off characters and not giving a nice ending pay off, just for subverting expectations sake, is not the way to go. For that reason, I think the extreme opposite reaction/articles are a big warning sign to potential buyers, that most people should heed before jumping in.

Heck, even ND themselves said the game would be divisive, and it should have shown in the media reviews. However, the consensus by them is basically it's the best PS4 game of the year and one of the best PS titles of all time. I respect people's opinion, if it makes them feel that way, but unrealistic expecations have been set now. As if only hardcore nintendo/microsoft fanboys, or those actually not being able to handle an LGBT character in the game, could have a negative reaction towards this game. It's like full blown twitter mob mentality: there's "our/the correct" opinion and all others are wrong, so much that everyone not clamoring it from the rooftops must be against it.

Just like any game, people will love it and people will hate it. I myself recognize that some of my favourite games have sections that would infuriate people and maybe downright make them quit out (looking at you lighting dodging and chocobo racing from FFX). And I understand when those people fail to share the same sentiment as myself, not giving something that's great in my mind, less than a 9/10.

So wrapping up: for those of you enjoying the experience, heck even the story and the writing, I'm glad you're having a blast. However there are a lot of people who won't like or even hate certain parts, making it an entirely different experience. I'm all for discussion and proper argumentation, so don't put those with proper criticism in the same corner as trolls and ignorant, hateful people.

[Master of Unlocking]

The author of that article doesn't want games to get mature. He just wants to play Nintendo games with a wafer-thin plot and nice 'n colorful graphics where the sun always shines...

[BenRC01]

Gameplay needs a massive overhaul. Its fun for a few hours but doesn't evolve in any way. Story is gut wrenching as always but some very strange gameplay decisions.

[Cmv38]

The gameplay doesn't evolve? What does that even mean? Can you name a game, and not some obscure game only you heard of where the game play evolves so we can understand what you mean? Because I play a lot of games, game play doesn't evolve. Maybe it varies over different points, maybe that's what you mean.

[BenRC01]

I can't name a game where it doesnt.
You do the same exact thing for 25 hrs with both characters.

[Cmv38]

you can't name a game where it doesn't? But you couldn't name a single game where it does? Lmao. So you're just making shit up.... got it.

[DrDeath]

The gameplay is intense as hell. Its great

[BrettAwesome]

Jesus hates hicks because they suck! Jesus hates his biggest fans, and the horses they rode in on

[GrizToof]

This will have to be said for the rest of human history but it still won't get through to so many people. Reviews are opinions and everyone is allowed to have one. If you think your going to like the game than buy it. Find a reviewer that has similar tastes to you so you can trust their reviews more than just some random person online. personally I will not be buying the game because of certain people that naughty dog had working in their studio and the forced story that has things in it I know I will not like personally.

I feel like anyone should be able to make a game about any subject matter you want and if you don't like it, don't play it. The issue I have is the other side wants to force feed you their shit and make sure my shit never sees the light of day. I want us to shit together in harmony.

We all know that 10 purple hairs on Twitter have the power to control all media and people's careers with their bitchng. When the fuck will the majority of us wake up and make sure these people have no power over us. There is enough room in this world for all of us to enjoy our own lives, we don't want to be force fed to live in yours.

I know I'm ranting and I apologize but, it has to be said. Good day to all of you and happy fathers day to all you dad's that are out here doing the right thing.

[Passerotto]

Pfff

[CrimsonWing69]

I think it’s better than the first so far, but I’m only on Ch 8 and what do I know?

[TheDreamCorridor]

Quick!

Every stupid person call this reviewer a bigot, hurry!

Ahuurrrrr

[Minute Man 721]

I'll play this for myself and if it isn't great like how Uncharted 4 wasn't great, I'll let you know. But of course this is my personal opinion

[DrDeath]

Uncharted 4 was amazing. Not a 10 but it was great. Couple small issues with it.

[AsunaYuukiTheFlash]

The game is a freaking masterpiece. Yes, I beat the game yesterday.

[Yodasfavoritesoda]

I am about half way though the game. Production value wise the game is top notch. Beautiful animations gorgeous environments graphically the fame looks nice. I would hope this game gets a full ps5 enhancement because I get the feeling that even the pro is running a very scaled back version. The vistas in the background stick out bad because they look so low res or just not up to par with everything else. Minor gripe but its there and I also don’t think the hdr is that great but I personally don’t think the PlayStation has good hdr implementation period.
Of course as a huge fan of the first game my problems with the game is story wise it seems the main goal of the game was to push a narrative more than tell an engaging story. Just everything is so far to the left I expect to be tasked with defending a abortion clinic from raging rednecks any minute. I’ll reserve putting a number to my little review til after I finish it but at this point it’s obvious that this game does not live up to the first one

[zimm]

I don't even own a PS4 and fr what I've seen this game looks amazing

[jambola]

"it's not as good as it thinks it is, it's as good as I think it is"

[Phantom68]

It is one's opinion. I love it so far and Metacritic is at 95%

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

Sure Bud..It's pone of the best gaes ever made...period.

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

The Last of Us Part II is the UK’s fastest selling Sony game on PS4, bigger than the Uncharted 4 launch in boxed sales alone. It’s the biggest game launch this year by far, smashing the opening sales of Animal Crossing, and comfortably bigger than its predecessor

For all the dumb haters who think this game won't do well.

[drunkenspy007]

lot of haters, likely because this is an exclusive. those who are playing it know it's absolute fkn amazing.

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

The Last of Us Part II is the UK’s fastest selling Sony game on PS4, bigger than the Uncharted 4 launch in boxed sales alone. It’s the biggest game launch this year by far, smashing the opening sales of Animal Crossing, and comfortably bigger than its predecessor

For all the dumb haters who think this game won't do well.

lots of man babies upset a story does not go the way their one sided view of the world head made up. it's pathetic, the story is very welll done...

[sourOG]

I wondered why 2 articles showing criticism to the LOU2 were trending and weren’t locked. Then I saw the hilariously sad comments lol.

[Jon_Targaryen]

The writing is crap. Easy as that. Its game of thrones all over again.

[quenomamen]

Yea we get it, this game is violent yet you buy the New COD every year because you got morals.

[Suzyp]

Keep praising this game to the moon guys, the fact is, it is a good game not a masterpiece. All these sheeps jumping on the bandwagon trying to defend it. Story is alright, characters are not memorable, horrendous pacing and gameplay you literally spam dodge and abust stealth kills to win survivor difficulty. It's terrible gameplay design, put me to sleep.

[TechnoGoat]

It's better than this article wants everyone to believe.

[jznrpg]

A lot of Hate For this game . Actually most of Sony’s game get some of these types of reviews . Enjoy games for what they are or don’t . Why put these stupid it’s not good as it thinks it is opinions . It’s a damn game it doesn’t think at all. This is ridiculous.