The Last Of Us Part II Review - Game Critics

Game Critics: I finished The Last Of Us Part II feeling depressed, but not for the reasons the developer might have intended — Naughty Dog is an immensely talented studio with resources that many devs can only dream of, yet their achievements in presentation are held back by a lack of mechanical evolution and uninspired gameplay.

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

Lack of mechanical evolution, and uninspired gameplay? You must’ve played it on easy to hit your deadline, and never dove into the mechanics

[Knushwood Butt]

Yeah.

Very minor spoilers of some cool things that happened during my first playthrough:

Hit by an arrow that passed through one or two car windows. I was hiding behind the car thinking I was safe. Wrong!!

Was hiding under a train when an enemy dragged me out by the feet.

Smashed a window and the debris and/or gust of air knocked a lamp shade off a lamp. Totally minor, but very cool and an example of just how much attention to detail there is in this game.

My backpack unintentionally smashed some glass while I was moving around in a corridor. Again, not necessary but great for immersion.

[Deathdeliverer]

The attention to detail alone is staggering and much of it affects gameplay.

[VerminSC]

Yeah that complaint just doesn’t fly, the gameplay is VASTLY different and improved from the original.

Prone mechanic, quick throw, dodge and melee combat, horse combat, enemy communication system, new crafting, new weapons, manually dislodging arrows, dragged out of cover.. I could go on. All NEW mechanics

[RosweeSon]

It’s ridiculous seen this a couple of times now so a game on its second entry is meant to suddenly revolutionise its own series. Yet Resi original trilogy were all the same changed after 4/5 entries (code Veronica as well) pokemon was the same for years (as much as I love the series) call of duty as good as it was got away with a solid 5 entries year after year before any complaints of this is the same old, and it was modern warfare the original was game changing but apart from the time jumps going backwards to WW2 etc the multiplayer and mechanics were same for years no one batted an eyelid. 😑🤷🏻‍♂️

[rainslacker]

Yeah. The game was technically better in the game play department in every way. Even the oft griped about immersion breaking AI of your companions not triggering the enemy when breaking stealth was done well I this game.

Game wasnt super innovative in any game play element, but it was about as solid as it could be, and it did have really good stealth elements to it.

[Bathyj]

Can't agree with this "lack of mechanical evolution and uninspired gameplay." Everything in this game has been spit shined to perfection.

The controls are amazing. The UI, everything is a step above the original. Prone made such a difference to the stealth. The combat is tense like no other game. I would play this game for the gameplay itself even if it had no story.

The only thing I would love is let me shoulder swap when I'm not aiming and horse combat.

Other than that I couldn't fault it mechanistically or from a gameplay perspective. But that's just me.

[SyntheticForm]

Completely agreed.

On top of all that it's just good, brutal fun with such immersive animation and facial expressions. It's so well done; it's true prowess in gamecraft.

Unbelievable on its own, and even more so considering the constraints of the PS4 hardware.

[RazzerRedux]

I'm not quite done with the game, but I agree with both of you. I'm not reading reviews at this point but "uninspired gameplay" is simply a joke. Whatever problems people have with the game (still haven't figured it out other than the social issue aspect which is just silly), gameplay shouldn't be one of them at all.

[rainslacker]

Only thing I would have liked more is if the combat sections were more frequent, or less spread out through the levels. You could go a while without any combat. But, that's because the combat was pretty good

[SyntheticForm]

See, the point you make about combat is something I actually give ND credit for here, but for a different reason.

We've all played games where we clear out a group of bad guys in an area, just to walk through a door leading to a new area (right next to the area we just finished) with more bad guys. If you think like me you're always puzzled as to why the people on the other side of the door (the next area) didn't hear the massive battle that literally just took place on the other side. The fights and areas they took place in made sense.

The same goes for collectibles in the game.

After years of gaming I've been trained to check every recess, every corner, every alcove, and every off-the-beaten-path area, because that's how developers place collectibles. Not in this game. I can't tell you how much time I spent combing all these areas just to end up with a quadrant of a plastic bottle at best. The collectibles were all in places that made sense. Even some of the supplies made sense contextually.

Naughty Dog did a great job taking these video gamey things and making them feeling less video gamey.

[rainslacker]

I didn't mind the adventuring parts as well. That wasn't what I was trying to imply. More that sometimes they were so spread out, you could go for quite some time without ever getting into combat. Often times right as you started out towards a new area after starting a section or day....after hub moments I guess. There were times where you could fight a group of people, then go right to the next section with no segway though, but I think they were all Clicker areas.

And yeah. there were a lot of places where you explored but didn't find anything. It's why I ended up using the Sonar feature after my 2nd play through to do the last bit of collecting, because some of those things I never would have found. Like at the gate to Seattle where you throw the generator cord over the building. The places you found them did make sense....mostly for non-craft items at least. But, there were still usually a lot of those areas in the game that also didn't have those items. nothing wrong with that though. It does encourage exploration.

[Sunny12345]

Uninspired gameplay? Lack of mechanical evolution ? What t f is this guy on about? I don't think he played the game, but watched a bunch of reviews and is now talking bs.

[Deathdeliverer]

I finished the game today and it is phenomenal to me. A lot of people can’t get over the obvious heart breaking parts and drag the game. Say it doesn’t sway your decisions all you want but it does. The immersion in the game is so unreal, the effects on the environments, the dialog, and the story is incredibly awesome. I do wish they put a choice in your hands at the end, but all in all, there’s no way this game gets under a 9 and 10s are fully justified. It’s a dark game and I honestly felt like it was just too mature for a lot of people. My wife watched me from beginning to end and she wanted certain characters dead at certain times and by the time the credits rolled she was the first to say her feelings. Game is incredible and a 10/10.

[Harryvok]

Disagree personally. The game play felt really refined and the attention to detail in those mechanics (pulling arrows out, taking melee weapons from enemies, good sneaking mechanics, running and jumping into prone, the rope/power cord physics and climbing, improved skill trees and crafting) all felt really good. As a whole the game play wasn't revolutionary, but it felt great to me. I was sad when it ended as i just wanted to keep playing.

As far as the story goes, loved it. A level of depth and maturity not often seen in video game storytelling. Anyone who says 'it's just a revenge story' must have had the details in the story and characters go over their head.

As far as people saying the game is 'woke', don't agree there either. Those are the same sorts of people who would have said in the early 1900s that a story with women voting was woke or in the early 1960s that a story that spoke about no segregation was woke. The 'political' parts of this game people complained about were absolutely tiny and were just part of what humanity is now.

[starchild]

Nope. You don't understand the leftist agenda and/or you're one of the people pushing it.

[Knushwood Butt]

You should watch this.

https://youtu.be/HLNhPMQnWu...

[starchild]

@Knushwood Butt
Already watched that video long ago, but I watched it again anyway. Clearly you're not saying that there can never be destructive ideas that one should fight back against, though, right?

If only people had fought back when the Bolsheviks, Maoists and Nazis were rising to power.

[Knushwood Butt]

I saw it for the first time last week and thought it was pretty good. In fact, it's essential viewing.

There are double negatives in your reply so I'm not sure what you are saying, but I will reply that of course there are things that people should fight back against. The abuse of power being one of them. I won't comment on, 'destructive ideas' as I don't know what you are referring to.

[mkis007]

How does one pursue equality without making it an agenda? Agenda is a to-do list right? I've never actually asked anyone this before.

[obidanshinobi]

"leftist agenda" lol
-rings bell-
"We've got one!!!"

[SyntheticForm]

@mkis007

If you breathe, you have an agenda, because it's impossible not to. Everyone has an agenda, and the people that claim they don't are beyond silly. Some, particularly on the right, have really turned "agenda" into a dirty word over the last twenty years.

There's a Fox Nation show called "Lara Logan Has No Agenda" but of course she does. Lara Logan's opinions and whatever messaging are contained within her show are what make up her agenda. Everyone has an agenda, and it all comes down to agreement. Do you agree with this agenda?

I would consider myself politically moderate, but of course I still have an agenda or agendas.

[Harryvok]

Please, tell me the catastrophic consequences of people loving someone of the same sex or dressing and identifying however they like and us as a society, normalising that.

Should women go back to covering their ankles?

[SpinalRemains138]

Go make Ellie a sandwich and apologize.

[Knushwood Butt]

One criticism I do have is with the skill trees. Not only this game, Horizon is a game I beat recently and is also guilty of this, but some of the skills were fairly pointless or nice to have at best.

Especially the very first skill tree. I beat the game on default difficulty without too many issues without unlocking any of those in the first tree. A lot of the deaths are one hit kills anyway.

[RgR]

Ive almost met up with Tommy...at least if you do end up meeting up.

Playing on survival and I didn't upgrade a single skill tree until I got the precision one I think. The one for silencers and holding your breath to aim.

[rainslacker]

I was surprised when I suddenly had a new melee weapon after being jumped by an enemy by surprise, but dodging just in time. Went to melee, and it was an instant kill. Was so smooth and fluid, and obviously made quick work if the few enemies I had alerted in the process.

[Knushwood Butt]

Not sure I ever did this, or if I did, didn't realize it happened.

I take it that it only works on humans that are trying to melee?

[rainslacker]

I don't think it's every time, but if you're attacked with someone with a melee weapon, dodge, and then melee them back, it can disarms them. Not positive, but I believe I did it with a gun once as well, but that may have just been the gun I already had and maybe I mistook the animation.

[parkesy78]

I can understand different points of view and critism some people might have with the story ,but not the gameplay its easily the best naughty dogs ever done better enemy ai with constant flanking , kinetic movement and overall more fluid gameplay they even done stealth better than metal gear solid

[Flewid638]

He could've talked about things that are actually wrong with the game....and he didn't. lol.

Either way, another crowning pinnacle of achievement from ND.

[garos82]

ive yet to play the game but i think the most disappointing aspect of Part 2 is the lack of Factions mode :(

[anast]

The game mechanically evolved for the better, but standing over a gun and not being able to harvest the bullets from it, after a stealth kill, was a bit off.

[obidanshinobi]

I need to get this game, been addicted to Elite Dangerous though.

[Germaximus]

lol "uninspired gameplay" meanwhile the gameplay is vastly superior to the first game's. /shrug

[SegaGamer]

Here we go again. Just before this game was released, I said this game isn't going to be a game that is allowed to be disliked, but it's even worse than that. You can't even rate it 7/10 without people attacking other people's opinion.

[SyntheticForm]

During your moment of clairvoyance, did you also predict that this isn't going to be a game that is allowed to be liked? You can't even rate it a 10 without someone attacking the reviewer as a Druckmann sycophant.

You're just making another silly, black and white argument that ultimately says nothing and fails to take nuance into account.