Game:

The Last of Us Part II (2020)

Duration: 15:58

13 views

0

This is Ellie's last big encounter just before the middle of the game, before it switches perspectives.

The mechanics of the game are pretty good. I like the upgrade system, and the combat, when it doesn't feel janky. The prone, crawling, jumping, rope climbing and dodging are good additions, compared to the first game.

But make no mistake, I am a big time story hater of this game. I hadn't even played the first game yet (I only knew about its beginning and end), and back in June when this game came out I was in empathetic fan shock over what Naughty Dog decided to do with this game's story. Clearly, in the seven years since the first game, priorities over their game stories have drastically changed (or the people who could offer a good peer review for video game stories left the company).

Since then, I played The Last of Us 1, and I enjoyed it - ESPECIALLY the David chapter just before the last chapter - the David chapter was AMAZING.

The story for this game is mostly very good up to the end of the first half. It's starting in the second half, a little bit after this battle, where things go to crap narratively and structurally. I haven't actually played through that yet, so we''ll see how my feelings about it change.

I picked this game up a week ago pre-owned for 30% off, getting it for near half the price of the full game. I didn't want to give Naughty Dog any money for it. Granted, all the talented artists, level designers, engine coders and mocap actors deserve their credit for their work on this game. It is a technical marvel. The story, its structure, its logic, the presentation of key characters, and its message are just utter crap from a game fan standpoint. And Naughty Dog should be on notice for it, because it was marketed to the fans of the first game, and ended up being intended for a completely different fan base. People are solidly divided on this game. Which is a shame - there was a lot of media love for Naughty Dog and a lot of visible presence going into this release. It really could have been amazing and deeply celebrated.

Other Statistics