OG: https://youtu.be/GS804Qha0Fs?t=24221

Remastered: https://youtu.be/kfhXgacx19M?t=11360

You'd think they'd fix the one thing that proved how contrived the whole experience fundamentally is, but they don't even bother.

When I first finished TLOU 2, I absolutely hated it.

I beat the whole thing in 2 sittings in order to avoid spoilers and to watch streamers react to it straight after I played. I didn't give myself time to digest what was happening in the story, and everything felt like one long run (obviously). I listened to the words of controverisal streamers I was watching and formed their negative opinions as my own. I sold the game on Facebook marketplace the next day for a couple of pounds cheaper.
I didn't have a problem with the story at all; my main gripe was having to play as this character who I had absolutely no connection to for half the game. Since I rushed everything, I did not have time to fully relate to this character, I simply related to Ellie, one half of the duo of one of my favourite games of all time.
4 years later, I decided to play it once again, taking my time and giving it a fair shot. I came out the other end thinking that this game is a masterpiece.
All the issues I had with my first playthrough had suddenly disappeared once I took my time to appreciate the detail and care that was put into the world and the story. I played the game on Hard mode too, which made it even more fun since I had to focus more on stealth and being conservative with ammo.

Both TLOU games are titles that I believe fans of cinematic games should play, but take it from me.. Take your time.

finally played this after 4 years and i was honestly expecting the story to be worse? in the end i ended up actually liking abby's character honestly (also liked abby's story because theres seals and i love them). there are some things that could've been changed, pacing and also maybe we should've played as abby first and then ellie? other than that of course the story is nothing groundbreaking but people really blew it out of proportion i feel. the gameplay is the best part, super satisfying. i think the negative reaction to this game had a lot to do with the leaks that came out before which got people riled up. and if you think ellie forgave abby youre an idiot. its a good game.

‣ 10/10 – Damn…

‣ Thoughts: There are two ways to play this game. One, hate Abby and in turn the story or two – set the difficulty to grounded and cry.

The first time I completed this title, I was among the people who absolutely despised the way this story goes. I hated Abby segments, had no interest in the characters around her and just found the overall experience annoying. But through all that unreasonable hate, the gameplay was still amazing. Today I replayed The Last of Us II and think it is Naughty Dog’s magnum opus. Although, the overall story happens in an order I would rearrange every single, time I’ve come to appreciate what Neil Drunkass was trying to accomplish with this narrative. It is really tough to make players like a character that kills a fan favorite, nonetheless, force them to play as that character, but if you just try to look at it from her perspective it becomes quite a good story.

Playing this game on grounded changes everything. Every encounter, every shot you take, every bullet you pick up becomes a piece of a puzzle you are constantly trying to solve. At times it is bizarre how accurate humans are, but it makes combat one of the most realistic experiences I’ve had in a PlayStation title. Stealth is no longer optional but a means to survive. Resources are scarce but not gone. By the end of the game, I still had over 20 bullets to spare which is impressive, because some encounters expect you to eliminate over 15 enemies (mind you, I’ve only picked up around 15 shotgun shells across the whole game). My advice for any brave souls attempting The Last of Us on grounded: don’t do your first playthrough on permadeath. It is just not worth the time.

Overall, I don’t think The Last of Us II needed a remaster, but I know why they did it. The game looks absolutely stunning, and the animation work is above S tier. I have a strong suspicion this title will be ported to PC when the second season of the show drops. When that time comes, I cannot wait to play the game yet again on grounded and see how well I do, because this combat deserves mouse support.

When I played this at the launch, I didn't like it.

It was nothing with the game, really, I just felt tricked by the marketing that sold us a lie, presenting trailers with scenes that aren't in the game.

But as the time passed and I digested the story and the experience overall, I slowly began to love this game. So now I played it again, and wow, this game is a masterpiece.

Putting the fake marketing aside, a coward decision in my opinion, this is a very bold game, for a game with this much money in it they choose a type of story that isn't for everyone, it remembered me of Cowboy Bebop, one of my favorite anime.

It isn't a story about the jorney of some hero, the redemption of some villain, or anything like that. It's a mature story about human problems, traumas, shadows of the past and much more.

I won't spoil you experience telling the story, just now that it isn't a cheap dose of dopamine to make you happy, sometimes this is a slap in the face, sometimes you wont agree with the character choices (since they are human and make mistakes), sometimes you will be shocked and sad, but that makes it special, you learn more about yourself and reflect on things as you progress.

Story aside, the gameplay is nothing special, don't get me wrong, it is fun and the things that are in it are well made, the enemies are smart and try to surrond you, the damage is localized so you can shoot someone in the legs to make him fall and die in one meele attack, but it's like a TLOU1 revised, nothing that Metal Gear, Splinter Cell or Tenchu didn't do many years before, you still cant "freeze" or interrogate the enemies, you can't craft a grappling hook to choose a safer path, you can't shoot lights to create a darker place to hide etc.. The new things that I noticed are the new weapons, the prone movement, the AC like aerial assassination, the fact that you can make a clicker (It only works with clickers for some reason) bite someone you hold and some other things.

Here is a gameplay that I made to demonstrate some of these: https://youtu.be/rh5OMwcMGDI?si=Ds5qmMxQS5Zixyuh

Sound design is top notch, the ambience is perfect (you can see how rain, sun and other things affected the enviroment over the years, and every room is unique with a lot of personality, making it fun to explore), the facial expression technology is awsome, the animations are the best i've ever seen.

Masterpiece, see you space cowboy.

The Last of us part 2 is probably the most controversial game I have seen people talk about in a very long time. You either love it or hate it. I sit in the camp of loving this game so much. The size of this game is absolutely huge compared to the last of us part 1. Naughty dog went all in on this game and it certainly delivers on every aspect of the game in my opinion.
I love the story and characters in this game. The Story is incredibly powerful which deals with complex themes and emotions such as obsession, hatred and the cycle of violence.
The voice acting and performances from the actors is top tier. Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey deserved huge praise for their roles as Ellie and Abby respectively.
Visually this Game is absolutely incredible. The character model's and environments are stunning to look at. Naughty dog has always been the gold standard in games when it comes to graphics and this is their best looking game yet.
On the gameplay side of things the game is incredibly fun game to play with plenty of different ways to approach Combat Scenarios that's either Taking out enemies quietly or taking on enemies in a Aggressive approach. Exploring the world of the last of us part 2 is both wonderful and very rewarding .The collectibles are worth finding because not only does it provide more context for the main story but also adds a ton of interesting information on what happens inside the city of Seattle. The audio design in the last of us part 2 is phenomenal especially if you use gaming headset which helps you immerse yourself more in the experience.
Total playtime 45 hours