The last of Us Part 2 successfully builds upon both the story and systems established in the first game and creates a visual wonderland of splendor and stimulation that could not have been done on the PS3. For me, the game is a solid 9/10 because of its emotionally resonating and gripping story, with gameplay that, for me, dragged on a bit at the end. Would have liked to have seen driving sequences, a more robust crafting system and a few other tweaks. A more open world would have been nice, especially after the open Seattle sequence that contained the DNA of a fully immersive open world Naughty Dog played around with but decided against. As for the big controversial twist in the middle, I did not find it that out of left field. In fact, I enjoyed playing Abby because we already spent so long killing her allies who were, from our perspective, nameless antagonists, to suddenly getting to know them and realize they are not far removed from Ellie's people in Jackson. But no matter how much you may feel sorrow for the loss of the fallen, they are sadists that feel no remorse. For me, the very fact people lost their minds over Abby is proof that the character worked. That was the reaction Naughty Dog wanted but it got blown out of proportion. At the end of the day, I have to give Naughty Dog props for going against the grain and telling a story in this way that was much harder on themselves, which they knew would spark controversy, but they felt was necessary for the plot. Revenge and empathy are the key themes of part 2 and while it may not be a perfect 10, like Part 1 was for me, it is still very much worth playing and experiencing.