It takes a phenomenal amount of courage and confidence to make games that you know will disappoint, confuse, and anger people, especially when the reason is because those people love your previous games, and they are so attached to the characters and their memories that they don't ever want them to change.

But Naughty Dog does it, consistently, and with aplomb, delivering some of the most sculpted, crafted, affecting set piece games that exist. While it's impossible to ignore the specter of crunch required to create this level of detail and scope, it does not erase the admirable work and palpable love that has been poured into this game.

Like the first game, this is a game about love, but it's a much more visceral experience, bringing you through the lowest dregs of experience that can be attached to love. However, the value of the journey matches the cost.