It's always nice to get the wonderful second Naughty Dog game where they enhance the things that worked in the first game and wrap it together in a more polished package (although some Jak fans will probably disagree with that one). Even with that said, I still might prefer the first game but you can really see how the developed the gameplay to be something greater and they were very willing to take some big swings with the story.
When stealth games or games with stealth mechanics put you in an alert state, there's often a very unsatisfying way of dealing with it. One way is the game has enough combat options that you just fight everything anyway which makes you wonder why you were trying to be stealthy in the first place. Another way is you are too weak to fight so you either reload your save or hide somewhere till everyone forgets that you exist. Where The Last of Us shines is in between these two extremes. When enemies are aware of your presence but not entirely sure where you are. The first game did this really well and it's even better here. It is incredibly thrilling trying to decide what ammo and resources to spend as the enemies are desperately searching for you. This improvisation feels even better on higher difficulties. I didn't like the infected gameplay that much in the first game but it is a bit better here since you have a few more options in terms of movement and weapons and there's a bit more variety in the encounters. The highlight is still the human enemies. Every encounter feels significant which is emphasized by every NPC having a name and them calling out to one another in combat. Killing dogs in games already feels horrible enough but you'll rack up even more guilt when you hear their owner crying out for them.
Naughty Dog has yet to follow the the current trend of every big developer making their games open world but they have been pushing more into the wide linear direction with their games. There actually is one fairly open area that I would have liked a couple more of because I really enjoyed exploring it. Exploration is pretty well rewarded with there being upgrades to your weapons and skill trees and well as ammo and resources always being useful to find. There's some useless collectibles too. I do like the light puzzles and platforming needed to move around the environments. I love a good gamey puzzle but I enjoy how the make more natural puzzles. For example, having to attach a wire to a generator that has a limited length. And those sure are the best wire physics in video games. They try not to repeat these types of puzzles too often after how tired everyone got of moving pallets in the first game.
A whole lot can be said about the story and I'm not going to say too much here but it sure makes you feel something. It mostly makes you feel bad. Perhaps it's overbearing in its grimness to the point that I need to take frequent breaks but there is still pockets of love and joy there which feel powerful when they crop up. It would have been easy for Naughty Dog to just make another Ellie and Joel adventure for the sequel after the popularity of the first game but they absolutely did not rest on their laurels. They really go for it in a lot of ways and it kept me guessing in where it was going for what is a pretty damn long game. The HBO adaptation of the first game which is very faithful is very popular and getting rave reviews so the world and characters that Naughty Dog have created clearly speaks to a lot of people regardless of the medium.
I feel like this is the best looking and sounding game I've ever played on a technical level. Perhaps I should be more impressed by something like Red Dead Redemption 2 which looks amazing while also having a giant open world but by estimation, Naughty Dog are on another level. I could spend hours just looking at the incredibly detailed animations. They look realistic while still feeling very responsive. The high interactivity with the environments makes you just want to poke and prod at everything. The sound design is impeccable. Maybe some sounds don't need to sound as realistic as they do. Do we need to hear someone drown in their own blood? Probably not but it sure is impressive. The performance capture and the acting is astounding which is to be expected at this point.
Almost everything I said about the game is glowing and it significantly improves upon its predecessor yet there is something holding me back from completely loving it.The tone may just be too much to take in over the course of the 20-30 hours it takes to complete. I do know I'll find myself returning to this game a number of times in the future. Ultimately, if you like cinematic games, it's a must-play.
When stealth games or games with stealth mechanics put you in an alert state, there's often a very unsatisfying way of dealing with it. One way is the game has enough combat options that you just fight everything anyway which makes you wonder why you were trying to be stealthy in the first place. Another way is you are too weak to fight so you either reload your save or hide somewhere till everyone forgets that you exist. Where The Last of Us shines is in between these two extremes. When enemies are aware of your presence but not entirely sure where you are. The first game did this really well and it's even better here. It is incredibly thrilling trying to decide what ammo and resources to spend as the enemies are desperately searching for you. This improvisation feels even better on higher difficulties. I didn't like the infected gameplay that much in the first game but it is a bit better here since you have a few more options in terms of movement and weapons and there's a bit more variety in the encounters. The highlight is still the human enemies. Every encounter feels significant which is emphasized by every NPC having a name and them calling out to one another in combat. Killing dogs in games already feels horrible enough but you'll rack up even more guilt when you hear their owner crying out for them.
Naughty Dog has yet to follow the the current trend of every big developer making their games open world but they have been pushing more into the wide linear direction with their games. There actually is one fairly open area that I would have liked a couple more of because I really enjoyed exploring it. Exploration is pretty well rewarded with there being upgrades to your weapons and skill trees and well as ammo and resources always being useful to find. There's some useless collectibles too. I do like the light puzzles and platforming needed to move around the environments. I love a good gamey puzzle but I enjoy how the make more natural puzzles. For example, having to attach a wire to a generator that has a limited length. And those sure are the best wire physics in video games. They try not to repeat these types of puzzles too often after how tired everyone got of moving pallets in the first game.
A whole lot can be said about the story and I'm not going to say too much here but it sure makes you feel something. It mostly makes you feel bad. Perhaps it's overbearing in its grimness to the point that I need to take frequent breaks but there is still pockets of love and joy there which feel powerful when they crop up. It would have been easy for Naughty Dog to just make another Ellie and Joel adventure for the sequel after the popularity of the first game but they absolutely did not rest on their laurels. They really go for it in a lot of ways and it kept me guessing in where it was going for what is a pretty damn long game. The HBO adaptation of the first game which is very faithful is very popular and getting rave reviews so the world and characters that Naughty Dog have created clearly speaks to a lot of people regardless of the medium.
I feel like this is the best looking and sounding game I've ever played on a technical level. Perhaps I should be more impressed by something like Red Dead Redemption 2 which looks amazing while also having a giant open world but by estimation, Naughty Dog are on another level. I could spend hours just looking at the incredibly detailed animations. They look realistic while still feeling very responsive. The high interactivity with the environments makes you just want to poke and prod at everything. The sound design is impeccable. Maybe some sounds don't need to sound as realistic as they do. Do we need to hear someone drown in their own blood? Probably not but it sure is impressive. The performance capture and the acting is astounding which is to be expected at this point.
Almost everything I said about the game is glowing and it significantly improves upon its predecessor yet there is something holding me back from completely loving it.The tone may just be too much to take in over the course of the 20-30 hours it takes to complete. I do know I'll find myself returning to this game a number of times in the future. Ultimately, if you like cinematic games, it's a must-play.