The Last of Us Part II - Special Edition (PS4)

Play this game now. Stop reading this review and play this game.

There’s always such a buzz when a Naughty Dog game comes out, and despite the furore that went on before its release this one was no different. Perhaps suffering from the curse of most sequels, it seems to be missing its mark with a contingent of its target market, which is a real shame, as there’s a truly amazing and quite unique experience here that, if allowed, should truly thrill the single-playing, narrative driven fanatic. The general consensus seems to be: gameplay, good; story, bad, with the performance and graphics being universally lauded as exemplar. And they are truly impressive, like nothing else I’ve seen. Like every ND game, it all feels a cut above; an experience that you just don’t get with most other games. From the character modelling to the presentation and execution; environments that feel authentic; combat that is unforgiving and brutal; it all feels visceral and actual, gratuitous, yes, but never unnecessary, as it carries us along its adventure with emotional intensity, high-octane moments, and an insightful story. All of these constituents are implemented in an innovative way, being brave enough to thrill us one moment, and devastate us the next, the intensity made tangible by some of the most believably nuanced and subtle expressions rarely seen on console, showing off amazingly natural movement and contact between the characters. The story is bold at times, and ND really did allow some brave decisions, which - in my opinion - all pay off... eventually, but you need to give it time; this isn’t just a big story thematically, it’s a big, long game, and it does demand the time to truly appreciate it. It’s also been called messy, which - when compared to the first game - is true to an extent; it’s a wider story than the first, showing off a lot more world and the different factions within it; and it plays around with the time line, jumping between different moments in a four year period. I never really thought of it as messy though, and thought it showed how good and well crafted the writing was, making present day travails more impactful when juxtaposed to earlier events. I’ve heard it criticised as not being fun (narratively speaking) and the critique is not without cause: the story is bleak, the denouement comfortless, but that in no way makes it bad story, just a different one. Shirking the happy ending is a brave decision, but it’s a story about loss; about people being taken from you and the concomitant revenge, encapsulated by these two young women, who are more alike than, sadly, they ever find out. This tragic theme allows ND to make you truly hate a character, then later makes them the protagonist, and forces you to change your opinion, so much so that some confrontations in this game, for me at least, really made me question who was the “bad” guy, and who actually deserves the vengeance they have so tirelessly sought, and if such justice ushers redemption, does it bring peace, or is it just another poisoned chalice, one that erodes the memories of better times with the people we’ve lost, or even in the way that we remember them, whether it be singing a song they loved, or the ability to play the guitar... A word on the menus: the level of tinkering available is impressive, from custom difficulty options (you can make combat practically impossible but stealth a cinch, or mess around with the level of resources or how aggressive your allies are); auto-aim and the strength of auto-aim; infinite breath under water; ledge guard (warns you if you’re going to get hurt when falling); traversal assistance; invisible when prone; enemies that don’t flank, and.. it goes on and on, allowing you to craft a truly unique experience whilst playing. If it’s not clear by now: I loved this game. Is it perfect? I don’t think I’m qualified to say, but objectively speaking I cannot understand the hate it’s received. I can’t help thinking opinion may have been coloured by all the negativity and nonsense prior to release, from which I steered well clear. It’s sad so many players’ experience of this game has been tarnished, and I hope they give it another chance in the future, some time when the hate for this game isn’t so fashionable. It deserves that, at least, because love it or hate it, it’s like nothing seen before, which is why I think The Last of Us Part 2 is the first of its kind.

Firstly, I'll start with points related to the Special Edition. The steelbook is great, featuring the likeness of Ellie on the front and a 'mystery' character on the back (her appearance is story-related so no spoilers revealing who she is). The artbook was great, showing how different character models changed during development, and the digital extras were good too. Now for the actual game. Gameplay is great and similar to the original game, with emphasis on managing your inventory, crafting items on the fly and really thinking about how to approach a combat situation. The need to gather items for crafting makes you search every corner of your environment looking for what you need (there were some issues where I had maxed my inventory of one item, but struggled to find other ones I needed, but that just makes you learn not to waste resources and stops you from using just one tactic in battle - e.g. using molotovs every time). There were some combat situations where I messed up straight away and ending up just shooting everything, which is great that I could recover that way, but then seeing all the rooms and cover spots in the area made you realise there was a great stealth opportunity I lost, but this didn't happen every time. Also, there are two enemy types (humans and infected), and there are times where they are mixed, meaning you can pit the infected against the humans and just watch them fight, which is amazing, but there weren't many opportunities to do that, which was a bit disappointing. Graphics are stunning, making you want to stop what you are doing and take in your surroundings (even when most of what you'll see is just overgrown weeds/grass in urban areas). There were some glitches with cut-scenes starting with a character in an incorrect pose (e.g. standing up, then snapping to lying down), but these will be picked up in patches, and nothing immersion-breaking. The campaign for me was about 30 hours long, which takes into account searching every area for loot and taking my time with combat encounters - could be completed as quickly as 20 hours if you rushed through. Now for the story, which as you may guess is a divisive topic for some fans. Not to sound elitist or patronising, but it seems that a lot of people missed the point of the whole story and were just annoyed about the major incident near the start of the game. Compared to the last game, the story is bleak and ends on a sour note, so if you aren't into that type of story you may be put off, which is fair enough. However, the majority of negative reviews are just complaining about 'SJW' and 'gay agenda', which is nonsense. Like I mentioned above, a lot of people just can't get over what happens at the start of the game. In essence, the story is about revenge and how allowing yourself to be completely overwhelmed by pure revenge will destroy you and make you lose sight of why you are looking for revenge in the first place. One character moves on from their revenge and becomes better for it, the other is consumed by it and loses pretty much everything. Obviously, many of the negative reviews are justified if the player genuinely didn't enjoy the game, but make sure to read their points and make your own mind up - don't miss out on a great game because a few toxic members of the gaming community can't accept any sort of change.

Mild spoilers... I played The Last of Us Part 2 like I was watching a slow burn mini-series drama. Kind of like a season of True Detective. Not wanting to rush it, but letting it slowly unravel in front of me. That's why it took over a month to complete! There's probably a good 30 hours of gameplay if you take it steady. I like to open every draw and explore every corner for hidden items. My biggest take away from it was that I should never listen to ANYONE when it comes to controversial games or films. Everyone has their own opinion and we should all make up our own minds. This is a deep and heavy game. Heavy for the player and heavy for the characters. It's a kind of "scorched earth" plot. No one is untouched. I'm sure by now everyone knows the "twist". But I can't spoil it for those who don't. But if you look at this like a film or TV show then it all falls into place. Love for characters is used in a similar way to other mediums. It's just people expect video game characters to go on and on. I suppose it stems from having infinite lives. No matter how you die in the game, you just re-spawn and carry on where you left off. Which is how I think most people feel about The Last of US Part 2, they just wanted everyone to carry on. Using the characters in this way is genius and elevates the medium of gaming. It treats the players like adults and shows us a world where actions have consequences. The level of hate given to this game wasn't given to The Walking Dead when beloved characters were killed off. The shock value it brings is to illustrate the stakes. Some of the line delivery, from Laura Bailey especially, is better than most films. The voice acting really conveys the emotional weight of their actions. But that's the story. The game, if you ignore the story, was one of the best experiences ever for me. It's the best playing Naughty Dog games so far. Combat is well balanced and every time I entered a new section it gave me a sense of freedom, even though it's a linear path, to attack everything the way I wanted. Exploration is wonderful here, with draws to look in, corners to find, upgrades to earn. You just want to stare at your surrounding all the time they are so lush and detailed. Facial expressions on the characters change when they perform different tasks and even on the NPC's! It's by far the most detailed game ever and a wonderful end to the life of the PlayStation 4. PROS Adult, emotional storyline. Graphics are amazing. Detailed audio design. Combat is solid. Character upgrades make a difference to gameplay. Model viewer is a really nice addition. I actually cared what happened. Paced well considering it's length. Well acted and voiced. Favourite line: *SPOILER* "We let you live, and you wasted it." CONS Manny is annoying. Having to play the guitar.

Well, here it is, 7 years, was it worth it? Before I left for work this morning I was traipsing through some underground train/metro tunnels after contending with not only well equipped (shotguns/rifles with torch's on the barrels) "Wolfs" but numerous "clickers". And as soon as the first shotgun blast was let out I was scurrying around a dank tunnel illuminated by only a flare avoiding two different sets of enemies both equally dangerous. The manic Clickers took out the Wolfs for me and one Molotov and a couple of shotgun blasts settled this encounter, swiftly followed by you're first confrontation with the new tank-like, gas emitting combatant. Fire is king. Dina is a likable character and an accomplished fighter and proves her worth multiple times but due to circumstances I genuinely didn't see coming you are left on you're own. I have anxiety issue(s) but I swear Naughty Dog is unparalleled at creating environments that put such mental/emotional strain on the player, it borders on sadomasochism. Progressing to the hospital you navigate through an abandoned building where a comic convention was held and you proceed to a pitch black hallway and into an adjourning room with a slain crumpled body slumped against a wall with a wardrobe directly opposite with the doors askew. My heart is pounding and my hands are incredibly sweaty. I'm waiting for something to burst out through the doors... but it never does. Heart rate steadies a little and the tightness/tension loosens. You collect what little materials are available and head back towards the doorway. I bolt up, rigidity straightens my spine. There is a hunched over creature observing me from the doorframe before it scurries off. An incredible moment made out of nothing. Naughty Dog has truly mastered keeping a spring coiled for as long as possible before it bursts and has achieved another masterful balancing act as the moments of levity in between heightened psychologically jarring battles are crucial as they allow you (and Ellie) to recover. The confrontations are intensely violent and escalate so quickly that moments of calm are required before you can subject yourself again to the horrors that lurk in Seattle. At the entrance of the park you can see the illuminated humming glow of a fire in the distance. Before you even know what's happening a fizzing thump punctures your shoulder and drops you. You can hear them communicating through short sharp whistles and the cultists gradually surround you. The game barely lets up, its constantly on top of you and sometimes the best thing to do is run. When I initially pre-ordered this it was £60, which I think is reasonable as the digital content is quite substantial. A beautiful sketch inspired PlayStation theme, a digital art book with the soundtrack playing over it which is so good it made me question whether or not to cancel my deluxe physical art book pre-order and the full soundtrack which I haven't sampled. The steel-book is of a similar high standard. Understandably a little slow in the beginning as it has to establish new characters and set a tone. I believe the game starts properly when you reach Seattle. Unparalleled presentation with truly incredible sound accompanied with much larger environments give the impression of an Open World even though that isn't the case. I was expecting to love this so I'm very bias but so far I have thoroughly... not enjoyed but been gripped by this title. The world is so bleak but remarkably lush as mother nature has reclaimed the "civilised" world. I must be getting old as the flashback with Joel taking Ellie to visit a post apocalyptic museum in Wyoming for her birthday had me welling up. In a world where there is nothing when Joel goes out of way to try and do something special for Ellie's birthday it genuinely moved me. I'm welling up now thinking about, Christ what's wrong with me? No one other than Naughty Dog has been able to elicit such emotion from me during a computer game. Unfortunately I expected/and saw the Joel spoiler early on but my heart is pounding as you attempt to navigate the environment unseen. In conclusion I have loved what I have so far experienced and yet again Naughty Dog has lifted the medium of gaming as a whole with a gripping adult title which I imagine by the End Credits will have had me welling up more than once. Must Buy. EDIT Absolutely every second as Ellie is fascinating, 5 stars, as good as can be. But I'm disappointed when it shifts to Abby. I understand and comprehend Naughty Dogs intention/motivation for attempting to justify why Abby did what she did, but I don't care. They present it well and dare I say the Firefly's may be morally better for allowing Tommy and Ellie to live... or at least Owen is. But when initially released upon completing TLOU I immediately restarted it again. The story of hardened Joel losing his daughter and learning to think of Ellie as his daughter and what he did to protect her seriously resonated with me. It still does. So when you see Nora pistol whipping Tommy and the echo of Joel being beaten to death by Abby, my heart feels heavy. The desperation in Ellie's voice as she pleads with them to leave Joel alone is as emotionally fraught as anything I have seen in a film. I'm almost angry at Naughty Dog for forcing me to emphasise with Abby, because I don't. Again I reiterate my understanding for why Naughty Dog did what they did but you can't whitewash seven years of feeling emotionally connected to Joel and Ellie and get me to feel the same way for Abby after 10-15 hours. There is no moral high ground, I will kill every Firefly as violently as the game allows. And no, I won't feel a thing when I do. Edit-Upon finishing the game I'm unsure how to feel and maybe like Ellie it will take time to process everything that has happened. I'm regurgitating a previous sentiment but I genuinely strongly disagree that Naughty Dog forces you to play as Abby for half of the game and I understand why they did but I don't like it. And dare I say Naughty Dog try's its hardest to make Ellie the villain and I won't allow it to. I'm definitely getting old but I would of settled for the "happy" ending with Ellie and Dina settling on the farm but Naughty Dog wouldn't give me that. Masterpieces of fiction are considered so because they are multi-layered and don't give easy answers. TLOU2 is an astonishing achievement and a brilliant game but my affinity for Ellie and abject disapproval with some of the choices made by Naughty Dog means my original score of 5 stars must be dropped. An incredible experience but much like life, it leaves you feeling bad and wishing things had been different.

Reviewed on a base PS4 and 35 hours to beat the story on moderate without skipping cut scenes, seeing each encounter through and no leaks were sought ahead of time, although one important one got spoiled. First the obvious, this is a visual and technical masterpiece, better than anything else you'll see on a base PS4 let alone a Pro, arguably even RDR2, but for the (very consistent) 30 fps, arguably some of the best looking PC games too. I was astounded by the visual detail, how nuts it looks, and this was without the HDR or higher res of a Pro. I can only imagine this on a 4K HDR 55"+ TV screen. The animations, the AI, the world's realism, the way the enemies cry out the names of their fallen friends. If you want a technical showcase, a next generation experience early, the game is legit. And I can't wait to see what the PS5 upgrade does to all this. Although I didn't customise anything until post-game collectible mop-up, the level of customisation rivals even a PC game in visual things & accessibility things. You can even enable a "journalism mode", e.g. slow-mo aiming, or being invisible when crouched, etc, making it possible to be done with the game in 20 hours by stealth-ing past most things if that's your style. This review is for the game, not the story leak drama that front-ended its release or the fall-out. Throw all that aside, go into this game clean, admire it's daring and its beauty and make your honest judgements. I think most people will be satisfied. I don’t think this is quite a 10/10 game, but any criticism is aimed mainly at things like some ‘gameplay’ choices, some of its game pacing beats, and a few elements in this massive story I didn't gel with. To be clear, I don’t have a problem with the overall story itself, but parts of it were admittedly daft. It's epic, it's crazy, it has unexpected turns, it's bound to not jive for everybody. Some people won't like all of it, others will. Some people will like parts of it, but is the game worth experiencing to decide for yourself? Of course it is. The game has a lot to offer beyond story beats. That said, if you're going in looking for a bright cheery father & daughter exploration story as a follow-on from part 1 you'll be disappointed. The game 'is' partly this, but there's so much more going on. I could empathise with decisions made by a lot of the characters, & equally feel disappointed in them. There's no one villain or hero in all of this, it's a complex story about the circle of violence and there are very few innocents. What I had some issue with was some of its pacing. Not that it's a 'long' game, but that we do have stretches of walking and talking, interspersed with encounters. It's a hard balance, but at times I felt I was exploring a huge beautiful world & waiting for the next big encounter or thing to happen. I do put some of that on me in wanting to complete through the game fairly quickly wanting to experience it all. A few other notes while playing: 1) It's a mostly linear Naughty Dog game. That means the game can move you on its path if you trigger it, & means not possible to turn back to check over an area you know you didn’t get to explore yet. This is a little frustrating as can put reliance on chapter restart, etc 2) There's a certain theme in the game which I thought didn't work. It seemed unrealistic to have a certain character out on Patrol. You'll know the one I mean when you play. And when another character has the same plot device later on I rolled eyes a bit. 3) I didn’t buy Ellie’s connection with Dina because not enough back story for me. 4) I'm not a fan of having to hold the touch pad button to open the map or having to hold any button to do many basic things, opening doors, etc, but it's a thing in many games. Having to keep finger on L1 the whole game whenever you want to run was a bit of a chore as well. No toggle to run option 5) I had to restart checkpoint a couple of times from getting stuck in a spot you can’t move from. Which goes to show, as much as you want to delay and polish a game you’ll never make it absolutely 100% full proof, which is understandable. This game is still about as polished as you'll get. 6) The game is very dark in spots even with a torch 7) The combat is excellent, I really enjoyed it, and the AI was mainly very good even on the balanced moderate setting. I'm scared how nuts it would get on survivor difficulty . I'm happy I actually played the game thoroughly through & think a lot of people would be into it from both a technical and gameplay standpoint.

Spoiler Free: Negative reviews seem to centre around Ellies sexuality, the physical appearance of a new character, and the way an existing character is handled. If you're that easily offended, well then that's your loss. The game looks amazing, plays well, has a dark, twisted narrative and is genuinely unsettling to play in places. Also, for a linear single player experience to be this lengthy is truly. Just as TLOU Part 1 defined a console generation and redefined gaming as a medium for story telling, Part 2 expands on that and then some. It's not a game without flaws, but that doesn't make it any less of a masterpiece. SPOILERS: Addressing the end of Joel and the character of Abby, the point that a surprisingly large amount of players seem to have missed from the first game is that people generally aren't good or bad, we exist is a world of greys. Joel isn't an antihero, he's a man who has done bad things, sometimes to survive, sometimes for the right reasons, and sometimes the wrong. Part 2 a tale or revenge, Joel the catalyst. Ultimately and maybe even uniquely, both main protagonists end up as understandable if not entirely sympathetic. It's rare that an ending left me with so many mixed emotions. An era defining gaming experience, often a deeply depressing and uncomfortable one, and maybe that is the greatest compliment of all; rather than making a copy-paste fan pleaser it challenges the player on a number of levels. A true must play.

Players do not hate this game because of lgbt/trans characters. People hate it for the narrative. I avoided the leaks like the plague, now I wish I read them therefore I would have better prepared myself for the huge disappointment and saved myself money. The writers and media are using the lgbt as a shield for the terrible plot. *Spoilers* People hate it because of the structure of the narrative. Most players do not even care if Ellie's gay. Just because you hate it, doesn't automatically mean your transphobic or homophobic. It's a poor excuse for the hate. Everyone cared about Joel and Ellie but their story became meaningless. Joel could have had a better farewell and they ignored Ellie's immunity to the plot. The game forced players to play as Abby, but from the first 2 hours, everyone hated her. How can you enjoy a game while playing a character you hate from the start. Maybe if they told her past story from the start and then killed Joel later on however players are already dead set on hating her because of how it is narratively structured. It's hard to develop any empathy. Introducing a character that we do not have any connection with mid-way is a slap in your face. You don't enjoy playing as Abby but are forced to. In fact, we dislike her for killing Joel. I can't have empathy for a character like that. They could have spent half the story on developing the relationships with the other characters in the game like Dina or Tommy. The game is about vengeance but towards the end, Ellie suddenly can't kill Abby despite killing so many people to get her. To end this "revenge cycle" Ellie doesn't kill her. It doesn't END the cycle, Ellie probably killed hundreds, therefore, making more Ellies seeking revenge. Abby gets a happy ending,(despite killing Ellie's friends plus Joel) getting away with revenge whereas Ellie gets left with nothing?! What's the main message of the storyline because it does not make any logical sense. I don't mind having Joel die however there was no build-up or meaningful reason as to why he died. Worst farewell to any character in a gaming series. "Revenge is bad?" Did the creators even understand what they were doing???? People have waited 7 years and this is disrespectful to the fans. There are better revenge stories and this is not one of them.