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Today marks the 5th anniversary of The Last of Us 2 release. When The Last of Us 2 released it totally blew me away in everyway. I had never played anything like it before, the graphics, sound, controls, motion matching animations, attention to detail etc. I have never been more immersed by something in my life. Maybe the story is polarizing, but you can't deny the other aspects, in my opinion the story is awesome.

Here is the leaked Microsoft internal review of TLOU 2 praising it as "significantly ahead of anything that other teams have been producing on console or PC"…

Before The Last of Us 2 released there was a-lot of controversy surrounding it due to leaks, these leaks created negativity and trolls to form an alliance who would lead to a community of troll hivemind, review bombers and fake game reviews. The contrast between reviews and user reviews are way too stark to see as normal. The review bombings are evidenced by the death threats and childish slander that many of the cast and developers received. These same review bombings would eventually carry over to the TV series. None the less The Last of Us 2 was the most highly awarded game of all time before being surpassed by Elden Ring (a then multiplatform mainstream game) and the Last of Us 2 currently sits at the 2nd most awarded game in video game history.

‘The Last Of Us Part 2’ Is Getting Predictably User Score Bombed On Metacritic

The Last of Us Part 2 is getting mobbed by user scores on Metacritic, which we all should have seen coming.

www.forbes.com

From the eye rendering to the PBR materials and animation, the Last of Us 2 is still unmatched by most games and is still top 10 best looking games ever created. Details like Ellies idle face emotions or Dina squinting when the flashlight hits her eyes or Abbys nose cartilage reacting to the ground or her muscles flexing realistically when she fires her weapon, the attention to detail is insane.

The ambient sounds, sounds of the guns, firing animations, infected sounds and high quality motion blur add to the immersion. The high quality PBR materials and perfectly baked lighting coupled with high geometric density (especially in cutscenes) make certain parts look pre rendered. The animations that blend and transition perfectly to make the characters move convincingly. The incredible facial animation. Enemy A.I. thats convincing and smart. Controls that feel great in hand. This technical feat was all done on a PS4 in 2020.

How Naughty Dog Created the Immersive World of The Last of Us Part II

The team shared some insights into the production of the award-winning title: from the interactive ropes system and realistic blood behavior to next-level immersion and the beauty of destruction.

80.lv

Attention to detail is in every. single. nook and cranny of TLOU 2, this piece of content screams elite quality. The Last of Us 2 is a masterpiece regardless if you like the story or not, I have never played anything like it and nothing else comes close. I don't think anything will top TLOU 2 besides maybe TLOU 3.


EDIT: Many big movies have taken major
Inspiration from TLOU 2 like Alien Romulus and 28 Years Later. The Last of Us was also inspired by other movies and books itself…

https://venturebeat.com/games/the-last-of-us-creators-inspirations/

The Surprising Connections Between ALIEN: ROMULUS and THE LAST OF US

Alien: Romulus writer-director Fede Alvarez confirms a surprising connection between his film and The Last of Us games and TV series.

www.yahoo.com

Alex Garland Says ‘28 Years Later’ Was Inspired by ‘The Last Of Us’ — World of Reel

Garland says the HBO show, based on the video game, inspired his writing process for the film’s sequel. “It was nice for me to feel like someone’s saying ‘raise your game’” he said.

www.worldofreel.com

The Last of Us TV Show Is 'Better Than 28 Days [Later]' Says Writer Alex Garland - IMDb

IMDb, the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content.

m.imdb.com

 

[HRK69]

I was feeling the same way when I finally played it on PC, until I had to play as a terrible character for the entire second half

Instantly uninstalled as soon as I realized what they were going for

 

[Guilty_AI]

Least controversial GAF thread

 

[onQ123]

How did your account get approved with that name?

 

[Madflavor]

I think The Last of Us Part 2 is a sublime masterpiece.

But I didn't graduate college either.

 

[Unknown?]

Did you replay the Abby sex scene?

 

[3liteDragon]

Still the GOAT

 

[rm082e]

I love Part 1 and 2 equally. I came to them late, didn't have any spoilers, and I had no allergic reaction to the story beats. It all just totally worked on me.

As far as narrative based games, I think they share the #1 spot for me personally. I totally understand why some people can't stand Part 2 though.

 

[The Cockatrice]

You must not play a lot of games then. It's a high quality product, no doubt, grat animations, great characters, but it has a lot of issues, it's depressing af, etc. It's a 8+ game, but its nowhere near say RDR2 or CP2077.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

Gameplay is fucking sick and I love the game but this thread makes me wanna deny it.

 

[Jaybe]

Story, pacing, writing, and characters are terrible but the gameplay, graphics, and animations are sublime

 

[CLW]

TLOU 2 pacing and story is an absolute MESS gameplay wise superior to 1 but TLOU is by far the superior game and experience

 

[EntelechyFuff]

TLoU2 lovers unite. Easily earned a permanent spot in the canon of legendary games.

I played it after the early controversies died down (to an extent anyway, obviously they never went away) and with real indifference to modern Naughty Dog in general--never played an Uncharted, and didn't play The Last of Us 1.

I was absolutely blown away. I might even say it doesn't get enough credit. There is just so much going on in every department: technically, mechanically, narratively, presentation-wise. It's not an accident that however many years later, it continues to show up in generalized "best X" lists.

 

[mindfreak191]

Recently replayed part 2, still amazed at how good it looks, Hillcrest is still an incredibly cool mission.

 

[BennyBlanco]

How did your account get approved with that name?

He's living up to his name with this thread

 

[skneogaf]

I absolutely love the gameplay, once you git gud, playing on the hardest difficulty is amazing.

Your character has so many options to murder everything, it's great.

It wasn't the story I wanted and I still think the Abby part should have been dlc but the gameplay is so much fun.

 

[rofif]

I was feeling the same way when I finally played it on PC, until I had to play as a terrible character for the entire second half

Instantly uninstalled as soon as I realized what they were going for

She is the better character. The game achieves impossible and turned me from hate to forgiveness.

That said, first one is still superior and but as forced. Neil jerked off too much. No brakes with Bruce gone and it's for the worse. 1 was perfect

 

[violence]

Production values and the stealth sequences are great. But there was some dead air and you can probably skip the cut scenes. The story ended with the first game.

 

[Ulysses 31]

It's a technical marvel but the story, pacing and characters are overall a big step down from the first IMO.

 

[hemo memo]

A 5 year victory lap for a game that substitutes shock value for substance? The technical achievements are commendable but no amount of graphical polish can redeem a narrative that mistakes misery for depth and manipulation for storytelling. That you consider this the pinnacle of creative expression says more about your standards than the game's quality. But by all means keep celebrating your beloved trauma simulator. Just don't expect the rest of us to mistake it for art.

 

[Draugoth]

The game was so much better than Season 2 that it made every Cuckman hater apologize

 

[Woggleman]

I would not say it is number one but still the best game of the 2020s in my book.

 

[HRK69]

She is the better character. The game achieves impossible and turned me from hate to forgiveness.

That said, first one is still superior and but as forced. Neil jerked off too much. No brakes with Bruce gone and it's for the worse. 1 was perfect

Ugh, I just couldn't stand Abby. At first, I figured her section was going to be a short one-off, like a brief change of perspective. But the moment I saw the full upgrade tree and crafting system pop up, I knew we were in it for the long haul… and that really killed my momentum

To be fair, I already dislike it when games suddenly shift you into the shoes of a second character, especially one you're not emotionally invested in

 

[Brigandier]

1st game was infinitely better

 

[JayK47]

Name checks out.

 

[Insane Metal]

Amazing gameplay with terrible narrative. But yeah I like the game a lot.

 

[ProtoByte]

The game still shits on practically every other "realistic" action-adventure title put out in terms of the gameplay. It's the best third person combat experience holistically. When you add the technical things that do actually add to that ie the animation systems, and then more "superficial" aspects like graphics, it's one of the best games produced on a technical and design level.

Unfortunately and extreme in irony, the story brings down the game and distracts from the achievement that is the gameplay. The pacing is far from perfect and the content is beyond questionable in a lot of instances. It's an incredibly frustrating game on a wider scope. So much good to be said about the gameplay, and a lot of bad for the story muddies the whole picture for the industry. I'm not even a hater like that, but between the game and the vastly inferior show that still uses the same story's DNA, I don't think it's arguable that it's extremely flawed. Methinks Haley Gross' low tier HBO sensibilities are ust as much to blame as Druckmann.

What's worse is that ND and Druckmann seem to be doubling down on the worst excesses of Part II if the aesthetics of Intergalactic are any indication.

 

[Nocty]

1st game was infinitely better

story wise, yes. But laughable to even consider the gameplay and mechanics better. Graphics, everything was improved 10x.

 

[Brigandier]

story wise, yes. But laughable to even consider the gameplay and mechanics better. Graphics, everything was improved 10x.

Story, writing and setting trump gwafix everytime, Mechanics? They were very similar, Gameplay was better but it isn't anything to write home about.

 

[ResetEraVetVIP]

Name checks out.

Why? What did I say that you don't agree with specifically?

 

[kazuyamishima]

5 years later and still upsetting some people.

But this was an excellent game.

 

[Topher]

Still the best game ever

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Definitely, TLOU 2 fanboys would have a tight competition with Zelda BOTW crowd about which are more annoying.

Don't get me wrong, the game is great overall, but considering this a trascending experience... lmao. Any side character in the TWD series has a better dramatic arc, it's like comparing adults writing to kids'.

And yes, the Abby shock scene is a terrible copy of Negan's introduction. Wake me up the day Neil Druckmann makes something original.

 

[DirtInUrEye]

I could have done without the massive hospital meds sidequest (that just bloated the experience right out for me and I thought the game's focus was lost and the rest of the story dragged as a result), but I can still appreciate the ambition overall, it's a good game. Abby was the best thing about it.

Original game will always be the true classic.

Tbh though, the overexposure including the neverending remasters and the terrible TV adaptation, have killed all interest I had in the IP. I am sick of hearing about TLOU media.

 

[Warnen]

Its better than the show at least

 

[TGO]

I hold the original in high regard, I think it's one of those media events that happen once in while that shouldn't be missed.

The sequel, with it's improves graphics and gameplay...is just like most sequels made after 2014.

 

[Jesb]

The first was one of the best games ever made. I couldn't even finish the 2nd. The characters and wokeness just dragged the experience down.

 

[yamaci17]

it's in my top 5 too

 

[GermanZepp]

For me it was one of the worst. Not going to play more ND games.

 

[sncvsrtoip]

Yeah with rdr2 easly best game of ps4 generation. And sadly this generation didnt play yet 10/10 game.

 

[Dacvak]

Hell yeah brother. That game is incredible. I'd love to play through it again, but damn that game is heavy.

 

[Tchu-Espresso]

Absolute masterpiece.

 

[ResetEraVetVIP]

I could have done without the massive hospital meds sidequest (that just bloated the experience right out for me and I thought the game's focus was lost and the rest of the story dragged as a result), but I can still appreciate the ambition overall, it's a good game. Abby was the best thing about it.

Original game will always be the true classic.

Tbh though, the overexposure including the neverending remasters and the terrible TV adaptation, have killed all interest I had in the IP. I am sick of hearing about TLOU media.

The TV adaption is great, the issue was with the 2nd season and a few bad choices made probably by Craig Maizin. The Episodes in season 2 that had Neil and Halley Gross as lead writers were masterpieces.

 

[Tchu-Espresso]

Hell yeah brother. That game is incredible. I'd love to play through it again, but damn that game is heavy.

I agree but I just started it for the second time. Looks amazing on the pro.

 

[omegasc]

I was feeling the same way when I finally played it on PC, until I had to play as a terrible character for the entire second half

Instantly uninstalled as soon as I realized what they were going for

I'm curious. What did you realize that made you quit it?

 

[kazuyamishima]

Definitely, TLOU 2 fanboys would have a tight competition with Zelda BOTW crowd about which are more annoying.

Don't get me wrong, the game is great overall, but considering this a trascending experience... lmao. Any side character in the TWD series has a better dramatic arc, it's like comparing adults writing to kids'.

And yes, the Abby shock scene is a terrible copy of Negan's introduction. Wake me up the day Neil Druckmann makes something original.

I can only speak for myself (and I guess there are millions more like me), I didn't give a Shit about the story/plot, it's a fantastic 3rd view action shooter game.

 

[yogaflame]

For me the best is Last of us 1. Last of us 2 is overrated.

 

[MiguelItUp]

I still feel like the first game was more impactful in every possible way. We went in not knowing what to expect at all, and it blew everyone away. I thought the sequel was a fine game, I'm by no means a hater. It looks great, and has a number of great mechanics and cool things. But I just felt like the writing, characters, and weight of the first game just traveled better. Obviously it's all subjective. I'm just happy for people that can feel that way about a game, or anything for that matter. It's an awesome feeling.

 

[Bojji]

I loved it overall when I completed it in 2020. Amazing gameplay and "experience" is almost 10/10 (graphics and all technical stuff, high level of polish).

But of course here comes the story part... For many games story is not really important but for The Last of Us? It IS.
I loved some parts of it (revenge-forgiveness) but what they have done do Joel can't be defended...

 

[Danjin44]

For my taste I like gameplay of games like RE2 Remake, RE4 and RE4 Remake waaaaaaaaaay more.

Lot of praise the gameplay but personally care for it that much.