I was so engrossed and entertained that I didn't want it to end, which is frankly the criteria for a 10/10 game in my eyes. I never found myself growing bored or tired; I never found myself thinking they missed an opportunity or under-utilized a mechanic. No trope felt overused, at least not to any grating or repetitive degree. And then there's consideration for the objective quality of the individual elements, which in my estimation were excellent.
Granted, some human enemies act a bit dumb, and your AI partner(s) occasionally break(s) immersion by wandering right in front of the enemy; thankfully they're indestructible, or at least undetectable, so there's no frustration, only funny situations that break your suspension of disbelief. But those moments are rare, in the grand scheme of things, and complaining about them feels like nitpicking flyspecks on the dome of the Sistine Chapel, given the awe this game's beauty regularly inspires, and the admirable restraint used in telling a very human and down-to-earth tale, and the rewarding nature of the mechanics, which reward skill and cleverness, encourage creativity, have more than one right solution in their semi-open-endedness, and play nice and tight thanks to the firm, deliberate way your character moves.
You have that calculated movement found in the MGS games, minus the fiddly over-sensitivity. Any blown cover is your own fault, but blowing your cover isn't a death sentence if you're quick to sprint away and hide. Combined with enemies that are smartly placed and telegraph their patterns well, TLoU is a super-fun stealth game -- something I frankly wasn't expecting from the creators of Uncharted. In general, I'm impressed they delivered on the promises laid out in their ambitious E3 live demos and tone-setting trailers. I think it's safe to say this my favorite PS3 exclusive and one of my favorite games this generation.
