Finally! I feel like I have honored my promise to you guys, yes its here and forgive me if I take long here but there's definitely a lot I need to say here. This sequel of the Last of Us came out in 2020, 7 years from its predecessor and probably the most awarded game in gaming history, The Last of Us Part 2. Lets get into it.
Before I explain a lot of things let me make this very clear, this is the best looking video game I have ever played. It looks very much like a PS5 game something very much not fit for the last generation and how incredible that Naughty Dog took a 7 year old hardware (PS4) and came out with this ingenuity. Man! I am not sure where to start but lets talk about the graphics and gameplay first.
There is not a game I have come across that has perfect character models. One of the best I have played was Red Dead Redemption 2 also the likes of Days Gone and not to compare as they are of different genres but I think TLOU2 takes a slight advantage overall in visuals than any other game I have experienced. There is that extra effort that went into this game. I want to commend RDR2 and Days Gone though since they are open world games they also really look awesome. I totally recommend TLOU2 for you if you haven't played it. If you are a fidelity fanatic like me you get your thirst quenched. I like how so much alive your character facial expressions and gestures are. The character is literally connected to what will be going on around them each and every step of the way. Its phenomenal.
Many games if you have noticed, your character doesn't have expressions or emotional expressions for the particular scenario aka situation they are in. For example when killing or fighting an enemy I have seen games where your characters face remains the same instead of for example grimacing during fighting. For me such is a sign of a half done Job in terms of character models and it annoys me because I feel like I am merely using an emotionless doll. But with TLOU2 Abby, Ellie and their partners show fear, anger disgust concern, heavy breathing etc and its remarkable. Such perfect human expressions and this is a console game (Whew). Naughty Dog fully utilized the hardware they had at the time. What I am trying to say here through typing is just scratching the surface, you need to experience it for yourself.
Another stand out factor is the gameplay, its very fluid and especially with the 60fps patch it got for the PS5 it just becomes a spiral of addiction. So combat and visuals make this game absolutely the finest you can come across. Normally when a game is exceptional I have little to say regarding it because what else can you add on when something has been done perfectly? There is one aspect though I seemed to not like when I did my previous Last of Us review and that was the story.
I actually want to take back my words :). I had initially played this game on a friends PS4 console a while back and after consideration I decided to buy my own copy and replayed it on the PS5. The story is mostly great. Its just the ending that felt a bit off at the same time leaving us in suspense for what the future holds (which is good to keep sequel potential into perspective), nonetheless I really loved the story because it kept me captivated. Lets talk about it a bit. Spoiler alert: I will try to not reveal a lot but my favorite character is Abby. Abby for me is actually the main character of this game. Everything she did for me was justified. Here's the thing and without saying much for the sake of a reader who may have not played it yet, Joel killed her father (A sacrifice for one at the expense of many). People have a connection with Joel and also Ellie because they are the main characters in the first game but to be honest Joel's decisions came back to bite.
If you think Abby killing Joel was wrong I have a simple question to challenge your moral sense of decision making which is what I believe the script writer did here. Here's the question: if you were Abby or in her shoes at least, would you have spared someone who killed your father or loved one? Lets kind of switch over to Ellie while holding that thought in mind. Ellies character for me though she's a good person she doesn't seem to fit in this game. She seemed soft for this harsh game world. On the other hand Abby has that savage look and personality combined with a suitable aggression to match the dark challenging game world. To add on, Ellies purpose within the story seemed to linear (revenge motive). Apart from finding and punishing Abby for Joel's death there seemed to be no other purpose for her. With that said you can only get the feel of the narrative as you do your own play through.
After completing the game you will find out that while using Abby the game is more fun than when with Ellie. Abby's fight encounters and enemies and the whole experience you have when using her is more in-depth and forms the heart of the story. Abby has more impactful weapons, skills, deadly encounters etc. So its best to not listen to people regarding the story but rather playing it for yourself because in doing so you will certainly have a very different perspective. Try to use your own gut feel towards games you intend to get rather than relying on public opinion. Trust me I've passed on great games because of listening to people. Another technique people use is asking people who share the same game tastes as themselves but its not perfect still.
There were characters with potential that I would have loved to see go on through the story like Jesse. He could have been a good consolation to the loss of Joel. I loved how open minded he was regarding Joel's actions. In a nutshell, its not the best PlayStation exclusive but I would say the best game ever made on console. I make such a bold statement not because its my number one game (I have other preferences) but from a technical standpoint, what the developers did with an old hardware, squeezing out every ounce of hardware juice that the PS4 still had, producing a game that I feel wasn't last gen at all. Indeed there are also other notable games that did more or less the same but its that extra touch to the finest of detail that at least according to me I found astonishing.
This I am saying as a once former critic of the same game holding negative views about it but after replaying at my own pace and time it changed my perspective drastically. Its a perfect fusion of visual fidelity, combat mechanics and a very emotionally wit challenging story. I can confirm without regret its a game that is timeless, get it please if you can and have fun.
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