The Last Of Us Part II

I put off playing this game for over a year as 2020 was already so dark and heavy on my soul. But I decided it was time to start this game everyone is talking about and praising. I really enjoyed the first game and thought no sequel was needed. Saying that after playing this I have changed my mind and like the continuation of the saga.

The story is disturbing, brutal and felt raw and real. The gameplay is polished and clever and the visuals are bloody good ….or just bloody but you get the picture. This is a brutal world and Ellie has learned to be a bad ass to survive.

The stealth in the game is impressive as it is the meat and potatoes of the game as run and gun almost always ends poorly. The navigation of the land in the game is another clever system as sometimes it is not clear but the game will lead you in the right direction if you pay attention to the surroundings. I do like it better than an arrow or mini map system for this type of game. A little trial and error makes you feel rewarded when you discover how to continue on the path without being lead by the arm.

The weapons seem to have better audio as the guns sound impressive. The death animations are gruesome and even when Ellie bites it you can almost feel that last hit taking her down. The creatures are all here with a few new ones and a lot more nasty humans to get around or fight as well.

Ellie seemed to change during the game as she has to do some pretty terrible stuff to get to her goal and we watch her become a different girl. It was subtle yet there and I appreciate the writing to make me care about her journey.

There is also another side to the game looking at what the damage was that Joel caused saving Ellie from TLOF original game. You meet the people effected and Abby who becomes another protagonist and her mission to make things right after her terrible loss. She is a muscled soldier and becomes a major player in this game. The opening up both sides of the conflict and giving them full backstories was another way this game makes you feel it is almost a movie, except it surpasses most movie plots. Both sides show caring, fleshed out characters and the trick to a great movie or game is to have you actually care about the cast and their story. Again, this game does a terrific job of sucking you in and keeping you interested. It is one of those games you think about even when not playing.

The game ran flawlessly on the base model ps4. It is a game not to miss on a Playstation period.