The Last of Us when it was released in 2013, the game was met with critical acclaim & was considered one of the bestselling game of all time. With such accomplishment, will The Last of Us Part II meet high expectation or will it fall flat? It appears the game is met with raving reviews after the review embargo has been lifted. Let’s see what critics has to say.
IGN
The Last of Us Part 2 is a masterpiece worthy of its predecessor. Taking strides forward in nearly every way, Ellie steps into the spotlight and carries the sequel in a manner that feels like the culmination of everything that’s made Naughty Dog’s blockbuster storytelling so memorable since the original Uncharted on the PlayStation 3. It delivers a layered, emotionally shattering story on top of stealth and action gameplay that improves the first game’s mechanics while integrating a bit more of Uncharted’s greater mobility and action. But while Part 2 is a thrilling adventure, it still makes time for a stunning, nuanced exploration of the strength and fragility of the human spirit. The PlayStation 4 has one of its best exclusives in one of the generation’s best games.
The Last of Us Part II is a remorseless epic delivering in its masterful storytelling, nail-biting gameplay and unrivalled production values. Naughty Dog have truly surpassed themselves yet again, crafting a heartfelt sequel that will leave you gasping as they continue to raise the bar for the video game industry. It's yet another must-buy for PlayStation 4 owners, supercharging Sony's unstoppable stable of exclusives.
The Last of Us: Part II adds a couple more inches to the already outrageously high bar that Naughty Dog has set for itself. This is the developer’s crowning achievement to date, expanding and improving upon the concepts that it’s been iterating on for over a decade now. Unparalleled presentation combines with an engaging gameplay loop that puts you in the shoes of its characters – and forces you to feel all of the tension and misgivings of its cast. It’s uncomfortable and not everyone will necessarily enjoy its direction, but that’s ultimately what makes it so essential.
It’s an empathetic emotional journey that recontextualizes the idea of the hero at the center of the story through new perspectives and unique methods of storytelling that only video games are capable of. It’s a multi-faceted experience with symmetry, details, and layers that players will be discussing for years. Polish and production values not only meet but exceed the level of Naughty Dog quality that players have come to expect. The Last of Us Part II is an era-defining game, a perfect companion to the first that harmonizes with, rather than smothers, that original pivotal ending, crafting an unforgettable and emotionally challenging narrative with these beloved characters.
The Last of Us Part 2 is a frankly incredible achievement. Intertwining deep, richly written characters, cementing themes of consequence and loss all the while widening a world that was so well established in the first game, Naughty Dog have crafted one of the finest action adventures of all time and one that invariably stands as the most opulent jewel in an already glittering crown of first-party PlayStation 4 exclusives. A rip-roaring and emotional masterpiece that will be talked about for years to come, *this* is why more than 110 million people own a PlayStation 4.
The thing that really struck me - and pleasantly surprised me, coming as it does from a developer so transparently in love with the language of cinema - is that The Last of Us Part 2's power is wholly unique to it being a video game. There is a special kind of empathy that develops between a player and a game protagonist that no other medium can reproduce. It's this bond that Druckmann and his team have exploited to such devastating effect. It is a sad and timely reminder of the simultaneous importance and impossibility of living someone else's experience. Play it, and listen.
By the time I finished The Last of Us Part II, I wasn't sure if I liked it. It's a hard game to stomach, in part because so much of who Ellie is and what she does is beyond your control. She is deeply complicated and flawed, and her selfishness hurts a lot of people. At times, the pain you inflict feels so senseless that it can leave you numb. It's all messy and bleak and made me profoundly sad for myriad reasons, but the more I reflect on it, the more I appreciate the story and characters at its core. I wanted almost none of it to happen the way it did, and that's what's both beautiful and devastating about it.
In the end, it really comes down to the experience of playing The Last of Us Part 2 – of jumping into these characters’ shoes and confronting a world that feels both foreign and oddly familiar. In that regard, the game is in a league all its own and there are simply too many adjectives to describe the range of emotions that the game will make players feel, and many of those emotions are not positive ones. But much like the real world is about facing harsh truths and uneasy situations, The Last of Us 2 forces its characters to confront grim realities in a world torn apart by a viral outbreak and where violence is second nature. It is quite simply a masterpiece – an experience unlike anything in video games.
When the credits rolled on The Last of Us Part 2 I was still buzzing from the excitement of the final few hours. My loyalty shifted between characters. I grew to love who I hated and dislike who I loved. I laughed, I teared up. I felt anger and elation. It’s the new high water mark for video game characters and I can’t wait for everyone to see just how special it is. As soon as it ended, I booted up New Game Plus and I’m experiencing it again with my eyes open, the context of the finished story imprinting new meaning into those early scenes and characters. I’m not swiping in the dark anymore.
But no masterpiece is perfect, and The Last of Us Part 2 is absolutely a masterpiece, have no doubt. There is so much more about this game that I'm desperate to sing its praises for, but simply can't without spoiling anything beyond what's already been shown. Daring, uncompromising, and unlike anything I've played in a long, long time, Naughty Dog has created its most progressive interactive adventure yet.
There are things here that will leave you stunned. You will put the controller down and wonder “can they do this in a game?”, and then when you’ve gotten over that, Naughty Dog will up the ante again, and again, and again. You will see things and go places that you never thought a game would go. It will bend you to its will and change your feelings as you play. You will feel anger, sadness, elation, fear, and everything a truly magnificent piece of art should elicit from you. Make no mistake, The Last of Us Part II is art, and despite my misgivings about its conclusion and that it maybe, just maybe, outstays its welcome, it’s still an absolute masterpiece.
The Last of Us Part II is a truly worthy sequel to one of the greatest games ever made. Naughty Dog isn’t playing it safe in any area of the experience, with a bold and challenging story layered atop perfectly crafted stealth-action gameplay. Some players may not like where the story or its characters go, but for those that are ready for it, it will have you feeling joy, sorrow, grief, and anger to degrees few games have before. And in between all these hard moments is some of the smoothest and most well-designed third-person gameplay around. Naughty Dog has delivered another once-in-a-generation experience and it’s a must play for anyone with a PS4.
The Last of Us Part 2 is uncomfortably real. It’s gritty, heavy, and polished to a mirror sheen. Even now, a week on from completing it, I’m feeling its weight. It’s far from what I anticipated, but crucially it did the work to get me invested. An astounding technical marvel, The Last of Us Part 2 deftly weaves diverse exploration and fun combat into the mix, resulting in a truly brilliant package.
Whether or not you consider The Last of Us Part II to be a worthwhile continuation of Joel and Ellie’s story, there’s no doubt that Naughty Dog has crafted a sequel that’s every bit as ambitious and well-considered as the original, with quite possibly the best stealth-action gameplay realized to date.
The Last of Us Part II is bleak and at times leaves the player feeling hopeless as they play through one of the finest crafted pieces of gaming ever to grace a home console. This is one game that people will be talking about for a long time.
The Last of Us Part 2 is an outstanding action game; a darker, more introspective follow-up that seeks to challenge the conventions of big-budget action games. In this it's not always successful, but its execution is impeccable, and its story proves an appropriate bookend to the story of Joel and Ellie. In short, it's some of Naughty Dog's best work.
But this isn’t a story where Ellie simply gets her revenge and then rides off into the sunset with her girlfriend. The Last of Us Part II does not have a happy ending. Again, it’s hard to say too much without getting into direct spoiler territory, but her single-minded focus on vengeance and her inability to let go cost her a great deal. All of those terrible things she had to do — the decapitated corpses, the bloody hammers, the dead dogs — had a price. And that fact that you’re directly involved in those moments makes it all the more heartbreaking.
The Last of Part II is a tour de force that takes the best parts of the original and molds them into their finest forms. The story will leave you reeling, and there are several unexpected turns that will keep you invested throughout. The level of detail and quality in the world creation and story building are at the top of their class.
In fact, Last of Us Part II might even surpass the achievements of its predecessor. For while it inevitably lacks that first game’s shock of the new, it instead trades on the player’s familiarity with its characters and their backstories to take them somewhere equally unexpected. And while it may lose its focus a little in the penultimate reels, Last of Us II eventually lands an emotional punch that will be felt long after the credits roll.
This is an unlikely comparison, but now that I’ve had some time to absorb The Last of Us Part II, it reminds me thematically of Shadow of the Colossus, another game about how consuming grief and anger can be. I was similarly poleaxed by that game’s clever manipulation of the player’s power, the way it also used the language of video games to make you think twice about your actions. The Last of Us Part II is another story that could only work as a game, the kind of challenging, groundbreaking work that comes along two or three times a decade.
The Last of Us Part 2 is a masterful swansong for the PlayStation 4, and arguably the finest, most accomplished project Naughty Dog has ever embarked on. It’s far more than a traditional sequel, taking the original’s core message and expanding upon in ways that will be looked back on as brave, ambitious and undeniably controversial.
The original was a complete game. I thought there was no reason to revisit it and risk tarnishing its legacy. Along comes The Last of Us Part II which teaches us that there is a whole new parable to be presented in a medium that drives an emotional connection that others can't hope to match. The scope and ambition of this game are a level above the previous one. Even if its execution is only slightly more askew this go round, it's no failure to bullseye a much more lofty goal, a shot that still hits the target for an excellent gaming and storytelling experience.
