Trigger Cut Game Reviews

Oh boy, how do I review this game without starting a flame war? By starting a flame war I guess.  I do not like The Last of Us Part 2 but that is not due to the let’s say the fate of a certain character. Before I get into what I did not like about the game, I’ll start with the positives.  The Last of Us Part 2 remains industry leading in terms of presentation that has great performances all around.  The combat, while simple, is brutal and intense.  Whatever your thoughts about the game, it does take big risks which I respect but didn’t always personally agree with.  Now with the negatives.  First and foremost this game is a miserable experience that never lets up or has any of the levity of the first game.  I believe the narrative prioritizes shock value over character development.  I found it difficult to care about the deaths of auxiliary characters because the game did not properly develop them so to me they were just meat puppets that got domed suddenly.  The game suffers from some serious plot contrivances.  I know a lot of people don’t care about this aspect of media but when a game is meant to be realistic and then relies on ridiculous coincidences only to serve to further the plot, it is immersion breaking.  The Last of Us Part 1 made me feel things, with Part 2 I felt nothing.  Obviously, this is my subjective experience but it is the most damning criticism I have of the game.  The pacing in this game is rough. It is far too long and has several periods of time where nothing important or interesting is happening. I replayed the first game a bunch of times.  I attempted to replay this game but I had to shut it off because I didn’t want to subject myself to the misery simulator that this is.  Do I think that the hate for this game is overblown? Yes, but I think the reasoning behind the hatred of this game is more nuanced than the defenders of it make it out to be.