MootaChan

((Spoiler Free)) The graphics were stellar and the sound design was out of this world! The combat was fun, I loved the flashbacks, and the voice acting and world design was exceptional. However! I genuinely felt that in executing the follow up game to the hit "Last of Us", the game devs erronously lost sight of what made it so popular in the first place. It was the deep connections between characters that provided us drive and interest- and unfortunately it was the flashbacks and the flash backs alone that I felt most invested in. You might say that the point of this game was to emphasize the ephemeral nature of life in this tough and unforgiving world-... but its the same notion that makes personal connections so vastly important to the narrative. There was a lot they wanted to do with this game, and I think they really tried to cram it in without considering the story at large. Naughty Dog should be commended for their willingness to depart from conventional story-telling means, but in the same vein, I simply don't think it worked. Thats just the gamble you take when venturing in new directions. With more feedback and conversation between players or beta-testers, coupled with its beautiful display, this game might have been a brilliant success... but between the disingenuous advertising an the dissonant story-telling, I regard it as a bust... especially to die hard fans who've waited all seven years for this game.