Julian Wills

Having read the books, I was super impressed with this adaptation. They did a great job making the characters and their relationships much more interesting. Can't wait for Season 2, and surprised that (as of writing) the aggregate score here is only a 3.9.

[SPOILER FREE TL;DR:] this game is a misunderstood masterpiece that will help revolutionize and elevate the entire video game industry. The writing, acting, music, cinematography, and gameplay seamlessly coalesce into an unforgettable meditation on trauma, grief, and (de)humanization. In doing so, it holds a mirror up to the player and encourages them to reflect and grow.  -----     This is my first time writing a game review and, as I do so, the current user score is a 2.5/5. As I read through these reviews, my impression is that most of the negative reviewers are not yet at a stage in their life where they can appreciate a game like this. Rather, I suspect that the people most inclined to appreciate this game are those who can tolerate and understand that: [1] sometimes people you like will make choices that you wish they hadn't made. [2] the world, especially in TLOU, can be savage and unjust -- sometimes people you care about will suffer in ways that feel undignified, unexpected, and/or unfair. [3] some people are romantically attracted to people of the same gender and/or identify or express themselves in ways that don't align with "traditional" gender expectations. That doesn't make them any less of a human being, even if it causes you discomfort. There's so much more I want to say, but I am struggling to do so concisely (and without spoilers), so I'm going to pause here.