Bryce Wagner

*SPOILERS* In my honest opinion I think this game was phenomenal, just like the first. I usually have an open mind and take a realistic approach to everything in my life so I feel that Joel’s death wasn’t shocking in any way. Similar to Glenn dying in the Walking Dead. Gameplay and Graphics are improved and the survival aspect for the game feels realistic. Ammo, Med-kits, and Supplies are all scarce. The story isn’t necessarily bad either like everyone seems to say. Just because the Hero doesn’t save the day doesn’t mean it’s bad storytelling. The major problem is that the plot is scattered everywhere when there’s flashbacks so it feels like a mess. Also, the 2nd half of the game where you play as Abby was drawn out way too much and I couldn’t help but feel no sympathy for her through 90% of her gameplay. It could've been shown with a couple cutscenes rather than 5+ hours of gameplay. The game made me get a soft spot for side characters rather than the main characters. Owen, Dina, Jesse, and Mel are all very well written characters with decent backstories. However, I feel that Ellie didn't have enough time to show more of her character. Abby’s character is the exact opposite. Too much was shown of her backstory and most of it didn’t even add to the story. At most points in this game there’s a cutscene with music where I would believe sounds like an ending but it just keeps going onto more gameplay. If they wanted this game to be a lot better, I think they should’ve made Abby’s gameplay DLC but still keeping her backstory in the main game through cutscenes or clues that Ellie finds out. Now let’s talk about the ending phases. Having to play as Abby in the “final” showdown was really a poor choice. Gamers want to play as Ellie in a fight, not Abby. But the 2nd showdown in Santa Barbara was really fun to play. Reminded me of the showdown in Uncharted 4’s ending. The thing that ruined my “reward” for playing this game is that Ellie didn’t kill Abby, even after she bit her two fingers off. That satisfaction from the fight was ruined and I felt nothing for the revenge tale. The actual ending I find to be very heartwarming though. Ellie is no longer able to play the guitar because of her missing fingers and it gives a flashback to see Joel playing the same song. Every Time I saw Joel in the flashbacks I couldn’t help but shed a tear. The game ends with Ellie setting the guitar down and walking off to hopefully find Dina and her child. A bleak but open ending which describes this whole game. This game isn’t for people who want the hero to win like almost every game does. It’s to tell a story about a dark realistic world in a post-apocalyptic setting. Overall I thought the game was fantastic. Besides some parts from the game that could be cut I have no big problem with it. Everyone seems to go at Neil Druckmann for “bad storytelling” even though he wrote half of Uncharted 4 and wrote all of The Last Of US (2 games that were critically acclaimed). The story telling and writing isn’t bad, it’s just not what the normal person/gamer wanted. If you play this game, remember to have an open mind and see the different perspectives of every character in the story. It's a solid game and I feel that it's worth playing.