Eric Setka

***I actually played through the whole game, no spoilers*** This game is getting far too much hate. Be wary of the negative reviews, there were over 8000 1 star reviews 4 hours after release. The game took me near 30 hours to complete on hard. No one beat this game and gave it an honest review after 4 hours of playing. It just didn't happen. I think the people who have actually played this game and still hate it haven't played Part I in a while. The first game was one of the best stories ever seen in a video game, but the haters forget how painful the game-play was. I played it for the third time just a few months ago. Between the palette puzzles, the ladder puzzles, and only a few different zombie sub-types that were easy to learn to kill, the only thing that made the first one so fun to play was the incredible story, stunning graphics, and scenery. The Last of Us Part II makes up for what it may lack in story with much improved game play mechanics, less repetitive puzzles, and graphics and art in the same beautiful style of the first (but with much better 2020 technology). The new zombies are terrifying and add extra elements and challenges to the game-play, and are much welcome. Say what you will about the story but in my opinion, it easily belongs in the top 100 narratives ever told in a video game. Disney/Marvel have coddled movie audiences into thinking there's always a happy fairy tale ending at the end of every story; because of this people are lashing out when the story didn't go how they wanted it to. Its an emotionally painful story about vengeance. Naughty Dog let us know way ahead of time that the theme of Part II was going to be themed around "vengeance" instead of "love," like the first game. Don't hate because its different than Part I. Appreciate that the game has evolved in the last 7 years and is doing something different instead of feeding you the same thing year after year like so many other video game franchises. Overall ratings and comparison: The Last of Us Part I - Graphics(by 2013 standards)/Art style/Scenery: 10/10 Game-play: 8/10 Story: 10/10 The Last of Us Part II - Graphics/Art style/Scenery: 10/10 Game-play: 10/10 Story: 8/10