At last, the long-awaited sequel from Naughty Dog is here. The Last of Us Part II debuts June 19 for the PlayStation 4, but Ive played through the game a couple of times for this review. And I am glad to say I am not disappointed with the risks the developer took, even though the game didnt go where I thought it would go, nor where I wanted it to go.
Early on, the previews gave us clues that a tragic event that would trigger the journey of the second game. There is no question that playing the game is an intense emotional and moving experience. But the story had some twists that I believe will prove controversial and perhaps unpopular among enthusiastic fans.
Im glad to see some risk-taking. The stakes couldnt be higher. With more than 100 million PS4s sold, Sony has a chance to sell tens of millions of copies of this game (as of 2018, The Last of Us sold 17 million copies). The original won numerous Game of the Year awards, and its my favorite game of all time.
Early on, I detested parts of the story. But Naughty Dog committed itself to this unpopular direction. Despite my initial misgivings, Im glad they went down this road, because it made me question my sense of right and wrong.
Its so eerie to play the game about a post-pandemic zombie apocalypse during a pandemic, with sirens for emergency vehicles going off in the background in real life. If there was a solace, I played this one together with my middle daughter, who was too young to play such a serious game when the first one debuted.
But I was so much happier in the sadness of the world of The Last of Us Part II, and I was so disappointed to snap out of it after each play session and emerge in todays reality. We have waited for this game for a long time, with multiple delays. But the good thing about those delays is that I did not encounter any showstopper bugs in the game on my PS4 Pro. That is exceedingly rare.
Naughty Dog vice president Neil Druckmann (who directed The Last of Us Part II) and the companys own trailers have spoiled a lot of the story. But you shouldnt place stock in everything that they have led you to believe. Part II is not at all what it seems. In fact, Naughty Dog has gone out of its way to mislead us into thinking what the game is about.
A story told in a compelling way
Ive already begun to sound like I want to rewrite Naughty Dogs script. But lets be clear. I believe that nobody tells better stories than Naughty Dog. This story is told in a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards in a timeline. Youll see the characters get put into an excruciating situation, and then youll have to wait, as the story moves back in time to a flashback that will explain how you got into that situation.
This can be very frustrating until you learn the reason for the flashbacks, and that makes the dramatic impact so much bigger. Id like to say so much more, but that would be spoiling the story.
Flashbacks are an interesting tool for a storyteller because they give you a way to learn something about a character who is dead in its present but still alive in your memory.
Above: The melancholy guitar makes many appearances in The Last of Us Part II
Image Credit: Naughty Dog/Sony
The story of the first game came with a bookend ending that resonated for me. I was deeply touched by the story of the teenage girl Ellie and gruff smuggler Joel two survivors of the zombie apocalypse who spend their days just trying to survive. The graphic violence is horrific, but more often than not, Joel does it in the name of protecting Ellie, and later on its Ellie protecting Joel. Fighting the zombies takes skill and stealth, and too often the human enemies are worse.
At the beginning of The Last of Us, Joel loses his teenage daughter at the start of the pandemic. By the end of the game, he had to decide whether to save Ellie or watch his surrogate daughter die. He had to choose how much he was willing to sacrifice for somebody he loved. Joel made the choice of a parent, and it was easier to make that choice even though the fate of the world was at hand. What made his choice easier is that, throughout the entire game, we learned what a shitty place the world had become.
When I finished the first game, I thought about a quote from Steven Spielbergs film, Schindlers List, about the German man who saved Jews during the Holocaust. It says, Whoever saves one life saves the world entire. That quote came to mind as I finished the game. Joel saved a life, and he said the world be damned.
And now Joel has to live with that choice in Part II. The sequel is not about love, but hate. It is about what you would sacrifice to take revenge. Can you get justice and closure without sacrificing your soul? The main characters go on a long journey to discover something about themselves. This new game also has its bookend ending, and all I will say about that, for now, is that it involves a guitar.
Amazing graphics affect gameplay
This is one of the prettiest games with it comes to graphics on the PS4. So many graphical marvels appeared in the imagery that I lost count. But these improvements in graphics arent just part of the scenery they affect gameplay.
Above: Seattle is overgrown and flooded in The Last of Us Part II
Image Credit: Naughty Dog/Sony
On a skyscraper in the clouds, the fog gets in your way just as youre trying to aim at an enemy. The grass blows in the wind, and it gives you a place to hide while you creep up on a foe. You can swim underwater, find key secrets at the bottom, and emerge in a place where the enemy doesnt expect you.
The story spans seasons and climates, such as the snows of Jackson, Wyoming or the lush jungle-like landscapes of an overgrown Seattle. The cities are authentic, with great attention to detail. Youll find coffee shops in Seattle, but theyre overrun with vines, moss, and long grass growing out of cracks in the floors and walls.
In Wyoming, Ellie loses track of another character, Dina, in a snowstorm and then finds her again. In that way, the environment plays a role in the gameplay as well as the story.
A diversity of characters with different perspectives
Were used to video games that give us good guys and bad guys. In the previous game, our main characters were just Ellie, then 14, and Joel, a grizzled old man in his 40s. In Part II, Ellie (played by Ashley Johnson) and Joel (Troy Baker) are four years older. But theyre joined by a big cast of characters in Jackson, Wyoming, like Jesse (Stephen Chang), Dina (Shannon Woodward), Tommy (Jeffrey Pierce), and others as well as a number of strangers that we meet along the way.
Above: Dina (left) is Ellies love in The Last of Us Part II
Image Credit: Naughty Dog/Sony
This game goes out of its way to paint two sides to every person and to show them in shades of gray. Ellie and Joel are both brutal killers in the first game, and they remain so in the second game, though they have settled down in Jackson. Now their job is to protect their home from the Infected (as the zombies are called) and human foes outside the walls. Yes, even after a pandemic, more so than today, humanity has to live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by people like Ellie and Joel.
While the first game doesnt have much by way of supporting characters, the sequels cast gives us a contrasting point of view to the people we have come to love. They are different kinds of survivors, and they highlight how people can make some contrasting choices in this gray world.
Significant gameplay improvements
Part II has some huge technological improvements. In close combat and in exploration, Ellie can do so much more thanks to these changes. And it makes the fighting intense, grueling, and raw in a way that, if you can believe it, doesnt happen in the first game.
Above: Ellie pits Infected against human foes in The Last of Us Part II.
Image Credit: Sony/Naughty Dog
She can swing on ropes, climb vertical structures to avoid trouble, navigate boats, ride horses, break glass, and crawl through grass. She faces enemies such as dogs who can trace her footsteps, stealth warriors who can attack with arrows, and large numbers of zombies. Ellie can sprint, dodge attacks, and time her counterattacks. She can use enemies as a shield, and she can get help from her friends. This makes combat far more diverse than in The Last of Us.
And as she does in the first game, Ellie can pit enemies against each other, making zombies attack humans. All of these improvements ratchet up the level of skill.
Occasional humor
One character makes a keen observation about how two others are behaving awkwardly when together. It just so happens that one of the characters, who is afraid of heights, is trying to deal with a high crossing. The character replies, Now? As in, you have to ask me that now? Its pretty comic, trust me. And after a particularly difficult level, one of the characters screams, Fuck Seattle!
Read the original:
The Last of Us Part II review: A brilliant game that is not what it seems - VentureBeat
- The Cranberries' Zombie - the story behind the incendiary song - Louder - April 22nd, 2024
- Chris Riddell on the zombie Tory government falling apart at the seams cartoon - The Guardian - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie grave dating back 4,200 years discovered in Germany, photos show - Miami Herald - April 22nd, 2024
- Steam zombie survival game leaves early access 11 years on, and you've got one week to get it cheap - PCGamesN - April 22nd, 2024
- "Zombie" cicadas with STDs are coming to Virginia - Axios - April 22nd, 2024
- Deathtroopers is the Star Wars zombie horror game I never knew I needed - PC Gamer - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie Army VR Reveals The Story In Latest Trailer - Bleeding Cool News - April 22nd, 2024
- Where Infected "Zombie Cicadas" In The US Will Emerge In 2024 - TheTravel - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie anti-abortion laws are menacing American women - The Hill - April 22nd, 2024
- Joe Manganiello to Zombie It Up in Mountain Man Adaptation - Reactor - Reactor - April 22nd, 2024
- Frozen Soul Covered White Zombie and It Rules - MetalSucks - April 22nd, 2024
- Arizona's abortion ban could bring zombie laws back to life in other states - Fast Company - April 22nd, 2024
- Arizona abortion ban shows the dangers of reviving zombie laws - MSNBC - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie fires smoldering near Canadian oil and gas wells threaten production following 2023 wildfires - WorldOil - April 22nd, 2024
- You'll Never Guess Who Doesn't Want to Repeal a Zombie Abortion Ban - The New Republic - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie Army VR: New trailer gives a glimpse of the gruesome campaign - MIXED Reality News - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie Tests: Is the SAT Back From the Dead? - Fair Observer - April 22nd, 2024
- How likely are you to survive a zombie apocalypse in Connecticut? You may want to travel north - Hartford Courant - April 22nd, 2024
- Missouri Reports 162 New Cases Of Deer 'Zombie' Disease In 2023 - Lake Expo - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie Fires Pose Looming Threat to Canada's Oil and Gas Infrastructure - OilPrice.com - April 22nd, 2024
- Rob Zombie Presenting House on Haunted Hill Soundtrack on Vinyl - ComicBook.com - April 22nd, 2024
- Take on Zombie Stormtroopers In This Star Wars Fan Game - IGN - April 22nd, 2024
- The Best Zombie Game of 2023 Has a New Expansion Out Now - Esports.net News - April 22nd, 2024
- Frozen Soul Debuts Frosty Rendition of White Zombie's 'Creature of the - Knotfest - April 22nd, 2024
- 'Dawn of the Dead' at 45: A Zombie Love Affair That Never Died - The New York Times - April 12th, 2024
- Hyper-sexual 'zombie cicadas' infected with bizarre STD fungus will emerge in US - New York Post - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie malls and other retail centers getting extreme makeovers to keep up with the times - Chicago Tribune - April 12th, 2024
- 'Zombie' drug xylazine found in cannabis THC vapes in UK - BBC.com - April 12th, 2024
- Taxing health insurance: The Republican zombie that refuses to die - Roll Call - April 12th, 2024
- Fungus-infected Zombie Cicadas with hypersexuality to emerge in the US this year: Expert - Hindustan Times - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie Classic Dawn Of The Dead Coming Back to Theaters for 45th Anniversary - MetalSucks - April 12th, 2024
- E-News | 'Zombie cicadas' infected with sexually transmitted fungus expected to emerge this year in parts of US - WVU ENews - April 12th, 2024
- Deadly Zombie Sedative Penetrating The U.K.s Illicit Drugs Market - Forbes - April 12th, 2024
- Seattle Police warn that base ingredient in 'zombie drug' tranq is being sold as standalone pill - FOX 13 Seattle - April 12th, 2024
- Opinion | Today's Opinions: Haunted by zombie law and thrown into abortion time-travel - The Washington Post - The Washington Post - April 12th, 2024
- Rob Zombie Teases 'House of 1000 Corpses' Book With Rare Photos, Original Script and More! - Bloody Disgusting - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie malls getting extreme makeovers to keep up with the times - Detroit News - April 12th, 2024
- 2000s Horror Fantasy Is One Of The Most Unique Takes On The Zombie Genre - Giant Freakin Robot - April 12th, 2024
- Mysterious 'Zombie Neurons' Unlock Secrets of Learning in The Brain - ScienceAlert - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie SKUs: What They Are, How They Work & Results - JumpFly PPC Advertising News - April 12th, 2024
- Arizona Reviving Its Zombie Abortion Ban Is Trump's Doing - The Cut - April 12th, 2024
- Hyper-sexual "zombie cicadas" that are infected with sexually transmitted fungus expected to emerge this year - CBS News - April 12th, 2024
- Should we be concerned about zombie cicadas? - WGN Radio - Chicago - April 12th, 2024
- You need to play this underrated zombie shooter before it leaves Xbox Game Pass - Digital Trends - April 12th, 2024
- End the 'zombie' Comstock Act - Star Tribune - April 12th, 2024
- OPINION - Flesh-eating zombie narcotics are on our streets Britain is badly losing its war on drugs - Yahoo News UK - April 12th, 2024
- What Is Xylazine - The Flesh-Eating 'Zombie' Drug Linked To 11 Deaths in The UK? - Times Now - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie Cicadas To Emerge In Virginia: What To Know - Patch - April 12th, 2024
- What Is "Zombie Drug" Gripping The UK? - NDTV - April 12th, 2024
- OJ Simpson's Final Film Will Resurrect His Naked Gun Character - As A Zombie? - Looper - April 12th, 2024
- Flesh-eating 'zombie drug' sweeping US is linked to 11 UK deaths - The Telegraph - April 12th, 2024
- Flesh-rotting 'Zombie drug' tranq raises alarm in UK - The Times of India - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie Cicadas To Emerge In GA: What To Know - Patch - April 12th, 2024
- What was the first-ever zombie movie? - Far Out Magazine - April 12th, 2024
- Even Will Smith Couldnt Save Zombie Survival Game Undawn, Which Flopped Spectacularly - IGN - March 24th, 2024
- Rob Zombie Recommends This Surprisingly Wholesome Comedy - Dread Central - March 24th, 2024
- Army Writing and the Zombie (Noun) Apocalypse - Modern War Institute - United States Military Academy West Point - March 24th, 2024
- Fatal Fury's Mai Shiranui Is In This Zombie Survival Game For Some Reason - Time Extension - March 24th, 2024
- Should you be worried about 'zombie deer'? | College of Public Health - George Mason University - March 24th, 2024
- 'Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island' Scares Its Way to Blu-ray for the First Time This Spring - Collider - March 24th, 2024
- Rob Zombie hates my guts: GWAR's Dave 'Oderus Urungus' Brockie was a genius, and here's an interview that proves it - Louder - March 24th, 2024
- In the fight against gun violence, Rep. Frost Introduces the Destroy Zombie Guns Act - The Apopka Voice - March 24th, 2024
- Elfriede Jelinek's 'The Children of the Dead' is a historical zombie novel - The Washington Post - The Washington Post - March 24th, 2024
- Germany's Zombie Government Is Fueling the Far Right - The Atlantic - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie Survival Game Undawn Has Crashed And Burned According To A Reuters Report - MMOs.com - March 24th, 2024
- Will Smiths Zombie Game Has Been Hit Harder Than Chris Rock at the Oscars Its Astronomical Budget Was ... - imdb - March 24th, 2024
- Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island / Return to Zombie Island Blu-ray (Warner Archive Collection) - Blu-ray.com - March 24th, 2024
- Registration almost here for Dothans annual Zombie 5K Chase - WDHN - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie magic and gambling club Magic Island will come alive again this summer - Houston Chronicle - March 24th, 2024
- Undawn | The $140m zombie survival game starring Will Smith that bombed while nobody was looking - Filmstories - March 24th, 2024
- After 4 years, a cult classic zombie horror manga from Ga-Rei's creator is finally getting an official English release - Gamesradar - March 24th, 2024
- Will Smith's Zombie Game Has Been Hit Harder Than Chris Rock at the Oscars - Its Astronomical Budget Was ... - FandomWire - March 24th, 2024
- "The game literally no one knew existed": The Will Smith Zombie Survival Game is Reportedly a Big Flop and Fans Are ... - FandomWire - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie-palooza --- Get to the biggest undead music event in the latest Dead Island 2 expansion: SoLA - Gaming Trend - March 24th, 2024
- Bournemouth University medical students treat 'zombie attack' in mass training simulation - The Tab - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie car factories on the rise in China as buyers opt for EVs - Financial Times - March 16th, 2024
- Hey, Remember When Rob Zombie Was Going To Direct THE CROW 3? - FANGORIA - March 16th, 2024
- New Walking Dead Twist Shows How The Zombie Outbreak Will Finally End - Screen Rant - March 16th, 2024
- Candid conversations from death row with The Zombie Hunter - Arizona's Family - March 16th, 2024
- Zombie! The Musical - REVIEW - City Hub Sydney - March 16th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero