So the natural thing to do is buy the sequel right? Right?
Well, prior to ordering "The Last of Us Part II" I began to read some of the reviews and noticed it had been review bombed quite badly. Whilst I know better than to let a few keyboard warriors dictate my opinion, there is no smoke without fire, and something must have sparked this behaviour.
I am about to play the game and see what all the fuss is about. I've managed to avoid any spoilers but have an inclination someone is going to get killed off (and judging by the cover, it's not going to be Ellie). I am quite liberal in my thinking so can't imagine what has got some people upset enough to label the game "propaganda", "cancel culture gaming" and "revisionist". But here goes, expect some spoilers:
Hour one: All seems as expected. Foul mouthed Ellie is present and correct with a doting Joel in tow. Controls do not seem to be different from the first game and the graphics are great. A back story is slowly unfolding. I soon found myself playing as a random character Abby in a snow bound landscape that feels like a cross between Uncharted and the Tomb Raider reboot. Nothing to scare the horses. Now sitting watching the lead character smoking drugs and generally 'having a good time'. Don't smoke kids OK. It gives you cancer.
Hour two: Back as Abby again with Joel in tow. All this horse riding is beginning to feel like Red Dead Redemption; not sure if that's a good thing or not. Well, fuuuuuuck. With a golf club? Really? Did not see that coming and it has made me feel pretty shocked. A game that provokes this kind of reaction in a player is something special. Not many games have had this level of impact on me before. If this turns out to be a "Joel was actually a bad man and Ellie will realise it and join up with the people who killed him" type deal, then I'm going to review bomb like you wouldn't believe.
Hour three: Maps. I hate maps. Feels like I'm working through a check list. Meh. Notes, notes, notes. Generator, generator, generator.Yaaaawn.
Hour four: Things are looking up. Not only has there been some plot advancement but we have acquired an axe and a shotgun too. Son-of-a-bitch just killed my horse. Meh, was fed up of riding it anyway. Plenty of baddies to kill and back to creeping around.
Hour five: Mines. Well M18 Claymore mines to be precise. The game is giving me ammo; that's a good thing right? Well, it can't be a FPS with zombies infected without a level set in an underground railway station. It's the law.
Hour six: I keep thinking I understand the rhythm of this game and then it throws in a surprise that jolts me back to the realisation you don't know what's round the next corner. The story and character progression is getting a bit stale at this point but game play remains solid enough. To some extent I enjoy linear level design. I find it reassuring that I'm not spending hours running around in circles.
Hour seven: Oh please don't tell me I'm going to have to strum a guitar again. No, seriously, this is lame. Flashback time. I enjoy crawling through shops and seeking out treasure only to find an infected waiting for me. New aspects of game play are being introduced all the time. Now I have to dodge sniffer dogs and can craft bombs.
Hour eight: All I seem to do is collect notes; does anybody actually read all of these things in games? The bow has made a welcome return along with Jessie. Plenty of baddies to drop. The voice acting for the baddies in this game is excellent. You really feel they hate you and will hunt you down mercilessly.
Hour nine: Flashback again. How long before I end up playing the guitar again? "The Shining" type creepy hotel vibe going on. I like it.
Hour ten: Lots of buildings don't seem to have any natural light. How did people work in these offices? Game designers are trying to creep us out with weird noises in the dark. A few shotgun blasts and a trail of trap mines does the job. We seem to alternate between slaying infected followed by a period of being hunted by the "Wolves". Is there anybody in this whole "end of the world" scenario that didn't write a note explaining their last moments so it could be found next to their purifying corpse? And I wish I could stop pressing the square button instead of X when crafting. Xbox controls seem to have become ingrained in me.
Hour eleven: Game showing an unhealthy obsession with hospitals now. I have questions about the torch. Why does the controller not make a sound when I turn it on and off like the first game? I used to find that useful. And why do I get prompted to tap my controller to make the torch work every few hours? It seems a bit redundant.
Hour twelve: I'm on the road to revenge. The story line seems to have picked up again and I'm keen to see how this game turns out. A truly absorbing experience. But I hate button mashing interactive cut scenes.
Hour thirteen: You mean I have to play as this Abby bitch now? After all this? Is this when things are going to get weird? I hate this woman. I'm playing as her under duress. A bit like when one of the Call of Duty games required me to shoot British sailors; I found it hard to do and nearly stopped playing the game. Then I realised it was just a game.
Hour fourteen: Exploring the "Fish Zoo". Exposition, exposition, exposition. Yawn. Bit of fighting, then more fish zoo. Mini games with plastic arrows. Obvious trophy opportunity. Secured.
Hour fifteen: Getting really, really pissed off with the melee/dodge mechanics and this stupid battle in the dark.
Hour sixteen: Oh great. More impossible dodge/melee, dodge melee crap with Bella Emberg. At this point my scores for this game are falling quite sharply. This is just boring and the mechanics of the game play suck.
Hour seventeen: More grinding as Abby. Making my way back to the fish zoo I guess.
Hour eighteen: The story takes me back through the same level again but backwards. Is this a good thing or just a way of saving memory? Lots of climbing now. Still can't wait to kill this Abby character. I don't care if she's been a playable character for half of the game.
Hour nineteen: If the character in the game is saying, "Jesus. This f**king place," then imagine how the player feels. I spent 20+ years working in a hospital. It wasn't too far removed from this experience to be honest. Still don't care about Abby and will be glad to see her suffer.
Hour twenty: Flamethrower! Yes! I'm beginning to realise a certain type of person might not like this game; quite a lot of minority groups being represented. Whilst admirable, it feels forced. Pleased to see Manny die. Shame it wasn't more grizzly.
Hour twenty one: Off in pursuit of Lev now. Plenty of baddies to drop. A few new skills and refinements to weapons. More button mashing interactive cut scenes. Yawn.
Hour twenty two: Fighting my way though a conflagration to find a boat. Doesn't feel like the last game at all. Ah now the significance of the map is clear. Clever move. Wait.....I've got to attack Ellie now? Oh no.
Hour twenty three: Ah, so, after 20 hours of grizzly murder and revenge, everyone gets to survive and live happily ever after? Herding sheep whilst carrying a baby? Clearly this game has moved quite far from the original. The magic is fading. Oh revenge is in the air. But so is the bloody guitar again.
Hour twenty four: Yay! Ellie again. Working my way to the final confrontation I think. New baddies and exploding arrows.
Hour twenty five: You mean I went through all of that and sacrificed two fingers to let her go again? Disappointing but inevitable.
I don't see what all the fuss was about. Yes the last half of the game got a bit slow and soggy, and if you're homophobic you will likely balk at the characters. But this is a good game. It's not as good as the first one, but it was entertaining. Yes there are disappointments and annoyances, but generally it is a good game and represents a well spent £25.
