I think The Last of Us at its core is a game about humanity. I think both the first game and a second game are examining different facets of what it means to be a flawed human being, which we all are, and they’re simply examining different sides of what makes us human.

Something that's rarely mentioned is how they handled Ellie's PTSD from not being able to save Joel and as a consequence, witnessing his brutal murder. I suffer from an acute PTSD, and when that hellish vision occured when Ellie was in the barn with the lambs I nearly threw my controller across the room. It's such an accurate depiction of the terror. They nailed it. I've had the same thing happen, from doing CPR on someone who was beyond help and died. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and lay my hands on my own chest and it feels cold like his did and Slam. I hear the screams, I see his blue lips and his body convulsing, I hear the death rattle and feel his cold chest. They depicted the horror accurately for sure. I connected with it, though. Never felt like my pain was represented in such an accurate way in media before. A surreal but beautiful form of art.

I absolutely agree that the flashbacks are the highlight of the story and game. Seeing Joel & Ellie let their guards down and be so comfortable and happy with each other makes the tragedy of their fate so much more painful

One thing I'd like to add to the point at 10:17 about how Ellie could easily turn around and leave - personally I think that's a massive point of the game. It's definitely about violence and revenge, but to push it even further, it's about how letting Abby live is the first choice Ellie EVER gets to make in her life. When she got bitten she chose to die with Riley, but whoops! Turned out she was immune. Marlene chose to set her on a path to save humanity. Joel chose to take her sacrifice away from her. Joel chose to take her her to Jackson. When she was finally ready to forgive Joel, Abby took away that possibility of fixing her relationship by taking his life - and she was once again powerless to do anything about it. Seeing a pattern? So when Ellie is set on a path of revenge, it's not because she is choosing to do so; it's because she feels she HAS to. Her MOTIVES are not her own. She's as much a victim as she is the instigator and is trying to be who she thinks she needs to be in the moment (hence why she is mimicking Joel a lot in her violence) - but the violence won't help her be free. Hell, even when she thinks she's finally going to get revenge on Abby, that gets taken away from her too when Abby wins the fight. But as soon as she chooses NOT to follow the path of revenge she was set on, she finds some level of inner peace. She doesn't necessarily forgive Abby in that moment - she forgives JOEL. She lets go of the weight of that burden... and is finally able try to move on, and find her own path in life. This is the main reason I don't actually know if Ellie will be the main character in the next game. I feel her story has more or less been completed, in the sense that her future is finally her own. We don't know for sure if she actually wanted to find a cure - it's just what Marlene wanted her to do. It could definitely be an interesting story, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Ellie's walk into the sunset be her final scene, leaving her future open to all possibilities.

11:40 i personally loved jesse and was petrified when he got shot and died so quick. he was extremely likeable and you spend a good amount of time with him as ellie. he was a good dude, sadly roped into everything

Favorite part of this game is just the brutality of it all. Nobody dies a heroic death like in most games/movies. People you play with for hours and hours are just shot and killed like its nothing. There were multiple times I had to pause the game and just sit there to process what happened. No other game affected me like this one. It took me months to get over the ending of the game. Seriously one of the best, if not the best game ever made.

I think it's so amazing that the one person who can accurately understand what Ellie was going through was the one she was hunting. But they were too far into their emotions to accept that maybe if they just talk to each other about their trauma and thirst for vengeance and the cost, they could gain far more than they ever could beating the crap out of each other. I personally think the story is amazing. However the game is REALLY long. Like almost too long but there is so much necessary development across both story lines that it's kind of necessary. And I love how the last thing Ellie lost in her struggle was one of the most important things Joel gave her, the ability to blay guitar. I don't care what the detractors say. The story is emotionally impactful and fantastic

12:30 Abby’s friends having a bigger role in Joel’s death would be kind of against the point of some of Ellie’s arc. If they were all just as guilty as Abby it would go against the whole “us vs. them” thing, where Abby’s friends are guilty by association. They’re on “the enemy team,” which is enough to justify their deaths to Ellie, because they’re all collectively “the bad guys.” That’s part of what makes her actions as bad as they are, because on a surface level Abby’s friends really didn’t have much to do with Joel’s death, other than supporting their friend Abby (not implying they are innocent.) If Abby’s friends had all taken turns beating Joel with a golf club I think we’d lose a lot of the weight and discomfort that comes from Ellie murdering them all, because she’d be way more justified in doing so since they all played a bigger role in Joel’s death. This would minimize the themes about the destructive nature of revenge, especially the damage it does to those outside of or less involved with the triggering event. Abby’s friends may be guilty, but they’re not nearly as guilty as Abby, which is why the “revenge bad” theme works in the first place. It’s a minor part of the whole games message, but it’s still important.

I'm someone that loves to be emotional destroyed by a story, and naughty dog nailed it. Part 2 is definitely my favorite game of all time. Never have I felt such a rollercoaster of emotions. It was a wild ride, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

FINALLY BRO. I've been searching so long for someone that likes this game. It's my favorite game of all time and I was really hurt when I saw that the people didn't like it.

As the biggest TLOU2 defender, I think you made some really strong points both for and against. Some of the cons you pointed out are interesting for me to consider, especially the side characters being fairly dull. Great video matey x

You liked it?!!! I LOVED it!!! 💯

just finished. one of the greatest games i have ever played. truly nothing like it.

8:25 runners and other infected (though it may change throughout the stages) can be killed in any way a normal human can be killed aside from starvation or dehydration. It’s expanded on that some infected just drop after 2-4 months, going the typical route for Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (the real world type of cordyceps that thé game was based off of) by puppet-ing the host to an area and then growing from the body and releasing spores to further spread the infection. A lot of clickers (and specifically bloaters/shamblers) are people who were either weirdly genetically predisposed to survival in this situation or who were larger/stronger/more resilient. Infected do canonically eat humans/game animals etc (beginning of tlou 2, when Ellie and Dina run across the eaten Moose) . If you’re wondering about how they survive the runner stage/how they survive being infected before turning, the cordyceps fungus would eat you inside out for fuel, and once you have a severe enough deficit of what’s necessary to sustain the host/the fungi (and I assume the energy expended to upkeep and influence the hosts body) it’d just settle down on a wall. Same thing happens when the brain dies before the host turns. Think left behind when Ellie is searching for a Medkit and finds the body of the pharmacist in the knockoff american girl doll store. The pharmacist either turned and became a clicker (the likely route from what I remember of what their face looked like) and then after being locked in for 20 years couldn’t go on and just settled in the corner. More intact bodies surrounded by fungi probably killed themselves before they turned/died as a runner. OH! We can also see in the stalker stage many infected have concave stomachs and a very starved form. It’s possible that the reason stalkers become so strategic is because some hosts aren’t enough on their own to survive to the clicker stage, and so they have to hunt and be sure to catch their prey without expending too much energy wildly sprinting after anything that makes noise! The end of this sort of spiraled into theories I have but! Interesting question! ( it’s also possible they ate rats???)

I don’t think TLOU 2 is about revenge but more so about forgiveness. Joel and Ellie’s last canonical scene is her trying to forgive him. That’s the memory she has of him while she’s strangling Abby.

The last of us part 2 is my favorite game of all time

I overall really love this game, from it's dynamic and incredibly tense gameplay to it's amazing world building and beautiful visuals, to the best in class voice acting/facial capture and sound. However, I do think there's a lot of issues with the script, a ton of irrational behavior and contrivances that don't hold up to scrutiny and often feel mechanical in order to advance the story and reinforce the themes regardless if they make much sense. With that said, what I think this game NAILS, even more so than the first game, is the quiet moments. The slow exploration sections where you learn about the world's factions and conflicts. The long slow trek through Joel's house while Ellie grieves, taking the chance to go over some of his prized possessions and even smell his jacket. The musical section where Elie plays Dina the song Joel played for her, but stops because it's simply too painful to remember. The scene with Ellie & Dina in the basement smoking a joint, knowing that Joel will never get to see her happily in love. The flashbacks to a time where Ellie & Joel seem to really have embraced the father daughter dynamic and seem to really love each other, the absolutely gut wrenching flashback of Ellie finally beginning to forgive Joel, presumably, right before his horrific death. Ellie sitting in the water completely defeated after finally learning to forgive Abby the way she forgave Joel, and finally Ellie putting the guitar aka her last memory of Joel in the empty house where Dina and her lived, only to move on with nothing left to live for, yet somehow finally healed from her intense grief. These moments are so emotionally powerful and add so much to the overall narrative arc that the first game started, that I'm extremely happy this game exists, warts and all. With that said, I think the core revenge narrative particularly in regards to Abby's sections, are lacking anywhere near the same emotional heft and nuance. Perhaps there's just too much stacked against her, with her BRUTALLY killing our protagonist, and us already being so attached as an audience to Ellie & Joel. I think this is the challenge they were very brave for taking on, getting us to empathize and care for a character we desperately don't want to.. It's a great idea, but I don't think it was executed nearly as well as the Ellie & Joel arc, which is still absolutely the heart and soul of this franchise. For starters, Abby's "revenge" on Joel, feels unbelievably sadistic and cruel.. I understand it's the apocalypse, there's not much to live for, and he took her father away.. BUT.. Preparing for YEARS and YEARS, stalking, then brutally maming him slowly to death with a blunt object after he SAVES her, while never once throughout all those years stopping to consider why he killed her father in the first place... It's a little TOO much to ask us to sympathize with her after this IMO. Even Joel never displayed this level of sociopathic sadism, simply in the name of revenge. He killed ruthlessly and efficiently to protect who he loved or to survive. He didn't go on a fucking 20 year revenge quest to slowly torture/kill someone out of nothing but spite. At this point, Ellie's resulting sadism and bloodlust feels like a pretty justified response considering the absolute savagery with which Joel was killed. I understand the whole cycles of violence angle and how difficult it is to break... but I think Abby REALLY upped the ante & set the tone in terms of ruthless and inhumane brutality here. Abby's redemptive arc of saving a couple of kids who happen to be part of the tribe/group she's been ruthlessly slaughtering with her douchebag military buddies for years also feels like WAY too little, too late. Also Abby is generally even in her quiet and humane moments way less endearing, funny, charismatic and generally likeable than Joel or Ellie. Her fear of heights and her insecurity regarding Owen & his new relationship are clearly meant to make her relatable, but it's simply not enough IMO. I don't HATE Abby, she's cool to play as, and I actually think the actress did the absolute best she could given the material.. but it's a very tall order to make an audience buy into her as a protagonist, and for me at least they didn't quite pull it off. & TBH it even seems like they knew this, because they put the best gameplay segments, boss battles, set pieces, weapons etc.. in her sections lol. It feels slightly manipulative. PLUS, ALL of Abby's companions/friends are very underdeveloped and bland. Particularly people like Manny, who I couldn't have given less of a fuck about when he randomly got plugged by Tommy. Owen is by far the strongest character from Abby's sections, and even he isn't great. At least he is a little more interesting and conflicted. Ellie's side kicks also are generally lacking in depth or real character arcs, but at least Jesse & Dina are charming / charismatic enough to see why someone would like them in the first place. IMO there was a lot of overreach in the script of Part 2 that leads to a pretty inconsistent experience. Ultimately though, what it adds to Joel & Ellie's story and the emotional impact those sections leave are 100% worth the stuff that I didn't enjoy as much, and despite the flaws I consider it to be one of my favourite games of all time.

I enjoyed Part 2 as well. However, I do think there’s more to the story than just being a condemnation of revenge. It’s an exploration of what revenge does to a person and how someone can come back after everything they’ve done and restore their humanity and peace of mind.

I’m glad there’s other people who like this game a lot too, and not just for its gameplay!

The Last Of Us part 1 & 2 are really one story. Some people just like the first part, but i find both to be fantastic games. They could have pandered to the audience, made a comfort fiction Joel and Ellie adventure, but instead created something much more interesting. This is what story telling is all about. Thank you to Naughty dog for creating a very grim and adult story, in a world filled with nothing but comfort fiction, it was truly refreshing for those of us who enjoy these darker and more thought provoking tales.

Finally, a youtuber echoing my feelings and impressions of the game. A lot of the YT community succumbed to the hate zeitgeist that followed the leaks because they have infantile understanding of storytelling.

This was so well done! I’m shocked that you don’t have way more subscribers haha

You’re becoming one my favorite film video essayist. Any advice on becoming a film video essayist? What type of equipment/laptop you use? What editing and how do you find footage? I really want to start my own channel.

The story was top tier in my opinion lol. Especially if you loved the first one.

They should rewrite Jesse in the show to be a Step Son to Tommy. I just think it would make him more central to the group and the mission of finding Joels killers once Tommy puts his neck on the line.

This is THE video I have been waiting for. Sums up my thought excatly.

It's the metal gear solid 2 situation all over again. People hated that they were made to play as Raiden, instead of snake. But years later MGS2 is now considered one of the strongest entries in the series.

I liked it, too. Of course it stresses me out and I had to take several days of a break when that Ellie boss fight at the theatre broke out, but overall it was a marvelous experience to go through all the rage and sadness with both Ellie and Abby.

As someone who loved the game to death early on when it came out only to see hate everywhere, I knew that with time there will be much more positive views about the game. Over the last couple of years, 90 percent of the videos related to the game is overwhelmingly positive. Many hating it won't stop it from going down as one of the most iconic video games of all time.

Great work man! Will tune for more

I have only ever platinumed two games. Bloodborne and now TLOU2. It’s a great game. Divisive but great.

Loved this thorough analysis of the game! Also great to see more talk about the gameplay too as ppl rarely mention that.

I love Part 2. Even with the pacing being a little off and the game being a bit longer than it needed to be, it's an absolutely stunning experience.

I'm not really into the gameplay type of TLOU as much as others but the animation blending in combat was probably the first thing I noticed as a real highlight XD. I ultimately enjoyed the story, mostly because of the composition I found fascinating and really well done - if not easily digestible. Its a deeper delve into a well trodden genre and IMO worked pretty well in a video game. To me up there with the better games over the last few years.

It is not fair at all to be little the involvement Abby's friends had in the death of Joel. They in fact, are the ones who made it possible. Not only did they help her make her way across the country but even if she had managed to do that on her own they quite LITERALLY held down Tommy and Ellie AND Joel so Abby could do the killing. Without her crew for support it would have been Abby vs 3 people. She would have stood no chance. Her crew are JUST as responsible for Joels death. Factually

Both games are amazing. Such a deep, bold story with very well developed characters and a complex, original view on the the good old “vengeance crusade.” People who hate it just can’t take a beloved character being killed in a brutal way. Even though he himself was brutal and killed innocents several times throughout his life.

Damn dude! While watching I thought someone with 100k+ subs made this video, surprised to see such a good video and such a low subscriber count. Keep going dude!

love part 2 of the last of us. only complain i have is that we cant change skins to ellie and abby like we could with joel and ellie in the ps5 version of part 1

Many TLOU2 haters weren't even gamers, they were just crying about politics.

Awesome video. I personally loved TLOU2 and in some ways felt more connected to Abby's story than I ever did to Joel/Ellie's - which isn't to say both aren't brilliant. I guess, while I don't like the way some people talk about the plot (Joel dead, Abby bad = bad game, bad plot) I enjoy that its allowing for nuanced dialogue about plot in video games that we wouldn't have been having say 15 years ago. When I first played the Ellie/Abby fight in the theatre, I was immediately struck with how /gross/ it felt, to hunt Ellie like she was an infected. But, to me, that was one of the greatest parts of this game. Ellie's vendetta had completely robbed her of her humanity, on a similar level to the infected - there is a person underneath the fungus and infected, but they are being completely driven and controlled by something foreign and brutal - which mirrors Ellie in the situation. I also think that Lev being the only thing that stopped Abby killing Dina after learning she was pregnant is extremely significant not just thematically in this game and the first game, but going forward in the series. There are so many lessons to be learned from children (Joel from Ellie, Abby from Lev and Yara, and Ellie from killing the pregnant Mel - which had way more of an impact than any of her brutal murders up until that point), that I can see the series continuing to explore this theme of when that childlike innocence and purity becomes corrupted, and how long it can survive in such a brutal world, if at all. I would also imagine that the key to possibly finding a cure to the infection could somehow be linked to children. This comment wasn't supposed to be this long, I swear! I could talk about this game forever, and this video is an awesome representation of so many things people who couldn't move on from the intro missed out on. Keep it up man!

I am happy that HBO has made the game viral. Lot of people are playing and talking about it now.

My favorite line from TLOU1 that crops back up in TLOU2 is during her interaction with Sam. “…Being alone. I am scared of ending up alone.” And by the end of TLOU2…

Ellies worst fear is being alone and she was left with nothing in the end… Her hatred towards Joel… its all a mirror image of what Joel did in the first game and it just further elaborates on what you will do for the ones you love. For better or worse.

i made a rant video immideately after i finished the story becaus i didnt understand the ending but after playing it a few times after i realized that the game is about humanity and the lengths some humans will go to after they lose everything important to them

Story good because: revenge bad

This is by far the best Last of Us 2 review on YT. Other reviews were too negative. Liked and subscribed!

I just saw your la la land review, and instantly went to check out your other videos. and I must say, I love how well thought out your reviews are. And you make very valid points that I find myself nodding along with, well done :)

I loved this game from release, but I'm seeing a trend where some people who absolutely hated it at release are starting to warm up to it. I think after the rage of Joel's death wore off, some people were able to respect what the story was trying to convey.

4:00 there's a gameplay reason for not immediately picking everything up too. sometimes before picking something up you'll want to craft an item. especially on harder difficulties when you want to maximise resources

This is SO well done and well put. Subscribed!

My favourite dialogue reference from the 1st to 2nd game is when ellie is walking Joel out of the university, she says "If I get you out of this, you are so singing for me."

do you think with the virus ellie can grow her fingers back?

i will defend tlou2 till i die

I don't have the ability to critique a game or a movie so intelligently. I just know how something makes me feel. I agree with most that the story of the first game is better............arguably the best story that's ever been in a video game.............but Part II was AMAZING to me. No other game has ever made me confront the emotions that this game has. The game is a stroke of genius and I hope that Druckmann isn't discouraged from some of the criticisms.

Great video, but you gotta do something about that framerate. I'm not being an FPS snob, the stuttering is so bad that it's uncomfortable during fast motion shots, probably made worse by the very low FPS of the video being out of sync with the source, making it look like a slideshow at times. But I still enjoyed your take on the game.

Personally, I respect this game, I don't love it, it's not the game I wanted, but I respect it. Would I love to have something different? Probably. But the biggest thing that really breaks my heart is how the fanbase became toxically divided, tbh my experience with the fanbase of this especially when part 2 rises, is always never good. Esp now with the TV Show and all the edits coming along trending, it's kinda hard to talk about part 2 without getting a negative feedback, or saying your dumb, or how close minded you are. and to me thats just unfortunate how divided we are now. Personally my headcanon is "The Closer's Look's" version of this story. but hey again I respect TLOU2, alot of times this game has impacted me in alot of ways, and changed my perspective. But it's not the game I was expecting or love, but i respect it.

Both games were amazing I’ve played the 1st one 8 times and the second one I’m on my 5th play through definitely in my top 10 games

I loved it too one of my favorite games of all time. I understand why some people might not have liked it and I can respect that.

the story is a simple revenge story but the way they say it its amazing thank you for understanding this masterpeice

It's weird. As much as I love this game, I think a lot of stuff relies too heavily on notes you read along your adventures. I normally don't read a lot of these but in this case I did. And so for me when I finally met Isaac I actually found it really interesting because I had read so much about him from all the notes during my playthrough as Ellie. That along with the general environmental storytelling really fleshes things out a bit. So I think a lot of people who just sort of sprint through the game will have a different experience. I think thats contributes to a discrepancy of how people experience the game. Same can be said for Ellies journal. Her journal adds a lot of context to how she is feeling.

When I read some opinions on the internet it feels like I played a completely different game. I love Part 1 and especially Part 2, I think it’s a perfect sequel

I loved this game through and through, screw the haters.

This is the first time i see someone making a common title "Why it's great", but not going for words like "Masterpiece", "Thrilling", "Amazing" on preview, but instead "I like it" 😄

I’m doing a playthrough now and I’m loving every minute of it.

I like the sniper set piece because it straight up uses the games regular mechanics just like scaling tall necks in the horizon series. These cinematic encounters are a bit more harder to design when having to restrict the set piece up around the games set functions. I think that Abby's friends are the most guilty because due to the circumstances they had risked their lives serving as Abby's squad to even reach joel. If they were just giving up their rank and or status, they really didn't commit so much to the cause but they knowingly risked their lives for this cause very likely meaning were they ended up a lone survivor that he or she would commit the act. Abby's friends are just sacrificing too much not to guess they all had murderous intent against joel and everyone at his camp - once again - were the worst winning hard was delt to the group.

Part 2 is basically Depression simulator the game. There is no hope. Everything is black. Everyone is broken. If you’re a nihilist, you’ll LOVE this game😂

I agree 100% with your arguments here. Good video!

This game is a masterpiece. It has flaws like everything, but there are so many many things that are done brilliantly. When you look back and realize all the emotions it made you feel, it shows video games are a medium like no other for storytelling. Truely a unique experience.

A mature game that shows us how revenge leads to nothing more than revenge, diplomacy is the best answer to conflict, and how life isn't black and white, there are no heroes and villains. Joel himself said in the first game: "We did what we had to survive" and "I've been in both sides". This story has no winners, everyone loses, and everyone suffers lasting consequences. Underrated story-telling.

I absolutely love both games. I didn't feel any dislike for the second game at all. Yea it sucks to see Joel get beat to death but didn't make me dislike the story. Everyone is entitled to their opinion as am i but my recommendation is that if you hated the story of tlou2 try replaying the game and paying better attention to it as a whole. I play through these games at least once a year usually more but approaching my 10th + playthrough i couldn't get through the games without crying like a little girl. This is the best story ever told in a video game if u ask me. I really enjoyed the video well done and thanks for your time and work on it.

Yes, the flashbacks to Joel and Ellie are by far the best part of the game, and that's exactly why it's a terrible sequel. It kills off the best part of the first game without ever introducing anyone or anything as good as the first game.

I think this is a good take. I would just add one thing into the discussion about the theme of revenge. You say that the game is conveying not just that it is morally wrong, but that it makes things worse; it makes other bad things happen. The cyclical nature of violence, for sure, is part of the message: the Seraphites and WLF; the fact that Ellie knows if she kills Abby, then there is the chance Lev will come for her just as Abby did Joel and she did Abby. However, I think the other point that the game is making is that revanchism destroys identity and the the relational ties that define and create it. Abby basically does not have an identity until revenge is no longer part of her life. She is so young when she loses her father and she drifts from the Firelies to the WLF. She is looking for 'a cause', an identity, something to define her. She is a 'joiner', not someone with her own sense of self beyond the idea of eye for an eye violence (which is what the WLF are about, they are not idealists like the Fireflies, and one of the reasons why she fits right into them: it is a group whose raison d'etre validate and enable her warped sense of justice). You see it in her physical transformation- her need for revenge literally shapes, moulds, and grows her. However, it also destroys her relationship with Owen as she pushes him away every time he gets close to her because killing Joel comes first. It is not until revenge is no longer part of her life that the scales fall from her eyes and she eventually can break free and forge her own identity. In part, this is leaving the violence of the WLF behind (she goes from having idealism in the Fireflies to hate in the WLF and telling Owen she would go in the opposite direction if she were to find out where they are and then back again) and part of that is her relationship with Lev (i.e.- relationality, love, caring about people and them caring about you). Ultimately, she had to realise that revenge did not make her life better; it stopped her being a real person with human ties and identity. With Ellie, by contrast, rather than revenge stopping her developing these things, it causes her to lose them. Compare Abby's and Ellie's arcs by the the way that revenge shapes their bodies- it sculpts Abby but scars and damages Ellie (Nora), it makes her vomit (Mel). Contrast the approach to relationality- it prevents Abby making things work with Owen but Ellie is scared to lose Dina, is putting her her first by deciding to return to Jackson at the end of day 3 just as Abby arrives, only to then lose it all and fuck it up because she is traumatised and obsessed. Just as Abby couldn't form an identity and independent sense of meaning and purpose because of revenge, Ellie is angry at Joel for taking away her identity, meaning, and purpose but comes to realise that she had one. She was Joel's purpose. She meant something to Dina and JJ. She already had relationality and worth and purpose and meaning- all of those things she felt she didn't have and was looking for. That image of Joel she sees before she lets Abby go is not just about the cycle of violence, but realising she already had what was important and has now lost it all and killing Abby won't bring any of it back. It wasn't revenge that helped Abby grow. She came to realise that it held her back from being a better (and her own) person. Ellie had to lose everything to find that she already had everything she needed. However, the lesson for both is the same- the self is relational and we are defined by love and our relationships and bonds of kith and kin with others. Violence, hatred, and revenge give the illusion of purpose and meaning but are, in fact, parasites that rob us of those things.

I get it… people wanted another story with Joel and Ellie going on another adventure but unfortunately this isn’t Uncharted. The Last of Us shows that there are real consequences to your actions.

11:00 thank you at least someone finally pointed out that Ellie didn’t have to be in Seattle, she could have left at anytime and purposely chose to hunt everyone down even with a pregnant girlfriend.

I’ve seen people make videos of hours long dissecting the story of this game, whether for good or bad. And for me that just says how special it is.. like how many games can people sit and pour their heart out about for over an hour, not many. But even the haters can speak at lengths about this game. Greatness doesn’t always have to be pleasant, some things can be painfully great.

It's funny how The Last Of Us 2 gets much more hate than it deserves, and all it really comes down to is that people were upset that Joel died and refused to pay attention or be invested in any of the game afterwards.

I love the fact you are making a review of a game that was released in 2020, the gameplay section of the review was absolutely immaculate, and perfectly encapsulated, however, you made a incorrect statement, Abby’s friends were not just there while Abby did her thing, who were the guys who pinned tommy up, and who was the girl who knocked him unconscious who pinned Ellie (his saviour) to the ground and eventually knocked her unconscious, who were the two that pinned Joel to the wall and who was the girl who tourniquets his leg so he can die a slow and painful death? Everything about this video is so perfectly worded, but that is just simply false

Yeah if you play on grounded or survivor scavenging is a necessity if you aren't carefully you'll have to clear an encounter with only 4 bullets to your name which is why I love this game on max difficulty

I was baffled by all the hate of The Last Of Us 2. I thought it was frigging great. I feel like many missed the point/meaning of the story. It's not just "revenge is bad." There is a deeper story. I love it. All the groundwork was laid out in The Last Of Us. It is a great overarching story.

It's a perfect example of how in the real world your perspective on things isn't exactly how things are . We like to think of things usually as being one thing or the other, ie: group A are the good guys and group B are the bad guys. TLOU2 shows that it is not nearly that simple and in the grand scheme of things there are no good or bad guys. Everyone just tries to survive the best they can and take care of the people they care about. Living in a world like the world of TLOU2 all anyone can really do is deal with situations one at a time as they happen. Unless you know someone's past and what motivates them to do what they do it's difficult or impossible to 100% know for certain that any individual is actually the bad guy.

Aaaand just like that this channel will never stop being flooded with comments from people who still mourn death of their video game daddy. Which is pretty meta - they go through giref longer than Ellie did.

ive felt crazy these last few years. thank you for making this video

i rate TLOU2 10/10. I suspect in twenty years people will look back and rate it a corner stone in evolving video game narratives. I am not sure it is a good game. how is this possible? well, a core idea of games in the most narrow sense is fun. tlou2 is, for most of the time, a tour de force (provided the player invests himself in the story). when i finished the game, i felt sick and a bit traumatized. i loved it. but i also wasn't sure if this was... good for my mental health? looking back after two weeks i realized i still thought about it. and i grew more and more fond of the narratives. i hate to devalue opposing views on media simply on those views "not getting it". But in this case, i think people either lack the empathy or the mental strength to buy into the narrative. Well, apart from the bigots, those can fuck themselves. I really, really hope for a final third part in which elli finds self forgiveness and.. well, meaning. i never expected part 2 to end with everyone happy. but if i would change anything, it would be a clearer path to hope in the final scenes.

The ending totally should've been a players choice kind of thing, I feel like it would've made the ending a little more effective. Otherwise, I actually really loved this game

replaying the game 2 years later, I'm enjoying it now that I know what I like and don't like.

Im afraid to look through comments whenever someone says they like tlou 2

Such a powerful game from start to finish. Fuck all the haters.

This game is HELLLLLLLLLAAAAA good if you say otherwise you’re jsut salty about Joel

100% Auto Pickup is the way to go. It reduces unnecessary button presses, helps up find pickups you're supposed to see but won't for various reasons like not having the exact camera angle to turn on the prompt, it reduces the amount of times you scour a room just to make sure you don't miss anything becasue of those times where you did end up finding something on that third time around because finally that prompt showed up. It let's you play the game rather than do busy work.

"Right and wrong are not what separate us and our enemies. It's our different standpoints, our perspectives that separate us. Both sides blame one another. There's no good or bad side. Just two sides holding different views." - Squall Leonhart

Great job!

TLOU Part II is great. Gameplay is top notch and a natural evolution from Part I. Story is powerful, if not the story I would have told, it's still good for what TPTB aimed for. Whatever warts this game may have, I love it, and find myself wanting more.

Joels death was trash,

8:20 I'm pretty sure the fungus provides nutrition somehow? Idk though

tlou2 is the best video game story ever told. if u hated it cause joel died the way he did than you’re clearly influenced by emotion in ur reviews. if u hated it as a story than u clearly didn’t understand it

Honestly, I disagreed a lot with Nakeyjakey's points in his video. The worst point he made to me was that the combat is too good for a game that "wants to make you feel bad for killing", when I feel that the actual point was to show Ellie's "bloodlust", along with humanizing enemies by giving them names and such, it was never about making you feel bad for killing every enemy, but to show us that they were people too. Anyway I haven't watched his video since it released and I just remember not liking it at all, despite having some valid criticism.

Good video, although I'll forever dislike Abby, never liked the whole 'revenge bad' thing some video games use and TLOU2 was the cherry on top of them all to me.

I mean, she never set out for revenge against the others. They died for standing in her way. Which I guess doesn't make it much better, but whatever.

i laughed at the thumbnail, somethink about the straight up "i liked it" is so funny

sucks I can't see how many dislikes this video has.. the ratio must be CRAZY considering this video was recommended to me and it's three days old, yeah it must be huge