10/10 (no spoilers)

[Valkirye22]

So first off, mechanically - the game deserves a 10/10 score - it is excellent (not "perfect" none will even be but it is a 10/10)

 

No gameplay issues, visual or audio glitches, lighting, clipping etc. of any kind during my 25 hour playthrough. Controls are good, environment is incredible and every set is beautiful and worth exploring.

Some minor difficulties with partners and such but - nothing remotely major. Even my Pro is not doing its best rendition of an Airbus engine far less demanding games make it do.

 

As for the story (the perspective of someone who enjoyed TLOU1 and was buying TLOU2 regardless of anything) and someone that successfully avoided all the leaks and spoilers and the only saw official trailers and gameplay... I loved it.

 

Like the title says - no spoilers. But it is an excellent story. It is different than the first one - but excellent. By all means I believe this game is one of the few this year worth the full price even if you won't like it as much but you should experience it. And give it a play.

 

It's a good story - but not a happy, beautiful, rainbow-y one. The world it takes place is dark, violent, brutal and anything different wouldn't fit - or it would be a lie.

In its core I saw it as a story about a deep spiral/drive for revenge, forgiveness, and how easy it is to lose your way in it with the mounting cost. To show consequences and perspectives from all sides of the conflict. (which I really enjoyed and thought all parts were well crafted and had their place there)

 

I for one am glad with the direction they took, it's new, it's different, and it is gripping.

 

 

[kaltezhan]

Can't wait to get to the end! 20hrs in, and loving it.

Still, I'm experiencing some visual glitches, mainly after I started my game on my personal Pro (pretty flawless, played about 5hrs), and moved it to my girlfriends Slim. The characters seem to do some random poses during cutscenes, and then get back to the right animation. Tried to install the game again, but no success. I own a disc copy. Someone with similar issues?

Edited June 22, 2020 by kaltezhan

[DeepEyes7]

Great to see a thread about it instead of the normal shitshows against the game, I'm 25 hours in the story and totally LOVING IT (The only down that I have is to have to kill doggies u_u) and only found one glitch where my char stopped executing silent takedowns, just restarted checkpoint and everything fine again so no biggie. The game needs to become a total mess in the last hours so that it gets barely as bad as people want to think...

 

I read the spoilers weeks ago, but one thing is reading the spoilers and another completely different to play the actual game, it's incredible how people can twist a fact to convenience and put it under a bad light. Will come back when I finish the game to share my opinions!

[Infected Elite]

34 minutes ago, kaltezhan said:

Can't wait to get to the end! 20hrs in, and loving it.

Still, I'm experiencing some visual glitches, mainly after I started my game on my personal Pro (pretty flawless, played about 5hrs), and moved it to my girlfriends Slim. The characters seem to do some random poses during cutscenes, and then get back to the right animation. Tried to install the game again, but no success. I own a disc copy. Someone with similar issues?

only glitch i had was one with a character jumping up and down instead of accepting the triangle command prompt for the boost up. It could also be due to the fact i didnt need to use that boost as that wasnt where i was supposed to go lol.

 

EDIT: I jumped off a balcony and missed a rope, and landed on the ground. After,  Ellie had a water bottle stuck floating in her ass. Had to restart checkpoint haha 

 

As for the story, so far im on chapter 30, i won't say where it is but the game has me hooked. I don't know how it will end but ill be aiming to finish tomorrow or Tuesday after work. 

 

another glitch i had was in seattle, inside of a store by a collectable, the blue box didnt fully have it's textures until 10 seconds later. I watched a video of that area being played and it happened to them as well. I use to think it had something to do with refresh rates on my tv etc. But nope.

 

 

For what I've played so far, 10/10. I haven't felt what I feel playing this,  in any game, for a long time. Its good. Real good. 

Edited June 22, 2020 by LegacyJKO09

[rolldogg187]

1 hour ago, Valkirye22 said:

So first off, mechanically - the game deserves a 10/10 score - it is excellent (not "perfect" none will even be but it is a 10/10)

 

No gameplay issues, visual or audio glitches, lighting, clipping etc. of any kind during my 25 hour playthrough. Controls are good, environment is incredible and every set is beautiful and worth exploring.

Some minor difficulties with partners and such but - nothing remotely major. Even my Pro is not doing its best rendition of an Airbus engine far less demanding games make it do.

 

As for the story (the perspective of someone who enjoyed TLOU1 and was buying TLOU2 regardless of anything) and someone that successfully avoided all the leaks and spoilers and the only saw official trailers and gameplay... I loved it.

 

Like the title says - no spoilers. But it is an excellent story. It is different than the first one - but excellent. By all means I believe this game is one of the few this year worth the full price even if you won't like it as much but you should experience it. And give it a play.

 

It's a good story - but not a happy, beautiful, rainbow-y one. The world it takes place is dark, violent, brutal and anything different wouldn't fit - or it would be a lie.

In its core I saw it as a story about a deep spiral/drive for revenge, forgiveness, and how easy it is to lose your way in it with the mounting cost. To show consequences and perspectives from all sides of the conflict. (which I really enjoyed and thought all parts were well crafted and had their place there)

 

I for one am glad with the direction they took, it's new, it's different, and it is gripping.

 

 

I couldnt agree with you more basically took the words out of my mouth i appreciate you posting an honest opinion here.

[bduarte1]

Loved it too, the game kept surprising me until the very end very few games are capable of that.

[TheDragonfly44]

Im a bit offput by how long the second half of the game is and how the ending lacks closure but overall I enjoyed the game a lot. I can see myself replaying combat encounters just to get to enjoy the gameplay again

Edited June 22, 2020 by TheDragonfly44
spelling

[Valyrious]

Almost 11 hours in, hit day 2. It's early to say it, but SO FAR it is the perfect follow up to the first game.

That last scene of the first day (SPOILERS)

Spoiler

When Joel takes Ellie to the dinosaur museum / Space museum for her birthday in the past

is now my most favourite moment in the entire series. It destroyed me. So glad I got to experience that moment on father's day.

[Slava]

In your opinion, how does the gameplay compare to the first game? I'm hearing mixed things. Some people say it's much better, some people say it hasn't progressed at all. I know you can jump and dodge attacks now, but other than that, what was improved?

[SasquatchSaul]

I dont know how people can be so dismissive of the gameplay improvements. Gunplay is fucking amazing, especially against humans. Animation blending is literally the best in any game ever. AI is so good, always flanking, communicating and working together. The level design is fantastic, so many encounters I was struck with how wild and imaginative the area’s design was. 

 

Just boggles my mind that people just say its a movie game, it does gameplay better than Metro Exodus, better AI and gunplay than the Division 2, its not to be dismissed so easily. loved the first TLOU’s gameplay, but it has absolutely nothing on the sequel. All I need is god damn factions mode.

 

I dont want to spoil anything, but enjoyed certain parts of the second half immensely, some of the coolest parts of the whole game. 

[TJ_Solo]

Beat it. 

10/10 from me.

[peezzeer]

1 minute ago, Alderriz said:

In your opinion, how does the gameplay compare to the first game? I'm hearing mixed things. Some people say it's much better, some people say it hasn't progressed at all. I know you can jump and dodge attacks now, but other than that, what was improved?

 

The AI of the enemies (particularly the human enemies) are a lot smarter and you have to use a lot of crafted tools in order to get by if you're playing on harder difficulties. For the first game, I thought that fighting against the human enemies were a breeze. So the gameplay, in that sense, was majorly improved. Otherwise, it retains a lot of stuff from the first game: crafting things on the fly, listen mode, etc. IIRC, the state of play trailer mentions that Ellie is a lot swifter than Joel so the movement is different and whatnot.

[Mori]

Glad to see some praise in between all the "criticism".

 

Except one bug, where my right arm was stuck in a position and looked goofy as hell, I also havent encountered any issues. 

 

Playing on Survivor difficulty enhanced the experienced by a lot. I was always on a bare Minimum, never overloaded with resources and ammo. The encounters were tough, but the fluent movement and abilities to take advantage of your surrondings made the gameplay so much fun. Killing in this game is so satisfying... Sounds weird but it is.

 

I wont go to deep on the story. I liked it. It doesnt Top the first game, but the execution/acting etc. was Top notch.

Edited June 22, 2020 by Mori

[OTPYG]

I posted some brief thoughts in the below topic but basically I agree, I think it’s a fantastic game and those who are not going to play it based on leaks and/or short videos they’ve watched are absolutely missing out. A worthy successor to the original. 
 

 

Edited June 22, 2020 by OTPYG

[Valyrious]

12 hours ago, Alderriz said:

In your opinion, how does the gameplay compare to the first game? I'm hearing mixed things. Some people say it's much better, some people say it hasn't progressed at all. I know you can jump and dodge attacks now, but other than that, what was improved?

Anybody that says the gameplay hasn't progressed is full of shit. It is leaps and bounds better than the first game, smoother in every way imaginable. But - it is still fundamentally the same as it was. Honestly, I think that's to be expected, especially if you're an Uncharted fan. Naughty Dog doesn't just do a gameplay overhaul in a sequel game.....

I would call TLOU1's gameplay slow, and clunky. TLOU2's is smooth, fluid and realized. I think it's extremely fun.

Edited June 22, 2020 by Valyrious

[HankValentine]

Gameplay, graphics and audio were all amazing and audio and graphics wise second to none! 

Story was bad, really bad. 

Immature, lacked intelligence and failed to convince you to care about Abby imo. And to top that off the Abby section was 10 hours, which dragged. It was 5 hours too long. 

Very boring in the second half and the boss fight felt very out of place, as did the 'war' section. 

 

I appreciate the attempt the story made, in trying to portray violence for different angles. 

However it fails to convince me to care like the first game did. It just wasn't clever enough or good enough. 

 

If you want to experience great graphics, great audio and peek into the future in regards to gaming innovation in the single player space, absolutely play tlou 2. 

If you want a deep, clever, engrossing, well timed story that forces you to pay attention and care. 

Tlou 2 isn't it. 

It admittedly breaks new ground in the gaming space. But it's mediocre, almost amateur like when compared to what we've seen in film or read in books. 

It's not a good sequel. It fails to live up to the first one and almost ruins the first one in a game of thrones season 8 like fashion. 

 

My rating for tlou 2 goes as follows. 

Gameplay - 10/10. Masterpiece. 

Story - 5/10. Nothing special, but serviceable. 

Overall, an 8/10, due to the very lacking story. 

[SasquatchSaul]

I find it funny how people call the writing amateur but then turn around and compare it to Game of Thrones season 8. I see that comparison a lot, is GoTS8 the only thing you can compare it to? Because none of the gripes found there are here. Ellie doesnt teleport, the revenge plot isnt just dropped or quickly tied up in 5 minutes and never mentioned again, and lastly, Joel doesnt make an out of character decision (namely there wasnt a decision for him at all!). Just makes user comments comparing it to Game of Thrones look childish and amateur critiscm. Surely youve seen something more comparative? 

 

Just makes me think the internet want to overblow it and make Neil the next D&D.

Edited June 22, 2020 by SasquatchSaul

[BrandedBerserk]

35 minutes ago, Mori said:

Playing on Survivor difficulty enhanced the experienced by a lot. I was always on a bare Minimum, never overloaded with resources and ammo. The encounters were tough, but the fluent movement and abilities to take advantage of your surrondings made the gameplay so much fun. Killing in this game is so satisfying... Sounds weird but it is.

 Sounds sadistic but it’s true. Every shot has impact, all your hits are felt, the way they call out to each other when a body is discovered, the sound of them choking on their blood if shot or stabbed in the neck, the aftermath of someone stepping on your trip wire or getting burned by a molotov and then there’s the dismemberment as well. Easily the most violent and satisfying gameplay I’ve experienced from any game in recent memory. 

 

Edited June 22, 2020 by BrandedBerserk

[TheConfusedMan]

Agreed, avoided spoilers and thoroughly enjoyed the game. I can understand why people seek out trailers even though i dont(only trailer i watched was the first cinematic one) but what i dont understand is why people seek out leaks and spoil the games for themselves instead of waiting for the game and playing it blind. Im honestly disappointed with how much hate the game is getting.

 

Only part im a bit iffy on the the second half of the game. Didnt mind it at first

Spoiler

but it was dragged out far too long, and the writers failed to make me care about Abby. It wasnt bad at first, but it ended up getting dragged out for too long, the whole time i was playing as Abby I just didnt care about her. Nor did i really care all that much about the kids. I understand what the writers were trying to do, showing both sides of the story, one mans hero is another mans monster ect.. ect.. but i just didnt enjoy Abbys character. Found her very bland. She was honestly a very shitty person and they spent too much time trying to shove down our throats that Abby was a good person and we should care about her and that Ellie was a monster. It just felt very artificial. Ellie is our protagonist, it doesnt matter how many good deeds the writers show Abby doing, and how many bad deeds the writers show us Ellie doing, at the end of the day, we all will be rooting for Ellie. Abby clearly isnt a decent person. She took sick pleasure from torturing Joel. And when Ellie told her Dina was pregnant, she took perverse pleasure in killing her. The only thing stopping her was Lev. Where on the other side, Ellie found herself sick when she realized she killed a pregnant woman. Ellie felt sick after she tortured someone for information. Even at the end Ellie wasnt a monster. She very easily could have left Abby tied to that pole and tortured her. Could have even let the kid watch. Instead she cut her down and gave her a fighting chance. I found myself just trying to power through Abbys section. I get what the writers were trying to do, but it just didnt work for me. At times it honestly felt like Abbys section was added on to pad out the runtime

I wanted to just get back to Ellie asap.

 

Only memorable bug i encountered was when you were petting the baby goat. The thing Ellie was holding ended up glitching out of her hands and went inside her. It fixed itself when the animation was complete.

 

Ellie and Joels final scene had me in tears! While i did enjoy the game, it honestly made me wish they didnt turn tlou2 into a revenge story and instead focus the game on Ellies life in Jackson and patching up hers and Joels relationship. You need action? Just send Ellie on patrol! Give us a far stronger focus on the characters relationships. 

Edited June 22, 2020 by TheConfusedMan

[TJ_Solo]

13 minutes ago, SasquatchSaul said:

I find it funny how people call the writing amateur but then turn around and compare it to Game of Thrones season 8. I see that comparison a lot, is GoTS8 the only thing you can compare it to? Because none of the gripes found there are here. Ellie doesnt teleport, the revenge plot isnt just dropped or quickly tied up in 5 minutes and never mentioned again, and lastly, Joel doesnt make an out of character decision (namely there wasnt a decision for him at all!). Just makes user comments comparing it to Game of Thrones look childish and amateur critiscm. Surely youve seen something more comparative? 

 

Just makes me think the internet want to overblow it and make Neil the next D&D.

 

All the negativity around the final season of GOT and acting like the ending ruined the entire series just bewilders me. 

To me, I come to expect HBO to drop the ball when it comes to the ending of their series but thoroughly enjoy most of the trip getting to that point. There is this weird amount of absolute hate going around that some use to attempt to overshadow any and all good or positive. I don't know how certain people can enjoy anything that isn't either "perfect" or completely "right".  

[DavySuicide]

Haters gonna hate, history always repeats. I guess we have to live with the fact, that many people are full of shit. It should be an open discussion wether someone likes something or not but the arguments should be reasonable imo. I read so much nonsense, words fail me. Story wise, this game is brave in so many ways and Naugthy Dog proved once more, what they are capable of. I am 40 years old, a gamer since the 80's and I think companies like ND were the reason why I kept my passion for so long. I totally agree 10/10 and beyond. 

 

 

Edited June 22, 2020 by DavySuicide

[abhinandhan22]

Didn't read through all the comments even though the title says no spoilers but I'm glad there are finally people out there expressing some love for the game. Have yet to start it due to exams and it sucks that I got to wait till July 3rd to experience it but nice to see some positive comments and not just non stop vitriol. Will be back once I beat the game

[ShadowReplicant]

1 hour ago, Valyrious said:

Almost 11 hours in, hit day 2. It's early to say it, but SO FAR it is the perfect follow up to the first game.

That last scene of the first day (SPOILERS)

  Reveal hidden contents

When Joel takes Ellie to the dinosaur museum / Space museum for her birthday in the past

is now my most favourite moment in the entire series. It destroyed me. So glad I got to experience that moment on father's day.

 

Easily one of the most magical moments I've experienced in a videogame. I had tears in my eyes throughout the whole thing.

 

I'm getting close to the part that was shown in the State of Play, and so far I don't have a single complaint. I'll hold off on my final verdict until I finish the game, though, as the second half seems to be where the story goes off the rails (?).

[BEANO_BRFC]

Deserves all top scores it was given. Currently doing my collectible playthrough, did first run totally blind and loved every minute of it. Refreshing thread this after all the others just spewed hate for the game. No bugs or glitches encountered at all in my 31 hour first run through, which is impressive on a game this size. OP nailed it all, worthy sequel in every way. Way to go ND and look forward to what comes next. 

[Valkirye22]

3 hours ago, Alderriz said:

In your opinion, how does the gameplay compare to the first game? I'm hearing mixed things. Some people say it's much better, some people say it hasn't progressed at all. I know you can jump and dodge attacks now, but other than that, what was improved?

Some good answers already but I'll add mine in echo of the others - it is bounds and leaps superior.

AnimationS are fluid, well-connected, the minimal HUD its just... fits. Gunplay is by far the best ND ever put together - built on experience from U4 no doubt.

Even if you for whatever reason hate or disagree with every other aspect of the game the core mechanics of movement and combat are top notch!

 

The details such as collecting the magazines rather than the entire weapon when grabbing ammo for a gun that you have, upgrade animations, movement, climbing, picking up several resources at once, moving around from jumping to going prone etc. Incredibly satisfying and fluid.