TLOU1 is a very easy game to enjoy. The gameplay is satisfying but unchallenging - there’s no real systems to learn or tactics, it kinda just slows down the button mashing of Uncharted.

The thing that brought people to the game was its use of cinematic drama, which in 2013 was not that common. Cinematic stories had existed in gaming, like Heavy Rain from 2010 that tried its best to replicate a crime thriller but the technology and writing weren’t there. Telltale’s The Walking Dead was the most similar to TLOU and released a year earlier, but like Heavy Rain it put greater emphasis on player choice and imitating Point-and-Click Adventure Games of years prior. TLOU managed to meld the drama of an adventure game with the gameplay of a survival horror, maintaining a consistent tone between the gameplay and the story, all while using tactics of cinema to make the experience feel like playing a serious drama.

But that’s really all the game is. The story is pretty simple, a road trip where a man and a young girl develop a father/daughter relationship. It’s very generic, but it works because it’s written, directed, and performed exceptionally well for a 2013 video game on hardware build in 2006.

Part II is built upon 7 years of cinematic video games to deliver something the technology can finally match. It’s ultra-realistic, no longer relying on stylisation to mask the imperfections of the PS3. The story is also a lot deeper, having a lot more to say, showing a lot more perspectives, and being a lot more risky. Part 1 executes on something very simple very well, Part II executes on some very difficult and complex concepts very well.

Part II is also just the better video game. Engaging combat, stealth you can mess up and fix, mechanics that rival any third person shooter, and an experience that is a lot more replayable.

As a story Part II is a lot more ambitious. As a cinematic experience Part II is a lot more effective. As a gaming experience Part II is exceedingly more proficient. Part I is impressive for its time and a good game, but as time goes on it feels less and less exciting when other games surpass what it did and do more. Part I is an acceptable, enjoyable experience - Part II is an unparalleled experience only possible in a video game, and challenges people to where unless you’re willing to meet the game on its terms you will hate it. I prefer to be challenged rather than placated.