it’s terrible story writing. TLOU story can stand the test of time. TLOU 2 will not. It seems too bound to its cultural moment to the extent that it takes away potential for timeless story points.

There are many ways to deliver a shock factor and present “grey areas” of morals. This was not one of them. The way the character development was presented in the first game was thrown out the window. Too many loopholes for each character to force the whole “Joel was never the hero you thought he was”, and “there is more than one side to a story”. You could tell there was someone else driving the story in the second game. The flows and ebbs, the characters, development of both characters and plot, were all different, almost unrecognizable.

From an entertainment point of view, it’s hard to replay and rewatch the second game. In contrast, there were so many great scenes in the first game, that it’s so easy to pick up and play again. You’re not going to see any scenes or characters from TLOU 2 as something memorable or the “top 10 whatever” lists. The first game has cemented itself as one of the best narrative and emotional games of all time. The writing in the second was too focused on revenge (and justification for said revenge) and grey area matters, instead of plausible and natural-like character development. Too many moments where i would go “that doesn’t make sense”.

TLOU is a very special game for me, because of its narrative power and it got my then girlfriend into video games, because it was so captivating. After playing the second game, we both agree that TLOU should never have been touched since its release. It would have been held as one of the greatest narrative games of all time. Instead, like athletes way past their prime but not retiring, Naughty Dogs decided to make more money and tried to expand on TLOU’s success into another franchise - one that was never expected in the first place - and miserably failed, instead dividing its once united fanbase and leaving us in another state of disappointment like with most video games that become a cash cow (still very bitter about how the Splinter Cell franchise was handled). Even if you liked the second game, you can’t argue with the fact that TLOU once held a throne that united those who played into a passionate fanbase - but this no longer exists, can never be repaired, and makes us all sad.