I see posts like this, and I can't help but understand despite not agreeing myself. What TLOU did was make a mature game with every facet of it polished to near perfection. The pacing, the graphics, the controls, the story, the characters, the progression...all of it was done superbly. And unlike many games before it, it legitimized gaming to people who don't get the nerd culture, because it shunned nerd culture in favor of offering a cinematic yet interactive piece of art more approachable by mainstream audiences.
But even after saying all of the above, I can wholeheartedly agree it did NOTHING truly innovative aside from offering a greater sum of its unoriginal parts.
I loved the game, and my partner loved watching me play (like if it were a suspenseful horror film with action and character pieces spliced together). I've read many similar accounts that brought interest of non players for its sheer immersion factor, so even if it didn't do any individual thing the best, it was the best at offering a complete package, IMHO.
