Maybe he doesn't need to reevaluate his state of mind, because maybe his state of mind if okay as it is. Maybe you should contemplate on this: that everyone has different tastes, and that what you consider a masterpiece might not be the state of mind of most other people.

Most people here are able to see the qualities in the game, are you able to see the flaws?

This whole thing is about balance and nuance. When you expect Ka-pi to bend to your perfect concept of a state of mind, it's completely out of balance.

He was kidding, really you need to lighten up! Sometimes humour is used to diffuse tension.

About tastes, it's okay to be a fan of a series but not of a specific entry. For example I am a Zelda fan, but I didn't really enjoy Twilight Princess as much as Ocarina of Time, or I didn't enjoy Sunshine as much as Mario Galaxy. I believe that some games in the series were better than others, it doesn't mean I shouldn't be playing those games.

About flaws, even if you don't see any, it doesn't mean others don't. It's like how my friend loves all the movies he watches, and doesn't see the flaws I see. For that reason, I don't really rely on him to know what movies to watch. On the other hand my other friend is very savvy in movies and I rely on him a lot to get an idea of good movies to look out for. I love both of them, but the ability to see quality is something that is important to a lot of people. I am not saying that TLOU2 is not a quality game, I see the quality. But the flaws are strong enough to show that some mistakes were made, and it's only a good thing for the team to take note so they can improve on the next one. Story was a big aspect of the first game, so in the context of a series if the story has issues it's only normal that fans talk about it and ask for better. It doesn't mean the person didn't get the game, they probably very much got it, and heard all the explanations. They just probably don't agree and would like the team to note and improve.

About second and multiple viewings, I fully agree with you. I personally loved the 2nd matrix movie upon subsequent viewings. It's probably true here too, but it may not fix issues that might be ultimately flawed for some people, and that's completely okay.

Thanks for understanding. It's possible, given how well received the first game was, that people were expecting something as big or bigger. I think ND delivered on certain aspects like gameplay and graphics, but might have made some mistakes on story which was the strong suit of the first game. And when it comes to story, it is the most difficult to point out since immersion and believability will also depend from person to person. Hence why the game succeeded with certain buyers on some levels, and faltered on others or other gamers.

I personally was not able to purchase a console this gen due to limited funds and so was not able to enjoy the game and its incredible realism. Therefore, my understanding on the story's flaws are limited. I went through many online reviews (video and articles), and went through many segments of the game on youtube to form an idea. There are a few pointed out in this thread, and I could go and find those I read and watched, though it would take me a bit of time. If you would like that, I'll go find them all.

But the best way to understand what might be lacking in the story is to check out some reviews yourself, maybe it will help you understand some of the criticism, and if you care about the community and industry in general, and since you already beat the game, I think it will be worth your time. If you want to check them out and want me to suggest some, I'll be happy to post them for you. It's better that you go there because these professionals will explain the issues much better than I ever can, and it will be better to help you understand the other side (including your SO!). All are gamers who thoroughly played the game and gave their most honest take, it was clear in their analysis. I watched many reviews (some just about the story), some were positive about it, some were negative, so best to watch both takes.

Then they didn't watch his review. I watched it. He literally broke down what liked, didn't like, and went into great detail. Resetera, like Twitter, hates anyone that doesn't religously adhere to their group think. That place is one of the most close minded places on the internet. Angry Joe is hit or miss with me but I'm 100% against the current societal need to label someone with a negative pejorative and deplatform them because they disagree with you. This counterproductive lynch mob mentality just creates echo chambers full of dishonest discussion. 

They are. Between people being banned from forums for voicing a negative opinion about the game, to journalists like Jason Schreier being shamed on twitter, to users on vgchartz having to endure the typical witch hunt, the only conclusion is that people are not allowed to say things against the game.

It's high time people just stop all this on both sides. People should never make death threats to anyone, and others should let people express themselves and stop vilifying other users. It's very bad in general.

This is, quite honestly, the only game where I have seen people trying so hard to silence others for their opinion on the game. I personally just stopped posting about it even on vgchartz because it was becoming ugly.

As much as I and others want to admit that some haters are being completely out of line, you should be doing the same instead of continuing to pretend like everything is okay on the side of those who will just defend the game to no end and rebuke people who comment negatively about it or its creators who are behaving badly on social media.

Neil Drunkman in this issue is no angel, and he shouldn't be doing what he is doing, and users on the other end should not be behaving the way they are, sending personal attacks and being very personal about the game. Both sides are wrong and if you don't acknowledge it then why should the other side acknowledge the bad behaviours of certain haters?

Let's just stop all this and meet in the middle.

Are reviews wrong if they don’t think the story is lacking, while those finding flaws in it are right?

Personally, I think a lot of people see something they don’t like, like the early game spoiler, and call it a flaw, because they didn’t want that to happen. There’s a difference between something you may not like and an inherent flaw.

TLOU2 fans:

One of the few times the fans of something have actually contributed to me not liking something...

Summary of this thread for those who don't want to read 10 pages:

OP: Death threats are bad.

VGC: We can't say ANYTHING without being called bigots anymore, can we?!