Hard to say. Graphically, the game is a beast. Gameplay wise, it's a little better and a little worse than the previous game. Story drags but has a lot of good/great moments as well as some "can we PLEASE just get on with it!" moments. Some characters are interesting. Some boring. Some just suck. AI is absolutely great as well as some of the mechanics that get introduced.

This was a game I often found I had to force myself to play rather than a game I looked forward to playing. And now that I've beaten it, I don't think I'll ever bring myself to play it again. When you look at the games that people are playing religiously, there's a lot of fast action and simple gameplay in that list. I guess TLoU 2 (which still ranks up there when it comes to experiences that made me FEEL something) is a strange beast in the world of gaming.

Too slow paced for a quick session.
Too shallow to be deep.
Too deep to be shallow.
Often, not fun to play
Characters you hate for the wrong reasons
Top of the line production values.

I give it a 9.5/10 and I think everyone should experience it--actually play it but if you watched the story, you ruined the experience for yourself. But I have to say, my current tastes lean towards fun and creativity and less towards story focused graphical showcases. I'd replay a game like Crash or Ori before a game like TLoU 2.

Notice how I said faults of a game? I'm using MGS2 as an example sure, not as the be all, end all benchmark. I'm just drawing some comparisons. Underwhelming to you sure, go ahead, you have every right to your opinion. Just like the people who think MGS2 is a masterpiece have that right. The point of my post was that the here and now doesn't always accurately represent the overall quality of the game. Imagine if MGS2 came out in the era of social media? The outrage would make TLOU2's look like mere murmurings. THAT's the point I was trying to make.

I see an asterisk. There's a chance TLoU2 is lower.

It‘s a misery simulator.

I really like Naughty Dog games and I inclined the agree. Its a great game but too dark and depressing and quite long to boot.

The real kicker is the leaks, word of mouth and controversy. All of it really killed the game and momentum for a lot of people, including a fans of the first game. The TLOU on PS3 was an easy recommendation to my family and friends. This one, however is not a game I'd make an all positive recommendation to, particularly if you're fond of the first game and its characters. Its like I have to give a little warning on what to expect before.

Its a bit like a really good film, you're really fond of and leaves the ending open to interpretation and sometimes that for the best. And then a sequel along and continues the story but its not a story that needed to be told. Its a bit like the Matrix and its sequels - well, not not to that extent since Matrix 2 and 3 sucked :P

I was dissapointed in it but I actually want to see more games go in a direction as bold as it did. Too many are concerned with people pleasing whereas I really felt they had a narrative mission and they accomplished it for anyone who made it through to the second half. Ultimately it was front loaded and not a "fun" experience that will be mass appealing but we need this kind of diversity in AAA games. It'll still be one of the best selling games of the generation and second best of the year. Its only natural that new IPs like Ghost are more leg driven, but ultimately it won't catch up to TLOU2

Also any comparison to Animal Crossing is pointless considering AC is just doing ridiculous numbers that no one anticipated for any title this year

I completely disagree about the leaks and hate compaigns impacting it sales though, which is why its openning was so big. I see the problem was weak word of mouth and the overall darkness not enticing people towards it. Its also a sequel that wasn't necessary.

The game was surrounded by reasonable controversy. There ya go.

Hollywood is in major decline and is losing favor from the public with each passing year. As a result, games that try to emulate Hollywood productions are going to have a harder and harder time finding the success that they found in the past. If you doubt me, go back to Ricky Gervais' comments at the last Golden Globes: those kinds of extremely harsh remarks towards celebs are just mirroring the public sentiment of today towards Hollywood.

Think of it like the reverse of the late 90's. Back then gamers wanted games to play more like Hollywood movie productions because that was the popular standard for entertainment in the west and technology was finally getting to the point that games could start to play like movies. Games like Mario started being seen as "kiddie" while games like Metal Gear Solid and Grand Theft Auto attracted the mature gaming audience because those games mirrored the most popular mature TV shows or movies of the day. Today, most of the mainstream TV programs or Hollywood flicks are heavily loaded with political messaging, and the violent and brutal flicks that were popular in the last decade are starting to remind people way too much of the depressing state of current events. TV and movies are becoming less and less of an escape for people and that is why games that mimic that formula are going to find it more and more difficult to win public favor. Even sports games will start taking a hit due to increasing political messaging creeping in along with obvious state of professional sports across the board in 2020.

I believe that this is part of why the Switch is doing so well: Nintendo never really left that care-free uplifting formula that was so popular in the 80's and early 90's. Nintendo games give people an escape with very minimal connection to the real-world or political issues. The world started rapidly looking for an escape from reality in 2020 and Nintendo was already offering that platform with the Switch and that is part of why the Switch completely exploded. Nobody wants to watch a zombie movie in 2020 anymore or play a game that is trying to mimic it. Sony and Microsoft would be wise to observe this trend. If I am right, faster hardware from these companies will not do much to eat into the current success that Nintendo is enjoying.

It's not a game for everyone to digest