Reposting my thoughts on the game from another thread.

Just Finished: The Last of Us Part II Remastered (PS5)

I waited six long years to play The Last of Us Part II even though The Last of Us is one of my favorite games of all time and one of my few 10/10 titles. One of the reasons was that I originally played The Last of Us Remastered on PS4 and figured that history would repeat itself and there would eventually be a Remastered version of Part II on PS5. I was right eventually. It was hard avoiding spoilers for six years, especially when they even made a TV show about it. I mostly succeeded in staying in the dark. The story was riveting. I have never felt so excited and so anxious to play a game at the same time. The gameplay is great but the story is features so many horrible things happening to and by horrible people. This is one of the scariest games I have ever played. There is one particular gameplay moment that is perhaps the most shocked I ever felt with a controller in my hand. The infected are as scary and threatening as ever. No other game has made each kill feel so unique and weighty, even as the characters' body counts start to pile up. The graphics are perhaps the most beautiful I have ever seen even as the atmosphere is so grim and dark. The acting, animation, and motion capture are all top notch. The gameplay is sublime. The stealth/action combat is so dynamic and satisfying. The game rewards exploration even if you know you're risking dangerous enemy encounters. The game is lengthy, it took me over 30 hours to complete. I know a lot of the story choices are controversial. Ellie becoming the main protagonist and giving Abby roughly equal playtime probably pissed off a lot of dude bros. I don't think the story is perfect, but it is bold, shocking, and emotional. There are some truly outstanding set pieces that I won't soon forget. Beyond the main story, the world that Naughty Dog has built feels so authentic and lived it, even the notes you find along the way stir up emotion. The reason I cannot give this game a 10 is the lack of multiplayer. I will never forgive Sony or Naughty Dog for ditching Factions. Factions is one of my favorite multiplayer experiences of all time, with more than 40 hours put into it. Even if the standalone multiplayer game came to fruition, its absence in Part II still makes it lesser in my eyes. The fact that that project was canceled just added insult to injury. No one asked for a live service version of Factions, an updated mode with new weapons, maps, and gameplay features would have been enough. Joel and Ellie forever! Factions forever!

Score: 9/10

The multiplayer on TLoU was really good, so I can definitely understand your PoV.

To me MP moded are extras, unless its the focus of the game, which is not the case.

TLoU 2 grew on me a lot over the years after playing it, when I finished it, I considered the original superior because no personal story development on 2 was as good as Joel and Ellie's on 1. After some time I decided that alone couldn't keep 1 over 2 for me, everything else favors 2 quite significantly, so for a good time now I consider 2 over 1.

The way 2 is built up, the way it plays, the way it depicts everything from physical to physological brutality, the way it was able to mess with my emotions like literally nothing else ever could. Everything about that game is so incredibly well done.