I looked here hoping someone made me a post about this game, cause I wanted to share my thoughts with some other gamers and hopefully find out if I’m crazy or not lol. My experience with this game was... weird... I LOVED the first game. I think it’s one of the best games ever made. The leaks ruined all of the hype that had built inside me for the last 6+ years. That, along with Naughty Dog’s atrocious handling of the fan backlash to the leaks (attacking fans, calling them bigots, illegally DMCA striking YouTubers simply for giving opinions on the leaks), made me decide I wouldn’t give this company a cent. I was kinda depressed when the game released, because I was so hyped for this day for years, and now it meant nothing to me. But I watched the entire game on YT just to see how things played out. And somehow, I liked it. Maybe I’m just a sucker for the incredible environments, music, tragedy, etc that are cornerstones of the first game. But I kept waiting for “the part where things start to go bad”, and it never happened. Again, the atmosphere of the first game is there. The world-building is there. The political agenda was definitely there, but it was much more subtle than I expected and ultimately didn’t deter me too much. And now I’m even more depressed about it because I regret not buying it and experiencing it first-hand (watching on YT doesn’t compare to the immersion you experience from playing a game). However, I understand I’m in the minority here. Fan ratings are abysmal across the board. And the reasons people are upset (Joel dying so early, being forced to play as the antagonist, no pay-off at the end of the game... just to make a few) are absolutely justified. But somehow, it just worked for me. I saw it as a story about how hate can destroy people, and about morality and how often times neither side is right or wrong. It wasn’t perfect, and it probably isn’t as good as the first game, but I very much enjoyed the story. Again though, Naughty Dog and Neil -blam!-, excuse me Neil Druckman, absolutely deserve what’s coming after the way they dismissed and attacked fans for not liking the story. Despite all the drama surrounding this title and the logical side of me being happy that Naughty Dog is getting railed for it, and that I didn’t support the game, the fanboy in me feels guilty that I robbed myself of an amazing experience in a universe that I love and have been dying to go back to for over 6 years.