Honestly I think this game is magnificent and a great sequel to a masterpiece. I've seen criticism of it's story telling being sloppy, poorly written and quickly pieced together to justify Neil's narrow minded distinctive vision. However I think what's great about this game is it just adds on to the first in terms of lessons learned from characters and even a lesson in the consequences of a cycle of violence to the player.
One video essay I seen the other day stated that the game should've had Abby's backstory and why she is seeking revenge early on in the beginning of the game before she actually kills Joel.
This would obviously be a way for the player to sympathize with her. however in order for Neil to truly have people feel the pain Ellie's going through and her thirst for revenge Neil had to frame Abby in the worst way possible. Which is to take something not only Ellie deeply loved but someone the fans adored. Joels death is the catalyst for this story. Also I think the best way to affect or hit the audience emotionally is to hit them in the gut. Similar to a movie like Irreversible the audience sometimes needs to experience a horrible act first in order to fully engage in the story.
By allowing Ellie to go on this journey it helps the players understand her actions however brutal and horrible. What Naughty Dog also did so brilliantly is flipping the story on it's head by showing you Abby's side midthorugh. This allows the player to understand abby's motives and hate.
Also the ending has also been getting a lot of hate because Ellie doesn't actually kill Abby. Why this is so important is because by Ellie letting go of her hatred and thirst for revenge she is essentially learning from Joel's mistakes from the first game, which can be seen as her act of forgiveness for Joel. Joel is not a "villain" in the sense that some ppl might think but a man who acted selfishly at the end of the Part 1 to save the person he loved. What makes part 2 so brilliant is that Ellie essentially acts out of selflessness instead of selfishness which in result connects two loved ones (Abby and Lev). This act ends up being bittersweet because it is then when she realizes the consequences of her selfish ways because of her seeking revenge she lost her second chance at a family.

Game of the Generation

Couldnt have said it any better.

What’s also great is it shows the effects of what revenge and hate does to a person physically and mentally. Abby’s wild physique is a product of her hatred and anger. When she no longer feels that hate she is last seen very weak, feeble and thin. Ellie’s effects are mental. She starts to have shakes and suffers from ptsd.
Also the symbolism of her losing her two fingers greatly shows you the consequences of her selfish actions and represents the two loved ones she lost Dinah and Joel.

they're gonna study
this series at universities i bet

i did a paper about how video games could be the most immersive form of art

and this series is a prime example

I’m a film buff tbh but games are really starting to rival movies. It’s wild.

what draws you to film?

i've always felt like a good tv series or video game has more potential to stick with you just because you could easily spend 20 to 30 hours

vs 2-3

for example:

as much as i love the matrix

can you imagine a video game or tv series?

there will always be exceptional art in every medium but i just feel like video games and tv shows give artists enough time to fully dive in

I think when it comes to film it was just something I’ve been raised on. Ever since I was a kid my mom and grandparents had me going to theatres and watching westerns or old romantic Love stories. The first film I ever saw in a theatre was the Matrix and I was three years old. I always loved how it immersed you in a story and the audience can take the themes of the movie in so many different ways. If you look at my YouTube history it’s filled with video essays on films. However video games are really pushing the boundaries in my opinion and what’s even great is it’s interactive

I find it interesting that the end of TLOU 2 is the inverse of TLOU.
Joel does something selfish and in return ends up with the person he loves.
Ellie does something selfless for someone to be with the person they love only to result in her being alone.

will read after i finish the game

Having finished the game today, I can say that I’m extremely confused about just how enormous the backlash has been. There were some aspects of storytelling that could’ve been more subtle (forcing you to kill begging characters is a bit on the nose), but for the most part I thought the bait and switch with Abby was really interesting and well done. Also people calling Joel’s death “cheap” and “shock value” It’s what frames the entire story, and it’s supposed to be shocking so you can identify with Ellie’s rage. I also became sympathetic to Abby personally even tho a lot of people are saying the game failed at that Great game, beautiful ending

Honestly after thinking more about the story, I really haven't seen a single valid criticism on it. To me this felt just as definitive of a story as the first games in that it feels like it is the only story that could have been told that truly captures what this world and story are about. People being upset about how Ellie loses everything at the end yet failing to realize just how extremely depressing and bittersweet TLOU1s ending really is (there is no cure and the entire journey of Joel and Ellie was a waste all to keep a relationship that will most likely be broken anyway considering Joel blatantly lied to her) is one of the dumbest criticisms I have ever heard which makes me think mfers just really completely misunderstood the first TLOU.

I will say I have seen two criticisms that are kinda valid but they dont really relate to the story. One is that it is kind of a pacing hit that we go from 100 to 0 with Ellies story to Abby's in that now we have to level up all our perks and guns again and I can understand the frustration with that even though I still greatly enjoyed her section and differences in her combat style to Ellies.

The second criticism is something that extends with the video game medium in general and it is the difficulty of telling a story about the consequences of violence in a game where you kill people like its taking candy from a baby. Some people complained about how it is just doesn't feel genuine to see Ellie leave Abby alive when you literally massacre patrols on patrols to get to her, but like if thats a criticism, then the Uncharted games deserve far more s*** on that front than this. I think TLOU1 kinda escapes that criticism a bit since Joel is a borderline sociopath who murders freely, but then its kinda weird you feel so attached to him that you hate Abby more than him when he killed her father. TLOU2 perhaps makes the best case in gaming history at challenging the consequences of violence in a game where you murder so many people because of how it positions one of those NPC you kill freely in TLOU1 as being the basis of everything in this game and then positioning yourself into the eyes of a video game villain, but yeah it doesn't fully escape that dissonance.

Can’t tell people how to feel about something as subjective as a story

It’s pretty meh at best to me

But this game is solid

For sure didn’t live up to the hype

It is what it is

I linked a really interesting take on the ending, one that convinced me that the ending is more than just if 1 character dies or lives. It also exemplifies the importance of that last flashback scene right before the ending:

“Ellie tells Joel that she doesn’t forgive him for what he did with the Fireflies, but she’s willing to try. At this moment Joel sheds a tear because he finally knows that Ellie still cares about him, it’s Ellie’s realisation that Joel died knowing that she cares about him that finally gives Ellie closure.

This is the most powerfully uplifting moment in the game because Ellie yet again becomes a symbol of hope.

In TLoU Ellie was a biological symbol of hope through her immunity, which gave hope to humanity that there might be a vaccine to stop people from getting infected.

In TLoU 2 Ellies becomes a moral symbol of hope, she’s finally strong enough to end the cycle of violence that’s consumed so many already, Ellie finally has an emotional reckoning with herself and that’s why she can’t play Joel’s song on the guitar again because she’s never going to lose herself again.“

The ending was one of the biggest criticisms I had right after finishing but after reading up on it and seeing why these characters did what they did, it’s a lot more understanding.

Like I said, TLOU is about the passage of time and it’s mercurial effects on humans, the relationships they make, ruin, mend or learn from within that time that makes them who they are.

The ONLY thing I’ll say is I think the story leans too much on the player sympathizing for Abby. The anger about the ending stems from those who never do sympathize with her. I personally didn’t care for her but I understood and accepted her role in this story.

When she no longer feels that hate she is last seen very weak, feeble, and thin.

Nah fam she was a slave for months lmao that’s why she’s weak feeble and thin.

People also gotta stop reading the reviews lmao

The 1st game is a absolute classic but there is a large crowd who thought it was overrated and they were just waiting to s*** on this one lmao

nah Guts lost way more than Ellie imo

I don't think it leans on "sympathizing", just in understanding her agency, where she comes from.