*SPOILERS* I played The Last of Us for the first time... I have thoughts

I think it is pretty good.... just not great...

Looks out window

I say is that an angry mob outside my house?

I went into TLOU with an open mind. Didn't want to overhype myself knowing how well regarded it has become over the years nor go into it wanting to shit all over it. Now that that is cleared up, the pros and cons!

Pros:

• This is a beautiful looking game. Kinda cheating as I am playing the PS4 version but man, this game is gorgeous to look at. I sometimes just stay still and take in the sights. Also impressed by the 60 FPS on PS4, though it looks kinda weird in cutscenes, but that's the inner filmmaker in me talking.

• Sound design is some of the best I have heard in a game before. It almost feels like a character in itself. Hearing a clicker from not to far away would send chills down my spine.

• Acting. Pretty self explanatory, acting is also great. Troy Baker is fantastic and Ashley Johnson, who I know best as Terra from Teen Titans is is fantastic too.

• The world itself. The zombie/ Infected genre has also been done to death now but TLOU finds a unique way to make it feel different if that makes sense.

• Lastly, the use of violence and raw nature of it all. It never pulls punches, never whys away from the somewhat taboo subjects like cannibalism and even suicide to some degree.

• Challenge. I played on Normal... because I suck at video games but it never felt to difficult or to easy. Even once I thought I had "cracked it" the game threw something new at me. Whenever I died it feels like I messed up, not the game. Added is the combat itself which never feels like "push button to win." Even once you gather more weapons it can still be challenging, which I enjoyed.

• Lastly, Last of Us Left Behind was nice add one and helped fix some problems I had.... more on those in a minute.

Cons.... oh boy....

• Time skips. This, for me at least, ruined a lot of the story for me. Especially after a big event happens the game just skips ahead to avoid and discussion or comment from the characters as to what just happened. Especially the development of Ellie and Joel's relationship. They go from one scene of opening up to another then followed by a time skip, suddenly they are calling each other cute nicknames and Joel actively mentions Sarah.

• I had a super hard time connecting with any of these characters. Joel especially. The opening, while effective felt super manipulative. Maybe I've just watched too many movies, but anything involving dead, sick or hurt child always feels very manipulative and an easy way to "build" investment. His daughter dies, which throws all his morality out the window and now Ellie is in his life and it "restores" it.... I think. Point being, I had trouble being invested when every character introduced is either morally questionable or comes across as a bit... off

• Side characters. While the side characters you meat can be charming and interesting, I found it rather repetitive that most of them are either killed off in some very predictable way or exist simply to give Joel and Ellie item X so that they can be on their way. And not to be "that guy" but for all of Druckman's talk about high diverse this game is, which it is, don't you think it gets a little undermined when your lead character is a middle aged white guy and most side characters end up getting killed off?

• Puzzles are super repetitive and too simple. Now I'm not asking for Zelda-esque puzzles here but they feel too samey. Find ladder, find dumpster, find plank of wood, boost Ellie up there.... It gets repetitive very fast for me.

• The ending...... I hate it and it makes me hate Joel even more. Whether that was the intention from the start to not I leaves me wanting to turn the game off right then and there.... well i don't have to as the game is over at that point so yay.....

Try not to burn me please? I do legitimately like most of this game and am Excited for the sequel.