THE LAST OF US II ( video game critic)

In 2013 the gaming world was shacked by the arrival of an UFO...The game named “The last of us”. This Game, Considered as a real masterpiece in gaming history was counting the story of Joel and Ellie in a post apocalyptic world. The Teenager, Ellie, was immunized against the pandemic that transformed 90% of humanity into zombies. Joel was missioned to carry Ellie to a Laboratory at the other side of the Country for the study of her immunity... In this first game we followed their adventure during this journey... (I will not say more about it to avoid any spoilers)... But in 2 words, the first opus of this saga was not so innovative in term of gameplay but it’s cinematographic influences and the work done on the design, music and the emotional scenario took it to the rank of Masterpiece of gaming.... Seven years, is how long we have had to wait to finally discover what Joël and Ellie's life has been like after the atrocities they have lived and endured in the first opus. Seven years imagining how Naughty Dog (the game developer) was going to be able to materialize the fantasies of millions of players who were speechless in front of the ending of the first opus, charged with intense emotion, but also with a ton of questions. Picking up the story four years after the end of the first part, “The Last of us” Part II goes throughout its intrigue to describe us what happened during this temporal ellipse in order to better make us understand the journey of Ellie and of Joël while introducing the fantastic character of Abby, new antagonist of this second part.

NO MANICHAEISM : Just like this post-apocalyptic world having redefined the very foundations of relationships between individuals, the various protagonists of this sequel had to adapt, change, sometimes beyond their own convictions, to survive. While the first “The Last of Us” revolved around the clash between the Firefly militia and the FEDRA military forces, Part II, integrates two other small groups, the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) and the Scars led by a mysterious prophet. Providing a wider backdrop, this second episode will not cease to fuel our reflections by creating mirror games between the lives of Ellie and Abby. If the autors do not always manage to offer real legitimacy to certain secondary characters by digging them deep enough, he manages once again to humanize our enemies by not presenting them as vulgar targets to be killed but on the contrary, in their offering a real depth, a past, convictions and a reason for being. Like David in The Last of Us, Abby is not just a simple warrior driven by a desire for violence. Thus, throughout the adventure, we will learn to know her, to even appreciate her, this being undoubtedly the greatest strength of the game constantly putting into perspective what its characters have experienced to better lead us to think about the game. meaning of our actions. Again focusing on a road movie aspect, Part II uses tricks specific to the genre to develop a love story while maintaining what worked in the first episode: the relationship between Ellie and Joël. The Last of Us Part II will take us back to the past several times via various flashbacks. Sometimes terrifying, sometimes emotional, these passages serve the narrative in a perfect way by posing as so many moments of life having built a relationship based on the love of a father who will go so far as to turn into a lie, into selfishness, in order to prolong this happiness even if it means sacrificing humanity once again. WHAT A WORLD : Naughty Gog offer us one of the most beautiful games of the PS4, through truly majestic half opened word and more claustrophobic scenes drowned in darkness. Much more eclectic than the first Opus, The Last of Us Part II accumulates places masterfully depicting a bloodless universe through devastated cities, buildings in ruins or seeping basements. Taking advantage of magnificent lighting, the title delights in an astonishing environmental variety pushing us to stop constantly to admire the work of the artists.

Regarding the characters, The faces expressions, glaring with realism, simulate the effort, the joy but also the suffering that can be read on the faces of the protagonists, whether they are central or not, and this as well through a dialogue as a stealth kill. The technique thus serves the storytelling by offering intimate moments, or excess of rage, a credibility of each moment that perfectly reinforces the immersion. On this point, let's also mention damage management, enemies can be dismembered or lose half of their faces depending on the impact of the bullets. The body animations are not left out and if we detect some imperfections, the vast majority show a real flexibility making the gestures more common (stepping over of a wall, reloading a weapon) perfectly realistic.

DETAILS: From a strict scenaristic construction point of view, We will therefore constantly navigate between sequences making history evolve and crossing a given place, the objective to be achieved automatically passing through the discovery of places conducive to clashes with infected, Scars or Wolfs. Like seven years ago, the way of operating will be significantly different depending on the enemies although the game urges us to use infiltration rather than the direct approach as we will soon be quickly overwhelmed. The sound aspect, in addition to marking time, will also inform us about the degree of threat, the music, discreet but omnipresent as long as we are not spotted, quickly getting carried away when an enemy sees us. The immersion is incredible, especially since the guards are sure to communicate with each other, to whistle to mark their presence, or to yell the name of one of their downed comrades. Therefore, the hunted will become the hunter, this pushing us to vary the pleasures by using all the means available to skim the enemy ranks. We will then constantly juggle between the different weapons available, hide in the tall grass to surprise our opponents or even turn the infected against the enemies...Mouahahahahahaha !!!! This attention to detail is also found in a mechanic from the first game asking us to find materials to improve our weapons, whether in chests (which we will have to find the combination) or even areas accessible by solving some "puzzles. Based on physics. Indeed, to upgrade our equipment. Of course, we can still craft various items (molotov cocktails, mines, surins, care kits ...) via a system inherited from the first game. Finally, the quick switch of weapons / items linked to the directional cross has not changed and as long as you find holsters, it will be possible to do it more quickly. Finally, it will be necessary to improve your capacities. Here too, few changes from what The Last of Us offered since you will have to find magazines opening new skill trees and then use pills to unlock the skills in order to gain resistance, to refine the perception of your enemies, etc. The gameplay is very efficient. however, we blame some fights sometimes confused, because of a lack of lock, or clashes against larger enemies, quite arbitrary because of patterns too easy to analyze. However, each fight will be an opportunity to feel a certain excitement. Survival will therefore go through exploration, essential to improve your attributes and equipment, as well as confrontation with smarter enemies or infected people whose newcomers will give you some adrenaline rush. Panting, the brawls will sometimes be punctuated by moral choices ultimately having no impact. Indeed, randomly, the last member of a squad alive will beg us to spare him, the choice of eliminating him or not resulting in his death anyway. Beyond this somewhat superfluous way of reminding us that the concept of morality is central here (at least within the story), The Last of Us Part II constantly hits the mark, whether through its screenplay, its themes or gameplay. Drawing from various cinematic genres, from horror film to adventure film to war film, the title of Naughty Dog demonstrates unwavering creativity in order to maintain the player's interest from start to finish. . Generous from start to finish (to the point of perhaps stretching its narrative a little too much in the last third), finding a balance, however precarious, between savagery and infinite tenderness, this sequel can be savored until its final shot, simple, melancholy and truly correct. CONCLUSION : Juggling from the first minute with your feelings, jumping from emotion to pure violence “The last of us” offers us the opportunity to evolve in a movie. Having refined it’s gameplay (versus the first opus), now musch more immersive, this Part II stands out as a fabulous action/ infliltration game but also as a story, sometimes getting lost in some narrative stretches and other superfluous scenes but never deviation from it’s guideline dedicated to offering her character a conclusion. This wonderful story in this amazingly designed world is a major game of the PS4. And will haunt you several days after finishing it. It’s a new masterpiece Pros : - Woman and LGBT representation in Game - The characters - The absence of Manichaeism - Sumptuous decors - Efficient gameplay - Wonderful Music - Between 25 and 30 hours of full gaming Cons : - The narrative stretches somewhat in length specially last part - Under-exploited underwater phases - Some action sequences are unnecessarily long Notation : : : A++ A MASTERPIECE