So far..
I'm enjoying it. The game's tone is bleak and Im with you. They can say what they will, but I still don't believe Joel would have ever slipped up to that extent. Even so, I'm over it. I'm less than enthusiastic about playing as Abby (I just switched to her last night after she killed Jesse) but it's not a deal breaker. I get why she's doing what she's doing. She has every right to be vengeful. I'm still not remotely a fan of hers, and though it's early, I don't see that changing. All in all, the story isn't gripping me the way part 1's did, but I'm entertained and engaged, and that's enough for me to say I'm getting some enjoyment out of it. I read the spoilers and I like it much better than I thought I would. Like you said, for a lot of fans of the original, I think the story will have to grow on you. It's not as easy to digest as the first due to various reasons.
The gameplay itself is visceral. Like someone said earlier, it's mentally fatiguing (at least on Survivor.) The a.i. isn't perfect but they're a lot more unpredictable here than in the original, imo. After every encounter, I feel like I literally just did survive, even if I was never harmed. Dodge makes melee more engaging, and the enemies' sporadic patrol pattern ensures you're never truly comfortable. I used to be able to stealth wipe entire levels without a hitch on grounded in TLOU. Here, it's doable, but a lot more intense and I often find that the best approach is to avoid combat completely (not my first option on my first playthrough since I'm a sucker for scrounging every area for collectibles before moving on) or using aggressive stealth, where I don't shy away from being seen as long as I can string together two or three kills before disappearing again and triggering more hide & seek. I'm not sure if I think it's GOTG yet, but that could change. One thing I do believe is unparalleled is the level of detail. It's incredible how much it adds to gameplay. So far, I'm in agreement that this is the game of the year.
The gameplay itself is visceral. Like someone said earlier, it's mentally fatiguing (at least on Survivor.) The a.i. isn't perfect but they're a lot more unpredictable here than in the original, imo. After every encounter, I feel like I literally just did survive, even if I was never harmed. Dodge makes melee more engaging, and the enemies' sporadic patrol pattern ensures you're never truly comfortable. I used to be able to stealth wipe entire levels without a hitch on grounded in TLOU. Here, it's doable, but a lot more intense and I often find that the best approach is to avoid combat completely (not my first option on my first playthrough since I'm a sucker for scrounging every area for collectibles before moving on) or using aggressive stealth, where I don't shy away from being seen as long as I can string together two or three kills before disappearing again and triggering more hide & seek. I'm not sure if I think it's GOTG yet, but that could change. One thing I do believe is unparalleled is the level of detail. It's incredible how much it adds to gameplay. So far, I'm in agreement that this is the game of the year.
