The Last of Us Part 2 is getting rave reviews!

The Last of Us Part 2 raised quite the controversy earlier this year. As you’ll recall, the game from Naughty Dog has had quite the string of controversies. In fact, Naughty Dog itself has had a lot of controversies. The developer is infamous for its reliance on “crunch time.” Crunch time, for those who don’t know, are the weeks and months leading up to a release where employees put in inhuman amounts of overtime so the game could done on time. It’s a part of the video game industry and is something fans are becoming increasingly aware of and intolerant of — for good reason.

And then, following the delay, a disgruntled employee of Naughty Dog leaked gameplay footage. But that wasn’t all, the leak in late April included crucial plot points in The Last of Us Part 2 story. On the heels of that leak, the backlash against the game was massive. Many fans went off about how stupid the plot for the story was and how embarrassing it would be for the developer. I couldn’t count the number of people who claimed to have seen all the footage, read all the spoilers, and were ready and willing to call this game a massive disaster.

We are now nearing the release of The Last of Us Part 2, and the reviews are rolling in. So, how is it faring? 

Pretty great, Bob! Pretty great, indeed. As of this writing, it is sitting at a 96 Metacritic score, which averages the outlet-approved reviews. So far, this is based on 85 critics — but that’s still pretty darn great. Generally, most games 85 and above are considered exceptional, so 96 ain’t too shabby at all. 

RELATED – Why The Last Of Us Part II Getting Delayed Is A GREAT Thing

Many of the reviews praise the amount of risks taken in the game and craft put into it.

“Even though The Last of Us Part II relishes in making players uncomfortable and reminding them characters can lose everything at a moment’s notice, those bleak traits are part of the game’s appeal even if the charm’s a morbid one,” ComicBook.com wrote. “It’s a monumental effort in storytelling and a model for tales of vengeance and repercussions pushed forward by gratifying gameplay, and while not everything you do will sit right with you, the game never leads players to believe the result would be anything different.”

“In the end, it really comes down to the experience of playing The Last of Us Part 2 – of jumping into these characters’ shoes and confronting a world that feels both foreign and oddly familiar,” Game Rant said. “In that regard, the game is in a league all its own and there are simply too many adjectives to describe the range of emotions that the game will make players feel, and many of those emotions are not positive ones.”

“Last of Us Part II might even surpass the achievements of its predecessor,” Telegraph said. “For while it inevitably lacks that first game’s shock of the new, it instead trades on the player’s familiarity with its characters and their backstories to take them somewhere equally unexpected. And while it may lose its focus a little in the penultimate reels, Last of Us II eventually lands an emotional punch that will be felt long after the credits roll.”

RELATED – Last Of Us 2 Gameplay Reportedly Leaked By Employee, Launching A Whole Mess Of Controversy

EGM also plastered on the praise, saying: “Whether or not you consider The Last of Us Part II to be a worthwhile continuation of Joel and Ellie’s story, there’s no doubt that Naughty Dog has crafted a sequel that’s every bit as ambitious and well-considered as the original, with quite possibly the best stealth-action gameplay realized to date.”

After scrolling through these reviews, I was curious to see if there was any backlash. Video game fans aren’t known for being the most reasonable of fandoms. When they decide on something, there seems to be little chance of them changing their minds. So, I scoured social media to see what the responses would be based on the reviews. While there were some out there telling fans not to believe the Naughty Dog “shills,” there were even more fans calling out for the haters to see what they thought of these reviews. Mostly, the response has been silent.

Of course, we don’t know how this will all turn out. For all we know, this could be a The Last Jedi situation where critics think one thing and fans think another. 

How do you feel about these latest reviews? Are you more excited for The Last of Us Part 2 now? Sound off in the comments below!

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SOURCE: Game Rant, ComicBook.com, Telegraph, EGM