20 Beloved Video Games No One Admits They Hated

The follow-up to Naughty Dog's 2013 post-apocalyptic action adventure game, The Last of Us Part 2 continues the adventures of Ellie and Joel as they make new friends and enemies while trying to survive the growing fungal outbreak that mutates people into zombie-like creatures. The Last of Us featured one of the strongest narratives the industry had seen for a long time, with the relationship between Ellie and Joel being paramount to the game's overall success, so there was huge pressure on the sequel to build on this.

Judging by The Last of Us 2's review scores, the fact it won 2020's Game of the Year, and general consensus among fans, you'd be forgiven for thinking the game achieved its goals straight away. However, dig a little deeper and you'll find plenty of the fanbase who hated it to begin with. For starters, killing off Joel so early in the game was unforgivable for many, however bold the creative decision felt.

Perhaps even worse though, was the decision to force players to play as Abby, Joel's killer, and experience her side of the events that led to his death. Narratively, the order in which the game had you do these things felt disjointed, bringing the pace of the game to a grinding halt halfway through. Naughty Dog undoubtedly took some bold swings, which is commendable, but these decisions were far from bulletproof. Plenty of the community hated the absence of Joel and the inclusion of Abby as a major character. While it's done little to dampen enthusiasm around the IP, there's no doubt that The Last of Us part 2 was incredibly divisive when it first launched.