Judging 'The Last Of Us Part 2' From Leaks Is Seriously Dumb

You've probably heard the news by now. Major - and I mean seriously major - spoilers for The Last Of Us Part II have started to appear online and are now being passed around the internet like a bong at a frat house. If you have the smallest sliver of basic empathy, I'm sure you'll agree that this sucks for the staff at Naughty Dog who've worked and crunched so damn hard on this game... only to have it all spoiled like this.

Before we go any further, I just want to make this clear: this article is not for discussing the spoilers. I haven't looked at them because I don't want to ruin the game for myself - and I possess that aforementioned sliver of basic empathy. And even if I had read them, I wouldn't be detailing them in an article for this site, which I'm told gets at least three readers a day. The responsibility is too great.

So why bring up the spoilers at all? Mostly as a PSA for those of you who aren't aware, I guess. I know the vast majority won't want this game spoiled, and I also know the internet is full of nasty little pricks - so I'm warning you to stay frosty... and maybe mute certain words related to The Last Of Us Part II.

But I'm also writing this because of the way some of these "fans" have reacted to a lot of these plot details. Once again, I can't go deep into any of this without spoiling things for you (and myself); but after treading very carefully around certain threads on Reddit and Resetera, I'm seeing a lot of complaints about the game's "lack of ambition" and "crappy ending".

Now, I don't know about you, but I can't help but think judging the plot of a game based entirely on a text summary that's been posted on the internet is incredibly dumb, selfish, and self-defeating. For one thing, I'm not entirely sure how someone can have the audacity to refer to themselves as a fan while also being more than happy to go looking for these massive spoilers that ruin the literal years of work of a team of hardworking developers, actors, and writers.

But to do that and then complain about those spoilers? That takes dumbassery to levels I had no idea existed. I don't know who needs to hear this, but Naughty Dog didn't actually intend for you to experience the story of The Last Of Us Part II via a brief written summary.

Complaining about Ellie doing this instead of that, or whining that X happens to Joel (again, I know nothing of specifics) makes absolutely no sense. You don't fully understand why a character has made a choice or suffered a consequence unless you've gone on the journey with them from start to end. Funnily enough, you're supposed to feel the story through the dialogue, the gameplay, the gorgeous visuals, and the performances. You know, the things Naughty Dog is known for.

I could just as easily sum up the original The Last Of Us as a written sequence of events, and if you'd never played it before you'd have no idea how special it was, because of course you wouldn't. Just imagine if that instead of seeing Sarah die in Joel's arms at the start of the first game, you simply read "Joel's daughter dies" on Reddit.

There's no way in hell that'd hit the same, is there? You're not experiencing anything close to the product Naughty Dog wanted you to experience. You're basically sucking on a raw potato and complaining that your chips aren't very nice.

There's no pleasure in discovering a bunch of story beats from a written list. You might think you have a better idea of the game's "themes" before everyone else, but the truth is that you're never going to be able to discuss or debate the game in the same way as those of us who approach it in the way Naughty Dog wanted us to (the finished product).

In the same way that trying to go to a book club and talk about 1984 having only ready a plot summary on Wikipedia would be a quick way to make yourself look like an idiot, thinking you're somehow now more qualified to talk The Last Of Us Part II because you read some spoilers on the internet is dead wrong. The game won't be defined by the things that happen, but by the way they happen... and a spoiler-filled post shared by some petty little git can never convey that.

I'll be going into The Last Of Us Part II blind - or at least as blind as someone in my line of work can go into it. I don't know if the game will live up the original, or if Naughty Dog has completely dropped the ball and done certain characters dirty. I like not knowing. That's what part of what makes experiencing a new game so special, isn't it?

What I do know is this: If you've looked at these spoilers and are currently left feeling like the game hasn't lived up to your expectations, or is somehow a crushing disappointment or not "thematically" accurate... That's on you. Play the damn game, then form an opinion.

Featured Image Credit: Naughty Dog

Topics: PlayStation, Naughty Dog, The Last Of Us