Just days ago, a popular YouTube Channel titled Girlfriend Reviews published their thoughts on Naughty Dog's The Last of Us 2. On that same day, the game's director, Neil Druckmann, recommended the video in a personal tweet, encouraging players to watch it after completing the game. Because of this, the video exploded with negative comments, claiming that the YouTube channel was paid to give a positive review of the game. Due to the recent internet hate that The Last of Us 2 has received ever since its launch, many commenters seemed to believe that instead of truly liking the game, Girlfriend Reviews had been paid by Naughty Dog to endorse the title.
Although this game has been praised by reviewers, opinions amongst users has divided the worldwide gaming community. That being said, there are those who truly enjoyed The Last of Us 2, and these consistent disagreements are being compared to fan opinions of The Last Jedi. After seeing these allegations that they had been paid to enjoy the game, Girlfriend Reviews took to Twitter to assure fans: "Sucks to have to say this but we’re getting comments constantly saying we admitted to being paid for our Last of Us video. That’s not true, we were not paid. We bought the game with our own money. No one paid us at any point and we were not blackmailed either."
Additionally, the pair stated: "For anyone who doesn't know: it is ILLEGAL to not disclose a sponsor. Not only would being caught doing that end our career, but it would be extremely detrimental to a studio secretly paying people for reviews. Not worth the risk for either party." Many of the video's comments have not only been rude, but others have taken the hate to another level. Due to an immense number of death threats in the comments, similar to those received by actors from The Last of Us 2, Girlfriend Reviews decided to remind viewers that they were talking to actual, innocent people, who were just giving their honest opinion on a game. "Please think twice about your anger. There are real people on the other side of the screen who have done literally nothing wrong. Put this energy into fighting actual injustices."
The Last of Us 2 has plenty of redeeming factors, regardless of how players feel about the story. For example, the game's stellar graphics allow for the closest attention to detail, and immerse players deeper in the game's world than ever before. Amidst the current economy full of hate towards the LGBTQ and African American community, Girlfriend Reviews is attempting to encourage their viewers to exert their anger on those who are actually doing wrong in this world, rather than innocent streamers.
Additionally, all players of the game are entitled to their own opinion, whether it is loving the game, hating its story, or just not interested in becoming involved with the drama behind it all. However, nobody can deny that The Last of Us 2 has made major improvements to the mechanics of the first game, though it still has its fair share of issues.
Despite how players may feel about Naughty Dog's latest installment, they are encouraged to tone down their excessive comments or thoughts. After all, this is a game, consisting of a story that will undoubtedly entertain some but not others.
The Last of Us Part 2 is available now, exclusively for PlayStation 4.
Source: Dexerto, Neil Druckmann, Girlfriend Reviews' Official Twitter Page