Microsoft’s Internal Review For The Last Of Us Part II Reveals Strives For New Standard In First-Party Games, Criticizes Combat System

Predating back to the conception of Xbox prior to its official release back in 2001, Microsoft has attempted some questionable moves to today’s standards. While a growing tech conglomerate at the time, the firm when breaching into the video game industry laid out by Nintendo and Sony Computer Entertainment at the time went the most corporate route to make its platform. In that, the company tried to acquire Nintendo for its first-party releases, but was laughed away by the offer.

Additionally, Microsoft in separate lengths to develop its hardware for the original Xbox also took notes from Sony’s hardware at the time. By dissecting PlayStation 2, the Xbox company could extract from its research to make a more efficient machine. However, the most questionable take from Microsoft in recent weeks comes from documents extracted from the Apple. V. Epic Games case.

In May, it was revealed that Microsoft held an internal review for Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II and similarly to its breakdown of the PlayStation 2 is learning from more Sony products. The firm concluded to set new standards for Xbox titles to meet, but remained critical on the game’s combat.

“The gameplay in The Last of Us Part II is an expansion and notable improvement upon the previous game, which gave players little freedom of choice in the moment-to-moment gameplay,” the review reads. “Most levels in the first game played out like ‘combat puzzle boxes’ where there was a narrow predetermined ‘right way’ to finish the mission, which made the effective strategy feel forced upon you.

“In the new game the combat areas are significantly larger, the enemy AI greatly improved, and the number of ways you can clear as space (or avoid it altogether) are greatly enhanced. That said, Naughty Dog still can’t seem to make decent gun combat in any of their games, and this one is no exception. Luckily for them it fits in with the game’s overall theme and pushes the player toward using stealth over head-on.”

However, while Microsoft gave its two cents on the full project, the firm concluded to leave from playing the game overall satisfied with the game. “Last of Us Part II is the exceedingly rare video game where what it accomplishes in moving forward the art of narrative storytelling in video games as a medium ultimately outweighs whether or not everyone ‘likes’ it or even if everyone has ‘fun’ playing it.”

In terms of The Last of Us Part II in recent weeks, Naughty Dog shipped a dedicated PlayStation 5 update for the game finally. You can read the full report by heading here.

Are you surprised by the reception from Microsoft for The Last of Us Part II?