I haven't played either game, but I just finished watched a playthrough of both games and overall I loved them. It's a compelling world they set up and I enjoyed seeing the peeling back of the layers of what's happened to it and the people in it, though I agree with most that the pacing could have been better in the second game.
I really liked the moments in the games where the gameplay is subverted by story or action elements in surprising ways. In the first game in Salt Lake City when Joel tries to give Elly a boost, she's lost in her thoughts. The game sets you up with the button input and camera view you've seen dozens of times already for boosting a character up. Joel is left hanging and it smoothly transitions to a cutscene.
In the second game, Elly is at a weapon upgrade table she finds in a building, and you're just looking through menus when suddenly you hear a cry and someone grabs you. You wouldn't think that could happen - it's a menu, right? You're basically pausing the game! I guess not.
One last thing I wanted to mention...I felt like the light-hearted moments in the first game were better spaced to relieve tension, and that the second game could have used more of them. The flashback sequences were my favorite parts of the game, but more humor outside them would have been nice.
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