[mrkajz44]

Looking back, it seems like the negative attitude toward the game right at release was either:

1) Not related to actual game play (ex. Naughty Dog's employee issues, didn't like playing as Abby)
2) Some people had way too high expectations due to how excellent the first story concluded

Those that have played through seem to have a very positive experience and I don't hear much negativity at all. I'm replaying it again on a much harder difficulty and am really enjoying it. The AI is probably the most realistic I've experienced but I never feel like its unfair. It's also really fun to see the nice details in all the artifacts along the way now that I know the fully story. There are tons of little "easter eggs" in there that is making the second playthrough still very engaging.