What a long, bumpy, anxiety-filled road it has been but it finally seems like The Last of Us Part II is actually going to happen. I know, I know, we have a “firm” release date of June 19th but I’ve reached a point where I won’t believe it until the game is sitting firmly in my hands like a melee weapon Joel has put together to take out a nearby Clicker. When the game was announced, all the way back in 2016, I used it as the catalyst to purchase a PS4. Up and until that point in life I had kind of slowed down on video games. The idea of buying a new console didn’t seem like an expense I was willing to make. To be honest, I was still pretty heartbroken from the time my PS3 crashed and I had to wipe all my data. Things like that… things like that are soul-crushing. I don’t think I’ve ever properly recovered from that moment talking to the Playstation customer service line as the person on the other end of the phone told me there was no other choice with little emotion in his voice. Is a little empathy too much to ask for? There were hours, weeks, months of gameplay on that drive. I had lived lives. I had shed tears. Could you just give me a minute? Could you tell me some back-channel jailbreak to save my data? Can you not ruin video games for me, please?! 

That wasn’t the case and I lost everything, including my gameplay of the first of Last of Us. Something I was looking forward to revisiting in the black and white version but never got the chance. Life comes at you fast Geeklings. Alas, the announcement of the Last of Us sequel was enough to get me to ponder getting back in video games and I eventually pulled the trigger. I regret nothing about purchasing my PS4 and have used it to the best of my ability since. Sure, I don’t have all the time in the world for gaming but I make do with what I’ve got and have had some truly awesome gaming experiences since. Games like God of War and Spider-Man have totally been worth the price of admission, and with The Last of Us Part II a little over a month away, I fully expect my PS4 purchase to be justified even further.

The road to this game hasn’t been easy though. Delays are very common when it comes to anticipated video game releases and I appreciate gaming studios doing their work to put the best product out there. The pushback of release dates was a bit discouraging though. There were moments where The Last of Us II felt very Winds of Winter like. Something I was promised and there were teases for but was never going to see the light of day. I know, I’m not sure if I ever truly believed that but even in our darkest hours one had to wonder. I even had a brief period of time where I thought this sequel was going to shift to a PS5 release which had me stressed. Was I really going to buy another gaming counsel so I could play this game? I think the answer eventually would have been yes, but I also waited a long ass time before I got to play Batman: Arkham Knight so patience would’ve had to be key here. And if you haven’t learned through the almost five years of reading this site, I’m not always the most patient when it comes to my pop culture content. Both Tom Petty and I aren’t big fans of waiting. It’s the hardest part.

The leaks from a couple of weeks ago weren’t very comforting either. To have waited all this time for some asshat to hack their way into Naughty Dog and spoil the game for so many… things like that really make me angry. We’re talking Bruce Banner levels of rage. Leaks like this destroy the hard work of hundreds of people and kills peoples anticipation for something they’ve been waiting over four years for probably longer if you’re counting the moment the last tear rolled off your chin from the game’s ending. I couldn’t imagine having been spoiled. Luckily I had a friend give me the heads up but I know people who had the game ruined and it seems to have affected their want to play. That bums me out. 

But from those leaks, we got this definitive date, still June 19th, and the promise that the game would be arriving soon. Nothing like having your back against the wall. I won’t thank the hackers who released the footage but it made Naughty Dog realize that it was time to put up or shut up when it came to releasing this sequel. Whether or not it’s just in time for after quarantine is yet to be seen. I suppose it depends on if your state cares about your safety or not, but The Last of Us Part II is on its way. And if you didn’t believe it, Playstation released a story mode trailer today to validate the release date and attempt to take the power back from the leaks. Whether or not the damage has been done has yet to be seen. 

And while the jury is still out on damage brought on by the leaks there is no denying that The Last of Us Part II looks incredible and very much like the game we’ve been waiting for all these years. This trailer is stunning in its heartbreak and brutality. I have long waited to see where Joel and Ellie’s story took them next and if this trailer is any indication things have somehow gotten worse. That’s what happens when you build the foundation of a future on a lie. Looking at you Joel. Ellie looks to be at the forefront here, a role reversal from the original, and is on a quest for revenge. I’m here for it.

One thing for sure, there is no shortage of violence as the game looks to be quite brutal. I get the impression that everything we see falls in line with Ellie’s emotions and maybe as the game progresses that rage is suppressed or unleased further. It certainly seems that Ellie is in a bad state and I think a mixture of events within the game and the ending of the original will play key factors toward fueling this new rage. There is little doubt that The Last of Us Part II looks to pull on our heartstrings and this trailer landed just the way Naughty Dog and Playstation intended. I need to play The Last of Us Part II. Like yesterday. And if the rumors are true and the game is really 100 GB then I also need to clear up some space on my PS4 otherwise I’m not going to get much playing done and that would be especially cruel.

What did you think Geeklings? Did this trailer leave you wanting more? Are you even more excited for the game’s release? Or did the leaks ruin things for you? Sound off in the comments, NO SPOILERS, and let me know what you’re thinking. If you want to talk more Last of Us with yours truly then you can find me on Twitter @iamgeek32. A little over a month remains and it’s looking like it was worth the wait. Bring on the heartache… and that bitchin score!