The release of one of the most anticipated games of 2020 did not bring any surprises in how it was received: while The Last of Us Part II garnered top scores from most leading gaming outlets, it also got review-bombed into oblivion following controversies and leaks which did not sit well with some gamers.

IGN, Washington Post, Game Rant, VG247 were among those who gave The Last of Us Part II, a sequel to 2013 PlayStation bestseller The Last of Us, their top scores. The PS4 exclusive developed by Naughty Dog takes players five years after the events of the original game, further developing the stories of Ellie and Joel in the post-apocalyptic world and bringing in new major characters.

These words have been 7 years in the making: #TheLastofUsPartII is out now. Read a special message from @Neil_Druckmann: https://t.co/RCjUJ1roD4 pic.twitter.com/Wr1xjCdab3

— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) June 19, 2020

The recent months of the game's development were filled with leaks and controversies, with some plot details concerning the new character Abby, as well as the general direction that Naughty Dog took with the game, sparking debates and spawning memes. Abby took the largest hit for the team, with right-leaning gaming communities such as 4chan's /v/ memeing the character into oblivion, and not in a wholesome way.

Unsurprisingly, the game's release was immediately followed by its user score plummeting like a rock: as of June 19th, the game had a measly 3.4 user score against 95 critic score on Metacritic with over 9,400 reviews submitted.

On Twitter, those who liked and disliked the new game for whatever reasons had much to say:

Just finished recording my first episode of The Last of Us Part II. Only two hours in and im already SO in love. I cannot wait to see what this game has in store

— ethan (@CrankGameplays) June 19, 2020

the last of us 2 looks crazy pic.twitter.com/Nm9bcxXXi2

— nopeify (@nopeifyaltalt) June 19, 2020

NAUGHTY DOG: "We've spent years crafting the perfect exploration of humanity's inhumanity to man, investigating the true face of the monster in a way that nobody will ever forget."VALVE: "Yeah, well, we did it in an afternoon and we didn't have to murder a single cute puppy." pic.twitter.com/g9r5Y5VNtU

— Richard Cobbett (@richardcobbett) June 19, 2020

The writing in The Last of Us Part 2 is fucking DOGSHIT. They completely ruined the entire franchise one hour into the game. I literally don't care what happens after THAT one scene. I was originally mad at the worker for spoiling the game, now I understand. Fuck you @Naughty_Dog

— 100T Froste 💯 (@Froste) June 19, 2020

Society if Naughty Dog actually bothered to hire LGBT+ people to write and portray their LGBT+ characters. pic.twitter.com/ghVaAmtyHa

— zack snyder stan account (@bradyonetta) June 19, 2020

Me watching Twitter freak out over Joel in TLOU2 after 4Chan warned everyone of this with leaks 4 months ago pic.twitter.com/Xwy3FTzG6f

— Just Xeno (@xenomnipotent) June 19, 2020

Nice fourth wall break naughty dog pic.twitter.com/zDdjXrC91l

— I DID NOT SNITCH 🐝🐝 (@brittlespy) June 19, 2020

Whether the game will manage to top its predecessor in sales is yet to be seen, but it has definitely already beaten it in the number of memes and controversies.