The Last of Us Part 2 is without a shadow of a doubt an incredible experience from start to end. It has beautifully realized characters with a powerful narrative, and it has the presentation of watching an epic boxset on Netflix. However, like so many boxsets The Last of Us 2 has been accused of being overly long and losing some of its momentum around the halfway mark. In addition, its ending has left some fans feeling unsatisfied after sticking with the game for a long 30-40 hour journey.

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As with the original game, The Last of Us 2 is very much Naughty Dog’s story and left some players feeling detached as a result. With this list, we are going to take a look at 10 other action games that not only told a better story but didn’t feel like an interactive drama with little to no choice.

Horizon Zero Dawn

A screenshot from the PC edition of Horizon: Zero Dawn.

Released in 2017 for the PlayStation 4, Horizon Zero Dawn is a spectacular open-world action set in a post-apocalyptic world where dinosaur-like machines are roaming the landscape. While it doesn’t have the same level of character drama as The Last of Us Part 2, Horizon Zero Dawn’s world-building just manages to edge it out in terms of intrigue and mystery.

It builds an incredible picture of what happened to the earth and the echoes of the past feel like they tell a better story than the notes in The Last of Us 2.

Singularity

Released in 2010 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the PC, Singularity is a first-person action shooter with a surprisingly complex time-traveling story to tell. Developed by Call of Duty veterans Raven Software, Singularity is a very good Bioshock clone that flew under the radar upon its release.

It’s shame because in addition to telling a great story Singularity had all the right ingredients to be massive success excellent set pieces, an involved and gripping story, and great gunplay.

Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs

Released on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and the PC, Sleeping Dogs is an open-world action game set in Hong Kong that puts the player in the shoes of Wei Shen an undercover Chinese-American cop that infiltrates the Triads.

On the surface, it looks like another Grand Theft Auto clone with better combat mechanics but the same can be said for the story too. It shows Wei Shen struggling with his loyalties to his old friends and his sworn duty as a police officer as he gets too deep undercover. In addition, there’s a great voice cast with Altered Carbon’s Will Yun Lee, The Amazing Spider-Man’s Emma Stone, and many more great actors.

Binary Domain

Released in 2012 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the PC, Binary Domain is an action shooter from Ryu Ga Gotaku Studio the developers of the Yakuza series. Despite its generic-looking character design and awful box art, Binary Domain is a game with a surprisingly deep game.

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It has a mature story, great atmosphere, and a teammate consequence system that changes depending on the character’s choices in the game. Furthermore, Binary Domain has a way of making the player question their actions and feel terrible about them just like The Last of Us 2.

Mafia III

Mafia 3 2K Games promo image

Released in 2016 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and the PC, Mafia III is an open-world action game set in 1968 New Bourdeaux which is a fictional recreation of New Orleans. Despite the criticisms of the game’s mission structure and lack of meaningful side quests, it tells an incredibly mature storyline.

The game is driven by revenge in much the same way as The Last of Us 2, however, the protagonist Clay has much more understandable and sympathetic motivations for his brutality. In addition, the politically motivated storyline about racism and prejudice feels more relevant today than it ever did.

Spec Ops: The Line

Modern Warfare Spec Ops Guide

Released in 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Spec Ops: The Line is a third-person military cover shooter with a lot more bubbling under the surface than it seems. It may look like a generic shooter but the game’s story which is loosely based on the novel The Heart of Darkness and the film it inspired Apocalypse Now is a harrowing, deeply disturbing, and brilliantly told.

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Similarly to The Last of Us 2, Spec Ops: The Line really knows how to put an emphasis on the consequences of violence and combat. However, it’s the effects on the protagonist's psyche and the satisfying but painful choice-based endings that make it a more satisfying narrative overall.

L.A. Noire

The protagonist Cole Phelps from the game L.A. Noire

First released in 2011 for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, L.A. Noire was remastered and released again for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, VR, and the PC in 2017. Like Mafia III, L.A. Noire takes place in a stunning open-world but doesn’t give the player much incentive to explore it.

That aside, the game plays out well as an interactive adventure third-person shooter hybrid. L.A. Noire still has great facial animations but more importantly, its 1940s set storyline sets it apart from other games in the genre. The game’s protagonist detective Cole Phelps is a World War 2 veteran struggling with his past and seemingly working against a team of corrupt or lazy cops in his division.

God of War

God of War Snow Covered Giant

Released exclusively for the PlayStation 4 in 2018, God of War is the fourth mainline entry in the series but it was also released as a way of giving the series a long-overdue reboot. Not only did it have much better combat mechanics and a world steeped in Norse mythology begging to be explored but it featured a fantastic character drama.

With Stargate SG-1’s Christopher Judge taking over as Kratos, he managed to portray the man as a much more likable and troubled lead. Furthermore, the developing bond between Kratos and his young son is impeccably told.

Control

The Director Pistol in Control.

Released in 2019 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and the PC, Control is an eerie supernatural action-adventure game based in the same universe as Alan Wake. In addition to the excellent and mind-bending level design, Control features one of the most thought-provoking and clever narratives of this generation.

In addition, the game features incredible voice acting, visuals, characters, and a dark story that doesn’t feel derivative while sticking to a formula that is instantly recognizable to fans of the developer's other works.

Red Dead Redemption 2

dutch in red dead redemption 2

Released in 2018 for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an incredible open-world action game set in the American Wild West. While it does suffer from similar pacing issues to The Last of Us Part 2, RDR2 is a far more moving and involved story overall.

The game is a character piece like no other when it comes to building its story around the protagonist Arthur Morgan. The internal conflict between morality and loyalty is so well-written and light years ahead of anything else that Rockstar has developed before in the Grand Theft Auto series. It's a long and slow burn but the impact of the game's narrative easily packs a bigger emotional punch than even The Last of Us Part 2.

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