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[GribbleGrunger]

It does have a little of hand holding with the occasional medkit or bullets that Ellie will hand you, but overall a lot less than other main stream games.

Tell me, when does Ellie ever hand you bullets? Pray tell ... and if you mention a certain upside down scene, you do realise that it's only for scene reasons and you have limitless bullets.

 

[TheDarkKnight774]

Why do people get so defensive over people not liking a critically acclaimed game? It doesn't need you to defend it when it has 1,000 GOTY awards so let people have their own opinion.

Disagreeing with them is not being defensive. And In regards of the OP they haven't even played the game and have it slotted.

This stuff seems to happens to most things well received here and on the internet really. A year or so the detractors try to poke holes in the praise. And since the remaster I've been amused at this notion the only good thing about the game was the story. I find that to be a crazy claim since when people talk about the game it's usually either the story or the complete package. I didn't hear bios hock infinite type complaints on gameplay, and if all you have is story then a 15-20 hour game with bad gameplay will completely fall apart. No game with that amount of game time could earn the praise it's received if the gameplay sucked

 

[SolidSnakex]

The point is by taking up this, I can read what more people like about it than its story and "experience" which was all reviewers talked about. Dont see whats stupid about that except for your terribly defensive response.

Stealthily killing entire rooms of enemies is incredibly satisfying, so much so that when you blow your cover, it’s hard not to feel a sense of disappointment (especially when one of your companions occasionally fires a gun or walks in front of an enemy, which you can’t control). Holding down R2 while crouching lets Joel listen carefully to his surroundings, giving him a glimpse of enemy locations in his direct vicinity and an edge in staying away from danger. Some players may consider this a bit cheap, but I’d merely call it gamey. Just like the L3 prompts that tell you where to look and hints that appear if the game determines you’ve been stuck in an area too long (all of which can be turned off), Joel’s listening skill can simply be ignored if you feel like it doesn’t fit. But rest assured, it’s very helpful, especially later in your quest.

The beauty of stealth in The Last of Us is the incredible, uncomfortable realism you’re forced to witness each and every time you execute a silent kill. Watching a survivor fruitlessly swat at Joel’s arms as he strangles him to death is disturbing, as is quickly shiving a man in his neck and listening to him gurgle some parting breaths as he collapses to the ground. The Last of Us does a phenomenal job of making each and every enemy feel human. Every life taken has weight and each target feels unique and alive. It’s hard not to think about some of the older folks in particular, ones that remember the real world, lived in it, and were once normal. There’s an emotional pang when you’re taking out thugs that look a whole lot like you and your allies.

Unlike your human adversaries, who often work together, audibly communicate, plan their actions, and practice self-preservation, The Infected attack with reckless abandon, with absolutely no regard for their safety and with every intention of killing you. Fighting them is terrifying, especially during your first few encounters, and feels completely different than your engagements with pockets of humanity. The lesser versions of The Infected, colloquially known as Runners, can be taken out with firearms and melee strikes alike, but it’s the Clickers – characters so infected by the Cordyceps fungus that they can’t even see – that will haunt your dreams. They can only be killed with silent shiv strikes or via firearm – silence is more often than not your best weapon against them -- but if they so much as get their hands on you, it’s game over. In this world, they are the true threat. It’s unlikely you’ll ever get comfortable dealing with them, of being mere feet away from them, crouching, hoping they don’t somehow sense you.

Another brilliant aspect of The Last of Us is its crafting options, all of which happen in real-time. With the exception of actually going to a pause menu, there’s no way to stop the action, so you need to find lulls in order to scavenge for items, put them together and create new goods that can be used both curatively and offensively. The system is extra tense considering you can use, say, alcohol and rags to create either a healing pack or a Molotov Cocktail, but not both with the same goods. Thoroughly exploring environments nets you the components necessary for item creation, giving you yet another reason to inspect surroundings already begging to be rummaged. And item scarcity, a perpetual issue in the world of The Last of Us, means that everything you find is precious in its own way. There aren’t any factories making more of anything you find, and that includes the greatest prize of all: bullets.

This perpetuates real consequences based on your decisions. Will you use those scissors and some tape to create a shiv? Or will you attach them to the end of a pole to create a makeshift weapon of war? Will you create a smoke bomb only because you found sugar in the environment and can only carry more if you use what you already have? Or do you bypass the sugar and hope you don’t need it – or what you can make from it – later on? Will you opt for melee strikes to save ammo for another day? Or will you walk in guns-blazing and hope you find shells on the bodies you leave in your wake? How you choose to navigate these forks in the road have considerable effects on how you approach future enemy encounters, adding a special dynamic to The Last of Us not found in very many games.

Joel can also upgrade himself with pills and other supplements hidden throughout the adventure, though here you’ll also have to make careful choices, as there isn’t enough medicine in one playthrough to fully upgrade him. Likewise, all of your weapons, from pistols to shotguns and rifles, can also be upgraded using parts and tools found on your journey. Similarly, you won’t be able to max-out everything, so you’ll need to make thoughtful decisions. This adds an analytical, tactical slant to The Last of Us not found in the likes of Uncharted, though if you really want to upgrade Joel and his goods fully, you could always take advantage of The Last of Us’ very welcome New Game+ feature.

While the campaign is absolutely worth playing through multiple times, The Last of Us also comes packing a robust, rich multiplayer mode that isn’t simply a retread of Uncharted’s. In fact, The Last of Us’ multiplayer seems decidedly scaled back in order to fit it into the context of the post-civilization United States, with small player counts and only two modes that pay exceptional detail to the greater context of the single-player campaign.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/05/the-last-of-us-review

The concept of survival serves as the core of The Last of Us. Ammunition and supplies are scarce, and must be scrounged in deserted buildings or created from cast off materials through a crafting system. You constantly live in fear of both the horrifying infected - the vicious "runners" and twisted "clickers" - and the ragtag human sects that still roam the barren cityscape.

While most games sell the fantasy of superhuman powers, The Last of Us constantly reminds you of your vulnerability. Stealth is the key to your survival, as overwhelming odds often encourage you to remain in the shadows before leaping out to perform graceless executions with blunt instruments like shivs. If events escalate into melee or gunplay, you are forced into tense, harried battles that leave you breathless. While the game never lets you feel at ease during combat, the play mechanics - from stealth to the weapons - are solid. I noticed occasional AI lapses and some of the "trial and error" frustration that creeps into any game that relies heavily on stealth, but overall it's an impressive action game that distills the strengths of the survival horror genre into something that's both deeper and more accessible.

The combat is versatile enough to support a surprisingly competent multiplayer mode, which pits you in four-on-four variations on team deathmatch that emphasize deliberate guile over twitch shooting. It's an enjoyable experience, with a robust progression system, though it feels at odds with the sparse, emotional feel of the single-player game.

http://www.gameinformer.com/games/t...-us-review-naughty-dogs-grim-masterpiece.aspx

Joel is not Nathan Drake. He’s older, slower and far less nimble, and apparently he can’t even jump at will. He is, however, incredibly tough and resourceful. With supplies and materials being relatively scarce, Joel has to rely on picking up discarded firearms with very limited supply of ammo, or picking up items from the environment to use or craft into weapons of some sort. Collecting supplies in The Last of Us is akin to collecting treasure in Uncharted, except the supplies actually have a use. The crafting system is simple and easy to comprehend, and most certainly adds some strategy to the game. There are times, for example, when you’ll need to choose between creating a health kit or a molotov cocktail since they use some similar materials. Crafting happens in real time and requires several seconds, so it’s usually not something you’ll want to do out in the open. You can also find work benches around the city that allow Joel to take a break and upgrade his weapons or abilities using components he’s picked up.

The Last of Us isn’t a fast paced game by any means. Joel can sprint if he’s healthy, though since it’s noisy and can attract too much attention, you’ll probably find yourself crouch-walking through a good portion of the adventure. To maintain stealth, an important technique that’s introduced early on in the game allows Joel to enter a “listen mode” to help him better locate both friends and foes who are within earshot. The ability essentially allows the player to see through walls to an extent and can be used as much as needed. Joel can carry a nice amount of equipment in and on his pack, including a melee weapon such as a pipe or plank of wood, a long gun/bow, a handgun, a distraction item such as a brick or bottle, a shiv, and a health kit. With ammo being relatively scarce, going for stealth takedowns (of humans and the infected) is almost always the best option. Except for a couple of specific situations, firearms are usually a last resort tactic.

The close quarter combat and melee system that Naughty Dog implemented in The Last of Us is well done and incredibly satisfying. It’s most definitely dangerous to take on more than one enemy at a time in the game, though if you’re forced into that type of situation, Joel can usually fight his way out of it. Learning to break away from a mob using the sprint button or do a quick 180° turn to back up and defend yourself are need-to-know survival techniques. Ellie, who accompanies you through most of the game, can usually hold her own and does a rather intelligent job assisting Joel during encounters.

http://www.gaming-age.com/2013/06/the-last-of-us-review-for-ps3/

The love is there though, and it provides the necessary motivation for the extreme acts of violence that serve as the foundation of the gameplay. The Last of Us doesn't paint a pleasant picture of humanity, and there is no end of people out for Joel and Ellie's blood. The violence of survival is a central theme, and it keeps the combat from feeling out of place. Joel is preternaturally talented at killing, so much so that his friends remark on it. It's part of his character, and it's designed to be uncomfortable.

Firefights are intense thanks to a general dearth of ammunition, forcing Joel to make every shot count. A wide selection of home-made weapons – smoke bombs, shivs, mines – further his tactical options. These weapons are easy to craft from scavenged supplies, even in the middle of a fight, and they can turn the tide of a hairy conflict. If you find yourself fumbling to reload a single shot rifle as an enemy charges, for example, you can quickly even the odds with a Molotov cocktail. Failing that, you could just lob a garden variety brick at him, stunning him long enough to sink a shiv into his throat.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/05/the-last-of-us-review/

The Last Of Us doesn’t just tell you that you’re playing as an Average Joe, but reinforces it on a mechanical level. There’s none of Drake’s cliff-scaling athleticism; if you need to get to an out-of-reach perch, you’d better start scouring around for a ladder. In early combat encounters, you’ll find yourself skulking about behind cover trying to pick off stragglers. You’ll scavenge for stray bricks and bottles that you can toss against walls to lure combatants to concealed areas of the map. The strangling execution that follows takes a few arduous seconds for Joel to carry out, reinforcing the sense that he’s no UFC prize fighter. And the boozy sway of your aiming reticle – stabilised through upgrades later on in the game – means the chances of squandering a precious bullet is high. Joel’s a survivor, but that doesn’t make him a firearms expert. In short, the game tastefully avoids the ludonarrative dissonance that arises from Drake being presented as a friendly treasure hunter while asking players to pile up hundreds of bodies wherever he sets foot. Joel kills because he has to, and there’s no winning smile when the shooting stops, just overwhelming relief.

The tension of confrontation is only heightened by The Last Of Us’s realtime crafting system, which requires you to hunker down in corners making health kits while your terrifying enemies shuffle past mere feet away. Just as nail-bitingly, when you want to heal yourself, you’ll have to watch helplessly as Joel bandages his wounds. Resources dotted around the map are achingly, wonderfully scarce, and many serve dual purposes: the alcohol and rags that combine to make a health kit can also craft you a Molotov cocktail.

While this is not an open-world game in the textbook sense, it feels remarkably dense for employing such spacious environments. A typical slice of unbroken space might incorporate a street, several alleys and a variety of multistorey shops or dwellings. This approach to level design gracefully serves the game’s narrative context: when an apocalyptic event knocks out the structured routine of law-abiding society, you’d expect there to be more latitude in your decision-making.

The world of The Last Of Us is big enough to get lost in, and without the aid of a minimap, we did on several occasions. Whereas Uncharted often felt like walking down a scenic but clearly delineated hiking trail, The Last Of Us prizes deep, meaningful exploration. You’re constantly looting for supplies, not just for ammo and upgrades. You’ll also find handwritten letters, voice recorders and journal entries. The Last Of Us has a linear tale to convey – Joel’s smuggling of a 14-year-old girl named Ellie to a revolutionary group called The Fireflies for reasons we shan’t spoil – but makes its tale feel less prescribed than Uncharted’s by letting you play the role of amateur detective. The result is a story-driven game that begs to be played, not observed from the couch.

http://www.edge-online.com/review/the-last-of-us-review/

It's the gameplay that clicks first, which will come as a pleasant surprise to those left cold by the shallow, breezy spectacle of Naughty Dog's rollicking Uncharted games - especially the borderline incoherent smoke-and-mirrors of Uncharted 3. The Last of Us is made by a different team and is a very different beast. It's purposeful and mean, with lean meat on its bones.

Blending stealth, cover shooting and survival horror styles, the game gives you lots of options and then pushes you to experiment with all of them by limiting your resources. Ammo is quite scarce, and so is everything else. You really feel like a survivor as you constantly scour the shattered and overgrown landscape for tape, alcohol, scissor blades or fertiliser to dress your wounds or improvise a shiv or a nail bomb. Scavenging and crafting may be de rigueur these days, but they've seldom made as much thematic sense, or tied as tightly into the action, as they do here.

The stages for this action are not so much open as intricate: mazes of corridors, cover, empty spaces, stairways and windowsills to vault, ripe with opportunities for stealth and flanking. Human enemies track you by sight, infected largely by sound; the behaviour of both has a credible balance of scripting, logic and unpredictability. Joel can use his impressively acute hearing as a kind of X-ray vision, but you'll never feel overpowered and always threatened, and the game is difficult enough that you'll often need to restart the encounters. That's usually a pleasure, because you're given so many spatial and tactical avenues to play with.

With a judicious dose of theatricality in the set-ups - a terrifying encounter with infected in a pitch-black basement, say, or a suspenseful advance on a sniper down a village main street - the designers make the absolute most of the broad palette of action at their disposal. It's scary, exciting and ferociously gripping stuff - and refreshingly reluctant to pull out a novelty set-piece. (The ones that do occur are great, though.)

It's also extremely violent, but it's no power fantasy. Once again, The Last of Us displays a coherent, thought-through attitude that's a world away from the senseless excess of so many of its blockbuster peers. This is a harsh world and Joel is an angry and desperate man. The violence is as frightening as it is thrilling: guns go off with a shocking bang and each blow connects with a sickening crunch, taking a big bite of health. The camera work and edits are blunt and bitten-off. A few animations linger a little lasciviously on gruesome acts of brutality, and I suppose some will get off on it - but you can't call it desensitised or mindless.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-05-the-last-of-us-review

The Last of Us is a true survival horror, and by that I don't mean it has terrible controls, limited save files, or any other other shallow understanding of the genre. It's an intimidating, sometimes terrifying game, all about approaching deadly situations with care and managing sparse resources to make the most of whatever's available. Each encounter can be dealt with using stealth, combat, or good old fashioned running away, and in most of them, you'll need to utilize all three tactics.

There are several dangerous scenarios Joel and Ellie will find themselves in, falling largely into three distinct camps -- a hunting party of human bandits, a group of weeping Infected, or a nest of creatures known colloquially as Clickers. Some encounters may offer a variety of opponents, and some situations will be entirely different, but to spoil them would be quite unfair.

Humans turn out to be the most common threat in the game, as roving packs of raiders have largely reclaimed the abandoned cities and driven the Infected out. They're also the most "fun" to deal with, especially for those who wish to play silent killers. Each location is packed with tables, boxes, and other debris to hide behind, while Joel can activate his "enhanced listening" to get an idea of where all enemies are located (it's a bit of an unfair advantage, but if it bothers you, the skill can actually be turned off in the menu). Armed with these two boons, players will be able to outflank his opposition, isolating stragglers and taking them out from behind -- provided you're careful!

A vital tool is the ability to pick up bottles or bricks and throw them to draw enemies away from their friends. While in most games, this option never seems to work properly, in The Last of Us it's an efficient, crucial tactic. Causing distractions to isolate enemies or lead them into carefully laid traps is a wonderful thing to behold, though breaking cover to sneak up on a victim, at the risk of being spotted, can be damn intimidating. Even the simple act of sneakily killing an enemy is a dangerous compromise -- one can strangle him, which takes time, or stab him with a shiv, which is quicker but will break the weapon. Knowing which type of kill is appropriate can mean the difference between success and failure.

http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-last-of-us-255287.phtml

The developers achieve this by attaching weight and consequence to your actions. Early on, it's a brutal, difficult game. The more powerful infected have one-hit kills that aren't counterable until later, and a single pistol shot will lop off one-third of your health. Health does not regenerate in The Last of Us, and one must craft or collect new medical packs that are slowly applied in real-time before regaining any vigor. It's possible to clear sections of every threat, but that's a great way to wind up with no ammunition, little health, and not much else to show for it. In many situations, the best option is to run away. (It's possible to simply restart encounters, but I found this to quickly diminish the threat of being caught and having to improvise.) The Last of Us asks players to fight their usual compulsions when it comes to playing a video game focused on enemy confrontation, and make on-the-fly judgement calls that don't have clear risks or rewards when you initially take them. If you worry about checking every room and looking around every corner, have fun dying over and over again. Then again, some of the game's best crafting pieces, ammo, and other collectibles are hidden in those places. Is it worth the risk? Your call.

By holding down L2, Joel crouches to the floor and uses sound to gain a sense of what's around him, highlighted in black-and-white. It's not a supernatural ability, but a visual extension of Joel's 20 years of hardened experience. Joel's perception changes as the enemies move, and if an enemy hasn't yet made a sound, you'll have to place them in sight or prod them. Bricks and bottles are scattered around, and you'll use them often, as the infected and humans react to sound (sometimes to an exaggerated, unbelievable effect). Joel can and must use distractions to make quiet killing easier--players choose between a loud choke-out or shivving--or to sneak along. The same objects are useful on the offensive, as well. In one sequence, a building with six or seven enemies was too much for me to take on without using up most of my available pistol ammunition. One false move during a stealth kill later and everyone was alerted. Noticing the exit to my left, I ran. The exit itself was guarded by a beefy dude with a shotgun, though, and I tossed a brick at his face to stun him. This allowed me to run by, head around the corner, and avoid unnecessary combat with a whole room full of bad guys. Did I miss an opportunity to loot a safe or collect extra materials to upgrade my bat or build a bomb? Probably. But I also came out alive.

Staying alive is a balancing act that requires more than a steady aim and calculated movement. Crafting plays a huge role, one that comes with its own checks and balances. Players have a small amount of craftable items that unlock over the course of the game--molotov cocktails, health kits, smoke bombs, melee upgrades, others--but each requires multiple materials, and making one item will inevitably mean you cannot build another. Are you confident you'll make it through the next section without a scratch? Is it more important to kill the four infected blocking the way with a molotov cocktail? Like healing, crafting takes time, which is precious in The Last of Us. Once the bullets start flying or the infected start chasing, there are rarely moments to sit down, open your backpack, and wait for a bar to fill, signifying the creation of a new item. Crafting speed, healing speed, and other techniques can be upgraded by collecting medicine during the game, but nothing will make you all-powerful. Death is always around the corner.

http://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/the-last-of-us-review/1900-580/

I had a bunch of other reviews in this post that heap praise onto the gameplay, but it turns out that the forum does have a character limit. But every major site praised its gameplay.

 

[TitusGroan]

So, this thread has progressed to the point that gamers are now fighting over whether to throw Resident Evil 4 or TLOU under the bus harder over gameplay mechanics? Seriously?

Jimmies well and truly rustled, it would seem.

Spoiler

I do think having making Ellie invisible to the enemies is a total cop-out, no matter what Naughty Dog may have said during development. If the story is about protecting Ellie from dangerous forces, then the gameplay should reflect that. Having zombies and humans pose a huge threat to her in cutscenes, only to have them be a non-threat at all to her in-game, is oil sitting on top of water. Speaking of which...

 

[HeelPower]

Ok there are many things RE4 does better than TLoU.

Level design,encounter design and weapon variety and enemy variety(probably some of the best bosses) and puzzles are on a much heigher level imo.

Obviously RE4's story is comic book-like and very different(so its better not to compare them) and it doesn't concern itself with stealth.Some elements are inherently different.

RE4 is a zany, frenetic ride that doesn't pack TLoU's emotional punch(it doesn't even attemp to) but ultimately its just a lot more fun to play.

 

[WhereAreMahDragonz]

So, this thread has progressed to the point that gamers are now fighting over whether to throw Resident Evil 4 or TLOU under the bus harder over gameplay mechanics? Seriously?

Jimmies well and truly rustled, it would seem.

Spoiler

I do think having making Ellie invisible to the enemies is a total cop-out, no matter what Naughty Dog may have said during development. If the story is about protecting Ellie from dangerous forces, then the gameplay should reflect that. Having zombies and humans pose a huge threat to her in cutscenes, only to have them be a non-threat at all to her in-game, is oil sitting on top of water. Speaking of which...

But if they did that then players would complain that Ellie was dumb and constantly got in the way.

 

[CrimsonCommie]

I personally know people that either didn't like or aren't interested in the game and couldn't care less about that fact. What gets annoying is when people insinuate that their lack of interest means the game is overrated or lacking in some way (Ex. People that assume that just because the game has a good story that it must be lacking in other areas). Sure, there are flaws, but it seems these are hardly ever elucidated. Instead, blanket statements are made without supporting evidence and then anyone that points that simple yet salient fact out is accused of stridency. It gets to be a bit ridiculous and takes place in every TLoU thread.

Yeah that's so annoying. It happens in threads for all the good games :/ a lot of times it's just trolls that aren't even worth the time replying to though.

 

[InFamousRaiden]

RE4 is a zany, frenetic ride that doesn't pack TLoU's emotional punch(it doesn't even attemp to) but ultimately its just a lot more fun to play.

why ? because it rewards you an unlimited rocker launcher for the next play through ?

RE4 was the game of the gen ps2/gc/xbox era

The Last of US previous gen for most people.

if you do not want to... don't play it people... end of story.

 

[shinobi602]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/05/the-last-of-us-review



http://www.gameinformer.com/games/t...-us-review-naughty-dogs-grim-masterpiece.aspx



http://www.gaming-age.com/2013/06/the-last-of-us-review-for-ps3/



http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/05/the-last-of-us-review/



http://www.edge-online.com/review/the-last-of-us-review/



http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-05-the-last-of-us-review



http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-last-of-us-255287.phtml



http://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/the-last-of-us-review/1900-580/

I had a bunch of other reviews in this post that heap praise onto the gameplay, but it turns out that the forum does have a character limit. But every major site praised its gameplay.

Damn. K.O.

 

[OJdaKiller]

I still remember it as the game I played for 2 hours and then gave away to a friend because it was so boring.

I don't play games waiting for them to become good at some point.

 

[jetjevons]

Last of Us is (probably) the best story-driven, character-action game I've ever played. Story is just one of many masterfully implemented components.

To answer OP: Yes. It really is that special.

 

[Kinyou]

Those are actually only substituted from drops from upcoming enemies.

Is that confirmed? That would actually be pretty cool

Tell me, when does Ellie ever hand you bullets? Pray tell ... and if you mention a certain upside down scene, you do realise that it's only for scene reasons and you have limitless bullets.

Gee, what's with the aggressiveness? She'll hand you bullets when you have none left. Not instantly but sooner or later she'll hand you some.

 

[StuBurns]

Is that confirmed? That would actually be pretty cool

It is, yeah.

If you have the time, you should watch the GDC talk about Ellie's AI, amazing stuff.

http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1020364/Ellie-Buddy-AI-in-The

 

[Redhood]

I still remember it as the game I played for 2 hours and then gave away to a friend because it was so boring.

I don't play games waiting for them to become good at some point.

Hmm till what point did you reach?

 

[Spring-Loaded]

But if they did that then players would complain that Ellie was dumb and constantly got in the way.

People did complain about the NPCs getting in the way. There's no way to avoid that criticism as there will always be people who either genuinely can't stand having any NPCs to watch over in any way, or they just act like they can't stand it.

RE4 has the best "escort mission" gameplay/mechanics of any game I've seen, to the point that it makes the game more exciting without being unfair or frustrating, yet people still complained about that.

It would've required a lot more work to make Ellie detectable without making her a nuisance. That's possible, as seen with RE4, but apparently there wasn't enough time to do that here.

Not played it. But I do get the distinct impression it's only mentioned because muh platinum.

Yeah. People only love games because of who made them. That's the sole reason

 

[GribbleGrunger]

Is that confirmed? That would actually be pretty cool

Gee, what's with the aggressiveness? She'll hand you bullets when you have none left. Not instantly but sooner or later she'll hand you some.

When? I've played it 7 times on every difficulty and not once did she ever hand me bullets. Perhaps it's something the devs put in just in case some people waste bullets and end up in a situation they can't overcome ... but I've never seen it yet.

 

[revolverjgw]

The gameplay is phenomenal, especially on the harder difficulties. Well designed levels/encounters with plenty of ways to approach situations, and every mechanic feels satisfying. It's an A+ game in every way.

Not for me. Throwing a brick and then hitting a guy from behind gets old fast.

As a good example of the options you have, I very rarely used this tactic.

 

[Mohasus]

Not for me. Throwing a brick and then hitting a guy from behind gets old fast.

 

[Y2Kev]

I feel like I fell through a time warp and landed in last night. Thanks SolidSnakeX.

 

[Fallout-with-swords]

The story isn't about redemption, if you think that's what everyone is hooting and hollering about you might be surprised if you actually play it. And if you don't want growth, or character development, in your stories then I don't know what to tell you.

Sounds like you already wrote the game off, but the gameplay is pretty great IMO and it compliments the story well. Not your typical third person shooter by any stretch, I found it to be very intense / satisfying. But I'm also someone who thought the gameplay got a lot better on the harder difficulties.

 

[Majmun]

Not for me. Throwing a brick and then hitting a guy from behind gets old fast.

Definitely, because that's the only way to take enemies down.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

Not for me. Throwing a brick and then hitting a guy from behind gets old fast.

You could:

Shoot him
Molotov him
bomb him
shiv him
hit him with a melee weapon (plank/iron bar/machete/axe)
strangle him
or use him as a human shield

Or did you miss those?

Spawn, shoot, die, respawn gets old more me ... how about you?

 

[Kinyou]

It is, yeah.

If you have the time, you should watch the GDC talk about Ellie's AI, amazing stuff.

http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1020364/Ellie-Buddy-AI-in-The

Thx will take a look

When? I've played it 7 times on every difficulty and not once did she ever hand me bullets.

It's not some scripted event. When you have no ammo left she'll just do it, there's no special moment or level where she does it. Apparently is it also talked about in the panel stuburns linked

 

[StuBurns]

While Joel's motives seem pretty self-serving, his loyalty as viewed by Ellie does have a redemptive impact on her.

 

[Hoje0308]

Now the big question is whether or not anyone will reply to Solid Snake, or if they'll do the usual thing (i.e. run away then come back hours or days later to start the argument over before getting beat down once more). I money is on the latter.

 

[jetjevons]

I still remember it as the game I played for 2 hours and then gave away to a friend because it was so boring.

I don't play games waiting for them to become good at some point.

My guess is if you were bored you were playing on Normal or easier. Two hours in you've got to be at least somewhere between

Spoiler

crumbling building first clicker encounter

to

Spoiler

Tess facing off against the chasing guard.

IMO those parts were anything BUT boring, but hey, opinion is opinion.

 

[Fancy Clown]

You don't think the one thing that they've been searching for, normalcy, doesn't lie in Ellie? That Joel stops everything to maintain the new status quo of him being useful still, after normally losing what he loves, isn't important?

In fiction, a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin or maguffin) is a plot device in the form of some goal, desired object, or other motivator that the protagonist pursues, often with little or no narrative explanation. The specific nature of a MacGuffin is typically unimportant to the overall plot. The MacGuffin technique is common in films, especially thrillers. Usually the MacGuffin is the central focus of the film in the first act, and thereafter declines in importance. It may re-appear at the climax of the story, but sometimes is actually forgotten by the end of the story
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGuffin

A fully fleshed out character with complex motivations, desires, emotions, and skills who is ever present and ever changing throughout the story is not a MacGuffin.

Spoiler

The cure itself is sort of a MacGuffin

, but not Ellie herself.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

Thx will take a look

It's not some scripted event. When you have no ammo left she'll just do it, there's no special moment or level where she does it. Apparently is it also talked about in the panel stuburns linked

Has she ever handed YOU bullets?

 

[Majmun]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/05/the-last-of-us-review



http://www.gameinformer.com/games/t...-us-review-naughty-dogs-grim-masterpiece.aspx



http://www.gaming-age.com/2013/06/the-last-of-us-review-for-ps3/



http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/05/the-last-of-us-review/



http://www.edge-online.com/review/the-last-of-us-review/



http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-05-the-last-of-us-review



http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-last-of-us-255287.phtml



http://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/the-last-of-us-review/1900-580/

I had a bunch of other reviews in this post that heap praise onto the gameplay, but it turns out that the forum does have a character limit. But every major site praised its gameplay.

"TLoU's only good part is its story"- crowd can take several seats now.

 

[Mohasus]

Definitely, because that's the only way to take enemies down.

You could:

Shoot him
Molotov him
bomb him
shiv him
hit him with a melee weapon
strangle him
or use him as a human shield

Or did you miss those?

Spawn, shoot, die, respawn gets old more me ... how about you?

It is the easier/most effective way. I could shoot, molotov, bomb, shiv, hit him with a melee weapon but all those are limited. Yeah bricks and bottles are too, but there are so many of them that I could abuse it.

 

[Kinyou]

Has she ever handed YOU bullets?

Yes, multiple times over my play through.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

It is the easier/most effective way. I could shoot, molotov, bomb, shiv, hit him with a melee weapon but all those are limited. Yeah bricks and bottles are too, but there are so many of them that I could abuse it.

So your reason to say something gets old is because you refuse to use any other way? Some people are weird.

 

[TitusGroan]

But if they did that then players would complain that Ellie was dumb and constantly got in the way.

You're acting as if the only way for Naughty Dog to implement AI for Ellie is in a half-hearted way that doesn't work, when other games have already shown it's possible to have separate NPCs who actually form part of the gameplay interaction: Ico, Resident Evil 4 and Bioshock Infinite are the ones off the top of my head, and I'm sure there are others.

If Naughty Dog didn't want protecting Ellie to be a core part of the gameplay, then they shouldn't have spent so much of their time hammering that theme in the cutscenes. If they did want to tell that story, then they should have found a way to integrate it into the gameplay. That's what great developers do, after all.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

Yes, multiple times over my play through.

What diffiulty? Perhaps it was patched in because I've never heard of it.

 

[illmatic22]

"TLoU's only good part is its story"- crowd can take several seats now.

NO, stop lying movie lover! Do you eat shit? Ha ha, lolz Kamiya XD

Go preorder Uncharted 4 on fandango

 

[StuBurns]

You're acting as if the only way for Naughty Dog to implement AI for Ellie is in a half-hearted way that doesn't work, when other games have already shown it's possible to have separate NPCs who actually form part of the gameplay interaction: Ico, Resident Evil 4 and Bioshock Infinite are the ones off the top of my head, and I'm sure there are others.

If Naughty Dog didn't want protecting Ellie to be a core part of the gameplay, then they shouldn't have spent so much of their time hammering that theme in the cutscenes. If they did want to tell that story, then they should have found a way to integrate it into the gameplay. That's what great developers do, after all.

It's like you played a completely different game.

Joel is forced to take her, and she is forced to travel with Joel, despite repeatedly claiming she can take care of herself, and she saves Joel, and she is completely self-sufficient in later parts of the game.

And your examples are completely shit. RE4, what? Hiding in a bin for ten minutes when you play? Infinite's partner AI is complete crap too. Ico is a fine example, but the game is trying to do something very different, and you do have to look after her.

 

[Kinyou]

What diffiulty? Perhaps it was patched in because I've never heard of it.

Hard and survival. Maybe you just managed your resources better

 

[lukeskymac]

So, this thread has progressed to the point that gamers are now fighting over whether to throw Resident Evil 4 or TLOU under the bus harder over gameplay mechanics? Seriously?

Jimmies well and truly rustled, it would seem.

Spoiler

I do think having making Ellie invisible to the enemies is a total cop-out, no matter what Naughty Dog may have said during development. If the story is about protecting Ellie from dangerous forces, then the gameplay should reflect that. Having zombies and humans pose a huge threat to her in cutscenes, only to have them be a non-threat at all to her in-game, is oil sitting on top of water. Speaking of which...

Ellie DOES get in danger during gameplay, and if you don't help her she dies and it counts as a game over.

You're acting as if the only way for Naughty Dog to implement AI for Ellie is in a half-hearted way that doesn't work, when other games have already shown it's possible to have separate NPCs who actually form part of the gameplay interaction: Ico, Resident Evil 4 and Bioshock Infinite are the ones off the top of my head, and I'm sure there are others.

What the hell am I even reading.

Ashley is universally hated for having an incredibly incompetent AI and causing some of the stupidest gameovers known to man.
Elizabeth literally can't get hurt or make you known to enemies. So that's even less than what happens with Ellie.
And Ico is just a bad, horrible comparison.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

Hard and survival. Maybe you just managed your resources better

How does she do it? Does she throw them to Joel or give them to him? I'm going to have to waste all my bullets now just so I can see this! I thought I'd seen ALL the interactions.

 

[Fallout-with-swords]

You're acting as if the only way for Naughty Dog to implement AI for Ellie is in a half-hearted way that doesn't work, when other games have already shown it's possible to have separate NPCs who actually form part of the gameplay interaction: Ico, Resident Evil 4 and Bioshock Infinite are the ones off the top of my head, and I'm sure there are others.

If Naughty Dog didn't want protecting Ellie to be a core part of the gameplay, then they shouldn't have spent so much of their time hammering that theme in the cutscenes. If they did want to tell that story, then they should have found a way to integrate it into the gameplay. That's what great developers do, after all.

I seem to remember them hammering home the exact opposite.

 

[LookAtMeGo]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/05/the-last-of-us-review



http://www.gameinformer.com/games/t...-us-review-naughty-dogs-grim-masterpiece.aspx



http://www.gaming-age.com/2013/06/the-last-of-us-review-for-ps3/



http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/05/the-last-of-us-review/



http://www.edge-online.com/review/the-last-of-us-review/



http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-05-the-last-of-us-review



http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-last-of-us-255287.phtml



http://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/the-last-of-us-review/1900-580/

I had a bunch of other reviews in this post that heap praise onto the gameplay, but it turns out that the forum does have a character limit. But every major site praised its gameplay.

Damn son!

 

[Kinyou]

How does she do it? Does she throw them to Joel or give them to him? I'm going to have to waste all my bullets now just so I can see this! I thought I'd seen ALL the interactions.

She has to be close to you and there's just a short hand movement (similar to giving someone a gift in the MP). So, not much interaction. I think she also says something like "here, for you"

 

[CambriaRising]

The story is amazing, but I wouldn't have replayed it 6 times if the gameplay wasn't also amazing.

 

[TheBaronOfNA]

american-history-x-o.gif

I think you should think before using that clip again

 

[GribbleGrunger]

She has to be close to you and there's just a short hand movement (similar to giving someone a gift in the MP). So, not much interaction. I think she also says something like "here, for you"

Well sod me! Perhaps it's like I said though ... perhaps it's when you're in a situation that can't be solved because you have no other weapons and there's an enemy that requires a certain type of take down.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

Why do people keep bringing up Ico as a comparison? That game was designed with a damsel in distress in mind. That is the sole reason for combat. They are all scripted moments where you fend off enemies to protect Yorda.

That is not what The Last of Us is about. Ellie is not a damsel in distress and is mkre than capable to protect herself. It just so happens that her AI sometimes has janky pathfinding. It would not be fun playing protect the girl everytime she gets spotted nor would it be acceptable if she always remained hidden until the area was clear.... because you can skip combat in many areas.

 

[StuBurns]

Well sod me! Perhaps it's like I said though ... perhaps it's when you're in a situation that can't be solved because you have no other weapons and there's an enemy that requires a certain type of take down.

No, it's not.

 

[Mohasus]

So your reason to say something gets old is because you refuse to use any other way? Some people are weird.

I don't refuse, I shoot guys and do all the other shit when it is needed. Being effective is the basic of resource management.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

I don't refuse, I shoot guys and do all the other shit when it is needed. Being effective is the basic of resource management.

What was the point of this comment again?

Not for me. Throwing a brick and then hitting a guy from behind gets old fast.

 

[Achilles_]

I didn't get to play the PS3 version, but I can't wait to get my hands on the PS4 version!