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How The Last of Us became 'the greatest story' ever told in video games

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ÆMNE22A!C

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
What I am even supposed to respond to this?

Last I checked said game got a live action, super faithful iteration which is currently at 99% critic score and 96% from audience.. after hearing for years (from people who, again, never played the game) that story was only praised because of videogame standards and it would make for a B-Movie tier product at best in the "real world".
I'd love to see what would happen with your candidates..

You don't like it, fine, that's just a drop in the ocean of praises and cultural significance the game had.

Plus:

1 - This is about The Last of Us, the single game came out in 2013 directed by Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann.
Not about "TLOU series", which I couldn't give a shit about.

2 - Said TV series is also a huge downgrade in directing, art direction, and cinematography from the game, and imo even performances, along with the complete lack of the special sauce which made the experience so memorable and unique, which is obviously the interactive nature of its storytelling.

Listen to Herr Claus. Your opinion just doesn't match up with the consensus. Take a deep breath and remember Claus's words of absolute truth.

The Office Lol GIF by MOODMAN
 
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coffinbirth

Member
A good article, from Polygon?

You can tell 90% of people responding in this Thread never played the game.
It definitely did something to me no game in 20 years, nor movie at the time actually, managed to do. I never cared so much for fictional characters before nor after, surely in large part due to its interactive nature (i.e. Ellie jumping on the back of an enemy to save my ass during an encounter, at the perfect time in their growing relationship) combined with its expertise in basically every field.
Is it "the best story ever told in gaming"? I don't know, but I certainly would never be mad at such statement on this game because it really was a lightning in a bottle.

Still, couldn't give a single shit about the TV series, nor the future of the game series for that matter.
And only 40% of those players finished the game on PS4...so most of the people that actually played the game have no idea how said story even ends, haha.
Personally, I thought the story was good and the atmosphere great, but a LOT of the actual gameplay was garbage. Have no desire to play PT.2.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
At the time of its original launch, I thought the first one was great. Though I didn't really care for the sequel, I just thought it was fine. It didn't feel super different to me, and it didn't feel like something deeply moving either. In the end, I felt like the characters really made the story, rather than the story itself.

Nothing wrong with people having their own opinion, but I'm really having a hard time accepting people looking at TLOU and thinking it's the "greatest story ever told" in video games. It's wild to me. Honestly lately I've been feeling overwhelmed with all the "TLOU IS THE BEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE" stuff.
 
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It's for sure a well executed story in a video game, it's what Naughty Dog is known for. But come on...we're a generation (i'm assuming most of us) that grew up on I Am Legend, The Walking Dead, Left 4 Dead, World War Z, etc. Soooo much media had some father daugter angle - off the top of my head I can think of Taken. How is it that The Last of Us came off as a good original story to anyone at the time? It's so basic, nothing groundbreaking, unimaginative. even the characters are kind of meh. For a post apocalyptic zombie game, there was nothing original in the The Last of Us story compared to other zombie games at the time. Just because God of War now has a Father-son angle (like so much media) doesn't mean the story is suddenly better either or relatable (to me its generic).

I really enjoyed the first episode last night. But still...it's embarrassing for video games if this is the showcase story for the medium.
 
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Fatbody

Member
I found the post apocalypse zombie setting to be pretty stale even back in 2013. Ellie is a straight rip off of Ellen Page’s Juno. Not just in the obvious physical appearance but in the character too. And Joel shares similarities to the Walking Dead’s Rick. It’s all incredibly derivative of other forms of media.
 

Chukhopops

Member
Just watched the first episode, that was pretty good and they put a lot of effort into recreating some of the game’s scenes. I liked it more than I expected (I’m not sold on Pedro Pascal though).

However… turning the game into a series really highlights how basic the story is since there are dozens of post apocalyptic road movies and series. Saying this story is better than some CRPGs is just weird to me - a better argument would be about really well crafted characters in a somewhat basic premise.
 

ZehDon

Member
Hot damn - that is how you do clickbait. Top tier stuff, Polygon.

The Greatest Story Ever Told in Video Games®, the interactive storytelling medium, is, apparently, an entirely passive and non-interactive one. "Agency", "consequences" - fuck that noise! A screenplay, some actors, and a whole bunch of dialogue - now that's a fucking video game.
 

RaduN

Member
I’m curious to know which games you think have better performance capture (including voice acting) than TLOU?

It’s leaps and bounds ahead of almost everything else IMO, except maybe some of Ninja Theory’s work.

Rockstar come close, but it’s often too scenery chewing and OTT.
Death Stranding.

The game is consistently well acted, but that damn masterpiece of an ending has absolutely mind blowing performances and one in particular, Hardman, has a certain scene that is by far the best real-time performance capture in any game ever made.
It's not even close.

Of course, that's not to say TLOU2 is not great. It's fabulous, but the devs fell into the let's exaggerate every single gesture just a bit, so everybody thinks is so impressive, trap.
 
Oh man. I was actually looking forward to watching the show because HBO, even though my three attempts to play the game have all been failures, but now I can't help but seriously suspect the overhype for the show is real.

The Last of Us story is generic and derivative (at least the parts I've seen), so this amount of nonsensical waffle is really off putting. The story of Lee and Clementine... Sorry, I mean Joel and Ellie... Has been told at least a thousand times before.

Will still watch it though once a few episodes are out.
 

Gambit2483

Member
Oh man. I was actually looking forward to watching the show because HBO, even though my three attempts to play the game have all been failures, but now I can't help but seriously suspect the overhype for the show is real.

The Last of Us story is generic and derivative (at least the parts I've seen), so this amount of nonsensical waffle is really off putting. The story of Lee and Clementine... Sorry, I mean Joel and Ellie... Has been told at least a thousand times before.

Will still watch it though once a few episodes are out.
I'd still suggest actually playing the game over watching the series....it's more meaningful going into TLOU2
 
I loved the Uncharted franchise and somehow i went into TLOU with no expectations, actually i watched very little footage on it before release. I can agree with this article, yes there are a ton of games with great stories but TLOU they paced it so well, I thought it was GOOD in the first 2 hours, then all of a sudden its BETTER and halfway point its AMAZING. The story never felt stale or that you felt like something is being repeated nor did I think of it as a zombie game which everyone was sick of. It was its own thing.

Yakuza is fun...it aint oscar worthy acting/story. Its goofy to a point. Nier is great but I mean if you dont pay attention, its nonsensical. Especially since you have to get to the ending "E" to get the final ending which means you finish the game 5 times? Ueda games, they are emotional but they are more artistic. Story is minimal and more left to interpretation. Souls games? The story is in some random writings you find if you are lucky to expand the lore. Point it, TLOU plays like a movie which is why the story is more easily consumed by the majority of people and which is why it is such a gripping story because you wont miss a beat if you didnt look behind some car and completely missed the whole plot because you didnt explore enough.
 

Three

Gold Member
I loved the Uncharted franchise and somehow i went into TLOU with no expectations, actually i watched very little footage on it before release. I can agree with this article, yes there are a ton of games with great stories but TLOU they paced it so well, I thought it was GOOD in the first 2 hours, then all of a sudden its BETTER and halfway point its AMAZING. The story never felt stale or that you felt like something is being repeated nor did I think of it as a zombie game which everyone was sick of. It was its own thing.

Yakuza is fun...it aint oscar worthy acting/story. Its goofy to a point. Nier is great but I mean if you dont pay attention, its nonsensical. Especially since you have to get to the ending "E" to get the final ending which means you finish the game 5 times? Ueda games, they are emotional but they are more artistic. Story is minimal and more left to interpretation. Souls games? The story is in some random writings you find if you are lucky to expand the lore. Point it, TLOU plays like a movie which is why the story is more easily consumed by the majority of people and which is why it is such a gripping story because you wont miss a beat if you didnt look behind some car and completely missed the whole plot because you didnt explore enough.
It's not even the article that's making the claim. It's the persons opinion who did the TV adaptation. One that isn't even that insane. Critics seem to love the TV adaptation of that story. I don't know why that is an "Insufferable" thing to say to some though.
 
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Kumomeme

Member
TLOU merely success at achieving what some others videogame not able to do that time(or never intended to do), which is bring a tv/film 'feels' of storyline in videogame and they succeed because the realistic setting of it. it might 'opened' eye to those who clueless toward storytelling in videogame that the platform is also able to output film level of story. but they simply become unware just because they ignorant toward the rest of videogame out there that existed for decades. thats all. and because they is unware all this time, they doesnt realize what kind of quality storytelling already existed before and just because this is the only title that captured their attention, they think this is some first life-time breakthrough or something LMAO.

it has its 'magic' because it is a videogame mimicking actual film/tv series. for a videogame player, it is awesome but if it a film or tv series at first place then it just another zombie with parent-daughter conflict of series. thats how far the imagination, world building, lore, characters etc goes.

but sure, there is great plot, character in it but as 'the best in videogame?' how about Metal Gear Solid or Final Fantasy for example. there is more if we want to count to what kind of videogame that already existed since earliest day of the industry. deep storytelling already existed atleast over 30 years before. only differences, during ps3 era is where devs finally able to capture fullfledge of actor performance thanks to technology advancement.

its like claiming train to busan is greatest story told ever than lord of the ring etc.
 
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Three

Gold Member
but if it a film or tv series at first place then it just another zombie series. thats how far the imagination, world building, lore, characters etc goes.
I think the article's reason for being written is based on the tv series and it being good. It has 99% on rotten tomatoes and critics and users liked the story there so the praise for the story is not because it's a videogame.
 
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Kumomeme

Member
I think the articles reason for being written is based on the tv series and it being good. It has 99% on rotten tomatoes and critics and users liked the story there so the praise for the story is not because it's a videogame.
i know. i just give response toward the claim of 'the greatest story' ever told in video games.

highly chances this merely just another journalist clickbait.
 

Three

Gold Member
i know. i just give response toward the claim of 'the greatest story' ever told in video games.

highly chances this merely just another journalist clickbait.
My apologies then, I misunderstood and thought you were saying as a movie or tv series the story would be average as just another zombie series but as a game it was considered good.
 

Dr. Claus

Banned
Listen to Herr Claus. Your opinion just doesn't match up with the consensus. Take a deep breath and remember Claus's words of absolute truth.

The Office Lol GIF by MOODMAN
Everything I stated *is* true. Most people who posted played the game. Many didn't share his opinions. Why is that a problem for you?
 
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Power Pro

Gold Member
200w.gif

I really think I'm gonna have to retire from the internet soon...I'm reaching my limit of how much stupidity I can stand anymore. This game doesn't even come close to any great story of any medium. Production value=greatest story; What a crock of shit. It's like an infant being impressed by dangling keys. Just because the game is pretty doesn't make it some master class in writing ffs.
 

Three

Gold Member
There's a Mortal Kombat cartoon sitting on a 90% critic 85% audience score on RT.
I guess Mortal Kombat is the second best video game story ever told.
Was the cartoon a faithful recreation of the story in Mortal kombat the game? Did people say the story in Mortal Kombat the video game is only good because it's a video game? If the answer to these questions are yes (i doubt it but maybe) then what do you have against somebody's opinion that mortal kombat has a good story?
 

Three

Gold Member
People are free to have horribly wrong misinformed opinions.
Like thinking that high online aggregate rating must mean good story.
On rotten tomatoes for a TV series? You would think that's pretty important, no?
I'm not sure there is such a thing as a "wrong opinion" but I think that would be you swimming upstream, not others.
 
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I have a dilemma... I must be one of very few gamers who hasn't played the last of us depite having now two copies of it lol. Do I hold back on the show? Or play and watch the show at the same time?

My brother got me the ps4 remaster 2 Christmas ago and plan was to play it before the show in December. Life and works gets in the way. But my Mrs got me a ps5 and last of us remake for Christmas there.

Now what to do. I could watch the first episode with the Mrs tonight or I could play an hour or two of remake before she gets home. Decisions decisions.
 

DragoonKain

Neighbours from Hell
I think at its core, it's kind of a run of the mill zombie story. What made it great was the bond between characters. I guess that's considered part of the story. But plot-wise, I don't think it's some groundbreaking thing.

Personally, I've played games that I thought had more interesting and unique plots.

But it's certainly a good story. What it is though, is something that translates well to TV. Which is why the show is going to be successful. Many games are too convoluted or out there to be translated to a show or movie.
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
The Last of Us franchise is just mediocre story wrapped in industry leading cinematic production values.

CGI, videogame CGI in particular, is awful at portraying human emotion. The medium is far better suited at portraying interesting fantastical concepts + plot over "Ellie, you're like a daughter to me" cringe.
 
I mean c'mon polygon, playing the original game when I was like 16 I realized that having Ellie be the cure of the virus was the most cliché zombie trope out there. Literally every piece of zombie entertainment media has some plot line about discovering a cure. Even something like Uncharted 2 is a far more interesting story.
 
Part 1 is perfection. The post apocalyptic story and immunity situation and race to save humanity is interesting in itself and the ”father-daughter” relationship is highly relatable and just very well-made.

Haven’t got to Part 2 yet but I have it on the shelf, got the story spoiled early and it’s not as interesting for me, seems like it’s mostly just revenge and they kinda forgot about the end of the world.

I think they’re going to milk Part 1 with the TV show far past where Part 1 ended. Could be really interesting.

Hopefully there will be a Part 3 some day where they get the story on track again for how humanity can be saved. Wouldn’t mind if Joel’s fate was just a bad dream Dallas style but I’m kinda over it by now and just want the original story to continue somehow.
Just play part 2 and disregard other people's opinion. I don't adore the game either but even I enjoyed some characters and certain levels that people said were horrible. The gameplay is the highlight and much better than Part 1.
 

Majormaxxx

Member
TLOU2 is poop. TLOU1 is extremely depressing and emotionally manipulative. It forces you to kill the murderous doctor and then has the gall to judge you lol. The focus on feewings is the downfall of ND (Naughty Druckmann) .

Bring back THRILL, adventure and joy. Bring back the real ND (Nathan Drake).

Also the show looks quite good - gotta admit it. Although the progressive notes are there even in the first 20 minutes I saw - race swapping the daughter, attacks on Jesus/Christianity, etc. So bizarre writers feel free to attack just this one religion. I can't imagine the same treatment towards Islam or Judaism .
 
TLOU2 is poop. TLOU1 is extremely depressing and emotionally manipulative. It forces you to kill the murderous doctor and then has the gall to judge you lol. The focus on feewings is the downfall of ND (Naughty Druckmann) .

Bring back THRILL, adventure and joy. Bring back the real ND (Nathan Drake).

Also the show looks quite good - gotta admit it. Although the progressive notes are there even in the first 20 minutes I saw - race swapping the daughter, attacks on Jesus/Christianity, etc. So bizarre writers feel free to attack just this one religion. I can't imagine the same treatment towards Islam or Judaism .
The story of Uncharted 2, the set pieces of Uncharted 3 and the graphics of a new Naughty Dog game.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
TLOU2 is poop. TLOU1 is extremely depressing and emotionally manipulative. It forces you to kill the murderous doctor and then has the gall to judge you lol. The focus on feewings is the downfall of ND (Naughty Druckmann) .

Bring back THRILL, adventure and joy. Bring back the real ND (Nathan Drake).

Also the show looks quite good - gotta admit it. Although the progressive notes are there even in the first 20 minutes I saw - race swapping the daughter, attacks on Jesus/Christianity, etc. So bizarre writers feel free to attack just this one religion. I can't imagine the same treatment towards Islam or Judaism .
TLoU2 forces you to kill Alice. I hated that ever since.
 
I can't wait to play this game for the first time in March and be disappointed just like I did with all those "prestige" titles ported to PC since HZD.

Not even the best videogame story released in other media this week (nier automata)
Me too, the port begging is pathetic, only for these games to flop on PC so they can spite Sony and pirate the game instead. Wasted resources on market that doesnt enjoy the games enough to buy them. Pc gamers are speaking with their wallets and Sony is taking notes....got some F2P games planned for yall to try out soon.


Look Out Paramount Network GIF by Yellowstone
 
Me too, the port begging is pathetic, only for these games to flop on PC so they can spite Sony and pirate the game instead. Wasted resources on market that doesnt enjoy the games enough to buy them. Pc gamers are speaking with their wallets and Sony is taking notes....got some F2P games planned for yall to try out soon. More wall hacks, cronus zen devices and 360 no scopes on the way....


Look Out Paramount Network GIF by Yellowstone
 
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