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[Nappuccino]

Welp, my art book arrived damaged (like someone took a hole punch to a handful of pages) and there doesn't seem to be a good, easy way to replace it. Sony said to contact Amazon, and since Amazon is out of stock they can only offer a refund. I've contacted Sony again with this update. Maybe I'll get some good news.

In the mean time, if anyone has any ideas, or is interested in getting rid of their art book, I'd happily take some PMs.

 

[liquidtmd]

Anyone saying this is a dolled up PS2 game is really revealing a lot about themselves.
This is easily the most "next-gen" feeling game I've played on PS4.

There is no other game that has done what this game is doing. Trico is gaming's greatest technical and artistic marvel.

In the 2 hours I've played, Trico feels 100% like a real, thinking creature.

Yup. I really want to play this mythical PS2 that people owned that they say this game resembles.

It's an easy soundbite I guess that people have run with, irrespective of its technical blips.

 

[Mifune]

I am astonished. So far (only two hours or so) this game has exceeded my every expectation.

Yeah the game has a clunky camera. It also has a colossal dogbird beast with the mannerisms of a real live creature that follows you around.

Ironically The Last Guardian is the most "next-gen" game I've played on the current consoles. Not only is there no way it would have been possible on PS3; it feels like a miracle that it's possible at all.

I am stunned.

 

[wapplew]

Give the sound designer/mixer of TLG a raise.

 

[Guymelef]

This game lighting...

.

 

[beelulzebub]

As a huge fan of Ico and SOTC, I wish I was as high on the game as the rest of you but I'm not quite there.

I didn't know that you could make Trico sit or jump until other posters here said how to do it. That would've saved me a lot of time and trouble. Trico also doesn't eat any barrels unless they're in large open spaces, which takes a lot of time out of the experience if I have to walk them outside.

I'm also having trouble with some of the platforming. Certain angles where there are multiple thin railings you can inch across or hang on make it hard to simply move forward. I'm not sure why pushing up in this context makes me jump up when if that's what I wanted to happen I would simply push triangle. I have to guess the angle to push the joystick in to move forward. Guess incorrectly and I jump up instead and have to drop down and try again.

Jumping off of and dropping down from Trico also seems arbitrary at times. Sometimes jumping when I'm standing on top of his back simply has me leaping forward a few inches. Sometimes dropping down flips me backwards without letting go.

I really want to like the game. There's some real magic here. But it really feels like I'm fighting the game tooth and nail, trying to wrangle it into an enjoyable experience. Maybe I should just put it down for a bit and come back to it another day.

 

[gfxtwin]

Got mixed feelings about this one. But definitely mostly positive. Mainly the camera just doesn't feel good a lot of the time, zooming in through columns, turning on its own in awkward positions, zooming in at awkward times. I feel like most of the issues could've been fixed if that technique where anything blocking the camera becomes transparent was used and if it was smarter about zooming in on the protagonist when in small/cramped areas. But oddly enough, there are often times when it composes an angle that looks downright stylish. Like cinematography almost. It's all over the place, so you gotta manage it by moving it around as you play, which is a bit awkward but keeps it from being an issue most of the time.

Gotta say though, the framerate is worse than I expected on OG PS4. Was kinda shocked that the vast majority of the game runs at 25 or lower fps. The only time it was a consistent 30 was the first area in the game. Gotta get me a PS4pro at some point.

Everything else? Fucking magic, son. Miyazaki. Spielberg. Cried several times, especially when the music kicks in. Not sure I've played anything aside from this and The Last of Us where I had such a visceral emotional reaction to what's on screen. Trico. I could attempt learning animation for most of my life and could never accomplish a fraction of what GenDesign/Sony have done. He's alive. Schedule the Turing test, because I really believe I'm hanging out with a real animal/pet buddy, not a programmed NPC. He's adorable and reminds me of my dog. Can't help but feel for him every time he's on screen. Seriously dreading what the last act of the game has in store, but also excited because I have no idea what to expect.

And the art direction. It's everything you'd want an Ueda game on more powerful hardware to be. I definitely don't see a PS3 game here. Kinda more impressed by this than FFXV to be honest. The sense of scale, that ethereal lighting, the subtle emotions conveyed in all the animation. Expressive and beautiful. It's a complete work, visually speaking, or at least probably is on a PS4pro. It's all about soaking in the atmosphere and spending time with the characters. I just wish it was less linear and you could revisit some areas, but whaddya gonna do.

Overall, technically flawed for sure, but the overall experience is more meaningful to me so far than that in most games I've played. Dope af, hope I don't cry like a baby near the end.

 

[PuppetMaster]

.

I didn't know that you could make Trico sit or jump until other posters here said how to do it. That would've saved me a lot of time and trouble. Trico also doesn't eat any barrels unless they're in large open spaces, which takes a lot of time out of the experience if I have to walk them outside.
.

You know you can just throw the barrels at his face right? You dont need to place it in front of him. I have not had any issue with the throwing method.

 

[beelulzebub]

You know you can just throw the barrels at his face right? You dont need to place it in front of him. I have not had any issue with the throwing method.

I wasn't sure since it didn't work before, but I did try it. I'll try it again next barrel I come across.

 

[Mdk7]

I started playing it yesterday night, at around 9.30. At 3 AM I FORCED myself to go to bed, but part of me really wanted to keep going and finish it in one single sitting.
It's exactly what I expected and dreamed it would be, only even better.
Seriously, I'm in love and in awe at the attention to details, the animations, the atmosphere and the architectures.

What an incredible experience, up to where I am I honestly can't understand how could anyone give this game a score in the range of 6 or 7. Seriously it's beyond me.
Even the camera, that was said to be pretty much a trainwreck, works totally fine to me: sure, it requires a lot of constant tuning and positioning and it's never something you just forget about (on the contrary, my thumb is always on the right analog), but that said I am always able to place it wherever I want it to be. And considering you are dealing with a kid and a creature that's like 8m tall, often in small spaces, that's not bad at all for me.

 

[Phinor]

I still can't verify if this game exists. I went to buy the game from a local electronic/retail chain whose website definitely says they have The Last Guardian in stock in that very store. Nothing on the shelves, asked a clerk about it, he checked two different storages and came up with nothing. No one knows where the games are, but they are definitely in stock!

It just had to happen with this game

 

[Master Milk]

beat the game

amazing etc, etc

apparently i didn't get any trophies. i don't care about trophies, but i found it odd i didn't get any. taking a brief look at the list though, it's no wonder.

 

[IAmAnAgnostic]

I've seen enough of the gameplay to know I'll love this game. (unless it takes a nosedive after some point)

I bought it for PS4 even though it has major framerate issues.. hopefully they aren't too distracting.

 

[WheelHoss1]

First 30 minutes were sublime. Exactly what I wanted. FWIW I never really got into Ico and didn't finish. Looking better here. Also playing in 4K HDR helps. Best looking game I've seen so far maybe not purely technically but tech combined with art design and it's my winner. Reminds me of playing Wind Waker for the first time and just drinking in the visuals lingering in every spot just to look around.

 

[Guymelef]

I've seen enough of the gameplay to know I'll love this game. (unless it takes a nosedive after some point)

I bought it for PS4 even though it has major framerate issues.. hopefully they aren't too distracting.

Don't worry game goes in crescendo.

 

[Bebpo]

So I looked up a walkthrough because I could not for the life of me figure out how to get past the part I mentioned earlier.

I read this page:
https://www.vg247.com/2016/12/06/th...ross-the-broken-stone-bridge-rotating-guards/

And this paragraph here (with the picture of the guy on the ledge above it) is exactly where I was stuck:

Spoiler

Walk to the end of the hall where the closed gate is, climb up on to Trico’s head and press R1 and triangle for it to get up on hind legs again. Climb up the ladder and through the small hole where you’ll find yourself outside again. Follow the ledges to the right and through the next hole.

But I did that like 10 times,

Spoiler

I went outside and followed the hanging path and it was just a dead end? I never found the "next hole" wtf.... I'll check again tomorrow, but I swear there was not a hole outside to go back inside. I probably spent 60 mins stuck here tonight.

Although pulling up the walkthrough was pretty helpful because it listed what the controls are for Trico because even after 90 mins or so commanding him I had them wrong since the game never directly tells you what each command did. I thought since triangle is JUMP for the kid, it would be JUMP for Trico, but this guide says R1+X is jump for Trico, and R1+Triangle is get on hind legs. I also thought R1+O was grab since O is grab with the kid but no, apparently that's how you tell him where to go. I thought you just pointed in a direction and pressed R1 to tell Trico where to go. Game really needed to have an better explanation screen for Trico command controls. I mean it's full of completely unnecessary tutorials for way too long that cover a huge chunk of the screen for little stuff like grabbing, climbing, etc... that you can't turn off (this bothers me since it covers the screen, sometimes in gorgeous moments), but yet it doesn't explain the individual commands actions even though they are necessary to progress in the game :| Maybe I'll enjoy the game better next session now knowing what the actual controls are. I want to love this as a huge Team Ico fan, but it was really frustrating. Definition of love/hate moment by moment.

 

[Kaako]

Decided to call it a night and get some rest cause I do not wanna play this tired.

This game is the real deal, holy shit! That magical Team ICO feel, this has it in abundance. I will never get tired of making them big jumps on Trico's back. It is incredible and indescribable almost. The set pieces are also well done and satisfying once you complete them yourself. I'm really really loving my playthrough so far. Looking forward to tomorrow evening to pick up where I left off. It was a surreal moment pressing the any button for the first time and I teared up a bit, I'm not gonna lie lol. Been a long time coming...

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Quick question: does feeding the barrels to Trico (outside of required moments like the intro) do anything beyond the trophy?

Anyone?

 

[Guymelef]

Anyone?

I don't think so.

 

[Cave Johnson]

Anyone?

According to previewa, it can "strengthen" the bond between you and Trico. I also vaguely remember that you can feed him bad food and you'll get vice-versa respinse. Don't know if not made it into the final game.

 

[GwyndolinCinder]

It becomes an issue when puzzles become more obscure and you're not 100% certain what to do next.

People must be really use to getting their hand held,there is nothing obscure at all in the game.
I can only imagine someone could get stuck, because they forgot something they learnt how to do earlier

The problem is that he doesn't respond instantly. So you tell him to do something and wait and maybe he does it, or maybe he does something else and then you try to course correct him to do something else, but yeah good luck.
For general walking movement once he starts in the wrong direction, it's way quicker to just run on foot and call him than try to confusedly get him to turn around and walk in the correct direction.

He's not meant to respond instantly, he is an animal.
Theres loads of ways you can help convince him to do stuff, but you aren't issuing commands.
Maybe people will realize this at the E3 re-reveal set piece

Spoiler

where trico is begging you to jump, cause he will catch you.The only reason the kid assumes this is what hes saying, is because trico had done it earlier.

 

[usp84]

Played for a bit today the game is looking good and i can't say i am distracted by any of the problems like framerate or camera.

Using L1 to adjust the camera is really usefull.

 

[Hanmik]

Anyone?

Check his wounds.. check his horns.. yes that is what the barrels do..

Spoiler

Heal Toriko

 

[dreamfall]

God damn, god damn!

I unwrapped the game at 6pm, took an hour break and it is now 5am. There are few games that will ever do this to me, and thank God for Ueda and his team. This game is magical all around - it takes some patience in moments when Trico doesn't respond how you envision but everything is so lovely. These puzzles are beautiful, these set pieces are incredible, and there's no feeling like hanging on for dear life when Trico is getting ready for a jump or a dive. I don't want to say anything about the game until I'm finished but I'm progressing and loving so much of it. Bravo to this team, it reminds me of the magic of experiencing Ico for the first time.

I'm also playing on a regular PS4, and there are definitely performance woes - have seen frames drop massively, but it hasn't hindered my enjoyment of the game much at all. There something so peaceful about trying to figure out how to open the next gate, and just stopping to pet Trico for a bit - because the creature is a technical marvel.

 

[Mushroomer25]

Yup. I really want to play this mythical PS2 that people owned that they say this game resembles.

It's an easy soundbite I guess that people have run with, irrespective of its technical blips.

In terms of level design, it very much feels like a previous-gen title. A lot of small rooms, limited enemies, and repeating themes/templates. It gets startlingly modern when Trico is considered. His AI feels like something else, emulating animal behavior to a very natural degree. He's what makes this a next - gen title, in terms of game design.

 

[wapplew]

Just saw this TLG Ad from Playstation EU.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M3X6lKwZ1k

 

[GwyndolinCinder]

Quick question: does feeding the barrels to Trico (outside of required moments like the intro) do anything beyond the trophy?

Maybe, theres tons of stuff the game doesnt tell you. Alot of it is hard to prove your not just experiencing a placebo effect.

 

[melkier33]

Although pulling up the walkthrough was pretty helpful because it listed what the controls are for Trico because even after 90 mins or so commanding him I had them wrong since the game never directly tells you what each command did. I thought since triangle is JUMP for the kid, it would be JUMP for Trico, but this guide says R1+X is jump for Trico, and R1+Triangle is get on hind legs. I also thought R1+O was grab since O is grab with the kid but no, apparently that's how you tell him where to go. I thought you just pointed in a direction and pressed R1 to tell Trico where to go.

That is kinda of interesting. I was using the controls like you would have thought and didn't have much of a problem. Heck even hitting triangle at times made trico jump up and down when nothing was there to jump on. I also always pointed to where I wanted him to go and worked OK for the most part. I think he responds better when your not on top of him. It might be if he's looking at you, but I think it has a lot to do with not wanting the player to ride him through out the game.

 

[silva1991]

Wouldn't lowering the res to 720 be the best solution to solve fps issues on OG PS4? at least it should be an option.

I'm assuming it runs at 1080 on OG PS4 of course.

 

[GwyndolinCinder]

Wouldn't lowering the res to 720 be the best solution to solve fps issues on OG PS4? at least it should be an option.

I'm assuming it runs at 1080 on OG PS4 of course.

900p would help a ton, its not really the framerates that bothered me, so much as the hitching.

 

[klier]

Downloading as we speak.

Ready to dive in when I get back home.

Jesus, this is going to be a long day at the office!

 

[DieNgamers]

I can't believe the game is out. Is this real?

Remember.

 

[commissar]

1) Wow. wow.

2) My dog growls at Trico so I will have to play when she's in another room lol

 

[piccio_ssl]

IT'S HERE

 

[Donthizz#]

walking and climbing is so much fun in this game, in UC4 it got old really quick.

people at naughty dog should learn from this.

 

[GwyndolinCinder]

1) Wow. wow.

2) My dog growls at Trico so I will have to play when she's in another room lol

lol, i've got three cats who just kept stroking him and licking him.

 

[SirNinja]

It looks like the Mini soundtrack (preorder bonus at some places), Collector's Edition Soundtrack, and the Composer's Choice Soundtrack (the one that's official DLC, available to anyone) all have at least one exclusive track. Mini has "Homeward", and Collector's has "The Cage". The Composer's Choice soundtrack is by far the most comprehensive, although it's a shame there's no way to buy every track in one go; it's all really good stuff.

Had to force myself to stop playing to get some sleep. I'm so glad this game turned out to be everything I expected - and a whole lot more.

 

[andylsun]

Played about 90 minutes so far. Love it. Exactly what I wanted but also plenty of unexpected surprises.

Didn't really notice any performance issues on OG PS4 and I did speed the camera sensitivity up before I started playing.

My dog, who would normally bark if a dog came on the TV seemed chilled. Just sitting on my lap watching me play.

It's a shame I'm going to have to play this in small doses, can't really commit more than a couple of hours a play session.

As a member of The Last Guardian Support Group I'm very happy indeed.

 

[Audioboxer]

beat the game

amazing etc, etc

apparently i didn't get any trophies. i don't care about trophies, but i found it odd i didn't get any. taking a brief look at the list though, it's no wonder.

LOL.

That is amazing. I don't think I've ever heard of a game being completed with no trophies

Cmon Friday!

 

[beril]

Played a couple of hours. It really is a technical mess, and not particularly impressive looking. Trying to get immersed in the world at sub 20 fps with an annoying camera isn't easy

 

[NAPK1NS]

While my initial impressions were overwhelmingly positive, I'm definitely feeling my patience has decayed. The frame rate is one thing. But in conjunction with a camera that battles with you and puzzles that require spacial survey it's annoying. I spent about 40 minutes last night trying to get Trico to get me up to a specific ledge. Taking away player agency is a big risk and it hasn't always payed off here. I'm basically negotiating with a piece of moving architecture at all times and it's frustrating. Heads up: I never did get him to lift me onto the ledge even after 40 minutes. The walkthrough I was watching actually faded to black and cut ahead to when the bastard actually lifted him up properly. It's like playing Marco Polo with a puppy and the experience has given way to a whole new level of frustration in my gaming life. I've waited a long time for this but I don't think I'm going to continue playing. The game makes me angry and I don't think that's the intention.

 

[nny]

It's waiting for me at the store :O

*runs in circles*

 

[Elios83]

I'll get my CE in a few hours =)


Btw great thread title!

 

[GwyndolinCinder]

I spent about 40 minutes last night trying to get Trico to get me up to a specific ledge. Taking away player agency is a big risk and it hasn't always payed off here.

You are doing something very wrong, post a video of how your trying to get trico to do things?

 

[Elios83]

While my initial impressions were overwhelmingly positive, I'm definitely feeling my patience has decayed. The frame rate is one thing. But in conjunction with a camera that battles with you and puzzles that require spacial survey it's annoying. I spent about 40 minutes last night trying to get Trico to get me up to a specific ledge. Taking away player agency is a big risk and it hasn't always payed off here. I'm basically negotiating with a piece of moving architecture at all times and it's frustrating. Heads up: I never did get him to lift me onto the ledge even after 40 minutes. The walkthrough I was watching actually faded to black and cut ahead to when the bastard actually lifted him up properly. It's like playing Marco Polo with a puppy and the experience has given way to a whole new level of frustration in my gaming life. I've waited a long time for this but I don't think I'm going to continue playing. The game makes me angry and I don't think that's the intention.

Ummm 40 minutes sounds like you're continuing to do the wrong thing thinking that it's the game that doesn't respond.
You should ask for help instead or watch an other walkthrough.

 

[Guymelef]

Played a couple of hours. It really is a technical mess, and not particularly impressive looking. Trying to get immersed in the world at sub 20 fps with an annoying camera isn't easy

Not true.

 

[MrCookiepants]

This game is incredible. It's both familiar and completely unique at the same time. Trico is a marvel. Most impressive AI character ever.

 

[Rozart]

Just got my copy! And wow. The steelbook is beautiful. This has got to be one of the prettiest steelbook casings that I own.

Also, for anyone else who bought the steelbook edition, did yours come with a dynamic theme? Because mine didn't.

 

[Fix The Scientist]

The way this game can make my mood swing from complete awe to complete frustration then back to wondrous beauty then back to why cant this fucking clueless catdog move 2 feet forward you stupid fucking braindead animal oh god it just nuzzled up to me i'm going to cry... It's quite an experience.

 

[Y2Kev]

Sounds like it's easy to love this game if you loved SotC.

It's easy to love the game if you have human emotion imo

Ludonarrative dissonance is such a big topic in the industry these days. I feel like someone should write about how this game is such a great example of ludonarrative harmony. It comes with it some "baggage" that you see a lot of people complain about to make sure what the game is telling you / showing you are consistent with what you can do as a player. Maybe I'll do that.