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The Last Guardian |OT| In my memories, the monster always has kind eyes
- Thread starter Agram
- Start date
Cave Johnson
Member
Yes. The original team leads from Team ICO (Ueda) has started an independent company (GenDesign) during the development of the TLG and has finalized the game as a "contractor".
this screenshot is from 2010 but that looks exactly the same as the finished game that released on tuesday
someone write a tell-all on the last guardian's development PLEASE
Very cool! For some reason I thought Ueda was going to make phone games
Unknown Soldier
Member
The framerate is atrocious on OG PS4. Sony doesn't seriously think we're all going to upgrade to Pros to play this game do they?
The camera is absolutely awful. I'm only about 3 hours in and I already cannot the count the number of times it's decided to spin wildly, show solid walls, cut straight to black to reset it's position, point exactly the wrong way to where I want to look, or just show me a screen full of Trico's feathers instead of my character.
If it weren't for the fact that playing this game is like a Studio Ghibli film come to life, I would have stopped a long time ago. But I can't, because this game is amazing. The beautiful environments, the creative puzzles to solve involving you and your pet giant man-eating beast, the remarkable animation system for you and Trico, and most importantly the sense of wonder that seems altogether missing from gaming these days.
I think it could do with some patching to improve the framerate on OG PS4 and make the camera less spazzy, but it's a lot closer to perfect than most games are these days.
Large portions of the game were already finished but it ran at negative framerates on PS3. I believe one of the early E3 demos on PS3 had to be played back at 2x speed because the game was literally running at half speed at the time just to work. A great deal of the delay for this game was simply waiting for the technology to catch up to it.
It still runs quite poorly on OG PS4 though.
The camera is absolutely awful. I'm only about 3 hours in and I already cannot the count the number of times it's decided to spin wildly, show solid walls, cut straight to black to reset it's position, point exactly the wrong way to where I want to look, or just show me a screen full of Trico's feathers instead of my character.
If it weren't for the fact that playing this game is like a Studio Ghibli film come to life, I would have stopped a long time ago. But I can't, because this game is amazing. The beautiful environments, the creative puzzles to solve involving you and your pet giant man-eating beast, the remarkable animation system for you and Trico, and most importantly the sense of wonder that seems altogether missing from gaming these days.
I think it could do with some patching to improve the framerate on OG PS4 and make the camera less spazzy, but it's a lot closer to perfect than most games are these days.
this screenshot is from 2010 but that looks exactly the same as the finished game that released on tuesday
someone write a tell-all on the last guardian's development PLEASE
Large portions of the game were already finished but it ran at negative framerates on PS3. I believe one of the early E3 demos on PS3 had to be played back at 2x speed because the game was literally running at half speed at the time just to work. A great deal of the delay for this game was simply waiting for the technology to catch up to it.
It still runs quite poorly on OG PS4 though.
Read OT
I'm a couple of hours in and this game is something unique. It's not really game-y, and if you're stuck you can pretty much hop on Trico and hope he has a solution. The mindset while playing is quite relaxed, I must say, and I like to pet the beast and I hope he likes me.
Have to agree with the camera issues in tight spaces though. You'd think that in ten years of making this game they at least would solve a bunch of the camera issues with fixed camera's in tight spaces.
Have to agree with the camera issues in tight spaces though. You'd think that in ten years of making this game they at least would solve a bunch of the camera issues with fixed camera's in tight spaces.
Honestly the camera isn't that bad, FFXV's is way worse to me in combat. It spazzed out pretty bad one time though when I was in a tight space and trying to climb on top of Trico. I'm betting it's a much bigger problem on the base PS4 though when combine it with a dodgy frame rate.
yeah it's inexcusable to be honest. less than month into the pro's launch and sony is already giving sub-par experiences to standard ps4's where the pros get the experience as intended
One real huge positive of TLG to me is that it's the first non-indie game I've played in years that has real stakes no-bullshit platforming. Modern games are so auto-platforming with tons of leeway there's no real challenge. That wouldn't have worked in TLG.
The only reason making jumps or climbs 1,000s of feet in the air gets your adrenaline pumping and your hands sweating is because there's no auto platforming, and if you miss your jump by a bit of an angle or jump a footstep too short, you're gonna fall to your death. The stakes like that make the high up platforming really exciting and it's nice playing a game like that these days.
Also, another great amazing thing about the game is the way Ueda does his interconnected environments like Ico and SoTC. Seeing areas you've been through or that you can look forward to visiting from a distance in different areas just adds so much to creating a grand cohesive world. I love games that do this and Ueda does this stuff the best. I don't even mind when even on PS4 Pro 1080p/30fps mode I get crazy drops because it's usually when I can see like 3/4ths the entire game map on screen at once and it's very epic.
And to balance this post, one negative I have is while the game has a mix of highs and lows, some of the lows are really low. Like you have amazing highs where you're doing daredevil platforming super high up looking down on the entire environment you've passed through to that point and then you have lows where you are tossing a jug onto a platform. Like every game should have some down time to make the highs more exciting, but once you get a good way into the game and get some amazing highs, some of the downtime bits are kinda of "can't wait to get this over with and get back to good bits"
I also think the 2nd half of the game focuses a bit too much on "Make a little progress, feed Trico! Make a little progress, feed Trico!"; I don't remember the first half of the game having so much forced feeding (though it had optional feeding).
The only reason making jumps or climbs 1,000s of feet in the air gets your adrenaline pumping and your hands sweating is because there's no auto platforming, and if you miss your jump by a bit of an angle or jump a footstep too short, you're gonna fall to your death. The stakes like that make the high up platforming really exciting and it's nice playing a game like that these days.
Also, another great amazing thing about the game is the way Ueda does his interconnected environments like Ico and SoTC. Seeing areas you've been through or that you can look forward to visiting from a distance in different areas just adds so much to creating a grand cohesive world. I love games that do this and Ueda does this stuff the best. I don't even mind when even on PS4 Pro 1080p/30fps mode I get crazy drops because it's usually when I can see like 3/4ths the entire game map on screen at once and it's very epic.
And to balance this post, one negative I have is while the game has a mix of highs and lows, some of the lows are really low. Like you have amazing highs where you're doing daredevil platforming super high up looking down on the entire environment you've passed through to that point and then you have lows where you are tossing a jug onto a platform. Like every game should have some down time to make the highs more exciting, but once you get a good way into the game and get some amazing highs, some of the downtime bits are kinda of "can't wait to get this over with and get back to good bits"
I also think the 2nd half of the game focuses a bit too much on "Make a little progress, feed Trico! Make a little progress, feed Trico!"; I don't remember the first half of the game having so much forced feeding (though it had optional feeding).
For those of you who have finished it: could you tell me without giving any specifics (although it may need a spoiler tag anyway) if the game contains any genuine sad, heartbreaking moments? I am asking because I am considering playing it with my 8 year old. He is extremely empathetic and I dont want to disturb him.
Magnetic_North
Member
Is this real life?
am i really posting in a Last Guardian OT?
wow think I'm still dreaming
ordered my copy been waiting since 08 to play this
Team ICO <3
am i really posting in a Last Guardian OT?
wow think I'm still dreaming
ordered my copy been waiting since 08 to play this
Team ICO <3
I feel like a crazy person because I'm very sensitive to framerate issues and found it was perfectly playable outside of the occasional dip on the base PS4
Do not let him watch.
wapplew
Member
MrCookiepants
Member
This game might actually be better than Shadow. It was worth the wait.
I'm blown away.
I'm blown away.
Always-honest
Banned
Is there ANY word on a patch that would allow downsampling?
Sorry, thanx..
Sorry, thanx..
Camera speed is a tad slow, but I imagine you can fine-tune that. It's generally pretty decent at trying to show you important things, tracking Trico, etc. When it fails, and it does, it uses an interesting technique where the screen fades to black and attempts to reorient back into proper game space.
When it only happens once, it's actually really nice and keeps the immersion going. When it happens multiple times, I had it unfortunately "combo" me, to the point where I experienced a completely black screen for nearly 5 seconds! At that point, some other solution would have been preferable (if the camera detects it's effectively stuck, make walls transparent if at all possible so the player can reorient).
It's a very elegant attempt at a solution to a common problem that has a lot of great use cases, and some very poor ones. In the end it's probably a net 0, but somehow stylistically is in line with the game's aesthetic in a weird way.
This
I can almost guarantee that even if the Pro never existed this game's performance on the base PS4 would have been just as bad. It's not like the Pro enhancement is anything to write home about, even the 1080p mode isn't locked 30fps.
Cave Johnson
Member
I've always said that Team ICO's games are the true sequels to OG Tomb Raider in terms of controls and level design. I've always felt a sense of nostalgia playing these games and now I know why... It's the exact same feeling I get playing the original Tomb Raider!!! Because now, these are some of the best level designs I've seen as of late. There's almost no repetiton to how you deal with obstacles and you do so having full control agency despite having limited and latency heavy controls!
SirNinja
Member
I had to turn the camera sensitivity up slightly as I found the default speed a tiny bit sluggish, but other than that I was totally good with it. There were only a few instances (usually tight spaces) where the camera was ever an issue for me.
Then again, I played the hell out of SotC so I'm kinda used to Ueda's cameras by now.
Laurel_McFang
Member
are we actually sure about this? SoTC had such precise controls yet TLG seems to be a bit more floaty. I feel like their math ppl left. I know that the director stayed on but don't we know for sure that the programming staff stayed? for instance we know that some designers left and formed their own company.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
I bought my ps3 to play the last guardian.
Now i bought the last guardian for my ps4.
Feels surreal man.
Now i bought the last guardian for my ps4.
Feels surreal man.
SoTC is as floaty as this but with a better camera and stable framerate (on ps3)
eXistor
Member
I've only played for half an hour (I really want to finish up FFXV first before giving this my full attention), but I'm inlove already. The first few rooms were gorgeous and I'm already more emotionally invested in it than in most other games thos year. The one downside so far is that the camera seems to have a huuuuge deadzone. You have to flick the stick quite a ways before the camera reacts, which makes it very sliuggish. I always put sensitivity up a bit, but it's no help in this. I'm sure I'll adjust, but it seems a strange decision to make it this way.
Cave Johnson
Member
TLG is missing a walk animation. Whether this due to memory limitations or some other programing oversight I do not know but here is their confirmation via their website:
http://www.gendesign.co.jp/E_mobile_top.html
Why didn't you spoiler tag this?
This is the OT and the game isn't even out in the UK yet.
So was SotC!
Conspiracy confirmed
FlutterPuffs
Member
Just finished it. This is worth a PS4 Pro. Definitely GOTY.
AnthonypUK
Member
Good to hear, got my PS Pro because of it - i was always getting one but the TLG performance gap made me escalate it, can't wait.
MrCookiepants
Member
lol, reading the lower scoring reviews is pretty funny. Claiming broken, frustrating mechanics and then detailing a puzzle and how they were doing it completely wrong. Embarrassing.
I bet everyone who scored under an 7 was trying to ride Trico throughout the entire game instead of having him follow. "This isn't working so I'm gonna keep on trying the same thing!". "Wait, you can command him to jump or attack? How was I supposed to know that when I ignored the tutorials!"
I bet everyone who scored under an 7 was trying to ride Trico throughout the entire game instead of having him follow. "This isn't working so I'm gonna keep on trying the same thing!". "Wait, you can command him to jump or attack? How was I supposed to know that when I ignored the tutorials!"
PEGI 12
ESRB Teen
Same team as ICO and SOTC
You probably could have guessed there'd be some stuff in here that could upset an extremely empathetic 8 year old.
It's gonna be fun reading some of those after finishing the game.
Thanks guys, I will probably find another game to play with him during Christmas.
FlutterPuffs
Member
It's not a game you can rush the first time, and requires patience. Sometimes you feel like you want to mash orders to Trico because he seems unresponsive but that can confuse the poor animal.
You know, like how you treat your pets.
FlutterPuffs
Member
Struggling to think how Polygon can say this feels like a Playstation 2 game. It isnt, AT ALL.
That's the first time I have issues with a review for a loooong time.
That's the first time I have issues with a review for a loooong time.
wapplew
Member
Just take it as a compliment. No hand holding, auto platforming, way point, mini map. I take that over modern current gen stuff.
jadedm17
Member
Eh, I get it; That's my thought when I try to climb on Trico and how crazy the boy's animation jumps around.
The game is amazing in a lot of ways but it has a fair amount of flaws too.
jacksepticeye
Member
Some of them did feel a bit off. Some of them almost made it sound like Trico was glitched or broken because I haven't had any crazy bad issues with them following me or ordering them around.
Peotical Injection
Member
Love this game. Pretty sure I'm at the last part. Had to put it down to get some sleep. Beautiful game on the PRO on my 4k display. The people freaking out about the frame rate dropping, shit drops for like 3 seconds when something super crazy happens. I think I might of encountered like 5 parts where the frames dropped. Never did it affect me from completing a task in the game. Didn't hinder my experience at all. Worth it to play in the 4K mode.
Also I was expecting to get stuck at puzzles, but never did. Not saying they aren't challenging or anything, but you really, really have to pay attention to Trico, and the environment you're in. Stop, take your time, and look around. I'm so bummed that I'm going to finish it soon.
Also I was expecting to get stuck at puzzles, but never did. Not saying they aren't challenging or anything, but you really, really have to pay attention to Trico, and the environment you're in. Stop, take your time, and look around. I'm so bummed that I'm going to finish it soon.
GwyndolinCinder
Member
Every god dam button on the controller.
FlutterPuffs
Member
Even with its flaws theres nothing that screams Playstation 2 quality about it.
Just beat it right now on my second playthrough. Now how the fuck do I erase my memory!? What an absolute roller coaster of emotions from start to finish.
Games like these are why I love this medium.
THANK YOU Team ICO/genDESIGN and Sony for believing in this project and the fans and bringing this baby to life. My playthrough was something truly special and will definitely stick with me for the rest of my life. It really really hit home for me. Just thank you so much. I love you all.
Games like these are why I love this medium.
THANK YOU Team ICO/genDESIGN and Sony for believing in this project and the fans and bringing this baby to life. My playthrough was something truly special and will definitely stick with me for the rest of my life. It really really hit home for me. Just thank you so much. I love you all.
For some reason it didn't world last time I used to and that's why I asked...
The only mechanic I hate in this game. -__-
Kinda hesitant to go back to SOTC after this. After bonding with Trico, the thought of killing those colossi again makes me feel like even more of a scumbag than the first time.
LOL, so true, almost seems like a joke from the devs. You literally need to button mash to break free. At least my grandfather is going to immediately grasp that particular mechanic when I lend him the game.
LOL, so true, almost seems like a joke from the devs. You literally need to button mash to break free. At least my grandfather is going to immediately grasp that particular mechanic when I lend him the game.