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[AcceptableGhost]

I guess I will crosspost my feelings on this game:

Completed hard mode in about 12 hours with 72 "collectibles" or whatever, so I looked around a bit.

Some notes I guess.

-The biggest thing, this games checkpoints are fucking horrible. This game is literally suffocated in checkpoints. There is no tension to any fight in this game, almost every combat scenario has checkpoints almost every minute - often mid-fight (sometimes the checkpoints.. put me ahead of where I died). Does Naughty Dog have no faith in themselves to make compelling combat sandboxes that last more than 30 seconds? Or do they have no faith in me?

-Got that signature "throw down this ladder!", "help me get across here by pressing triangle" Naughty Dog style. Actually, a lot of holding forward and pressing triangle in this game. Probably more than the Uncharted series actually, but I guess this game at least doesn't have those terrible "puzzles" that the Uncharted series has.

-At its best the game plays like a poor man's Manhunt and at its worst it plays like a poor man's Uncharted. The first half of the game has some fairly compelling scenarios, but the more powerful Joel gets the less interesting the game becomes for the most part. A good chunk of the game in the last half almost feels like a vanilla cover based shooter - except moving around a little bit makes the enemies forget you existed. The game is at its best when it is stealth with the odds stacked heavily against you (sadly this is limited almost to the beginning where your new to the game, some parts with clickers, and the very, very end of the game where the enemies have both helmets and combat armor). The game is pretty easy from beginning to end, partially due to the enemy AI (on human enemies largely) being hilariously exploitable (sometimes literally moving to another piece of cover slightly adjacent to the one you are attached to will put them back in "don't know where Joel is AT ALL" mode). Also Joel has a shit ton of health which doesn't really seem fitting to the game (considering the crazy lenient check pointing). I think I felt "resource strain" maybe twice in the entire game, so that is almost never an issue.

-I understand they felt the need to change it up but whenever the game switches combat scenarios from "stealth sandbox" to something more straight forward (hordes of infected rushing at you, shooting at stuff with AI companions) it literally could not get any more dull.

-Perhaps survivor mode would address some of this stuff but considering the game I just played I don't think it would scale in any real meaningful way (unless Naughty Dog put a lot of effort into it, which they never do). Also I wouldn't replay this for a long while due to the tremendous amount of "hold forward, press triangle to drop ladder, etc" stuff in the game.

-Anyone comparing this game to Resident Evil 4 needs to be discredited immediately.

-Art is great. Amazing "atmosphere". Love the no load times post launch and near instant reload times. Well written but filled to the brim with tropes. I don't think I was ever really surprised at anything that happened in the game. The game thinks its more clever than it actually is in pretty much everything it tries to do.

-A trophy was bugged for me. I got the Hard Mode trophy, and the normal mode trophy unlocked but not the easy mode one.

Anyway, back to trying to 1CC the arcade release of Ghost 'N Goblins.

 

[mxgt]

-The companion AI isn't as good as I expected. Rushing into open areas and even walking passed guys who are searching for you really breaks that suspension of disbelief. I understand the point of it but it's an immersion killer.

This is by far my biggest complaint so far. The game throws so many clickers at you and the AI stomps around as loud as possible while you're trying to be as quiet as possible and they don't react.

It completely kills the mood, so annoying.

 

[Quikies83]

This game really pulls on my heart strings, at moments.... I love it.

Just finished

Spoiler

The Museum

and what took place towards the end..... wow.... I'm hurting emotionally.

 

[toastyToast]

got damn

You showed a lot of guts bro

 

[Fix The Scientist]

Could different ps3 models have different performance with this game? I have an older model and my framerate is goddamn shitty, i'm surprised there aren't more complaints about it around here (or in any of the reviews for that matter) so perhaps some people are getting bigger fps dips than others?

 

[cormack12]

so I can't move and my flash light is flicking. On the bottom left of the screen it is telling me to shake the controller, but nothing is happening. wtf is this?

Is it a sixaxis controller? You have to shake it (like a torch) to make your light brighter again. If it's not sixaxis I guess you could go into options and disable tutorials/hints whatever it is so it doesn't stall you moving?

 

[jacksepticeye]

This is by far my biggest complaint so far. The game throws so many clickers at you and the AI stomps around as loud as possible while you're trying to be as quiet as possible and they don't react.

It completely kills the mood, so annoying.

Yep first clicker area I was quiet as a mouse and Ellie jumps over a barrier and shouts "Holy Shit!" it totally pulled me out of the game and destroyed the tension.

I get people not seeing them but the AI should shut the fuck up in these situations

 

[RS4-]

If you've got a mic (or not) and want to play MP, add me: resonating

 

[MMaRsu]

I find it hard to scrape up enough supplies for a single shiv. I'm in the

Spoiler

Museum

. Having to pass by a shiv door, and barely having used any on the clickers is kinda 'meh'.

The shiv door is just for supplies.

 

[The Main Event]

Could different ps3 models have different performance with this game? I have an older model and my framerate is goddamn shitty, i'm surprised there aren't more complaints about it around here (or in any of the reviews for that matter) so perhaps some people are getting bigger fps dips than others?

I have a phat PS3 60GB and it runs perfectly fine.

Loving the atmosphere and the story so far. The AI however, having the same issues as Uncharted 3. Dumb and glitchy.

 

[Sethos]

Yep first clicker area I was quiet as a mouse and Ellie jumps over a barrier and shouts "Holy Shit!" it totally pulled me out of the game and destroyed the tension.

I get people not seeing them but the AI should shut the fuck up in these situations

Yeah, I just think it's funny when they go "Shhh or they'll hear us" ( Something like that ) then proceed to stand right in front of them, run around a bit and then back into cover.

 

[Dany]

Is every encounter avoidable?

 

[Hixx]

Ah ok thanks,just wanted to make sure as I found it odd that at 35% completion I get to the first bench and I have none of those...

Sorry for the late reply but I found my first tool in

Spoiler

Bill's "armoury". On one of the shelves.

-

Anyway, spoilers for about 45% through

Spoiler

the bit in the hotel's flooded basement with the generator and keycard was TENSE AS HELL. I couldn't bring myself to fight my way through, I just tried to sprint through after I'd booted the generator... got caught by the Bloater like 4 times but I got lucky on the last attempt and got to the door without even seeing an enemy!

Game gets better and better, I love it. Also I have to say the aiming has pleasantly surprised me after how woeful it was in Uncharted 3, I really enjoy lining up my shots in this game.

What sort of success are people having with bow and arrow? Feels too underpowered to do anything for me. Have one upgrade for it (distance +20% I think). Anyone finding it effective for particular enemies or setups?

It's incredibly useful for long-range stealth kills. But the enemy basically has to be standing still because the arrow is pretty slow. It's allowed me to stealth sections I otherwise wouldn't have been able to. Great for clickers and hunters who are patrolling, fairly useless for everything else I've found.

 

[j-wood]

Could different ps3 models have different performance with this game? I have an older model and my framerate is goddamn shitty, i'm surprised there aren't more complaints about it around here (or in any of the reviews for that matter) so perhaps some people are getting bigger fps dips than others?

It's possible? I'm playing on the PS3 slim (the one that has the auto disc slot still) and I haven't had any issues with framerate or slowdown

 

[toastyToast]

It gets even weirder when

Spoiler

Bill

joins the gang. Dude was clumsy as shit

 

[Zemm]

I guess I will crosspost my feelings on this game:

Damn son, I agree with all of this, although I haven't played Manhunt. I still enjoyed the game a lot but you are spot on with these complaints.

 

[Uno Venova]

Boy, the level after

Spoiler

falling down the elevator shaft

was intense.

 

[Xanathus]

Some of the enemy's detection AI seems broken. I repeated a checkpoint a crazy number of times (mid-game? spoiler) immediately after

Spoiler

you swap partners with Henry

trying to get it done stealthily but the Runner that walks into the room on the left side always instantly detects me the moment I'm within a certain distance of it regardless of which way it was facing. I wasn't even crouch-moving at full speed (though I think that only applies to clickers), it attacks me the instant there's line-of-sight when I move out of cover. In the end I had to just gun them down.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

I just got to the part where

Spoiler

Joel, Elle, and the other lady reach downtown, and they run into their first clicker

.

Does this game get any better? So far, I don't like the clunky controls, and the stealth kinda feels broken to me.

EDIT-And the graphics is just a mess.

 

[Ranger X]

Could different ps3 models have different performance with this game? I have an older model and my framerate is goddamn shitty, i'm surprised there aren't more complaints about it around here (or in any of the reviews for that matter) so perhaps some people are getting bigger fps dips than others?

Launch console here (US 60gig) and it runs butter smooth.

 

[blame space]

Anyway, back to trying to 1CC the arcade release of Ghost 'N Goblins.

incredible signoff

 

[Hixx]

I just got to the part where

Spoiler

Joel, Elle, and the other lady reach downtown, and they run into their first clicker

.

Does this game get any better? So far, I don't like the clunky controls, and the stealth kinda feels broken to me.

It does. You're basically towards the end of the tutorial.

 

[solarus]

I guess I will crosspost my feelings on this game:

Now this is the type of critiquing I want, GAF>>>>>>>Reviews
Will be getting a copy on wednesday still, I need to play this for myself.

 

[jett]

Welp, multiplayer is buggy. Just locked up with a black screen although I can still access the menu lulz.

 

[Spookie]

I just got to the part where

Spoiler

Joel, Elle, and the other lady reach downtown, and they run into their first clicker

.

Does this game get any better? So far, I don't like the clunky controls, and the stealth kinda feels broken to me.

EDIT-And the graphics is just a mess.

Edit: Oh I noticed you've not reached the first combat arena yet.

 

[Dragon1893]

Some of the enemy's detection AI seems broken. I repeated a checkpoint a crazy number of times (mid-game? spoiler) immediately after

Spoiler

you swap partners with Henry

trying to get it done stealthily but the Runner that walks into the room on the left side always instantly detects me the moment I'm within a certain distance of it regardless of which way it was facing. I wasn't even crouch-moving at full speed (though I think that only applies to clickers), it attacks me the instant there's line-of-sight when I move out of cover. In the end I had to just gun them down.

Some encounters can't be avoided. The game forces you into combat sometimes which is fine I think.
Sometimes clearing several sections of unsuspecting enemies without them even realizing you were there makes you feel powerful but before you know it the game will make you run for your life.
Allowing the player to completely avoid combat wouldn't feel right, fighting your way out of desperate situations it's a core part of what the game is about.

I just got to the part where Joel, Elle, and the other lady reach downtown, and they run into their first clicker.

Does this game get any better? So far, I don't like the clunky controls, and the stealth kinda feels broken to me.

EDIT-And the graphics is just a mess.

You're still in what can be considered the tutorial part of the game dude.
Graphics are a mess huh? OK.

 

[jacksepticeye]

Yeah, I just think it's funny when they go "Shhh or they'll hear us" ( Something like that ) then proceed to stand right in front of them, run around a bit and then back into cover.

I'm shocked so many reviewers overlooked this TBH. I can definitely see where some like Gamespot and Polygon are coming from now when they focused on that negative

 

[jett]

I'm shocked so many reviewers overlooked this TBH. I can definitely see where some like Gamespot and Polygon are coming from now when they focused on that negative

It's done on purpose. I personally don't want some rogue AI fucking me over.

 

[Dragon1893]

It's done on purpose. I personally don't want some rogue AI fucking me over.

It could be better though, there's no denying that. Sometimes all they need to do is stay put and shut up but they don't. I don't remember having this problem in uncharted.

 

[Uno Venova]

It's done on purpose. I personally don't want some rogue AI fucking me over.

Yes exactly, AI can't really be perfect, it might get stuck on something and end up in the line of sight, which fucks up players focused on staying in cover.

 

[Doran902]

Getting annoyed by the stealth and the melee system(melee in mp works fine in campaign) in this game. And I have seen a lot of bugs. Don't like how I never get ammo from stealth kills ever, I'm stealth killing because I'm low on ammo.

Good graphics, good story.

Between this and bioshock infinite i think good graphics good story is the only thing you need to get a 10/10.

 

[jacksepticeye]

It's done on purpose. I personally don't want some rogue AI fucking me over.

I get that, but in areas where there are tonnes of clickers it surely can't be that hard to have them not talk anymore until you leave the area. I can forgive them running around the place a bit because AI is always random like that but the shouting "HOLY SHIT!" just jumping over a railing is a bit much

 

[Astral]

It's done on purpose. I personally don't want some rogue AI fucking me over.

They could at least try to not fucking sprint across the room.

 

[sunnz]

What sort of success are people having with bow and arrow? Feels too underpowered to do anything for me. Have one upgrade for it (distance +20% I think). Anyone finding it effective for particular enemies or setups?

It is a 1 hit kill on humans/ infected if you hit the body, just make sure you aim at them properly, the arrows don't travel that fast so aim a little ahead of where the target is going.

You can get headshots but it's quite a lot harder so best to keep to the body.

Clickers are 2 shot, again on the body.

I really LOVE using the bow and arrow in this game and how it is implemented.

It isn't OP at all, unlike every other game that has it. From the drop of the arrow ( arc), arrow breaks sometimes meaning it can always be used, distance before it starts to fall is low and the speed of the arrow is kinda slow. Love it cause it requires a bit of skill.


It also happens to VERY satisfying too, when you get a hit, such a good feeling.

 

[Xanathus]

Some encounters can't be avoided. The game forces you into combat sometimes which is fine I think.
Sometimes clearing several sections of unsuspecting enemies without them even realizing you were there makes you feel powerful but before you know it the game will make you run for your life.
Allowing the player to completely avoid combat wouldn't feel right, fighting your way out of desperate situations it's a core part of what the game is about.

That section was definitely supposed to be a stealth section. I just think the enemy detection is broken for Runners.

 

[Remf]

Started this game yesterday and I'm really loving it so far. What's nice is my wife usually goes to the other room when I play my games, but she is actually begging me to play some more so she can see what happens next. Bravo ND!!!

 

[Uno Venova]

It is a 1 hit kill on humans/ infected if you hit the body, just make sure you aim at them properly, the arrows don't travel that fast so aim a little ahead of where the target is going.

You can get headshots but it's quite a lot harder so best to keep to the body.

Clickers are 2 shot, again on the body.

I really LOVE using the bow and arrow in this game and how it is implemented.

It isn't OP at all, unlike every other game that has it. From the drop of the arrow ( arc), arrow breaks sometimes meaning it can always be used, distance before it starts to fall is low and the speed of the arrow is kinda slow. Love it cause it requires a bit of skill.


It also happens to VERY satisfying too, when you get a hit, such a good feeling.

I forget, is it a silent weapon like tomb raider? never tried it before.

 

[toastyToast]

I forget, is it a silent weapon like tomb raider? never tried it before.

Yep. Just don't miss otherwise it'll make a noise. Not killing in one shot obviously causes disruption too

 

[Dragon1893]

It is a 1 hit kill on humans/ infected if you hit the body, just make sure you aim at them properly, the arrows don't travel that fast so aim a little ahead of where the target is going.

You can get headshots but it's quite a lot harder so best to keep to the body.

Clickers are 2 shot, again on the body.

I really LOVE using the bow and arrow in this game and how it is implemented.

It isn't OP at all, unlike every other game that has it. From the drop of the arrow ( arc), arrow breaks sometimes meaning it can always be used, distance before it starts to fall is low and the speed of the arrow is kinda slow. Love it cause it requires a bit of skill.


It also happens to VERY satisfying too, when you get a hit, such a good feeling.

Agree 100%. Silent one-hit kills (even on clickers if it's the head) but the short range, time it takes to pull the string and having to consider the arrow's speed for moving targets prevents it from being OP. Arrows aren't abundant either. You can recover them from bodies but if they hit a wall they shatter, which can be used to attract enemies if you don't have a bottle/brick.

That section was definitely supposed to be a stealth section. I just think the enemy detection is broken for Runners.

Wasn't talking about that specific part, not sure which it is, but it happens.

 

[Escape Goat]

Are there only 3 different enemies in this game?

 

[Dragon1893]

Are there only different enemies in this game?

Maybe spoiler tag the number?

Spoiler

3

types of infected and humans, yeah.

 

[markhimself46]

Just started playing it last night, only about 4 hours in (33%, according to my save file). I'm liking it. Great environment and really haunting. I'm really struggling with the controls when I'm mid-combat and have to act fast. I feel like the controls are a bit clunky. Also, the game does such a great job of immersing you...so I really HATE it when I'm stealthing around some infected and Ellie or Tess starts talking right next to them and they don't react (even though I'd be pissed if they blew my cover hah). A few times they actually ran into a clicker and nothing happened. Just sort of takes me out of the experience. Pretty cliche story but that was expected--what's got me is the characters (which are what all apocalyptic stories are about, in my opinion).

 

[POWERSPHERE]

A total bummer that an exclusive comes out thats this good this late in the game. There's no way i'm buying a PS3, but I really want to play this game

 

[Megatron]

A total bummer that an exclusive comes out thats this good this late in the game. There's no way i'm buying a PS3, but I really want to play this game

Buy a PS4 and Gaikai....

Just started the game. I can't believe how terrific it is so far.

 

[Dragon1893]

A total bummer that an exclusive comes out thats this good this late in the game. There's no way i'm buying a PS3, but I really want to play this game

I find it hard to believe someone would have trouble justifying a PS3 at this point to be honest. The PS4 doesn't have BC so it's a worthwhile investment. It's not like the PS4 will have hundreds of games in the first months.

 

[dark_prinny]

Do you guys recommend to play this on hard in the first playtrough?

 

[Erasus]

Could different ps3 models have different performance with this game? I have an older model and my framerate is goddamn shitty, i'm surprised there aren't more complaints about it around here (or in any of the reviews for that matter) so perhaps some people are getting bigger fps dips than others?

Could be the harddrive?

One particular developer, which uses the HDD extensively to cache game data in its top-rated openworld game, spoke to us off the record about how the 40GB drive's performance level was significantly worse than the launch model's 60GB disk, requiring a code rewrite to cope with the lower throughput.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-ps3-hard-drive-upgrade-guide

But I would think they test all the SKUs, from the 20GB OG to the new 500GB one.

But I also remember this story on Uncharted 3, its pretty amazing story.

Wells relates, "We were three days from gold master -- a [few] weeks ago -- and our lead programmer comes in with Christophe and [game director] Justin Richmond, and they shut the door. I'm like, 'Why are we having a closed door conversation so close to gold master?' He sits down with the most depressed look on his face, and he says, 'Guys, I took the game home, and it's a mess.'" The problem: the game performs just fine -- for the first half. After reaching the halfway point, numerous bugs would crop up. Objects would disappear. Walls would flicker in and out of existence. Nathan could find himself in a hall devoid of anything -- geometry, texture, lighting, etc.


Wells continues, "All of these bugs point to the exact same problem in our streaming system. We are streaming stuff constantly; we're abusing the PlayStation 3 like a bad child. We're streaming audio, music, animation, video, levels, textures, everything. We're filling the memory, and about halfway through, it gets jammed up so that when we ask for a texture, it's not there; we ask for an animation, and it's not there." Balestra interjects to note that the reason this bug came up was because the programmer happened to play the game on an older test unit -- most of Naughty Dog's Quality Assurance team were using newer debug hardware and hence weren't running into this issue. The developers realized that a lot of fans still probably play games on launch-era PS3 systems, and this bug could end up ruining a lot of players' experiences.

http://www.1up.com/features/mapping-uncharted-3-drake-deception?pager.offset=7

I say we wait for Digital Foundry to do a full rundown on the game. Some people say its 30fps locked and some say it dips to 10fps.
Im inclined to believe it has drops below 30 and those who say its locked 30 are not sensitive/always played on consoles.

 

[Broder Salsa]

Could different ps3 models have different performance with this game? I have an older model and my framerate is goddamn shitty, i'm surprised there aren't more complaints about it around here (or in any of the reviews for that matter) so perhaps some people are getting bigger fps dips than others?

I got a slim and also got regular frame rate drops for sure.

Do you guys recommend to play this on hard in the first playtrough?

Maybe I just really suck but I get enough challenge on medium lol

 

[Escape Goat]

The attention to detail is amazing. Whenever you go under a bridge or tunnel the rain stops and you can't hear it anymore. Its such an inconsequential detail but it just shows how much work NaughtyDog put into this game. Sadly, the combat/stealth is pretty vanilla. Its stuff I've been doing in games for years. If not for wanting to see whats beyond the next building I'd be incredibly bored.

 

[SoraanTribal]

The friendly AI could have definitely been better, and it is a little silly seeing characters run RIGHT beside a clicker at full speed and not attract attention.

But I don't really think it's that big of a deal. It didn't bother me when Elizabeth (Bioshock Infinite) ran ahead and the enemies ignored her either. I would much rather that happen than the AI continuously fuck my plans up by getting caught. Maybe next gen, we'll be able to have better AI? *shrug*