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The Last of Us |OT| It Can’t Be For Nothing (Spoilers)

Acheteedo

Member
Finished the game late last night. Had 'Last of Us' dreams all night!

The game blew me away. I've always really enjoyed the Uncharted games but they were never the type to break into my all time best lists. The Last of Us is without question a cut above Naughty Dog's previous work, I think they've really outdone themselves in almost every conceivable way - pacing, combat, characters (and character development), plot, everything. The combat was the real surprise to me here, they absolutely nailed the stealth/action/survival horror game mechanics.

The pacing was a huge treat, ND respected the player enough to know that they don't need an explosion every 4 seconds to keep their ADD from kicking in. Other developers need to take note. The lengthy downtime segments provided time to really soak the world in, to provide character interactions, and to give you a break from the horrors of combat. And boy is the combat horrible (in the "horror" sense), even towards the end of the game I would wince and even look away if a clicker caught me.

I played on normal, which was the perfect balance for me, ND aren't afraid to challenge players with difficulty, it's something I've got frustrated with in Uncharted games but always came out the other side glad that it was tough. In TLOU the difficulty seemed perfectly balanced just for me, I died 33 times according to the stats but I was never frustrated. I was always careful, always tense, and always felt like I could recover from mistake.

Loved the ending,
it really surprised me, which I didn't expect! As the ending was approaching I kept debating in my mind - is Ellie going to die, or is Joel? No, it's definitely Joel, definitely Joel... no wait, I see how things are shaping up, it's definitely Ellie. Didn't ever expect them both to come out alive, and I was floored by the way it happened, such a sour, bleak ending, I felt so conflicted. I'm really glad I didn't get a choice in the surgery scene, I might have chosen something I regretted later, I'm still not sure what I would have done, if I would have walked away or killed the surgeon, the game did such a great job of making you care about Ellie that I may have made the same choice that the game made... but I can't say for sure.

If there's one thing I love in any media it's anything that feels un-Hollywood. TLOU had this in spades, particularly the female characters and
the ending (spoiler-ing this, don't want to give anyone any expectations going into it :)
.

I'm a little sad that ND said that there is no sequel planned, only because this is by far their finest work. While I think the story was wonderfully self-contained, I just have so much love for the game design and world that I don't want to let it go. That said, I also really think that it's time for ND to abandon Uncharted. They've proven what they can do with new IP, so for the love of god please do more of that.

11/10 - best PS3 exclusive game, in the running for game of the generation.
 

Footos22

Member
Any tips for the survival+ playthrough? anyone else?

Im 50% through my survival plus run.
actually finding it easier then my hard playthrough. prob just from experience though.
hardly shot a gun. Hardest section for me so far was the
school area
but i baited the swarm with one loud step hid behind a wall and used ellie as live bait. chucked a bomb in between them. job done.
 

Donos

Member
Finally playing this game. Started on hard.

I haven't had too much trouble until just now.

I'm further into that
big slanted building, not long after getting the revolver. The girls stopped and I dropped down, and I'm in this area with tons of infected wandering around along with at least one clicker. I keep getting spotted.
I've died on this part 5 times now before taking a break. (not complaining, I like a challenge) Gonna go try again now.

That's the same spot which took me 30 min on hard without listening mode. It's the first real challange with the first encounter of a whole group of infected (around 15 %). Here how i managed it
the first standing runner right besides the corner is no problem as he is standing, then i took out the second one which appears right behind the wall near the standing runner (you can see the clicker in his corner standing from the wall) - right at the corner of the wall the walking runner yells/moans and then turns around. That's the moment when you have a tiny window to sneak behind him and strangle/shiv him before he turns around again. When you strangle him you'll see another runner walking away which is no problem as he doesn't see you. I then went back to the spot where you start (behind the corner before the first standing runner) and took out the runner which is doing his circles through the extra room and crossing the long hallway. From there it's pretty easy. Took the clicker out at last. Lure him away from his corner with a bottle. If you fuck up with only 2 runners and the clickers left you can also try to outrun > hide/kill > hide > kill cklicker last them.
I think the area has 2 shivs and you only can carry 3, so you can use 1 or 2 if you need to
Maybe that helps.
 

KOHIPEET

Member
I am halfway through the game without listen mode and I have to tell, some encounters with the infected are the most intense, subliminal and mentally demanding moments I've ever had in any game.

Everyone should play this without listen mode, it is so much more, more...authentic.

I love this game and according to ********, it had already sold almost 1.2 million copies. Hope it turns out to be profitable.
 

slider

Member
Wow, I'm stuck at a very early stage. And I'm playing on normal. It's a shame I don't have time to stick to it; I dip in and out as the opportunity and inclination present themselves.

Gonna go back into bat later today.
 
Wow, I'm stuck at a very early stage. And I'm playing on normal. It's a shame I don't have time to stick to it; I dip in and out as the opportunity and inclination present themselves.

Gonna go back into bat later today.

Some of the early encounters feel difficult because you're still learning the mechanics of the game and your weapons and skills are very limited, but don't worry the combat becomes much more enjoyable and 'easier' as you go on and get familiar with it.
 

Lakitu

st5fu
In terms of stealth, I pretty much messed up every encounter in the game. I'm usual pretty damn good at stealth games, I don't know why.
 

Dakota47

Member
Stopped playing yesterday evening at 92% which means I will probably finish it tonight. Like with a good book I kinda dread the ending. I am so very much enjoying myself with this game that I don't want it to end. Then again I also want to see the conclusion. I've invested more feels into this game than any other, even Red Dead Redemption.
 

Gen X

Trust no one. Eat steaks.
Finally playing this game. Started on hard.

I haven't had too much trouble until just now.

I'm further into that
big slanted building, not long after getting the revolver. The girls stopped and I dropped down, and I'm in this area with tons of infected wandering around along with at least one clicker. I keep getting spotted.
I've died on this part 5 times now before taking a break. (not complaining, I like a challenge) Gonna go try again now.

Don't fret. I died there plenty of times on Hard on my first game. It's the first tome you really get to see how they act wither the Runners and the Clickers. Don't be afraid to kill one by sneaking behind then retreat and plan your next move.
 

Bradach

Member
It's very rare for me to really take my time with a game like i've been doing with this. I normally move through a games story at a brisk pace and have as much fun as I can on the way before I loose interest or get distracted.

But with this game I've been savoring every moment. I'll happily wander off down a way that I know is not the right way in the hope of finding a bit of duct tape and a rag!

Good work NG, good work.
 

LifEndz

Member
Just made it to the part where you give Ellie *Spoilers for the 35% completion mark in the game*
a rifle and you ask her to cover your ass while you take care of some hunters below
. Wow. This game....I had to put it down because I had to get up in the morning but this game is sooooo good. The graphics run the gamut from great to okay, but maybe that's just because E3 and next gen visuals spoiled me. Still, this might be my game of the generation. So looking forward to what ND does with next gen hardware.
 
I'm a little sad that ND said that there is no sequel planned, only because this is by far their finest work. While I think the story was wonderfully self-contained, I just have so much love for the game design and world that I don't want to let it go. That said, I also really think that it's time for ND to abandon Uncharted. They've proven what they can do with new IP, so for the love of god please do more of that.

When have they said that?! Considering the amount of work they obviously put into designing the world, there's clearly going to be sequels. Sony have even trademarked The Last of Us 2 & 3.
 

Wag

Member
I have a pair of 7.1 surround headphones Sony MDR-DS7500 (it can do PCM 7.1 channels). What are good settings for the game? Small or Large front speakers? And what about bandwidth? Wide/Normal, etc, etc?
 

Jobbs

Banned
Don't fret. I died there plenty of times on Hard on my first game. It's the first tome you really get to see how they act wither the Runners and the Clickers. Don't be afraid to kill one by sneaking behind then retreat and plan your next move.

I ended up ramboing them.

If I'm going to make a little crit against the game, sometimes it seems you're SUPPOSED to take everything out (like in this case), but you aren't really told that you need to take them all out. I wasted a lot of time sneaking around trying to figure out how to solve it without getting aggro, and it turns out I needed to just kill them all.

I got quite a bit further along. I just
met up with bill, ellie called him fat a bunch of times, and I'm about to leave the bar. There have been a few tough spots along the way but I'm getting the hang of it. The part in the museum where suddenly it's an all out melee seemed a bit out of character for the game to suddenly throw you into an all out fight in the open. I didn't see any real way to finesse that one; it's just a brawl.
 
In terms of stealth, I pretty much messed up every encounter in the game. I'm usual pretty damn good at stealth games, I don't know why.
At the risk of having a Captain Obvious moment here... did you notice the sound cues when sneaking around human enemies? They're subtle but very helpful against them. When you're being seen but haven't been spotted yet, a sort of low-key metallic sound like something dragging on the floor starts playing, and when you're spotted and enemies go aggro you can hear another clear-cut impact-like sound. If you get back in cover, the dragging sound goes away, signifying that you're out of sight and safely hidden again. It's very similar to what Hitman: Absolution does. Abusing those sound cues helped me a lot in
Pittsburgh
during my second playthrough. :)
 

khaaan

Member
I think of I had to complain it would be because of that. I would have liked to stealth through sections but many times it was, or at least felt like my only option was to kill everyone and that often led to alerting a tonne of stuff in the area.
 

Acheteedo

Member
When have they said that?! Considering the amount of work they obviously put into designing the world, there's clearly going to be sequels. Sony have even trademarked The Last of Us 2 & 3.

Oh! Cool, yeah I just checked the articles that I was thinking of and they just say the game is self contained and doesn't end on a cliff hanger, so it wasn't made with a sequel in mind but I guess a sequel isn't out of the question.
 

cebri.one

Member
97% completed on hard mode. Almost there.

Just woke up at the hospital, going to save Ellie and kill those motherfuckers.
 

li bur

Member
I've just finished the game and...

WOWWW! the ending blow me away. I really like how they made joel character to be in the grey area and all that. Kinda caught me off guard ND writers were able to craft this kind of story since I only play their uncharted games FWIW.

Totally amazing games.
 

RDreamer

Member
I'm not sure what I should do next with this game. Part of me wants to play it again, but part of me is still pretty exhausted from the first playthrough. It's a good game, but it's so long and intense. I'm pretty much at a loss of what mode to play, too. I did my first run in normal, and for the most part it was a pretty decent mode. There were times that were rather tough, and times when I was full to the brim with stuff (mostly near the end). I played all the Uncharted games through on their most difficult setting, but I'm not sure I can take this one. I really don't know how you guys did it without listen mode. I just don't have the sound isolation in my house to be able to tell where the hell anything is based on sound. I feel like some of the scenarios would be damned near impossible without that.
 
Just finished my survivor+ run along with all SP trophies. I'm nowhere near tired of this game at all. Crazy. I might do a normal run so I can finally go all out against enemies and use bombs just because! I deserve an easy run after starting on hard and then survivor+ :D

Did you use the Chapter Select glitch to get straight onto S+ from Hard?
 
Almost finished the game. As much as I love it I wish some of the encounters, especially with the infected, had been longer, more drawn out. The game can be exquisitely tense.
 
I'm not sure what I should do next with this game. Part of me wants to play it again, but part of me is still pretty exhausted from the first playthrough. It's a good game, but it's so long and intense. I'm pretty much at a loss of what mode to play, too. I did my first run in normal, and for the most part it was a pretty decent mode. There were times that were rather tough, and times when I was full to the brim with stuff (mostly near the end). I played all the Uncharted games through on their most difficult setting, but I'm not sure I can take this one. I really don't know how you guys did it without listen mode. I just don't have the sound isolation in my house to be able to tell where the hell anything is based on sound. I feel like some of the scenarios would be damned near impossible without that.
This game forced me to buy Pulse headset

sony-pulse-wireless-stereo-headset.jpg


Surround sound problem solved.
 

The Lamp

Member
I'm not sure what I should do next with this game. Part of me wants to play it again, but part of me is still pretty exhausted from the first playthrough. It's a good game, but it's so long and intense. I'm pretty much at a loss of what mode to play, too. I did my first run in normal, and for the most part it was a pretty decent mode. There were times that were rather tough, and times when I was full to the brim with stuff (mostly near the end). I played all the Uncharted games through on their most difficult setting, but I'm not sure I can take this one. I really don't know how you guys did it without listen mode. I just don't have the sound isolation in my house to be able to tell where the hell anything is based on sound. I feel like some of the scenarios would be damned near impossible without that.

I had shitty tv speakers that I had to keep on low volume because of my roommates and I beat it just fine without listen mode. Would have been way too easy with it. You just gotta watch enemy patrol patterns. Not hard at all.
 

raindoc

Member
I'm further into that
big slanted building, not long after getting the revolver. The girls stopped and I dropped down, and I'm in this area with tons of infected wandering around along with at least one clicker. I keep getting spotted.
I've died on this part 5 times now before taking a break. (not complaining, I like a challenge) Gonna go try again now.

from your spawn point, crouch straight ahead and then left: there's a runner with his back on you: stealth kill him.

backtrack to your spawn point, walk slowly along the left wall and wait at the door: a runner will walk past you (coming out of the room to your left) and always turns to his left for a few seconds, just when he's standing in front of the door you're hiding behind. then, when he's turning his back on you: ninja him and..

move forward, hide behind the box on your right and wait for the runner patroling outside to show up, throw a bottle/brick (when he's on the other side of the wall) into the hallway you spawn in/just came out. follow and stealth kill the runner when he's investigating (might need to practice the timing of your pursuit).

now there's only one stationary Clicker and one Runner (patroling in the back of the are) left, which shouldn't be a problem - otherwise just ask.

Edit: sorry for the missing spoiler tags
 
Posting this here

01./00. [PS3] The Last of Us <ADV> (Sony Computer Entertainment) {2013.06.20} (¥5.980) - 117.465 / NEW

That's for Japan. To put that into perspective, that's 5k less than Uncharted 2 has sold in its lifetime in Japan and only 7k less than Uncharted 3 in its first week.
 
Ever since I beat this game, it's been very hard for me to get into other Single Player games.

I just started playing Bioshock Infinite and can't stop noticing how cheaper the animation looks and how the pacing is just like any other generic shooters. It's just wave after wave after wave of enemies.

Naughty Dog got the pacing down so damn beautifully. I already put Bioshock Infinite on sale and will be taking a break from gaming.
 

hal9001

Banned
So I am 10 hours in 47% done. Just got past
the hotel bit when Ellie stays up top with the rifle.

So so good. Definitely my GOTY so far and can't wait to play more. Naughty Dog are simply put the greatest developer in the world.

Oh how I envy you, it gets sooooooo much better from that point on. I am nearly at the end of the game and I have purposely avoided finishing it, I don't want it to end.
 
Ever since I beat this game, it's been very hard for me to get into other Single Player games.

I just started playing Bioshock Infinite and can't stop noticing how cheaper the animation looks and how the pacing is just like any other generic shooters. It's just wave after wave after wave of enemies.

Naughty Dog got the pacing down so damn beautifully. I already put Bioshock Infinite on sale and will be taking a break from gaming.

I strongly recommend you stick with Bioshock. The story is truly amazing and the ending is great. I personally think pacing and waves of enemies was also imperfect in TLOU. The art style is more colorful and cartoony, which is cool imo.
 

RDreamer

Member
This game forced me to buy Pulse headset

sony-pulse-wireless-stereo-headset.jpg


Surround sound problem solved.

I really hate not knowing what's going on around me in the real world. I think I'd find playing with headphones like this at a decent volume too intense and paranoia inducing.


I had shitty tv speakers that I had to keep on low volume because of my roommates and I beat it just fine without listen mode. Would have been way too easy with it. You just gotta watch enemy patrol patterns. Not hard at all.

Did you do survivor, though? I feel like I could probably slog through hard, but jumping up to survivor without listen mode I feel would be just too much.

There are still some parts in the game though where I still don't understand how you guys did it except with trial and error and going at slow as fucking molasses. Near the end there were a few times where people didn't show up on listen mode and popped up out of fucking nowhere. Luckily in normal I had the tools to deal with that, but in survivor? Eh...
 
So I just finished the game. Wow, what an experience - loved the ending too.

I can finally check the spoiler thread! Hoorah!

Any word on the DLC by the way?
 

EGM1966

Member
When have they said that?! Considering the amount of work they obviously put into designing the world, there's clearly going to be sequels. Sony have even trademarked The Last of Us 2 & 3.

ND had an interview where they noted they'd put all their focus in this game and would be quite happy for it to stand alone. They didn't say no sequels explicitly but did note they felt Joel/Ellie story was complete (which I'd agree with). I'll need to see if I can locate the interview again.

The trademarks seem like common sense and don't for sure mean a sequel will come but clearly show Sony are reserving the titles in case they do go ahead. I'd personally be happy with no sequels but given it seems to be selling well no doubt there will be; although I think judging by ND comments they would be adverse to artificially trying to keep Joel/Ellie in the picture and would probably explore different characters set against the same world.

I just hope that any sequels are true to the original and not inferior cash cows. I think they'll be tricky to pull off as the story really is complete and as it stands a sequel is for sure not required in any way (other than financial of course!).
 

solarus

Member
Ever since I beat this game, it's been very hard for me to get into other Single Player games.

I just started playing Bioshock Infinite and can't stop noticing how cheaper the animation looks and how the pacing is just like any other generic shooters. It's just wave after wave after wave of enemies.

Naughty Dog got the pacing down so damn beautifully. I already put Bioshock Infinite on sale and will be taking a break from gaming.

I was impressed by the interaction between two characters in infinite, probably because I hadn't played a game with that in a while and loved the game. Giving it time to sink in and having just played The Last of Us, man Bioshock Infinite was nothing more than just a good game. The character interactions between elizabeth and booker are NOTHING compared to ellie and Joel, there is far more ambient and appropriate dialogue and optional interactions you can take part in The Last of Us. Infinite? Hey she will generically throw you some money or ammo every so often, the most ambient dialogue and optional interactions they had in Infinite were early on when you met her, after that it's a lot of silence usually as you go through mowing down enemies with her commenting only when you reach pivotal moments. Even the world of infinite, which I loved since it's a rare treat when we get such unique worlds crafted in games for us to explore, pales in comparison to the dense detail present in The Last of Us. Even though they are both linear games, I always felt the areas in The Last of Us were quite open with a very decent amount of exploration to be had, Infinite felt much more narrow. I seriously have no idea what to play after The Last of Us, it's like when I finished resident evil 4 for the first time. No single player experience this generation comes close and all I'd want to do is do another play through but it's a very heavy game to play and I need a break before I can go through it again.
 

Wag

Member
sony-mdr-ds7500-wireless-71-channel-headphones.jpg


These are my headphones. They come with a 'game' mode which is what I use. I'm still not sure what settings I should use from within the game, Linear PCM 7.1, either small or large front channels, Maximum dynamic range?

Maybe I should use Cinematic Mode on my headphones instead of Game mode? It's very confusing.
 
As far as I know multiple mp dlc and one sp dlc are confirmed.

I hope the SP comes fairly soon :[[

Now that this game is finished I genuinely have no idea what to play. ND really raised the bar for narrative and I feel like any other game is going to feel weak in comparison.
 
Finished the game a few days ago, absolutely blew my mind and raised the bar for game developers. A fitting mark to the end of the current generation. Everything good has been said so i will leave it at that.

My only complaint were the graphics, low textures and lack of AA (cause i actually bought a PS3 to play this game, being a PC Gamer) but the developers really did squeeze everything from the PS3.

Another complaint is the score given by Tom Chick some old dude on Quarter to Three. some people should start a new career.
 

Jon

Member
Not going to fully read this thread until I finish the game, but I just needed to post something. This game is really, really good. I think about it when I am not playing it, and just count down the hours until I can play it some more. I can't wait to see how it ends, but at the same time, I don't want it to end. I will definitely be playing through again to find more collectibles. I'd definitely like to find out what it's like on Survival difficulty...just for laughs.

Maybe I suck at the game, which is a very real possibility, but I appreciate the fact that you die often if you try to go "commando style"...you cannot just take on four guys by yourself. The combat is intense, and rewarding when you survive an encounter.
 

hunnies28

Member
Well after renting the game once (and not finishing the game) and not finding it again for about a week at my local video store I caved and bought it. No regrets though, ND deserves all my moneys. Hopefully I can complete the game tomorrow (Fall).

BTW, probably old but for those complaining about the sound, Best Buy has an offer right now, buy the game and get the Pulse Headset half off.

I think about it when I am not playing it, and just count down the hours until I can play it some more.


This been happening to me , it's been four days since I last played.
 

Wynnebeck

Banned
Still playing when I get a chance. Just reached
Fall and Joel and his brother are chasing after Ellie who took off on a horse and we got ambushed by a forest village or something like that.
9 hours in and only 65% done. This is a pretty meaty game.
 

ChuckNyce

Member
This game forced me to buy Pulse headset

sony-pulse-wireless-stereo-headset.jpg


Surround sound problem solved.

Same, so glad I jumped on that Best Buy deal. Flipped out a little bit when I got my first weapon and actually felt the shots. Even without the pulsing effect on the headset (which I know some find gimmicky) the sound design is really really awesome and satisfying.
 

khaaan

Member
Same, so glad I jumped on that Best Buy deal. Flipped out a little bit when I got my first weapon and actually felt the shots. Even without the pulsing effect on the headset (which I know some find gimmicky) the sound design is really really awesome and satisfying.

I'm still kind of bummed I gave away my code for those.
 

Sylver

Banned
Finished yesterday on normal.
This is my new most loved game of all time xDxD, omg this is where Resident Evil evil should have evolved and not that call of zombies shit.
A masterpiece is like a mixture of "The Road" movie + "I am legend".
I still can't decide if
Ellie finally ate deer meat or he was joking and that really was human meat.
 
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