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The Last of Us |OT| It Cant Be For Nothing (Spoilers)
- Thread starter Pranay
- Start date
Dance Inferno
Unconfirmed Member
I've been meaning to post about the soundtrack for a while but I've just been lazy. I bought the soundtrack at the same time that I bought the game, and honestly this is one of my favorite albums period. Not just one of my favorite gaming albums, but all music albums. It's not something you'll throw on at a party, but it's fantastic ambient music with lots of emotion and beauty.
Do it, you will not regret it
Finally after having this game since day one I got round to completing it. 20 hours and 20 minutes of some of the best times I have had with a game, it was UNBELIEVABLE. Tip of the hat to ND, would love a sequel but if I get 1080 60fps release on the ps4 I would be more than happy to double dip.
TheSpaceBetween
Member
I played this game when it first came out but only recently got a GAF account and I wanted to give my impressions of the game. I'd say I'm a pretty big fan of Naughty Dog... I loved the Crash trilogy and CTR when the came out. I skipped over their PS2 output, but played and loved the Uncharted series, despite a heavy focus on non gameplay aspects.
Now on to The Last of Us. I enjoyed it, but I have to say almost every aspect was disappointing to me. Right off the bat it was obvious how the prologue would play out. Perhaps I've become heartless but since I knew what would happen, it lessened the emotional impact. My next problem is that this game is sold on the relationship between Joel and Ellie, and while I did like Ellie for the most part, I found absolutely nothing appealing about Joel. He is just a straight up selfish dick. Now, that would be fine, as characters like this can be done well, but there was nothing about him that interested me. He was simple, boring, and unlikable.
And then there was the immersion breaking dissonance between narrative and gameplay. You have your peeps following you around while you're making your way from the game, trying to be quiet and hidden. And then they decide to run around like fools right into the path of the clickers, who operate based on sound. The clickers are completely oblivious to these characters making all this noise and even running right into them. For a game trying to be so realistic this game fails in so many regards. The biggest offender might be the entire duration of controlling Ellie. And I knew exactly how it would play out. You are supposed to be this girl who needs to be protected, yet you go on this murderous rampage. You are being hunted by all these men with guns and weapons, yet Ellie is smarter, stronger, more determined, and more ruthless than any of them. Way to make your game believable ND.
Let's move onto gameplay. I actually found the encounters for the first 1/4 of the game to be really great. They were intense, and put you in some interesting situations. But them they just became repetitive. The same thing, over and over. As far as modern stealth/action design goes, games like Deus Ex: HR, Metal Gear Solid, and Dishonored crap all over this game when it comes to mechanics, level design, and encounter design. Perhaps TLOU would have been more interesting if there were more enemy types. You were basically fighting the same handful of enemy types over a 20 hr game, none of which were particularly interesting. It got really boring after a while.
Next up is enemy AI. Now, I realize pretty much all stealth games have shoddy enemy AI, but ND promised TLOU would be different. For example, they said that if you pulled out your gun, the enemy would run and hide, not charge you. So I give you this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZRD371UI0k
Yeah.
And finally, difficulty. I played on hard. They kept pounding in my head to make every bullet count. I always had a crapton of supplies and ammo. I was never in a situation where resources were scarce. I would get shot and barely any of my life would be taken away. I would be seen by the enemy and it was extremely easy just to do it the action route and take everyone out.
Despite all this I did enjoy the game for what it was. It was entertaining and a decently fun romp. It isn't a game I will replay over and over, but I'm glad I played it. Maybe I'm a fool, but I always want to believe developers when they say how great their game will be and promise all these things. This wasn't my most anticipated game of the year, but I was really hyped for ND's next franchise. I'm still anticipating what they do next, but for now perhaps I'll have more fun with the Jak and Daxter series.
Now on to The Last of Us. I enjoyed it, but I have to say almost every aspect was disappointing to me. Right off the bat it was obvious how the prologue would play out. Perhaps I've become heartless but since I knew what would happen, it lessened the emotional impact. My next problem is that this game is sold on the relationship between Joel and Ellie, and while I did like Ellie for the most part, I found absolutely nothing appealing about Joel. He is just a straight up selfish dick. Now, that would be fine, as characters like this can be done well, but there was nothing about him that interested me. He was simple, boring, and unlikable.
And then there was the immersion breaking dissonance between narrative and gameplay. You have your peeps following you around while you're making your way from the game, trying to be quiet and hidden. And then they decide to run around like fools right into the path of the clickers, who operate based on sound. The clickers are completely oblivious to these characters making all this noise and even running right into them. For a game trying to be so realistic this game fails in so many regards. The biggest offender might be the entire duration of controlling Ellie. And I knew exactly how it would play out. You are supposed to be this girl who needs to be protected, yet you go on this murderous rampage. You are being hunted by all these men with guns and weapons, yet Ellie is smarter, stronger, more determined, and more ruthless than any of them. Way to make your game believable ND.
Let's move onto gameplay. I actually found the encounters for the first 1/4 of the game to be really great. They were intense, and put you in some interesting situations. But them they just became repetitive. The same thing, over and over. As far as modern stealth/action design goes, games like Deus Ex: HR, Metal Gear Solid, and Dishonored crap all over this game when it comes to mechanics, level design, and encounter design. Perhaps TLOU would have been more interesting if there were more enemy types. You were basically fighting the same handful of enemy types over a 20 hr game, none of which were particularly interesting. It got really boring after a while.
Next up is enemy AI. Now, I realize pretty much all stealth games have shoddy enemy AI, but ND promised TLOU would be different. For example, they said that if you pulled out your gun, the enemy would run and hide, not charge you. So I give you this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZRD371UI0k
Yeah.
And finally, difficulty. I played on hard. They kept pounding in my head to make every bullet count. I always had a crapton of supplies and ammo. I was never in a situation where resources were scarce. I would get shot and barely any of my life would be taken away. I would be seen by the enemy and it was extremely easy just to do it the action route and take everyone out.
Despite all this I did enjoy the game for what it was. It was entertaining and a decently fun romp. It isn't a game I will replay over and over, but I'm glad I played it. Maybe I'm a fool, but I always want to believe developers when they say how great their game will be and promise all these things. This wasn't my most anticipated game of the year, but I was really hyped for ND's next franchise. I'm still anticipating what they do next, but for now perhaps I'll have more fun with the Jak and Daxter series.
I didn't read all of this, but I'm sorry you did enjoy the game as much as the rest of us. I disagree with you, respectfully, but I don't wish to state an objection.
Coolbgdog12
Member
Disagree heavily withe everything you said including the dumb video. I'm sorry but that is NOT what happens when you play the game. I'm willing to bet that video was intentionally played through on easy or a glitch happened that was caught on film. I'm calling ducktales.
TheSpaceBetween
Member
I know, most people do obviously. Not everything I said was an opinion though. You can't disagree with the fact that your companion AI would often run around like like fools with clickers all around, or that there are only a handful of enemy types. Whether that bothers you or not is subjective, but I just find it funny how so many gloss over this games glaring flaws. To each their own though.
pedr0theli0n
Neo Member
just beat it tonight. loved this game so much.
The atmosphere it created was just incredible. So many games promise that you'll want to "take your time and look around at everything" but this is one of the few where that actually was true for me.
combat definitely got repetitive and a little frustrating at times. Also the "restart this encounter" option seems great in theory, but definitely put me way further back than I thought it would a few times. But I actually loved how "scrappy" the combat felt, at least when you weren't sneaking around. You might fire off a few shots and then try to reload, but you're then forced to melee a guy thats right on you, then having to run away and find a safe spot to heal... It all felt very intense and real, like you were actually a guy struggling to stay alive instead of a super soldier like games normally make you feel.
But the gameplay is really just a vehicle for an incredibly well presented story. Really have never felt so invested in characters in a game before. And that opening scene was absolutely gut wrenching. Voice acting, cut scenes, character animations, all best in the business, at least from what I've seen. The story itself is rather simple, but again, its the presentation that really clenches this as an amazing experience. Definitely one to show to your skeptic non gamer friends and be like "see, this is how great games can be."
My take on the ending:
So yeah, I loved this game, and really feel like its such a testament to the strength of the medium for telling a story and connecting you with the characters.
The atmosphere it created was just incredible. So many games promise that you'll want to "take your time and look around at everything" but this is one of the few where that actually was true for me.
combat definitely got repetitive and a little frustrating at times. Also the "restart this encounter" option seems great in theory, but definitely put me way further back than I thought it would a few times. But I actually loved how "scrappy" the combat felt, at least when you weren't sneaking around. You might fire off a few shots and then try to reload, but you're then forced to melee a guy thats right on you, then having to run away and find a safe spot to heal... It all felt very intense and real, like you were actually a guy struggling to stay alive instead of a super soldier like games normally make you feel.
But the gameplay is really just a vehicle for an incredibly well presented story. Really have never felt so invested in characters in a game before. And that opening scene was absolutely gut wrenching. Voice acting, cut scenes, character animations, all best in the business, at least from what I've seen. The story itself is rather simple, but again, its the presentation that really clenches this as an amazing experience. Definitely one to show to your skeptic non gamer friends and be like "see, this is how great games can be."
My take on the ending:
Definitely feel satisfied with it, even if its left intentionally open for sequel purposes. Joel's decision to not tell her what really happened, and then lie about it again just shows how dedicated he is to giving her having a normal life. I would have preferred to see maybe just a little more of a struggle between the options though (I know you care about the girl and all but come on, saving all of humanity is kind of a big deal).
So yeah, I loved this game, and really feel like its such a testament to the strength of the medium for telling a story and connecting you with the characters.
Coolbgdog12
Member
the ai running around hardly happened on my run and them not being detected is a design that was done intentionally.
the amount of enemy types was hardly a a flaw given that the game wasn't focused solely on the infected.
TheSpaceBetween
Member
Because something was intentionally designed choice doesn't make it a good one. It was a choice they had to make due to their inability to make Ellie, Bill, etc. not act like idiots in certain instances.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
This AI issue was slightly immersion-breaking, but it wasn't a huge glaring flaw. The only time it had an impact on gameplay for me was in the library. I was slowly creeping up a staircase to try and snipe some hunter with my bow, and I'd need to time it just as he turned his back, so when he did I'd climb the stairs further and take my aim. But then Ellie would run in front of me and mess up my aim. If I crept back down the stairs she'd run back downstairs too instead of just staying put. It was annoying.
But it was one instance in the entire game where it really disrupted the gameplay. Otherwise it's just "lol, so much for being stealthy, Bill" when you see him stomp across clicker garden.
But it was one instance in the entire game where it really disrupted the gameplay. Otherwise it's just "lol, so much for being stealthy, Bill" when you see him stomp across clicker garden.
Been playing this finally myself. Just got through the neighborhood section avoiding clickers with Bill and it was really the first time the AI bugged me.
I can understand the enemies ignoring my companions while I am still unaware to not spoil my potential stealth, but if I am crouched and hiding, I need Bill and Ellie to do the same. The fact they constantly ran around and often even broke my pathing trying to jet to cover all around me was just awful and silly. Other games would clue AI partners to crouch and stick close behind me when I am doing the same, but it isn't happening here.
Minor nitpick, but it is a blemish.
Loving most of what this game is delivering though, far moreso than Bioshock earlier this year. I'm only up to Pittsburgh so far, but I can certainly understand the ridiculous reviews and adoration moreso than Irrational's mess. FAR moreso. Playing on Hard as well and stealth has its issues, but for the most part it thankfully the option exists and I have found myself enjoying avoiding encounters rather than directly clearing the zones, even though I have PLENTY of resources to manage. Again, avoiding encounters and only using shivs on resource doors helps. I tend to just play like MGS, resetting encounters the moment I am spotted...frustrating at times given the occasional spottiness of detection, but I much prefer perfecting a stealth run than dealing with the kinda shoddy combat. Gunplay feels identical to Uncharted, not a great thing I find, and fisticuffs are fucking OP unless dealing with a crowd.
Story is hardly original, but the characters are well acted and charismatic enough that I have significant buy-in. Curious to see how this will all resolve.
Have a good ways to go left I imagine(again still in Pittsburgh), but so far so good. One of the more enjoyable games I've played this year, but not quite my favorite or best yet. Stealth has been done better as has combat. Visually breathtaking with great performances by the actors, writers, and technical teams for sure.
I can understand the enemies ignoring my companions while I am still unaware to not spoil my potential stealth, but if I am crouched and hiding, I need Bill and Ellie to do the same. The fact they constantly ran around and often even broke my pathing trying to jet to cover all around me was just awful and silly. Other games would clue AI partners to crouch and stick close behind me when I am doing the same, but it isn't happening here.
Minor nitpick, but it is a blemish.
Loving most of what this game is delivering though, far moreso than Bioshock earlier this year. I'm only up to Pittsburgh so far, but I can certainly understand the ridiculous reviews and adoration moreso than Irrational's mess. FAR moreso. Playing on Hard as well and stealth has its issues, but for the most part it thankfully the option exists and I have found myself enjoying avoiding encounters rather than directly clearing the zones, even though I have PLENTY of resources to manage. Again, avoiding encounters and only using shivs on resource doors helps. I tend to just play like MGS, resetting encounters the moment I am spotted...frustrating at times given the occasional spottiness of detection, but I much prefer perfecting a stealth run than dealing with the kinda shoddy combat. Gunplay feels identical to Uncharted, not a great thing I find, and fisticuffs are fucking OP unless dealing with a crowd.
Story is hardly original, but the characters are well acted and charismatic enough that I have significant buy-in. Curious to see how this will all resolve.
Have a good ways to go left I imagine(again still in Pittsburgh), but so far so good. One of the more enjoyable games I've played this year, but not quite my favorite or best yet. Stealth has been done better as has combat. Visually breathtaking with great performances by the actors, writers, and technical teams for sure.
Wow. Granted I have only just reached Pittsburgh and have not fought nearly as many humans as zombies so far in the 8-ish hours I've played. But my encounters have definitely been identical to the video. Maybe they are just kamikaze aggressive on hard mode? Almost everyone I face is armed as well(again hard mode difference?) so the moment I am spotted it's like there is a total dogpile of shooting and stabbing without any discretion by the enemy AI for their own safety or survival. Just a swarm, which is why I tend to just reload encounters once I am spotted.
Would be cool to see some of the stuff hinted at in that pre-release vid, but eh...Bioshock Infinite was probably more disparate between trailers and the final.
Mikey Jr.
Member
Thats the point though. Even if the notes said "Ellie is the cure. She will save mankind 100%", it still would not have mattered. Joel did it to save Ellie, who he now sees as his daughter. A chance to reclaim that which was taken from him 20 years ago. He didn't give a fuck-all about the cure once he found out she had to die for it.
Evolved1
make sure the pudding isn't too soggy but that just ruins everything
If you can resist the urge, and it's difficult I know, but the game is better when you don't do this.
TheSpaceBetween
Member
I restarted at first as well, but unlike MGS this game was really easy just to take everyone out when you are spotted, even on hard.
I just beat this last night with a group of friends.
I loved the hell out of this game. Now, I'm still undecided on the ending since it really blew my expectations away and that's both good and bad.
I really enjoyed Ellie and Joel's relationship and how it developed over the course of the game. The characters they met throughout were great such as Tess, Sam, Henry and Tommy. David was extremely creepy.
Overall I adore this game and would give it a 9/10. I do hope there is a sequel.
I loved the hell out of this game. Now, I'm still undecided on the ending since it really blew my expectations away and that's both good and bad.
I really enjoyed Ellie and Joel's relationship and how it developed over the course of the game. The characters they met throughout were great such as Tess, Sam, Henry and Tommy. David was extremely creepy.
Overall I adore this game and would give it a 9/10. I do hope there is a sequel.
I'm still playing the TLOU campaign... it's been months! I don't even know how many times I've beaten it since I jump to whatever chapter I feel like now. The frequency of my addiction has dropped to a couple times a week, but I'm still drawn in.
Hurtin' for that single player DLC.
Hurtin' for that single player DLC.
For anyone thinking about buying it, go buy it now indigodomino
Member
Didn't ND say last month that they would give us details earlier this month? we are basically one week away from next month and no news or announcement or anmouncement yet -_-
Edit:
I'm talking about the DLC
Edit:
I'm talking about the DLC
Black Republican
Member
sorry to bump, but just finished playing this, incredible game, best Naughty Dog game byfar.
anyone know when the single player dlc is coming out?
oh and was it just me or did the initial loading for the game after the start up screen begin really slow but sped up extremely quickly halfway through the game? was there a reason for that?
anyone know when the single player dlc is coming out?
oh and was it just me or did the initial loading for the game after the start up screen begin really slow but sped up extremely quickly halfway through the game? was there a reason for that?
The game caches data in the PS3's hard drive. If you don't play any other game, then the Last of Us data is basically there for immediate access since it isn't being overwritten. Same as the Uncharted games, which use the same engine.
IrishNinja
Member
okay, quick question for members that've finished the game (as i'm up well past my bedtime)...about how much longer is there to go? I'm at
the lab, just heard the recording from the dead doc about going to salt lake and raiders (?) just bumrushed the show...
Oh man you're just hitting the peak of the game.
God I wish I could relive that sequence for the first-time. Mindblowing stuff. Enjoy it!
IrishNinja
Member
awesome! but yeah man, should i go to bed or about how many more hours you think? i guess i shouldn't rush it, its just hard to play when my chick isn't around (we're trying not to spoil each other, haha)
Yeah get some sleep.
Best not play anymore whilst you're tired. You don't want to spoil this bit of the game.
Å
Åesop
Unconfirmed Member
Ted
Member
Just finished this and have now been able to flick through the thread, I think the general high praise given is well justified though I can understand some of the criticisms as well.
Yes there are some weak spots in the story and occasionally in the gameplay but as a package, as a whole, it really hits the spot. My general thoughts as the credits rolled were pretty simple: "hmm, enjoyed that".
I dug the characters, the story, the tension, the pace, the end and even the excellent MP but what really stands out above everything else for me were the rich environments. The thought, the attention to detail, hell.. the love that obviously went into creating them is just /so/ obvious.
Thanks ND, great game.
[neverhappygamer]Now release some more of those gorgeous settings for MP.[/neverhappygamer]
: )
Yes there are some weak spots in the story and occasionally in the gameplay but as a package, as a whole, it really hits the spot. My general thoughts as the credits rolled were pretty simple: "hmm, enjoyed that".
I dug the characters, the story, the tension, the pace, the end and even the excellent MP but what really stands out above everything else for me were the rich environments. The thought, the attention to detail, hell.. the love that obviously went into creating them is just /so/ obvious.
Winter, playing as Joel and Ellie, struggling through the Lakeside area in the driving snow, ducking into buildings to escape the wind and make a quick kill... awesome, just outright *awesome*.
Thanks ND, great game.
[neverhappygamer]Now release some more of those gorgeous settings for MP.[/neverhappygamer]
: )
Just finished on Hard.
Not sure how I feel about it. I don't just mean, like, I didn't get a happy ending so I'm not satisfied. It's like... hmmm. Not sure how to put it.
I think the main thing to me is it doesn't really give Joel a chance to think about the decision he's making. On one hand, that's like, okay... yeah, father-surrogatedaughterconnection strong, whatever. But it's as though he doesn't even weight it up... he just jumps right to the 'murder everybody' button.
/edit I REALLY liked Winter though.
Not sure how I feel about it. I don't just mean, like, I didn't get a happy ending so I'm not satisfied. It's like... hmmm. Not sure how to put it.
I think the main thing to me is it doesn't really give Joel a chance to think about the decision he's making. On one hand, that's like, okay... yeah, father-surrogatedaughterconnection strong, whatever. But it's as though he doesn't even weight it up... he just jumps right to the 'murder everybody' button.
/edit I REALLY liked Winter though.
AppleBlade
Member
Just finished it. I hardly have anytime to play games (40-50 hour a week job, working on my masters, and I am married with a 4 month old and a 2 year old), So I have literally been waiting months to be able to play this game.
Well, I just had two days off with my wife working and the kids at daycare so my mission was to finish the Last of Us. I eventually switched the difficulty to Easy which I did not want to do but with a limited amount of time to finish the game, I just didn't have the time to mess around with some of those tricky areas. It definitely took away a bit of the atmosphere away as I then had plenty of supplies and more than enough ammo. I still go to enjoy the characters, story, world, and gameplay which were all superb.
This game is definitely on my list of top 10 games of this generation (along with Uncharted 2, Bioshock, Bioshock Infinite, Fallout 3, Skyrim, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, etc...)
Well, I just had two days off with my wife working and the kids at daycare so my mission was to finish the Last of Us. I eventually switched the difficulty to Easy which I did not want to do but with a limited amount of time to finish the game, I just didn't have the time to mess around with some of those tricky areas. It definitely took away a bit of the atmosphere away as I then had plenty of supplies and more than enough ammo. I still go to enjoy the characters, story, world, and gameplay which were all superb.
This game is definitely on my list of top 10 games of this generation (along with Uncharted 2, Bioshock, Bioshock Infinite, Fallout 3, Skyrim, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, etc...)
Someone on youtube made a pretty impressive reimagining of the launch trailer for The Last of Us. A lot better than the original launch trailer, if you ask me.
Contains some minor spoilers though, so you might not want to watch it if you haven't finished the game, depending on how sensitive you are to spoilers.
Contains some minor spoilers though, so you might not want to watch it if you haven't finished the game, depending on how sensitive you are to spoilers.
Right. If Joel had given himself time to consider his actions, his decision would have basically been made for him because he wouldn't have been able to make it in time to save Ellie. So he had to act immediately.
TheBioLover
Member
So, we must be getting DLC news this week, right? They said news about DLC would be coming in August, and it's the last week of August.
Å
Åesop
Unconfirmed Member
Hey guys, I started playing a week or two ago and am completely enamored with the game. Lives up to and surpasses the hype. I'm playing a copy from Gamefly and unfortunately the disc is apparently slightly damaged which is preventing me from seeing a pretty important cinematic.
does not work with the exception of the audio. Eventually the game freezes up and I can't progress any further and have to do a hard reset of my system. After three tries, I was able to successfully skip the movie immediately (if I waited and then tried to skip it would freeze the system) and it loaded the next section of the game.
I'd like to watch the movie though so if someone can link me to it on YouTube or something that would be amazing. I didn't find it with a google search and don't want to be spoiled on anything. Thanks!
The cinematic after I've reached Ellie from the hospital and exit the elevator
I'd like to watch the movie though so if someone can link me to it on YouTube or something that would be amazing. I didn't find it with a google search and don't want to be spoiled on anything. Thanks!
Andrew Korenchkin
Member
Yeah, I'm wondering about the DLC as well. Didn't they say they were going to hold a panel to further discuss things such as the original ending?
ColeFisher
Neo Member
Just beat the game. I'm pretty sure there will be a Last of Us 2 based off that ending.
dark_inferno
Member
Just one question. Everytime i enter a MP Match it begins with really ugly textures. Is that normal for you guys?
ArkkAngel007
Member
It happens quite a bit, but that might be one of the fixes in upcoming patch 1.03.
Just finished it. Don't know what the consensus is on the pacing, but I thought the game got better the further you got. Which is a compliment with a campaign this long.
Most of my favorite moments happen after you meet up with Henry and Sam.
Then there's the moment where you enter the big college campus courtyard on horseback, Ellie gone hunting and stumbling unto bad news, the giraffes,... The second half was more enjoyable than the first for me.
I mixed up stealth and open combat. I went through the last big clicker area undetected. Even though it's not that hard, it still feels good to accomplish that now and then. Doing the last encounter in stealth mode must be real bitch though.
Maybe I'll jump right into Survivor. Is it frustrating or challenging?
Most of my favorite moments happen after you meet up with Henry and Sam.
Their sudden death made me punch a pillow. I was surprised by how attached I got to those two.
I mixed up stealth and open combat. I went through the last big clicker area undetected. Even though it's not that hard, it still feels good to accomplish that now and then. Doing the last encounter in stealth mode must be real bitch though.
Maybe I'll jump right into Survivor. Is it frustrating or challenging?
Evolved1
make sure the pudding isn't too soggy but that just ruins everything
You're resource-starved (like really) and take a bit more damage for hits (enemies don't though). Otherwise it seems pretty much the same to me.
Thanks! I had no context of the "time jump" so that really puts it in perspective. Didn't get to play any more last night but that's interesting that I am now effectively in the epilogue. Did not realize that.
Thanks, I'll at least start it, since it looks a new experience.
Slightly OT, but relevant: I want to watch a good post-apocalyptic movie now... What would you guys recommend? Already seen The Road, I am Legend, 28 days later, Children of Men... Something else out there?