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[toddhunter]

I wouldn't say that it's needed to progress, I played through the first time without even knowing it was there. It's definitely more of a helping hand than a game breaker.

Sounds good.

My last concern is about button mashing QTEs as I hate those with a passion. Based on the eurogamer video, we might be getting plenty of them. Are they somewhat sane in that you don't need to destroy your thumb or are we talking about GOW opening a door levels of pain?

 

[BurnOutBrighter]

Okay okay okay I'm preordering. Everything about this looks great.

 

[Geek]

I played through a couple of times on Normal, and as soon as a Clicker hit me in that scene, it was an instant death, didn't even get a QTE.

Clickers are always instant death (except in those special square button-mashing moments).

 

[flipswitch]

it's optional, triggered with a button. it's just overly powerful, that's my point, and ruins the tension. IMO, of course...

Oh so it's assigned to a button. Not happy with that either. If they have to include it, it should be only available on easy. Leave normal and upwards alone.

 

[Loudninja]

This is going to be intense.

Interestingly, you can't snap to cover. If you're ducking behind something and you press L1 to aim, Joel will automatically pop up, but you can't press yourself against it. This encourages you to keep moving, outsmarting enemies rather than playing hide-and-seek with them. If you get shot while crouching behind something you'll recoil backwards and become exposed, forcing you to scramble to safety. It's good to see Naughty Dog leaving their Uncharted comfort zone.

Holding R2 activates listening mode. Joel crouches and the colour is drained from the screen, highlighting nearby enemies through walls. It's a less powerful version of Batman's detective mode, only picking up someone, or something, if they're making a sound: the infected's mad clicking, for example. You can also toss bottles and bricks as a distraction. We couldn't test it, but a loading screen tip suggests that some encounters can be skipped entirely through stealth.

http://www.computerandvideogames.co...t-of-us/?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSSzone.

 

[Stark]

If Listen mode isn't needed in the game and still at the press of the button, then it's fine for me.

Some really good previews.

 

[JehutyRunner]

This is going to be intense.

http://www.computerandvideogames.co...t-of-us/?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSSzone.

Yeah. It's actually a bit similar in a way to Tomb Raider.

 

[Hanmik]

Sounds good.

My last concern is about button mashing QTEs as I hate those with a passion. Based on the eurogamer video, we might be getting plenty of them. Are they somewhat sane in that you don't need to destroy your thumb or are we talking about GOW opening a door levels of pain?

GOW pain... but you don´t have to hit as fast as in thos games... BUT I HATE THOSE SECTIONS in the demo. I just don+t get how developers think BUTTON mashing sections add to the tension..? it´s just stupid and old (a bit like me). I hate it..

 

[BurnOutBrighter]

Really like how you're not stuck to cover. Keeps you on the move, like Batman.

 

[Hanmik]

If they're smart they include a hardcore mode. I don't plan to use it, that's for sure.

there is a mode called

Spoiler

survival

but it is locked in the demo, so no idea what that includes.

 

[Dennis]

ugh setpieces....

 

[ypo]

Just saying don't use is a lame defense. Knowing it's there is just annoying and immersion breaking. No doubt there will be a tutorial of this feature and there will always be accidential button pressing triggering it. This is a game that leans heavily on the side of realism focusing on thick tensions. That wallhack just looks sooo damn out of place.

 

[Gorillaz]

Still quiet on the MP eh?.....hmm

Well watching the eurogamer preview I really liked that

Spoiler

upside down segment where Joel was trapped

. Kind of unique

 

[SolidSnakex]

Still quiet on the MP eh?.....hmm

Journalists are going to get to see that next week.

 

[Gorillaz]

Journalists are going to get to see that next week.

AAAh ok. Can't wait

 

[Loudninja]

We also got to implement weapon upgrades for the first time. Collecting parts — scrap metal, gears, screws, bolts — and certain tools lets Joel improve handguns, rifles, shotguns and bows. At workbenches, he can increase their clip size, reload speed and range. Players will even be able to craft armor piercing rounds and an extra holster to hold a second pistol.

In Pittsburgh, we had our first encounter with human enemies, who ambush Joel and Ellie in a convenience store after their crash. Facing them is a challenge. They'll flank Joel and Ellie. They'll take advantage of cover. In my first encounters with them, the humans made short work of Joel. Continuing after each death showed how The Last of Us randomizes some of these encounters, equipping enemies with planks, handguns or shotguns. Sometimes, a few extra shotgun shells would spawn. Other times, an extra wooden plank would appear.

Naughty Dog's Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann said moments like those have a dash of randomness so that players don't feel like they're going through certain motions, fighting the same things in the same circumstance again and again.

The aspect of The Last of Us we'd have liked to seen was the game's multiplayer mode. We haven't seen a second of it to date, despite the fact that the game is out in less than a month. Straley and Druckmann wouldn't explain why Naughty Dog was holding the reveal of the game's online multiplayer until the last minute, but both seemed excited to finally reveal it. The lack of exposure seemed more grounded in helping to guard an interesting secret, rather than apprehension about how it would be received, since Straley and Druckmann stressed that they wanted people to see more of the single-player campaign before they exposed the game's multiplayer component.

http://www.polygon.com/2013/5/17/4339288/the-last-of-us-ps3-e3-preview-naughty-dog

 

[Bikram]

So one more over-hyped game from ND?

 

[Varth]

I know this is one of those arguments that goes around and around, but I don't think that is really the issue.

The question is, is the game designed around you needing to use it? That is more of the concern. There is a big difference between something there to help (which I would personally use, not enjoying stealth) and something that really needs to be used because of lack of other tools and options.

Yep, that's basically the point to me. It would be an entirely acceptable mechanic if there were limitations and risk/reward mechanics. Fact is, there doesn't seem to be any drawback to using it. Having some false positive like Listen Mode giving out just a "noise source" signal (not knowing if it's an enemy or a bird) would be already better. giving out the outline of the enemy it's WAY too obvious, and has no discernible counnterweight like drastical movement limitation. Something like having to put your ear on the ground with a very slow animation that makes you vulnerable to random assaulting enemies would seem something more balanced, but it's just me.

 

[amstradcpc]

Oh boy. I hope we don't get flooded forum posts with guys crashing to Naughty Dog hq to show them that the aiming is too loose.

The problem in Uncharted 3 were the broken diagonals. ND please, copy paste the Uncharted 2 reticule movement...

 

[JehutyRunner]

Something I didn't note in my write-up, but an observation that needs to be made: the snippets of Gustavo Santaolalla's music from the demo (and when the demo is highlighted in the XMB) is utterly fantastic. Like, really great and well suited.

I loved his work in Babel and I was quite excited when it was announced he was doing the music. From the work so far, he hasn't disappointed at all.

 

[Mikey Jr.]

So one more over-hyped game from ND?

All previews seem to enjoy it.

So no?

Picking this up day fucking 1. Might go digital. Depends on the size.

 

[Hanmik]

ugh setpieces....

ugh Dennis... ;o) I guess you have played earlier ND games, so you should be used to those by now.

 

[Secretarial Dog]

From german Gameswelt Preview:



- Alternatively you can use the knife as a picklock. So we come to many precious objects, which are often located in pantries or in other small rooms behind locked doors. The choice should be carefully considered, because resources are scarce. The knife is after its misuse as a picklock, a broken item.

- All the other doors or access roads are blocked. After some time of searching around the game gives us a hint. By pressing L3 our gaze is drawn to a long board

- Reloading takes seemingly forever.

- From time to time you can find pills in nature or in buildings. Have you collected enough of them you can improve their various skills.

With 50 pills it increases your health, for 20 the speed when modifying or assembling your weapons. 75 pills you have to invest if you want to use a self-defense knife stab at death struggle against the mutants. Also, the range of listening mode in which you can locate the position and number of non-visible opponents, can be increased by pills. Most of the skills you can develop in three stages.

- You can also use smoke bombs. To craft it you need sugar, cloth and explosive material.


http://translate.google.com/transla...welt.de/the-last-of-us/preview/seite-1,197739

 

[Hanmik]

ugh setpieces....

ugh Dennis... ;o) I guess you have played earlier ND games, so you should be used to those by now.

Picking this up day fucking 1. Might go digital. Depends on the size.

the demo is two levels.. and it´s over 6gb.. so it will probably be giant.

 

[Yoshichan]

So one more over-hyped game from ND?

What?

 

[BurnOutBrighter]

ugh setpieces....

Nothing wrong with set pieces. As long as they make sense in the story and don't take too much control away from the player.

Luckily ND are one of best in the business at them.

 

[toddhunter]

GOW pain... but you don´t have to hit as fast as in thos games... BUT I HATE THOSE SECTIONS in the demo. I just don+t get how developers think BUTTON mashing sections add to the tension..? it´s just stupid and old (a bit like me). I hate it..

Ah crap. Yeah I don't get it either, I know that my life isn't really on the line...

Oh well just have to deal with it I suppose. Thanks for the impressions to all, going back on blackout for this game.

 

[Mikey Jr.]

the demo is two levels.. and it´s over 6gb.. so it will probably be giant.

Wow, ok then. I was expecting like 25gb, haha.

 

[Mr. Fix]

.

 

[Alienous]

There's a surprising lack of gifs in this thread...

 

[nelsonroyale]

Gameplay, story, and level design aren't stellar in the Uncharted games. They do however, make pretty games.

Level design, narrative implementation are stellar. Nice reductionism

 

[Loudninja]

It's this ability to collect things to make more things that urges you to spend a lot more time looking around for stuff than we probably would have otherwise. Along the way there are plenty of empty store fronts and houses, and the more brave wanderer may extend gameplay time by having a poke around. Be wary though, there are more than a few honest-to-goodness shock-inducing moments involved.

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/121...-explored-in-the-hottest-ps3-game-of-the-year

 

[Bikram]

What?

Yeah you know how we will be getting lot of threads bashing the game after a month of release.

 

[kittoo]

So one more over-hyped game from ND?

 

[Mdk7]

Tried the demo, it's seriously crazy fucking awesome.

I love the overall vibe of the game: the atmosphere is terribly sad and melancholic, you can feel that this world has somehow lost hope, and that decay and brutality are basically the main two things that rule above all.

The rhythm is another interesting aspect: the game is a little slow, with a menacing sense of danger that creeps even in complete daylight.
And then, all of a sudden, you experience these insane shots of adrenaline, this furious moments of pure action that struck you right in your fucking face.
But you have no time to sit back and enjoy them like yoy would do with a kick-ass, over the top cutscene: this is a game that will make you sweat and thrill, constantly bringing you to the edge of your seat as your heart rushes in your chest.
I am not joking here: these rabid infected things are fucking nuts, and they will haunt like creatures from hell. Constantly rushing and growling, completely inhuman and out of control.
Even when armed and 1 against 1 (or better TWO against one, cause Ellie is always there!), you will definitely NOT feel secure and comfortable in engaging them.

Another truly interesting thing is the survival aspect: bullets will always be scarce, and soon you'll find yourself exploring every house inch to inch hunting for loot.
Not just for the sake of it, but because you'll seriosly need stuff to survive.

My major WOW moment was a very peculiar shoot-out... something truly memorable, a real instant classic.

Only one letdown: i personally hate the DualShock 3 analogues, but i thought the aiming wasn't as responsible as i would have wanted. Like performing a headshot was a little too much of a struggle for my taste.
Other than that, i came in with HUGE expectations, yet i was fucking BLOWN AWAY.

 

[Moxx19]

So is there any word about how well the AI works? Anything like what we saw in the E3 demo?

 

[Hanmik]

Wow, ok then. I was expecting like 25gb, haha.

I was actually quite surprised.. I got the code and entered it on my ps3.. 166mb.. that was the size if the demo. Once I started the game it started another download with a timer on it. It took me just about 1½hour to download the complete demo, and I have a broken 20/1 line.

 

[Alienous]

Only one letdown: i personally hate the DualShock 3 analogues, but i thought the aiming wasn't as responsible as i would have wanted. Like performing a headshot was a little too much of a struggle for my taste.
Other than that, i came in with HUGE expectations, yet i was fucking BLOWN AWAY.

Why, Naughty Dog? Why must you just miss perfection, always.

 

[flipswitch]

Wow, ok then. I was expecting like 25gb, haha.

Don't be surprised if the full game is something close to 50gb. They'll most likely have high bitrate cutscenes, multiple language, etc.
Oh and making of videos

 

[De-mon]

Mine: http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=es&ie=UTF-8&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vandal.net%2Favances%2Fps3%2Fthe-last-of-us%2F15367%2F5

 

[Miles Quaritch]

To those who played it, have they fixed they hitbox/window in which the auto death sequence with a clicker triggers or is it still relatively big?

 

[Hanmik]

To those who played it, have they fixed they hitbox/window in which the auto death sequence with a clicker triggers or is it still relatively big?

fixed..? what was the problem..?

 

[Loudninja]

Tried the demo, it's seriously crazy fucking awesome.

I love the overall vibe of the game: the atmosphere is terribly sad and melancholic, you can feel that this world has somehow lost hope, and that decay and brutality are basically the main two things that rule above all.

The rhythm is another interesting aspect: the game is a little slow, with a menacing sense of danger that creeps even in complete daylight.
And then, all of a sudden, you experience these insane shots of adrenaline, this furious moments of pure action that struck you right in your fucking face.
But you have no time to sit back and enjoy them like yoy would do with a kick-ass, over the top cutscene: this is a game that will make you sweat and thrill, constantly bringing you to the edge of your seat as your heart rushes in your chest.
I am not joking here: these rabid infected things are fucking nuts, and they will haunt like creatures from hell. Constantly rushing and growling, completely inhuman and out of control.
Even when armed and 1 against 1 (or better TWO against one, cause Ellie is always there!), you will definitely NOT feel secure and comfortable in engaging them.

Another truly interesting thing is the survival aspect: bullets will always be scarce, and soon you'll find yourself exploring every house inch to inch hunting for loot.
Not just for the sake of it, but because you'll seriosly need stuff to survive.

My major WOW moment was a very peculiar shoot-out... something truly memorable, a real instant classic.

Only one letdown: i personally hate the DualShock 3 analogues, but i thought the aiming wasn't as responsible as i would have wanted. Like performing a headshot was a little too much of a struggle for my taste.
Other than that, i came in with HUGE expectations, yet i was fucking BLOWN AWAY.

Ahhhhhhh!

The game has alot of rpg elements it seems.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

fixed..? what was the problem..?

The hitbox/window for the auto death sequence was too big. Needed to be smaller so it didn't become annoying/frustrating.

 

[flipswitch]

Can't believe it's coming out in less than a month. Remember that E3 live play through :0

 

[Gorillaz]

Part of me feels they are taking notes from Dark Souls.



Obviously they are different genre and 2 different beast altogether...but something about it from a gameplay prospective gives me a D Souls feel.Even tho it has the Wallhack/listen mode

 

[Hanmik]

The hitbox/window for the auto death sequence was too big. Needed to be smaller so it didn't become annoying/frustrating.

hmmm... I can say that I was surprised the first time a clicker bit my throat. It happened a little to fast. But it never occured to me that it was because of the Hitbox being to big.. so I would say no, they haven´t fixed it in ths demo (but the demo is actually called BETA-Demo)

 

[Loudninja]

The player driven story expansion and raw, soul tarnishing combat combine to create something unlike anything else I’ve played in awhile. At moments there are areas that feel like they’re encroaching into Dear Ester territory (a PC only game that’s effectively a first person short story narrated as you progress). Large chunks of the game can pass with barely a word spoken as you move through the world with lazy slide guitar notes spacing out the distance traveled. Then, with barely a chance to pull your mind from it’s sleepy reverie, you’re plunged into a panicked fight to stay alive, doing anything to anyone to make sure that happens. It’s rare to play a game where your continued survival can come without pride, only the begrudging admittance that it was you or them and, well, at least they don’t feel bad about anything anymore. If The Last Of Us can keep the balance between its desperate fights and you-fill-the-gaps ambient story telling then this could be an important step forward in storytelling and an essential play.

http://www.officialplaystationmagaz...gs-zombie-road-trip-is-a-walk-and-talk-em-up/

So much awesome stuff in these previews.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

hmmm... I can say that I was surprised the first time a clicker bit my throat. It happened a little to fast. But it never occured to me that it was because of the Hitbox being to big.. so I would say no, they haven´t fixed it in ths demo (but the demo is actually called BETA-Demo)

That's a shame. Hopefully they'll address it at some point. It otherwise looks and sounds incredible, but that little aspect seems like it could become pretty frustrating in the long run.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Varth]

Only one letdown: i personally hate the DualShock 3 analogues, but i thought the aiming wasn't as responsible as i would have wanted. Like performing a headshot was a little too much of a struggle for my taste.

I found that to be an important part of the overall tone of the game. It's no TPS, and no Uncharted. Struggling to align the aim when a Clicker is rushing you is a big part of that feeling you mentioned. After the first time you get chomped, you learn that shooting is always a last resort.