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[Hulk_Smash]

Thanks to the digital gift that keeps on giving, that is PSN+, I finally got around to playing The Last of Us. I didn't own a PS3 back in the day, so I missed out on it amidst all the accolades the game had showered upon it.

I'm one of those people that hear about a game that is "AAA" and getting tons of great reviews and I immediately want to dismiss it. A bit hipster of me, but maybe it's because a lot of games that fall into that category just don't interest me.

Anyway, no excuse when it's free and I'm too broke to buy new games. So, I gave it a go. And...

For all intents and purposes, I didn't put the game down until I crossed the finish line.

[SPOILER WARNING]

I liked that the story took the character development route. It didn't shy away from the fact that this was a very personal story of two people. Most of the side characters were fairly interesting and each were given a moment to shine.

As far as the gameplay goes, I loved the return of tank controls. I haven't really played a game with it since RE4. Another thing I appreciate, is there wasn't any high-tech bullshit. No pretending that a post-apocalyptic survivor would have access to drones, heat seeking rockets, etc. All the weapons and equipment are things you could find in that world.

The only thing that seemed a bit too "gamey" was Joel's Daredevil hearing ability. I just... can't with those kind of game mechanics. I immediately turned it off. Like, why would you want it that easy? Anyway, I didn't care if was quite a bit harder to pull of stealth, I wanted it to be as realistic as possible.

The graphics were, of course, top notch. I was playing the remastered version, so it did get a facelift, but that game is a PS3 technical masterpiece and the remastered edition looks almost as good as Uncharted 4.

The only complaints I had were on a technical level. For about 2 hours of game time, I had to deal with that stupid stutter-step bug that happens when Joel starts to run. Speaking of running, can't we get Joel and Ellie to jog just a little bit faster, please? The other technical issue I ran into was enemy pop-in. I walk by an alley and there's nothing there just to have a clicker latch on to my back or a soldier shoots me in the back. But, those weren't major.

Over all, I thoroughly enjoyed this "AAA" experience. I don't know if I'll pick up the sequel when it comes out, but it definitely is on my radar now. But, here's something I was wondering about the ending. Did anyone else feel like the ending was not really an ending. It ended with Joel telling the lie to Ellie. I found that odd. No establishing wideshot. No, slow walk into the survivor's town at sunset. Nope. It ended on a lie. Sequel setup maybe?

 

[TheMay30thMan]

The first time I played The Last of Us I absolutely loved it. It’s been a long time since then and my tastes for video games have changed. I can no longer stand moments when the control is taken away from me in overly cinematic games. I would love to replay this to see how I feel about it now.

 

[Hobbygaming]

I was late to playing TLOU too and even after all of the hype, it made my top 10 list of all time

The sequel is shaping up to be another classic that we'll be talking about years after the release

 

[Danjin44]

I personally really enjoyed it and gameplay is great when you playing it in survival difficulty. The only thing I didn’t liked about it is repeating same type of puzzles trough out the game.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Check out kill montages on YT (including your own character getting killed in different ways). Very fun.

 

[HotPocket69]

I personally really enjoyed it and gameplay is great when you playing it in survival difficulty. The only thing I didn’t liked about it is repeating same type of puzzles trough out the game.

Puzzles? You mean crates, pallets and ladders?

 

[Danjin44]

Puzzles? You mean crates, pallets and ladders?

Yeah, which I don’t think you can even call those “puzzles”.

 

[Soleil rouge]

It was a strange and sudden ending, especially after the nuclear level of emotions you just went through. I didn't like it personally because Ellie's passive aggressiveness was off-putting and sets the tone for her resentment of Joel.

 

[Yoboman]

The x-ray mode is definitely stupid. The sound design, especially with headphones or surround sound, is more than adequate to provide what you need to detect enemies

Definitely a better game without it so you did the right thing

 

[The Shepard]

I loved the game, definitely in my top ten best games I've ever experienced. Can't wait for part 2.

 

[Tesseract]

garbage mechanics, but it's a great movie

 

[Hobbygaming]

garbage mechanics, but it's a great movie

That "movie" has some great gameplay and is one of the best games of all time

 

[Tesseract]

That "movie" has some great gameplay and is one of the best games of all time

gameplay is meh, but it is one of the best games ever

 

[Hobbygaming]

Not in my opinion, I love the gameplay it's very fun. It has the best melee combat in its genre too

 

[Vawn]

You have to remember most of the people on the Internet claiming games like TLOU have no gameplay have not actually played the game and are echoing what they've heard.

 

[Hobbygaming]

You have to remember most of the people on the Internet claiming games like TLOU have no gameplay have not actually played the game and are echoing what they've heard.

I've found this to be the case way too many times

 

[Doom85]

It was a strange and sudden ending, especially after the nuclear level of emotions you just went through. I didn't like it personally because Ellie's passive aggressiveness was off-putting and sets the tone for her resentment of Joel.

Marlene was basically her adopted mother for a huge chunk of her life, and Joel gave a very flimsy explanation for why Ellie was waking up in a car driving away without getting to see any of them. I think simply accepting his answer after having him swear he's telling the truth is overly reasonable if anything. She was also currently struggling with survivor guilt as she may have suspected getting the cure would cost her her life and she mentions all the people (Riley, Tess, Sam) who got bit and didn't make it yet she still is. I don't think she was being out of line at the end and Joel didn't seem to mind either (especially since he's the one lying anyway).

 

[Tesseract]

You have to remember most of the people on the Internet claiming games like TLOU have no gameplay have not actually played the game and are echoing what they've heard.

oh please

 

[brian0057]

garbage mechanics, but it's a great movie

This.
Splinter Cell: Conviction has much better gameplay... and that game sucks!
The over-reliance on quick-time events, those forced walking segments, Joel's apparent inability to get a fucking knife instead using this crafting shiv crap, stealth so bad It would make Metal Gear blush, and those "Shoots & Ladders" moments. The only thing this game has going for it are the graphics and the story because judged as a game, it fails spectacularly.

 

[Hulk_Smash]

This.
Splinter Cell: Conviction has much better gameplay... and that game sucks!
The over-reliance on quick-time events, those forced walking segments, Joel's apparent inability to get a fucking knife instead using this crafting shiv crap, stealth so bad It would make Metal Gear blush, and those "Shoots & Ladders" moments. The only thing this game has going for it are the graphics and the story because judged as a game, it fails spectacularly.

I disagree. Well, the shiv and ladders thing I do agree with. But, the gunplay is very good. Recoil is realistic, the sound design is top notch, and you have to make every bullet count. I actually found fighting against the soldiers to be scarier at times since they were far more unpredictable than the zombies- which in turn, enhanced the stealth sections since a bit of unpredictability makes stealth games more challenging.

Also, remember the enemies aren't elite covert ops navy seal types like what you would deal with in Splinter Cell. It's far more likely that they would do rash things like rush right at you or not look at every corner to see if you're hiding, etc. Not sure if that was intentional, but it did fit the scenario better than say The Division where everyone that survived the plague just happens to be battle-hardened weapons experts.

On the other hand, I did find it hilarious that you can throw one of those makeshift bombs right in front of someone, clanging on the ground and not only would they not see you do that, but they would nonchalantly walk right over one and BOOM! I laughed every time that happened.

I'd put the game at a solid 7 out of 10. (a true 7/10 not "OMG! He thinks this is the worst game ever! Get a rope!) It is weaker on the gameplay side, but presentation is top notch. Maybe they'll fix some of these problems in the sequel.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Turn off X-ray hearing immediately. Then play, preferably Survival difficulty mode at least.

 

[hunthunt]

I played the TLOU when it came out in 2013 and I still think is one of the best games ever made, just extremelly high quality from gameplay to graphics and pace.

Easily in my top 5 of the last decade.

 

[Soleil rouge]

Marlene was basically her adopted mother for a huge chunk of her life, and Joel gave a very flimsy explanation for why Ellie was waking up in a car driving away without getting to see any of them. I think simply accepting his answer after having him swear he's telling the truth is overly reasonable if anything. She was also currently struggling with survivor guilt as she may have suspected getting the cure would cost her her life and she mentions all the people (Riley, Tess, Sam) who got bit and didn't make it yet she still is. I don't think she was being out of line at the end and Joel didn't seem to mind either (especially since he's the one lying anyway).

I get it, I just don't like it lol. Besides, they went through hell together, bonded and even saved each other's lives. It's not unreasonable to think that Ellie and Joel's relationship is stronger than Ellie and Marlene's.

Regarding the gameplay, I disliked it on PS3 but enjoyed it immensely on the remastered version (performance mode). The higher framerate makes a massive difference.

 

[Handy Fake]

Makes me cry repeatedly. I daren't think what gibbering mess TLOU2 is going to leave me in.

 

[ROMhack]

Personally I never really liked or cared for the characters and I think that has huge repercussions for how much one can enjoy the game.

 

[Hulk_Smash]

Makes me cry repeatedly. I daren't think what gibbering mess TLOU2 is going to leave me in.

I’ve never had a video game make me cry. I’ve only had like one or two movies even do that.

 

[Danjin44]

Personally I never really liked or cared for the characters and I think that has huge repercussions for how much one can enjoy the game.

Isn’t the case with most games? You can say the same about Witcher 3, if you don’t like the characters in that game, that will effect how much you could enjoy the game.

 

[ROMhack]

Isn’t the case with most games? You can say the same about Witcher 3, if you don’t like the characters in that game, that will effect how much you could enjoy the game.

That's true yeah.

 

[highrider]

It’s really good. But really heavy. I have tried to replay it more to form more cohesive thoughts about the game, but for me it’s even stressful on normal difficulty. I think I’ve aged out of that kind of game

 

[Aenima]

Anyone playing TLOU for the 1st time, or for a 2nd run, should play it in Hard Dificulty. The game is much more well balanced and the gameplay shines much more when you have less resorces and you need to make strategies about how you going to take enemies down. Hard mode also disables the x-ray vision.

They clearly adjusted the Normal dificulty to be enjoyed by a larger audience, but we get too many resorces to the point we can gun down all the enemies, and it hurts the great gameplay this game has when you try mixing up gunning with stealth and melee instead.

 

[Danjin44]

Anyone playing TLOU for the 1st time, or for a 2nd run, should play it in Hard Dificulty.

I disagree, for me survival difficulty is the most balance and fun. It gives you enough bullets to survive but not enough to start a fire fight.

 

[Aenima]

I disagree, for me survival difficulty is the most balance and fun. It gives you enough bullets to survive but not enough to start a fire fight.

Im just recomending to play the game above the Normal dificulty because the Normal gives u too much resorces and kills the survival aspect of the game.

Last time i played the game was on PS3 when the game launched so i dont remember what dificulty felt more balanced, just that anything above Normal made the game better.
I have it installed on PS4 thanks to PS+ offer so im going to beat it again this month.

 

[Bigrx1]

Thanks to the digital gift that keeps on giving, that is PSN+, I finally got around to playing The Last of Us. I didn't own a PS3 back in the day, so I missed out on it amidst all the accolades the game had showered upon it.

I'm one of those people that hear about a game that is "AAA" and getting tons of great reviews and I immediately want to dismiss it. A bit hipster of me, but maybe it's because a lot of games that fall into that category just don't interest me.

Anyway, no excuse when it's free and I'm too broke to buy new games. So, I gave it a go. And...

For all intents and purposes, I didn't put the game down until I crossed the finish line.

[SPOILER WARNING]

I liked that the story took the character development route. It didn't shy away from the fact that this was a very personal story of two people. Most of the side characters were fairly interesting and each were given a moment to shine.

As far as the gameplay goes, I loved the return of tank controls. I haven't really played a game with it since RE4. Another thing I appreciate, is there wasn't any high-tech bullshit. No pretending that a post-apocalyptic survivor would have access to drones, heat seeking rockets, etc. All the weapons and equipment are things you could find in that world.

The only thing that seemed a bit too "gamey" was Joel's Daredevil hearing ability. I just... can't with those kind of game mechanics. I immediately turned it off. Like, why would you want it that easy? Anyway, I didn't care if was quite a bit harder to pull of stealth, I wanted it to be as realistic as possible.

The graphics were, of course, top notch. I was playing the remastered version, so it did get a facelift, but that game is a PS3 technical masterpiece and the remastered edition looks almost as good as Uncharted 4.

The only complaints I had were on a technical level. For about 2 hours of game time, I had to deal with that stupid stutter-step bug that happens when Joel starts to run. Speaking of running, can't we get Joel and Ellie to jog just a little bit faster, please? The other technical issue I ran into was enemy pop-in. I walk by an alley and there's nothing there just to have a clicker latch on to my back or a soldier shoots me in the back. But, those weren't major.

Over all, I thoroughly enjoyed this "AAA" experience. I don't know if I'll pick up the sequel when it comes out, but it definitely is on my radar now. But, here's something I was wondering about the ending. Did anyone else feel like the ending was not really an ending. It ended with Joel telling the lie to Ellie. I found that odd. No establishing wideshot. No, slow walk into the survivor's town at sunset. Nope. It ended on a lie. Sequel setup maybe?

I really liked the ending, REALLY liked it. Just kind of fucked up altogether and raw and really gray area and I think it kind of represented people as a whole well, we all seem to be capable of doing good and horrible, and neither is the real us it’s like we are both, we have both in us

 

[Shifty]

As far as the gameplay goes, I loved the return of tank controls.

Tank controls in Last of Us? I don't remember that from my playthrough.

 

[Hulk_Smash]

Tank controls in Last of Us? I don't remember that from my playthrough.

So, you had an option to turn it into Call of Duty?

 

[Keihart]

So, you had an option to turn it into Call of Duty?

Well, technically, tank controls are only a thing in fixed cameras, but yeah, it does work kinda like a tank.

 

[Shifty]

So, you had an option to turn it into Call of Duty?

My memories are telling me the left stick moves you forward/back/left/right relative to the camera and the right stick freely rotates the view, which doesn't match any definition of tank controls that I'm aware of.

 

[Shmunter]

Tank controls are literally like a physical military Tank. No strafing, can only turn left/right and move back and forth.

Last of us has regular modern 3rd person controls barring some button mapping differences as is customary between games.

 

[Sosokrates]

It's a v.good game, a bit overrated though, and some levels are a bit jaring visually now, while others are very good.

 

[DForce]

I really enjoyed the game when I first played it. I've been watching a few streams of people's first play-troughs on twitch and they loved it. It's a very well written story, creating memorable characters.

I loved the multiplayer, too.

 

[DemeKnobb]

Feels like it's being streamed it's so laggy the controls.

 

[Hobbygaming]

Feels like it's being streamed it's so laggy the controls.

Wrong game?

 

[DemeKnobb]

Wrong game?

Yes I thought this was the last of us thread

 

[Hobbygaming]

Yes I thought this was the last of us thread

How are The Last of Us controls laggy are you playing it on the PS3 or PS4?

 

[DemeKnobb]

Ps4, feels slow, laggy I surpose your used to it and I'll get used to it

 

[TTOOLL]

Just finished the game last night and really liked it. I also played the remaster through PS+.

I believe it's important to talk about my experience with games. The last console I owned was a Playstation 2...I've had the PS4 for less than 3 months now and the only games I've played are GT Sport, which I love, and The Last of Us. I also had a short time with God of War and Uncharted 4.

The story is ok, nothing crazy good, but I liked how they focused on Ellie and Joel. You grow with them and you start caring about them throughout the game. The ending was good in my book, too.

I also liked the more realistic gameplay in terms of supplies and ammo. However, it makes no sense to find ammo in the environment more easily than in people you just killed who happen to carry a weapon. That's trash, terrible decision.

In terms of graphics, I found the game beautiful, but I can't really compare it with other games because of my limited experience with the PS4 or with the original in the PS3. The setting is very nice and well done. It gives you that feeling of loneliness and desperation. Loved it!

To sum up, what impressed me the most is how superior TLOU is compared to Uncharted 4 in general, which was a boring fest with terrible gunplay and too much climbing.

I will definitely play TLOU Part 2!

 

[ksdixon]

For those new to the game thanks to PS+, know this:


The multiplayer is better than the story.

If you want a teamplayer medic on your team, add ksdixon

 

[ethomaz]

The ending basically ends with a real life situation.
Most will choose the same... parents will do the same how many times needed.

BTW the best part of TLOU2 is the incredible and innovative MP.

The SP is amazing and the MP being better just shows how ambitious ND was with that game... sadly they forget that with TLOU2.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

I was thinking about making a thread on it myself, replaying it for a third time thanks to PS+. It's smart to give it out for free with the sequel coming out in a few months. I have never once paid to play this game, borrowed it from a friend and now Sony hooked me up.

I've warmed up to it a bit more with this playthrough, it's still very much a 7/10 video game. The story is average, the gameplay is below average until you get the full set of weapons and can switch up but by then the game is nearly over.

I still remember when this game came out people on Old GAF didn't "get" the ending. He lied to protect her from the truth, how is that hard to comprehend.

 

[ethomaz]

Feels like it's being streamed it's so laggy the controls.

There is no lag in the controls... the animations are perfection... the Bow has the best controls I ever see in a game.

Peharps you played RDR2 or Rise of Tomb Raider... these have big control input lag.