Support NeoGAF

[Garibaldi]

Greatest game I've ever played. The multiplayer is awesome from the little I played before I moved (Internet isn't connected yet), but my mates rave about it constantly.

Singleplayer wise, it hits all the emotional beats that I require in a good yarn. No stupid stereotypical characters. Everyone seems believable and you feel the struggle. Gameplay wise, the varying difficulty levels offer everyone a good balance which can fit varying playstyles. You can stealth it and embrace the limited resources and tension on Survivor/Grounded just as easily as occasionally going Rambo on a group of opponents. The easier difficulties offer a more run and gun gameplay style imo but I suppose you could stealth if you want. I also love the fact they totally change up the gameplay with (slight Winter Spoiler)

Spoiler

a PC controlled Ellie. She fights so different to Joel in that she is a lethal assassin if you hidden, in comparison to Joel's resource dependent stealth gameplay.

.

Also one factor I now must add to my requirements in a good game. Just the right amount of collectibles that makes exploration/replaying a joy. None of this overwhelming Ubi crap.

Great game.

 

[SomTervo]

^ Nice.

well, I guess the game can't cater to everyone. It's a brilliant game though, easily one of top 5 ever in my book along with OG Half-Life

Absolutely - the issue here is that the OP's issues with the game seem to largely stem from arbitrary gameplay choices he's making (re difficulty) and a misreading of what the game's about, possibly due to aforementioned gameplay choices. His tone suggests some confirmation bias, too, but that's a whole other thing.

Several of his complaints are totally about taste though, and that's absolutely fair enough.

 

[spekkeh]

Perhaps themes, as you mentioned, are the only things which come above character, and indeed, TLoU explores several themes with beautiful elegance. What is morally 'right' and 'wrong' when civilisation's order has collapsed? (What does morality mean anyway?) How does a person deal with trauma? What is the importance of government and authority? In my opinion, TLoU explores these just as effectively as Of Mice and Men or Beloved in their own ways - and these are landmarks in American literature.

Just seems like you didn't think about the game enough, bro

Wow bit presumptuous. You're probably right though, though my lack of cognitive effort, if present, is due to the lack of originality in the character archetypes too. Anyone above thirty (heck twenty probably) will already have such a large knowledge base of media dealing with postapocalyptic settings, exploring your questions with the use of Papa Wolf / Badass and Child tropes and the child as a miracle cure vessel for the dystopian world. Children of Men, I am Legend (the movie), Terminator 2, games such as Bioshock Infinite and The Walking Dead to name but a few of the many recent ones. The Last of Us does some of it a bit better than other games, but very little new or cognitively interesting. That it heralds back to landmarks of American literature just solidifies that it's derivative.

 

[SomTervo]

Edit: Upon cooling off a little, I realise I might have been rude here. Sorry, spek. I've had this same argument so many times (always with people ultimately seeing my point) that my patience for it has run a little thin nowadays. May have been more forceful with my words than I needed to be. I respect your opinion.

Wow bit presumptuous. You're probably right though, though my lack of cognitive effort, if present, is due to the lack of originality in the character archetypes too.

I was being facetious when I said that, hence the 'bro'

"Originality in the character archetypes"... What the heck are you on about? Archetypes are, by definition, not original. Originality in story content doesn't exist. The only originality in any story exists in how the story is told. And certainly no other story has introduced a single father character by allowing us to control his daughter, and subsequently him, up until her death. That is an original method of telling an unoriginal story. No story is original; no character is original. Only the telling.

TLoU uses the medium of videogames to convey these ideas and characters in a broadly new and highly effective way.

Anyone above thirty (heck twenty probably) will already have such a large knowledge base of media dealing with postapocalyptic settings, exploring your questions with the use of Papa Wolf / Badass and Child tropes and the child as a miracle cure vessel for the dystopian world.

Dropping TV trope references doesn't mean anything in this argument. Every story in history features 'tropes', because 'tropes' are what stories are made up of. Patterns of human experience. Go back and read Odyssey/Illiad, Plato, the Bible- all the tropes you just mentioned are in these. Such tropes have existed since the dawn of literature. 'Trope' just means a pattern of meaning. It doesn't add or subtract anything from your argument - it's just a different topic altogether.

Children of Men, I am Legend (the movie), Terminator 2, games such as Bioshock Infinite and The Walking Dead to name but a few of the many recent ones.

Absolutely, and these are canonical works just as valid and worthy of comparison as Of Mice and Men or Beloved, which I mentioned. It's all valid. TLoU just puts these ideas in a new medium, lets us see them through a new camera. That's all that matters here.

The Last of Us does some of it a bit better than other games, but very little new or cognitively interesting. That it heralds back to landmarks of American literature just solidifies that it's derivative.

'Derivative'? Whoa, ladies and gents, we've got a literary badass over here!

Spoiler

Some of the greatest works of modern art, literally 21st century stuff, are based on texts written thousands of years ago. So, under your logic, that makes them derivative? Yeah, cool man.

'Derivative' doesn't apply here at all. In fact, it doesn't apply to any art at all, until it encroaches on plagiarism. Either everything's 'derivative' or nothing is. No certain piece of art is more derivative than another. All art "rips off" all art. As Cormac McCarthy said, 'The ugly fact is books are made out of books, the novel depends for its life on the novels that have been written' - and the same goes for all art, including videogames. ND based TLoU on countless other works of speculative fiction.

Derivative suggests that aspects of the work are unimaginatively lifted from other works. This just isn't true of TLoU. There are plenty of works which the game has lifted stylistic and generic cues from – but any work of art does this. TLoU just puts a new perspective on it, letting us see timeless human struggles through a couple of characters in a unique way. And that perspective is masterfully constructed.

 

[OmnipotentO]

Play it on easy of you are not enjoying the gameplay and just wanna get the story. Nothing wrong with easy mode. It's why is there.

 

[Mr. Giggles]

My goodness OP, grounded difficulty, turn it down a scootch.

Think I almost broke my controller playing on grounded.

 

[NIGHT-]

Game had amazing atmosphere and characters but not enough emphasis on gameplay. The dlc is even worse in that regard

 

[SomTervo]

Game had amazing atmosphere and characters but not enough emphasis on gameplay. The dlc is even worse in that regard

I thought the gameplay in the DLC was a huge improvement. They did a great job of making the non-combat bits really fun with the

Spoiler

horsing-around minigames

, and the actual combat sections were vastly improved, having

Spoiler

faction vs faction gameplay with the clickers against hunters

which should have been in the bloody main game. I was so annoyed that wasn't in TLoU's main campaign.

 

[Javin98]

I thought the gameplay in the DLC was a huge improvement. They did a great job of making the non-combat bits really fun with the

Spoiler

horsing-around minigames

, and the actual combat sections were vastly improved, having

Spoiler

faction vs faction gameplay with the clickers against hunters

which should have been in the bloody main game. I was so annoyed that wasn't in TLoU's main campaign.

Ugh... I can't believe that I haven't played Left Behind. Ellie and Riley's story sound very interesting and the Infected vs Hunter encounters sound very fun. Really want to play this....

 

[gelf]

I have to say I'm also one of those freaks that found the game underwhelming also. I didn't hate it as I managed to play it through to completion but it just never really completely gripped me. It doesn't help that I'm am beyond sick of sneaking or shooting through obvious chest high wall zones now in any game no matter how good the story surrounding that gameplay is.

 

[jroc74]

Speaking of the friendly AI, seems like they tried to tweak it for the PS4. Tess got caught one time following me when I was doing stealth and I had to go back and assist her.. So far thats the only time it happened.

That never happened to me on the PS3.

 

[Anfony O]

An amazing game but is way too overhyped on these forums. When people describe it as the greatest game of all time it really baffles me. But then again i guess I all comes fown to opinion.

 

[jroc74]

An amazing game but is way too overhyped on these forums. When people describe it as the greatest game of all time it really baffles me. But then again i guess I all comes fown to opinion.

I kinda agree with this. I just posted recently I agreed with others that GTA V was my GOTY that year.

TLOU does a good job at creating tension tho. So many times I took longer in areas because I just didnt know what to expect. And sometimes I risked searching because I needed ammo, supplies, etc.

Seen a relative play recently...and its funny how we did things differently with the same game.

Spoiler

The water filled basment level, he didnt turn on the generator first, he went thru wiped out what was there first, even up top, than came back, he just missed it somehow. I did the generator first and was bombarded by runners, stalkers, maybe clickers. He didnt face as many as me. I died so many times my first play through in that section. And I didnt want to use my light thinking it would attract runners. He used his.

And how one time I was stealth with the black guy AI, first time I waited it out, did something and I took on 2 ppl alone. I died. Did it again and just kept things moving..didnt wait as much ..this time my partner helped me take them out together using stealth.

Lil things like that makes it a good game IMO.You still have options, the game can play differently depending on what you do. Even depending on the difficulty level.

 

[megabytecr]

The "boring walking" segments are there to contrast the other sections and for immersion purposes, to build the characters and environment, if you just like gameplay and action this parts are not going to do it for you.

I loved the game and I explored every little detail in the world.

 

[SomTervo]

Ugh... I can't believe that I haven't played Left Behind. Ellie and Riley's story sound very interesting and the Infected vs Hunter encounters sound very fun. Really want to play this....

It was incredible from a combat encounter standpoint and such, such a missed opportunity in the main game.

I'm actually stuck on the final encounter in Left Behind on Grounded. It's genuinely one of the greatest challenges I've ever come across in a game. You need to have absolutely flawless on the spot decision making and combat abilities to survive the several rounds of goons and infected.

Had a couple of the most intense moments I've ever had in gaming in this one bit. Probably died trying it more than 33 times. On Grounded, the whole 20 minute encounter only has one checkpoint, too - so if the last, umpteenth enemy blindsides you and you go down, you have to do it all again.

Most intense survival experience I've ever had.

 

[stryke]

I think Matt Lees does a good job of explaining why The Last of Us is so great. Although I still disagree with his justification for listen mode. That ability was unnecessary, or at the very least, overpowered.

I also encourage people to read this thread exploring the symbolism of the giraffes and other themes included in TLOU.

 

[SomTervo]

I also encourage people to read this [URL="http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=895799"]thread exploring the symbolism of the giraffes and other themes included in TLOU.

This is amazing.

It's like Kubrick-level shit

 

[Rajang]

I think Matt Lees does a good job of explaining why The Last of Us is so great. Although I still disagree with his justification for listen mode. That ability was unnecessary, or at the very least, overpowered.

Completely agree.

 

[The Artisan]

Only graphics really. They had to build it from the ground up - which means re-coding every element of physics, AI, lighting, etc. Most of it is an improvement over the original, but I think there are a few glitches occasionally due to the recoding. The AI occasionally has a fritz. But this is very rare. For the most part it's the same as the PS3 version.

alright, cool. I've been following along a Ps3 survivor playthrough so since the AI isn't anymore advanced, everything should be straightforward.

This is just so foolish.

You've stated you don't like stealth games. And you've stated you want to see how the story pans out. Yet you're arbitrarily choosing to do the game on a difficulty which forces stealth and breaks the story's pacing (unless you're already very experienced).

This is one of the most frustrating threads I've ever read!

If you prefer action over stealth then put it on Hard or Normal. The game is just as good. It's not the way it was 'supposed' to be experienced. I appreciate that you want to get the trophies in a oner, too - but you own this game. It's not going anywhere. After you finish it on Normal or Hard you'll probably feel more compelled to play it on Survivor or Grounded, then you'll get your trophies. If you play it on Survivor first time, you might be put off playing it again altogether (which it sounds like is happening right now).

Why are you getting frustrated man?!

look, to be honest, once I complete this game (if I can even get through the whole damn thing in survivor) I honestly don't think I'll play through the campaign again, unless it's to get some of the other trophies. So I'm chasing the gold trophy now. I sure as hell would not last a day trying to play it on grounded.

However I have to admit, you're correct in your assertion that this difficulty is kinda making me think about continuing on at all. But for now, I will.

Yes, to each his own in taste, absolutely. That's totally valid.

But TLoU is not just a 'zombie game'.

The majority of the game is people. Zombies are actually in it for probably 25% of the experience, maybe less. Their encounters are short. It's a very long game. If you said you don't like apocalyptic/dystopian stories, then fair enough. But this 'zombie' argument barely flies. This reductive argument is like calling Interstellar an 'action movie' - when yes, it has action scenes, but it's not some b-movie action schlock.

How far deep are you now, anyway?

Yes, I understand that writing off tlou as just a zombie game isn't exactly doing it justice. a better description is action-adventure, survival-horror and of course 3rd person shooter. and listen man I stated I don't like zombies and yes I understand that the zombies in this game don't take up a huge amount of the campaign, however, I also stated that I don't like the horror genre as a whole.

The entire time I'm playing this game, my heart is racing. I am not at peace with myself because of how much it scares me. Yeah, I know I sound a bit crazy in how much it is affecting me - that's how much I don't do the horror genre. Right now, I just reached the rooftop where I'm supposed to shoot the clicker with my newfound bow & arrow.

^ Nice.
Absolutely - the issue here is that the OP's issues with the game seem to largely stem from arbitrary gameplay choices he's making (re difficulty) and a misreading of what the game's about, possibly due to aforementioned gameplay choices. His tone suggests some confirmation bias, too, but that's a whole other thing.

Several of his complaints are totally about taste though, and that's absolutely fair enough.

It's not that arbitrary. You said you leveled with me in wanting to get the gold trophy in the oner, and as far as the "confirmation bias" goes, lemme tell you this. back when all we knew about tlou was its developer and its title, I was excited for it regardless because it was a ND title. I loved Uc2. then came that gameplay demo which already looked like it was a post apocalyptic setting-game and then we had more and more info which ultimately revealed that it was a zombie apocalypse, and with that, my interest continued to drop down. I know what the game is all about. everyone does. it's about the journey of a hardened man with a teenage girl and the struggle they go through going from point a to point b and how much both of their characters (especially ellie's) develop all along the way,

Spoiler

all in a universe where the world has completely gone to hell and zombies roam about.

once more, don't get me wrong. I am not trying to take away from the achievement & milestone that this game is. regardless of my tastes and opinions, this is one of the greatest games of all time. i don't like halo and i'm not even so sure what the fascination behind those games are, but i acknowledge them to be among the greatest of all time as well.

what ND strived to accomplish with tlou, they definitely did. this game is a masterpiece. and while it still holds a much broader and greater appeal than say a game like bloodborne

Spoiler

although honestly I feel as though bloodborne being the milestone that it is has made itself become more mainstream than "niche"

, the game is still not for everyone.

 

[The Libertine]

I just finished my playthrough of the remastered version, after only playing the original game once at launch. Even on a second play, the emotional moments still hit and the atmosphere is amazing, helped by a brilliant soundtrack. The voice acting is some of the best I have heard in a game, in fact the acting in general is just fantastic. Now I am looking forward to a second playthrough of Left Behind, which in my opinion is one of the best pieces of DLC ever made.

 

[Booker.DeWitt]

I really loved this game as well as DLC. Very few games touched me in a sense that I spent weeks thinking about it after I was done.

Games with similar impact on my life:
- Bioshock series
- Silent hill (specially 2)
- Dead Space 1
- Ico and Shadow of collosus

 

[Chitown B]

Just finished. First time through the game in any form. DAT ENDING.

 

[Chitown B]

Only graphics really. They had to build it from the ground up - which means re-coding every element of physics, AI, lighting, etc. Most of it is an improvement over the original, but I think there are a few glitches occasionally due to the recoding. The AI occasionally has a fritz. But this is very rare. For the most part it's the same as the PS3 version.

At the very end when a character moves a crate or something to block a door, it wasn't even there. It was pretty funny actually, the character miming it.

 

[thenexus6]

I completed the game on normal back at release. Kind of feel like going back through the campaign on a harder difficulty. Whats my best option to stack the difficult trophies?

 

[Auctopus]

The game is great, it's surrounded by hyperbole however due to its mainstream and critical success. Unfortunately, that hyperbole is countered by the cool kids who try to make it out to be a very average video game, which it's clearly not. It has an average narrative in terms of storytelling as a medium but as a video game, the final product is stellar.

The game does have a very slow start but the game certainly picks up later on when you meet a few new faces. Stick with it.

 

[Red Hood]

I too literally only played for the characters, it's what got me through some boring/uninteresting parts. I loved the chemistry between Ellie and Joel, and it looks stunning visually to boot. Other than that, it was a pretty... okay decent game though. It really shows at subsequent playthroughs in my opinion, it just stops being fun to me. I even stopped halfway through my second playthrough because I was afraid it would fuck up my initial fantastic first impression.

10/10 characters
9/10 visuals
7/10 setting
6/10 gameplay

A very solid 8. I haven't played multiplayer though, so this is strictly singleplayer.

 

[vicnorris]

Single player is excellent.
Multi player is excellent.

Perfect game, love it! Worst part is the feels.

 

[pottuvoi]

A good game.

Really would like to see sequel to open up the levels and allow no-kill playtrough.

 

[Chitown B]

The game is great, it's surrounded by hyperbole however due to its mainstream and critical success. Unfortunately, that hyperbole is countered by the cool kids who try to make it out to be a very average video game, which it's clearly not. It has an average narrative in terms of storytelling as a medium but as a video game, the final product is stellar.

The game does have a very slow start but the game certainly picks up later on when you meet a few new faces. Stick with it.

Gameplay was very frustrating and forced in spots. Guys showing up behind you after you hit an invisible line even when you cleared out entire areas. Clunky controls. No option for true stealth - HAVE TO KILL ALL GUYS TO MOVE ON. This stuff sucked.

As a game, it was a B-. As a movie, it was an A.

A good game.

Really would like to see sequel to open up the levels and allow no-kill playtrough.

Agreed, need those options. But I'm not sure a sequel could ever be as good. That story was very tight.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

What difficulty you playing op? Id suggest starting at least with hard and turn off the radar or whatever it is... Much better experience relying solely on visual and audio clues to discover baddies.

 

[The Artisan]

What difficulty you playing op? Id suggest starting at least with hard and turn off the radar or whatever it is... Much better experience relying solely on visual and audio clues to discover baddies.

survivor, and i've made it quite far, albeit with some help. i'm up to the bossfight with david.

can't wait to be finally done with this campfuckingpaign

 

[Servbot24]

The idea of someone watching TWD for the characters of all things is absolutely confounding.

Anyways, Survivor is pretty tough, and the gameplay isn't always perfect. I would have suggested hard. But you'll still get a good version of the experience.

 

[The Artisan]

The idea of someone watching TWD for the characters of all things is absolutely confounding.

uhhh, why?

Anyways, Survivor is pretty tough, and the gameplay isn't always perfect. I would have suggested hard. But you'll still get a good version of the experience.

I want dat gold trophy brah. I'll probably never return to this campaign once I'm done with it.

 

[KnockOneOff]

It's a beautiful game and a really good game, I'm kind of the same as the OP though I can't seem to play it in long sessions, I bought it when it launched on ps4 and I'm still going through it, I only do short bursts every other week or so, but hey I still play it

 

[Punished Drake]

Gameplay in The Last of Us isn't perfect, but is there really any other game where these things happen?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KkRQMl8ZWR4

 

[Wensih]

Too much stealth is boring. The gameplay's greatest strength is the fluidity with which it moves from stealth to balls-out hectic gun/fistfights.

Getting into a situation where you're just going to restart from checkpoint if you break stealth makes the game boring as fuuuuuckkkkkk.

I definitely agree with the level of finesse seen from switching between stealth to full on fights. It's really well done, much better than say Metal Gear Solid 4, where I saw no reason to be stealthy for most of the game and blasting through enemies was fairly monotonous after awhile. The level of tension in TLoU in combat scenarios is almost unparalleled for me.

 

[ShadowElliot]

Recently finished playing TLoU Remastered, wondered why it took me this long to actually play it. This game loves playing with my emotions, especially when

Spoiler

Joel fell and got stabbed on impact

or when

Spoiler

Joel took Ellie back from the hospital

...

This game has so much potential for a TLoU 2, but for now, I'm looking forward to the Left Behind DLC.

 

[John Bender]

Recently finished playing TLoU Remastered, wondered why it took me this long to actually play it. This game loves playing with my emotions, especially when

Spoiler

Joel fell and got stabbed on impact

or when

Spoiler

Joel took Ellie back from the hospital

...

This game has so much potential for a TLoU 2, but for now, I'm looking forward to the Left Behind DLC.

Left Behind is great. A damn good DLC.
The Last of Us is, combined with great gameplay + great atmosphere + great soundtrack + great story + great character development, the best game ever for me. Simply amazing! Played the main campaign over ten times already. Will start another run as soon as I'm finished with Bloodborne NG+.
Damn, I love this game!

 

[Servbot24]

uhhh, why?

It has literally the worst character writing I've ever seen on TV. And I've seen Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Hell, I've even seen Dexter.

I quit after Season 3 though, so maybe they replaced their staff or something and I'm not up to date with an overhaul.

 

[Betta Lines]

Did they ever patch the character shirt crumple animation thingy?

 

[tahsutify]

I just can't stop thinking about this game. I completed the game 5 times, three on the PS3 and two on the PS4, and the fifth one was just as enjoyable as the first. Can't wait to do another playthrough but unfortunately I don't have enough time due to work. Hopefully I'll have the chance to complete the sixth playthrough this year. I am hoping to complete a playthrough once in every year till I die.

While I believe that single player was the most amazing SP of all time, it was still nothing compared to the multiplayer. Seriously, the multiplayer in this game is just so entertaining, especially if you are playing with your friends. So many days I played for like 7-8 hours straight. Just couldn't get enough of it.

The only bad thing, if you can call it that, the people in the MP are just way too easy. Seriously there were a lot of times I was better the rest of the match combined, including my team. I'm not saying this to tell you that I'm very good at the game, seriously people are horrible in general. From time to time there were some teams that posed a challenge but they were rare.

 

[Mors_Verigo]

My only complaint with the game is the character movement feels really groggy and delayed. Other than that, it's a fine game.

 

[John Bender]

I just can't stop thinking about this game. I completed the game 5 times, three on the PS3 and two on the PS4, and the fifth one was just as enjoyable as the first. Can't wait to do another playthrough but unfortunately I don't have enough time due to work. Hopefully I'll have the chance to complete the sixth playthrough this year. I am hoping to complete a playthrough once in every year till I die.

While I believe that single player was the most amazing SP of all time, it was still nothing compared to the multiplayer. Seriously, the multiplayer in this game is just so entertaining, especially if you are playing with your friends. So many days I played for like 7-8 hours straight. Just couldn't get enough of it.

The only bad thing, if you can call it that, the people in the MP are just way too easy. Seriously there were a lot of times I was better the rest of the match combined, including my team. I'm not saying this to tell you that I'm very good at the game, seriously people are horrible in general. From time to time there were some teams that posed a challenge but they were rare.

Glad you like it as much as I like it. It's that damn good!
And I love it to watch others play it. My best friend, my girl-friend, gamers on youtube, and so on. It's amazing! Seeing how others are experiencing it, getting all emotional, etc..... awesome.

 

[NHarmonic.]

Just thinking about it makes me want to replay it. I think what really gets me is the atmosphere and art direction. Amazing game all around though.

 

[Figboy79]

It has literally the worst character writing I've ever seen on TV. And I've seen Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Hell, I've even seen Dexter.

I quit after Season 3 though, so maybe they replaced their staff or something and I'm not up to date with an overhaul.

Nothing has changed, honestly.

I've been reading the Walking Dead comic for damn near 10 years now, and the show isn't even a shell of that series. The characters in the show are insufferable, and unrelatable. They are assholes to the ninth degree. I've watched all seasons except for this latest one (I don't have cable, so I wait for it to show up on Netflix or Amazon Prime), and while the last season I watched (I think 5?) was better than the 2nd and 3rd, it still suffers from an unlikable, idiotic cast that don't have any redeemable qualities. And I'm pretty much over them killing every single minority male on the show. It's just irksome to me.

The comic is still brilliant, but the show is mediocre at best.


On topic: The Last of Us is a fantastic game. It's not for everybody, but it's still fantastic. I find its pacing, difficulty, and narrative incredibly well executed, and is one of, in my opinion, a masterclass in game design as far as marrying gameplay, narrative, and gameplay systems into a cohesive package. Some games do some things very well. I think TLOU does everything it sets out to do with a confident, polished hand. I've played both the PS3, and the PS4 version multiple times, and it blows me away each time I play it. I seriously think it should be used to teach classes in game design, and telling a story though gameplay, as well as traditional methods (cutscenes). So much of the impact of The Last of Us is due to what happens in between cutscenes.

Those "forced" walking sections aren't any more forced than a roller coaster. It's an intended decision on the part of the creators, and the reasons for those sections are for world building, exploration, and character development. How those can be considered bad or boring is truly a mystery to me. If those forced sections were taken out of the game, sure, the pace would have been sped up significantly, but the game would have been incredibly hollow on the part of characterization and story. If I had to rely on just the cutscenes to establish why I should give a damn about Joel and Ellie and the supporting characters, I'd be left wanting. The combination of how Naughty Dog used the entire medium of gaming (controls, art design, audio design, level design, writing, voice acting, etc, etc) to craft The Last of Us is the reason why it's held in such high regard by many.

When I think of games that are masterclasses in their respective genres, I think of games like Chrono Trigger, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid 3, Super Mario World (and 3, actually), The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and The Last of Us. And that's only naming a few (I could go on and on including games like Resident Evil 4, Beyond Good & Evil, Halo 1, etc, etc).

A good game is more than just how much of a visceral thrill you get from playing a game. If The Last of Us was an actual "zombie game," where the zombies were the central conflict in the piece, and not a framing mechanism for the relationship between Joel and Ellie, it wouldn't have garnered a second look. I distinctly remember the attitude towards TLOU when it was first revealed, and how completely disinterested many people were because they had dismissed it as a "zombie game." It is far from it, but no one is obligated to like it, nor is the praise the game gets an indication that it's overhyped.

Bloodborne and the Souls series aren't for everybody either, but that doesn't mean the praise they get is unwarranted or over hyped. I can't stand the Gears of War series. Doesn't mean those games are terrible or overrated. Just not for me.

The Last of Us is like a favorite movie. I've watched Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, The Matrix, To Kill a Mockingbird, Ghostbusters, Friday, etc, etc, so many times I can recite them by heart. But I can still pop them in the disc tray (or boot them up on Netflix), and watch them over and over and over again. I feel the same way about The Last of Us and my other favorite games (I've been playing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night every year since 1997, and each time I play it, it feels like the first time all over again).

 

[Roto13]

There are no Zombies in The Last of Us.

The first rule of zombie stories is you have to explain why your groaning, shambling, man-eating former-humans are not technically zombies.

It's not a zombie game.

It's a game about people.

This is rule number two.

 

[TheShocker]

For me, this ranks up with FF7 and OoT as my all time favorite games. It hits on a wide range of emotions that other games cannot compare to. I've never had a game make me feel true sadness until playing this. I need to finish Left Behind and start another play through.

 

[Servbot24]

This is rule number two.

But don't you see? The walking dead are the people!! #wakeupsheeple

 

[The Artisan]

Okay, I finally beat the campaign. Albeit, with a lot of help through shareplay. But I got through it. There were several times when my mother told me not to advance just so she could watch the story. So needless to say, the story kept us very captivated.

Now honestly, again, my opinion of the genre has not changed (survivor-horror, and zombie stealth) I really have absolutely no desire to ever play through this game ever again, but I'm happy to have experienced one of the greatest games of all time. I don't know if it deserves a 10 though. With all the technical problems at hand, I would give just one point off, so 99. This game definitely deserved all the attention and accolades that it got. But hey, no game is perfect, eh? =]

Now, about that ending...

Spoiler

Are we supposed to like Joel? I didn't really like him, or Ellie, I did care about her as a character but I just didn't actually like her. As for Joel... I'm sure back in 2013, a popular video game question must've been, "Did Joel do the right thing?"

because...I'm not sure I would say yes. I get why he did it, he didn't want to sacrifice Ellie and go through having her be a loss to him, but he did in a way to just be a man in control, like he's not gonna let this happen because he doesn't want it to. Like as a father, HE knows what's best and that's to not do this operation on her.

Along the way of the final section of the game I'm told there's some sort of recording that says they found other immune victims and operated on them to no avail, but it's not entirely clear to me. Can anyone explain in further detail?

It has literally the worst character writing I've ever seen on TV. And I've seen Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Hell, I've even seen Dexter.

I quit after Season 3 though, so maybe they replaced their staff or something and I'm not up to date with an overhaul.

Well that is entirely your perception. twd is the most watched television show of the 21st century and every time a major character is killed off, it becomes a very big deal.

The first rule of zombie stories is you have to explain why your groaning, shambling, man-eating former-humans are not technically zombies.



This is rule number two.

This is a zombie game. Anyone who argues against that is kidding themselves. Or just giving the infection in the game more meaning and distinction than it needs to have.

Back when cordyceps was a very hot topic, the popular news headline was "zombie ants". So there you have it. The very element of inspiration for ND came from a real life event popularly including the term "zombie" in its discussion. So it cannot be a coincidence that their game takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting in which people are susceptible to becoming ravenous, out of their minds, and craving human flesh.

 

[Shotgun Kiss]

I started playing Last of Us for the first time last night. I'm playing the PS4 version.

I just got past the first building full of Clickers.

I'm not really feeling it at all. It's a good enough game, but I honestly can't see why it gets so much hype. The production values are great, but the gameplay has been nothing special at all so far. Does that change?

Considering how big my backlog is, I may stop if things don't pick up.