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One year on: The Last of Us: Left Behind
- Thread starter JehutyRunner
- Start date
Man, it's only been a year, huh. Felt like longer for some reason.
I really enjoyed it. Played it through at least 5-6 times, nabbing all the trophies on the way (seriously, that water gun fight is completely rigged).
It has some amazing highs, while getting dangerously close in spots to overdoing their saccharine moments (for my taste anyway). The Halloween store is a treasure trove of really great, small intractable character moments that most will not see all of in one play through -- easily one of my fave sections, along with the joke book.
I really liked the combat segments as well, with one interesting addition that added totally new strategies to the gameplay, which was fun as hell. The winter segments gave the classic TLOU feel while the Riley segments were doing quirkier, more experimental things, and it payed off greatly imo.
Can't agree that it's better than the main campaign, but they're both telling VERY different stories in the same universe so I can see how one can resonate to one closer than the other.
I really enjoyed it. Played it through at least 5-6 times, nabbing all the trophies on the way (seriously, that water gun fight is completely rigged).
It has some amazing highs, while getting dangerously close in spots to overdoing their saccharine moments (for my taste anyway). The Halloween store is a treasure trove of really great, small intractable character moments that most will not see all of in one play through -- easily one of my fave sections, along with the joke book.
I really liked the combat segments as well, with one interesting addition that added totally new strategies to the gameplay, which was fun as hell. The winter segments gave the classic TLOU feel while the Riley segments were doing quirkier, more experimental things, and it payed off greatly imo.
Can't agree that it's better than the main campaign, but they're both telling VERY different stories in the same universe so I can see how one can resonate to one closer than the other.
NumberThree
Member
I played through for the first time both the main game and Left Behind during the last week or so (on PS4). I really liked having hunters and infected in the same encounters, and I probably would've liked the main game a lot more if it did more of that sort of things.
I'll have to agree with the people who said it's better than the main game, but then again it's often easier to make this kind of short (in both gameplay and story) experience work better than a full sized game.
I'll have to agree with the people who said it's better than the main game, but then again it's often easier to make this kind of short (in both gameplay and story) experience work better than a full sized game.
funkystudent
Member
Only played it a few weeks ago.
The Fighting Game scene was rad. Glad I someone managed to stay spoiler free for the most part.
Left Behind and Mass Effect 3 Citadel are probably the most fun I have had with single player DLC's.
Also whats a Facebook?
The Fighting Game scene was rad. Glad I someone managed to stay spoiler free for the most part.
Left Behind and Mass Effect 3 Citadel are probably the most fun I have had with single player DLC's.
Also whats a Facebook?
Probably the best single piece of DLC I've played. I loved TLoU on PS3 and was incredibly happy that Left Behind was packed into the PS4 version. Learning the details of Ellie's back story added to the overall narrative of TLoU imo. I also didn't think the relationship between Ellie and Riley felt forced at all. Loved it!
AmaterasuOni
Banned
Best DLC ever. I really didn't mind paying 15 euros for this masterpiece. I think it's even better than the main game.
QisTopTier
XisBannedTier
My favorite DLC is the Hyrule Warriors stuff. 20 bucks for 200 plus hours of content is hard to top.
LoU dlc was amazing though
LoU dlc was amazing though
K
kittens
Unconfirmed Member
Holy shit, I can't believe it's been a year.
ResidentDante
Member
Looks nothing like Ellie, sorry it's just Ellen Page for me and always will be. Just seems they altered Ellie slightly towards the end of development not to get screwed by lawyers imo.Because she's not? She looks like Ashley Johnson, the VA.
Ace Harding
Member
Cool - I just bought a PS4 with TLoU Remastered and it comes with this DLC. Looking forward to playing it, but I can't stop playing Rogue Legacy....
Emperor_Uriel
Member
Left Behind was a fantastic story, but a part of me does wish they had excluded Ellie and made it a standalone story with different characters instead.
In short, it's an amazingly emotional piece of DLC, but I can see how some people might feel a bit jilted by the twist for reasons other than
.
Part of Ellie's charm was that she was so atypical and unique as a very "boyish," tough girl. Making her a lesbian/bisexua makes her a bit more of a stereotype, and I do feel like young straight girls need more characters that can demonstrate that heterosexuality and non-traditional gender roles/empowerment aren't polar opposites of each other.
I think that, if writers want to pen some more interesting lesbian relationships, it would be a nice change of pace to use more "traditionally feminine" women. We don't need fiction to reinforce the idea that sexuality can be gleaned from a person's appearance.
I think that, if writers want to pen some more interesting lesbian relationships, it would be a nice change of pace to use more "traditionally feminine" women. We don't need fiction to reinforce the idea that sexuality can be gleaned from a person's appearance.
In short, it's an amazingly emotional piece of DLC, but I can see how some people might feel a bit jilted by the twist for reasons other than
homophobia
SaganIsGOAT
Junior Member
Just replayed this recently. Absolutely amazing dlc for an amazing game. Loved every moment. Spent way too much time in the Halloween store lol
One of the most overrated DLC I've ever played. I loved the main game, but this DLC was boring to death and added nothing, at least for me.
I see a lot of people loving that Ellie
, but why should I care? I mean,
I felt that part was completely unnecessary because it added nothing.
And overall the main game >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> DLC.
I see a lot of people loving that Ellie
is a lesbian
apart from being a cliché (the tomboy girl is a lesbian, what a surprise), what happens if she's a lesbian? Does it change anything in the plot? Should my feeling about her change?
And overall the main game >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> DLC.
User 479360
Banned
The core game was fantastic, but I never got around to purchasing Left Behind because I was too busy with other stuff.
However, I plan to finally play it soon in the remastered version. Hopefully I'll like it as much as most did.
However, I plan to finally play it soon in the remastered version. Hopefully I'll like it as much as most did.
ArkkAngel007
Member
I'm hoping to run through the entirety of it this week before The Order drops. PS3 version.
Wouldn't Tess and Marlene count for that? Tess at least was definitely a "butch" straight woman, and she had obviously had a relationship with Joel. Maybe she could be the role model that you're looking for.
The DLC didn't change my feelings about Ellie but it meant a lot to me personally. It was one of the first times I've ever played a video game and felt that I wasn't just along for the ride. I finally felt like there was a game that I could relate to. So no, it wasn't "completely unnecessary because it added nothing." It added a lot to me and I appreciated it more than you know.
I'm certain that I'm not alone.
Neuromancer
Member
I think it was well made, but ultimately not a story that needed to be told. Or at least, not a story that I needed to see or play. I loved TLOU and bought it twice, but even though I have the remaster I don't think I'll bother playing LB again.
That said, I really enjoyed the survivor/infected 3 way fights. When TLOU2 inevitably comes out I hope those are a major focus.
That said, I really enjoyed the survivor/infected 3 way fights. When TLOU2 inevitably comes out I hope those are a major focus.
Why was it unnecessary? I find this complaint odd. It's a sort of thing used between characters to make their loss that much more impactful all the time. It happens in all mediums and it happens multiple times in TLoU. Yet people don't seem to have that complaint then.
And as far a same sex relationships go, it's not even the first time it was done in TLoU. I mean was the thing between Bill and his partner "necessary"?
foxdvd
Member
I enjoyed it a lot, but I was not blown away by it. The main game is easily in my top 5 all time. Part of what made that game great, outside the writing and actual core game mechanics, was the pauses between action. The sense of isolation followed by claustrophobic battles. It is a game that gets better the longer you play it because you get a sense of weight on your shoulders. Sitting down with the Last of Us for a 4 hour play session only increases the enjoyment of that game. There are a lot of games that can hold my attention for an entire day, but few that get better because of how long you play it at one time.
The dlc was just too short to capture that same magic. Enjoyable, funny and sad but not the greatest dlc of all time. That title goes to Minerva's Den (dlc that truly was better than the main game for me)
The dlc was just too short to capture that same magic. Enjoyable, funny and sad but not the greatest dlc of all time. That title goes to Minerva's Den (dlc that truly was better than the main game for me)
Emperor_Uriel
Member
Neither is actively depicted engaging in romantic activity with a man, so their sexuality is no more confirmed than Ellie's was pre-DLC.
This is a problem with non-traditional female characters in fiction in general, it's extremely rare to see a strong, independent female character that is actively shown to love, and be loved by, men. As I stated before, heterosexuality and strong women are often mistakenly thought of as incompatible.
I read this comment a while back, and while it's inaccurate story-wise (Ellie and Sam didn't have a relationship) and the latter half devolves into speculation, I think that this woman does a great job of explaining the issue from a perspective that is tough for a man to truly understand.
Spoilers, obviously.
I'm glad they didn't, Ashley Johnson was amazing as Ellie.
Truth. Ashley delivered Ellie. As much as Ellen is known for great acting, I still wouldn't have expected her to do what Ashley did.
SixMachine
Member
I actually was kind of disappointed with this dlc to be honest. I played it on the ps4 and even though diving into Ellie's past was neat, it didn't play all that great. Don't get me wrong, the mechanics are all fine and it wasn't buggy but the layout and battle sequences weren't too good. This is the only time that you really can get infected vs. bandits which is nice, but it didn't really feel like a 3 way battle, more like I'll just cleanup whoever is left.
There are parts where you can sneak around rather easily throughout the dlc but the main segments such as the room where Ellie has to pull the generator to electrify water and the last encounters basically force a full frontal fight. Ellie herself isn't too good in an up close fight, she does get an instant kill if you get them in the back even out of stealth (though the animation takes a while and you can die coming out of it), but the big thing about it that it isn't quiet and ruins the stealth, which means arrows were the best option. Ellie's hand to hand skills lack because she has less hitstun than Joel which means if they didn't get stunlocked perfectly, she can get countered and killed, and her range is shorter. Basically it felt like a shooter when Ellie got caught out because hand to hand wasn't very reliable unless you do the typical stun with a bottle/brick (to add to this, I played this on grounded so that means any mess ups in close quarters meant Ellie pretty much died most of the time). But it wasn't too hard because the bow and rifle you get in the last encounter can 1 shot most enemies.
In a nutshell, these factors felt like you either you should avoid fights completely or shoot them up. I did like that when Ellie makes her way back to Joel, that you can stealth kill and maneuver around to kill all the bandits with the bow in the area before the door but then it forces you into a straight up fight after you clean out the area and try to open the door. It never really felt like how Joel in the campaign could play like a ghost, stalking them and clearing them out one by one. Which in my opinion Joel having a silent stealth kill is a pretty good mechanic because the risk is how long it takes to kill but allows you to continue playing stealthily. I do think something like the bow is just a really strong weapon in this game, since it basically is a far ranged stealth kill on top of being an already hard hitting weapon, which made it feel like I didn't really have to work for a stealth kill in the dlc since there is no other option to quietly kill someone.
There are parts where you can sneak around rather easily throughout the dlc but the main segments such as the room where Ellie has to pull the generator to electrify water and the last encounters basically force a full frontal fight. Ellie herself isn't too good in an up close fight, she does get an instant kill if you get them in the back even out of stealth (though the animation takes a while and you can die coming out of it), but the big thing about it that it isn't quiet and ruins the stealth, which means arrows were the best option. Ellie's hand to hand skills lack because she has less hitstun than Joel which means if they didn't get stunlocked perfectly, she can get countered and killed, and her range is shorter. Basically it felt like a shooter when Ellie got caught out because hand to hand wasn't very reliable unless you do the typical stun with a bottle/brick (to add to this, I played this on grounded so that means any mess ups in close quarters meant Ellie pretty much died most of the time). But it wasn't too hard because the bow and rifle you get in the last encounter can 1 shot most enemies.
In a nutshell, these factors felt like you either you should avoid fights completely or shoot them up. I did like that when Ellie makes her way back to Joel, that you can stealth kill and maneuver around to kill all the bandits with the bow in the area before the door but then it forces you into a straight up fight after you clean out the area and try to open the door. It never really felt like how Joel in the campaign could play like a ghost, stalking them and clearing them out one by one. Which in my opinion Joel having a silent stealth kill is a pretty good mechanic because the risk is how long it takes to kill but allows you to continue playing stealthily. I do think something like the bow is just a really strong weapon in this game, since it basically is a far ranged stealth kill on top of being an already hard hitting weapon, which made it feel like I didn't really have to work for a stealth kill in the dlc since there is no other option to quietly kill someone.
Honestly, I feel that Tess's relationship with Joel was as obvious as Bill's was with that dead guy (I don't remember his name).
I get where the author of your quote is coming from though, even if I see it from a different perspective. There are so few well portrayed women at all, so we want them all to represent ourselves. I can understand why the author of that quote wanted something different from Ellie.
DLC spoilers ahead
I'm a lesbian, and most non-straight/gay characters are portrayed in a manner that you would have seen it coming from a mile away. This game doesn't do that. Most people who played the game really liked Ellie and no one before the DLC was describing her as a "butch" girl. To me, the DLC proved that regular characters could be not-straight/gay and you don't have to build the entire game around their sexuality. We're just normal people and our sexuality is just a part of us. It doesn't define us, just like Riley didn't define who Ellie was.
Emperor_Uriel
Member
The bolded part is really the main issue.
That's what makes it so tough to critique. Even though I wish they had taken a different route, there's no denying that the story they told was incredible.
Although, I do actually think that Riley defines a lot of who Ellie is. Ellie clearly gets a lot of her carefree disposition from Riley. This is part of why a heterosexual relationship would have been tougher to write, because you'd have to convince the audience that the power dynamic between the leader (Riley) and the follower (Ellie) wasn't regressive in some way.
Sexuality definitely doesn't define us, but it's tough to shake the cultural perception that any girl who isn't a pretty pretty princess is a lesbian. Even when those characters are straight, they still have to defend their sexuality often against people who are skeptical because of the way they dress/behave. (See: Debra Morgan from Dexter).
Although, I do actually think that Riley defines a lot of who Ellie is. Ellie clearly gets a lot of her carefree disposition from Riley. This is part of why a heterosexual relationship would have been tougher to write, because you'd have to convince the audience that the power dynamic between the leader (Riley) and the follower (Ellie) wasn't regressive in some way.
Sexuality definitely doesn't define us, but it's tough to shake the cultural perception that any girl who isn't a pretty pretty princess is a lesbian. Even when those characters are straight, they still have to defend their sexuality often against people who are skeptical because of the way they dress/behave. (See: Debra Morgan from Dexter).
When we as a society can scoff at the idea of shopping for our daughters in the pink aisle, when young girls roll their eyes at the idea of being a Disney princess instead of shooting for a real profession, we'll be making progress.
grandwizard
Member
This is kind of how I feel about it, Naughty Dog was eager to get the credit for portraying a
teenaged same sex relationship
War Peaceman
You're a big guy.
That comment is bizarre. Ellie isn't particularly a tomboy, she's forced to know most of the stuff she knows because it is a post-apocalyptic world where's had to adapt (was in military school(. Hence why she can 'pop a clutch', 'fire a gun' and 'not be scared senseless' (lest we forget, she is in fact scared throughout). Whether she was straight, gay or bi, she would have likely been the same because having a docile, petrified character would have made little sense in this world (not to mention people would have inevitably complained about sexism). Everyone in the game is practical and violent. They are survivors. I wouldn't describe her as a tomboy - she just can't apply makeup or dress fancy or whatever defines someone as not a tomboy because she's living in a fucking post apocalyptic world.
The fact that she is a lesbian/bi is completely incidental to the plot. The relationship is meaningful and touching on its own merits. This is a good thing. It doesn't hinge the story on OOH SHES A LESBIAN but on well-written character moments. The very act of equality is treating hetero and homo relationships as normal, which Left Behind does.
NB The combat design is also very good in LB, it is the only time we see humans vs infected in a sandbox, which was sorely lacking.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
^ I agree with the above. I am a straight female tomboy myself and I have no idea what Uriel is talking about. Didn't feel she was stereotypical at all. Ellie isn't even much of a tomboy. If anything, I felt Ellie and Riley to be both very "girly teenage girls" anyway.
Anyway, I played through this DLC recently and really enjoyed it. The moments in present-day were intense, and the moments in the flashback with Riley were sweet without being saccharine. Really well done.
Anyway, I played through this DLC recently and really enjoyed it. The moments in present-day were intense, and the moments in the flashback with Riley were sweet without being saccharine. Really well done.
i just wanted to share this with u guys
won a round less than 1 minute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMeCy7inkyo
won a round less than 1 minute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMeCy7inkyo