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The Last of Us is still freaking incredible

Hypron

Member
Yeah it's an incredible game. Among my favourite games of the last gen, along with Dark Souls.

Even got that Platinum trophy.

What really makes this game special is that everything about it is good. The story is good, the voice acting is good, the graphics are good, the sound design is good, it feels good to control, and the overall gameplay is good. I especially like the encounters against humans, the mix of stealth and action works really well in tandem with the relatively open-ended nature of the encounters.
 
I have to hand it to you people who went back. I loved TLOU, but I still don't know if I'm ready to play through it again. My kids were tiny when I played it and I'm sure that factored in, but I'll agree with those who said they loved it but it wasn't fun. It was a great story, the combat was fantastic. I was tense and miserable through most of it.
 
M

Macapala

Unconfirmed Member
Played it as part of my 52 in 52. It's overrated. I think Naughty Dog in general needs to place a greater importance on significant gameplay upgrades than on pure storytelling.

Great story, average game.

Yeah, pretty much this. Even the story had me rolling my eyes at some of the zombie cliches.
 

forrest

formerly nacire
Hard, Survivor and Grounded are all fantastic as long as you turn off listening mode for Hard. That shit just fucking ruins the game.

Still one of my favorite gaming experiences in 30+ years of gaming.
 
Played it for the first time last month. I found the gameplay to be pretty dull except for the "set piece" shootouts (
upside down, using the sniper rifle from the house window)
, and the ending was a little disappointing, but the rest of the story is fantastic.
 

BigTnaples

Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
I agree here, if they can add more dynamic encounters then we will get there. atmosphere and overall story is quite good though.


Encounters are pretty dynamic already. Many scenes I've reloaded dozens of times before the next checkpoint, just to see how differently they play out gameplay wise.


Not many games have that appeal.
 
Yup. One of the greatest games of all time. There have only been a few games ever that have been so memorable for me. Haven't enjoyed a game so much since the PS1 days.

Will play through it about once a year. Cant fucking wait for Part 2.
 
I actually started replaying it again tonight after finishing Persona 5 last night. Amazing game. Everything about it is so good. Greatest game I've ever played can't wait for the sequel.
 

FRS1987

Member
I was extremely underwhelmed by the game. I went in expecting a lot and even though the game had high highs it's still pretty forgettable and gets repetitive/boring outside of the story segments. The whole package is amazing though if you like multiplayer because I had HOURS worth of fun in the multiplayer. The single player component works so well in multiplayer.
 

ActWan

Member
I thought it was great but nowhere near the masterpiece that everyone made it out to be...
Then I did a second playthrough.
This game is a masterpiece.
 
I liked it well enough, didn't love it like most. I hope 2 either drops the environmental "puzzles" completely or just revamps them and makes it so they're more than just slowly walking with a ladder or pallet to Ellie. Would also like the infected combat to be tweaked since I found it more tedious than anything, much preferred the human combat segments.

Also I played it on hard with listen mode off and it wasn't that hard. Listen mode shouldn't even be a thing that exists I feel like.

A few more hot takes before I go to sleep:

- friendly AI was serviceable to outright bad

- Left Behind bored me to tears, didn't finish it even though apparently it's only like 2 hours long

- I find the love the soundtrack gets extremely puzzling, the theme is OK but everything outside of that is utterly forgettable. It works with the game don't get me wrong but I can't understand stuff like buying the vinyl or even listening to the songs standalone on YouTube
 

Kevtones

Member
Good game, not great. Played only on PS4.


+ Gunfights are the highlight. Visceral and the cover/AI is hectic if you try to be immersed.
- Mutated enemy encounters were usually annoying
- Context sensitive reliance.
+ Good storytelling
- Iffy narrative
- Uneven dialogue
- Eh characters
+ Some good attempts at characterization
+ Great pacing at times
+ Great visual consistency
- Menus suck
- Gets monotonous at times
+/- Polished but serviceable gameplay
 

Vanadium

Member
I played through multiple times on both PS3/PS4 to get everything. There's things I love and things I hate. Honestly I don't think the game actually gets good until the tail end of the university. After all is said and done, I'm actually disappointed there's going to be a sequel. Money is on the table I'm sure for Sony but this was a game I felt needed to just end where it did.
 

Memento

Member
People are always praising TLOU soundtrack, I just don't get it. Compare to U4, TLOU music just doesn't hold for me.

The music is super sparse but it is right there in the absolutely perfect moments elevating the scenes, the atmosphere, the characterization, the feels. It is the best on the business when talking about "creating the mood" type of OST.

The Path A New Beginning (the ending music) is my personal favorite track. Gustavo Santaolalla really fucking nailed it. I am really happy they are getting him again to make the score for Part II.

I mean, the main theme. It is fucking iconic already. And it is so different from everything else out there (especially in this industry), which makes me appreciate it even more. I loved it.
 

Jombie

Member
The combat sections get tedious to me, some of it just feels tacked on to pad the length. The stretch from Tommy's dam, to the ranch come to mind. Other than that, it's a top ten game.
 

GonzoCR

Member
Naughty Dog's best game, and I loved Crash and Uncharted (never played Jak & Daxter). So good. I got bored of it when I first played it on PS3 and dropped it on Winter, but I then bought TLoU Remastered on a whim and now it's one of my favorite games of all time. Something just clicked and I couldn't stop playing.
 

BeeDog

Member
*note to self: Never, ever take any suggestions from people who find this game mediocre or worse*

One of my all-time favorite games, pretty much perfect in every way. One of the few gaming stories that made me care about the characters.
 

Memento

Member
The combat sections get tedious to me, some of it just feels tacked on to pad the length. Other than that, it's a top ten game.

That depends on the difficulty imo. If you are playing on Easy or Normal, then it will get old really fast because you just have too much supplies and even if you didnt have supplies, you could easily beat it with melee alone.

Now, if we are talking about Hard or Survival (Grounded is too much imo), then it really shines. Super tense and satisfying.

I think the ultimate proof of the strenght of TLOU's combat is the Multiplayer. I suggest everyone that hasnt played it: do it. One of the best MP experiences last gen.
 

TONX

Distinguished Air Superiority
Deserved all the praise it got.
Although i do admit, i don't think it needed a sequel. Lets hope its done right.
 

Jombie

Member
That depends on the difficulty imo. If you are playing on Easy or Normal, then it will get old really fast because you just have too much supplies and even if you didnt have supplies, you could easily beat it with melee alone.

Now, if we are talking about Hard or Survival (Grounded is too much imo), then it really shines. Super tense and satisfying.

I think the ultimate proof of the strenght of TLOU's combat is the Multiplayer. I suggest everyone that hasnt played it: do it. One of the best MP experiences last gen.

I beat it on grounded+ and it still gets a little old. You have an encounter at the dam, then another on the way, and then ANOTHER after the scene with Ellie. It's just too much of a good thing.

I had some fun with the MP, but it was frustrating. I don't know if it was a balancing / match-making issue, but I would shoot people fucking point blank with a shotgun and they would proceed kill me with their fists. I tried to get the platinum but the MP trophies prevented me from doing so.
 

AzureFlame

Member
I had a really great time with this game but i think it was over praised, a better game than U4 but not than U2, also it was said to be the new king of survival horror which was ridiculous.
 

NewGame

Banned
You sure it's not a game in the Uncharted franchise?

The moment I started playing I was like 'This is a reskinned Uncharted' but GAF reckons it's 100% original character do not steal.

I can't even say if it's better or worse than Uncharted it's just ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
Lol
He is referencing your thread as a joke.

I know, but I still agree with his joke. You guys don't give my intelligence enough thought at times. Bad at English doesn't mean I'm a droofus! I agree with my own thread after all, mostly. I can argue that there is error in the title that should reflect on the (not all AAA, or non AAA) and vice versa. As in, some do things worse, some do things better etc

that is an error that isn't easily fixed or discussed on message boards as points are too focused and often a little wrong in such situations.
 
One of my all-time favorites. I love the sheer brutality of the combat. It deserves the critical acclaim and then some.

This is the game that dethroned Resident Evil 4 as my favorite third-person shooter (though it's obviously more than just a "shooter").
 
I know, but I still agree with his joke. You guys don't give my intelligence enough thought at times. Bad at English doesn't mean I'm a droofus! I agree with my own thread after all, mostly. I can argue that there is error in the title that should reflect on the (not all AAA, or non AAA) and vice versa. As in, some do things worse, some do things better etc

that is an error that isn't easily fixed or discussed on message boards as points are too focused and often a little wrong in such situations.

No the issue isn't your language. You actually convey your points well enough that I know what you mean. I just think your analysis is a little extreme.
 

Memento

Member
I beat it on grounded+ and it still gets a little old. You have an encounter at the dam, then another on the way, and then ANOTHER after the scene with Ellie. It's just too much of a good thing.

I had some fun with the MP, but it was frustrating. I don't know if it was a balancing / match-making issue, but I would shoot people fucking point blank with a shotgun and they would proceed kill me with their fists. I tried to get the platinum but the MP trophies prevented me from doing so.

I think Grounded have more or less the same problem of easy and normal, but upside down. It is just too punishing. It gives you almost nothing supplies-wise, makes melee totally useless (because if you use it, you can bet you will die a lot) and end up making stealth the only viable combat approach most of the times. Basically all the variety and dynamics provided by the combat system are lost due to high difficulty. It is the two extremes: easy/normal just gives you too many options making eventually everything futile, while grounded makes you locked to stealth and making it even more hard.

I believe Hard with Listen Mode off is the way to go. You will stealth, you will melee, you will shot... it makes everything viable BUT it also creates restraints for each of these aspects making strategy comes in play.
 
No the issue isn't your language. You actually convey your points well enough that I know what you mean. I just think your analysis is a little extreme.

I feel a little sad because people often just say they can't understand me constantly so I get use to that, more tiring than sad now but I think the overall idea is that things are just too forced overall and that is where the stairs came into play and people laugh at things like going up and down stairs.
 
I feel a little sad because people often just say they can't understand me constantly so I get use to that, more tiring than sad now but I think the overall idea is that things are just too forced overall and that is where the stairs came into play and people laugh at things like going up and down stairs.

Don't feel sad. I think everyone knew what you were getting at. If I looked at every game the way you do I honestly don't think I would derive a lot of enjoyment out of them. It would be the equivalent of playing Tomb Raider for the first time and ignoring the incredible atmosphere and gameplay and instead focusing on the fact that the 2-D pixel bushes rotate as you walk around them. You miss the grandeur of the play because you're way to focused on the rope holding the scenery up.
 
Don't feel sad. I think everyone knew what you were getting at. If I looked at every game the way you do I honestly don't think I would derive a lot of enjoyment out of them. It would be the equivalent of playing Tomb Raider for the first time and ignoring the incredible atmosphere and gameplay and instead focusing on the fact that the 2-D pixel bushes rotate as you walk around them. You miss the grandeur of the play because you're way to focused on the rope holding the scenery up.

I will analyze everything sadly, not just games/movies etc

Maybe if it wasn't for UC2 driving me batty with near death falls and feeling silly it would help with it. Like, I don't mind in HR but yeah, I think maybe forced things in games has happened a lot overall that pushes my mind to not wanting it as often. I'd even take clunky controls and bad game play as long as forced situations were less likely I guess..
 

Van Bur3n

Member
Imagine how good it would be if Naughty Dog truly understood the AAA space.

XS5LK.gif


But yeah, it was a pretty good game. I liked it. One of the better stories you can experience in gaming.
 
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