Mikeyfell said:
Last of Us is nearly flawless in presentation, and a bit sloppy in execution
The story is incredible the acting is top notch the visuals and motion capture is breath taking, but it does have that stupid Naughty Dog style crap where they stick cutscenes in gameplay (Usually while the characters you're supposed to be listening to are walking away from you) combined with a exploratory resource gathering mechanic and a "realistic" sound design choice that muffles sounds that come from behind walls, so if you want to gather resources while you're walking (Emphasis on "walking" because they take away your ability to run during those cutscene gameplay hybrid moments) you have to choose between missing the dialog and doubling back after it's over.
I heard you mention this once before, and again I have to say this was one of the things that made the game come to life for me. The A.I. characters weren't stapled to your back, following you around at every turn. They kinda did their own thing during the walky/explorey sections. You could either stay within their distance to follow what they were saying, or choose to ignore it and just continue rummaging for supplies. One of the best moments for me in the game was in the subburb area, where I was checking upstairs in one of the houses. As I was making my way back down I heard noises coming from the living room, and I found Ellie and Sam just playing darts. Within that moment being completely unaware of my presence as the game character and just doing their own thing. Scripted obviously, but it gives the impression that they have their own little motivation loose from yours.
