The Last Of Us: What am I missing?

Rheinmetall

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I played it and I have mixed feelings about this game. It has excellent graphics, face animations, voice over and all, but everything else seems questionable to me. Actual game-play, fighting with zombies and soldiers felt a bit like a chore, the pace of the game was really slow and the post apocalyptic scenario and story more or less predictable. I understand that it is considered by many as the game of the year and one of the best of the PS3 system. What's the game's biggest virtue that it's worth a second play-through?
 

Catfood220

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Rheinmetall said:
I played it and I have mixed feelings about this game. It has excellent graphics, face animations, voice over and all, but everything else seems questionable to me. Actual game-play, fighting with zombies and soldiers felt a bit like a chore, the pace of the game was really slow and the post apocalyptic scenario and story more or less predictable. I understand that it is considered by many as the game of the year and one of the best of the PS3 system. What's the game's biggest virtue that it's worth a second play-through?
I'll try this again with an actual reply this time.

To be fair, I'm with you I found The Last of Us disappointing, something that really bugged me was that Naughty Dog said that you wouldn't be fighting the infected too much as they didn't want them to be over done. I come to play the game and all I seem to doing is fighting infected I really struggled to finish this game. I tried starting a new game but realised that the collectables don't carry over like they do in the Uncharted series (different games I know) but that put really put me off another play through. Such a silly little thing.
 

Weaver

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It's a mediocre game completely blown out of proportion by the critics, just like every single Uncharted game. And it recieved critical acclaim, just like Uncharted, because it's story wasn't entirely shit like most video games so everyone drools over what is a very standard Hollywood style script because they want to validate video games as a medium with artistic integrity.

Yeah I went there, bring on the flames.
 

ShinyCharizard

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Weaver said:
It's a mediocre game completely blown out of proportion by the critics, just like every single Uncharted game. And it recieved critical acclaim, just like Uncharted, because it's story wasn't entirely shit like most video games so everyone drools over what is a very standard Hollywood style script because they want to validate video games as a medium with artistic integrity.

Yeah I went there, bring on the flames.
Gonna have to agree with that. Never gonna trust critics again after that bullshit.
 

Aiddon_v1legacy

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it's pretty much the gaming equivalent of Oscar Bait. It has a very "serious" narrative with people distracted by the admittedly decent script. The problem is that the actual plot is extremely simple and gameplay wise it doesn't really break any new ground. I just can't see why it deserves that much praise
 

tippy2k2

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Well if you didn't like it, there's probably nothing about it that makes it worth a second play-through.

Personally, I adored the game. I loved the story arc. I loved the characters. I loved the voice actors. I loved the combat (though I do concede it's a bit generic). I loved the enemies. I loved the periods of violence followed by periods of nothing. I loved the bits of humor tossed in. I freaking loved The Last of Us.

Contrary to popular belief, it is OK for you to not like it.
 

maddawg IAJI

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Catfood220 said:
Rheinmetall said:
I played it and I have mixed feelings about this game. It has excellent graphics, face animations, voice over and all, but everything else seems questionable to me. Actual game-play, fighting with zombies and soldiers felt a bit like a chore, the pace of the game was really slow and the post apocalyptic scenario and story more or less predictable. I understand that it is considered by many as the game of the year and one of the best of the PS3 system. What's the game's biggest virtue that it's worth a second play-through?
I'll try this again with an actual reply this time.

To be fair, I'm with you I found The Last of Us disappointing, something that really bugged me was that Naughty Dog said that you wouldn't be fighting the infected too much as they didn't want them to be over done. I come to play the game and all I seem to doing is fighting infected I really struggled to finish this game. I tried starting a new game but realised that the collectables don't carry over like they do in the Uncharted series (different games I know) but that put really put me off another play through. Such a silly little thing.
I didn't get that feeling at all. Yeah, there are points where the infected seem to be pretty much non-stop (Such as the case when you finally escape Pittsburgh), but a large majority of the game was spent fighting bandits. In fact, there were portions of it that I actually got tired of fighting the uninfected.
 

jetriot

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Reviewers tend to be a bit older and often with young kids. Story arcs that involve young kids and families do really well with this demographic. Until I had my own family, I often considered stories like the ones in Last of Us and Walking Dead to be average at best. Now that shit tears me up inside and I can't help but connect and immerse myself into the world. As an older gamer I rarely find myself really immersing myself in a world like I used to. When it happens, its special and I rant and rave about it.

It may be just me, but I suspect a lot of reviewers(who are mostly around my age) have had those same experiences.
 

Compatriot Block

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tippy2k2 said:
Well if you didn't like it, there's probably nothing about it that makes it worth a second play-through.

Personally, I adored the game. I loved the story arc. I loved the characters. I loved the voice actors. I loved the combat (though I do concede it's a bit generic). I loved the enemies. I loved the periods of violence followed by periods of nothing. I loved the bits of humor tossed in. I freaking loved The Last of Us.

Contrary to popular belief, it is OK for you to not like it.
Thank you. The first page of threads like this are usually full of condescending remarks about the game's quality or how people are "confused" about how many people like it, so this stops me from getting cranky.

The only thing you're missing is that just because a lot of people think it's really good doesn't mean that they are trying to force you to think so.

Plus, some of my favorite games are ones where I didn't feel that I needed a second time through.
 

Dirty Hipsters

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I loved the game.

The story is good, but it's not the plot that makes it good, the plot is fairly predictable, what makes it good is the writing and the characters. The actors completely sell the characters, and the character interaction and my attachment to them completely sold the story.

I also really liked the gameplay. Every moment of combat felt appropriately tense because Joel isn't some invincible superman. You're very limited on resources, and even 2 or 3 enemies are a very real threat. When the enemy count gets upped to 10 or more enemies, many of who are armed with guns shit gets real. I had a friend watching me play much of the game, and every time I wanted to hand the controller off to him so that he could play for a bit he would adamantly refuse because he said the game was too stressful and he couldn't handle the fact that every bullet was valuable.

The gameplay and story may not have been incredibly new or original, but they were polished as hell, and I found the game to be a blast the entire way through.

If you didn't like it, then that's fine, I'm sure you had your reasons, but I loved the game.
 

Smooth Operator

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The setting and story probably escaped you, if it didn't click with you what dire times they put you into then you miss the best part of this game, the rest is just good enough to support the storytelling.

Second play through might make it clearer but I doubt things will really feel right when you know the whole thing.
 

Sarge034

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Rheinmetall said:
I played it and I have mixed feelings about this game. It has excellent graphics, face animations, voice over and all, but everything else seems questionable to me. Actual game-play, fighting with zombies and soldiers felt a bit like a chore, the pace of the game was really slow and the post apocalyptic scenario and story more or less predictable. I understand that it is considered by many as the game of the year and one of the best of the PS3 system. What's the game's biggest virtue that it's worth a second play-through?
The connection between Joel and Elli is the game. Everything else is a chore or to set up some more character development/bonding. If you can jump into Joel's shoes and start forming an IRL relationship with Elli the game is gold. If you can't, it is an all around "all right" third person post-apocalyptic zombie game.

I absolutely loved the story, but that being said I have yet to force myself through a second play-through. I'm like that with movies too. I just can't watch some movies I love more than twice a year and other I can watch on replay. I think it has something to do with those games and movies being story intensive or hinging on a plot twist, ie The 6th Sense, Spec Ops: The Line, The Last of Us, ect.
 

Saulkar

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Rheinmetall said:
What's the game's biggest virtue that it's worth a second play-through?
My own personal problems with the game is that it feels claustrophobic. It is too linear, you cannot deviate from the set path, and the level design gives the initial impression that it is open world but it all gradually fades and you are left feeling suffocated. Also insta-death animations (fucking clickers) need to disappear permanently from games along with with weapon degradation that is not based upon physics, looking at you single use shivs. I never want to see these things ever again.

After the horse was shot in a linear scripted sequence that I had no ability to avoid or deviate from so I said fuck it and thus did not permit myself the chance to try a second play-through.

P.S. I understand how some things need to be scripted in order to advance the plot but so many times it feels forced when you already know what is coming and cannot deviate from it despite there being obvious ways to do so.
 

Dirty Hipsters

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Saulkar said:
Rheinmetall said:
What's the game's biggest virtue that it's worth a second play-through?
My own personal problems with the game is that it feels claustrophobic. It is too linear, you cannot deviate from the set path, and the level design gives the initial impression that it is open world but it all gradually fades and you are left feeling suffocated. Also insta-death animations (fucking clickers) need to disappear permanently from games along with with weapon degradation that is not based upon physics, looking at you single use shivs. I never want to see these things ever again.

After the horse was shot in a linear scripted sequence that I had no ability to avoid or deviate from so I said fuck it and thus did not permit myself the chance to try a second play-through.

P.S. I understand how some things need to be scripted in order to advance the plot but so many times it feels forced when you already know what is coming and cannot deviate from it despite there being obvious ways to do so.
Well, to be fair about the Shivs, they were just glass and duct-tape. Not exactly the best made or durable weapons.
 

Thandran

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Dirty Hipsters said:
Saulkar said:
Rheinmetall said:
What's the game's biggest virtue that it's worth a second play-through?
My own personal problems with the game is that it feels claustrophobic. It is too linear, you cannot deviate from the set path, and the level design gives the initial impression that it is open world but it all gradually fades and you are left feeling suffocated. Also insta-death animations (fucking clickers) need to disappear permanently from games along with with weapon degradation that is not based upon physics, looking at you single use shivs. I never want to see these things ever again.

After the horse was shot in a linear scripted sequence that I had no ability to avoid or deviate from so I said fuck it and thus did not permit myself the chance to try a second play-through.

P.S. I understand how some things need to be scripted in order to advance the plot but so many times it feels forced when you already know what is coming and cannot deviate from it despite there being obvious ways to do so.
Well, to be fair about the Shivs, they were just glass and duct-tape. Not exactly the best made or durable weapons.
And you could upgrade them fairly easily. Besides that I've always had a backpack full of materials in order to craft stuff. :)
 

Fox12

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Rheinmetall said:
I played it and I have mixed feelings about this game. It has excellent graphics, face animations, voice over and all, but everything else seems questionable to me. Actual game-play, fighting with zombies and soldiers felt a bit like a chore, the pace of the game was really slow and the post apocalyptic scenario and story more or less predictable. I understand that it is considered by many as the game of the year and one of the best of the PS3 system. What's the game's biggest virtue that it's worth a second play-through?
Well, it took an old formula and did it the absolute best it could be done (story wise). It wasn't life changing, but the relationships between the characters were strong enough to hold me over. I also LOVED the slow pacing and stealth sections. Too many games try to rush into the action these days. That said, if you don't like the characters than its probably a slog. If you didn't like it the first time, then you won't receive some divine revelation the second.
 

Saulkar

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Dirty Hipsters said:
Well, to be fair about the Shivs, they were just glass and duct-tape. Not exactly the best made or durable weapons.
I will give you that without hesitation. What I failed to articulate is that I am incensed over the fact that it has a clear number of uses rather than something that is dynamic considered via a series of contributing factors such as the durability of the "specific" individual/clicker, defects in the the blade brought forth from how stressed you were when you made it (are you calm, in a fight, or just came out of one), angle of attack, fatigue, injuries, etc. I am just tired over how artificially mechanical it all feels in this day and age.

I understand that there needs to be areas where you cannot have a dynamic simulation of realism but there are several egregious examples in The Last of Us, not limited to the fact that the game keeps giving an open world atmosphere that does not exists and thus defects, cut corners, or design decisions for mechanics of equipment that are paramount for survival tend to stick out like a sore thumb.

P.S. I actually think it may be an interesting design mechanic if you had the ability to quickly decide on whether or not to break the blade after shiving someone. If you pull the blade out you can then get back into cover with an intact blade and wait for the enemy to bleed out or try and hide to heal himself then surprise him/her but at the same time risk having a fast retaliation if he/she is aggressive enough. On the flip side breaking the blade could cause immense pain, no bleedout, a loss of combat effectiveness, moral drainer and distraction for nearby enemies, and a faster getaway so that the enemy will be permanently distracted but on the flip side you lose a shiv and might elicit a more aggressive reaction from shived guy's/gal's friends. Just a thought.

CAPTCHA: badger, mushroom - Well, well, well...

 

IronMit

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If you don't care about the story then I don't see how a second time will help you there. I loved every part of it, the relationship between ellie and joel and all the characters you meet.
The way they flushed out the setting at the start to make killing necessary was brilliant. Other games just hand you a gun this one justifies the killing in this new setting.

The gameplay and AI are quite advanced. Yeah there are a few area's where their limitations stand out but it has one of the better AI's in recent games.


The tension with making supplies and resource management mid battle was good- try adjusting the difficulty for this effect.
 

Saulkar

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Thandran said:
And you could upgrade them fairly easily.
That is not the problem so much as the fact that it feels so artificially mechanical (in any other game as well) and said resources are quite scarce on the hardest difficulty. I elucidated my statement much more clearly above this one if you want anymore info on the reasoning behind my opinion.
 

Phoenixmgs_v1legacy

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I only did play a couple hours of TLoU (I fixed my friends PS3 and tested to see that it didn't overheat) and gameplay-wise, it's nothing special. I didn't even get to Ellie, but the controls and shooting have all the same issues of Uncharted. Naughty Dog doesn't know how to do a proper shoulder swap, it's so annoying. I'm pretty sure the Daredevil-esque power Joel has will break the stealth of the game, you shouldn't be able to see through walls in a stealth game. It seems like the only great thing the game might do is the interaction between Joel and Ellie (which I didn't get to) but that's most likely the only great thing it does, that does not make a game great unless that's literally all the game is doing. You can love the game and everything because of between of Joel and Ellie but that doesn't make the flaws disappear.