The last of us by Naughty dog

[DrZoidberg]

As everyone else has said, this game is intense. I've never felt so emotionally invested in a game. There's not a ton of dialogue or hours of cut scenes, but somehow through their struggle these characters are really brought to life.

 

[flint757]

The beginning sequence had me in freakin tears.

On another note it is set in Texas (at the beginning at least).

 

[glpg80]

Just finished it today. Warning, massive spoiler alerts.

Spoiler

The scene where Emilie is in the building that catches on fire really got to me and brought out the emotions. The part where Joel is lying on his back unconscious after falling off that ledge and Emilie is begging for him to come back alive. I felt very heavy at all of these points....hell the whole game carries an emotional rollercoaster ride even to the end. Near the ending when they reach the hospital and Joel is knocked unconscious is intense. You really begin to feel for Emilie as a character and as a child. When Joel finally gets to meet his brother - it also carries an emotional bond. The dialogs all throughout the game were damn near the exact thoughts that i would think if i were in the same predicament. The attention to detail was immense, and the storyline has you on edge around every corner. The ending itself where Emilie is ready to give up everything for everyone else but Joel cant seem to let go really sticks with me. I know for a fact i will be chewing on this for many days.

Spoiler

There were some insane suicidal/emotional scenes. The part with Sam and his older brother....The part where Joel finds out Em is missing...The death of Tess, all deeply emotional. Even the childrens play room seemed really creepy and realistic in reference to what the game offered in immersion.

I hope there is a book to be written for the storyline to continue. It is that good.

 

[st2012]

Finished this Saturday morning. One of the best games I've ever played.

 

[Mordacain]

I finished Thursday morning at about 4:30 AM. I was exhausted by the end but was very happy. Amazing piece of storytelling and I'm glad the usual video game tropes were avoided.

 

[Aftertheburial13]

Amazing, amazing game. Finished it about 3 days after it came out. Easily in my top 3 games!

 

[Randyrhoads123]

@glpg80: Her name is Ellie, dude!

Amazing game, really loved the character development and plot twists throughout! The story is a little predictable, it goes along with a lot of zombie tropes but with little changes here and there, but still good over all. Won't give any spoilers, but the ending pissed me off!

The behind the scenes stuff is breathtaking as well, especially all the music and art! Relevant video: http://vimeo.com/68455513

The people in charge of making these games are geniuses, just so talented!

 

[Osorio]

I hated Uncharted. HATED IT. The story was horrible, EVERY character pissed me off. I know MANY good things have been said about Uncharted (the series in general) and I seem to disagree with most if not ALL of it. I genuinely thought it was just outright BAD. I couldn't even finish Uncharted 2 because the game just aggravated me so much (The voice actors for two of the characters -forgot their names- were the EXACT SAME as Alistair and Morrigan from Dragon Age: Origins, and they seemed to have the same kind of relationship... So everytime I played Uncharted 2, it felt like I was stuck in some parallel dimension where the writing from Dragon Age had suddenly got A LOT worse).

So, honest question: Should I bother with trying to get this game later on? I'm hearing the story is pretty good, which is good, obviously, but what about the gameplay? I've been reading there are quite a lot of bugs going about (specially with collectables and AI being all over the place).

Just finished it today. Warning, massive spoiler alerts.

For all the deeply emotional moments the game had on you, kinda funny that you couldn't remember the main character's name.

 

[Randyrhoads123]

I hated Uncharted. HATED IT. The story was horrible, EVERY character pissed me off. I know MANY good things have been said about Uncharted (the series in general) and I seem to disagree with most if not ALL of it. I genuinely thought it was just outright BAD. I couldn't even finish Uncharted 2 because the game just aggravated me so much (The voice actors for two of the characters -forgot their names- were the EXACT SAME as Alistair and Morrigan from Dragon Age: Origins, and they seemed to have the same kind of relationship... So everytime I played Uncharted 2, it felt like I was stuck in some parallel dimension where the writing from Dragon Age had suddenly got A LOT worse).

So, honest question: Should I bother with trying to get this game later on? I'm hearing the story is pretty good, which is good, obviously, but what about the gameplay? I've been reading there are quite a lot of bugs going about (specially with collectables and AI being all over the place).




For all the deeply emotional moments the game had on you, kinda funny that you couldn't remember the main character's name.

I thought the controls were a little clunky and the AI was hit or miss for me. Sometimes they would see you pretty easily, other times I could be right in front of them and they wouldn't see me. That's mostly for the humans though, the 'infected' were pretty consistent when you fight them. Can't comment on the collectables. I haven't played Uncharted at all, but I've heard a lot of high praise for Uncharted 2, and you didn't like that, so I'm not sure if you'd enjoy this game or not. I definitely liked it, but the cinematics/story definitely take precedence over the actual gameplay. It's certainly not bad, but it isn't as tight as I'd like. Overall, I'd still recommend it.

 

[Osorio]

^ thanks for the feedback. I'm quite worried about the story aspect too to be completely honest, but I have given up entirely on getting other people's opinion on that one. The jury on that one seems pretty unanimous, but I'll just have to wait and see. ... I say this because have yet to see another soul complain about it, yet I think that the story of Uncharted (1 and 2) was absolute crap. Either way, I'm more or less convinced that I should give this game a shot, even if it is in about a year or so, when it hits the bargain bin.

 

[Mexi]

The only similarities between this and Uncharted is that it is a 3rd person game that has a couple similar controls.

Other than that, the tone, feel and atmosphere of the two games are completely different. There is no jokesy, upbeat feel in The Last of Us. This game is bleak as ...., but so good. It would be a real shame to not play it because of one's problem's with Uncharted.

 

[mikernaut]

There really isn't a game that I can recall playing being like this experience. It really proves how good and geared towards adults a game can be when a team strives to push the medium. It makes you feel uneasy, it makes you ask moral questions. I find the best games really center around characters and their relationships and imperfections.

You have to get the player engaged and emotionally invested. Personally this is a small gem of a triumph in my book for the industry. I hope more teams are inspired to "raise the bar" and push the medium and craft smarter games. I'm tired of people feeling they just want to make brainless games or try to make a quick $ by chasing fads.

I clocked in at just over 20hrs and I want more. It doesn't have to be the same characters , it could be a new storyline with new characters. I just the grittiness and the mix between stealth and action, beauty and ugly.

I actually felt a bit of sadness after finishing the game after such an intense journey.

 

[flint757]

^ thanks for the feedback. I'm quite worried about the story aspect too to be completely honest, but I have given up entirely on getting other people's opinion on that one. The jury on that one seems pretty unanimous, but I'll just have to wait and see. ... I say this because have yet to see another soul complain about it, yet I think that the story of Uncharted (1 and 2) was absolute crap. Either way, I'm more or less convinced that I should give this game a shot, even if it is in about a year or so, when it hits the bargain bin.

Comparing games based on who published/developed them is a little silly. I mean would you say Assassins Creed and Far Cry are the same or even similar? Not saying it doesn't happen or that it isn't a good starting point to look at, but you are ignoring positive reviews because of something entirely unrelated. Nobody would have played the new Batman games if we all followed that mindset.

 

[Osorio]

Comparing games based on who published/developed them is a little silly. I mean would you say Assassins Creed and Far Cry are the same or even similar?

I agree on Publishers, which pertain to your example, but Developers have a track record and ignoring that is foolish. In order to humor you, let's take Crytek, who made Far Cry and Crysis. Pretty similar as far as feel go. Both are pretty open and have an extremely lack luster story, but satisfying enough gameplay (at least that is my take on it). To continue on Crytek, now they are doing Ryse, which, to me, looks EXTREMELY generic all the way around, and looks great, technically. It may not be the same style of gameplay (which looks awful anyway), but the marks are pretty much there. In reality, I don't even consider Crytek a game developer in the most strict sense. As far as I'm concerned, they make playable tech demos.
Fallout is basically Elder Scrolls in the future, now that Bethesda is doing both. Ubisoft Montreal made both Prince of Persia (2008) and Assassin's Creed. I don't think I need to point out the similarities there, even though the story of Assassin's Creed is entirely different (and much more enjoyable, to me).

I'm pretty sure arguments could be made the other way around, I don't discredit the approach. It's just not how I choose to see the situation. I could spiral on a huge rant about game developing here, but I'll spare you (and the universe) of the rhetoric.

To my eyes, The Last of Us looks a lot like Uncharted, a game which has lots of unnecessary combat, clunky controls and extremely poorly developed story and characters. Am I supposed to just ignore my previous experience (which, by the way, already contradicts the general opinion)? I understand what you are saying, but, obviously, I think my cynicism is very well placed. If they had made a racing game or a fighter I would trust reviews about it, I would be neutral. But, as far as I'm aware from reviews, they pretty much made "Uncharted: Post Apocalyptic Edition".

Other than that, the tone, feel and atmosphere of the two games are completely different. There is no jokesy, upbeat feel in The Last of Us. This game is bleak as ...., but so good.

There really isn't a game that I can recall playing being like this experience. It really proves how good and geared towards adults a game can be when a team strives to push the medium. It makes you feel uneasy, it makes you ask moral questions. (...) Personally this is a small gem of a triumph in my book for the industry. I hope more teams are inspired to "raise the bar" and push the medium and craft smarter games.

Thanks! This is sort of what I was looking for. I maintain a healthy level of caution, but I'm pretty set on getting this once the price goes down to the more acceptable levels for my budget, assuming my PS3 will still be getting play-time when that happens later next year.

 

[flint757]

Ubisoft Montreal developed both of the games I mentioned (at least that's what wiki is telling me anyhow ) and they are very different.

Totally disagree about the fallout, Elder Scrolls comparison as the only similarities I see are the inventory system (weight and customization) and it being open world. Combat is very different (guns, no magic and VATS). I'll give you POP though as they share a ton of similarities (excluding the plot/characters of course).

Like I said, it is definitely a good place to jump off from, but IMO should not be the final factor in ones decision. That being said, you can do whatever you please (obviously).

The story/characters are what everyone has been praising though, so that cannot be directly compared to Unchartered as I pretty much agree with you about Unchartered (Drake is annoying and plot is thin, but still enjoyable for me). As I've been playing there isn't a ton of 'unnecessary' combat, but I don't even know what you mean by that as I didn't get that vibe in Unchartered 3 at all. For me all PS3 game controls are clunky, but that is because I'm a keyboard/mouse guy.

 

[Osorio]

Ubisoft Montreal developed both of the games I mentioned (at least that's what wiki is telling me anyhow ) and they are very different. (...)

You are probably thinking of Far Cry 2 and 3. Since you didn't specify, I thought of 1, which was originally a Crytek game.

About Fallout and Elder Scrolls. Fallout has some different mechanics, but after playing both, they have the exact same "feel" to me and even if I didn't know I would guess that they were made by the same developer. Also full of bugs, which might as well be Bethesda's "thing", as much as graphics are Crytek's.

The story/characters are what everyone has been praising though, so that cannot be directly compared to Unchartered as I pretty much agree with you about Unchartered (Drake is annoying and plot is thin, but still enjoyable for me). As I've been playing there isn't a ton of 'unnecessary' combat, but I don't even know what you mean by that as I didn't get that vibe in Unchartered 3 at all. For me all PS3 game controls are clunky, but that is because I'm a keyboard/mouse guy.

It's good to know that someone that has also found issues with Uncharted is praising this game, that alone gives me some reassurance.

Haven't played U3, but U1, particularly, was FULL of battles that dragged on for a quite a few waves too many, every area had what seemed like hundreds of hostiles. And just when you finished something, yep, there came yet more dudes to headshot. There was never a moment to drink the beauty of the game in... But I understand that maybe I approached it with a mind set of being more platforming exploration and turned out deeply disappointed. It still irks me to no end when people say that Uncharted is a platforming game though.

 

[flint757]

Yeah, I was speaking of Fallout 3. That's my bad. Bethesda definitely has a 'feel', but I still find it hard to draw lines using that as an indicator as I love Elder Scrolls and after my first play through of Fallout 3 I was bored and absolutely had no interest in playing again. Crytek IMO hasn't been about graphics since the first Crysis. If you play on anything other than a console Crysis 1 looks amazing (to this day even) whereas Crysis 2 and 3 leave something to be desired.

Unchartered wasn't perfect, but it was more refreshing than all of the COD clones. Maybe I and many others give it too much credit at one point or another because of this. I haven't beat TLOU yet, but so far everything feels fine to me and the story line is great.

 

[Philligan]

I hated Uncharted. HATED IT. The story was horrible, EVERY character pissed me off. I know MANY good things have been said about Uncharted (the series in general) and I seem to disagree with most if not ALL of it. I genuinely thought it was just outright BAD. I couldn't even finish Uncharted 2 because the game just aggravated me so much (The voice actors for two of the characters -forgot their names- were the EXACT SAME as Alistair and Morrigan from Dragon Age: Origins, and they seemed to have the same kind of relationship... So everytime I played Uncharted 2, it felt like I was stuck in some parallel dimension where the writing from Dragon Age had suddenly got A LOT worse).

So, honest question: Should I bother with trying to get this game later on? I'm hearing the story is pretty good, which is good, obviously, but what about the gameplay? I've been reading there are quite a lot of bugs going about (specially with collectables and AI being all over the place).

I thought the controls were a little clunky and the AI was hit or miss for me. Sometimes they would see you pretty easily, other times I could be right in front of them and they wouldn't see me. That's mostly for the humans though, the 'infected' were pretty consistent when you fight them. Can't comment on the collectables. I haven't played Uncharted at all, but I've heard a lot of high praise for Uncharted 2, and you didn't like that, so I'm not sure if you'd enjoy this game or not. I definitely liked it, but the cinematics/story definitely take precedence over the actual gameplay. It's certainly not bad, but it isn't as tight as I'd like. Overall, I'd still recommend it.

This, pretty much exactly. The bummer for me was that all my issues with Uncharted were still present in Last of Us, especially after seeing the game get higher ratings than I've ever seen before. Mainly the clunky movement/shooting, iffy AI, and how repetitive the game felt. So many times I'd walk into a room, see a conveniently placed circle of big crates and upturned desks, and know that some bad guys were gonna bust in. And it seemed to be a pretty consistent formula of sneak/kill zombies, cutscene, sneak/kill bad guys, cutscene, repeat.

Having said that, it's good and definitely worth playing, just really overhyped. It felt smoother and more polished than the Uncharteds, but the Uncharteds had more variety in the locations which helped mix it up a lot for me - the controls for Last of Us are amazing, though. They did a good job of getting contextual actions that worked well and came to you quickly.

My biggest beef, though (spoilers!):

Spoiler

They talk about how deaths are supposed to feel so gritty and gut-wrenching, and every one is supposed to matter. A couple times you'll run into characters who are like "You killed our men in cold blood when they were out looking for food," but you didn't kill them in cold blood, they showed up at the building you were in and tried to kill you. When you're rescuing Ellie from the burning building, I tried to sneak past the guys, but the truck door to get to the next location wouldn't open until I'd killed every guy in the area. The game makes you kill characters/bad guys, then turns around later and scolds you for your psychopathic tendencies. It just took me out of the game because I kept thinking about how I had no choice in the matter.

Spoiler

Same when you're rescuing Ellie in the end. The game's supposed to be so personal, and you're supposed to feel like a monster for killing all these people, but you have to kill them to progress the story. I tried to avoid beating the doctor and nurses to death in the end, and I had to. It didn't make me feel bad, it reminded me I was playing an insanely scripted video game where I had no choices.

 

[Osorio]

Mainly the clunky movement/shooting, iffy AI, and how repetitive the game felt. So many times I'd walk into a room, see a conveniently placed circle of big crates and upturned desks, and know that some bad guys were gonna bust in. And it seemed to be a pretty consistent formula of sneak/kill zombies, cutscene, sneak/kill bad guys, cutscene, repeat.

You are talking about The Last of Us here, right? Major shame, and you just cemented my "bargain bin" idea.

My biggest beef, though (spoilers!):

That is a PRETTY BIG beef in my book... It sucks a lot when this kind of stuff happens. Thanks for the honest, grounded, feedback (not that I'm saying other people were lying or overhyping, excuse my wording. I can't seem to phrase this one better but I mean no insult to anyone. Philligan just pointed out stuff that I'm SURE I would notice and would annoy me a great deal).

 

[jwade]

Amazing game, absolutely loved it, save for the definite lack of choice. I'm not saying I would've done things differently at the end were I given a prompt to decide the actions the game dictated I make, but it would've been really good to be given the opportunity to decide Joel's actions at the end.