This game just might be great (The Last of Us)

[Kuma]

Already? How many gameplay hours did you have?

[TheDude]

Still playing, taking it slow, alternating between single and multiplayer. Absolutely loving it so far, even multiplayer, although the last few games i always lag out.

[DragonFire]

I'm with ZeroDamage on this. I beat the game Friday morning 6:30 am after pretty much marathoning it taking breaks for a bit and a little nap. I picked it up Thursday night at midnight. This game was amazing, it blew me away. Naughty Dog knows how to make a beautiful story driven game that keeps you wanting more. The music was fantastic and it was definitely survival horror action-adventure at its best. If you want an amazing emotional experience you should pick up this game.

 

Already? How many gameplay hours did you have?

 

I put about 16 hours into the game after exploring every nook and cranny that i could find.

Edited June 17, 2013 by DragonFire

[looneypumpkin]

I beat my copy last night and sold it on amazon already. I won't play through it again and multiplayer on console isn't for me. It was an amazing story.

 

Oh it took me about 16hrs total. I played slow, died a few times and did a lot treasure hunting.

Edited June 17, 2013 by looneypumpkin

[Kuma]

So for roughly, basic gameplay (without possible additional alternating gameplay) you could finish this game in 16 hours which costs 40 to 50 $ ? I mean, I believe it's great game but ....bitter taste for such amazing game completing in 16 hours and costs 40 to 50 $

[looneypumpkin]

True, but you don't want a game to last too long. It might get repetitive and annoying to never reach an end goal. I've had similar games drag on to 40hrs and it becomes a chore to finish them.

 

For the story alone I think it was well worth the purchase price.

[VooDooPC]

The atmosphere of the game is great, it's too bad the AI is hot garbage.

[boiler]

10 hours in and I'm 61% through , according the save game thingy. Playing on Hard, and it's been challenging, but not frustratingly so.*

God this game is so good.

 

 

*My gaming time prior to putting in this game was on my second playthrough of Dark Souls, so my perception of difficulty may be slightly skewed.

[JackieChan]

Got this last night. Was impressed by the first 15-20 minutes. The game to me has a lot of potential, so we'll see how it turns out in the end...and I'm the guy who didn't like Bioshock Infinite.

[TheDude]

Got this last night. Was impressed by the first 15-20 minutes. The game to me has a lot of potential, so we'll see how it turns out in the end...and I'm the guy who didn't like Bioshock Infinite.

 

In hindsight, that game had a really good story, but too many things between gameplay and story didn't really click for me.

[boiler]

Just finished it last night. What a great game. Joel and Ellie might be two of my favorite game characters ever.

[looneypumpkin]

I don't agree it was a perfect 10, but I enjoyed it very much. Not on par with the Uncharted series, IMO. I think I loved it most for the stories/acting/characters.

[TheDude]

Still playing, got through the sewers now. So far it is many, maaaaaaaaaaaaaaany miles from what Uncharted was. Compared to this Uncharted is what you Americans leave on the front porch of people you don't like after setting it on fire.

[JackieChan]

A question for you guys who have beaten it already:

 

I just arrived in Pittsburgh. How much more of the game do I have left as far as a percentage goes?

[Madvillain]

Still haven't picked it up yet, I will be accepting free gift copies.

[boiler]

A question for you guys who have beaten it already:

 

I just arrived in Pittsburgh. How much more of the game do I have left as far as a percentage goes?

Dude, you're barely halfway through. So much awesome to come.

[JackieChan]

There are a few things that tick me off about the game that it seems that a lot of games have.

 

Cheap Deaths: Clickers one shot you without an upgraded shiv? How come the AI characters you're with don't get killed just by getting grabbed? Also, why do you magnetize to them so they can kill you instantly? That right there is one of the stupidest things about the game.

 

AI: Speaking about the stupidest things in the game, it's the AI in general. Friendly AI is just plain useless. Bill kept trying to kill a clicker so I just stood back while he emptied more shells into the Clicker than his gun could possibly allow and it was still alive. I shot it once with my pea-shooter and it died.

 

Context Sensitive Crap: Why do I have to stand in a specific spot to activate something when I can do the same thing 3 feet to the left or right, but the game won't let me? Context sensitive actions in games ruin the experience. Like in other games, why can I only vault over this one thing, but the same thing later on I can't?

 

Other than the usual junk that it seems all AAA games have that I hate, the game is still good. Aiming with the bow is clunky...aiming in general was clunky unless you get a perk that can magically make you aim better. Seriously... perks? WHY. Why ruin the immersion with perks that magically make you instantly better with something than you were 1 second ago? Durability? How can a lead pipe break after killing one person/infected with it? That makes sense. Oh, wait, no it doesn't. Multiplayer feels tacked on too. Sure, they were focusing more on the single player aspect of the game, but if they add more modes and charge people for it, holy crap that is going to be bad.

[TheDude]

Just beat it. My god, what a ride.

 

Loved everything about it, especially the story.

 

story spoiler here for those who haven't finished it:

In the end it's about the weakness of one man to fail to make the sacrifice in the view of others and i must say... i'd have done the same thing. Going through so much and seeing so much cruelty, i felt like mankind wasn't worth saving if it meant making that sacrifice. And that's exactly what i wanted in this game.

 

To Jackie: no offence, but I think you're just nitpicking man.

 

Cheap Deaths

I mean FINALLY a game in which you can actually die, and you don't just play out a 10 hour cutscene. I welcome the fact that the clickers are an instakill, i mean what did you expect? Them to punch you like in L4D? Because that makes sense... Also i wouldn't call that cheap. You can hear them coming from a mile away and you get that listening mode. If anything i'd think that would be your biggest 'realism' gripe;

 

AI

AI has always been an issue in every game. If it's not holding your hand, it's "unrealistic because it's not doing damage".

 

Context Sensitive Crap

It's not an open-world game. You can't have it all. Sure there are a million ways to climb that ledge without having to go for that ladder, but all those ways don't fit into my little black box.

 

Aiming with the bow is clunky

It's a handmade bow... what did you expect? A sniper bow?

 

 

I'm just tired of people complaining about a lack of realism in a game with good gameplay, or a lack of gameplay in a realistic game.

Edited June 28, 2013 by TheDude

[walkingCat]

-Watch out for a trip wire!

-Okay

[JackieChan]

Just beat it. My god, what a ride.

 

Loved everything about it, especially the story.

 

story spoiler here for those who haven't finished it:

In the end it's about the weakness of one man to fail to make the sacrifice in the view of others and i must say... i'd have done the same thing. Going through so much and seeing so much cruelty, i felt like mankind wasn't worth saving if it meant making that sacrifice. And that's exactly what i wanted in this game.

 

To Jackie: no offence, but I think you're just nitpicking man.

 

Cheap Deaths

I mean FINALLY a game in which you can actually die, and you don't just play out a 10 hour cutscene. I welcome the fact that the clickers are an instakill, i mean what did you expect? Them to punch you like in L4D? Because that makes sense... Also i wouldn't call that cheap. You can hear them coming from a mile away and you get that listening mode. If anything i'd think that would be your biggest 'realism' gripe;

 

AI

AI has always been an issue in every game. If it's not holding your hand, it's "unrealistic because it's not doing damage".

 

Context Sensitive Crap

It's not an open-world game. You can't have it all. Sure there are a million ways to climb that ledge without having to go for that ladder, but all those ways don't fit into my little black box.

 

Aiming with the bow is clunky

It's a handmade bow... what did you expect? A sniper bow?

 

 

I'm just tired of people complaining about a lack of realism in a game with good gameplay, or a lack of gameplay in a realistic game.

That's how I find faults. Honestly, I nitpick. Clickers are in a way a cheap death. No way to defend yourself when you magnetize to them? At least give the player a little room to work with instead of leveling up a perk or just giving them an outright game over.

 

AI could at least be a little bit useful in unscripted events. Let them actually do damage or kill things. Stop letting the player do everything for everyone. Makes me wonder how Bill survived 20 years on his own. Give some realism to the AI. I'm not asking for them to play the game for you, but to back you up when you need it. They don't do it at all in this game. They let you die every chance they get.

 

With the whole context sensitive events, at least give the players a little freedom to do actions they want rather than have them sit in a specific spot to advance the story. That to me doesn't make any sense. If I'm going to climb up something, don't make me stand in a specific spot. Let me stand where I want and let the game adapt where I want to climb up from, not let me adapt to the game. That devoids the game of immersion and realism.

 

As far as the bows go, you would think after 20 years, Joel would have some experience with a bow and not wield it like a little child. At least give me what the bow has for aim and controls in multiplayer. Make things consistent. If you're going to make Joel into a wuss, at least make him look the part. He looks like a grungy bad-donkey in this game. Don't make him die instantly to a Clicker when an NPC can fend them off with ease until you come to their rescue. NPC to PC inconsistency ruins immersion. It sucks and really takes away from the player relating to the character in their imagination. I want to die from making mistakes, not some misconception from the character's inability to protect himself or cheap deaths. This game is loaded with cheap deaths and it ruins the experience.

 

The little things can ruin a game and the little things is what bothers me the most about games. I'll nitpick something to death. I don't care. As long as it's true, it holds water. You can't possibly sit blindly by as you run into these things. If they don't bother you in the slightest, you have a really weird perception on what bad qualities a game has.

[boiler]

Personally, I don't count the Clicker grab a cheap death at all. These are supposed to be VERY dangerous enemies, and it would have killed the immersion for me if I could get out of a mess I started by punching one in the fungus. Silence and stealth are key to dealing with those things, and when you screw those things up and don't get your gun trained on one in time, it should be game over. I understand why they have the companions able to hold clickers off - it would royally suck if you had to babysit them the whole time for fear of game over because you were busy dealing with your own stuff (classic "escort mission" PITA for some FPS). That is making it a more enjoyable game, imo.

 

As for the bow aiming, I wouldn't call it clunky since you can see the whole friggin arc where the arrow will fly. It's not EASY to hit a moving target with it, but it isn't easy in real life either. By the end of the game though I became much more proficient with it. Using it was about picking your spots and waiting for the target to move into your aim, not trying to follow the moving target.

 

The AI isn't perfect in this game, and I did encounter a few instances of weird enemy behavior/glitches, but I refuse to let that bring down my opinion of one of the best games I have played.

[JackieChan]

Personally, I don't count the Clicker grab a cheap death at all. These are supposed to be VERY dangerous enemies, and it would have killed the immersion for me if I could get out of a mess I started by punching one in the fungus.

But simple runners you can escape from no problem? If it's really an apocalypse, shouldn't ALL enemies be dangerous instead of one kind? That seems to the case. How can an enemy who relies purely on sound be the most dangerous enemy in the game? Even human soldiers/hunters are a pushover compared to Clickers. Even the boss enemy at the school was extremely easy to dispose of, it just took a while to kill because the natural design of bosses are for them to be bullet sponges. If they left a slight door opening when making mistakes around Clickers, then it wouldn't be as bad, but it seems even if I'm silent, they still home in on me and kill me. It seems like the only way I can escape from them is to break line of sight...which makes no sense since they rely purely on sound.

 

Silence and stealth are key to dealing with those things, and when you screw those things up and don't get your gun trained on one in time, it should be game over. I understand why they have the companions able to hold clickers off - it would royally suck if you had to babysit them the whole time for fear of game over because you were busy dealing with your own stuff (classic "escort mission" PITA for some FPS). That is making it a more enjoyable game, imo.

It's hard to train in on an enemy advancing on you unless you have a console-tailored shotgun with such a wide spread you have to be facing the other way to miss. Have any other gun and you might as well say game over unless you use the same strategy all the time and run away for a while to put as much distance between you and your target as possible. Sure, it makes sense for the AI to be able to fend off Clickers, but at least make them be able to kill the dang things and give them the ability to actually defend themselves without you holding their hand the entire time until it's time to say good bye which is what I thought the entire time I was with Bill. Being able to actually depend on your AI teammates once in a while instead of never to me makes the game more enjoyable because it feels more realistic. If you can't rely on them, what's the point in having them around other than story? Might as well have them disappear and then reappear each time a cutscene appears.

 

As for the bow aiming, I wouldn't call it clunky since you can see the whole friggin arc where the arrow will fly. It's not EASY to hit a moving target with it, but it isn't easy in real life either. By the end of the game though I became much more proficient with it. Using it was about picking your spots and waiting for the target to move into your aim, not trying to follow the moving target.

All I ask is that the bow aiming be the same as in multiplayer (don't get me started on that...). Aiming a bow in multiplayer is so much better than it is in single player. At least in multiplayer, I can hit other things than the wall 100% of the time. It makes the bow pretty much useless if you can't hit a moving target with it since every single target in that game...well...moves.

 

The AI isn't perfect in this game, and I did encounter a few instances of weird enemy behavior/glitches, but I refuse to let that bring down my opinion of one of the best games I have played.

Shame that no friendly AI can ever be good in any game...except Half-Life 1. At least the several Barney's you had with you at times could actually kill things.

 

At least now that my finger is feeling better, I can continue playing it.

[blqmagic]

This game is Great!!!!!! I look at as a 17+ Hour Movie. If you don't have a ps3 I would recommend you get one just for this game.

Edited July 3, 2013 by blqmagic

[JackieChan]

Holy crap... laughing so hard about how true this is:

 

[VooDooPC]

Holy crap... laughing so hard about how true this is:

 

Inherent problem with game design.

 

How do you make a meaningful character without it being the main character? Simple, you make a character that tags along, like Alyx Vance, Ellie, or Elizabeth! How do you make the whole game not a massive escort mission that the player has to suffer through? Simple, you make it so AI completely ignores them! How do we make it not frustrating that the player has to follow rules the AI can completely ignore? Err.... I don't know yet, but our game just sold 1 million copies, woo!