The Last of Us

[cp1dell]

Man, I love the cover system in this game; and the controls are so smooth.

lolol.

What?

[Freakorama]

 

 

Part 4

[Guest]

 

I am thinking about buying this game, But I can not chose between Uncharted 3 and the Last of Us. So Uncharted 3 or the Last of Us? 

 

(PS: I did play Uncharted 2)

Get The Last Of Us instead, I have beaten both games and TLOU is way better than Uncharted 3. The gameplay, the story and the overall atmosphere of this game is AMAZING. Also, if you are looking to play multiplayer, TLOU also delivers as it captures the same intense feeling that you get in the singleplayer.

[JOSEPH X]

If you're a PSN+ member you can get Uncharted 3 for free this month, but you don't want to miss this game.

 

One thing I've noticed that is great is that you can't just learn the AI pathways and use trial and error to get through. Every time I've died so far the AI has done something different after I've respawned.

[Algonquin Assassin]

 

If you're a PSN+ member you can get Uncharted 3 for free this month, but you don't want to miss this game.

 

One thing I've noticed that is great is that you can't just learn the AI pathways and use trial and error to get through. Every time I've died so far the AI has done something different after I've respawned.

I've noticed that too, but to be honest one gripe I do have with this game is the A.I (on ocassion) can be very stupid. I've seen Ellie run infront of enemies in plain view and they don't even take notice of her.

 

In general the A.I is good, but it does lack in areas.

[BullworthAcademy]

[JOSEPH X]

If you're a PSN+ member you can get Uncharted 3 for free this month, but you don't want to miss this game.

 

One thing I've noticed that is great is that you can't just learn the AI pathways and use trial and error to get through. Every time I've died so far the AI has done something different after I've respawned.

I've noticed that too, but to be honest one gripe I do have with this game is the A.I (on ocassion) can be very stupid. I've seen Ellie run infront of enemies in plain view and they don't even take notice of her.

 

In general the A.I is good, but it does lack in areas.

That's the only thing that breaks the fourth wall, but I have had companions get spotted by the AI. Billy (?) kept setting them off while we were going through some gardens. At least they can get killed causing you to fail an encounter. Which was a shock the first time it happened to Ellie, because I thought she was unkillable

 

Currently with the black boy (?) in the hardest encounter so far.

[jamieleng]

Hahaha

 

Nathan Drake: "What idiots programmed you?"

[Tooth]

Well. Then it was Bioshock Infinite. And then The Last Of Us...

 

If you play games for a long time, there comes a moment when a simple shooter is not enough. When another race game, or another action game is not enough. You look at ultrasuper graphics or giant explosions, but in time you just begin to expect something more or better.

 

And this is a point where I'd like to start my little talk about The Last Of Us. In fact, I could fell in love with the graphics in this game, or in a gameplay dynamics, or perfect animation, or even facial textures. But then it comes to realisation that every next game can reach the same level or make it to a higher one.

 

So, as said above, none of this is really worth mentioning (or maybe a little), because thing will just get better. What is real badass in The Last Of Us, the unique warrior killing everyone standing in the way is the story. It's Joel. It's Ellie. Just like recent Bioshock, TLoU not only provides one of the best stories in gaming ever, but is also defining a new direction.

 

Because you can create a game so fun and always enjoyable, but when it's able to make you cry and think of what you've just seen, right before credits or later - then you know it wasn't just a typical game. It was something more.

 

And so is The Last Of Us. It's not something usual to the market. It's a piece of art, that not only entertains you, but also stucks in your head for a long, long time. And another thing to notice - this game makes you sad, makes you worry about the characters, fill your mind with emotions. You keep falling in love with Joel and Ellie and you don't want them to be hurt. This is something far more than just good gameplay. You can count such games on your fingers and if you do this, you'll just pick the best ones in a gaming history.

 

The Last Of Us ends the generation as the greatest out here. I have never played a game like this and I'm happy I just did. Outstanding work here, Naughty Dog.

 

 

And just listen to this soundtrack. Just. Listen. To. It.

[Durden]

If you're a PSN+ member you can get Uncharted 3 for free this month, but you don't want to miss this game.

 

One thing I've noticed that is great is that you can't just learn the AI pathways and use trial and error to get through. Every time I've died so far the AI has done something different after I've respawned.

I've noticed that too, but to be honest one gripe I do have with this game is the A.I (on ocassion) can be very stupid. I've seen Ellie run infront of enemies in plain view and they don't even take notice of her.

 

In general the A.I is good, but it does lack in areas.

I read Naughty Dog's response to this issue. They said it was the preferable option rather than your companions always annoyingly getting you caught. Thats why companions are undetectable.

[BullworthAcademy]

[Corndawg93]

She alone swears more than anyone in GTA IV

[Narrow]

 

Nonsense.

These meme posts are not funny and contribute very little to the topic at hand, either talk about the game or remove yourself from this thread.

[JOSEPH X]

She alone swears more than anyone in GTA IV

Which is about half as much as any real life 14 year old.

[BullworthAcademy]

Nonsense.

These meme posts are not funny and contribute very little to the topic at hand, either talk about the game or remove yourself from this thread.

Okay then.

Who else got scared at the generator part?

[Hvitdverg]

Has anyone platinumed this game yet ???

[redx165]

If you're a PSN+ member you can get Uncharted 3 for free this month, but you don't want to miss this game.

 

One thing I've noticed that is great is that you can't just learn the AI pathways and use trial and error to get through. Every time I've died so far the AI has done something different after I've respawned.

I've noticed that too, but to be honest one gripe I do have with this game is the A.I (on ocassion) can be very stupid. I've seen Ellie run infront of enemies in plain view and they don't even take notice of her.

 

In general the A.I is good, but it does lack in areas.

I read Naughty Dog's response to this issue. They said it was the preferable option rather than your companions always annoyingly getting you caught. Thats why companions are undetectable.

I kinda like how they did it. If the AI is going to be broken at least have it be broken for the players advantage. If they didn't do that then it would be a lot harder to get down with the game.

[JOSEPH X]

Jeeeeez! I cried twice today. And I pulled a goofy face which was a combination of this this and this

 

Sadly I have to go to work now so I can't continue.

[Hvitdverg]

Who would like to hit up some Multiplayer and have some fun

 

I guess everyone is playing the single player

Edited June 24, 2013 by Hvitdverg

[Algonquin Assassin]

If you're a PSN+ member you can get Uncharted 3 for free this month, but you don't want to miss this game.

 

One thing I've noticed that is great is that you can't just learn the AI pathways and use trial and error to get through. Every time I've died so far the AI has done something different after I've respawned.

I've noticed that too, but to be honest one gripe I do have with this game is the A.I (on ocassion) can be very stupid. I've seen Ellie run infront of enemies in plain view and they don't even take notice of her.

 

In general the A.I is good, but it does lack in areas.

I read Naughty Dog's response to this issue. They said it was the preferable option rather than your companions always annoyingly getting you caught. Thats why companions are undetectable.

That sounds reasonable.

[Corndawg93]

Nonsense.

These meme posts are not funny and contribute very little to the topic at hand, either talk about the game or remove yourself from this thread.

Okay then.

Who else got scared at the generator part?

I hated that basement, but I absolutely despised the tunnel in Utah

[Freakorama]

You guys are pussies. :I

[Fisciletti]

Has anyone platinumed this game yet ???

Hakoom did.

[Corndawg93]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/24/ell...-the-last-of-us

 

This is just retarded, it not even her.

[Freakorama]

 

 

Part 5

[Doublepulse]

I admit, I have not seen any games multiplayer as great and somewhat different in a long time. I love the survival of the fittest feeling to it. Its not just team death match..You need to stick with your team and plan your moves carefully. I would say it does a great job at Strategy, Survival, and Stealth.

 

Of course the multiplayer is not flushed out as other games with several game modes, and plenty of maps. Maybe they will bring more into it later. But it definitely shows they focused more on a great Single player experience with additional Multiplayer.

 

I actually have not completed the single player story yet because I was enjoying the Multiplayer. I am taking my time on it. Exploring as much as I can.

[Johan]

Has anyone platinumed this game yet ???

Just missing the last 2 online trophies, already completed New Game + and got all the collectibles

[cp1dell]

Just beat it, man, what a f*cking game.

 

I feel like how I did when I finished watching Rescue Me - I couldn't really marathon any other TV show for a while. With The Last of Us, I don't really want to play another game - it was just so f*cking good that I want to reminisce about it.

[alucard2d]

Nonsense.

These meme posts are not funny and contribute very little to the topic at hand, either talk about the game or remove yourself from this thread.

Okay then.

Who else got scared at the generator part?

omg I replayed it with continue + or w/e, i was still scared...I remembered on the first playthrough i ran like hell and managed to find my way to the door....now thinking im clever, after clearing the rooms i practice the run from point a to b...im like "its gonna be flawless"....HOWEVER THE INFESTED WERE MORE IN NUMBER AND DID NOT APPEAR IN THE SAME SPOTS AS BEFORE!!!! I ALMOST sh*t MY PANTS! WHY DOES HE TAKE SO LONG TO OPEN THE f*ckING DOOR! loool great game

[Secura]

Alright, having finished the game I now feel ready to give you guys my honest opinion of it, obviously this post is going to contain ending spoilers, so if you haven't completed The Last of Us, turn back now.

 

The first thing you notice about the game is just how damn well it is presented, from the voice acting, to the graphics, to the soundtrack everything in this game is done to near perfection and that is what makes this one of the, if not the most immersive gameworld I have ever had the joy of playing in. The graphics give off the illusion that this is a CGI film and not a videogame at numerous points during the game, I had times where I had to pause the game and take a breather, not because I was busy or I have some sort of health condition that makes me follow those guidelines, but rather because the game was so damn intense and immersive I felt myself shaking at the end of each play session.

 

The enemies in the game are nice and varied and each encounter requires a different strategy for you to be able to overcome it; for example there was one moment in the game where you are tasked with finding your way out of a very dark series of rooms surrounded with clickers. These are nasty, horrible and to an extent frightening creatures that will kill you the very moment they snuff you out, but what makes them interesting is that you can walk right in front of them and they won't notice you, you see the game has a fantastically diverse enemy system so depending on whether you're fighting infected or other humans your plans will change drastically, and that's without even mentioning when you're tasked with dealing with both of them simultaneously. Anyway I digress, these clickers are a fairly advanced form of infected that can't actually see you, instead they rely on sound to find you, their clicks help these infected map an area based on acoustic echoes, essentially using echolocation like a bat.

 

This is then is a situation where stealth, subtly and speed is required. Luckily for our protagonists Joel and Ellie, Joel has this in abundance; he may not be as spry as Naughty Dog's other leading men Drake and Jak (one who can quite literally jump and then jump again while still in the air) but that certainly doesn't make him any less apt to survive in The Last of Us' twisted, dark and insanely complex world. You see to capitalise on the situation at hand Joel too can use sound to his advantage, a quick press of the R2 button allows the player to focus Joel's hearing allowing him to see around the environment detecting and avoiding enemies as the situation requires. So, needless to say in this encounter there was going to have to be an obstacle to overcome, a way to escape this dark and deadly series of rooms. This obstacle quickly reveals itself to be a clicker located very close to where a conveniently placed ladder lies, the only issue is that the noise involved with bringing down the ladder would surely attract not only the attention of just one clicker, but also the attention of all other infected in the room with you at that time.

 

This might seem a tad restrictive, having to follow a set path and end up in this room with no other choice but to kill off the clicker silently and be done with it. Well it would be if we weren't talking about The Last of Us, you see this situation demonstrates perfectly one of The Last of Us' finest features. Freedom. Not necessarily the freedom to go anywhere and do anything like a Grand Theft Auto-esque game, but rather the freedom to tackle any situation in the game the way you want to; that clicker that we were talking about earlier is actually a pest to deal with. You see you can't just go straight in and beat it to death with your bare hands as clickers are one of the few enemy types in the game that will instantly kill you unless you have the right tools to take them down with. With that in mind let's say you want to take out this clicker without making a sound, that's good and that's fine but have you been a good scavenger and explored a lot of the map? If so you might just find that you have just the right amount of materials to craft yourself a shiv.

 

"What use is a shiv in this situation?!" I hear you cry, well early on in the game you're shown that shivs (just like any item in The Last of Us) have multiple usages; for example they're the only tool that'll allow Joel to stealth kill a clicker without getting his jugular torn out of his neck, but they also allow the player to breakthrough locked doors that might contain valuable loot and materials that can be used at a later date to help you further progress. The only problem here is that Joel can only use the shiv once (at least in the early game) before it breaks so the usages of your crafted items become quickly cobbled together strategies that sometimes play out brilliantly and other times leave the player running for their lives using every bit of their carefully assembled and scarcely available resources to escape almost certain death. So here it'd make more sense to lure the clicker away from the ladder, right? Well partly, the only problem being that clickers, much like bats are blind and see with sound so if you were to throw a glass bottle in one direction and make it shatter that won't just attract the one clicker you want it to, it will attract all of the infected, clickers or not to the location that you threw that bottle, you'd best plan your throw out before you do it, otherwise you too may well be forced to scramble for survival.

 

It's at this point then that the you start to wonder "Wait a minute, what if Ellie or another one of my companions gets caught or spotted by one of the Infected?" Have no fear, Naughty Dog have come up with a rather ingenious solution to this problem by having friendly AI remain all but undetectable as long as you too remain hidden to the enemy AI. What do I mean by this? Well if we continue using the room filled with clickers scenario then it means that as long as you don't get spotted by the clickers they won't either. This solution isn't perfect however, as it can occasionally break the player's immersion to see Ellie, Tess or any other companion run out in front of a bandit group and not even see the bandits flinch as a result. Other than that though, there seems to be no real downside to the AI as itself is another one of the game's technical marvels, they will hunt for you and react dynamically to the way that you decide to play the game. Hell the detail of these responses is what causes the game to be so damn immersive, the fact is that if the player chose to shoot a bandit in the leg then his leg would actually be wounded, he'd react to it and it'd actually be a hindrance to that particular enemy and a beneficial thing for the player to do. They also dynamically respond to the player, trying all sorts of tactical strategies making sure that the game never loses its fast-paced, ruthless and deadly combat, they will try to flank you, flush you out of hiding places and even engage your friendly AI so you'll be forced at times to go out and help them in combat.

 

In short the AI in the game is incredibly intelligent and apart from that tiny issue with the enemy AI being unable to detect the friendly AI it really shines and stands out as one of the game's finest features and greatest achievements.

 

Now, time to focus a little on the story, which is arguably the best part of the game. The characters feel alive, you actually care for Joel and Ellie, wanting to keep both of them safe as you guide them through the post-apocalyptic wasteland known as North America. You see they develop much like normal people, there isn't one big action that draws the player closer to the relationship between these two characters and the world around them, no it's a combination of small, little, tiny things that the player might not even notice when they're on their first playthrough of the game. These small touches can be anything from Ellie being dazzled at the sight of seeing real fireflies and losing her self for a moment or two to her trying to learn how to whistle. Though these little instances may be small, there's a plethora of them that help to further immerse the player in The Last of Us' world and it's moments like these that the player actually starts to cherish.

 

This game actually makes you feel relieved when you're not in constant danger and you actually start to appreciate the little things in life; for example he time Ellie picks up a toy for another young survivor when they're told not to take it is really rather touching and the game does it in such a wonderful way, in which she'll only pick up the toy when the camera moves away from her allowing her the quick moment she needs to carefully slip the toy into her backpack. This actually allows the player some personal time with Ellie, learning her quirks and mannerisms, she's a pleasant character to be around at first but later on in the game she starts to symbolise so much more. She's the perfect symbol of innocence and hope in The Last of Us' dark and hopeless world, her very presence makes the game's world more bearable and the way that she connects and reacts to the world also allows you to react accordingly, this is the first time either of you have ever had to embark on such an endeavor but you as Joel start to feel the need to protect her ergo, you might sometimes try to hide her or protect her from the dark things in this world.

 

 

 

One of those, "special moments".

 

Now, we get to the slightly more spoiler filled section, so I gave you and am now giving yet another ample warning to stop reading this if you do not wish to have the game spoilt for you early on. Since this section mainly contains my person views on some of the factions in the game and the game's ending overall. You have been warned.

 

There are certain facts that need to be established before I go on.

• Joel was unconscious at most for a few hours before waking at the Fireflies hospital in Salt Lake City. It would be ridiculous to think that a thump on the head would keep him out for much longer than that and the fact that they arrive at the hospital in what appears to be early afternoon and depart at what appears to be evening supports this.

• Marlene's journal states that her men asking for her permission to proceed with the surgery was purely a formality, and she didn't really have a choice but to agree to it as the potential for a vaccine was too important.

• Ellie wakes in Joel's car after being taken from the hospital and asks what it is she's wearing, having been dressed in a surgical gown by the Fireflies, seemingly without any memory of what had transpired prior to being dragged unconscious from the water by Joel.

What does this all add up to? Any experimentation that the Fireflies performed on Ellie must have been cursory to the extreme prior to deciding that they needed to remove Ellie's brain and they never asked Ellie's permission to proceed with the operation or even informed her of the consequences. Ellie likely remained unconscious the entire time from the moment she and Joel arrived.

 

After performing what could've only been the most basic of tests, the Fireflies had already committed to killing the Golden Goose in their desperation to find a vaccine. This makes me feel like the Fireflies didn't truly appreciate her as anything more than a scientific curiosity--a means to an end--instead of as a little girl. Even if Marlene felt conflicted about it, she was still complicit in the murder of the girl she had practically raised on nothing more than the flimsiest of rationalisations and the hasty assumption that it was the only way.

 

To make matters worse, they were fully prepared to sacrifice an innocent little girl who had been through hell to reach them without even so much as the respect of giving her time to prepare or say her goodbyes. And while Marlene and the Fireflies would've had no way of knowing how closely Joel and Ellie had bonded in their time together, it's not incorrect to say that Joel had taken on the responsibility of her guardianship in the ~9 months since they had left Boston. What the Fireflies were doing was effectively no different than abducting a child from her guardian and performing fatal experiments on her without parental consent. Any way you look at it, that's monstrous.

 

It's ironic that one of the surgeons calls you an animal, while they were about to rip her brain out after a few hours of studying her, and without her consent. An even crueler irony is who they were willing to sacrifice. Ellie is the closest things this messed up world has to a paragon of virtue. Aside from frequent swearing and stealing some magazines and old tapes, she is all but perfect. She more or less represents the best of humanity. They fireflies were willing to sacrifice what makes us different from animals to save mankind. We are only worth saving because we are so much more then that. She is proof that humanity, and basic human goodness are not completely gone. Even though she doesn't get to save mankind, her life proves that there is a chance that not everyone is a sh*tty person.

 

I don't want to make Joel appear to be a saint, but he is far from evil. What half decent father would abandon his daughter? Joel acted on a paternal instinct in him. It could have gotten him killed, but his survival wasn't his first priority anymore. Ellie was. He is a human being. Filled with flaws, but not without goodness in him. He hasn't lost the capacity to care for Ellie.

 

But the real irony in the ending of The Last of Us is that the Fireflies brought their ultimate downfall on themselves. Everything that happened could've been avoided if they hadn't been so goddamn hasty. If they had simply waited a few hours for Ellie and Joel to wake, explained what needed to happen to both of them, gotten permission from Ellie (as Marlene even said, it's almost certainly what Ellie would've wanted if she had been given the choice) and let her and Joel say their goodbyes, they would've had their vaccine; or at least known one way or the other whether a vaccine was possible. Instead, they practically forced Joel's hand by not giving either of them a choice. Joel wasn't going to let them murder Ellie, and the only way for Ellie to give her consent was to stop the operation, which the Fireflies weren't going to let him do; going so far as to threaten to shoot him if he didn't walk out the door right then and there. Maybe it was malice, maybe it was greed or maybe it was simply desperation, but the simple fact is that the operation was unbelievably rushed. What would giving them one more day before deciding to end Ellie's life have cost them?

 

While it's almost certain that Ellie would've chosen to sacrifice herself for a possible vaccine, Joel was correct when he told Marlene that it wasn't their choice to make. It was Ellie's choice, and they never gave her the opportunity to make it. Ultimately, that's why my Joel walked out of that hospital without a single Firefly still drawing breath. Being able to talk about a videogame in that manner is something that I've not been able to do for a long, long time and as a direct result of that The Last of Us to me at least has become one of the, if not the most impressive game this generation. Oh and if you've taken the time to read this little tangent of mine thank you, I appreciate it.

Edited June 28, 2013 by Lightning Strike