The Last Of Us Official Nazi Thread of No Review Talk No Uncharted Comparisons

It's sad that it's come to this, but that last thread was scary.

Let's start fresh. Keep this about impressions. Feel free to make Uncharted comparisons as long as you've played the game.

Spoiler Rules:

Every single plot/weapon/setting must be spoiler tagged. Please preface the spoiler with a brief title so we know which Chapter you're on and whether or not it's safe for us to click on it.

For example:

Chapter 4

[spoiler] Awesome shit happens in chapter 4. [/spoiler]

Nazi thread? wth? I'm Jewish and I'm offended.iDefinition

First f*cking post!

About to put the disc in and give it a go. I've been waiting a long time for this. Additionally, unmarked spoilers with either lead to long suspensions or bans at my discretion.rragnaar

Well amazing first impressions ruined by one of the buggiest games I've played in a while. Audio sync issues everywhere. Every ingame cutscene has audio either completely skipping or a full ten seconds behind. NPCs that just stand there frozen in their place during ingame cutscenes. It's really jarring and completely takes you out of the game. And then finally it just froze on me. I've restarded encounters and the issue persists. 

Just deleted the game data and am downloading the patch again. Hopefully it was just a poor install. I've seen it before with Uncharted 3, God of War  and Killzone 3. It sucks that Sony released so many damn SKUs. I bet they dont even test all the SKUs. I bet no one here owns a 40GB. 

It sucks really because the opening had been truly amazing stuff. 

About 3-4 hours in so far and absolutely loving the experience. Took the day off work to play it and I plan on doing the same tomorrow. I'm amazed by the enemy A.I. I was making my way through an area filled with potential enemies and I choked one out silently and made my way into an office on the far end of the floor only to be spotted by an enemy who fires a bullet into my back. As I scramble to figure out where the the enemy is at I notice another door in the office so I leave and hide behind some furniture down the hall. The enemy did not see me leave through this doorway and yells out to the other two telling them I was in the office with such accuracy. Two of them then enter the office through different doors and tell eachother that I'm gone and to keep looking, after a short while they meet back up and exchange some words.

"Did you find him?"

"No, he must be here somewhere though"

"Go search over there"

And then they seperate again. I slowly came up behind one of them but made a bit too much noise and ended up beating the guy down with a 2x4 and as his friend went to open fire on me I grabbed the guy I had just knocked to the ground as a human shield and the enemy aiming at me hesitated to open fire but to my surprise his buddy ran around the room to attack me from a different angle. I found myself in a situation I could not win with such little health so I decided to pull out my pistol to dispatch of the two unarmed enemies and flanked the one who shot me earlier and beat him to death with a brick. Joel then staggered back, tired and vulnerable, showing his age and what he had been through.

This is honestly the first time in a video game where I felt like I was in a real situation, where the enemy would hesitate, where they would communicate, where they would beg and plea for their life when I had them in my grasp. This is honestly the first game where I forgot it was exactly that... a game.

I posted this in the other thread initially, had no idea a new one had been created. My bad and sorry for the bold Solid.

I don't own the game nor do I own a PlayStation 3, but how long is this game (basic story play-through)? Are there collectibles/hidden items scattered through the game? I might end up buying a PlayStation 3 again when Grand Theft Auto V hits stores... and I'd like to get a piece of The Last of Us as well!

I don't own the game nor do I own a PlayStation 3, but how long is this game (basic story play-through)? Are there collectibles/hidden items scattered through the game? I might end up buying a PlayStation 3 again when Grand Theft Auto V hits stores... and I'd like to get a piece of The Last of Us as well!

Amster_G

Based on what I have played, if you take your time and scavenge the environment for supplies it should take you about 12-16 hours depending. But if you rush than you could finish it in probably 9 or 10. You can upgrade Joel and his weapons for the new game plus option as well. So collecting is a big part of the experience and doesn't feel superficial like in so many other games.

You also unlock the Survivor difficulty level after your first playthrough as well, which is very cool for a game like this.

Well amazing first impressions ruined by one of the buggiest games I've played in a while. Audio sync issues everywhere. Every ingame cutscene has audio either completely skipping or a full ten seconds behind. NPCs that just stand there frozen in their place during ingame cutscenes. It's really jarring and completely takes you out of the game. And then finally it just froze on me. I've restarded encounters and the issue persists.

Just deleted the game data and am downloading the patch again. Hopefully it was just a poor install. I've seen it before with Uncharted 3, God of War and Killzone 3. It sucks that Sony released so many damn SKUs. I bet they dont even test all the SKUs. I bet no one here owns a 40GB.

It sucks really because the opening had been truly amazing stuff.

S0lidSnake

That's too bad. I own an 80 gig and I have had no problems so far. Hopefully you found a way to fix the problem.

Mine just arrived. I wasn't going to buy it right away, but I caved. Going to start it as soon as I swat a couple of bothersome flies.

I've heard the game is somewhat uneven in spots -- a nearly revolutionary beginning punctuated by some slow spots in the middle and a big ending. What got me to buy it really was that someone said it was the most Resident Evil-ish game since Resident Evil 2, and that's not a bad thing at all as far as I'm concerned. I'm also relieved that shooting is not in abundancy within the game, because that's not one of Naughty Dog's greatest strengths. I am intrigued by the resource management most -- I hope it pulls it off well. 

Starting it now...

I started the game, downloaded the patch, home alone, sound blasting, ready to go, in the mood, feeling good, than a friend called and wanted to hang out.

Normally I would have been like LOL no, but hes moving in a week for good so I only have a few chances to hang with him.  Ah man so close, it looks like I'll have to wait til tomorrow evening (dont want to play in the morning). 

Played for around 3 and a half hours. I gotta say my favorite moment was when you come across a small gap that Nathan Drake would be able to jump without breaking a sweat, but Joel just stands there and you have to find a wooden plank to bridge the gap. Just shits on everyone who was trying to paint this as Uncharted. 

I gotta say the game looks a bit rough. The PS3 is finally showing its age especially when the somewhat bigger enviornment of TLOU. The lighting is phenomenal especially when sunlight is lighting up a room through windows, it looks breathtaking and borderline next. Outdoors is a different story. Game kinda looks fugly. 

Aside from the opening, I'm not really feeling the game so far though the acting is the best I've ever seen. ND is better at dialogue and facial expressions than hollywood. Gameplay is kinda meh. I'm sure survival horror fans will love it, but I'm not feeling it just yet. The A.I is phenomenal though. The way the battles play out when you're found is so realistic you kinda freak out a bit. Contract explained it better than me. 

P.S Too much walking in the beginning. i wanted to kill myself. Thankfully it's been pure gameplay since. Cutscenes have been kept to a minimum as well. Most of the storytelling is done ingame via character banter which is the perfect way to do it. 

Played for around 3 and a half hours. I gotta say my favorite moment was when you come across a small gap that Nathan Drake would be able to jump without breaking a sweat, but Joel just stands there and you have to find a wooden plank to bridge the gap. Just shits on everyone who was trying to paint this as Uncharted. 

I gotta say the game looks a bit rough. The PS3 is finally showing its age especially when the somewhat bigger enviornment of TLOU. The lighting is phenomenal especially when sunlight is lighting up a room through windows, it looks breathtaking and borderline next. Outdoors is a different story. Game kinda looks fugly. 

Aside from the opening, I'm not really feeling the game so far though the acting is the best I've ever seen. ND is better at dialogue and facial expressions than hollywood. Gameplay is kinda meh. I'm sure survival horror fans will love it, but I'm not feeling it just yet. The A.I is phenomenal though. The way the battles play out when you're found is so realistic you kinda freak out a bit. Contract explained it better than me. 

P.S Too much walking in the beginning. i wanted to kill myself. Thankfully it's been pure gameplay since. Cutscenes have been kept to a minimum as well. Most of the storytelling is done ingame via character banter which is the perfect way to do it. 

S0lidSnake

I'm 13 hours in, all I have to say is it gets better.

Also as I'm playing it, I'm thinking "This is what Capcom needs to make Resident Evil into"

So far, I'm impressed.

The opening was just, awesome. It nails everything in such a concise way that you didn't need to see any more or any less to get what happened to Joel on that day. They were able to establish so much in such a small amount of time, and I loved it. 

The game starts off pretty slow in the beginning but as it opens up and gives more freedom to the player I found myself immersed in the world unlike any other. What's interesting is that the stealth isn't as great as say Splinter Cell or Metal Gear, and the shooting isn't as tight as Uncharted or Gears, but it all comes together in this grand fashion that allows so much variation. Everything works just fine, it just won't be the best stealth game, or the best action adventure game. Definitely better than the sum of it's parts and it doesn't fit into one specific genre, making it shine instead of flail.

Naughty Dog's reputation for excellent set pieces works incredibly well here, I'd say even more so than Uncharted. Uncharted featured segments that seemed to have been thought up before the actual story, but that hasn't happened so far in TLOU. The set pieces feel like situations designed to test your survival skills, be them high octane shoot outs or stealthy, scavenger bits. So far it's all felt very natural to the plot.

Speaking of plot, everything I've personally seen so far has been predictable but very well done. I did expect some things to be revealed later on as some grand twist [spoiler] Like Ellie being immune to the virus [/spoiler] but since they're shown so early I'm more eager to see what twists and turns are ahead.

It hasn't been perfect though. There have been a number of annoying bugs. While I haven't had any issues with audio, the cutscenes have a tendancy to skip and pause often completely killing the immersion.

The game is also gorgeous, but there's been some texture pop in that has annoyed me. I'm not sure if that's just due to days of watching next gen videos during E3 though :P

I love the gun modelling.  The sound is very well done and every round feels relevant.  The bullets ping off the environment as Joel flinches, the A.I. is adequate, and IIRC one enemy ran out of ammo at one point, something I've not yet seen in any game before.  It's some of the best gunplay I've seen in a game thus far, as in I find it to capture the feel of what a real firefight would be like.  Gears, Uncharted, even Max Payne are well done but this feels a lot more realistic and impactful for some reason.  With the low ammo I have to consider every shot and it makes it all the better.  The cover system is seamless.

I gotta say the game looks a bit rough. The PS3 is finally showing its age especially when the somewhat bigger enviornment of TLOU. The lighting is phenomenal especially when sunlight is lighting up a room through windows, it looks breathtaking and borderline next. Outdoors is a different story. Game kinda looks fugly. 

S0lidSnake

This game is gorgeous and I find the outdoors to be the highlight (the thunderstorm was amazing).

Story > gameplay on this one. This and Bioshock Infinite fall under the same tree. Stellar story with subpar gameplay. About 8-9 hours in and I have to say Tom Mc Shea's controversial review nailed it pretty good. 8.0 sounds about right. Maybe an 8.5 at the most. A very heartfelt, touching intro followed by an intersting plot build up.

Hats off to ND for the detailed environments and belivable characters. What keeps this game from being a home run is the lackluster gameplay mechanics, sloppy gunplay and questionable AI both friendly and hostile. Minor glitches along the way looses the immersion created by the plot.

I spent 20 minutes simply trying to pull myself up a ledge while standing on a dumpster because the game would not recognize my control input to climb up a ledge. I accidently crouched, undetected right in front of a hostile who kept shooting over my head as if I were standing up at a distance. Friendly AI will dart out of cover like no threat exists and run unnoticed from enemy detection. Being forced to stealth your through and planning your attacks workds great when no glicthes occur.

Overall, I'd compare this game to The Walking Dead (Telltale) more than anything and plays nothing like Uncharted. Stealth is your best friend here. This is a game you play for the story and not a guns blazing treasure hunt.

Took me a little over 18 hours to beat the game

Soooooo good, Ellie and Joels interactions/relationship rivals and probably surpasses Lee and Clems from TWD.

This game is going to kill my PS3 I just know it. Barely half an hour in this morning and the fan goes off louder than I've heard any fan... sounded like a Boeing 747 tbh. I have kitchen exhaust fans that run quieter than this thing. 

This is the last game I am going to play on my PS3. Beyond will get a PS4 release I am sure. Fingers crossed it lasts another 20 hours.

So is this the official thread now? Want to know which one I should lock.

Oh, and my copy arrived today. Going to be delving into it shortly. Hope it's as good as everyone's saying!

I am 7 and a half hours in so far and it's still fantastic. The gameplay is incredibly engaging and I can only imagine it being moreso on a higher difficulty. I'm currently playing on normal at the moment. So far my only complaints are with slight A.I problems from time to time and very minor bugs. I'd be willing to overlook those and throw it a 10 so far.

Geez there are a ton of easter eggs in this game.

[spoiler] I found an Uncharted 3 and Jak & Daxter board game. I found a bar in TLOU called O'Sullivan's which also features a framed Richmond's Whiskey poster as well as silver, gold and bronze plates on the walls all of which can be found in the opening bar brawl from Uncharted 3. There is a Coffee Cart called Java Jak. I also found some stuffed Jak & Daxter and Nathan Drake dolls in a childs bedroom. [/spoiler]

Guessing I'll find a few more along the way as well.

Hope you don't mind me hijacking your post, man. Just being considerate of folks who don't want these surprises ruined.  -c_rake

^

Might want to spoiler tag those. :)

Well if we are going to use this thread just lock my thread.

I played the first hour or so. From a cinematic perspective it is absolutely stunning, gripping and moving.

I hate to be that guy but I have to say it would have been nice if I did more than just hold up for about an hour. I hear all these things about excellent intro, to me an excellent intro is one you actually play. Something like RE4 has one of the greatest intros ever, the village is a masterpiece of a level. This is a great interactive movie.

That said the core stealth action mechanics feel incredible. Just the right amount of intensity mixed with perfect controls that make you feel vulnerable but allows for quick actions. I am sure the game will be fantastic. I was a bit disappointed that a entered an area filled with chest high walls.  Obviously you have to take cover and fight. I would think the "best game this gen" would not have such cliche level design. Just a minor gripe really, all that matters is how the stealth plays out and it seems intense as hell

dvader654

Sometimes you dont have to shoot at things to say you are playing something. THe fact that we had full control over the intro means something. 

And lol at the best game this gen. Not even close. It's a great game, but I seriously dont get the best game this gen talk. To me the game didnt get excellent until you started upgrading your weapons and that took a while. Like at least four hours. It's been pretty top notch since then. 

Played two hours. Game's intense!

Been sneaking my way through the game so far. Love the stealth mechanics: easy to learn, but oh-so difficult to master. Currently stuck trying to get by some infected and one of those "clickers." It's tough.

The intro was great as well.

[spoiler] Very smart of them to start by showing a glimpse of Joel's life before the outbreak. Provides some great background on the character and the disaster that lead to the post-apocalyptic landscape. Glad that it wasn't drawn-out, either. [/spoiler]

Really looking forward to playing more.

Lol at Frank's partner's letter. You guys HAVE to collect and read these notes/letters. I am usaully not a fan of reading through the lore in games, but it's some gripping stuff in there. There are some excellent optional dialogues in this game too. Be sure to go in to every single room to trigger some of these. Excellent writing and dialogue.

Oh and I have never been this happy to see scrap lol. I go crazy whenever I see them lying around. Upgrading items is a lot of fun in this game.

Played two hours. Game's intense!

Been sneaking my way through the game so far. Love the stealth mechanics: easy to learn, but oh-so difficult to master. Currently stuck trying to get by some infected and one of those "clickers." It's tough.

c_rake

I know exactly where you are stuck. That's the toughest section in the game since you have absolutely no upgrades, you weapons suck and you have both clickers and runners in that room. Just remember, always try to flank. Always. 

Played two hours. Game's intense!

Been sneaking my way through the game so far. Love the stealth mechanics: easy to learn, but oh-so difficult to master. Currently stuck trying to get by some infected and one of those "clickers." It's tough.

The intro was great as well.

[spoiler] Very smart of them to start by showing a glimpse of Joel's life before the outbreak. Provides some great background on the character and the disaster that lead to the post-apocalyptic landscape. Glad that it wasn't drawn-out, either. [/spoiler]

Really looking forward to playing more.

c_rake

I absolutely agree. The stealth, something about it just feels so pure to me. I guess it's the realism and struggle behind it that makes it so impactful. Even when stealth goes bad I can't help but love it. Wether you get caught or not I feel like every encounter is a treat.

Thanks for putting my stuff in spoiler tags. I am awfully forgetful when it comes to that.

I know exactly where you are stuck. That's the toughest section in the game since you have absolutely no upgrades, you weapons suck and you have both clickers and runners in that room. Just remember, always try to flank. Always. S0lidSnake

I've got it down to where I can take out the runners pretty easily. It's figuring out where to go without alerting the clicker that's the hard part.

I absolutely agree. The stealth, something about it just feels so pure to me. I guess it's the realism and struggle behind it that makes it so impactful. Even when stealth goes bad I can't help but love it. Wether you get caught or not I feel like every encounter is a treat.

Thanks for putting my stuff in spoiler tags. I am awfully forgetful when it comes to that.

contracts420

Totally. Helps that it encouraged stealth naturally through the uneven odds. They really did a good job of making sure combat is rarely a viable option. Makes the gameplay so much more interesting.

Use the shiv on the clickers. They are blind so go crazy with the flash light once the runners are down. 

I thought the opening was fantastic.  Of course it wasn't a gameplay segment but in terms of world building and setting the stage for the rest of the game, it wsa brilliant.  The next 2 hours was actually pretty dull but its now getting crazy good again.  I'm playing on Hard with no listenining mode and the first real encounter is kicking my ass, I've died 5 times and turned it off.  Really intense, can't wait to get back to it tomorrow.

Regarding the graphics, they are something else.  Never thought I'd be blown away by a game 7 years into a gen.  Never happened before.  Just thinking about PS4 makes me shiver.  Its hard to explain what it is about the rendering going on but its unique, and feels handcrafted.  The game is definitely a show stopper. 

Only about 2 hours in but...

DAMN, that opening sequence!   Masterful stuff.  Put that in a vault.  The game itself is crazy -- almost doesn't feel like a game in a sense.  Not like a Heavy Rain "I'm watching a movie rather than playing a game", but everything just flows really well and the game seems to be pretty good about keeping you believing, and immersed.  Hand to hand combat is f*cking brutal.   If an enemy comes at you with a better weapon, you may win eventually, but you pay the price and get your ass handed to you.   The stealth and enemy AI also check out pretty well so far -- I have already experienced some real tense games of hide and seek, and I haven't even really encountered the infected yet.

The visuals and sounds are also incredible.   I love how when a companion enters a doorway, the sound of their voice changes to reflect an echo.  Those little things are decievingly important in a game like this.  

Anyway, I'm looking forward to opening up the crafting system and seeing how that works, I feel like this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I am four hours in and am really enjoying it now. At first I was left scratching my head wondering how this game got such great scores. You walk, walk, push crap, walk. when you finally get into combat its pretty basic stealth. You dont have many options, you can move around and throw something, that is about it. Enemies walk in basic patterns and humans dont care about dead bodies of their friends. Other stealth games are better at stealth. Then you have the whole "survival" aspect where you have limited ammo and health, well the ammo doesnt matter as fists or melee weapons are the best weapons in the game, meaning you basically have infinite ammo. So those looking for a survival horror experience will be disappointed. 

So what is Last of Us, I was left wondering about that until I got into a battle with some runners and clickers and my plans went to hell. That is when the game came alive. When your stealth fails you have to frantically make up strategies on the fly while you run for your life. These moments are amoung the most intense moments I have ever experienced in a game. Pure stealth is kind of boring and very hard, you are supposed to mess up cause that is when the brilliance comes through.

I see that I am getting some new weapons and upgrades so maybe the stealth parts will evolve but honestly I dont want to never be seen. The fun comes from being caught. Its sort of like MGS in that regard in that messing with certain areas over and over is a blast. 

I still worry how this kind of gameplay can hold up for so long. It seems there is little else to the gameplay, its just a stealth action game. Walk, stealth, walk, stealth. Naughty Dog doesnt do bosses, I doubt there will be any gigantic epic action sequence like in the Uncharted games. So what can break up the repetition in a game that is supposed to be 15 hours long?

dvader654

What part are you at?

 Naughty Dog doesnt do bosses....

dvader654

I'm having a peculiar glitch: my health status and two weapon icons are missing from the d-pad selection menu.  I'm at...[spoiler] ....the radio tower part with that guy and his little brother, trying to sneak past at night.... [/spoiler] ....and for some reason I can't see what I have equipped.  Tried to reload and nothing.  Anybody else seen this bug?

Really loved the opening. I don't know that a game has ever so poignantly illustrated how the end of the world might feel. The rest has been somewhat slow, but I'm only about three hours in.

The one design decision I find baffling is that you can't take ammo or weapons from fallen armed enemies. In a game about survival and resource management, it seems odd that this isn't an option. I've been trying to ignore it, but it's seriously bothering me.

I will say that narratively, it feels like they really swung for the fences on this one. The fact that so much time has passed since the beginning and how there are all these different types of survivors trying to carve their piece of the pie out feels realistic to me. You have the government type guys trying to reestablish authority and then the Fireflies, on top of everyone else just trying to get by. It would have been much easier to make this game if it only had infected in it, but then its world wouldn't be as interesting.