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

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.Shame-usBlackley

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

Yeah Shameus, that Ammo thing annoyed me too.  I'd kill 5 guys with guns and get 2 bullets.  WTF? That's the one thing that's taken me out of the experience so far.

Can't wait to play more of the game later today.  Stupid work. :P

Pretty dang fun game! Not perfect (The ai is pretty bad in a few spots, also is kind of annoying when you are doign stealth and one of your partners is running and talking loud yet doesn't get spotted after bumping into one of the bad guys), but overall its a fine fine package.

Love the intro, really good sound, atmosphere and well done story/characters.

Only about 7 hours in so far but definatly a ton of fun. Going to get atleast a 9 from me I think.

I played the first 20 minutes of the game and i was bored with the "push forward" gameplay and from what you are saying it makes up the bulk of the game. I may consider playing the rest of it but i absolutely hate psuedo interactivity.Pedro

I was bored out of my mind too. But once you get going there is absolutely no more walking. It's pure gameplay. 

Yeah Shameus, that Ammo thing annoyed me too.  I'd kill 5 guys with guns and get 2 bullets.  WTF? That's the one thing that's taken me out of the experience so far.

Can't wait to play more of the game later today.  Stupid work.  Jbul

I haven't had a problem with ammo at all. I invested in the 2nd holster for both your second and primary weapons early on. I dont mind that they dont drop ammo every time, that's when the bricks and bottles come in and there are dozens of them lying about in every area. Brick is your friend. So is the shiv attached melee weapons. 

[QUOTE="MirkoS77"]

[QUOTE="dvader654"]

 Naughty Dog doesnt do bosses....

dvader654

Dont worry about boss fights, but the game WILL get bigger and bigger which will make the combat and stealth even more challenging. Stop comparing this to RE4. This is a Naughty Dog game and you'll be lucky to have one boss fight at the end. I am only 9 hours in and ever since hour 4 the game's combat has become a lot deeper simply due to these bigger levels and your customizable arsenal. You are 100% right on getting caught on purpose because it seems the game was designed around combat.

theres a couple cool naughty dog easter eggs later in the game

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

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.MirkoS77

This game also easily has some of the best firefights I've ever experienced in all my years of gaming, and it's ability to create and maintain tension is unparalleled. I think this may turn out to be my favorite PS3 game. Mostly everything in it is exceptionally well done. But I'll admit it does takes a bit of time to get to the good stuff.

Yeah, I'm not super blown away by the visuals, but I really love how much thought went into the setpieces to provide scale. The two leaning buildings are great examples of this. I also feel the design of the creatures are super nasty... they look like lichen almost, which has always creeped me out, as has fungus in general. 

The only other thing I will bltch about, and this is strictly because I am a firearm enthusiast, but seeing all these magazines laying around is silly as HELL. Semi-automatics require proprietary magazines to fire, and every time I watch Joel reload and drop a mag like he can just run down to the corner Cabela's and buy a dozen more, it makes me cringe. People wouldn't be trading ration tickets after the world ended, they'd be trading magazines -- that's how valuable they would be. It's also kind of funny that the ammo they run across is always the right caliber. Having seen an ammunition shortage firsthand, I can attest how frustrating it is to find one caliber that you don't own in abundance, and the one you need is nowhere in sight. I've always thought it would behoove survival horror games to touch on the maddening aspect of having ammo and a gun, but not having the right ammo or gun. Imagine the frustration. These are nitpicks, though -- more thoughts out loud than real criticisms of TLOU. I'm really enjoying it so far.  

So this game is pretty darn good. I can appreciate a game for taking a more deliberate pace, but it sure took sometime before I really got to play the game. Been playing with the Listen Mode off and it's been thrilling and exhausting with these cat and mouse battles. I'm apparently only 25% into the game so far, and I'm expecting great things. The attention to detail continues to impress, and the way Naughty Dog writes the characters and dialogue make them a lot better than most games put out. Whatever project ND plans to do next, I hope Sony continues to give them full reign, be a new IP or whatever, because they've been on a hell of a roll this gen, and this game just has me thinking on what they could be doing with new hardware.

A nice little touch to the game was when I was heading to a door and 15 feet before going in I was caught by the enemies, so I panicked and ran inside and you can hear them yelling after me, when I got in the door the AI blocked the door with a dresser.  In other games, once that door closed you would be safe, as if they were never there.

I really like how the combat flows seamlessly between firefights and frantic close-up brawling, with Ellie hurling bottles and bricks and jabbing away with her knife. Great stuff, and when the dust finally clears all I can think is "Please don't make me go through that again". It sure is stressful trying to make your way in a world ruled by homicidal mushroom men.

I was surprised by how lean the trophy list is. I'd been playing for hours before my first one popped up, almost long enough to forget they were there at all.

Oh wow I just realized that I haven't gotten A trophy so far. I also have to say that this game has the best voice acting and dialogue I've ever seen in a video game. Truly amazing stuff.

Oh wow I just realized that I haven't gotten A trophy so far.

S0lidSnake

[QUOTE="S0lidSnake"]

[QUOTE="dvader654"] Oh thank god.dvader654

Dont worry about boss fights, but the game WILL get bigger and bigger which will make the combat and stealth even more challenging. Stop comparing this to RE4. This is a Naughty Dog game and you'll be lucky to have one boss fight at the end. I am only 9 hours in and ever since hour 4 the game's combat has become a lot deeper simply due to these bigger levels and your customizable arsenal. You are 100% right on getting caught on purpose because it seems the game was designed around combat.

I am not comparing it to RE4, EVERY GAME SHOULD HAVE BOSS FIGHTS. At least every game with combat. 

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

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.MirkoS77

This game also easily has some of the best firefights I've ever experienced in all my years of gaming, and it's ability to create and maintain tension is unparalleled. I think this may turn out to be my favorite PS3 game. Mostly everything in it is exceptionally well done. But I'll admit it does takes a bit of time to get to the good stuff.

I haven't gotten into but a few firefights, but that's really encouraging to hear. :)

I'm kinda surprised at how many people are bored by the beginning of the game. I haven't been bored once in four hours. Loving this game.rragnaar

After that impressive opening, everything else felt slow and by the numbers. We've all done this before, with all the slow walking and dragged by hand to the next area. After about 4 hours in, the training wheels are off and you finally have some freedom to explore. I didn't mind the beginning, but I got a bit of deja-vu, given how long it took before I could really play.

Ok WOW!!!!!!! This game explodes after about 4 hours in. The beginning is some boring orientation as to what to expect, the game doesnt start till totally incredible action moments begin to pop up around massive stealth segments. These areas are huge and the amount of tools you get expand beautifully. All of a sudden you have a massive creepy playground to mess around with. The ebb and flow between stealth and OH SHIT RUN!!!! AHHHHH!!! NOOOO!! is perfect. 

The upgrade system is one of the best ever put in a game. You are not finding a ton of crap lying around in every corner. You never have that feeling that you are collecting stuff just to collect it. Every new piece of material is precious. I cannot tell you how important it is to find tape just so that I can make a shiv. The way the switching of weapons handled is perfect as well, keeping everything real time so your choice of weapon matters in the heat of battle. 

No game has ever captured the feel of being bum rushed by a horde of flesh eating monsters while your character remains human. Yes other games have done this but you play Rambo, here you are an experienced survivor but one that is very vulnerable. It totally changes the dynamic of how you play.

I also should note that my prior complains of walking and then stealth has seem to disappear as it has been non stop action for a good 2 hours or so. The slow parts now add large areas to explore with all sorts of necessary items. I found a safe code but I seemed to have missed the safe, stuff are hidden extremely well. 

Get through the first few hours and you will be rewarded.

dvader654

It get's better as you play, the intro is probably the best moment during the first few hours then after that it slows down tell hour 5 ish.

I enjoyed the first few hours. The rest of the game would not have such an impact if they didn't spend time building the world, characters and story while introducing the player to the mechanics. I feel like they haven't gone the "gamey" route like RE4. This feels like a real experience rather than your typical game. If they had felt the need to adhere to the genre by adding all sorts of bosses and such I feel like the end product would suffer. Thank god Naughty Dog made the decisions and not Solid or Dvader. :P

Wish you could break bottles to make shivs.

Five hours in now. Just arrived at the school. Christ, combat is tough. So glad I chose to play on Hard. Been doing well to avoid it so far (trying to conserve ammo for when I really, really need it), but those forced encounters were fun. Been sticking to melee as much as I can when fighting infected. Makes super quick work of them.

Is there an effecient way to change your melee target mid "combo"? I'm seem to keep dying as my character is finding it important to finish off the runners on the ground when there's a clicker right next to me.

I am loving every second of this game. I don't know how long I've been playing (roughly 15 hours) but I think I am close to the end. I am playing on hard and for me, stealth is the watchword. Even though I have listening disabled with 7.1 headphones you can get a pretty good sense of the location of enemies (who tend to be noisy), so I have gotten good at stealthing my way through areas.

I always try to take advantage of the humanity of my human enemies (provided you aren't in sight, they check the bodies of their friends when they find them, and that is a big opportunity).

[QUOTE="MirkoS77"]

[QUOTE="dvader654"]

 Naughty Dog doesnt do bosses....

dvader654

[QUOTE="MirkoS77"][QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

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.Shame-usBlackley

This game also easily has some of the best firefights I've ever experienced in all my years of gaming, and it's ability to create and maintain tension is unparalleled. I think this may turn out to be my favorite PS3 game. Mostly everything in it is exceptionally well done. But I'll admit it does takes a bit of time to get to the good stuff.

Yeah, I'm not super blown away by the visuals, but I really love how much thought went into the setpieces to provide scale. The two leaning buildings are great examples of this. I also feel the design of the creatures are super nasty... they look like lichen almost, which has always creeped me out, as has fungus in general. 

The only other thing I will bltch about, and this is strictly because I am a firearm enthusiast, but seeing all these magazines laying around is silly as HELL. Semi-automatics require proprietary magazines to fire, and every time I watch Joel reload and drop a mag like he can just run down to the corner Cabela's and buy a dozen more, it makes me cringe. People wouldn't be trading ration tickets after the world ended, they'd be trading magazines -- that's how valuable they would be. It's also kind of funny that the ammo they run across is always the right caliber. Having seen an ammunition shortage firsthand, I can attest how frustrating it is to find one caliber that you don't own in abundance, and the one you need is nowhere in sight. I've always thought it would behoove survival horror games to touch on the maddening aspect of having ammo and a gun, but not having the right ammo or gun. Imagine the frustration. These are nitpicks, though -- more thoughts out loud than real criticisms of TLOU. I'm really enjoying it so far.  

What they could've done instead for the ammo while keeping in line with what's already there is introduce gunpowder, shell casings, and bullets as additional scavenged items to be found that could then be used to create different types alongside finding rarer pre-made rounds.  Having to choose what type of ammo to create for which gun at what time would introduce some more strategy into the mix, just like having to decide whether to create a Molotov or health-kit before combat.

I really can't overemphasize how much I'm loving the firefights and melee combat.  They flow smooth, selecting different options on the fly is effortless, the A.I. is on the ball most of the time, and the controls are perfect.  It's easily the best part of the game for me so far and I'm finding myself replaying segments over and over just to try out different tactics.  The impacts of each round, the thundering report of each shot, putting down someone with point blank shotgun blasts and hearing him being torn apart.  From a gameplay perspective it's great but it wouldn't be nearly as gratifying without the superb audio.  Whoever did the sound design in TLoU, give that man a f**king medal.

I'd like to see more dynamic injuries in combat (i.e. Joel gets hit in the leg he limps and leaves a blood trail, gets shot in the arm his aim is affected, gets hit in the head he's dead), although I don't know how this'd play out and may end up being more of a pain in the ass than it'd be worth.  But I'm finding the combat so visceral, brutal, and realistic that I can't but help wish for a little more realism, which would fit perfectly within the context of the setting.

The more I mess around with the combat, the more I love it. Just arrived at the point with the hunters. That initial encounter was incredible! God damn. So tense. Really had to think on my feet since I couldn't just stealth my way through the whole thing. Then later on in that area I was able to make a quick escape from a potential firefight by dropping a smoke bomb and making a run for it. I probably could have taken them, but after watching an entire army follow after me on the stairs looking for me, I felt good about my decision.

Damn, this game is good.

I'd like to see more dynamic injuries in combat (i.e. Joel gets hit in the leg he limps and leaves a blood train, gets shot in the arm his aim is affected, gets hit in the head he's dead), although I don't know how this'd play out and may end up being more of a pain in the ass than it'd be worth.  But I'm finding the combat so visceral, brutal, and realistic that I can't but help wish for a little more realism, which would fit perfectly within the context of the setting.MirkoS77

I really hope next-gen brings that sort of minute detail to gameplay, because that sounds so good.

Wish you could break bottles to make shivs.

Shame-usBlackley

waste of tape when you can just walk up to someone with it equipped and beat the crap out of him with it (as opposed to throwing). At least, you can do that with bricks. Never tried it with a bottle.

It really does bug me, though, when I choke out a guy who was clearly holding a gun and I can't loot his corpse. If he's got a melee weapon, he just drops it, but never with the ranged weapons. I suppose that's another way that this game is nothing like Uncharted. But I wouldn't consider that a good thing in this case. I mean, even if it's just 2 bullets. But the devs are clearly afraid of letting the player have ammo, to the point where they're willing to break immersion to prevent it. Or maybe all these guys are just walking around with empty guns.

Kudos to ND for making zombies scary again, though. F****** psychos. Usually when I see zombies in games anymore, it's just, "yeah, whatever *headshot*." But these things - the sound, the movement. And then when three or so runners get on and beat you into a fetal position...dayyum. that's another thing...i love how Joel really can get his s*** rearranged in this game. It's not like Dead space, where you're watching a cinematic death scene, but you're still alive and getting wrecked. The brutality goes both ways in this.

Just finished it. The story is better than anything I've seen from Hollywood this year. It's more character driven then plot driven, but those imo are the best ones. The character development here is sublime. Everything that you do ingame affects both leads.

I am not in love with the gameplay like the rest of you guys, but I did enjoy it. Some of the levels later on in the game are massive and you guys are in for a treat. I however kinda wanted to see the conclusion so rushed through most of the third act. Still, the game's best moments are when you enter a new area and you dont know when they're going to throw enemies at you or what kind. I was scared shitless every damn time.

The graphics were a mixed bag. Sometimes it looks like the best game I've ever seen, but then there are times where it looks ugly as f*ck. Some of the ground textures are just awful. Most of the fooliage looks pretty bad and the grass color just looks off. Compare it to Crysis 3 and well, it's best not to make that comparison. The lighting is superb though, the detail in this world is insane.... every room looks like it was meticulously designed and the buildings all look great.

My game clock says I finished it in 13.5 hours. Not sure if it includes cutscenes. I think this is probably Naughty Dog's best game. They have shown they can not only handle mature themes, but execute them brilliantly... better than any game dev before them. Story, directing, script and acting is hands down the best in a video game. Still dont get the best game this gen talk though, i personally found the Uncharted games more enjoyable.

I still think Mass Effect is the best series this gen, but best developer has to go to Nuaghty Dog. They have shown they can introduce new gameplay elements as well as emulating other games.

Kudos to ND for making zombies scary again, though. F****** psychos. Usually when I see zombies in games anymore, it's just, "yeah, whatever *headshot*." But these things - the sound, the movement. And then when three or so runners get on and beat you into a fetal position...dayyum. that's another thing...i love how Joel really can get his s*** rearranged in this game. It's not like Dead space, where you're watching a cinematic death scene, but you're still alive and getting wrecked. The brutality goes both ways in this.

Ish_basic

Yup. They nailed that aspect of the game. Even though I had killed nearly 500 people by the end of the game, Joel somehow still felt human.... not some regenerating Wolverine freak. My favorite such effect was getting thrown back after getting hit with a sniper rifle or a shotgun. Yes, in real life you would be on the ground with your guts out everywhere, but it's a nice little effect that helps keep the game in grounded in reality. 

The more I mess around with the combat, the more I love it. Just arrived at the point with the hunters. That initial encounter was incredible! God damn. So tense. Really had to think on my feet since I couldn't just stealth my way through the whole thing. Then later on in that area I was able to make a quick escape from a potential firefight by dropping a smoke bomb and making a run for it. I probably could have taken them, but after watching an entire army follow after me on the stairs looking for me, I felt good about my decision.

Damn, this game is good.

[QUOTE="MirkoS77"]I'd like to see more dynamic injuries in combat (i.e. Joel gets hit in the leg he limps and leaves a blood train, gets shot in the arm his aim is affected, gets hit in the head he's dead), although I don't know how this'd play out and may end up being more of a pain in the ass than it'd be worth.  But I'm finding the combat so visceral, brutal, and realistic that I can't but help wish for a little more realism, which would fit perfectly within the context of the setting.c_rake

I really hope next-gen brings that sort of minute detail to gameplay, because that sounds so good.

Or two. :D

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

Wish you could break bottles to make shivs.

Ish_basic

It really does bug me, though, when I choke out a guy who was clearly holding a gun and I can't loot his corpse. If he's got a melee weapon, he just drops it, but never with the ranged weapons. I suppose that's another way that this game is nothing like Uncharted. But I wouldn't consider that a good thing in this case. I mean, even if it's just 2 bullets. But the devs are clearly afraid of letting the player have ammo, to the point where they're willing to break immersion to prevent it. Or maybe all these guys are just walking around with empty guns.

I'm finding what really breaks the immersion is the friendly A.I. occasionally running around a few feet in front of enemies like suicidal imbeciles, and they are not even noticed.  Most apparent with clickers. It doesn't happen all that often, but considering how well done everything else is, it sticks out like a sore thumb all the worse when it does happen.  Although considering the alternative if they COULD be seen and still had this problem, I'll gladly take it the way it is now as that would be near game-breaking.

This game's amazing, and the more I play the more impressed I become.  This is what I've always wanted a next-gen Resident Evil to be like and never did I expect ND to be the one to pull it off, and pull it off so well.  I find this to be their finest work so far and I'm having much more enjoyment from this, both from a narrative and gameplay standpoint, than either of the Uncharted games.  It's one of a very select handful of titles that I actually care about the characters and remember each one.  Very well written and acted.  I haven't beaten it yet, but I hope it leaves it open to the possibility of a sequel.  

Or two. :D

MirkoS77

I want to say I saw a story about Naughty Dog teasing more. Something along the lines of "Joel's and Ellie's story may be finished, but there's still plenty more we want to do with this universe." Don't believe they were hinting toward DLC, either.

Finished it last night. Took me 18-20 hours on hard with listening turned off (I died a lot). As others have said, this is an awesome game which represents the way survival horror should have gone. When I replay this (I wait at least a couple months before replaying games) at the highest difficultly level, I am going to play with listening mode on.

Don't know if I am going to bother with the multiplayer. I love the action/weapons in TLOU but it just doesn't seem to call for it. I am eagerly awaiting the story based DLC (there are three pieces of DLC, two multiplayer, one single player).

Finished it last night. Took me 18-20 hours on hard with listening turned off (I died a lot). As others have said, this is an awesome game which represents the way survival horror should have gone. When I replay this (I wait at least a couple months before replaying games) at the highest difficultly level, I am going to play with listening mode on.

CarnageHeart

Thought I heard that listening mode isn't allow on the hardest difficulty.

[QUOTE="CarnageHeart"]

Finished it last night. Took me 18-20 hours on hard with listening turned off (I died a lot). As others have said, this is an awesome game which represents the way survival horror should have gone. When I replay this (I wait at least a couple months before replaying games) at the highest difficultly level, I am going to play with listening mode on.

MirkoS77

Thought I heard that listening mode isn't allow on the hardest difficulty.

I want to give this game a go. Should I buy a 3 month PS+ and this or an year long PS+? I'm gonna get more money 2 months later anyway but now I'm low on money.

I want to give this game a go. Should I buy a 3 month PS+ and this or an year long PS+? I'm gonna get more money 2 months later anyway but now I'm low on money.

Darkeroid2212

There was this moment with an elevator and what comes after is some of the creepiest shit ever.dvader654

omg. im glad you brought that up. i was shitting my pants during that sequence.

[QUOTE="dvader654"]There was this moment with an elevator and what comes after is some of the creepiest shit ever.S0lidSnake

omg. im glad you brought that up. i was shitting my pants during that sequence.

[QUOTE="dvader654"]There was this moment with an elevator and what comes after is some of the creepiest shit ever.S0lidSnake

omg. im glad you brought that up. i was shitting my pants during that sequence.

I just went through there last night. F*ck that area.

[QUOTE="dvader654"]I am only half way through but I am with Solid so far, the Uncharted games, well at least 2 is better. Its not about one being non stop action, it is about mastering the gameplay you present. Uncharted has the best action setpieces of any TPS, I would say nothing even comes close. This game is not the best stealth game, not by a long shot. It presents it in a very cool original way which makes it a fantastic but I can't say it belongs as one of the best games this gen, at least not yet. dvader654

Of course after I say that I go through some of the best stealth sections in any game. I could play these sections a million times.