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

[spoiler]

Wasn't a fan of the last few encounters (stealth became less and less viable; they all seemed orchestrated to create a big ol' shoot-out), [/spoiler]

c_rake

[spoiler] It was definitely a dramatic shift in how the devs encourage you to play the game. It's especially noticeable on hard where ammo drops are so scarce to all the sudden having every enemy drop assault or diablo rounds. They really want you to shoot up the hospital. That isn't really befitting of the game up until that point - Joel is always very cautious in cutscenes and the gameplay really encourages you to think before charging out. But the game really isn't about choices anymore than Joel can choose his past, which has clearly scarred him. As I was playing through that segment, I didn't agree with what I was doing, but at the same time, it made perfect sense that Joel would be doing it. No more sneaking around, no more hiding, I'm coming right at you and you can't stop me - I'm not going to watch her die again. And then the very final time you have control of Joel, you're doing the same thing you did the very first time you had control of Joel - trying to carry your daughter to safety. I thought the ending illustrated the depths of Joel's psychosis very well. [/spoiler]

Played a bunch of multiplayer last night and just got home to play 3 matches. Loving it so far. While I'm certainly not a big multiplayer fan, I can safely say that this is something I'll be enjoying. I like the sort of meta-game having to survive 12 weeks building your clan. Add in the extremely thoughtful gameplay and scavenging/crafting and it's quite unique. Every move matters and it takes some time to learn how to play the game.

But I can't get the single player out of my mind. I was looking at my game collection yesterday of over 110 titles and nothing even compared to TLOU for me. Can't wait to play it on an even higher difficulty next time.

You can always count on SW for good laughs...

[QUOTE="S0lidSnake"]

F*cking Major Nelson. He was a dismissive c*nt to Angry Joe just last week 

It was pretty simple now, wasnt it you piece of shit?

dvader654

Yes. He is played by Nolan North.

I just finished it and the story;even though I wasn't a fan of it, was the strongest component of the game. The gameplay needed some refinement and variation.

i just keep playing Chapter 1 and reliving the it to the finale...

am i sick?

Now that many of us have finished the story lets talk a bit about multiplayer. I only got a chance to play like 6 matches and sucked in almost all of them. I like the idea of a much slower and more permanent penalities for death. I liked the one death per match type more than the deathmatch one. My issue with it is that stealth does not work as well as it should. Its so built around team play that if you try and hide on your own you will probably harm the team more than help it. This needs a free for all mode. The combat still way too focused on shooting. The shooting cannot compete with other online shooters so why make that the focus. I would have much rather have a giant game of hide and seek but with crazy melee weapons and maybe one or two bullets per gun. dvader654

I never looked at The Last Of Us as a shooting game. Sure it has this element but it was never meant to be classed as a third person shooter. You aren't some military trained weapons specialist. You're just a guy with a gun, nothing more. Having Gears Of War or Max Payne 3 shooting mechanics in this title would absolutely kill the gameplay. I personally love the weapons mechanics. For once I don't feel like some super soldier bad*** like I do in other games. I guess it feels more grounded to me.

If you only had one or two bullets then firing a weapon would be useless unless you could kill in one of two shots which would feel rather cheap. Stealth is a large part of the multiplayer but not always in the sense you might think. Silenced weapons, smoke bombs, shivs can all be used to mask yourself from the enemy team. Add in that you can silently flank and lay a bomb trap, gather supplies and even heal your team. Stealth would be useless if nobody was ever preoccupied. Camping would also be a serious problem as well if this multiplayer was built around only stealth.

[QUOTE="dvader654"]Now that many of us have finished the story lets talk a bit about multiplayer. I only got a chance to play like 6 matches and sucked in almost all of them. I like the idea of a much slower and more permanent penalities for death. I liked the one death per match type more than the deathmatch one. My issue with it is that stealth does not work as well as it should. Its so built around team play that if you try and hide on your own you will probably harm the team more than help it. This needs a free for all mode. The combat still way too focused on shooting. The shooting cannot compete with other online shooters so why make that the focus. I would have much rather have a giant game of hide and seek but with crazy melee weapons and maybe one or two bullets per gun. WiiMan21

lol I was playing multiplayer last night on the high school map and man I kept getting flanked and stabbed in the neck. Everytime I was focused on someone or something else this guy would be right there and I'd have no idea until it was too late. The guy was pretty good at stealthing it. If he ran out of shivs he'd just gather supplies and either build more or improve his melee weapon for a one hit kill. The multiplayer is crazy fun though but difficult to master.

[QUOTE="Pedro"]

I just finished it and the story;even though I wasn't a fan of it, was the strongest component of the game. The gameplay needed some refinement and variation.

dvader654

The game can be very exhausting. Every encounter in this game is so brutal and draining that it feels a bit too real. I guess that's what they were going for. 

I tried starting a second playthrough a couple of nights ago, but the opening was even more haunting the second time through. The encounters were a bit easier because i know the patterns, but when shit hit the fan I just couldn't take it anymore and quit the game. 

Finished it up. That ending left me with mixed feelings, but man, the journey was something else. What a game, consistently engaging, even if I wasn't always having fun with it. I felt pretty drained by the end of the game.

Now to try it on Survivor!

[QUOTE="S0lidSnake"]

[QUOTE="dvader654"] Just curious, what game or games have the best gameplay to you? Not saying anything about your opinion on the game, I can see someone not enjoying the gameplay all that much.dvader654

The game can be very exhausting. Every encounter in this game is so brutal and draining that it feels a bit too real. I guess that's what they were going for. 

I tried starting a second playthrough a couple of nights ago, but the opening was even more haunting the second time through. The encounters were a bit easier because i know the patterns, but when shit hit the fan I just couldn't take it anymore and quit the game. 

No.

New Game+ On Normal. :lol:

No.

New Game+ On Normal. :lol:

S0lidSnake

Wimp.

I know what you mean, though. I don't think I'm ready for another play-through yet. That first one was intense enough as is.

I'm a sucker for little touches. When fighting this guy, I snuck up behind him and shot him point blank with a shotgun, and the bookcase behind him had blood spatters and gore all over it. I went back after exploring a while and the claret was still all there. I like that. 

The game's uneven in a lot of ways, but when it's doing things right, it really does them right. 

[QUOTE="Pedro"]

I just finished it and the story;even though I wasn't a fan of it, was the strongest component of the game. The gameplay needed some refinement and variation.

dvader654

Thats a really broad question. Are asking about a specific genre?

The game can be very exhausting. Every encounter in this game is so brutal and draining that it feels a bit too real. I guess that's what they were going for. 

I tried starting a second playthrough a couple of nights ago, but the opening was even more haunting the second time through. The encounters were a bit easier because i know the patterns, but when shit hit the fan I just couldn't take it anymore and quit the game. 

S0lidSnake

The only thing that can be exhausting about the game is the frequency of enemies in certain areas and not because it felt too real. I did not find the game to be realistic or too realistic. 

Hell she has now started throwing beer bottles at the bad guys for me, I laughed a lot the first time she did that :lol: GodModeEnabled

Ah Elle. spoilers for those who have finished the game. GME look away.

[spoiler] lol at her going from throwing bricks to a f*cking Jason Bourne styIe stabbing spree by the end of the game. She grows up so much in a matter of months. The first time I saw her leap onto a hunter and just stab the shit out of him, I just stood there in shock and then I was kinda proud of her. lol Amazing stuff by Naughty Dog. [/spoiler]

The combat is really anything you want it to be. you don't have to shoot at people. Get a group of people that dedicate their play with melee weapons and shivs. It can be done. I have a friend that spends every game as a medic, and we destroy everyone. I also have one that does nothing but throw smoke bombs and shiv people all game. It's really how you want to approach everything.WiiMan21

yeah, I play medic a lot for the guys I run with. Not the default medic class, but a custom medic with silenced 9mm and silenced Burst Rifle. I spend so much time crafting, I also grabbed the explosion expert, as I end up being the group trapper as well. I smile every time i hear an explosion on the far side of the map and see "bomb down" pop on my hud. The nice thing is, I don't have to wrack up the kills to meet my supply demand. I get my share of downs for the team, but I spend so much time healing people up and crafting stuff that it gives me what I need to keep my clan happy. That's a nice touch that ND allows you to play different ways and still get what you need. We also run with a bowman and a smoke/shiv artist who is also the group strategist, making enemies glow for us. The 3rd tier of that perk is extremely useful.

I never looked at The Last Of Us as a shooting game. Sure it has this element but it was never meant to be classed as a third person shooter. You aren't some military trained weapons specialist. You're just a guy with a gun, nothing more. Having Gears Of War or Max Payne 3 shooting mechanics in this title would absolutely kill the gameplay. I personally love the weapons mechanics. For once I don't feel like some super soldier bad*** like I do in other games. I guess it feels more grounded to me.

contracts420

TLoU models and captures the excitement and exchange of gunfire exceptionally well, and I don't understand how anyone can call it subpar or poorly done.  The funny thing is, I'm finding a game that isn't even a dedicated shooter to have some of the best shooting mechanics I've ever experienced in a game.  Not to mention the sound design aids them immensely and I hope it gets some acknowledgement when the nominations roll around.  I only wish the A.I. held up consistently.  Sometimes hunters will just linger out in the open, charge, or will stand clueless in front of Joel for like 5 seconds before acting, or will completely ignore the most obvious things.  Other times they'll flank, use cover effectively, and will have senses like a hawk.  Doesn't really detract from the gun modelling itself, just the believability of the firefights.  

But I never get tired of hearing that squish from a point blank shotgun blast. :D  I hope other devs take note of what ND had done here because IMO this is where shooting needs to evolve to.

Man, Joel feels like an older version of Josh Brolin's character from No Country for Old Men.

It's uncanny.

[QUOTE="contracts420"]

I never looked at The Last Of Us as a shooting game. Sure it has this element but it was never meant to be classed as a third person shooter. You aren't some military trained weapons specialist. You're just a guy with a gun, nothing more. Having Gears Of War or Max Payne 3 shooting mechanics in this title would absolutely kill the gameplay. I personally love the weapons mechanics. For once I don't feel like some super soldier bad*** like I do in other games. I guess it feels more grounded to me.

MirkoS77

TLoU models and captures the excitement and exchange of gunfire exceptionally well, and I don't understand how anyone can call it subpar or poorly done.  The funny thing is, I'm finding a game that isn't even a dedicated shooter to have some of the best shooting mechanics I've ever experienced in a game.  Not to mention the sound design aids them immensely and I hope it gets some acknowledgement when the nominations roll around.  I only wish the A.I. held up consistently.  Sometimes hunters will just linger out in the open, charge, or will stand clueless in front of Joel for like 5 seconds before acting, or will completely ignore the most obvious things.  Other times they'll flank, use cover effectively, and will have senses like a hawk.  Doesn't really detract from the gun modelling itself, just the believability of the firefights.  

But I never get tired of hearing that squish from a point blank shotgun blast. :D  I hope other devs take note of what ND had done here because IMO this is where shooting needs to evolve to.

It kinda feels like those shooting scenes we see in movies. I know they aren't realistic, but they definitely dont feel gamey.

Been reading up on the Multiplayer and it sounds very interesting. Do you guys want to schedule a PGD night this weekend?

we need only 4 players per team...

Been reading up on the Multiplayer and it sounds very interesting. Do you guys want to schedule a PGD night this weekend?

we need only 4 players per team...

S0lidSnake

Been reading up on the Multiplayer and it sounds very interesting. Do you guys want to schedule a PGD night this weekend?

we need only 4 players per team...

S0lidSnake

I rented my copy, so... no online for me. Online pass and all.

Amazing game.

I honestly wanted the opposite of what happened, but I completely understood the reason behind it.

TLoU necessitates and helps enforce a cat and mouse-type approach to be successful because being hit is detrimental past the point of simple numbers, even if slightly so.

MirkoS77

I've been thinking about this, and I remember this one moment that really captured the beauty of the combat in the game for me. In an attempt to keep it spoiler free, I have one bullet and a revolver. That's it. I'm sneaking through these buildings and I come out on the stree and I notice a guy to my right, so I move left, keeping behind cars...and then turn right into another guy that I didn't see, and he screams to his buddy. Split second, I just fire off my one shot into his face and sprint into the alley with his friend in pursuit, me looking for a place to hide. There's a reality to that gun fight that you just don't see in games. Most games I would have been carrying an armory on my back, or at the very least, I would have been able to tank bullets and deliver enough melee shots to take the other guy down. But this was so much more satisfaction in a single shot than I usually get in a hail of gunfire from most shooters.

My only problem with the combat, though, is the use of spawning enemies. There are a few times in the game where I've cleared out an area, then as soon as I kill that last guy, a bunch of other guys just spontaneously pop into existence out of nowhere. I had one guy literally appear behind me in a closed environment the second I killed the final patroling enemy - and I was hiding myself, using a trap for the final kill (i love trapping dead bodies...the AI just can't resist checking if their buddy is still alive). I don't get that decision from ND.

Been reading up on the Multiplayer and it sounds very interesting. Do you guys want to schedule a PGD night this weekend?

we need only 4 players per team...

S0lidSnake

I'm down for that. Could be fun.

You know this funny meme pic "How I felt after beating Skyrim and How I felt after beating Dark Souls"?

I guess that has to be extended to a third one now with "How I felt after beating The Last of Us"

Been reading up on the Multiplayer and it sounds very interesting. Do you guys want to schedule a PGD night this weekend?

we need only 4 players per team...

S0lidSnake

[QUOTE="MirkoS77"]

 

TLoU necessitates and helps enforce a cat and mouse-type approach to be successful because being hit is detrimental past the point of simple numbers, even if slightly so.

Ish_basic

I've been thinking about this, and I remember this one moment that really captured the beauty of the combat in the game for me. In an attempt to keep it spoiler free, I have one bullet and a revolver. That's it. I'm sneaking through these buildings and I come out on the stree and I notice a guy to my right, so I move left, keeping behind cars...and then turn right into another guy that I didn't see, and he screams to his buddy. Split second, I just fire off my one shot into his face and sprint into the alley with his friend in pursuit, me looking for a place to hide. There's a reality to that gun fight that you just don't see in games. Most games I would have been carrying an armory on my back, or at the very least, I would have been able to tank bullets and deliver enough melee shots to take the other guy down. But this was so much more satisfaction in a single shot than I usually get in a hail of gunfire from most shooters.

My only problem with the combat, though, is the use of spawning enemies. There are a few times in the game where I've cleared out an area, then as soon as I kill that last guy, a bunch of other guys just spontaneously pop into existence out of nowhere. I had one guy literally appear behind me in a closed environment the second I killed the final patroling enemy - and I was hiding myself, using a trap for the final kill (i love trapping dead bodies...the AI just can't resist checking if their buddy is still alive). I don't get that decision from ND.

No what are your favorite games in terms of gameplay, pick one from different genres if you want.dvader654

Super Mario Brothers 3 and Super Mario World, Uncharted 1 and 2, God of War 1 and 2, Devil May Cry 3, Bayonetta, Skyrim, Psychonauts, Mario Galaxy 2, Wind Waker, Dishonered, System Shock 2,SSX Tricky, Grid,Halo Reach, thats all I can think of at the moment. As a disclaimer all of these games have their share of gameplay issues but they weren't as problematic as in most games for me. 2D Mario is probably the most flawless of the bunch.

Play some MP with the guys. Awesome stuff. Some impressions:

We arleady played today. Here's a summary:

• Game is incredible. It;s exactly like the single player. scavenging is a huge part of the game. Gunplay is the same. Make every shot count.
• Team play is a must. 
• Stealth is a must.
• Scavenging is nearly essential.
• Medic abilities are awesome.
• You can gift your teammates items you craft if you have a certain perk equipped. I kept gifting Dez stuff. Didnt give BK's ungrateful ass anything. 
• Executions are brutal. 
• The meta game (keeping your clan alive and growing) is VERY addicting.
• Lots of customization.
• Brilliant stuff. Maybe I enjoyed it more because I was playing with friends, but like Uncharted this is truly unique. 

Thats an excellent list. I learned a lot from that, you aren't the type to talk about what you love most of the time so I didnt really know. dvader654

I am aware that I am overly critical about games and it may seem at times that I don't enjoy them but I do and its the reason I am critical.

I'm about to the end of the Pittsburgh section. This game is phenomenal. I'm not saying it is on the level of Half-Life 2, at least not yet, but the balance between horror elements and firefights is very similar. The way this game keeps throwing different gameplay scenarios at you is fantastic. Loving it. I'm hoping I can beat it today or tomorrow. I had fun with that round of MP last night. I'll have to find more time to play with you guys.rragnaar

F*ck!!! I got a phone call in the middle of a MP round, and it kicked me out due to inactivity. And just like that, my clan of 45 people is in disarray. 15 are sick. 24 hungry. Only 10 are healthy. There is a huge penalty for quitting in the middle of the game. You are better off playing and losing. 

I love the meta game here. Your overall level progression is tied to this meta game (keeping your clan alive and healthy). So If I earn 60 points in a game, 45 points go towards keeping my clan healthy and only 15 towards my next level unlock. EDIT: It seems I was wrong about this. All your earned points go towards level progression. You are encouraged to increase your clan size but doing so would slow down your level progression. It's really unique. 

at least not yetrragnaar

.

So after beating the game I've finally compiled all of my thoughts and analysis regarding the storu into one blog:

http://www.gamespot.com/users/mgsfan104/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=m-100-26031354

It's a bit long, so enjoy if you like. I'm pretty sure that I forgot to include some stuff so I'll probably end up adding to it later, but for now I think its got most of my thoughts down. Also, SPOILERS!