The Last of Us- GOTG?

[dsheinem]

So I finished this in a marathon 5+ hour session last night (up 'til 3am!) and probably sunk about 8 hours into it total yesterday. I did this because the game absolutely gripped me and wouldn't let go.

A few thoughts:

First, I was very impressed with the game's length. It took me 18.5 hours, which is almost unheard of for non-RPG single player games these days. It never dragged, though, and I found the pacing to be suitable and the challenge to be well balanced. Yes, the A.I. sometimes did stupid things and yes, at a certain point some elements got repetitive (and I agree with Niode that the puzzles were all easy), but when those repetitive elements are fairly fun, I didn't mind.

I loved that the majority of the encounters were tense and, because I don't generally care for stealth too much, provided a pattern of intensity that moved from "strategic planning" to "nervous exacting" before things would (often, but not always) shift to "frantic aggression" and sometimes "desperate actions". I had just as much fun sneaking up on a clicker and shivving them as I did jumping over logs in the snow while wielding a hatchet like a maniacal Nicholson from The Shining.

As for the story...

Other than the opening prologue (which is still one of the strongest parts of the game), I felt that things were fairly predictable and cliche for much of the first 2/3 or so. However, they really picked up from the point where Ellie left the hydro plant. I much appreciated the work that went into Nolan North's villain, I liked that the game gives you control of Ellie at several key points to offer a shifted perspective of sorts, and I absolutely loved the "make you feel like a fucking piece of shit selfish asshole" ending. Hooray for eschewing the obvious zombie game/film tropes and for denying your audience the expected closure!

(And I agree, Niode, this isn't great literature BUT it is pretty great action-game writing. Baby steps.)

As for the OP's pre-release question/insinuation? Well...I don't know. I've said for a couple years that I think Uncharted 2 is my GOTG. I don't know if I still think that...and I also don't know if this game is "better" than that one...

The game is certainly one of the most gorgeous games of the generation and will likely always be cited as one of the best technical accomplishments of the generation. It offers a memorable world and (eventually) a story that ranks amongst the best of the genre this generation, though some will likely hate it for the storytelling choices it makes. The gameplay offers something that's bordering on novelty/innovation, but it can be inconsistent.

So...I don't think I'd be able to hold it against somebody if they DID think this was the game of the generation - I think the argument is there to be made and supported when evaluated by most of the criteria we tend to judge games on. But there's also enough there that someone may see as a problem to suggest that it is simply one of the better titles released on its system/in its genre/in this year/etc.

[brunoafh]

Wrapped it up tonight. (no spoilers)

Overall it was good, but I don't think very much else. What I found to be most impressive about the game was how incredibly detailed all the areas were, so much attention to detail with every single nook and cranny in every abandoned house. You could spend hours just roaming around checking houses out and examining all the detail they put into the environments.

From a gameplay standpoint though it was average. Standard cover shooter with some light stealth elements. It would have been really interesting to see the stealth elements fleshed out a bit, because sneaking around was way more interesting than the shooting. I'm not asking for much, just a little more than only one option (sneak behind, stab or choke). As such, the best option 90% of the time was unload until everything is dead and jog to the next shootout. I really liked the inclusion of the bow though, I would try to use it as much as I could. It felt rewarding and was pretty funny to get arrow headshots against guys with rifles.

I don't really have much to say about the story. It got a little more interesting in the final run but pretty much from the first second of the game you could predict what was going to happen every step of the way.

I liked it quite a bit more than any of the Uncharted games I played. Better gameplay, more powerful narrative, but still not particularly impressive as far as those areas go. Where these Naughty Dog games shine is definitely from a technical standpoint. Everything is simply gorgeous to look at. The setpieces and action scenes they create are probably the best I've seen in the genre. If that is their main focus, they are hitting it out of the park. But I think it would be very interesting to see them get away from the "blockbuster action game" thing and create something with more of a focus on interesting gameplay.

Game of the generation? I think this is a fruitless and extremely subjective question that there is simply no answer to. I think it's only a personal question. The medium ranges so widely and choices will vary from that Pac Man or Space Invaders redux game, to some JRPG, to Call of Duty, to this, all games that appeal to completely different audiences and are enjoyed for entirely different reasons. But as for me personally, no, I think it will go on to be a mostly forgettable experience to me. I don't tend to think back on games that I think lack replay value and I beat in a few sittings.

[ZenErik]

Finally finished the game. Was better than I had originally expected. I had watched a friend play the beginning few hours and it was so many cutscenes. After playing for myself, well.. It's a lot more engaging while actually playing the game and not watching. And the cutscenes aren't as plentiful after the opening portion. Pretty tasteful.

The ending was well done, imo. And I am looking forward to the DLC. Purchased the season pass.

Overall I got 4 trophies. 122 collectibles. 14 comics got me a trophy. My play time is higher than most. 20 1/2 hours. I did leave the game paused for a bit sometimes. Not sure if that added to the play time. And also did my best scavenging.

[graffix_13]

Overall I got 4 trophies. 122 collectibles. 14 comics got me a trophy. My play time is higher than most. 20 1/2 hours. I did leave the game paused for a bit sometimes. Not sure if that added to the play time. And also did my best scavenging.

I think 20+ hours is normal really. I'm right at 20 hours myself, and I'm still on the Lake Resort chapter. Like I mentioned in another post, my only complaint is I wish there weren't so many glitches. I've missed a few conversations and a joke (#2, which is known to glitch). I'm going to platinum the game....just may take awhile (I hear the MP is pretty long).

Easily my Game of this Generation.

[ZenErik]

Overall I got 4 trophies. 122 collectibles. 14 comics got me a trophy. My play time is higher than most. 20 1/2 hours. I did leave the game paused for a bit sometimes. Not sure if that added to the play time. And also did my best scavenging.

I think 20+ hours is normal really. I'm right at 20 hours myself, and I'm still on the Lake Resort chapter. Like I mentioned in another post, my only complaint is I wish there weren't so many glitches. I've missed a few conversations and a joke (#2, which is known to glitch). I'm going to platinum the game....just may take awhile (I hear the MP is pretty long).

Easily my Game of this Generation.

Which glitches? I had very very few. Among the few I noticed were a few arrows floating in mid air once and Joel basically warping to different drawers to find opens in certain rooms when I held down triangle a few times, haha. Keep in mind that I also used a digital download which basically eliminated the load time at the beginning. I have a feeling that the source of a lot of people's glitches is their PS3 having trouble with the dual layered disk. I know that was a major problem for one of my friends.

[dsheinem]

Overall I got 4 trophies. 122 collectibles. 14 comics got me a trophy. My play time is higher than most. 20 1/2 hours. I did leave the game paused for a bit sometimes. Not sure if that added to the play time. And also did my best scavenging.

I think 20+ hours is normal really. I'm right at 20 hours myself, and I'm still on the Lake Resort chapter. Like I mentioned in another post, my only complaint is I wish there weren't so many glitches. I've missed a few conversations and a joke (#2, which is known to glitch). I'm going to platinum the game....just may take awhile (I hear the MP is pretty long).

Easily my Game of this Generation.

Which glitches? I had very very few. Among the few I noticed were arrows floating in mid air and Joel basically warping to different drawers to find opens in certain rooms when I held down triangle, haha. Keep in mind that I also used a digital download which basically eliminated the load time at the beginning. I have a feeling that the source of a lot of people's glitches is their PS3 having trouble with the dual layered disk. I know that was a major problem for one of my friends.

I noticed zero glitches.

I think people are being quick to decide GOTG. Give it time to season, see what else comes along, etc.

[SNKnicotine]

(TLOU)Easily my favorite PS3 game!

[Jmustang1968]

I just had one glitch. I fell through the world while crouching in a hotel. I was running in a black plane of nothingness and Ellie was off in the distance as wel. I eventually fell off some cliff and died.

[ZenErik]

I think people are being quick to decide GOTG. Give it time to season, see what else comes along, etc.

I know you said Uncharted 2 was your GotG. How long is each Uncharted game roughly? I am thinking of trying them soon. And what can I expect compared to TLoU?

Going to make an effort to try out more Western 'blockbuster' games. Gotta give Bioshock 1 + Infinite and the Mass Effect games a go sometime soon.

[graffix_13]

Which glitches? I had very very few. Among the few I noticed were a few arrows floating in mid air once and Joel basically warping to different drawers to find opens in certain rooms when I held down triangle a few times, haha. Keep in mind that I also used a digital download which basically eliminated the load time at the beginning. I have a feeling that the source of a lot of people's glitches is their PS3 having trouble with the dual layered disk. I know that was a major problem for one of my friends.

*Potential Spoilers*

For the record, I'm playing offline without installing the patch (the patch seem to address MP issues)

Glitches for me so far:

-Pittsburgh, coversation #13. After you pick up your first comic book in the white bus, there is a car on the right side of the road with a body beside it. You should get the "triangle" prompt for a converstation with Ellie, but I never got it. She stood in front of the car, and I waited...and waited....nothing.

-Pittsburgh, book store. Ellie never told her #2 Joke. After you clear the bookstore (both floors) she should pull out her joke book and tell her second joke by the makeshift camp by the exit door. She never did.

-In the hotel lobby, after you clear out the kitchen/restaurant area (2 Hunters) there should be a ladder laying on the ground for you to use to get up to the next level (this is immeditely BEFORE the cutscene where Ellie shoots the guy "It was either him or you"). The ladder wasn't there at first. I ran around that area for a good 20 minutes until I looked up what I had to do. Restarted the encounter and the ladder was there on the ground where it was suppose to be.

-In the suburbs area, when you are checking the empty houses. The Comic Book "Messenger Particle" was not on the toilet. I had to, again, restart the encounter to get it to populate.

I think those are about it for me. For the record, I'm using a guide which lists all the collectibles: http://www.ps3trophies.org/forum/last-u ... tions.html (thanks Wozamil).

There are also trophy glitches where certain trophies aren't popping when they should (game isn't recording collectibles accurately). I haven't run into any of those myself yet. Hope I don't.