VideoGame Words to the effect of not impressed.
Grr, I'm a grizzled veteran, made cynical by the death of my daughter, who's forced to team up with a precocious child who will, over the course of our long journey, find her way into my heart, desu.
Oh yeah, and there's zombies. But they're not REALLY zombies, you guys. They're just ordinary people who have been controlled by mutant fungus because we're so edgy and original and zombies are boring and dumb.
Kid died. Sam I think his name was. I watched Galaxy Quest last night and I was more moved by the death of Alexander's fanboy, whose name I didn't even know, than I was over the death of this kid. Then big bro took the easy way out like a bitch.
Ellie is obnoxious. Whatshisface is forgettable. There's a smattering of other characters, all equally unimportant and forgettable.
Also, I don't know why people keep saying David tried to rape Ellie. It looked more like he was trying to kill her to me.
The gameplay was ok. Nothing particularly interesting about it, but noting particularly bad about it either.
Coulda used a minimap or waypoint markers because half the time I had no idea where the frig I was going, but I guess some things have to be sacrificed in the name of TOTALLY REELISTIK U GAIZ.
The backgrounds were literally the best part of the game. That lake during the winter segment, with the mountains in the distance, was fucking bootieful and looking up at that leaning skyscraper during the beginning segment was cool.
My friend told me this game was a life-changing experience. The only thing about my life it's changed is that I'm now $60 poorer. It's a Cliché Storm par excellence. How this game could have made platinum, GOTY or any award other than "That one award we give out for the kick ass winter lake with the mountains in the distance" is beyond me.
Overall 3/10. And that only because of the aforementioned backgrounds. I wonder if I can get a refund.
VideoGame Character Interaction Is Where It's At
Plain and simple, the only thing that really stands out in The Last Of Us as being good and interesting is the characters interacting with each other.
The plot is pretty standard Zombie Apocalypse, even if they call them something else, and nothing in it is something that hasn't been done before. The characters themselves are pretty much their stereotype with Joel being the loner guy who turned tough when he lost someone close to him, but ultimately does open up his heart to someone again and Ellie is basically a kid character that grows up to be more independent, as it is necessary in a world like this.
And the gameplay is pretty basic. Shooting, with a lot of stealth sections. Those parts aren't even important, because the main things happen in a lot of cutscenes. It's like a movie was spliced and got videogame parts shoved into it.
But the interaction is good. Several of the cutscenes, particularly during the second half of the game, are quite interesting. Joel and Tess have a relationship difficult to define by what's going on in the game, with implications in various directions. Joel and his brother talk to each other with joy of seeing each other again, but both still having their past as emotional baggage to deal with that has strained their relationship.
Ellie and Joel have the most interaction and how things change between them, going from having to travel together, to eventually relying on each other for mutual protection, trying to keep a professional distance and failing at that, leading to them coming close enough to view each other as family.
That's the only thing in the game that is really worth while. I wouldn't even suggest one to play this game themselves. Go watch a Let's Play or similar, just to see what is going on, without having to waste money on a glorified game-ish-movie.
VideoGame Amazing game, but sub-standard gameplay
The Last of Us is one of those games that I picked up merely because of the hype. With lofty claims such as "The best game ever", "The Citizen Kane of gaming", and "A life-changing experience", as well as a winner of over 200 Game of The Year awards, it seems this game is seen as some kind of Sacred Cow of gaming. Does it live up to the hype? Here are my thoughts(Major spoilers ahead).
The story may seem like a standard zombie apocalypse story, but with unique elements and enemy design, it proves itself to be more. Joel is a veteran who has been hardened by the death of his daughter, Sarah. The prologue shows in full detail what we are to expect, since Sarah's death is shown on-screen. After a Time Skip of 20 years, Joel is not in very good emotional standing, but proves to be in good physical condition. Along the way, he meets Ellie and is immediately reluctant to accompany her. The reveal of Tess being bitten and doomed to turn only makes things worse. Joel and Ellie meet many other survivors in an attempt to find the "Fireflies", a group of advanced and armed individuals looking for a cure to the pandemic. Many, many, unfortunate events ensue, and things only look more and more grim for our 2 protagonists. Except for the addition of a few good things, in light of the horribleness going on for mankind on a global scale. The emotional moments pack a punch, but the ending is exceptional in this regard.
As far as the gameplay goes, it is archaic. The gameplay is really nothing we haven't seen before in other stealth games. It was fun at times, but it seemed extremely tedious and monotonous for the most part.
So, my verdict for the supposed "Best game ever", "Citizen Kane of gaming", "Life-changing experience", is an 8/10. It's no masterpiece by my standards. The game would've gotten a 7/10 had it not been for the fantastic ending. It's still held down by mostly generic and uninspired gameplay, somewhat mitigated by unique enemy design and flashy graphics. The story is the main selling point and the best thing about this game. Does the game live up to the hype? Yes it does.
VideoGame Definitely rent, DON'T BUY
It's simply not worth it. The Last of Us is a game that offers little for it's hype and expectations in the gameplay department. It's not worth having a physical or digital copy of a game you can fully enjoy just ONCE.
For all that "Citizen Kane of gaming" pretentious bullshit said about it, the game is fairly average in the realm of gameplay.
It's a third person shooter with stealth. You fight or stealth your way through, and you manage some resources to keep moving and then repeat the process. Well executed but below the level of AI that was promised originally.
Oh, and there's the occasional interactive element in the environment.
And I have to say this:
The appeal of this game is the story and characters. It's what they marketed so proudly. However, due the lousy execution of the completely standard and not outstanding at all format of "playable segment followed by cutscenes/scripted events" the game loses weight as a narrative piece that uses it's medium to it's advantage. Games that do this do it to justify the actions happening on screen any give the player motivation, but narratively speaking they don't offer a damn thing that couldn't be experienced in other mediums.
Frankly this game could be a fucking book and don't lose a thing when it comes to the story, as it overall it isn't that different from friggin The Legend of Zelda in narrative uses of interactive elements inherent to the gaming world. It doesn't prove that video games can be a narrative gem like lots of it's fans and fan dumb claim, it just proves decent writers can make the script of a video game.
And that is it's biggest gripe. The Last of Us' strongest point and most advertised aspect is something a goddamn let's play could get across. It doesn't involve an experience tied to the personal progress of the player in interactions he can't fully control like Journey. It doesn't tell or leave things through interpretation in the atmosphere as Limbo does. It doesn't let you build the world's lore like Metroid Prime or plenty horrors game do. It doesn't let you choose the outcome of the story like Infamous or other RP Gs would. Is just a nicely written story(and YMMV on that) in the average game package.
So no, it isn't a bad game objectively speaking. But you can get everything out of it in a weekend, so better to do that.
VideoGame Texture and Characters
The Last of Us is one of the most nuanced tales in gaming and makes the best case yet for games which are hybrids of mediums instead of completely focused on visual storytelling or completely focused on engaging gameplay. Each aspect of the game reflects on the others and it creates ideas and feelings that will last long examination.
At the same time, it's a game that is incredibly easy to be overhyped for. It's not an emotional rollercoaster, it's not a supercharged adventure with the pedal always down. It's good in a fairly subtle way for games that can allow for pretty deep conversations entirely based around the material inside the game.
The gameplay instantly creates a mood. The combat system is fantastically formed to allow these little mini stories in world of The Last of Us. You're sneaking around a house and come behind a hostile person, desperately strangling out his air, his friend sees you and smashes you into the wall. You break free and smash his face with a plank so hard that it breaks. Someone else runs in and shoots you in the shoulder knocking him to the floor but you manage to unload your shotgun into him...
Fast, brutal and discomforting. It feels like a struggle between people who've got nothing left, every shot, every blow uses up a little more of the resources you've scrounged from around you. The AI feel like people, they cover each other, they flank, they can lose sight of your and get scared. At first it's thrilling but after a while the violence of it is unsettling.
But there are quiet moments too, a green tree growing through the middle of a grass roofed shopping mall, a little stream untouched by people. The world is still full of a lot of beauty and those moments stop the violence of life from becoming overwhelming.
And then the people of the world are all incredibly complex characters, despite being painted with only a few strokes, who all have involving attitudes to the life presented with them. The ultimately story is more sombre and fatalistic than expected, but it paints the picture of a fascinating character who we really get to see in any kind of media.
It's not an attractive person, it's not even an attractive person in terms of the psychopaths in schlocky thrillers. This game won't force you to love it and the hype backlash is real, but it is there to be loved.
VideoGame A good game, but not an exceptional one
The Last of Us is very hyped, and in my opinion, it's overrated.
The gameplay I found to be a mix of satisfying and frustrating. It's better and sometimes necessary to play stealthy, but a mistake forces you to redo minutes of gameplay. An old-style quicksave would have really helped here. Some say the crafting and RPG mechanics felt tacked on, but I didn't think so. It's tight on resources to the point to force you to think but it doesn't make the game impossible. On the other hand, encounters just aren't as gratifying as some other games, and puzzles are often contrived and tedious. With that being said, I normally stick to other genres, so I'm hesitant to pass judgement too harshly here.
The much lauded story I found somewhat underwhelming. It's not bad, but it's not great, either. It's a fascinating world, the characters are good and play off each other well, and the plot is... well, the plot is actually kind of mediocre. It's frequently cliched and predictable. It does try to be deep, and it's about a fifty/fifty split between times where it works and times where it comes across as pretentious.
The story matters, but so does how it's told. Some segments are weaker than others, but overall storytelling ranges from good to excellent. The problem is that it's hardly the only game in recent history to tell an interesting story and to tell it well.
I should also bring up that it's an entirely linear, entirely railroaded game with no player choice. I know it's not trying to be that type of game, but at times it really felt like I was being railroaded. This doesn't make it a bad game, but in this day and age it feels... uninspired I guess is a way of putting it.
I'll mention graphics in passing only. They're good for a PS3 game, not good to my eyes, and graphics don't make a game. I should mention that smooth animations and excellent faces do contribute to the storytelling.
Long story short, The Last Of Us is a good game. It's visually impressive, it has great storytelling, it's a mostly satisfying experience overall. But it's not the exceptional game many make it out to be. If you're interested, play it, but if you decide against it, you're not missing out on as much as you think.
VideoGame Probably the most overhyped game in recent memory.
The Last of Us is one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time and considered a leap forward in videogame narratives.
...but is it really?
I went into this game expecting not some sort of masterpiece but a decent game. Popular games tend to get overhyped to hell and back, that's nothing new. But even then, I was underwhelmed. I kind of get it; the voice acting and motion capture along with the amazing visuals really help sell how natural the characters feel. But the problem is...there's not really much actual plot in this game, and what plot there is has nothing particularly interesting. Outside of the relatively novel idea behind the cordyceps infection, there is nothing about this game's plot or setting that really stands out. As far as the other characters in the game go, you barely get enough time with them to really form any meaningful emotional connection. The only time I felt emotionally invested was the very beginning; the prologue was excellently done. But there aren't enough "plot bombs" from that point on to really make you invested in what's going on.
The gameplay is also not really much to write home about either. There is a very disappointing lack of variety as far as the types of "zombies" are concerned, there are only 3 in total. The game doesn't give you the option of stealth vs combat as often as you'd think; a lot of the time, you MUST kill all enemies in the area to proceed.
To be perfectly honest, I found Telltale Games' Walking Dead to be a much more engrossing father and daughter in a post-apocalyptic world story. The Last of Us, even disregarding the massive hype, is just a decent/average triple A game with pretty visuals and nothing more.
VideoGame Amazing story, at the expense of gameplay
The characters are very human and believable. Joel and Ellie’s changing relationship was handled brilliantly, with many great moments of Dialog During Gameplay, and many well-done cutscenes. Ellie eventually learning how to handle weapons, and even becoming playable, was great.
The world is also very well-designed. Posters on the wall, handwritten warnings telling people to avoid certain places, and all sorts of ambience really show a world that was lived in, but is falling apart without human maintenance. I enjoyed reading the many notes and diaries scattered about.
But how about the gameplay? After all, this is a game, right?
There were some nice new ideas added to this game that keep things a bit fresh. You can now “see” through walls, allowing you to detect nearby enemies and sneak up on them, making a mixture of stealth and guns blaring a legitimate tactic. Health doesn’t autorefill, which is ironically refreshing. You actually have to think about how to tackle each situation. The crafting system is also a nice idea, giving a bit more strategy, as players may find themselves trying to decide if a Molotov or a medkit is best for the situation.
And that’s basically it for gameplay. They wanted to tell a story here, and tell it their way. Many moments where you walk slowly because they want you to see their world. Their linear world with only some out-of-the-way areas to explore (which at least reduces the linearity and is appreciated). There are the usual scripted segments where you have to follow a specific path while being chased because the story says so, and the intro is just one massive scriptfest thinly disguised as gameplay. There's not enough actual doing stuff.
It’s trends like this, taking the interactivity out of games, that frustrate me. Uncharted started out feeling fresh but gradually got more scripted and artificial-feeling with each sequel, and this only continues that bad trend. A real shame. If this game were less scripted, less linear and more open, and maybe randomized enemy placement and encounters a la Left 4 Dead, it could have been an amazing experience. As it is, it’s just moments of fun combat inbetween scripting and cutscenes telling a great story that you could experience on You Tube anyway.
VideoGame Barely rose above my low expectations
Perhaps it's a testament to how jaded I am, but when I hear cries of "GOTY" or "BEST GAME EVER," I immediately lower my standards in order to enjoy myself, and this game is a prime example of why I do it. Which is not to say I think the game is bad; I found it reasonably enjoyable and on the whole average. But I don't think it deserves all the accolades it received.
The game's strongest point is the visuals. It may just be because I'm not a fan of the whole "zombie apocalypse" genre, but the game's environments genuinely impressed me. It was almost breathtaking. I also enjoyed the implementation of resource management, at least in theory.
In practice, though? There's a lot of times you can't afford to think about managing your inventory. The game presents a choice between combat and stealth as many good games do, but unlike a game I recently played, Deus EX: HR, it didn't seem to want to commit to doing that. It seemed like half of the game's encounters featured either waves of enemies that already know your location when you begin or feature so many enemies positioned in such a way that detection is nigh-inevitable. And on the other hand, there are some areas which strongly discourage combat and are relatively easy to get through killing less than 2-3 enemies. It's as if they're giving you an illusion of choice as to how to approach situations, when in reality, you have to play the game how it wants you to play it. I didn't particularly care for that.
The story was simple and passable, nothing special. The game gives you a lot of character and not a lot of plot, which is the main problem I have. If you're only mildly invested in the characters, like I was, there's not much left over to keep you entertained. There's nothing really unique about it either, no particularly interesting setting details, and anything that could have been interesting (such as the rampant moral ambiguity or the ending) is touched upon in only the most superficial terms. Overall, the story left too much up to the player. Without the serviceable gameplay, I would've been thoroughly disengaged.
Oh yeah, and the five minutes of soundtrack that was there was alright.
There's nothing really fundamentally wrong with this game, but I'd still say it's a definite rent. Unless you somehow haven't heard all the hype, in which case go nuts.
VideoGame Naughty Dog had a story to tell, and they told it... well.
Story and games usually don't meld very well with me. I could care less for most game stories. As long as the gameplay is solid, I can well enough ignore a crappy or half-baked storyline. But... when the stars align and both halves are present and bond in harmony... it's truly something special.
The Last of Us' story isn't really thought provoking, philosophical, or particularly unique in any regard. For the most part, pretty much every zombie apocalypse trope I know of is present (though some of the tropes are played with) and accounted for. However, the way the story is told makes for compelling drama that drove me to the end. The characters are complex and have their own motives and purposes. No character really felt like a total caricature, even the "villain" of the story. It's obvious that Naughty Dog put a lot of love and care into the story and writing. It feels like a good TV or movie drama.
But the gameplay itself should be noted. Again, nothing in the gameplay stands out as particularly original. The usual choice between stealth or action is present, the conservation of resources from games of its ilk is there, and the somewhat shoehorned RPG elements are accounted for. But like the story, the way each of these parts come together make a marvelous whole. The gameplay is always tense. I've never really played many games where finding just two or three bullets/shells felt so amazing. Every single shot is like a gift that should not be wasted haphazardly.
The zombies in this game (yeah, they're basically zombies. Come at me) are pretty damn disturbing in concept and execution. Some can see and others can only sense the player with sound. If one is alerted, you can be damn sure that the rest are too. One single bite from a zombie is fatal regardless of difficulty. Touches like that add so much immersion into the game's world.
The human enemies are ruthless bandits that will gleefully beat the tar out of the player. I grew to hate those bastards. Every single blow is felt and every single one is brutal and weighty. It's a violent, nasty, grim game and I love it for that.
The gameplay and story meld together fantastically. Just for the one playthrough it's well worth the money. It's a must-own for any PS3 owner.
VideoGame A culmination of the good things to make a good thing
Video games have moved firmly from entertainment to art. It's been like that for some time now, even though many don't consider it art or don't enjoy it for the new ideas. So I'm going to borrow a phrase from Yahtzee and call The Last Of Us something which describes everything it is, which is the video game equivalent of Oscar Bait. The fact that we've gone far enough to have Oscar Bait shows how far video games have come.
So what does the movie Oscar Bait do? It hits all the right notes of a drama, with gripping stories, believable characters, and quite often, a really depressing story. All of this is in the game. Also what seems to be in the vogue for "serious" video games is moral quandaries. Put the right kind in your game and people will automatically love your story (except for Haze). Be it white phosphorous from Spec Ops: The Line or Bioshock's slug extraction, moral iffy-ness amazes gamers, and possibly people in general. This game picks all the right story tropes and puts them together to hit home. Children of Men's last hope girl, general grizzled morally ambiguous Papa Wolf with a past trauma, along with a bunch of situations and plot devices that seem to be taken from the Zombie Movie Handbook (if one exists). The plot is indeed predictable, but still moving.
So how about the actual gameplay? Basically it comes down to a more personal and realistic Uncharted through the lens of a post-apocalyptic survival horror. Joel can't break necks like Drake or make jumps like Drake or Rambo it up like Drake, but it's quite obvious where the base of this game is. They refined the stealth mechanic, fixing almost everything people complain about in stealth games. All the enemies don't magically know exactly where you are if one person spots you (well, except for maybe the infected), hit-and-run guerrilla style fighting actually feels like you're picking them off, and there always ways out of a situation if you screw up. Straight shoot outs are generally a bad idea, and a brick is probably one of the most useful tools in the game. On the hardest difficulty, the game gets incredibly tense as you scramble along hoping they haven't seen you.
The Last Of Us is derivative in a good way. It takes the good things, refines them, and puts them together in a way that feels right. If I were to give a letter grade, gameplay A-, story B+.
VideoGame Incredible (some minor spoilers)
I hesitate to call any game flawless. As an experienced gamer, I'm mature enough to realize that there is no such thing as the perfect game, the end-all-be-all experience. Every gamer is unique; they have different interests, different skill levels and skillsets- it's impossible to make a game that hits on every gamers' bases. But damn if The Last Of Us doesn't come frighteningly close to dashing those notions like so much spun glass.
The game immerses you immediately by casting you as the main character's daughter in the very instant the apocalypse begins via parasitic fungus. Buildings explode, infected grasp at you with malicious intent, and panicked crowds run rampant. And then the character you've been controlling the whole time dies, and the game cuts forward 20 years to a world on the ragged edge, as everyone- EVERYONE- is desperately trying to stay alive just one more day. Joel (the aforementioned main character) is a smuggler who in the beginning is just looking for a stolen shipment of weapons. This doesn't last long.
I won't spoil anything- and hell, I'm not even done playing it yet- suffice to say that Joel's notion of an easy shakedown is derailed when he is charged with escorting Ellie, a young girl, across the United States. Along the way, you face off against other survivors, the perils of a collapsing world, and many, many Infected.
The presentation is sublime- the characters are all voiced and animated to perfection (as can be expected from developer Naughty Dog), but the environments are what really shine, completely averting the notion that Real is Brown by placing you in a desolate former America being rapidly reclaimed by nature (Real is Green?). The gameplay supplements the presentation and overall feel of the game beautifully. Combat is quick, frantic, and reeks of desperation. Whether you're trying to strangle that smuggler quickly, hoping his buddy doesn't turn around and see you, or scrounging for supplies, or wading your way through a hallway of Clickers, this game is perfectly willing and able to convey the overall hopelessness of the world.
In the end, The Last Of Us is still not perfect- some minor bugs, such as your companions running full-tilt through enemy territory with nary a glance break up the immersion slightly. But the overall package is highly recommendable. Seriously, play this game. NOW.
VideoGame One of best games ever
The characters seem real,the cut-scenes are amazing,the zombies gave me nightmares.From the intro i knew i will love it.One of rare games to make me cry and it's hard to make me cry. Unfortunately because i live in Serbia and my family income is limited it's unlikely i'll get closer to it then let's plays on You Tube.If you can't buy it I would recommend The Rad Brad's walk-trough.He uploads every day and is a good gamer.If you want a game that has a good plot,great graphics and believable characters it's worth the money. 10/10
VideoGame A hard but enjoyable game.
I'd heard good things about The Last of Us, so it was one of the games I most wanted to check out on the PS 3, along with Persona 5 and the Kingdom Hearts 2.5 collection. Now, having recently completed it after a lengthy hiatus from it, I highly recommend it to anyone with a console that runs it and the patience for a challenging game.
The game takes place in a futuristic United States ravaged by the cordyceps virus, which turned many people into zombies and caused the survivors to start killing each other. Joel, a jaded middle-aged smuggler, is asked to escort a girl named Ellie across the country, and they end up developing an unlikely bond.
The characters are generally well-written and engaging, especially the leads. Ellie is hardly one-dimensional or stereotypical, since while she can be naive and immature in some ways, she's also rather foulmouthed and is able to fight and kill if necessary. As for Joel, he's a complicated character who undergoes believable Character Development. While he naturally comes to care for Ellie over time, that doesn't magically make a ruthless and amoral man like him a good person; in fact, it arguably makes him worse in some ways. Most of the rest of the cast are well-rounded and complex individuals, and the story invites us to come to our own conclusions about their actions.
As someone who played the PS 3 version, I was amazed by the graphics (which are admittedly dated), especially the keen attention to detail seen in the areas that Joel, Ellie and their companions explore. From graffiti on walls to posters and other notices, you can get the people that people used to live and work in the ruined cities.
The gameplay is rather challenging, giving you scarce supplies to defeat strong and intelligent foes, forcing you to fight well, use stealth and make your resources count. Human foes respond to your behavior and intelligently hunt you down, while infected can potentially kill you in a single attack. The game can be frustrating at times, so I had to turn it down to Easy to complete the game, and gave up on it for a while. When i did come back to it, some of the more difficult encounters, especially involving Clickers and Bloaters, took me multiple attempts.
That being said, I'm glad I gave The Last of Us a second chance. I recommend it to anyone who's interested in it, even if I do also encourage them to stick with it if they end up having trouble.