Finally got to play The Last Of US

Since I missed out on the game last year because I didn't own a PS3,I was incredibly happy when they announced a remastered version for the PS4.I feel that I got a great deal also.For $10 less than most people paid, I got the bonus of 1080p resolution,60fps,updated textures and the story and multiplayer DLC included.

The story was still great to experience even though I kinda spoiled it for myself last year when I watched a playthrough on youtube.But the gameplay was also incredible.Here's what p!sses me off.A lot of people were saying that it's all about the story and other ridiculous things like calling it a movie.It didn't feel like that at all.It struck the perfect balance between gameplay and narrative.There was a lot of gameplay,and let me tell you.It was some of the most intense gameplay I've ever experienced.Often times I was scared for my life and the fact that bullets are hard to come by makes it even more intense and really gets you invested in the world.I really felt like I was fighting for survival in a genuine zombie apocalypse.And those moments of walks in nature while having light hearted talks with Ellie really provided a much needed relief after some of the more intense sections in the game.

TLOU for me is now the second best game of all time,the first being the Mass Effect trilogy.After seeing what Naughty Dog can accomplish,now I am really looking forward to Uncharted 4 and I won't even think twice about pre ordering.

I envy those who get to experience it for the first time on the PS4. But I suppose The Last of Us is one of the PS3's best looking games and I didn't really have any issues with the way it looked. The frame rate, while obviously not 60fps, was usually stable, but I guess it would have been nice to play it with a higher frame rate. But yeah, The Last of Us turned out to be one of my favorite games of all time, right behind Fallout 3. I agree with what you say about people calling it a movie. I thought the gameplay was excellent and there was a great balance of story telling and intense gameplay. I pretty much liked every aspect of the game, even the multiplayer, which is something I don't care too much for in general anymore. So yeah, glad ya liked it.

i own ps3 and ps4 versions of last of us i love it onr of the best games of all time for me i hope ND if make last of us 2 dont change the formula or else better dont make sequel glad ya like it

I don't know if a sequel would have the same impact as the first one did.I would be excited to hear about a sequel but at the same time I kinda wish they wouldn't make one.I think Naughty Dog should make a Sci-Fi game next with great story and gameplay.

@bizzy-sgs: Same, got to play it for the first time too.

"But the gameplay was also incredible.Here's what p!sses me off.A lot of people were saying that it's all about the story and other ridiculous things like calling it a movie.It didn't feel like that at all.It struck the perfect balance between gameplay and narrative.There was a lot of gameplay,and let me tell you.It was some of the most intense gameplay I've ever experienced.Often times I was scared for my life and the fact that bullets are hard to come by makes it even more intense and really gets you invested in the world.I really felt like I was fighting for survival in a genuine zombie apocalypse."

Completely agreed with you right there too. Personally, one of the best apocalyptic game I've played (I loved The Walking Dead too but its a completely different kind of game).

Glad you enjoyed it, it is definitely one of the best games around. I haven't yet bought the PS4 version since I played it on my PS3 but all in due time. I'm still catching up to some of the current generation games and going through the Witcher series to be ready for the Witcher 3. ;P

Did you really think TLOU received so many goty nods based on the story alone? As great as the story is I find the gameplay just as raw and violently satisfying. I'm currently playing "grounded" on my fifth play-through and there's still nothing like clearing a room of runners and clickers by the skin of one's teeth.

I'm playing on normal and I'm already terrified lol.I would never have the courage to play it on grounded.It would probably be really satisfying but it would be too intense.

There was alot of interaction but it was far from what I would call gameplay..... Glad you enjoyed it though

Totally agree. Gameplay was great. Lot of exploration and challenge.

As for the story...well, there is not much I can say. It's amazing.

Butt-hurt

Glad you love the game I really cared for the likes of Joel and Ellie and the things that had happened. I like that the gameplay is not all shooting. Stealth and being clever is one thing that I love about games. A brilliant game no matter what Playstation you play it on.

@DHMATT90

You assume I said that as an insult...... Its actually a good thing.....

Still not getting it.

why

Whenever a mass audience praises a story, at least in my personal experience, it's usually nowhere near as stellar as they make out. That goes for any media. Just look at IMDB, for example. All I've been hearing is how great this game is and how worthy it is of GOTY awards and it's the best or second best game some people have ever played. Really? I just don't buy all the hype. Call it intuition. I think the basic premise is highly cliched and I've yet to see anyone take the time to explain why it's so great. Besides, I can watch a great film for a solid narrative, but what is so special about the game-play? Too many empty statements floating around. It's off putting. I might buy it when it costs about half as much as it does now because a port is a port and that price is daylight robbery. I'm actually considering going all digital for my PS4 purchases now because publishers are going well overboard with pre-order DLC, add-ons, special editions, collector's editions, limited editions and whatever else 'editions'. That's one thing that I will forever praise Nintendo on. I'm just trying to de-programme myself first because I've always gone the physical route. For me, the 'big' physical PS4 releases that are approaching include The Witcher 3 (Feb 5th 2015), Dragon Age: Inquisition (Nov 21st of this year in the EU and I'd imagine the UK too) and The Division (which I'm hesistant about now considering Ubisoft's track record of late) so I have a bit of time to make up my mind :). I was excited about Lords of the Fallen, but it looks super clunky, just like another similar game.

Ok

@sukraj: Don't bother asking people questions if you don't want a response next time.

@bizzy-sgs:

Those guys probably never played Beyond Two Souls or Telltale Games like TWD or TWAU. TLOU is far away from being an interactive movie. If it were such thing, you could probably call almost any other action adventure the same.

As for the difficulty: I just completed it on grounded (funny how they call it, in my native language it means in english "merciless" or "unforgiven"). There were lots of scenes a pain in the ass. Thanks to the statistics I can proudly announce that I've died 91 times on my third playthrough, former on normal and survivor. Yes, it IS definitely hard. Not because you almost find nothing to craft or ammo but they touched the checkpoints, too. The hydroelectric facility? There is no checkpoint at all. You start at the raid and got to get to Ellie. If you die right before you have to start the whole scene again at the beginning of the raid. The same goes for the hospital at the end and several other scenes. You just don't "try" anything if you already sneaked around for 5 or 10 minutes. You try... to be SURE.

The scene were Ellie covers you? I think it was two hours it took me. I've beat it with minimum health (it doesn't matter, however if you have 10% or 40% because both isn't enough to survive a punch or shot), and killed near endless enemies. My hands were shaking after that. Believe me. "Ground" is really intense. Everyone should play it at least once after they finished it on normal (the most balanced difficulty). Grounded is definitely unforgiving.

My advice is to play the games before the HYPE reaches levels that affect your enjoyment. If possible, ignore the HYPE?

I do the same thing for movies, music, and books...works great for games. HYPE kills games if you let it. You end up critical of every flaw due to the HUGE HYPE even beyond games. It can affect works of art, music, books, tv shows, and movies.

How I accomplish this goal is I follow developers, so instead of religiously buying a brand of games, I buy from developers I trust. When Naughty Dog said they were making The Last of Us, I was on board, not because TLOU HYPE, but because ND was crafting it. I knew after playing their Jak and Daxter trilogy, Crash original trilogy, and Uncharted trilogy that I was in for a treat.

I didn't have mountains of people praising TLOU when I was playing it because i already knew it was going to be good and at the time I was in that first bracket of buyers. It helps to be first in line in a great game to formulate your own opinion.

This process also helps me avoid buying stinkers. I like Rocksteady, developers of the first two Batman Asylum games. However, the most recent game, Batman Origins, wasn't a Rocksteady game so I avoided it until it was under $20. Glad I did, the reviews weren't as good as the first two by a long shot. The dev, Rocksteady, didn't make origins because they were hard at work on a brand new Batman PS4/Xbone game. I'm down for that. That's just an example.

I won't be buying The Last of Us for PS4 until it's $20, but not because I didn't enjoy it. It's because I beat it four times on PS3, got a Platinum Trophy, and I just don't feel like playing it again so soon. I'm interested that The Last of Us remastered comes with DLC, so maybe I'll pick it up next year when it's $20 or less. I bought the original game for $60. I am also considering the PS3 DLC when that goes on sale, if it ever does.

I also follow movie directors, music artists, and book writers in the same fashion. I think you understand this concept, because you mentioned Nintendo above (who I also enjoy), so that's one company you have some faith in, Tootles.

@filben

Survivor Difficulty was broken enough ! Why they bothered with Grounded is beyond all logic.

Also TLOU is not an Action Adventure game, I know you never said that it was but I'm just to trying to clarify.

Yep the only people who say it's just a movie is Xbox fanboys who are jealous that they have no developer in the same league as naughty dog and have to rely on heavy shooters and over the top action to get by, The Last Of Us for me is the game which defines the last generation and what gaming has become, a place for hollywood story telling and gameplay to match.

Well, let's not argue about genre definition for the sake of its definition because it was never clear and never will be. Today's genres are even more mixed than before because it seems every one want some upgrading-rpg-like system in their games. I wouldn't call TLOU a shooter because there is too few shooting in it (see Max Payne for reference), nor it is a pure stealth game because the stealth mechanics are too simple (see Splinter Cell for reference). It is no classical adventure because there are too few puzzles but it does have action. And its level-design really speaks in favour of adventures (linear level design with small opening hubs to be explored but with mostly one entrance to the next passage/scene). So action adventure (maybe you could call it horror survival but this and action adventure doesn't exclude each other) might be the best to describe it.

And that's what genres for. It's not about denying or insulting a game (and therefore its gamers, because THEY often feel insulted, too, if someone says something against it), e.g. by calling an RPG rather an action adventure. And you don't put in categories just for the sake of putting it in categories or to argue about and which game is a REAL RPG/shooter/whatever. It's about knowing what to expect from a game if someone says "it's a shooter". And for TLOU I think action adventure is the most approriate and least misleading. If someone would ask for a shooter, TLOU would rather be a bad advice. I would recommend Bioshock or Max Payne over it, even Mass Effect, depending on his preferences, but with the addition that he have to expect RPG-elements in it.

That's why, although I haven't cleary stated in my post before, I would refer to TLOU as an action adventure. You may come up with a more approriate description in one or two words (=genre). But it doesn't change my first intention, that you have to call most of the games of THAT genre also interactive movies. That would be wrong. Unless "interactive movie" became a genre and you really want to put it there. But then again you had to choose another "interactive movie"-genre for games like Beyond Two Souls because what ever genre you might want the games assigned to, they are way different.

@filben

All I'm saying is Theres no Adventure elements in The Last Of Us.... Thats one thing thats not part of the "mix". The most accurate description would be, Survival Action Game.

Heres the thing.... In Survival Difficulty theres limited resources yet Ellie will often give you resources when you're running low.... Which kinda defeats the purpose of the difficulty. But without those resources it exposes flaws in the game's design and balance. They should have left it at Easy, Normal and Hard, everything beyond that was Artificial Difficulty, "Hardcore Gamers" are suckers for Bullet Sponges and Limited Resources..

Well, this is the only way I can put this and if it upsets you oh well . . . your "Intuition," sucks! Denying yourself and hating on a game because of its popularity reeks of self-important adolescence. You're right, in our world, most things that are popular actually do suck but we only know this from experiencing and sampling said "things." In these days of online video sharing, when it comes to videogames, some people watch a video or two of a game and think they're in a position to authoritatively comment on a game's quality or value. Well, doing so is folly. If you're the type of person who would let hype or praise or popularity taint whether you enjoy something without actually trying it, that is an ignorant, bitter way to go through life. You write that the premise of TLOU is "highly cliche'd" and I'd say haven't all classic troupes been over-used and repeated throughout the history of entertainment. It is this way because they say something about humanity and most carry an honesty about the human condition that bare repeated demonstration. That comment about the premise being cliche' is cliche' if we're to get right down to it.

class. The level of detail and ambiance put into the game's setting has rarely been approached by any console game OR pc game for that matter. All of these elements are strung together in a moving, intense and mature way and there are few videogames that have touched the majority of those who have played it like the TLOU has. There, how's that for an "empty" viewpoint of the game.

I write this not necessarily to attack you but to help give you and otherS like you my viewpoint on why the game matters and why it is worth a play-through. There are many who miss the point and the entertainment of something like TLOU because they're too busy disassembling it while they are playing to let the game affect them. It's the whole. "the controls don't work the way 'I' want them too," the, "I've played scarier games," the, "I've read better apocalyptic novels," and lastly, "I wanted a different ending." For the individual, each of these critiques might be valid, but as a whole, as a product of consumer entertainment in the medium of videogames, TLOU has few equals.

Now, there are those who don't seem to enjoy the game and they'll latch on to one or two things that they were disappointed by and that's fine but to pig-headedly deny the game's overall brilliance because you're(the proverbial you) looking for flaws or chinks in the game because of hype or popularity speaks more about you(once again, the proverbial you) as a pop-culture, counter-consumer than the actual game because, as 3rd-person, survival/action/horror games go, TLOU has undoubtedly raised the bar. Deny that at your folly!

Somehow my 2nd paragraph was chopped, here it is:

The gunplay and melee combat is as brutal and visceral as the world they are implemented. The enemy AI is also as relentless and brutal. The story is simple and yet it allows for greater complexity for it's characters. The characters are both well-written and well-acted, all of whom breathe honesty into the chapters they inhabit. That goes for all characters that are introduced. As for the cutscenes, they are not only some of the very best that have ever graced a videogame visually, the level of acting and humanity they display gives the best pay-cable shows a run for their money. The graphics and art direction are both first class. The level of detail and ambiance put into the game's setting has rarely been approached by any console game OR pc game for that matter. All of these elements are strung together in a moving, intense and mature way and there are few videogames that have touched the majority of those who have played it like the TLOU has. There, how's that for an "empty" viewpoint of the game.

@porkchopxp

Thats true I'm one of the people who only latch on to one or two things of the entirety of any game.... That thing just happens to be gameplay which should be the most important part of the whole. Which TLOU didn't raise the bar in. Atleast none that I experienced.

@Lulu_Lulu:

You're right, the gameplay did not raise the bar. However, I did find it highly intense and enjoyable and befitting Naughty Dog's vision for the world it's(the gameplay) placed into.

@porkchopxp

Are you saying the game's narrative is inline with the gameplay ?

If so then I agree, but that doesn't negate the flaws. It does yield a better interactive active narrative experience, like it did in Beyond, which is not a game BTW.

@porkchopxp:

If I wanted a dogmatic, subjective view of why the game is great I'd have asked for one outright. I won't bother dissecting that drivel.

I want a level-headed analysis of the game not assumptions and empty statements.

At least you got all that pent up frustration out. I can see it was eating away at you.

Waste of my time.

This game is worth playing no matter how hyped it is...

It might not be everything you would expect, but it is still worth playing it =) You're loosing the chance of playing a great game man

@DHMATT90

Carefull now.... You might oversell it.

@Lulu_Lulu: Says the guy always doing damage control.

It does sound like I'm fucking selling the game, I'll give you that tho.

@DHMATT90

Huh ? When did I do damage control.

I usually just do damage.

You're saying my issue with your post doesn't demonstrate level-headedness but your refusing to play a game because of its universal acclaim does? So your argument is not whether TLOU is worth playing but that it's probably only worth playing at half its current price? Your issue isn't with the game or saving money, it's with refusing to jump on a bandwagon or associating yourself with anything too popular; perhaps because it makes you look mindless or feel like a sheep? So you''ll wait until the craze dies down to play it and somehow in your mind, since you resisted the urge to jump in with everyone else, you'll maintain some twisted form of superiority over us mindless drones who like the game for no other reason(since no one has apparently expressed why they liked the game to your satisfaction) than it's what everyone else is doing. Do yourself a favor and lose the ego and grow up.

@bezza2011 Exactly, thank you :) Someone that gets it!

How does a digital purchase affect such things?

You're posting that you won't buy a video game because of it's popularity on a forum, how valuable can your time possibly be?

meh chana sagaa not got sternch you comment in rude but not stinker ok bossman my comment not offend ok boss not like go away innit.

why do people care about the hype, i love games, i love shooters, i love action games, i love good stories, i love sp, i love mp, so i just play the game...

btw, am i the only one who feels that tlou is partly inspired by the movie "the road"??? :D

I know Ellie tend to give you medkits if you're low on them. But she doesn't immediatly. I did try to "abuse" that mechanic by not crafting any medkits and just rely on Ellie. Didn't work out, though. If you're badly hurt and do really need one you have to use it in many situation and waiting for it to come could kill you.

On grounded they removed it, however. I think it's good they added those difficulties. Why not giving player options? As long as nobody's forced to play on a specific difficulty it's alright. As I said, grounded feels really intense, although some scenes were quite unfair. But the Devs were fair to exclude this one from the trophies if one care about that.

So, if you find the balance broken just don't play on those difficulties.

I think you have a solid/good point on why you won't touch the game, I respect that. Truth be told, I went into the game with low expectations because I didn't want to be disappointed and feared that it will probably be 'overrated' or is 'overhyped'. And again, "Whenever a mass audience praises a story, at least in my personal experience, it's usually nowhere near as stellar as they make out." Exactly. Exactly why I went into it with low-expectations. I don't know if you'll like the game or not, because I don't know what kind of games you like xD but if you want something different from other games, I call The Last of Us. I won't try to convince you to get it, because it seems like with you it must be pretty hard to convince?

"I think the basic premise is highly cliched" Exactly. There's been too many zombie/post-apocalyptic games in this generation, but they're usually more about the gameplay and far less about the story. However, people asks what did Naughty Dog do in The Last of Us that is different from other games? I think they tackled the story as well as the gameplay very well. If you're the kind of gamer that solely loves 'shooter/ shoot-and-run' games, I wouldn't recommend this at all. Naughty Dog does something with the The Last of Us that is different and new from other AAA games which I can't exactly explain without spoiling it. The story in The Last of Us is completely different from those other 'post-apocalyptic' stories, and if you do happen to play it, you'll see why :D

Port is a port. Sure, the graphics aren't a huge leap from the PS3 version, but graphics don't always matter (to me at least) and you get the DLC along with the game too! :DD And also, I COMPLETELY agree with you in the last part about the 'DLC's' and everything, I'm switching to digital purchases too :) Cheers!

@filben

"....if you find the balance broken just don't play on those difficulties."

and how do you propose I do that ?

Can't you fanboys talk about other games for a change?

@Farty_Fartsalot

LOL.... Other games are not as good as, plus they are Multiplatform and nobody cares about that.

Choosing a different one, e.g. "Normal".

@filben

HELLO.... You can't know if something is flawed before trying it..... Thats what I meant.

Hello! You can switch back.

@filben

I would have to restart.... Lose all my upgrades.

Aww man, yes, that's lame. That's the reason why I begin EVERY game on "normal" (or "medium") because when it says "normal" I think that's the most balanced and solid experience the developers intended. How it's meant to be played. Everything else is optional and could be well off balance.

@filben

I play games on all the difficulties. From easiest to Impossible.