The Last of Us opinions (Spoilers)

[+wongojack]

I just finished playing "The Last of Us" on PS3. What do Atariagers think of this game? I think it is fine, but I'm not sure I understand all the praise that this game has gotten. I'm a little disappointed with the story as it is really just another zombie story. This one is the special immune one and now the person I most care about has been bitten . . . blah blah. I was hoping for a bit more originality. I guess life is hard after you've consumed everything there is that carries the name "The Walking Dead." Or "Y the Last Man" or Fallout or even more original zombie related stuff like BioShock and Dead Space.

Actually, I didn't really enjoy the core gameplay for most of the game. I didn't look forward to the conflicts as I felt they were trying to teach me something new about how to kill stuff with each encounter. It's more like trying to figure out what they expect me to do rather than actually play the game. Also, those baddies are real bullet sponges while one molotov can take out a whole group just by barely getting something hot. It seemed the guns were almost useless at first and then they decided : I got it, let's make them shoot stuff like 40 times while hanging upside down!

There was one action sequence where I finally gave up fighting the game and figured out what they were doing. A part where you have to start a generator to swipe a keycard and escape a basement to rejoin Elle. In that section, you'd pull the cord - zombie. Kill the zombie and pull the cord - more zombie. You had to do it their way. I had to make peace with the fact that you can't really get through most of the encounters without dying the first time. It's more like a horror movie where your hero always has an incredibly thin margin of success. Not like Batman where you are a bada$$ and can always beat up everything. Of course, having access to all the weapons helped me enjoy it more too. The bow was fun.

The Uncharted characters were so much more interesting. There really isn't much going on story wise early-on, and Joel doesn't give us much of a reason to give a crap about him. However, things got ALOT better after the Wyoming power plant with his brother. Joel was barely even a character up until that point.

I think it would be more fun a second time through. Now that I've learned to stop worrying and love the spores so to speak. Unfortunately the copy that was given to me was used, so there is no online multiplayer for me. I've also got so many other games to play.

[WestofHouse]

My reaction to the game was somewhat similar to yours, but I still enjoyed it a lot. After all the hype surrounding the game I guess I was expecting something amazing. The opening scene blew me away, but after that I was disappointed to see that it's just another sneak-and-kill type zombie game. Like you I came to dislike the zombie encounters a lot, but I found the story and acting so well done that I wanted to keep going.

 

My favorite moments in the game happened in the cut scenes. And the ending is simply sublime. It left me thinking about the game for a long time.

[Mord]

My favorite moments in the game happened in the cut scenes. And the ending is simply sublime. It left me thinking about the game for a long time.

 

This is probably where most of the praise for the game comes from - the "movie" in the game rather than the game itself. I've seen many reviews that seemed to say this kind of thing at any rate. I still haven't played it myself as the game itself doesn't seem to interest me (Not a huge fan of zombie shooting games.) and cut scenes alone aren't worth full price. If it goes below 20 used I might start being tempted to pick up a copy.

[WestofHouse]

I don't blame you. My copy of the game came with the PS3 bundle I bought last December. I enjoyed it, but I'm glad I didn't pay full price for it.

[+wongojack]

My reaction to the game was somewhat similar to yours, but I still enjoyed it a lot. After all the hype surrounding the game I guess I was expecting something amazing. The opening scene blew me away, but after that I was disappointed to see that it's just another sneak-and-kill type zombie game. Like you I came to dislike the zombie encounters a lot, but I found the story and acting so well done that I wanted to keep going.

 

My favorite moments in the game happened in the cut scenes. And the ending is simply sublime. It left me thinking about the game for a long time.

 

The acting and the ending were pretty great. I liked Elle a lot.

 

I also played TWD S2 E5 yesterday after finishing it. That was kind of a mistake. Too much serious zombie story at once.

[WestofHouse]

I'm just zombied out at this point. I tried playing Dead Space 3 when it was offered as a freebie for Playstation Plus, and after about 15 minutes I'd had enough.

[cimerians]

Great game, came out at the time when Walking Dead on TV and zombies were at a fever pitch (even though these are not typical zombies). Its a bit dated right now even the PS4 version (which I'm currently playing) but I can't really say anything worse than that. Its just a great story with some really good characters you love and hate (much like a TV series).

 

To me it sits in the Adventure\Tomb Raider genre kind of like Uncharted and it destroys any other game of its type that I've ever played in terms of story, acting and characters. And yes gameplay too. (Yes I have played the new Tomb Raider and this game and Uncharted bury it). Not sure which is my favorite though, this or Uncharted.

 

I can't recommend it enough, I've wasted so much time on games like Resident Evil 6 (awful) that games like this are a treasure to me.

 

Oh and..... I like Ellie a lot but it's very cool being Joel so I think I'd pick Joel as my favorite.

[WestofHouse]

 

To me it sits in the Adventure\Tomb Raider genre kind of like Uncharted and it destroys any other game of its type that I've ever played in terms of story, acting and characters.

 

That's a good way to describe it, but I enjoyed the latest Tomb Raider game as much or more. The story wasn't quite as good, but it was still well-written and Laura's character arc is great. Plus, as Han said "I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around."

[cybercylon]

 

That's a good way to describe it, but I enjoyed the latest Tomb Raider game as much or more. The story wasn't quite as good, but it was still well-written and Laura's character arc is great. Plus, as Han said "I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around."

Sometimes I am in the mood for that. How many can I take down with just a shank... just like MGS games... how far can I get by with just the tranq gun and sneaking around.

 

I have to be in the right mood though. There are times where I won't touch games like this...

[WestofHouse]

Sometimes I am in the mood for that. How many can I take down with just a shank... just like MGS games... how far can I get by with just the tranq gun and sneaking around.

 

I have to be in the right mood though. There are times where I won't touch games like this...

 

I'm the same way. But I like having the option. What I loved about Tomb Raider is that you could finish the whole game using only the bow and/or stealth melee kills if you want. Or you could just go in with guns blazing.

[cimerians]

For those who like melee combat in the game which I thought was pretty damn cool, I think this link is really interesting:

 

http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/09/07/naughty-dog-explains-the-tricks-behind-the-last-of-us-bloody-melee-combat-and-synced-animations/

 

 

Also for anyone who hasn't tried it yet and loves stealth game play, action or a mix of the two (that does change the ending) I highly recommend Dishonored.

 

I'm tempted to pick up Sniper III...

 

Also, in Tomb Raider if anyone here has finished it try going back through the island after its cleared out. I thought it was pretty nice to see.