trying to enjoy the game..

[KamakuraHero]

I just don't get this "trying to like/enjoy something" mentality at all!. Forget the hype about the game and don't expect to find something else than this game has to offer. This is a 3rd person survival/stealth game, heavily story driven, with great characters.

[rockstarjazz]

i'm now up to the point where joel teaches ellie how to use the rifle as he deals with a group on the ground. this whole stealth thing is fun its almost like playing manhunt! i wonder how do you kill those bloaters because those things use up nearly all my resources

[Juzota]

8 hours ago, rockstarjazz said:

 i wonder how do you kill those bloaters because those things use up nearly all my resources

 

Molotov + couple of shotgun blasts should do the trick.

[GoldenShaka]

On 2/16/2017 at 5:52 AM, LunchCannon54 said:

I think liking the game is fine and I don't think it's expressly terrible, but to put it as one of the best games you've ever played I simply can't believe. Have you not played any other game in your life? I don't know why people treat generic zombie (sorry fungus monster) human drama number 4590 as some artistic masterpiece and the stealth gameplay is nothing to write home about and has been done better in countless other games. Mind you I got bored with it well before Ellie even appeared so I'm probably not the best judge I'll admit but the way people elevate everything Naughty Dog produces as some groundbreaking technological and emotional masterpiece is beyond me, especially considering they used to make much more entertaining games that actually properly balanced gameplay and story as opposed to slowing everything down for two seconds for more inane dialogue. I think it's a desperate attempt to be taken seriously as an artform so they'll take anything that's even promoted as such. I have a bit more experience with the Uncharted games and they're some of the most dull games I've ever played. Again, not outright terrible, but just a generic third person shooter with the occasional platforming (barely) elements.

 

The worst thing is Naughty Dog seems to have some disdain for their older games and thinks they're too mature for kiddie stuff and have evolved beyond it. Hell, TLOU came about because they were trying to make a darker an grittier Jak and Daxter but couldn't censor themselves. It's also sad to see this mentality in the current ND fans as well.

 

Yeah ND, you've evolved. Into the same crap everyone else has. 

Well, as you said it's nothing out of this world. But for many gamers it was needed. The closer to reality they aproached with the game, no matter all the cliches and simple gameplay the game has. That's why they fight so much the "Ey, these are not zombies". Big reason for all of the praise from the media, journalists.

People that felt as outcasts playing video games, and now they show TLOU to tell the others: Look, how mature games can be. This is not fiction, it's  REAL.

 

[yellowwindow7]

before this thread get filled with TLOU haters comments agrees with anyone saying negative stuff about the game I must say, this game got praises from all over the world and currently it's one of the best Playstation exclusive to date, it's far from been a bad or disappointing, it sold pretty well too, if you didn't likes it then really the game isn't for you.

[DeadStanley]

On 2/14/2017 at 2:32 PM, rockstarjazz said:

and my god, this game is DULL!!

 

I'm glad to hear that I wasn't the only one who thought so, especially given the amount of praise it gets. I'll say this though, I think it's one of those games that you need to be in the proper mindset to play. I never finished it, but I don't plan on giving up on it. 

[rockstarjazz]

well maybe the game got off to a slow start but it's gotten good now. i have just finished summer (where the black dude shot himself, that was a good cutscene) and am about to start fall. i like the differing scenarios the game makes, e.g. getting to the sniper in the house, and holding off infected in the house while the kids are outside. i am wondering how am i going to do some scenarios when i reach grounded mode! i havent found a use yet for the smoke bomb and the nail bomb is proving useless because infected always go past it. at this point in the game i havent even got any trophies yet so am betting i am going to be playing this game for sometime to get those but its a good journey thus far.

[Yavieh]

A lot of people say that. But the truth is that I really enjoyed the game I was hooked from the beginning. I guess that everyone talking very positive about the game sometimes doesn't help because you expect a lot from it. So at the end  you do not enjoy the game and you spent all the time thinking that it was overrated. 

[closertim]

I enjoyed the game but it wasn't anything special.  Online however is where it's at.  

[LunchCannon54]

18 hours ago, GoldenShaka said:

Well, as you said it's nothing out of this world. But for many gamers it was needed. The closer to reality they aproached with the game, no matter all the cliches and simple gameplay the game has. That's why they fight so much the "Ey, these are not zombies". Big reason for all of the praise from the media, journalists.

People that felt as outcasts playing video games, and now they show TLOU to tell the others: Look, how mature games can be. This is not fiction, it's  REAL.

 

I think if people feel the need to justify themselves to outsiders then they're not really very mature to begin with. Who gives a shit what other people think? 

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

On 17/02/2017 at 10:06 PM, yellowwindow7 said:

before this thread get filled with TLOU haters comments agrees with anyone saying negative stuff about the game I must say, this game got praises from all over the world and currently it's one of the best Playstation exclusive to date, it's far from been a bad or disappointing, it sold pretty well too, if you didn't likes it then really the game isn't for you.

 

Gone Home has gotten a lot of praise too. Critics are suckers for touchy-feely storylines. Make up your own mind, for sure but the answer to "I don't like it" can't always be "it's not for you then".

 

I liked the story and cinematography of TLOU but I definitely think the game is overrated and doesn't deserve to headline as many "top best games" lists as it does these days.

[rockstarjazz]

i just met some giraffes in the game.

 

i was going to ask - when i complete this on normal, can i start my next game not on hard but on hard+, rolling over all weapons i got from this game so i can max out? if so how do i do that?

also can't i just use chapter select to collect remaining collectibles, conversations, shiv doors and finding power-up money? would the collectibles i already collected be in the new playthrough/chapter select or will it not be there if i picked it up already, to save me confusion as to what i got?

 

i might get the plat and skip the grounded mode as that seems to be too much for me unless theres a way around it - for example i know simply creeping up wont work with clickers anymore and hud is disabled as is senses

[Omelette Paradise]

Lots of salty comments from TLOU haters in this thread 

 

Personally I absolutely loved it. I was gripped from start to finish.

 

It's not perfect though and I found the stealth mechanics to be rather wonky as others have said. Playing the game on Grounded difficulty makes that even clearer.

[rockstarjazz]

finished the story and am now working through the trophies. there should be more story-related trophies. i hate collectibles! just need the shiv doors, jokes, convos and updgrades all done, replay the story on survivor plus.

 

how hard are the multiplayer trophies do they need weeks of grinding? can they be boosted?

[QuentinCle95]

4 hours ago, rockstarjazz said:

finished the story and am now working through the trophies. there should be more story-related trophies. i hate collectibles! just need the shiv doors, jokes, convos and updgrades all done, replay the story on survivor plus.

 

how hard are the multiplayer trophies do they need weeks of grinding? can they be boosted?

 

The MP takes a long time. At a bare minimum, you'll have to do 168 matches, and each match can take upwards of 20 minutes, so you could be looking at 50+ hours. 

All the silver trophies that are DLC can be boosted, but can be earned without too much trouble without boosting, as well (Remark: I've heard the requirements for the same trophies are much tougher in the PS3 version than the PS4 version, so on PS3, boosting is advised).

For the vanilla MP trophies, however, boosting won't help you much. The time it'll take to organise the boosting rules, etc. would probably outweigh how long it took to just do the matches yourself. 

Be very careful: the two gold MP trophies are "missable" in a way. Namely: it is possible to lose all your progress if you don't meet a certain challenge on specific days throughout the journey. This happened to me: I wasn't able to fulfill a challenge in one of the later matches, and thus had to start my progress towards the journey from Match 1 again. If you just save the easy challenges for the times where your entire progress is at stake (as opposed to just when a part of your clan is in danger, or there's an opportunity to collect more people), and you should be fine, though. 

[Remilia Scarlet]

On 2/16/2017 at 5:52 AM, LunchCannon54 said:

Yeah ND, you've evolved. Into the same crap everyone else has. 

 

No. Very few developers can boast that they have writers as talented as Naughty Dog. Yes, The Last of Us is clichéd, but it carries those clichés well because the game was written by a masterful team of storytellers. 

 

Even fewer developers can boast over 240 awards. Naughty Dog games have consistently ranked among the best ever made, and there is reason for that. They are in the elite when it comes to video game development, so no, they are most definitely not like everybody else.

[Remilia Scarlet]

On 2/19/2017 at 3:56 AM, rockstarjazz said:

i just met some giraffes in the game.

 

i was going to ask - when i complete this on normal, can i start my next game not on hard but on hard+, rolling over all weapons i got from this game so i can max out? if so how do i do that?

also can't i just use chapter select to collect remaining collectibles, conversations, shiv doors and finding power-up money? would the collectibles i already collected be in the new playthrough/chapter select or will it not be there if i picked it up already, to save me confusion as to what i got?

 

i might get the plat and skip the grounded mode as that seems to be too much for me unless theres a way around it - for example i know simply creeping up wont work with clickers anymore and hud is disabled as is senses

 

You can use Chapter Select for the collectibles and conversations. However you should reach a new checkpoint after finishing a section to make sure it saves. In addition you can also use it for every difficulty trophy. 

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

23 minutes ago, AnimeDreama said:

 

No. Very few developers can boast that they have writers as talented as Naughty Dog. Yes, The Last of Us is clichéd, but it carries those clichés well because the game was written by a masterful team of storytellers. 

 

Even fewer developers can boast over 240 awards. Naughty Dog games have consistently ranked among the best ever made, and there is reason for that. They are in the elite when it comes to video game development, so no, they are most definitely not like everybody else.

 

Please. They're not masterful storytellers at all, they're just good at presentation. Their stories are always clichéd but their cinematography and graphics are excellent. And while they put focus on those pretty images, they neglect gameplay and in that they're just like so many other developers out there, as @LunchCannon54 rightfully noted. They just happen to be a bit better at presentation than most other devs.

Edited February 24, 2017 by BillyHorrible

[Remilia Scarlet]

18 minutes ago, BillyHorrible said:

 

Please. They're not masterful storytellers at all, they're just good at presentation. Their stories are always clichéd but their cinematography and graphics are excellent. And while they put focus on those pretty images, they neglect gameplay and in that they're just like so many other developers out there, as @LunchCannon54 rightfully noted. They just happen to be a bit better at presentation than most other devs.

 

Being clichéd doesn't make a story bad. It's all about the skill of the writer. A clichéd story can be good if it is told well, and Naughty Dog tells their stories better than the majority of developers.

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

4 minutes ago, AnimeDreama said:

Being clichéd doesn't make a story bad. It's all about the skill of the writer. A clichéd story can be good if it is told well, and Naughty Dog tells their stories better than the majority of developers.

 

I know being clichéd doesn't have to make a story bad - especially if they're self-aware. I will certainly admit that Naughty Dog is excellent at presentation (both in dialogue, graphics and cinematography), and the likely reason many people forgive them for their bland gameplay and clichéd stories is because they are so good at that presentation.

 

I do feel like so many people forgiving them for the bland gameplay and clichéd stories makes them overrated though. I certainly think that TLOU doesn't deserve to be on the top of so many "best game ever" lists. Note that I still think it was a very good game (and I will gladly keep playing anything Naughty Dog produces), I just don't think TLOU is as perfect as everybody makes it out to be.

Edited February 24, 2017 by BillyHorrible

[Remilia Scarlet]

39 minutes ago, BillyHorrible said:

 

I know being clichéd doesn't have to make a story bad - especially if they're self-aware. I will certainly admit that Naughty Dog is excellent at presentation (both in dialogue, graphics and cinematography), and the likely reason many people forgive them for their bland gameplay and clichéd stories is because they are so good at that presentation.

 

I do feel like so many people forgiving them for the bland gameplay and clichéd stories makes them overrated though. I certainly think that TLOU doesn't deserve to be on the top of so many "best game ever" lists. Note that I still think it was a very good game (and I will gladly keep playing anything Naughty Dog produces), I just don't think TLOU is as perfect as everybody makes it out to be.

 

This is going to be a relatively long post, so I apologize in advance. This reply comes from a place deep in my heart, and will hopefully explain my devotion to defending this game.

 

I certainly wouldn't call it perfect - no game is, but it is very close to being so for me. I personally find the gameplay to be very adequate for what it does. It's responsive, it's tight, and it controls well. That's all I ask for in my games.

 

I love this game, and it's not just my devotion to Naughty Dog that is making me say that. I love this game because it resonated with me from a deeply personal aspect of my life. It wasn't just the cinematic presentation and top notch production quality. I empathized with Joel (and later, Ellie) in a way that no game has ever succeeded in making me do so. I've suffered a lot in my life (PM me if you want to discuss that privately), and the way Naughty Dog presented both Joel's and Ellie's pain in their lives hit me hard emotionally. I did not make it through that game without crying multiple times - I had to take a break for several days midway through, specifically Henry's suicide.

 

Henry's death hit me harder than any part of the game. One of my best friends committed suicide when I was in middle school, and it tore apart my world. Henry's death came out of nowhere for me, and when I found the secret area hiding the child grave, I knew Ellie would bring it up. I handled my friend's suicide in much the way Joel did Henry's and Sam's deaths. I repressed it to the point that it started affecting my relationships and state of mind, much in the same way Joel did. Him refusing to talk about his pain and hurt resonated with me closely, because I knew what it was like to lose somebody in such a horrific way.

 

It wasn't just moments like Henry's death that affected me, either. It was the small moments like Ellie whistling for the first time and getting excited at seeing fireflies. It reminded me of my own little sister, and I loved that. But at the same time it made me sad because that was a childhood I never had (again, PM me if you wish for elaboration on that). While a lot of people were touched by the story, I became emotionally attached to the game itself, not just the characters of Ellie and Joel. The game became something of a therapy tool for me in my time of depression and self-hurt. It became a way for me to escape my thoughts and sadness, and immerse myself in a world that Naughty Dog built.

 

I loved Joel. I became Joel. I was Joel, in every sense of the word. I became Ellie's protector and guardian. When Joel got stabbed by the rebar in the fall segment, I became legitimately scared because I had become so emotionally attached to the character. I couldn't bear to lose him, and I had to stop playing because of that fear gnawing at me. Although I eventually came back, and relief swelled within me when Joel survived.

 

I don't cope with loss and pain well, I know. I become too attached to things and people, fictional or not. It's just a benchmark of the amazing work Naughty Dog did on The Last of Us that I became so attached. The big story moments, the small personal moments, it all held something deeply emotional and personal for me, that made me fall so much in love so hard with this game. The gameplay is basic, the story is cliché, it has bugs and awkward design, but I love every bit of it nonetheless.

 

That is why I defend the game so jealously.

[damon8r351]

The Last of Us is a middle of the road third person shooter shuffling you down the corridor to setpiece after setpiece. Nothing's ever going to change that. What makes it subjectively seem better than the rest of the chaff is that the scriptwriters seemed to give a bit more of a shit about their job than usual. Most people played this game 2-3 times, got their plat and moved on to the next thing in their grossly oversized backlog. I played it 10 times. The cracks start to show at 6 times.

[Auto-Tomato]

I enjoyed TLoU but it does have it's problems, and the hype factor seemed to bypass the flaws in the mechanics of the game and fell for the dramatic storyline.   It is a great game, but could have been vastly improved.   Admittedly I got a little bored at times too, and far from the pacing it was actually the fundamental gameplay aspects that often felt tired and uninspired, never mind the glitches!  Lol

 

Some might relate to this, but MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD:   AGAIN FULL SPOILERS...

 

 

[Oobedoob S Benubi]

2 minutes ago, AnimeDreama said:

snip

 

I respect your opinion and I think it's cool that you can defend the game so passionately without trying to rob me of my opinion.

 

Experiences can be different... I was surprised at your comments about Henry and I had to look up who he was again, though I did remember the last conversation his son had with Ellie as heartbreaking, I remember Bill losing his partner and the moment that was the heaviest for me was the intro because I have a big papa wolf complex.

 

It's funny how I can either be a firm defender or a harsh critic of Naughty Dog, depending on the mood in a thread. I've done a big personality test for work recently and it revealed something that I never consciously thought about - I can often see both sides of a conversation and I try to be the devil's advocate, basically my own opionion is often somewhere in the middle and if everybody's standing left then I move right. So if everybody's claiming that Naughty Dog is the best, I'll point them towards the flaws in their games (bland gameplay, romantic plot tumour in Uncharted 4 etc) but if there's a bunch of people saying Naughty Dog is awful, then I say that their story and cinematography work is great. My true opinion, as I said before, is in the middle - the gameplay is bland, the story is clichéd and their Uncharted series is being taken over by an uninteresting romance but the overall presentation makes up for it and ensures that I always end up enjoying their titles.

 

For me, Rockstar is one of those devs who actually gets everything right - not just story and cinematography, but gameplay as well. I'd rate both Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption as more enjoyable games than TLOU because of this, even if their stories aren't quite as emotional and high-brow.

[Remilia Scarlet]

20 minutes ago, BillyHorrible said:

snip

 

Like you said, we all have different experiences. While I try my best to view things from the other side, I admit that it is very hard to do so, especially when it comes to this particular game, because I have such a deeply personal relationship with it.

 

I appreciate you having this civil discussion with me.