The Last of Us
Empire Magazine 5/5
IGN 10/10
GameZone 10/10
OPM 10/10
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Polygon 7.5 (for now...)
Not to be a grammar Hitler but you spelled Naughty Gods wrong on the thread tittle.
Did you hear about the dyslexic, agnostic insomniac?
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He stayed up all night wondering if there was a dog.
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(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81A3GZDqBKL._SL1500_.jpg)
But Last of Us? Next best thing (http://www.redbox.com/games/last-of-us-ps3).
Was able to play through the prologue this morning while my daughter was napping.
Speaking of that...
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You know how they say becoming a parent changes you? I got teary eyed when Sarah died. Knew it was coming, still didn't help when she got shot by the soldier.
Totally never would've happened to me prior to having a kid. And yeah, Fuck you all. ;)
Also, I think it's pretty clear from the game so far that Monsanto really is fucking evil.
a monsanto angle to the story? okay, interest rising a little.
Not really. They just mention in the prologue that spoiler (click to show/hide)
The infection is tied to wheat. I like to think it's a jab at Monsanto and genetically modified foods.
So far the only section that bugged me was spoiler (click to show/hide)
the super zombie boss battle in the school gym. Joel's explanation is "that's what happens if you're infected for too long." Up until then there's this great logic behind the zombies...then a Left 4 Dead zombie shows up and you gotta circle strafe to take him out :-\
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-The opening. Goddamn that opening. I replayed it and I noticed so many amazing touches. Like the walk animation of Sara when she first gets up, then when she see's the explosion outside she she starts to walk a little faster with more tension, then when she see's the police cars. it's such a little thing that they didn't have to do but it makes it all the more impressive. Just the fact that they have you play as the daughter is great. Then when you get in the car and turning your view around results in her actually adjusting in her seat like a child would. it takes a gameplay mechanic (spinning view around) and ties it to an actual conceit (a kid trying looking on in shock at what's happening around them). Then i couldn't believe how they portrayed the death of Sarah. It's not overthetop, she's not screaming 'daddy!!" or saying some dumb cliche line. it's just a brutal final moment where she's trying to cry but can barely get anything out. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that in a video game.
-20 YEARS LATER. This is weird to me. The world they show doesn't feel like it's actually 20 years moved on. More like 5-10. I mean I can just accept it that in this context it wook a long time to get things up and running but I get the feeling things would have been much more structured than this. But again, I can accept this due to the context. Plus it's required for the Ellie character to exist.
-I like the fact that they setup that Joel is NOT GOOD GUY. He's seen some shit in the last two decades. He's done some shit. He's killed some people. It reduces the cognizant dissonance that occurs when you're mowing down countless people. In Uncharted, Drake is this easy-going bro who is also a mass murderer. In TLOU, Joel is a harsh man who's done some harsh stuff who isn't afraid to put down some people.
-Tess. This is a weird character to me. It's weird she is only all into getting Ellie to the Fireflies for reasons other than gain after she gets bitten.
-I like that any and all "goals" in the game are yellow. The Capitol building, the Bridge, any ledges. I like that they even do things like, put a yellow construction sign on the wall near a ledge you need to climb. I
-The fucking humvee with the turret. I was SURE they would have me fight it in some arena and I'm glad they didn't.
-Bill, I assume everyone picked up on the fact that he's gay, right? I like they didn't make it a part of his character. He just is.
-Henry and Sam. I didn't think they would dispatch these guys so quick. The "I'm infected but hiding it" concept comes up but isn't a plot point. Sam turns over the night which creates a great moment with his brother. Was sad to see them go.
-The stealth in the game is well implemented and has a good feel to it. but FUCK Listen Mode. What a terrible idea. It completely breaks the game IMO. I immediately turned it off and switched the difficulty up to Hard. I ended up restarting a lot of encounters because I'm obsessive compulsive about stealth. But I had a lot of fun maneuvering around the arenas and using the various tools to stealth kill enemies. My favourite is throwing a brick or bottle at their face then BUMRUSHING them.
-The entire arc at the hydroelectric dam resulted in one of my favourite character moments and it gives a really good insight into Joel at that point in the story. Joel isn't doing this for Ellie or for humanity. He's only doing this for Tess and you realize that being with Ellie hurts him more than he's letting on, because of his daughter. He simply does not want to allow that kind of relationship to form again because it will only end badly, re-enforced by what happened with Tess. "You're right you are not my daughter and I am not your dad" Chilling stuff.
-Going off of that. Bravo to Troy Baker. Dude is a monster and gives some amazing performances between this and Infinite. I will gladly accept a one Troy Baker nation.
-Was weird how they cross the country between scene cuts. I had a hard time understanding where in the country they were and then all of a sudden we're in Colorado. All that stuff with the horse and tracking through the college was really nice. And I really liked the little stealth section in the dorm building, was short and simple but tense as hell.
-I WAS SO SURE THERE WOULD BE INFECTED MONKEYS. Thank christ.
-This was one of the spots where the combat got a little draggy. But then it all became worth it when SHIT JOEL!! Naughty Dog are really good at giving the player control over a character who is badly wounded. And I think it was one of the other great character moments in the game. Joel is fucked and Ellie has to step up, and step up she most definitely does.
-Then HOLY SHIT you're playing as Ellie. That entire section where you're tracking the deer was really great. It's such a simple idea that's executed incredibly well.
-The stand-off section with the creepy dude David in the saw mill was fucking HARD. the hardest part of game. took me like 20 minutes to get by it.
-In concept, the back and forth between playing as Ellie and Joel as she escapes. The fact that SHE ESCAPES was impressive. Also, JOELS INJURY IS ACTUALLY RELEVANT. You don't move around as fast and your aim is noticeably worse. Ellie is just such fun to play as she's faster and has the insta kill after you stun an enemy and BOY is it brutal.
-The stand-off with David was a bit gamey with the broken glass in specific parts. However it was still a really tense moment. Especially on the third go where he's sneaking around himself. I could not imagine playing this part with LISTEN MODE on. Seems like it would make it way too easy.
-The giraffe moment. It's the most manipulative moment in the game. Still touching.
-The reveal that Ellie needs to die to "create the cure". It's cliche, and IMO this entire section is the most cliche. Thankfully it's handled with care so it doesn't focus on the notion of the cure but rather, Joel's decision to BECOME the father figure he previously rejected. Throughout this entire game he's literally just "the smuggler". When faced with this choice, us, or her, he makes the choice as the father to protect his "daughter". Ellie make it clear she doesnt want it to be for nothing, so would she have gone for it? Obviously she never had the chance to make that choice. It goes deeper still when she confronts Joel and asks him straight about it and he lies to her. Did she believe him in the end? It's subjective. I think that's the core of the story and I think it's important that we end it on that moment. The infection, the bandits, the "cure", none of that is really important in the end. The story is about Joel redeeming himself and getting over the past.
phew, that was a lot. tl;dr etc.
Well, the ending requires knowing what happens in the last hour or so before the actual ending.
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Joel and Ellie arrive at Salt Lake City to a hospital being used by the Fireflies for medical research. Ellie is knocked out when they are found and they knock Joel out too because they don't know who he is. When Joel awakes he is told they took Ellie to surgery because they need to basically pull out her brain (which is where the infected resides) for the purposes of synthesizing a vaccine (potentially). She's the only immune person ever found so they won't let her go and won't let Joel see her.
At this point Joel has fully accepted his roles as a FATHER FIGURE to Ellie and struggles with allowing them to sacrifice her. He manages to escape, sneaks/fights his way to the pediatrics surgery ward and free's Ellie. They manage to get to the basement when they are confronted by Marlene who tells Joel to think this through, that he can still be allowed to leave as long as he gives up Ellie. She goes on saying that this is what Ellie would have wanted.
The scene cuts to Joel in a SUV driving away from Salt Lake City. We aren't sure yet if Ellie is with him... then we hear here stirring in the back seat. She's been out due to the surgery drugs and doesn't know what's going on. She asks what happened in the hospital. Joel, knowing that Ellie would not approve of what happened, lies to her saying that there were plenty of other immune people there and that it wouldn't have made any difference for her to being there. Essentially saying that all this has been for nothing, something Ellie said she most definitely DIDN'T want to be the case.
During this we see what happened in the basement. Joel shoots Marlene in the stomach, puts Ellie int he back of the SUV, then goes back to Marlene. She begs him to spare her but he refuses, siting that they will come after them. He shoots her in the head.
The scene cuts to SPRING. They are back to the outskirts of Jackson City (where Joel's brother lives). Joel helps Ellie up on to a high ledge where she confronts him about the whole deal. She asks Joel directly if what he told her about the hospital and the Fireflies is true. After a brief moment Joel says yes, it is true, lying to her.
Ellie replies with "...Okay." in an accepting tone. However it's ambiguous if she actually believed him. The game then cuts to black as they make their way to Jackson City.
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the section with Bill, particularly towards the end with the lame boomer boss battle and truck escort.
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the University. Very little combat, just exploring and having this unnerving feeling the entire time--although the experience won't hold a second time through.
Here's hoping Naughty Dog's PS4 game in 2015 2017 is gonna be as good as this or Uncharted 2.
On a scale of Man of Steel [Godfather of superhero movies] to Citizen Kane [Metroid Prime of film], I'd rate it a Zodiac.5
Stuck pretty early in the game. Suggestions?
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I'm in the Goldstone building/skyscraper where I've jumped down into an area (leaving Tess and Ellie on the above floor) with some runners and one clicker. I get that it's all about stealth, but every time I think I've picked off a runner in seclusion, I get swarmed by everyone else in the area.
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hanging upside down
can go superfuck itself. As if the aiming isn't bad enough already.
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That fucking clicker wearing the body armor has killed me half a dozen times because I can't get a bead on his head.
Goddamn.
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Stupid parental emotions. Henry took down his little brother and then offed himself.
Damn this game makes me nervous when I'm taking on other people or dealing with other people. The infected... not so much.
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Didn't expect that I'd be playing as Ellie.
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Trying to push through the underpass/tunnel filled with clickers, runners and bloaters. I manage to avoid the first wave and get around them through the side hallway, but then I'm fucked with the second set. Distractions don't seem to work as well. Ideas?
That giraffe scene was pretty cool, to be honest.
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I did sneak past the last bloater though. Fuck those guys.
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Joel really can't accept the death of his daughter, can he?
and
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I mean, nathan drake as david? hOlyfucking shit. He's a great voice actor