The Last of Us (PS3 & PS4)

[Badnik Mechanic]

Did an unboxing of the ellie edition if anyone wants to see. As well as my thoughts on it. It's really cool, presentation is fantastic.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Nq9Zq3MPI

 

Played a little bit more of it, managed to do some of the gunplay and stealth sections (stealth isn't exactly what you think).

 

Forget, everything you learnt in Uncharted (all of them) and everything you know about how shooting works in uncharted. Shooting in The Last of US is A LOT harder. Aiming feels much harder (though maybe it's because I've not upgraded my weapon yet) ammo is in amazingly short supply. I'm on normal mode and I really do need to think, unlike uncharted where I could find guns and ammo all over the place TLOU means you need to think and plan. I've been checking every room and the bodies of everyone I find, ammo is rare, the maximum number of bullets I found was 6, and that was from a pre-placed drop before a heavy enemy area early in the game (call it a tutorial bit). Otherwise it's 1-3 bullets at the most per find.

 

Most enemies do not seem to drop items, even if they were using guns, if they have physical objects, they will drop them.

 

You can 1 shot enemies by a headshot, but doing this is much harder than uncharted you'll understand why when you go for them.

 

The game is scary!

 

No really, even just walking around some of the camps, you just feel like any second now the people are gonna turn on you or something is going to happen. When you first encounter some of the infected, it's scary! The encounter is easy, but the way they act and the sounds they make, this is a really frightening experience.

 

The acting in the game is fantastic so far, that motion capture studio naughty dog has is really paying off, the voice work too is fantastic.

 

I love how you heal in this game, it really does make you feel like you're treating an injury.

 

...what else... Oh yeah, there is a 'pause button' but, some of the ingame stuff you expect to be done in a menu isn't, so you're always on your toes. For example, theres collectables in the form of papers and letters, pick it up, decide to read it, you do that in game, but the action doesn't freeze, so you always have this sense that you are vunreable.

 

The physical combat feels raw, it's not like batmans smooth combat, but at the same time it doesn't feel like uncharteds physical combat either, when you hit someone and someone hits you, you really feel it!

 

Speeking of feeling it... when you get shot in the game... BLOOOOOODDDDDYYYY HEELLL.... You react... you really do react. Doesn't matter what you're doing, you react to it. I was running to cover and the guy shot me, my character felt it and reacted exactly as he would do had it been real, same when in cover. Enemies are exactly the same.

 

Still not met Ellie yet, but I think I'm literally just about to.

[Autosaver]

For "Mixed" review came in, dropped the overall score by 1 point (boo). Pushed it below Uncharted 2.

 

I guess this experience isn't for everyone. Still looks awesome.

[Badnik Mechanic]

I suspect that people could go into this game deciding 'I'm going to hate this' if they don't give the game their full attention. It's very easy to just think 'I can see where this is going' and yeah it sorta does go there but... it doesn't... it's hard to explain, you know exactly whats going on, but the characters in the game don't.

 

This next bit contains spoilers of the intro... DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE GOING TO GET THE GAME!

 

At the start you play a young girl, you know, because odds are you know where the game is going, whats happening, you know how you'd react and what you'd do... but... unlike usual games where the action is played through an adults perspective, or a teenager, if they did something stupid like 'why yes i will go outside' or 'why yes, not calling for help is a good idea.' you roll your eyes at it.

 

Here, the person is young, and you are afraid for them because you know they're not prepared or ready for this, they're too young to know or believe whats going on. When they do the silly things, you feel frightened because you know they're doing it becuase they're too young to 'get it.'

 

When the game then jumps ahead, and you're in the 'safe zone' playing as Joel, even though it starts off like how you expect a game like this to, you're still afraid, only now, it's because Joel is facing a situation in which adults would feel frightened, it's not the monsters as much as it's the looks people give him as he walks through the zone, you can feel the tension and you don't know when it's going to kick off.

 

Yeah the monsters are scary and they act like monsters do, (their screams is what sells the scares). but oddly, it's more scary when you walk through the tight corridors of the slums and the desperate hungry people are staring at you, you just think any second now a punch is coming your way, and you can't pull your gun because you'd be swamped.

 

The game is not only playing your real adult fears and axieties, but it's matching them to the right characters too.

 

At one point in the slums I was looking for salvage/ammo and I went around a corner and looked behind a box... there was this little girl hidden behind a box playing with a doll, she and the doll were covered in mud and dirt. She stops and looks up at you staring... she's frightened... she's scared of you! And then I realised why, my character is a stranger in this area, she's a young girl, possibly seen horrible things, knows not to trust strangers... she would not continue playing, any other game and the annimator would have her playing as a loop. Even the NPC's are reacting to what they would be afraid of in the game!

 

It feels like you're playing a survival horror.

 

Only forget the 'mansion' of resident evil, you know, tight corridors, limited ammo against slow moving zombies... or the roller coaster street segments of RE 2 & 3 where theres monsters everywhere, or those survival horror games where they turn out the lights and you're attacked. You're frightened because your character is frightened in a belivable situation.

 

As Joel will say later on "It's not the infected I fear."

 

And... if you're willing to give the game your attention at the start, and not just think 'I know where this is going' you're gonna be afriad too!

 

 

P.S. Mutiplayer = awesome. Usually I hate the multiplayer... I guess it's because everybody is 'new' to the game, but wow, it's pretty good.

[Lamor]

Soooooo

 

from Neogaf

 

Several people have complained about this and it just happened to me, just lost 2 hours of progress.
Sometimes the autosave stops working. There's a way to tell if it's happening.
Press start, you will bring up the menu. If it says "less than X minutes ago" you're fine. If it's stuck on "autosaving, please wait" you're screwed and have to exit the game. It wont let you exit to the menu and if you try to exit with the PS button it will probably turn off your console but it's the only way.

SO HIT START REGULARLY and check if the autosave is updating.

God I'm so pissed, I feel like breaking something. 2 fucking hours!


Edit: how to disable autosave when loading a game:

Originally Posted by AKyemeni

Quote:

When the game asks you select a save file, you press O and it'll warn you that autosaving will be disabled. You press yes and the game won't auto save anymore.

Edit 2: we've confirmed that the bug is not being caused by the patch that was released today.

Edit 3: we've confirmed that it happens both with physical and digital copies.

Edit 4:

Hanmik found this on Reddit:

Quote:

Apparently, the game does save even with this bug. I found a site where the people were saying that the time stamps were all screwed up. If you go to "Load Game" instead of "Continue", you'll be able to find and select the correct save point.

Waiting for gaffers to confirm if it works.

Update: some people recovered some progress with this but it's not a fix. In som cases it didn't help at all.

 

I hope this is going to be fixed ASAP.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Soooooo

 

from Neogaf

 

I hope this is going to be fixed ASAP.

 

 

I was literally just about to post this here as well.

 

Happened to me very early on in the game, lost about an hour of progress, theres no way to save/leave the game to the title screen if the autosave bug happens.

 

It just constantly says 'game is autosaving' and never lets you select another option. If you quit to the main menu the game doesn't save.

 

So check your menus every now and again.

 

Edit: I KNOW WHAT CAUSES IT!

 

Okay, my last save is just after a cutscene... this was a cutscene which I got a phone call and had to pause the game... so I pressed the PS button which usually pauses cut scenes and it worked...

 

It seems that others are saying if you press the PS button without first pausing the game, it'll lock the autosave on.

 

DO NOT PRESS THE PS BUTTON!

 

 

 

P.S. I take back what I said about the infected... they are fucking terrorfying!

[Badnik Mechanic]

Updates:

 

Naughty Dog are aware of the save issue, it has been fixed, just waiting for the patch to go live.

 

Temporary solution. Sign out of the PSN. Only occurs if you're connected online.

[Silencer226]

Oh nice, fast response time.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Look what someone found in the game.

 

 

[Silencer226]

Dear god... the Clickers... they are fucking horrible, I hate them, I want them all to die! ;A;

[Badnik Mechanic]

Autosave bug is fixed, Naughty Dogs servers were causing the problem, so it's fixed.

 

Oh yeah the multiplayer...

 

If you're going for all trophies... Beware the multiplayer, if you clan dies, you have to restart again, how long does it take to beat a single cycle? It's about the time it takes to reach prestige in Call of Duty.

 

You get these online missions to do and you have 3 rounds to beat them, if you fail the first tier, your entire clan dies... second tier, 50% of the clan dies, beat it and your clan survives. Never pick the revive mission!

 

Although I think my current multiplayer campaign has a glitch, not that I'm complaining, my first mission isn't ending, it says I have to kill 9 people in 3 matches... I've killed over 100 =p

 

Currently on Week 4 Day 3. Theres 12 weeks in total, and it takes ages. Also, beware boosting, Naughty Dog banned people for boosting the multiplayer in Uncharted 3.

 

I really like the multiplayer since even if you lose the round, you can still progress quite well if you get a decent number of kills and find some supplies. Though there are the usual breed of idiots in the game, e.g. "Why yes, I don't see the problem in using a pistol as a sniper rifle..." "No I won't go with you...I'm going to run down the map shooting which will give away our position!"

 

Though it is amazing how quickly the community is learning the game. Yesterday, nobody would revive anyone... now loads of people are doing it, yesterday, nobody was sticking together, now everyone is doing it, and right now people are slowly starting to learn how awesome molotovs are. =p

 

Dear god... the Clickers... they are fucking horrible, I hate them, I want them all to die! ;A;

 

Just wait until you decide to go meet Bill.

 

Go see Bill... go on... Bill.

[Edward_Elric]

So, did anyone else reach the maximum amount of bullets they can carry for a specific gun yet? I know I did, it caps out at 20 rounds for the 9mm. I'm not sure about the revolver or the bigger guns, but I'm pretty sure its about the same. I had like 19 revolver rounds at one point.

[Crash]

Bought the game today and I'm liking it so far. Some glitches that forced me to restart a segment (pissed me off) but that's about it. Haven't tryed the MP yet though.

[Badnik Zero]

So I'm in the middle of it now, some first impressions.

 

It feels a lot like Uncharted, and duh because it's a Naughty Dog game, but what I mean is the pacing is very similar. You'll find an area with 5-10 dudes and a little "skirmish" will occur, while that's balanced out by quieter scenic sections. In Uncharted that's all the jumping we know the series for, only in this game it's much less thrilling being mostly move this ladder or this dumpster areas from what I've seen so far. The combat is interesting because it's like the stealth from their previous games turned up to the max, with focus on conservation and gathering supplies. In fact I barely use my guns, firing maybe only three revolver shots off on in an average fight. Human enemies are more likely to get the bullets because they see you much quicker. Shivs are essential for me.

 

Waiting for the story to pick up. Right now with the girl it just feels like the movie Children of Men.

 

Will update my opinion when I finish the game, maybe by Monday.

[TheOcelot]

Right, well I have completed 34% of the game, so I still have long way to go. Gotta say the game looks absolutely stunning. The environments are so richly detailed. This sense of realism is top notch as you transition through the city areas which are so well designed. The areas are extremely vast in places which makes for fun exploration.

 

The combat is pretty good - not the best - but it does take a bit of getting used to. Also, your weapons are pretty naff to start with but become far more effective once you can upgrade them.

 

In terms of climbing/traversing objects it feels pretty seemless. The game also makes good use of needing objects to get across hard to reach areas and how you place them. For example, I like how you might need to get from the top of one building to another. So you find and use a wooden plank (which is long enough) to reach the other building. E.g. You find a wooden plank on the ground, pick it up, lay it against the side of a building, then you climb up that building, pick up the plank again (from the side of the building) and then carefully place it so that you can reach the other building. It's a very well thought out process.

 

I like that you can go at a steady pace and take your time exploring. The tense atmosphere is really cool. I'm finding this a far more enjoyable experience than the Uncharterd games. The lack of cutscenes is also nice and the in-game dialogue is fun to listen to. 

 

TLOU is a really enjoyable game.

 

Oh and as for the Clickers, they remind me of the Slicers in Sonic 2. As in, they are fucking evil!

Edited June 16, 2013 by Metal Gear -Bender-

[Nix]

I'm not too far into the game but the Clickers are pretty much the devil.  My first encounter with one of them (aside from a scripted sequence) was pretty fucking awful.  I just hope I don't have to deal with a room full of them-

 

>the very next area is a room full of Clickers

 

...

 

 

It's a good game.  Hasn't quite blown me away yet, but that might change,

[Badnik Mechanic]

>the very next area is a room full of Clickers

 

 

It could be worse... The infected come in 4 stages you know... ... ... But... they can't be worse than the clickers? Right?

[Tori Himemiya]

Every infected are annoying in some way. Regular infected like to crowd up a lot, to the point they get in your way. Clickers and everything else are walking one hit kills so I usually save my shivs for them because of that. Sadly I became too used to killing everything in the room to the point I realized I had to run from a bloater so I can escape and move to the next area.

But anyways, I've got this game since Day 1 and I haven't said anything about it since I've been way into the game. Its a very beautiful game that's for sure, the scenery looks incredible and the character models good great. It also feels like a realistic "zombie" apocalypse as there's still law enforcement intact, unlike most zombie fiction where everyone is being their own rebel. I do wanna learn more about the world, which I am via notes left behind but I just wanna know more. The game itself can be way too fucking terrifying, whether its running into infected or regular ol' human beings, it always has a way of scaring the shit out of you. It keeps you on the edge a lot.

If any complaints I have with the game they would be the autosave glitch that got patched up and the ai being so dumb. I swear I saw Ellie walk past some guy, only for him to ignore her and gets stabbed and his buddy didn't even care. Apparently they see little girls walk pass them a lot.

But its a fantastic game. I really love it and it was worth the wait. This is definitively the best survival horror game in years.

[Silencer226]

Crow sometimes running is the best option, you're not a pussy for running .

 

But so far I'm loving this game. I'm more of a passive player I go for as little to no encounters as humanly possible, some might like the action but if I can avoid shit, I will.

Edited June 16, 2013 by Noel

[Badnik Mechanic]

 I swear I saw Ellie walk past some guy, only for him to ignore her and gets stabbed and his buddy didn't even care. Apparently they see little girls walk pass them a lot.

 

I don't know if it changes on higher difficulties, but the Ai will never react to Ellie.

 

Theres a sequence early in the game where you're in a room of soldiers, One of the soldiers walked into Ellie and pushed her back, but this wasn't enough to trigger an alert or ruin my cover

[Silencer226]

I don't know if it changes on higher difficulties, but the Ai will never react to Ellie.

 

Theres a sequence early in the game where you're in a room of soldiers, One of the soldiers walked into Ellie and pushed her back, but this wasn't enough to trigger an alert or ruin my cover

I'm playing on hard, not sure what level you're playing on. But the sound my AI comrades makes doesn't alert clickers, it doesn't alert soldiers. In fact nothing they do alerts them. It's weird though I guess a design decision because lets face it the AI does dumb shit, like running, and getting in your way sometimes.

[Badnik Mechanic]

I think it's for the best, it makes the game feel less like an escort mission and at least the partners are a lot more active and useful than Elizabeth was in Bioshock.

[Lamor]

If any complaints I have with the game they would be the autosave glitch that got patched up and the ai being so dumb. I swear I saw Ellie walk past some guy, only for him to ignore her and gets stabbed and his buddy didn't even care. Apparently they see little girls walk pass them a lot.

 

 

It's not AI being dumb. Naughty Dog made your allies pretty much invisible to enemies during your stealth so they wouldn't constantly ruin your mojo. I imagine it must look stupid but hey. It's for the best I guess.

[Tori Himemiya]

I suppose its a bit silly for someone to run out in front of an enemy only to be ignored but it does make them a lot more useful though since they won't be in the way.

I can't imagine the game overs I would had gotten if it was more realistic.

Edited June 16, 2013 by Amane Nishiki

[Edward_Elric]

I'm not too far into the game but the Clickers are pretty much the devil.  My first encounter with one of them (aside from a scripted sequence) was pretty fucking awful.  I just hope I don't have to deal with a room full of them-

 

>the very next area is a room full of Clickers

 

...

 

 

It's a good game.  Hasn't quite blown me away yet, but that might change,

When I got there, I just sighed and tried me best.

 

Ended up killing all of them....

[Badnik Mechanic]

How to win an online game.

 

Pick the rifle... put a silencer on it.

 

I've actually been playing tons of the multiplayer, stopped playing the game after I met Bill. Now it's a fun multiplayer, I do like it, and I like how it's in your best interests to be active than just sit back and do nothing.

 

However, I am starting to see cracks in it, and they're really bad ones too.

 

Stealth Weaponry is WAYYYY to overpowered. The only negative quality to using them is it costs an extra loadout point, but thats nothing, the stats remain the same only you are now effectively invisible.

 

Unless you get the final hit on an enemy, all your efforts were utterly pointless. And because ammo is so scarce, theres just no reward for your efforts.

 

if you have so much as 3 bad games... thats it, your clan is in trouble, you just cannot recover it.

 

Theres another thing too.

 

A lot of high level players will now quit games to the XMB, why are they doing this? Because if you don't get a said number of supplies, your hard work was for nothing, if your clan dies, you start from the beginning, all those hours or work is lost. Just imagine putting in all the time and effort to get three quarters of the way to prestige in COD, or Veterancy in MAG, only for it to be randomly taken away.

 

Now you might think 'well that means you need to get involved?' Yes you do... but... the problem is that the game punishes you even if your team wins.

 

E.g. Say theres me and another guy, we spot someone on the other team... I unload a pistol clip into the guy... and have to reload... my friend then fires his pistol... and kills him... I do not get any credit for that kill, well I do, but it's only 'parts' I don't get supplies, my friend gets those... parts are not as good in the long run, so if I don't have a said number of supplies, there is no point in me even finishing the game.

 

Now you do have some leeway, but not much, like with me... I had 3 bad games... and I've not been able to recover at all.