Amph Gaming The Last of Us

Agreed. Googling for a plot synopsis does not do this game justice. It's more like a well made HBO drama, where it's about the writing and the characters rather than the overall journey.

 

I did not Google a synopsis thinking that I was going to experience the game the exact same way as a player would.

 

Anyone played Left Behind yet? I played through the whole thing tonight and thought it was pretty good.

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I gotta say I loved that they actually took us back to the main storyline to fill in the gap between Fall and Winter. Going in I thought it was just going to be Ellie and Riley's story.

 

Just finished it now.

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I also loved the dual storyline, and thought it was a really cool way to show how much Ellie has changed. That said, the character interaction between Ellie and Riley was the highlight - it was both funny and poignant. I probably could've played another 10 hours of them just messing around with masks, fighting with water pistols and pretending to play video games.

Nice of Naughty Dog to include some minor variation in the story too, with some dialogue choices and the ability to win or lose the games with Riley. This isn't Mass Effect, I definitely want to be told a story rather than writing one, but being able to affect small things was nice, and something I'd like to see in Uncharted 4 and a potential TLoU 2.

In terms of how the DLC fits into the core narrative, I think it really strengthens that part of the game. Ellie now spans 8 chapters of gameplay instead of 2, and Joel is now comatose for that same length of time. Will certainly play Left Behind in it's place in future replays.

Oh, and Clickers are still ****ing terrifying. I hate them.

 

It was a great bit of story driven DLC. A little pricey considering the short run time (I completed it in a couple of hours on Survival mode), but a worthwhile play through none the less.

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It was really nice seeing places from American Dreams brought to life, like the arcade, and continuing little strands from the comic. It really made it feel all the more worthwhile.

I also think props should be given to Naughty Dog for writing compelling LGBT characters. Between Ellie & Riley and Bill & Frank they've really put most of the industry to shame when it comes to something you'd think would be ever so simple to do. The romance aspect within Left Behind is incredibly touching, especially when Riley gave up her dream of being a Firefly to remain with Ellie. It's a very sweet gesture that tells you all you need to know. It was also an incredibly bittersweet, heartbreaking moment because we knew in advance how it was all going to end.

**** that cat. It made me jump worse than any clicker.

Overall I really enjoyed it. It's DLC like Left Behind that reminds me that DLC can be an exciting, worthwhile concept and not just the cash grab it's earned a reputation of being.

 

I managed to take 4 hours completing it, but that's because I spend too much damn time looking around for every piece of loot, and checking out every single poster/piece of environment detail that ND have created.

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In regards to Ellie being gay, I'm so glad that she just is. I mean, most games that have gay characters feel like they're put in there just to tick boxes. In Mass Effect 3, for instance, there had to be a male gay option and a female gay option in Cortez and Traynor, and while I found them likable characters, they felt like they'd been created to me, rather than just being people.

But saying Ellie is one of the most believable LGBT characters in gaming is redundant, since she's one of the best written characters in gaming period.

Anyhow, I was surprised at the kiss. The look they gave each other in the photo booth pretty much told the whole story. It's amazing how far facial expressions have come in such a short time.

One gameplay aspect I really wish had been featured in the core game is human and Infected enemies in the same encounters. They were simultaneously fun and dark - seeing Hunters devoured by Clickers instead of me for a change is a definite cheer-worthy moment, but it's also a pretty awful way to go. Still, that extra variety is nice.

 

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That's very true. However it's been proven before that you can write good characters for the most part and still have no clue how to write a convincing gay character. Bioware is a very good example of this. The fact that Naughty Dog have managed to do it well twice now, without it feeling forced or exploited, is incredibly impressive.

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Yeah there were some very interesting play mechanics on display there. Pitting two sets of AI against each other and watching them pick each other from afar is incredibly satisfying. I hope that if they do a spiritual successor to The Last of Us of some kind they do a lot more to give the player similar options to use the environment to overcome obstacles in your way like that.

 

Yeah, an excellent piece of DLC. DLC like this I don't mind at all. A little bit expensive, but fits in perfectly with the main game, yet it isn't required either, it just makes an excellent experience even better. Slightly sad this is the only story DLC for the game, but I prefer just one high quality DLC then a bunch of sub-par ones.

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I was wondering if Ellie and Riley would be close friends or more, either way is fine with me, but the moments between them were just very good. A bit of it was there in the original, with Bill and his partner (and the porn Ellie swiped), but it added another dimension to their relationship which I don't mind. Also an excellent contrast between Ellie during late Fall and before their journey started.

Slightly disappointed that we didn't see Riley's final hours, probably them trying to have fun and then Riley turning while Ellie... didn't. Might have been interesting when one of them would realize Ellie was immune and then needing to go back to the Fireflies.

Also very interesting how many other minigames they threw in there, as well as a few choices. Nothing huge, but nice to have some variation. Also the street fighting game was a great little mental exercise. Too bad I suck at fighting games and combos.

Pretty interesting new mechanic turning the Infected against the Hunters. Its kind of morbid, but those jerks just have to keep hunting down an old man and a young girl, so its kind of nice to see them pay for it. It always seemed crazy that these small armies of bandits and hunters go to great lengths to hunt down a few survivors... but then these are some of the meanest and toughest remaining people, and it is a crazy world. Also really helps since Ellie isn't as tough as Joel, though her super-tough knife is really handy (compared to having to look for another plank or pipe every few minutes). Not that Joel is anywhere near as tough as Nathan Drake, but by the end of the game I had enough extra ammo to handle most things if I felt like it, whereas the DLC started from scratch. Though I only have the nerve to play on regular, trying to sneak up on Infected is nerve-racking enough as is.

Kind of funny Troy Baker was still credited since Joel's only spoken lines are from the main game and then maybe the gasps and breathing (though that's probably recycled as well).

Also some nice trophies hidden here and there. They had another sad (as if this game had anything that wasn't sad ) subplot involving the crew of that crashed helicoptor, got another trophy for picking up all that stuff, I think. Just glad their Infected selves didn't show up as a Bloater or something near the end.

 

Dumb question, but do I need to own/have the main game in my system to download the DLC?

 

To download the DLC, no, I don't think so. To play the DLC, you need the game itself though. Its a minor distinction, but I only know about that because it took me a while to find where I had left my copy of the Last of Us disc. Basically you download the DLC from PSN, then it installs itself, then you have to start up the game and on the main menu will be the option to play the DLC.

 

Would love more story dlc specifically with Tommy, but honestly you can do so much in this franchise that it doesnt have to revolve among the main characters of the game. I would love to see from the view of the military and the fireflies

 

Just finished watching Grounded: The Making of The Last of Us. Great stuff.

 

‘The Last of Us’: Lauded Naughty Dog title headed for big screen

Ughhh do not want. Well, at least Druckmann is writing it....maybe there's a chance it will be okay.

 

It's amazing how in less than a year Naughty Dog has gone from "There will absolutely be no sequel to The Last of Us" to "Sequel probably will happen and a movie is confirmed".
All hail the "all ighty ollar."

 

Wait they've basically confirmed a sequel? What what in the what what? There's a slight chance it could be great.

 

There's still no confirmation but the last interview I saw the devs were open to it which is a far cry of their original stance of "absolutely not".

 

Yeah ok, that seems to be heading in sequel direction.

My kind of idea for TLOU 2 is kind of base the game completely around Joel's lie, go from there, fashion a zombie survival story from it, make it a big bigger/different than TLOU as far as environments and possibly gameplay, then have the very end of the game being Ellie finding out the truth, and what that means to her, leading into an enormously emotional third game.

What does anyone think of this?

 

Kinda wish I had a PS3 to play this game but whatever.

 

So do I, so do I.

 

The Last of Us carries home five Baftas, including best game.

Well deserved victories, I must say. Congrats to Naughty Dog!

 

Best game I played last year, barely edging out Bioshock: Infinite. Compelling piece of entertainment, and I'm glad to see it sweep the BAFTA awards.

 

Seems that a PS4 port of The Last of Us is happening.

 

I might pick it up after there's been a price drop. Be nice if Left Behind is placed where it takes place in the main campaign, like with the Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut.

 

Awesome