What is the last video game you played?

[SilverTrumpet 638]

Legends is leagues better! 

 

The quality of both are like the quality of Donkey Kong Returns and Tropical Freeze. 

[Jay 37,434]

On 13/08/2021 at 12:02 AM, Jay said:

Remasters of Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas in Unreal Engine 4 coming to PS5, XBox Series, and Switch

 

Confirmed

[SilverTrumpet 638]

I'm still curious how this is going to be different than the versions that's on everything already.

 

Unless it's closer to the original versions than the mobile ports and the controls actually work and things are smoothed up?

 

I can't see a huge remake of these games just leaking in a rating like this. This is more of a Castlevania Advance collection situation. 

 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

On 29/9/21 at 2:47 PM, King Mark said:

 I personally don't consider The Last of Us 1 or 2 to have "woke stuff", at least not in a way that bothers me.   The characters are meant to be that way and it's the story they wanted to tell.  So I'd play TLOU2 for sure and definitely don't have  a problem with this game .

 

What I consider "woke" is race/gender swapping already established franchise characters, game journalists (Kotaku) being outraged that a game like Kingdom Come Deliverance (a historically accurate medieval game set in Europe) didn't have sexual and racial diversity, the new trend of making ugly, desexualised  "body positive" female heroines that won't attract the "male gaze", and of course the #me too "take down the patriarchy strong female character". And basically anything the game developers change or include just to avoid being "cancelled" by Twitter Social Justice Warriors that have absolutely no interest in gaming and just want to ruin other people's hobbies.

 

I hope you can see the difference

The Last Of Us Part II is criticized for nearly everything you listed here. 

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

On 28/09/2021 at 3:11 AM, SilverTrumpet said:

Yeah, and a lot of people just don't like that...and that's okay. 

 

You're not some rube for wanting your entertainment to be fun.

 

I get what you're trying to say, but that doesn't really apply when talking about the specific criticism that has been leveled at TLOU2 that we're talking about. One plot element in the second game riled up a whole bunch of people. They weren't upset the game was dark, they were upset that it didn't tell the story they wanted, and it made them feel uncomfortable to

 

Spoiler

play half of the game as Abby after she brutally murders Joel.

 

The game was specifically designed to create dissonance in order to tell its story and force the player to reflect on preconceived ideas about morality, heroism, revenge etc., built off the shocking ending of the first game. I suspect that a lot of the people who criticise the sequel for the above reasons didn't engage with or reflect on the first one's ending as it was intended.

 

On 28/09/2021 at 12:13 AM, SilverTrumpet said:

I'm not saying it is, I was responding to the idea of loving life versus not loving life, etc etc.

 

I think if you're going to make any comparison between TLJ and TLOU2 it's the subverting expectations for the sake of subverting expectations. 

 

I've always disliked this particular criticism about subverting expectations, particularly when leveled at TLJ. It didn't subvert expectations for the sake of it, the whole film was about legacy, the power of storytelling and legends, questioning power structures etc etc. It's baked into the premise. If you don't like the twists and turns that's one thing, but the film justifies the choices it makes with its very premise.

[SilverTrumpet 638]

Well, the point was to subvert expectations and make everything not matter. Star Wars is very much about legacy, destiny, etc. 

 

The point of The Last Jedi is to basically tell you none of that stuff mattered. Coming off of The Force Awakens, which made it a point to nostalgia Star Wars and all its destiny and meaning and stuff, it felt like cutting everything off at the knees. 

 

I think people felt the same about The Last of Us 2. The thing that happened only happened for shock value and people felt like there was more story to be told from the first without that thing happening. I hope you know what I mean without spoiling what it is for people still playing. 

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

8 hours ago, SilverTrumpet said:

Well, the point was to subvert expectations and make everything not matter. Star Wars is very much about legacy, destiny, etc. 

 

The point of The Last Jedi is to basically tell you none of that stuff mattered. Coming off of The Force Awakens, which made it a point to nostalgia Star Wars and all its destiny and meaning and stuff, it felt like cutting everything off at the knees. 

 

I think people felt the same about The Last of Us 2. The thing that happened only happened for shock value and people felt like there was more story to be told from the first without that thing happening. I hope you know what I mean without spoiling what it is for people still playing. 

I disagree with you there. I don’t want to derail this thread but my reading of TLJ was that it explored the notion of throwing away the past, made explicit in the text through the Kylo/Rey, Luke/Rey and Luke/Yoda scenes, but its ultimate conclusion was one of synthesis. Embracing the parts of our legacy worth holding on to while still looking to the horizon. The film was explicit in its criticism of legacy and destiny but also highlighted the virtues of those same concepts. Rey took the Jedi texts with her, Luke ensured his legacy by helping his friends, while embracing his ultimate destiny, Kylo embraced his destiny as a villain etc. That's my take of it though, and I fully respect your stance.

 

As far as TLOU2 goes, I don’t think “that thing” happened purely for shock value. It was shocking yes, but again it was done specifically so the game could explore the implications of what happened through the characters’ responses. It also forces the player to reckon with their own feelings about the event by making them engage with it in a way they aren't accustomed to. It was the whole point of the game, and the story that the creators chose to tell. Criticise them for making that choice, absolutely, even criticise the execution of it. But it was a deliberate and crucial part of that story.

[King Mark 3,631]

4 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

The Last Of Us Part II is criticized for nearly everything you listed here. 

 I see the intent as different. I don't see the characters and subject matter  as shoehorned into something it doesn't belong or that the game was made specifically to please SJW's.Same thing with Cyberpunk

[SilverTrumpet 638]

10 hours ago, Docteur Qui said:

I disagree with you there. I don’t want to derail this thread but my reading of TLJ was that it explored the notion of throwing away the past, made explicit in the text through the Kylo/Rey, Luke/Rey and Luke/Yoda scenes, but its ultimate conclusion was one of synthesis. Embracing the parts of our legacy worth holding on to while still looking to the horizon. The film was explicit in its criticism of legacy and destiny but also highlighted the virtues of those same concepts. Rey took the Jedi texts with her, Luke ensured his legacy by helping his friends, while embracing his ultimate destiny, Kylo embraced his destiny as a villain etc. That's my take of it though, and I fully respect your stance.

 

I'll disagree with you here, truly respectfully, but let's not continue for the sake of staying on topic. 

 

I would argue that in TLOU 2, as well as the first game, if you're talking about SJW insertion stuff...I think that's just who the people who made the game are. It's not some cynical corporate insertion of the woke checklist to try to impress people like Mass Effect Andromeda. So from that angle, I really don't have a problem with it. It's more genuine here. 

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

What on earth is SJW insertion? And what does it have to do with what we were talking about?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The Last Of Us and its sequel have LGBTQIA+ representation. A lot of people criticize that, and the general growth of non white male characters in media as “SJW insertion” or forced diversity. 

[Edmilson 7,508]

Is Horizon Zero Dawn any good? I bought it pretty cheap on a PS Plus promo. 

[King Mark 3,631]

Yeah one if the best Ps4 games

14 hours ago, SilverTrumpet said:

 

I would argue that in TLOU 2, as well as the first game, if you're talking about SJW insertion stuff...I think that's just who the people who made the game are. It's not some cynical corporate insertion of the woke checklist to try to impress people like Mass Effect Andromeda. So from that angle, I really don't have a problem with it. It's more genuine here. 

 that's  what I was trying to say

[SilverTrumpet 638]

4 hours ago, Docteur Qui said:

What on earth is SJW insertion? And what does it have to do with what we were talking about?

 

4 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

The Last Of Us and its sequel have LGBTQIA+ representation. A lot of people criticize that, and the general growth of non white male characters in media as “SJW insertion” or forced diversity. 

 

The insertion is when it's just shoved in there to pander. Again, you look at Mass Effect Andromeda as an example. The reception wasn't good because it was so obvious it was people who didn't know anything about the topic trying to pretend they were down with the struggle. 

 

Naturally occurring racial, ethnic, or gender diversity doesn't fall into that category at all. 

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Yeah this discussion is not going anywhere that I’d like to follow. I’m out. 

[Bilbo 3,709]

On 02/10/2021 at 1:06 AM, Edmilson said:

Is Horizon Zero Dawn any good? I bought it pretty cheap on a PS Plus promo. 

 

Lots of people seem to love it. I found it boring, cliched, and overrated. 

 

On 02/10/2021 at 6:51 AM, Docteur Qui said:

Yeah this discussion is not going anywhere that I’d like to follow. I’m out. 

 

Same. 

[SilverTrumpet 638]

2 hours ago, His Royal Noelness said:

 

Lots of people seem to love it. I found it boring, cliched, and overrated. 

 

Agreed. 

 

It has decent production values for the time. I think that's what people like about it more than anything.

 

It was interesting because people HATED on the game back in 2017 because it came out almost the same exact time as Breath of the Wild and BOTW did open world in such a better way that people would crap all over Horizon.

 

Now people pretend that never happened with Horizon as the new game is coming out soon.

[Jay 37,434]

On 23/09/2021 at 3:54 PM, Jay said:

The Last Of Us: Part II - Jackson

 

Prologue

 

I loved that the game starts not long after the first game ended, with similar aged Ellie and Joel.  I was actually happy to see Joel tell Tommy the truth about what he did instead of lying to him to, and that Joel says Ellie didn't specifically say whether she believed him or not.  I really liked how the opening credits then rolled as Joel and Tommy head into town on horseback, though the immersive cinematic effect is broken when it has to tell you on screen how to jump and do other commands.  D'oh!  I thought it was really interesting that after the horse ride, Tommy tells Joel he'll take his secret to his grave.  Telling Tommy was a risk for Joel and I can't imagine he actual knew Tommy would end up feeling that way!  The scene where Joel gives Ellie the guitar was nicely done too, though the lyrics he sings sure are on the nose!

 

Waking Up

 

4 years later and Ellie is 19!  They did a good job aging the model, though she does look even more like Ellen Page then she already did in the first game   I really loved getting to explore Jackson and seeing what life is like there.  And you get to pet the dog!  The snowball fight with Dina against the kids was really cute, reminded me of the watergun fight from Left Behind.

 

The Overlook

 

I had no idea you played as anyone other than Ellie in this game so that was cool being introduced to this new character, and getting to play as her.  When you realize they are right next to Jackson and looking for "him", it sets up a nice feeling of wanting to see what happens next!  But first you have to fight through a bunch of infected to get closer, and I thought it was interesting you first fight infected as Abby and not Ellie!  Same with learning some of the new commands like going prone and squeezing through tight passages and stuff.

 

Patrol

 

Ellie and Dina are fun to spend time with, and I forgot how fun the game is when you have an AI companion also fighting infected with you!  So much of the first game seemed to be solo sections, at least for the combat, but when you have help its pretty fun.  It was also fun remembering about there being clickers and runners and how you deal with each differently.  The horseback ride through the approaching storm was fun, really made you feel lost and I truly had no idea if I'd be able to find Dina again or not.  I love that the find an underground pot farm to wait out the storm in

 

The Horde

 

Man this was intense!  I loved how you go from trying to think you can be stealthy like usual (and my preferred method for any area you have that option), until it VERY quickly becomes a run for your f'ing life sequence, so intense!  Abby sure was lucky to run into Tommy and Joel!

 

The Chalet

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Loved the back and forth storytelling as we see Jessie tell Ellie and Dina that Tommy and Joel didn't report in and them go looking for them, with Tommy and Joel with the WLF guys and being sabotaged by Abby.  It wasn't surprising that the "he" Abby was looking for is Joel, but it was kind of interesting how quickly things go to shit when it's revealed.  I sadly had been spoiled that Joel dies in this game by accident before it came out, but I had no idea how early or late in the game it happened so didn't know if he was going to get out of this situation and die later or if this was it - so I was still completely immersed in the story and wondering what would happen.  They really set Abby up as quite the evil villain here, and I thought it was interesting that they deliberately leave her backstory and her motivations completely unrevealed here.  It's also kind of interesting that her group lets Ellie and Tommy live.  I know there'd be no game if they didn't, but still.. seems like a poor decision even given their reasoning.

 

Packing Up

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Nice character interactions here between Ellie and Tommy, Ellie and Dina, and Ellie/Dina and Maria.  I loved going to Joel's house and getting to see the framed picture of him and Sara, his guitar collection, and that he still had the watch Sara gave him on his birthday / Outbreak Day.  Little things like that and the moment Ellie smells Joel's jacket are among the many things that make these games so good.

 

 

And with that, 3 1/2 hours in (at least for me), the real game begins!

 

 

The Last Of Us: Part II - Seattle Day 1

 

The Gate

 

I really enjoy the comradery between Ellie and Dina.  Bit of a fun puzzle figuring out how to climb the wall and open the gate, etc, sometimes it's nice to do these kinds of things in between all the zombie action

 

Downtown

 

Man, this section was awesome!  I loved its sort of quasi-open word nature, just a big massive area you can explore and find things in any order you like.  I thought it was going to be all puzzly like the prior Gate area, but it's nice some buildings had infected inside you had to deal with too

 

Once you get through that big fun section, the trek through the Serevena Hotel was good too, especially since you now have new weapons and craftables and such!  I like that you are basically following Tommy's trail, finding the guys he tied to the chairs to do the interrogation trick on, etc.

 

Eastbrook Elementary

 

Really cool cutscene & partial QTE event of getting captured by the wolves, then having to cut yourself free with a piece of the glass from the roof Dina busted in to save you from.  It was then fun escaping from the school and finding the clue that another member of the group is hiding out in a TV station!

 

Capitol Hill

 

Holy cow, this first section was hard!  It was nice having to sneak through a big open city while evading wolves, but eventually I got to this gas station and no matter what I ended up having to engage and fight a bunch of them.  Was quite rewarding when I finally got through it after a bunch of attempts though.  Then the next part with all the trip wires was cool, because it was different.  I liked that you could set them off by throwing a bottle from a safe distance but still had to maneuver past a tricky set up on some stairs

 

Channel 13

 

Really cool storytelling, finally getting in here only to find all the wolves are dead, many hung and left as a warning!  WTF is going on here?  Then of course more wolves show up and you gotta flee, which wasn't super easy, though having a support partner always makes these kinds of sequences easier than when you don't.

 

The Tunnels

 

This section was dope!  I loved poking through subway cars, ending up in underground rooms, and then.... THE SHAMBLER!  This first encounter was so hard at first, until one try I just kinda got through it quickly.  I love how then you're crawling along and wolves show up, and the wolves fight the infected for you at times, but you still gotta get past both of them, etc.  Good stuff.  The final chase to the theater with Dina discovered Ellie is immune was good too

 

The Theater

 

This is a nice little rest area to stay at in between adventures. I liked having a breather and just being able to explore a new location without worries.   Pretty decent plot element that Dina is pregnant (with Jessie's kid I guess).  Lovely ending with Ellie playing the same song Joel played for her when he gave her her first guitar.

 

The Birthday Gift

 

This was an amazing flashback!  Loved everything about exploring the Wyoming museum, the cool dinosaur outside, all the dinosaurs inside, and then that great space shuttle launch sequence that reminded me of the video game sequence from Left Behind.  These sequences with Ellie and Joel are great and remind me of the first game.  I enjoy the different dynamic of Ellie and Dina, but there's an extra magic when its Ellie and Joel

 

Phew - big day!  11 hours in now!  I figured each day would be as long as the Prologue but I guess not.... damn!

[Jay 37,434]

The Last Of Us: Part II - Seattle Day 2

 

Hillcrest

 

I love that you can pick up the guitar and play anything you want.  There must be videos on youtube of playing real songs through this interface... Once you get to Hillcrest it's a nice blend of roaming around looting, then evading wolves.  I love the new mechanic they introduce here of the dogs!  It makes it so much harder to stay hidden, but in a good, challenging way that isn't unfair (and it makes so much sense that people would be using dogs like this!).  There was a cool moment in the second big area where you open a door hoping to find a safe and there are a bunch of infected inside right there!  I just backed out and killed them all at once with a molotov cocktail, that was very satisfying lol  Getting the bow in the second area was great!  Iove being able to take people out stealthily whenever possible, and it's great to finally be able to do it at a distance instead of melee only.  The final major area where you're in this neighborhood and gotta go through a bunch of houses with a bunch of wolves around, including ones with dogs, was really hard, and took me a while to finish!  It got much easier when I starting taking out the dogs with the bows and arrows.  I struggled a lot with the last mini area, the smokey basement where wolves are throwing bombs at you and stuff, until I found a tactic to run by most of them and get to the part where you meet up with Jessie.  THAT part ended up being awesome, when he drives the truck and you have unlimited ammo to shoot at wolves and then infected chasing you - super fun!

 

Finding Strings

 

Ugh, I really did not enjoy the section where you use the hunting rifle to shoot infected from a distance with Tommy.  It took FOREVER for me to finally get them all.  It wasn't fun! Passing through the infected hotel with Joel was fun!  A good sequence that wasn't too hard and had good Joel and Ellie dynamics.  The boss fight against the bloater was pretty difficult, but not too bad.  Love seeing Ellie confront Joel about what happened in the hospital at the end of the first game (even though he lies to her face about it).

 

The Seraphites

 

Solo Ellie back in the big city, trying to get to the Hospital where Norah is.  I liked the little puzzle where you have to throw a rope from the second floor of a building outside to swing over to a room you couldn't get into otherwise.  By far my least favorite section was when you are going through this old, dark office building and there's a bunch of stalkers crawling around.  I hate those things!  Can't listen for them, they sneak up on you, often in pairs making it hard to fight off one, etc.  I eventually had to learn where to put some trip bombs and then just kinda book it through to the exit.  Good riddance!  Then there's another part where you go inot another building and have to sneak by or deal with a whole bunch of clickers and stalkers and stuff, that culminates in an intense cut scene / QTE where you end up battling one in a river that drags you away to god knows where.... which leads to you having to make it through a park full of these guys with hoods who are clearly the group that hung all the wolves in the TV station.... intense!  I love how they whistle to each other to communicate, it makes sense and adds to the uneasiness of the situation as well.   As you make it past the park into a parking garage, I recognized this as the area from that old trailer... I was definitely not nearly as smooth at getting through this as that player was.... after that when you have to get through some more buildings and I love the part where you open a door, and a guy with a massive freaking sledgehammer busts out and whacks you with it!  It took me a bunch of attempts to finally get past that guy (molotov cocktails once again saved the day)   Then having to swim around and find an underground tunnel to the hospital was a bit annoying, but I liked the little cutscene where you have to dispose of the wolf playing a Vita when you pop in.  The next part where you are outside the hospital that is just absolutely crawling with wolves and you have to sneak in was pretty tough!  I died a lot trying various routes only to give up and try a complete different path until had better luck.  My final strategy more or less involved luring them all a few at a time towards the grassy area you start at and getting steal kills there.  Pretty satisfying!  Once you get inside it's pretty quick to find your way to Norah, and I love that she's listening to Ice Cube!  The chase sequence with her was awesome!  I loved running at top speed trying to catch up with her and she runs through the building and a bunch of wolves keep shooting at you and stuff - fun sequence!  Once you get in the basement area it was less fun, except for the beginning when you can plan your movements right and use a well timed brick throw to get the clickers to take out all the wolves that followed you down, which is always pleasing to do!  It was then kind of a pain to have to kill all the clickers before moving to the next area though.  Confronting Norah and getting her to talk was pretty brutal, and I like that Ellie is visible shaken by it when she returns to the theater and gets comforted by Dina

 

St. Mary's Hospital

 

This was great, I loved getting to see Ellie learn about Joel's lie, and then immediately confront him about it.  I loved that he admitted everything finally instead of continuing the lie, and that this one short chapter explains so much about their relationship at the start of the game.

 

 

17 hours in now!

[Positivatee 327]

No Man's Sky is awesome once I get the gun that shoots sentry drones. They are pretty dumb about losing me when I flee underground. 

[Jay 37,434]

 

 

[King Mark 3,631]

I never played a Grand Theft Auto

[mstrox 6,654]

Just 100%ed the third PS3 Arkham Asylum game.  Getting to the dregs of my first plays/replays on that system before I finally bite the bullet on last gen and get a PS4.

 

Definitely going to replay The Last of Us.  Need to inventory what else I have to figure out what else I’ll play before the upgrade.  Probably Uncharted 3, GTA 4/5, Red Dead Redemption, and handful of dumb Lego games…

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I've never played a Rock Star game and I really can't see myself ever doing so.

[mstrox 6,654]

GTA2 and later GTA3/Vice City were formative games for me.  Haven’t had that same exact level of fun in San Andreas or IV, but it’s still a blast to cause chaos and try to escape a police manhunt. I understand why you wouldn’t want to play those games, though!

 

While I haven’t played it yet, I’m a bit surprised you haven’t considered playing RDR, which certainly falls outside of that GTA chaos for chaos sake model, and which many consider to be an all-timer.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I feel like if you like Breath Of The Wild, you’d also enjoy Red Dead Redemption 2, unless you’re turned off by the Western genre. 
 

RDR2 is the probably the most accomplished video game ever made in terms of its technical execution and storytelling. The scope and detail are staggering. 

[Not Mr. Big 4,645]

RDR2 wasn't very fun to play though.  Especially because of the cumbersome controls

[SilverTrumpet 638]

7 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

I feel like if you like Breath Of The Wild, you’d also enjoy Red Dead Redemption 2, unless you’re turned off by the Western genre. 
 

RDR2 is the probably the most accomplished video game ever made in terms of its technical execution and storytelling. The scope and detail are staggering. 

 

6 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

RDR2 wasn't very fun to play though.  Especially because of the cumbersome controls

 

This for me too. Breath of the Wild was an endless playground. I got bored by the endless cutscenes and trudging along sections. Maybe I'll try it again one day though.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

7 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

RDR2 wasn't very fun to play though.  Especially because of the cumbersome controls

I agree. I wasn’t able to get through it, but I had a similar issue with Breath Of The Wild. 

[Not Mr. Big 4,645]

23 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

I agree. I wasn’t able to get through it, but I had a similar issue with Breath Of The Wild. 

I had problems with the weapon/combat system of Breath of the Wild but at least it doesn't require you to constantly mash the A button in order to run (slowly).  

And the BOTW has better progression, where the grind has definite rewards in terms of improving character stats.  

[Positivatee 327]

In a little less than a month, Skyrim will be ten years old.

 

I'm looking forward to buying another version I won't finish. 

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

10 years and still no Elder Scrolls 6 on the horizon apart from a vague announcement. I guess rereleasing Skyrim for every single platform has been keeping them busy

[Koray Savas 2,251]

They’re working on Starfield. Elder Scrolls is at least 4-5 years away. 

[SilverTrumpet 638]

Consider all they've shown so far is a vague teaser trailer that probably has nothing to do with the game at all, it's still a ways off. 

 

I really enjoyed playing Oblivion at the time, but I couldn't get into Skyrim for some reason. There was less color and style to it, I thought. Maybe I'll still get through it one day.

 

There's so much to play, and as I get older I have less and less time, so I've kinda been trying to let history sort out what I should play for me. Wait and see what people REALLY stuck with and then make it an effort to finally play those games, even if its years later. That's why I'd like to finally properly get through TLOU, maybe RDR2 again, and others.

 

Has anyone played Psychonauts 2 yet? That's one I jumped into right away because I loved the first one so much but I'm having a very very hard time with, and as far as I can tell, I'm the only one. Everyone on the internet seems super in love with it. 

[SilverTrumpet 638]

Finished Psychonauts 2 the other night. I ended up liking it a lot more than I started out. The story kinda bored me and I'd space out after awhile. I have a very low tolerance for story in games, though.

 

Which brings me to The Last of Us. That discussion before made me try to finish the first game again. I've started it so many times but could never finish.

 

I think most of the draw of the game is a serious, brutal story. The gameplay isn't BAD, but it's not anything revolutionary and special. The graphics are pretty good, but the locations aren't very diverse. 

 

Sometimes I feel like the only person who just cannot get into this game. I will admit that I kind of resent it for inspiring every single Playstation game since to play just like it, but I swear I've been trying to give it a chance. 

 

Any thoughts?

[Jay 37,434]

Well, it was the first Playstation game I ever played and beat. I've always been a Nintendo guy, and never owned a Sony console until I bought a PS4, and this was the first game I played on it. Previously, I had played various PS games over the years on friends consoles, most notably Resident Evil 2 which blew me away, but had mostly been out of the AAA game loop and anything happening in the big budget video game world outside of Halo 1 and whatever Nintendo was doing

 

When I played The Last Of Us I was instantly hooked and pretty instantly loved it. Yes, the locations are not too diverse yes, the gameplay is a bit repetitive. But it's not super hard or super long, and the storytelling is great. I loved how often it felt like I was playing an interactive movie. And the best storytelling is everytime Joel and Ellie are just out and chatting and figuring each other out. 

 

Finally, what really elevates the game to something special is the ending. If they didn't do the ending they did all the other stuff might not be enough to make it stand out as much. But that final cut scene or two just hits so hard and really makes everything worth it. I'll never forget it. 

 

Also, the Left Behind DLC is fantastic! It improves the gameplay a lot, and has very memorable moments. 

[Edmilson 7,508]

I've been enjoying Horizon Zero Dawn, mostly due to the main story, worldbuilding and visuals (the gameplay isn't great).

 

Also I'm having a lot of fun with the photo mode:

 

 

 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Last Of Us and Horizon gameplay aren’t great? Gonna need y’all to start defining great gameplay in your write-ups!

[SilverTrumpet 638]

16 hours ago, Jay said:

Well, it was the first Playstation game I ever played and beat. I've always been a Nintendo guy, and never owned a Sony console until I bought a PS4, and this was the first game I played on it. Previously, I had played various PS games over the years on friends consoles, most notably Resident Evil 2 which blew me away, but had mostly been out of the AAA game loop and anything happening in the big budget video game world outside of Halo 1 and whatever Nintendo was doing

 

When I played The Last Of Us I was instantly hooked and pretty instantly loved it. Yes, the locations are not too diverse yes, the gameplay is a bit repetitive. But it's not super hard or super long, and the storytelling is great. I loved how often it felt like I was playing an interactive movie. And the best storytelling is everytime Joel and Ellie are just out and chatting and figuring each other out. 

 

Finally, what really elevates the game to something special is the ending. If they didn't do the ending they did all the other stuff might not be enough to make it stand out as much. But that final cut scene or two just hits so hard and really makes everything worth it. I'll never forget it. 

 

Also, the Left Behind DLC is fantastic! It improves the gameplay a lot, and has very memorable moments. 

 

See, that's interesting, because I think I don't like it BECAUSE I'm a Nintendo guy. Nintendo is straight to the point gameplay 99% of the time. The Last of Us is the opposite of that. I don't like interactive movie games. I think I either want to play a game or watch a movie, and I think there hasn't been a game that's come close to storytelling like a movie as a movie. The Last of Us isn't it. The story and performances are good......for a game. That's it.

 

It's sort of become a recent classic, though, so I've wanted to finally get through it, but it's really difficult.

 

1 hour ago, Koray Savas said:

Last Of Us and Horizon gameplay aren’t great? Gonna need y’all to start defining great gameplay in your write-ups!

 

I can't speak on Horizon because I haven't gotten past the intro in that one, but for TLOU, it's just repetitive. The controls aren't as intuitive as I think it can be, and the gameplay never evolves. 

 

Even something like Halo is a great example. People didn't like the Flood, but it was a gameplay evolution. After a few hours of fighting the same Covenant enemies and learning how they act, how they move, what they're weak against, the game throws an entirely new enemy type at you, and now you have to take the skills you've learned, becoming acclimated to the controls and apply them to this new enemy type. It builds on what you've learned already and has you apply it to something new. 

 

Mario is the same way. All you do is run and jump, and the level design changes to give you different way to apply those running and jumping skills. 

[Edmilson 7,508]

1 hour ago, Koray Savas said:

Last Of Us and Horizon gameplay aren’t great? Gonna need y’all to start defining great gameplay in your write-ups!

I'm not a fan of HZD's combat system, especially for close range. There's some other open world RPGs with more engaging fights. And the parkour isn't great either, although I'm playing it after finishing an Assassin's Creed game where the parkour was so much fun.

 

The RPG elements are pretty good though. They make the game more challenging and thus more engaging.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

2 hours ago, SilverTrumpet said:

I can't speak on Horizon because I haven't gotten past the intro in that one, but for TLOU, it's just repetitive. The controls aren't as intuitive as I think it can be, and the gameplay never evolves. 

 

Even something like Halo is a great example. People didn't like the Flood, but it was a gameplay evolution. After a few hours of fighting the same Covenant enemies and learning how they act, how they move, what they're weak against, the game throws an entirely new enemy type at you, and now you have to take the skills you've learned, becoming acclimated to the controls and apply them to this new enemy type. It builds on what you've learned already and has you apply it to something new. 

 

Mario is the same way. All you do is run and jump, and the level design changes to give you different way to apply those running and jumping skills. 

How far did you actually get into the game? There are new enemies you encounter as you progress. New tools and crafting abilities. The level design is open, giving you multiple ways to approach any given area or objective. All of which is greatly expanded upon in Part II. It’s all even better in the Factions multiplayer where you’re pitted against real-life players. 

 

2 hours ago, Edmilson said:

I'm not a fan of HZD's combat system, especially for close range. There's some other open world RPGs with more engaging fights. And the parkour isn't great either, although I'm playing it after finishing an Assassin's Creed game where the parkour was so much fun.

 

The RPG elements are pretty good though. They make the game more challenging and thus more engaging.

What can be more engaging than taking down a Thunderjaw or Stormbird?

 

As far as the parkour goes, I thought it was mostly fine. Depends which AC game you were playing.

 

All that being said, developers don’t nail the gameplay perfectly on the first try. There’s always something that ends up being cut or left behind due to time or budgeting constraints. It’s always that second game that allows the dev team to really perfect the systems they started with. 
 

Look at Drake’s Fortune to Among Thieves or AC to AC II. The very first Mario arcade game to Super Mario World, etc. 

 

I’m super excited to see how Guerrilla expands upon Horizon’s gameplay. That’s a team that made nothing but FPSs and then made an open world RPG. 

[Jay 37,434]

5 hours ago, SilverTrumpet said:

 for TLOU, it's just repetitive. The controls aren't as intuitive as I think it can be, and the gameplay never evolves. 

 

But it does evolve though! In any encounter, you can choose to steam in guns blazing, sneak around a pick them off one by one silently, or do bursts of steamrolling with distractions to get back to a safe area and try again. And as you get more weapons and tools you have more options to make any of these approaches happen. 

 

Plus, the gameplay really evolves in the Left Behind DLC. Finally you can, fight zombie and human enemies at the same time, and have them take each other out with careful planning. 

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

For me, TLOU 1 and 2 are both what I'd call "experiences". The sprawling story and intense gameplay equates to a 15-20 hour immersive and bingeable movie experience, but with a lot more interactivity. That said, due to the aforementioned intensity of the story and gameplay, it's unlikely I'll ever play either of them again. I'm not a particularly big fan of horror in general and while I did enjoy experiencing them both I have no real desire to do so again. I'm pretty much the same with a lot of intense horror movies, like Hereditary. Glad to have experienced it, but not running back any time soon!

 

Replay value for me comes from fun game mechanics, and while I do think TLOU1+2 are very good games, I wouldn't exactly call them fun.

 

Also, I've been enjoying your write-ups of TLOU2 @Jay, have you got more coming?

[Not Mr. Big 4,645]

TLOU's gameplay variation comes from the bandit vs. zombie combat approach, both requiring very different strategies.  

[SilverTrumpet 638]

I just finished the snow part. Went to bed for the night at the beginning of spring. 

 

Yeah, the human enemies shoot you from a distance as opposed to run at you and bite your neck off, but it's still just sneaking around them quietly and trying to take them out or you risk having to quickly shoot them and that almost never goes well, and I've become a pretty great shot at this point.

 

I think story wise it just reminds me too much of Walking Dead, which I thought was one of the lower effort zombie stories. The Henry stuff even reminded me of Morgan (no, not just because they're both black) to the point where I kept forgetting Sam was his brother as opposed to his son. It was such a similar dynamic. 

 

You can tell the game wanted to be a TV show or movie in the first place, and I'd bet that'll be the primary storytelling device for the series going forward. My wife even said wouldn't it be weird if the future games started working around the TV show as opposed to the other way around. It's almost like when they make a book a movie the book covers all change to have the actors in the movies, and in some cases, the plots and characterization in future books adapt to what worked on screen. I think Harry Potter did that a few times in the last couple books, but it's been so long I can't remember specific examples. 

[Positivatee 327]

1 minute ago, SilverTrumpet said:

when they make a book a movie the book covers all change to have the actors in the movies, and in some cases, the plots and characterization in future books adapt to what worked on screen. I think Harry Potter did that a few times in the last couple books, but it's been so long I can't remember specific examples. 

 

In the US version of the audio books, Jim Dale reads the villain's name with a silent T, as if he were French. 

 

After the movies, he pronounced Voldemort with a hard T for the rest of the series. 

[Holko 9,543]

12 minutes ago, SilverTrumpet said:

I think Harry Potter did that a few times in the last couple books, but it's been so long I can't remember specific examples. 

I only ever noticed slight little nods like Filch confiscating shrunken heads from Crabbe or Goyle in HBP.

[Jay 37,434]

1 hour ago, SilverTrumpet said:

I think story wise it just reminds me too much of Walking Dead

 

This game released in June of 2013, at which point only 3 seasons of The Walking Dead had aired, and would have began production before that show existed

[SilverTrumpet 638]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

 

This game released in June of 2013, at which point only 3 seasons of The Walking Dead had aired, and would have began production before that show existed

 

That's true. Not possible that it was copied, not that that's what I was implying. Just that they were very similar in style. 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Naughty Dog games are cinematic, but that hardly makes them interactive stories. Play The Last Of Us on Grounded difficulty and see how far you get. It’s one of the most challenging games I’ve ever completed. The environmental storytelling alone is enough to separate it from other mediums.