How is The Last of Us?

I've been wanting to get this game for a while, and now that it's out, I'm sure a few people here have it.

To those that do have it, whether you like or dislike it, tell me about it.


NO SPOILERS please, just tell me how it plays and stuff.

If you liked Uncharted at all, or horror at all, or stealth games at all, buy it. Totally safe $60 buy.

PlasticandRage: (don't like this new textbox. quoting has become difficult suddenly) Last of Us is amazing so far. It wears a lot of hats and so far it does it well, which I think says a lot. I feel like most games that try to do that, like Rage for example, end up half assing them all. Last of Us pulls it off though. It's survival horror, at least to some degree, definitely horror though, has some adventure elements, some action, stealth. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous too, and the gameplay is really fun. The story had me totally engaged less than 10 minutes in. Really impressive. Just like everything by Naughty Dog.

My favorite thing so far is that you have a good amount of options for interacting with the environment and defending yourself, so you can approach situations in a lot of different ways. I just fought a group of people and I tried it a couple times in different ways and found my way. I like that.

The graphics are just intensely good too. Really puts you in the space. The characters have depth and are very believable as real people in the situation. Honestly I can't say enough good things about it. I'm going to stop myself though because I don't want to ruin anything and right from the beginning it'd be easy to.

It's Splinter Cell, Uncharted, and good Resident Evil combined, with a good story, characters, and setting.

note. i do NOT have the game. im hyped for it to. have a few friends who have it. but, as the cheap ***** that i am...im waiting, this title has DLC coming, which typically boasts a sale once some the dlc comes out. i know it has multiplayer, but im not to worried about that so no biggie.

my advice. wait a couple weeks. sony tends to do sales fairly early after release sometimes, not always. wont save you much, but if your ps+ you might save a few bucks or get some free dlc.

i will admit, im having a hard time waiting. but while i've touched on it. 

how is the multiplayer? its not why most people buy this type of game, it doesnt make/break buying it but im curious.

It's pretty good.  I'd complain about it being a little linear, and the scavenger/crafting aspect getting repetitive, but I definitely praise the story and graphics, and do find room for versatility in terms of playstyle.  I agree with Gamespot's point that sometimes the AI is wonky and takes you out of it, which is disappointing because it is otherwise quite engaging.

The opening was actually an amazing sequence, and I'm hoping for more like it.  Overall, if you're a fan of Uncharted, but wouldn't mind the stakes being higher all around, you'll definitely like The Last of Us.

I'm with plastic, I posted a big review an while ago, but it has some spoilers of the Demo, so if you still want to see it, ask me.


If you enjoyed Uncharted, you will enjoy this one, the mechanics are even better and it has the terror factor.

JohnnyHarpoon wrote: I agree with Gamespot's point that sometimes the AI is wonky and takes you out of it, which is disappointing because it is otherwise quite engaging.

If you're talking about the friendly AI's I think that stops after awhile. I'm to a point in the game now where it no longer really makes sense for them to run out into the way of enemies. I'm 100% positive that they can't ruin the game for you by doing that anyway, as I've had my Tess jump over walls directly into Clickers, and run right smack into them and they didn't aggro, but I agree it kind of breaks the reality of the game. Other than that I actually really like the way they behave and the way Joel interacts with them. For example I noticed last night and whenever you get into the same cover as Ellie or Tess he won't like clip inside them or push them out of the way, but instead he sits in a way with his arm up and body out where he's essentially shielding them. I love little details like that. Try to move around one of them while he's doing it and pan the camera. It's pretty cool. He goes out of his way to continue doing it. I also feel like the zombie AI is really great in this game. It's a quasi-stealth game where enemies patrol but are erratic. I think that's completely on purpose and good. The clickers for example will suddenly change direction from their otherwise scouted patrols, and take breaks to scream in the way they do when they detect you, which definitely adds some tension when you're sneaking and not looking over your shoulder. Something they also do that I find impressive is their timing which doesn't stay the same at all. Meaning say two of them are patrolling near each other, they won't be in the same spot in regards to each other all the time, so you have to plan your move with a lot more spontaneity than you would in some other stealth games where enemies just walk back and forth in unison.

I love it. I love it I love it I love it. 

This game absolutely sucked me in in under 10 minutes. The combat is absolutely brutal and frantic, the story is so far is an appropriate mix of desperation and hope. The writing is also top notch...I don't think I've ever seen a game capture the way a teenager acts quite like this one does, it's nearly perfect. What Walking Dead did for child characters, The Last of US does for teenage characters. 

That said...it isn't perfect, there are noticeable AI flaws, such as when my AI partners will literally sprint across a room I just spent 10 minutes stealthing through and not a single enemy notices. What's more when the area is being searched by bandits, Ellie will be standing in plain sight and the dudes will pass right over her...

I'd say get it.

Another thing that I don't think has been mentioned yet is the multiplayer. If you don't like the fast, frantic pace of Call of Duty, then this is for you. I personally love it. It's slow and tense, and can get my heart really pounding. I love how you start matches with only a few rounds, and you have to be smart about where you put your bullets. It is, to me, a perfect definition of a "thinking man's shooter".

PlasticandRage wrote:If you're talking about the friendly AI's I think that stops after awhile. I'm to a point in the game now where it no longer really makes sense for them to run out into the way of enemies.

I find the friendly AI to be frustrating.  While I have noticed that they themselves don't actually aggro anything, they're very bad at following your lead (or, perhaps too good).  I often find myself trying to play akin to, say, the new Batman games - I like to stalk my enemies, isolate one, leap out him, and then hide again while enemies try to figure out what just happened.  The friendly AI makes this impossible, as whenever I quit being stealthy, even for just a second, my buddies start opening fire and blow our cover. So, I may actually go so far as to amend by previous statement that the game allows for 'versatility' in terms of playstyle, and lower it a rank or so to a mere 'choice' in terms of playstyle.

Here's a more detailed example: Sneaking through an area, decide to not waste a shiv on a clicker, so I throw a bottle at it to stun it, and then smack it in the head with a melee weapon while it's stunned, which 1-shots them if done correctly.  Other enemies are alerted and come running, but I've ducked around a corner and hidden again.  I am in the clear, however, because I swung my melee weapon once, my partner jumps out and starts blasting away.  While I could just continue hiding, they quickly get swarmed and I have no choice but to open fire to save their lives.

So, I guess you could argue that having some sort of partner could be an additional challenge, but if that were really supposed to be the case, the lack of an ability to communicate simple messages to them seems like a big oversight.  I don't think that was supposed to be a component, though - it doesn't feel like it should be part of the game - and it feels like the AI was designed to just be generally pretty non-intrusive.  It's moments like I described, however, that, more than frustrate or upset me, simply take me out of it and make me hyper aware that I'm playing a game, which again, is disappointing because I find it otherwise really engaging.

PlasticandRage wrote:
For example I noticed last night and whenever you get into the same cover as Ellie or Tess he won't like clip inside them or push them out of the way, but instead he sits in a way with his arm up and body out where he's essentially shielding them.

I also love this, and find they've done great with little details like that.

PlasticandRage wrote:
I also feel like the zombie AI is really great in this game. It's a quasi-stealth game where enemies patrol but are erratic. I think that's completely on purpose and good.

I agree here, as well.  Zombie AI is a wonderful twist, and their varying levels of sight are also a great mix up.  I love the close calls because they really feel like close calls, with the unpredictability of enemy routes and all.  The Human AI leaves a little to be desired, but no more than literally every other stealth game besides Metal Gear (I am playing on normal, still, so I don't know if that affects it at all).

Overall, I'm still DEFINITELY having a blast, and the trouble I have with the AI is mostly when I'm trying to do specific things...but, once I get over not being able to do exactly what I want, it's not hard to find some other way to have fun (molotovs really help).

Yeah I can't argue with any of that at all. I actually had Tess do the same thing to me last night. The scene where you fight the clickers in what looks like a civil war museum. I kept trying to be sneaky and I'd get in the clear and stand for a sec without moving so I could see the layout of the room a little better and she'd start firing every time if there were enemies in range. I've also noticed that if you're in listening mode and one of them is running their footsteps make little ripples. I'd assume that means it counts as in-game sound. If it does then Ellie came really close to screwing me last night too. I was hiding behind a counter in one of the stores off the subway station in the area you hit just before you leave the collapsing office building, and there was a clicker coming right towards us and instead of getting cover she got stuck running back and forth in front of the counter. She didn't get me caught but it was a bit ridiculous. At the point I'm in now Ellie doesn't have any kind of firearm at all. From looking at the promotional art you unlock for free in the bonuses, it looks like she might get a hunting rifle at some point, in which case I'd hope she eventually won't operate the way Tess does as fire support. It'd be pretty cool if she hides and snipes for you. I guess either is pretty possible.

Tess only did it to me that one time though thankfully, and I just went with it and opened fire too. It was actually the only time I've used my guns so far, so I far just did it. I'm actually thinking about doing the same encounter a few times and practicing with my weapons so I can make sure I'm actually able to well if the time comes that I need to.

I really enjoy the game thus far and the only complaints with the game are those that are all ready mentioned here, mostly the whole wonky companion AI occasionally.
The multiplayer I also really like as well.

I haven't tried the multiplayer yet. I plan to. I looked through the tutorials and stuff. Looks like it could be cool. Something more to it than there was in the Uncharted games anyway.

It better be great because I ordered it today from amazon and normaly I never buy games that were just released.

A PSN friend of mine just messaged me to tell me he finished it. I asked him how long it took and he said 16 hours. I'm not too happy with that answer.

Neither am I, I freakin' knew the moment I read it would have multiplayer that it would be short because of it. Sonuva *****...

Game's been pretty much ruined for me at this point. Mostly, at the very least. Dammit to hell man.



Regardless, thanks for all the replies guys, 'ppreciate it.

Just finished it....I actually had to lie down from the ending...I won't spoil it...but it was good...great as a mater of fact.

I'm still glad I bought it, but the short campaign makes me angry. It's so damn good in so many ways. I don't understand why they'd hit such an amazingly height in their development and then just end it so fast.

I found the length fine for a linear action/adventure TPS game. I mean from what I've seen on other forums, most players on their first playthrough beat the game withing 10 to 20 hours which is about average from other similar games to it plus also basically the same amount of time of the Uncharted series. So I found the length resonable plus the fact I need to beat it two more times and find all those collectibles that adds probably another 20 hours at least if not more.

I looked at the index of a walkthrough to see how far along I am and I still have a good chunk left. Not quite halfway if most of the areas are the same length. I'm in the cemetery in Lincoln right now.

Game is fantastic. A really intense intro followed by a slow level for mechanics explaining. Good acting and flow.

Also, I gotta show off:

Damn, Fex!

Nice controller. You guys remember this?

So wonderful. Resident Evil 4 GC controller. I never had one, but I they had one at the store I buy from under glass.

i got this game for free and it is freakin awesome the story sort of made me feel emotional the controls are balanced to me anyways the multiplayer shouldn't have been competitive i beated the game in 3 days the story is quite short 

even though im posting this pretty late but its coo

The game looks good but I haven't really been drawn it by it.I like the characters and animation so far.I just got to the museum roof before I stopped playing and a big criticism I have is that I was able to kill all of the infected downstairs with my bare hands without getting hurt.Perhaps it's just that normal isn't very hard,I dunno.I think it would be a good idea to play the game alone at night with headphones.