CCCToad on 14/6/2013 at 18:11
Quote Posted by faetal
I'm not talking about how re-playable a game is, just how good it is. Some games you buy to be re-playable, others you buy for that one amazing experience.
Well.....this may sound odd at first glance, but it's not really the point. My point was that the first Mass Effect was that the depth of that game provided for a very rich experience, and that the ability to replay it and still enjoy it is evidence of that and the inability to really enjoy a replay of Mass Effect 2 is testament to that game's lack of depth.
I'm using replayability as an indicator, not the end goal.
faetal on 14/6/2013 at 18:14
That only works if re-playability has a static relationship with overall quality.
SubJeff on 14/6/2013 at 18:27
Okay, I'm a bit of a ways in.
This is a stealth game people, a good stealth game. Well if you start on Hard it is, I can't speak for Easy or Normal. Once I got into the sneaking and strangling I'm really enjoying it. Its pretty linear so far and on Hard it certainly is hard. I had to redo one section about 15 times because the enemies were so relentless.
I've been hit by this launch day save bug though - I understand its fixed but I won't be testing it til later/tomorrow.
Malf on 14/6/2013 at 18:53
Yup, definitely pays to be stealthy, but I too got hit by the save bug and have lost a good 2 hours play, so I'm leaving it alone tonight.
It's made me a bit angry to be honest, and I don't want to feel that way about a Naughty Dog game.
I'll tackle it again come patch.
Interesting thing, the bug has made me look at it more objectively, and it does play a bit like an old man's Uncharted. So far it's been incredibly linear and the Sarkeesian Damsel effect is being felt somewhat, what with it being about a macho hairy guy protecting the helpless girl. And I saw her Ellie's "Specialness" from a mile off; it's "Borrowing" heavily from Children of Men and other such works.
Still, it's incredibly atmospheric, the zombies are genuinely weird and a little bit scary and the rain on windows could mesmerise me for HOURS.
Oh, and speaking of influences, anyone else getting HUGE HL2 vibes from that first section wandering around the QZ?
SubJeff on 14/6/2013 at 21:27
Yeah, I thought of HL2 but despite the obvious parallel this is quite quite different.
Are you playing it on hard? I don't like to use my gun at all. The combat is pretty brutal.
Malf on 14/6/2013 at 22:15
Yup, always try to start console games on the highest difficulty available, especially when they're from studios like Naughty Dog. I feel like I'm missing out on the full experience if I'm playing on Normal or lower.
I quite like rushing things and meleeing them, and in that respect it feels VERY much like the Uncharted games. So yeah, when I can't sneak, I'll hit things rather than use precious ammo.
Ostriig on 16/6/2013 at 19:15
My lack of experience with controllers is definitely showing, I've got the difficulty set to Pussy and I still barely hit anything when shooting. Not doing that well when I get mobbed and have to pirouette the camera around, either. So up until this point The Last of Us is presenting itself as a stealth game to me, whether I like it or not.
I've put just a couple of hours into it, my progress being rather slow for the aforementioned reasons. The visuals have their pluses and minuses, characters are well presented but environment textures are relatively low-res. Can't see any AA going on and that does become apparent at times on 1680x1050. Not yet blown away by the level art, and I am hoping that the writing picks up and I get a bit more invested in the characters as we move on, this is just the beginning, after all.
Also, fuck "encounter" checkpoints. Bioware's latest titles wouldn't let you save while in combat, I've had to put up with them in Bioshock Infinite, now here, and if I end up getting Metro: Last Light later on, guess what. I'm getting tired of this stuff real quick, I wanna save whenever I damn well please, and that includes in the middle of combat.
Malf on 16/6/2013 at 19:17
I've just completed it and am gathering my thoughts about it. Some initial spoiler-free thoughts: astonishingly good production values, incredibly linear, meaty combat, slightly clichéd story, surprisingly stealth-heavy.
The rest may take some time. Needless to say, it's far from perfect.
Phatose on 16/6/2013 at 21:47
OK, so, I'm thinking this is gaming's Citizen Kane moment in the sense you're much, much better off watching it then playing it.
Instant death zombies, stupidly low arbitrary ammo limits, melee weapons that break quicker then the ones in Dead Island.
SubJeff on 16/6/2013 at 22:18
Quote Posted by Ostriig
My lack of experience with controllers is definitely showing, I've got the difficulty set to Pussy and I still barely hit anything when shooting. Not doing that well when I get mobbed and have to pirouette the camera around, either. So up until this point The Last of Us is presenting itself as a stealth game to me, whether I like it or not.
No man, it's hard to shoot. Don't worry - its not you. The game is really hard. The aiming is shaky which is why you can upgrade it and a lot of the enemies move really fast and erratically. The runners come screaming around a corner and don't necessarily move in a straight line so they are really hard to hit.
I think thats the point and that its supposed to be tough.
My problem is supplies and that may be because I'm playing it on Hard. I have no binding so I cannot create shivs and I haven't found any more for aaages. This means Clickers are a real problem for me.
What is low about the ammo limits? Perhaps I've not reached the limit on any yet. The instant kill Clickers are fine, imho. It makes you more wary. In any case you can upgrade to be able to fight them off.
