The Last of Us...

[C47]

A week before it drops and this game is getting some incredible praises in reviews so I thought it needed a thread.  Can't wait to pick it up....

 

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/06/05/last-us-review-bright-moment-in-gaming-shining-through-dark-world/

 

 

Minor quibbles with the combat aside, Naughty Dog proves once again that it is among the best in the business. It also once again pushes the envelope of what a video game can be. The writing and the story of The Last of Us are not just good by gaming standards, but good by the standards of any medium. It is a dark and mature tale, and while the obvious comparison is to Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series, the better comparison might be The Walking Dead. It is a brutal story that will continue to push your conception of what a video game story can be, and it is easily among the year’s best releases thus far.

 

 

http://www.edge-online.com/review/the-last-of-us-review/

 

 

 

Had Naughty Dog closed its doors after Uncharted 3 and decided there was no way it could top what it had accomplished, its legacy would be secure. But news of The Last Of Us held such incredible promise because it represented a blank slate for one of gaming’s all-star teams. Naughty Dog takes full advantage of that fresh start, removing the few lingering constraints that held the Uncharted series back from masterpiece status.

 

......

 

The Last Of Us strips away the geek-centric fan service so commonplace in contemporary games. For every highbrow idea explored, developers seem compelled to throw in a lowbrow one to counterbalance it. The Last Of Us resists such compromises, and does so without disappearing up its own backside. Naughty Dog has delivered the most riveting, emotionally resonant story-driven epic of this console generation. At times it’s easy to feel like big-budget development has too much on the line to allow stubbornly artful ideas to flourish, but then a game like The Last Of Us emerges through the crumbled blacktop like a climbing vine, green as a burnished emerald.

 

 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/05/the-last-of-us-review

 

 

THE VERDICT

PlayStation 3 isn’t only well-known for its number of exclusive games, but for the sheer number of quality exclusives. That’s what makes The Last of Us even more impressive, because not only does it join the ranks of Uncharted, Killzone, God of War, Infamous and more, but it bests them all. In short, Naughty Dog has crafted a game that impresses in virtually every way. The Last of Us is a true feat.

Its unrivaled presentation in particular sets the bar even higher than the Uncharted trilogy already did, and its writing, voice acting and layered gameplay combine to create what is very easily the game to beat for Game of the Year 2013.

 

For those who haven't seen the game yet...

 

[Zaximus]

I pre-ordered for wife and I.  She isn't a huge gamer but played and loved all the Drake games as well as Fallout 3, so this should be perfect for her.  Reviews have been amazing, I'm not surprised though.

[Joscott]

This will be the first game in a while that I'll buy before the price dips. I've been waiting for this, Naughty Dog doesn't disappoint. Hope they have something planned for E3 too.

[Kurb]

:( would love to play this

[C47]

:( would love to play this

360 only?

[d-dave]

I've read several reviews thus far, and seen a bunch of videos.  All I can say is "Father's Day??" (And yes a do own a PS3 despite enjoying my 360 moreso) I love the darkness to it, a real survival game that forces you to be ugly.  You're not the good guys saving the town, you're the survivors who let the world burn.  I'm so interested!

[nickzz]

i've been pretty excited for this game for a while now but i'm not holding my breath because uncharted 3 was complete poo. i never played 1 + 2 but if they're anything like 3 then this game will most likely be terrible.

[SZ James (banned)]

i've been pretty excited for this game for a while now but i'm holding my breath because uncharted 3 was complete poo. i never played 1 + 2 but if they're anything like 3 then this game will most likely be terrible.

uncharted 3 is awesome bro just look at the review scores it got

[nickzz]

uncharted 3 is awesome bro just look at the review scores it got

 

it's a damn shame that games like uncharted 3 are considered 10/10 masterpieces in this age.

[Joscott]

i've been pretty excited for this game for a while now but i'm holding my breath because uncharted 3 was complete poo. i never played 1 + 2 but if they're anything like 3 then this game will most likely be terrible.

Yeah I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Last of us is getting rave reviews just like uncharted 3, so it's probably not indie/under the radar enough for you. And don't bother with 1 and 2 because they are great to.

But go on, do tell why uncharted is complete poo.

[nickzz]

Yeah I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Last of us is getting rave reviews just like uncharted 3, so it's probably not indie/under the radar enough for you. And don't bother with 1 and 2 because they are great to.

But go on, do tell why uncharted is complete poo.

 

i rarely play indie games.

 

uncharted 3 felt like an interactive movie and it was so simple a four year old could run through it. i only managed to make it through 2-3 hrs of gameplay until i realized it wasn't just a tutorial, it's how the game actually is. i could roll my face across the controller and progress with no trouble at all.

[Zaximus]

Just because the Drake games didn't fit your play style doesn't mean they are bad.

 

In fact, they are some of the best single player games that have came out, IMO.  After playing bugfest games like Fallout 3 and Skyrim, which I love, it was nice playing Drake where stuff just WORKS and you can sit down after working 8 hours and relax for a bit instead of crafting armor for 2 hours (which I enjoy, but not always).  

 

It's nice to have different styles of games.  LA Noire is another where it's almost an interactive movie.   I don't usually buy games that aren't longer than 15 hours but I'm not going to say they are bad games just because of that, it's just because I don't think it's decent value for money.  However, I have this preordered because of how great I thought the Drake games were.

[C47]

Just because the Drake games didn't fit your play style doesn't mean they are bad.

 

In fact, they are some of the best single player games that have came out, IMO.  After playing bugfest games like Fallout 3 and Skyrim, which I love, it was nice playing Drake where stuff just WORKS and you can sit down after working 8 hours and relax for a bit instead of crafting armor for 2 hours (which I enjoy, but not always).  

 

It's nice to have different styles of games.  LA Noire is another where it's almost an interactive movie.   I don't usually buy games that aren't longer than 15 hours but I'm not going to say they are bad games just because of that, it's just because I don't think it's decent value for money.  However, I have this preordered because of how great I thought the Drake games were.

 

Not saying it will take a normal gamer this long, but most reviews are saying somewhere between 15-18 hours to play through it the first time.  Not sure if that's on average difficulty, easy in order to get the review done, or a harder level....

[Miaoww]

Great characters and story (Ellie is awesome), but the game is a bit of a grind.

 

Still very good though.