Last of Us spoilers

Just finished the game on Hard (but only registered Normal, since I switched difficulties early on) in 20h. Amazing game, is what I kept telling myself from about half way in and up to the end

A few highlights off the top my head for the moment:
-University scenery. Another 'in awe' moment for ND games
-All of winter (snowstorm ), and especially playing as Ellie. Beasted through that area Solid Snake and Sam Fisher would be proud
-Henry and Sam The part where Sam is all melancholy and upset while talking with Ellie, and leaving you wondering what's up before he reveals his leg was nicely done.
-and finally, stealthily shooting a guy who was creeping up the stairs, in the head with a shotgun, leaving him headless with a graphic blood spray pattern on the beige wall behind him to end the encounter. Wow.

 

Yeah, this was really sad...when Sam talked to Ellie what she thinks happens to infected, if they are still alive and inside...and Ellie just gave him realistic 'cold' answers...then he is left alone over night with his fears...this was a hefty scene...

 

watched the making of
awesome the way they very open. makes me remember valve.

btw i failed to jump to the MP. TLoU asked for 46MB update and it say 30minutes to download ugh..

 

A patch ?

 

All your weapons carry over on Game Plus. They will be sitting on the same place you found them on your first playthrough!

I Kid.

 

Could not clean up some of the text, as much as I would want to, but finally did put together my thoughts, while I was travelling yesterday. I wish I could put more time into it but am too busy right now, having skipped work to play this , but I guess I will keep updating and cleaning it up.

The Last of Us: A Masterclass in Game Design

I missed out on some points about sound being used to guide the player. I think I will write another article to cover all the points , maybe. There are still some good observations in there !

 

Good read Renegade!


Btw, here is another good read:

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com...ngus-that-reduced-humanity-to-the-last-of-us/

The science of the last of us...

 

Thanx for the appreciation buddy. Theres so much that got left out. The 'Crafted with Love' section can go on forever, like, did you notice they change the FOV just a bit when you switch on your flashlight, bring everything closer to increase the illusion that things became clearer on switching it on ! A small touch, but shows the extent to which they go while crafting the experience ! ND has pt so much effort into this game that if I keep playing the game, I will keep noticing new things and that article will never be fininshed !
BTW,I just noticed that there is a knife on the window at the main menu now !!! I am sure it wasn't there earlier ! Does it appear on finishing the game ?

 

Yeah, after finishing it...there is Ellies knife leaning in the window...neat

 

Finished game on Hard after 21 hours, I would say that Uncharted is better game from story perspective, because every Uncharted game have an end while TLoU is left wide open. I know is meant to be in that way, but I don't like it.
Next thing, I don't think I can fully agree with Joel's decision in the Hospital ... I get it, he is sentimental, he lost his child and he doesn't want to lost Ellie, but if Fireflies had capacity to study fungus, it should be done ... this was sort of disconecting with main character and whole Hospital level was awkward for me ... shoot the doctor and many man when humanity is in crysis? WTH was that ND

... and what about Giraffes, infected don't like them, people don't eat them? ... whatever, anybody try to shoot them? ... I'll try that on my survivor playthrough

 

You're not supposed to be able to fully agree with anyone.

Do you have a family member you love? A sister? Your girlfriend or wife? Tell me, could you sit there as someone told you they were going to murder them a few rooms away? It doesn't matter what reasons. Someone you love is going to be killed, but you have the skills and knowledge to stop it, what would you do?

Likewise, you're the leader of an organization dedicated to bringing back humanity into dominance and ridding the world of military control. The answer to everything lands in your lap, and all you have to do is murder a one innocent girl, and the world is saved. Do you do it?

Then there's the grey areas, such as all the other groups of survivors. Sure, most of them are terrible people, but humanity is surviving and reproducing still. Tommy's town is one such place that's thriving despite the harsh conditions.

I do think the whole, "have to dissect Ellie" was pretty contrived. In medicine, you have the ability to take very small samples and culture them. Anything gained by killing Ellie is vastly overshadowed by keeping her around for long term study.

 

I think the writer/director mentioned that in a video: for their game-testers, every parent sided with Joel's decision. But if one were to picture themselves in that world as a regular citizen, one would have to think Joel just screwed over everyone.

 

Thats the point of the story !

Would you let your daughter die:

• who you know won't ever get infected so is safe from the main problem

• and you can keep her safe as long as you are alive, at least you hope to

• there's Tommy's town to keep her happy and get her married later maybe,

Would you let her die when we aren't sure there will ever be a cure made? its just a possibility, we aren't sure. But we are sure they will kill her for it !

Would you let someone kill your daughter, when you have already lost one to humans, not th einfection? And infection can't take this one ! Would you let humsn take her again ?



I , too, felt very weird killing those doctors, it was as if the game forced me to kill them, but I would have never left that hospital alone in REAL life ! I am okay if Joel leaves er to die in a videogame, but not me in real life ! Never ! A daughter is not a thing you can have again !

 

I said that I understand why Joel did it, but as gamer playing game you don't think about it so emotionally and it have nothing to do with REAL life!

Edit:
That part with kiling the doctor (at least I shoot only one with scalpel) was really weird because doctors are the most valuable persons in post-apocalyptic world.

 

Yea, I stood there looking at the doctor, cos I just wanted to push him aside, but the game didn't give me any option. That was a weird moment for sure.


As for story end' so what did u want ? A gamey end ? You mean, you would like it better if ithe story wasn't realistic and stayed video game-y ? Just asking, cos thats a new perspective.

 

it was the worse scene in TLoU. It did not try to hide, it just clearly forces me to kill the doctors.
i cant move, even after i shot other thing (miss them or hit their leg i dont remember), they collapse (died? spasm? shocked? unconsious???)

Emotionally and story-ey, its a good scene. But gameplay-wise that scene was the worst scene for me.

And i still dont understand why those doctors need to kill Ellie to take a sample :/

 

I did not kill the doctors...

 

Technically, you only have to kill 1 doctor to get him out of the way. I don't know what kind of monsters you guys were to execute all three.

If you shoot the first doctor in a non critical place, he'll still collapse as if dead, but whatever.

 

I don't think the story was realistic, as others already said, whole reason why Ellie must die is fishy, Joel recovery after he was being pierced through is very unlikely.
What I would consider as plausible is Joel's dead (after scene as he fell from the horse I didn't think I will see him again) and rest of the game with Ellie only, maybe meeting with that Fireflies female leader somewhere or Joel's brother to help her get through last levels . She could realize what they are going to do with her and the story can continue from that ... it can end with Fireflies leader dead, just for better reasons, e.g. Ellie doesn't want to die, this could be done gritty and not gamey and without mixed feelings after end.

 

Can you go to Ellie without hurting any doctor? I walked toward his scalpel and then killed him, the other to I left because I hurried to get to Ellie. Their reactions were great, one doctor yelling "You are an animal" and then the other doctor telling "Shut up!".