The Last Of Us PS3 Reviews review

[buster_broon]

Now

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just past winter and Ellie has been captured and im back as Joel again

Still an eight for me, the annoyances as still there like going across a narrow area like a stairwell attached to the outside of a building and if you are heading one way and Ellie is in front of you and she doesn't want to move you end up running against her until there is room and that's the little things that ruins the game for me

Story and graphic are incredible, love the detail on the faces of Joel and Ellie and to give it 1/10 is just ludicrous

Fact - my bow and arrow skills are horrendous even with the 'shakie' upgraded

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i have all weapons and can upgrade to level four so surely I can't be that far from the end

What is the average time to take to complete this game, think my time is pretty slow so far

That bloody boss that annoyed me earlier on

Ha

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bomb and Molotov cocktail combo - goodbye

[Sketcz]

Someone was complaining about a 1/10 on the Journey thread the other day. Had a check. Guess who? It's his thing.

I don't see the point in the #/10 scale for scoring. Number 1 through 5 are merely different shades of rubbish. 6 is OK but wonky, 7 is reasonable, 8 is good, 9 is great and 10 is amazing. At least, in my mind. You might as well condense the lower five numbers in to a single numerical score: 1

6 and 7 are too similar. In both cases people buy them if they like that style of game. Combine them to make: 2

When you think about it, 8 and 9 are pretty similar too. Would you not buy a game that interested you if it got an 8? No, you would buy it regardless of getting an 8 or 9. You might as well re-number these as: 3

And a perfect 10? Why argue over that? Why spark debate? Even if a game gets a 10, you might not like the genre, so you might not buy it. Discard this score entirely. It's basically a shinier version of 8 and 9.

Basically I've invented a new 3 point scale.

So, 1 - 2 - 3

Or red, yellow and green.

I fail to see the difference between a 1 and a 4 in game review scores. Both are rubbish. My score hasn't changed, only the number behind it has.

EDIT:
Thinking about it, if I use my new scale, I might upgrade this to a 2 out of 3.

EDIT2:
Journey is awful whatever anyone tells me. I already explained why in the thread. The camera controls are borked, because it demands I sit bolt upright, instead of lounging at an angle.

[wakka]

I'd agree with that. Scores are unhelpfully reductive at the best of times. Still, it's a well executed game. 2 - 5 to my mind would be awful with some redeeming features, fairer than 1, which would be awful with no redeeming features.

I really feel Last of Us is a game you need to play to the end to form a judgement on it (and I think there aren't that many games you should say that about). The gameplay is really nothing special to my mind, it's the story and structure that wraps around it that's unusual. The first 10 hours merely had me thinking 'this is OK', and it was in the final quarter of the game where the narrative elevates it well above the average.

One problem I do have with LoU is that I feel like it doesn't commit to a play style. It's sort of all-out Uncharted style action X survival horror, instead of one or the other. Yeah, I know you can put it on difficult and make the monsters harder to kill, but that's a cop out. I actually hate difficulty settings and think they should be removed from games (how many Nintendo games have difficulty settings?).

It would be nice to see Naughty Dog get out of the Uncharted box in future games, and make something with more distinctive gameplay.

[Sketcz]

I actually hate difficulty settings and think they should be removed from games

We should be friends.

When faced with difficulty settings, I am forever worrying, which setting is the purest, as the creator envisioned, and not just arbitrary variable modifications.

I was very disappointed when tweeting with a dev, and he said variable difficulties are best: hard for those who want a challenge, and easy for those who just want the story.

WTF does that even mean? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?! Utter gibberish!

[wakka]

When faced with difficulty settings, I am forever worrying, which setting is the purest, as the creator envisioned

I also have this exact problem. So I just play on normal but seriously, would you please just balance your game so we don't need these settings lol.

[Golgo]

Your 3 point scale is unnecessarily cluttered and unclear, Sketcz. A 1 is basically the same as a 2, and then you're into 3 territory. I propose a simpler 2 point scale comprising Play and Don't Play.

And I like/find no difficulty comprehending variable difficulties. It means you can re-play a game on a higher setting when you've mastered the controls, for example, and would like a sterner challenge. Who is the optimal player against whose abilities the difficulty should always be perfectly pitched? But enough of this nonsense and baiting...

[Sketcz]

Who is the optimal player against whose abilities the difficulty should always be perfectly pitched?

There is none. Rather, all players should aim to improve themselves. There was a free indie shmup a while back, where the designer had the same idea - one difficulty for all. There is no optimum player. All come forward equally, and all must better themselves if they wish to see more. The creator sets the bar, and players distil themselves until a level of purity is reached whereupon they surpass the skills of the creator.

[buster_broon]

now at 97% and should finish it tonight

18 hours play time, its been a while when a game has taken so long, but it might be the fact you hide and don't do all that much for a good bit of it

[Golgo]

Did you ever attain distillation and purity with Dark Souls, Sketcz

['Press Start']

Did you ever attain distillation and purity with Dark Souls, Sketcz

Demons more like, its harder!

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imo

[Guts]

All come forward equally, and all must better themselves if they wish to see more. The creator sets the bar, and players distil themselves until a level of purity is reached whereupon they surpass the skills of the creator.

That sounds almost like some Randian BS.

Not all people are able to achieve the same goals. Also, people play for different reasons, not everyone wants to pop an artery in frustration from repeating the same level 200 times.

[nakamura]

Glad some people in here don't make games!

[Sketcz]

Did you ever attain distillation and purity with Dark Souls, Sketcz

I completed it once, was about to play through a second time, but decided I preferred the hub world of Demon's Souls so started that again.

Ahh, Demon's. I must have put over 100 hours into the Asian release. Platinumed it too.

It was glorious. I would bring newbs with me on the final boss, let him grab them and perma-drop their soul level, while I hacked like a madman. Their sacrifices were not in vain.

Glad some people in here don't make games!

That's a bit harsh. Even if you don't want to play Guts' games, that doesn't mean he should not be allowed to make them. Each to their own - if the market supports it, let each develop as he or she intends, without prejudice. Freedom and equality for all, I say. Karmic harmony, Nakamura, that's the true goal.

[buster_broon]

finished it last night in a time of 18 hours 29 mins

going to play it through again using the new game plus option just to max out a few things

pretty much agree with wakka about the game and overall its still an 8, the niggles have knocked it down a little

but the story and graphics are incredible, for me the most important part of the story was in the first 25 mins with Sarah and it never quite got back to it, the game near the end was quite easy especially with the weaponry I had

[buster_broon]

SPOILERS!!!

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At the end, when we go into the operating theatre, it kind of took me off guard, I expected a cut scene or a bit of dialog, but suddenly I see the kid on the table and a man in greens going at me with a knife! I shot him, immediately swung round and took the other guy out and then was left with the woman nurse/doc crying in the corner..

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I set them all on fire with the flame thrower, so maybe subconsciously I wanted them to suffer