I agree 1000% with EatChildren . I've never been more frustrated with these kinds of encounters that just seem to repeat themselves needlessly. They really didn't add value and only served as an annoyance. A really frustrating annoyance.
the first game didn't have *any* encounters with infected and human enemies, except for a couple in Left Behind.
Having some time to digest the game since finishing this morning, I think I've reached the conclusion that it's one of my all-time favorite games. Mindblowing stuff, though not without its issues of course. Some of the drawbacks I would like to highlight, some spoilers included:
- The manual saving implementation is horrendous. Why even bother with it if it's barely more robust than the abundant automatic checkpointing/saving? Since I played it bitwise since release, I was forced to re-do several exploratory tasks again and again. Eventually I learned roughly when to do a manual save that actually considered what I had done.
- I think it's a bit of a shame that Naughty Dogs went for an overcast/dull lighting for large parts of the game, especially in the second half. The biggest offender is SPOILER: when you play as Abby after the forest scene from one of the early trailers, and you're on your way to the aquarium through the harbor etc.. These areas, with the bland-as-hell lighting, looked so much worse than many other parts of the game and stood out. Thankfully, it leads to some of the best console graphics ever afterwards.
- The pacing is more off than in the first game, mainly due to how much longer it is but how back-heavy the major story beats are too. They could've trimmed some fat here and there, but then again, the gameplay is so good I probably don't mind this either way. Slightly conflicted.
- Story-wise, I liked how well acted all of the characters are, but at the same time I don't think the second game did as well as the first one in fleshing them out with the limited amount of time that was allotted. For example, MAJOR SPOILER: Jesse and Manny, who were cool as hell, were offed like dogs before you got any real chance of understanding them or their motivations.
- A story spoiler that grated me, SEMI-MAJOR SPOILER: Maybe I'm simply dumb or inattentive, but I think the game did a poor job of explaining why Abby devoted so much time to Lev and Yara and did SOOOO fucking much. I only remember lines such as "because I had to, for me" etc. when she was asked about this.
- I had hoped that Left Behind would be a strong indicator of Naughty Dogs wanting to explore more human/monster battles, but there weren't as many of these scenarios as I had hoped. A shame, really.
- The motion blending/matching is nowhere close to the initial 'gameplay' reveal; I was slightly taken out, for example, when you brick/bottle an enemy while running towards them and then stabbing the enemy, the transitions were jarring. Still top of the class, of course.
- Quite a few performance issues on PS4 Pro, especially heavy water areas, some later parts of the game and surprisingly enough when you use Listen mode. Also, I encountered some lighting issues here and there that caused flickering.
- On an overall level, the sound in this game is top-shelf stuff, but I had tons of issues with the volume levels and had to crank up my receiver to an absurd level. The in-game dialogue and chatter felt extremely low, while all other sounds (gunshots, monster sounds, explosions, death screams) were obnoxiously loud. I tried changing the dynamic range setting to "low/limited" but it didn't seem to help at all.
- This is probably my fault, but I truly regret watching all the trailers before release. Looking back, the trailers had so many snippets from important moments, even from later in the game, so it occasionally wasn't too tough putting two and two together when arriving at the scene. In essence, I managed to spoil myself using the initial footage by correctly assuming where the story was going. Thankfully, there was enough other content in the game either way.
I would recommend playing on hard then. I played my first run on hard and the AI was great, but still not without issue (there are still instances where I could cheese the system). However, it was a great challenge, and would recommend even maybe bumping it up to survivor.
I'm playing on Hard+ on my second run and the AI is noticably better. For example, it takes infected only a fraction of a second to notice you compared to my playthrough on hard. So I will say that you should adjust certain settings since the game has a lot of options to fit your skill level and play style.
You can adjust the difficulty separately so if you want to keep things like item scarcity but kick up the enemy AI, it lets you do that. I would highly recommend going Hard or above though on some of the options. Normal is way too easy imo.
I do love the way the enemies try to flush you out and they do cover a lot of angles so it does take some planning if you want to pick them off one by one. I've been booby-trapping the bodies or hitting them with a molotov when they are grouped up. The AI is actually really good, it just takes too long to detect you on easier difficulties.
There actually was one where they tutorialise it in the subway but then it never comes up ever again.
The enemies are pretty good at finding you, but then they immediately drop into "let me slow walk without looking behind me" mode.
The dogs picking up your scent trail is a simple enough mechanic that makes for pretty intense scenarios though.
The dogs picking up your scent trail is a simple enough mechanic that makes for pretty intense scenarios though.
the last part of this post was tough to read lol. ever since the original Matrix where they revealed literally all the cool scenes in the trailer (bullet time, neo vs agent fight, morpheus vs neo fight) I have been sure to avoid trailers. I remember annoying the shit out of my dad every time a tv spot for Reloaded came on tv because i would change the channel or run out. i am no longer that 15 year old, but i have stuck by my resolve of not watching trailers for games, tv shows and movies i know im gonna watch anyway. the launch ones from sony have been awful since last gen. they go heavy on storytelling and spoil all the big moments. watch the launch trailer for uncharted 3, they spoil every setpiece. most recently, kojima literally spoils the ending in the launch trailer.
i did watch the first two trailers for this game, and seeing as how they were cutscenes it didnt really hurt the game much. i didnt dare watch the final trailer or anything after the september footage.
and yes, the downgrade was jarring. the enemy character models simply dont look as good which is shitty because this would be the second time Naughty dog would downgrade a game like this this gen. i wonder how this is even possible if both the uncharted 4 teaser and the tlou2 e3 demo were captured on the ps4. if it was realtime running on a ps4, why downgrade the faces? i highly disagree with you on the overcast conditions though, especially in that area you talked about. they looked stunning. everything looks better in the rain, and i am glad that the overall lighting and environmental detail were still present from the e3 2018 demo.
i also use rest mode and didnt play anything else while i was playing tlou2 so didnt run into any issues with checkpoints. if anything i thought the checkpoints were too generous during gameplay.
and yeah, audio was weird. i was playing on a 5.1 surround sound system and had trouble hearing ingame chatter and was forced to play on low volume because of the damn explosions. also agree on the game being too long. we joke about Kojima needing an editor and i think Neil needs one too. I get that directors want every game of theirs to be their magnum opus, but if it takes you 25 hours to tell a story worse than the one you told in 15 hours than perhaps its time to hire an editor.
still this is probably naughty dogs' finest game yet. their gameplay team went all out and this game has by far the best setpieces, action sequences, and combat encounters ive played in a game all gen. its their magnum opus if you will. i suspect people will look at rdr2 and tlou2 as the most gen defining games of this gen. flawed in some ways, like MGS4 last gen, probably too long. but they are so ambitious and so well crafted, it's almost unreal that they somehow got made in the first place.
Ok because it seems like a nonsense filler, but I know it isn't, that's why I asked.
The way I intepret it is that
the museum scene was happy and all, but all of it - was built off a big lie and big sacrifice, which is symbolized by the Fireflies (and their failure to deliver a cure) because of what Joel did. So even though Ellie was enjoying herself, seeing that Fireflies logo was a jolt back to reality.
And that LIAR graffiti below the Fireflies logo? It's a less-than-subtle nod at Joel, who lied to Ellie for the sake of this 'father-daughter fantasy' that was the museum birthday.
And that LIAR graffiti below the Fireflies logo? It's a less-than-subtle nod at Joel, who lied to Ellie for the sake of this 'father-daughter fantasy' that was the museum birthday.
Finished the game. It was good but I'd say it's inferior on basically every level except maybe gameplay and cinematography. Weaker story, development spread out among characters so there's no relationship as deep as Ellie and Joel in the first one, the guitar stuff was cool but the in-game music wasn't quite as good (the main memorable track was the latter half encounter music), pacing was whack and the game was a good 30% longer than it needed to be.
Gameplay was easier than the first one and I felt the AI was super exploitable with how easily you could break line of sight and loop them into walking into you. Also the ally AI issues were still there, they blocked me constantly and would still sometimes run directly in front of enemies. It was good and definitely felt MGSV inspired with some of the things like the dive to crouch.
Visually the game is great but I actually have a lot of issues with how lighting and clarity was handled, encounters in dark/high contrast areas were a real struggle. I didn't want to crank up the brightness when I never had to for games like Resident Evil. Feels like they kind of sacrificed an easily parsed image for a constantly beautiful one. Same with sound design. They went for super realistic, which just meant some lines were just completely inaudible and I had to use subtitles.
I dunno. I'm a little disappointed but I knew going into this, especially after Uncharted 4, that it would probably be a let down. It's like an 8.5/10 I guess.
Gameplay was easier than the first one and I felt the AI was super exploitable with how easily you could break line of sight and loop them into walking into you. Also the ally AI issues were still there, they blocked me constantly and would still sometimes run directly in front of enemies. It was good and definitely felt MGSV inspired with some of the things like the dive to crouch.
Visually the game is great but I actually have a lot of issues with how lighting and clarity was handled, encounters in dark/high contrast areas were a real struggle. I didn't want to crank up the brightness when I never had to for games like Resident Evil. Feels like they kind of sacrificed an easily parsed image for a constantly beautiful one. Same with sound design. They went for super realistic, which just meant some lines were just completely inaudible and I had to use subtitles.
I dunno. I'm a little disappointed but I knew going into this, especially after Uncharted 4, that it would probably be a let down. It's like an 8.5/10 I guess.
I'm not much farther than you but
it shows both the hypocritical self-righteousness of these various factions that all do fucked up stuff to survive, and shows that Joel's lie at the end of the first game is eating away at their relationship
[Yeap. You can see Joel's eyes looking Ellie as she continues looking at the graffiti./SPOILER]
I've played on Hard and thought that AI was really bad.
Enemies' paths are predictable, they don't move their heads, their fov is really narrow and they all have worse vision than me (wearing contact lenses). I also hate how the game gives you a few seconds to hide when they spot you.
On top of that, you get a silencer and bow and arrow which make most of the encounters feel trivial.
I did not like the stealth in this game. It was not much better than Manhunt for example and really made me think that great environment designs were wasted.
I will try the highest setting when ps5 comes out, hoping it will improve the game dramatically.
I also hate when the spectacle takes over the gameplay design and that happens often in ND games.
For example, the whole game you are
saving your ammo and then the car scene kicks in and you are playing RE5 all of the sudden
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If anyone is having issues with audio, I would suggest changing the individual volumes before adjusting the dynamic range. For instance, I have:
effects: 50
Dialogue: 100
Music: 75
It seems fairly balanced so that the gunshots don't blow my speakers and dialogue is crisp and clear.
effects: 50
Dialogue: 100
Music: 75
It seems fairly balanced so that the gunshots don't blow my speakers and dialogue is crisp and clear.
That's not true. There's at least one in the sewers in the original.
I don't think you can lure the infected to attack them or anything though, right? Isn't it just a scripted thing where you see the infected take out a guy?
Oh wow. Thought I had a few hours left. Thanks! Time to beat it in one last sitting.
I played the PS4 version most recently so it's possible it was changed, but you can definitely lure the clickers out to attack the guys. There's like 3 clickers and 4 guys and I remember throwing a bottle to bring them together. I do think they probably fight basically no matter what though, so I see your point.
Credits now rolling. What a game.
I dont recall seeing this scene in the game where Ellie is singing.
youtu.be
I dont recall seeing this scene in the game where Ellie is singing.
The Last of Us Part II - PlayStation Experience 2016: Reveal Trailer | PS4
The Last of Us Part 2 The Last of Us Part II - Reveal Trailer The Last of Us 2https://www.playstation.com/games/the-last-of-us-part-ii/?emcid=or-1s-412983Ma...
youtu.be
Credits now rolling. What a game.
I dont recall seeing this scene in the game where Ellie is singing.
The Last of Us Part II - PlayStation Experience 2016: Reveal Trailer | PS4
The Last of Us Part 2 The Last of Us Part II - Reveal Trailer The Last of Us 2https://www.playstation.com/games/the-last-of-us-part-ii/?emcid=or-1s-412983Ma...
It's not there but I think ND was pretty clear early on that this trailer was not intended for the game and was always specifically designed for trailer purposes only.
Agree with a lot of this, especially the last paragraph. Some hate on movie and TV show comparisons, but the reason people make them is because there are so few games that are doing things the way TLOU2 is. Hell, in terms of complexity of execution, emotional impact and the sheer volume of timelines and perspectives explored, I can't really think of anything else in the gaming space, at least not off the top of my head.
On Survivor, and occasionally on Hard, they do actually look behind them, and around corners, cover etc too. In-fact on harder difficulties, when you're spotted, enemies encroach on your position in a highly tactical way, to try and cut off all pathways and entry points to your position, so as to completely flank you from all sides.
The only time they can't do that is when they're spaced too far apart, or there are too few of them. But if you watch them with Listen mode, when you're spotted or partially spotted, you'll see they usually run to or near the other AI that spotted you, before all pressing on your position together. And whilst they're pressing, they constantly do name or whistle call outs, to ensure each person pressing is still engaged, if not the AI re-group and press a new position (based on the newest missing call out).
I've honestly never experienced AI as aggressive or well realised. Interested to see how things are in the Grounded patch. I have a feeling the AI might end up being frustratingly competent lol.
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The only games I can come up with are Metal Gear Solid 2 and Heavy Rain but it's still no the same, Part II it's like a perfected evolution of what some aspects of those games tried to do imo.
I really like your avatar. Been big into AM! Since '07.
I currently am about 10 hours into the game, I worry they have gone to the well too many times with this style of game, and I look forward to their next evolution. I have the acting/story as a 10/10 but the gameplay is starting to feel stake to me, probably an 8/10. No disrespect to the game at all, definitely my favorite of the year so far
Yea those were the two games I was thinking of, along with parts of the Uncharted games too, but they still lack the emotional impact of TLOU2, and also don't have the same complexity of interconnected weaving of timelines and perspectives.
Now I'm not sure and I just replayed it before this game too 🤔
Just finishing up an open area for Seattle Day 1 (about to head into the courthouse). Is there a way to know if I've fully picked up all of the loot and visited all of the places? Like will Ellie prompt me or something outside of just crossing off stuff from the map?
I'm what I believe to be about 1-2 hours from the end of the game:
If the game doesn't totally fumble it's ending, it'll have been a very strong and impactful story. I don't think it succeeded in being better than the first games story, but it's still great regardless.
Lot's of things about the plot I loved, a few things I did not love. It's not "the greatest story ever told" like some people are trying to claim (even TLoU 1 doesn't really hold that title), but I just cannot fathom how people are spinning this as some sort of godawful bastardization of the franchise, or just bad in general.
Gameplay wise, it was similar enough to the first game for me to not be wow'ed one way or the other, I really liked how the first game played and this one was just a slightly more fleshed out and expanded version of that style of gameplay. So it was excellent, just nothing too drastically different.
Fantastic game though.
I'm a little bit into California.
If the game doesn't totally fumble it's ending, it'll have been a very strong and impactful story. I don't think it succeeded in being better than the first games story, but it's still great regardless.
Lot's of things about the plot I loved, a few things I did not love. It's not "the greatest story ever told" like some people are trying to claim (even TLoU 1 doesn't really hold that title), but I just cannot fathom how people are spinning this as some sort of godawful bastardization of the franchise, or just bad in general.
Gameplay wise, it was similar enough to the first game for me to not be wow'ed one way or the other, I really liked how the first game played and this one was just a slightly more fleshed out and expanded version of that style of gameplay. So it was excellent, just nothing too drastically different.
Fantastic game though.
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