The Last Of Us 2

Zero-Cool wrote: »

Yupp, no easy way but at least it's easier than TLOU 1

I think I only got something like 5% of the trophies in TLOU1 even though I played it about 4 times

I love girlfriend reviews, one of my favourite YouTube channels so looking forward to giving this a watch later.

https://twitter.com/itsgfreviews/status/1278358396240945152?s=19

Zero-Cool wrote: »

Okay, so this is finicky. I had to reload the epilogue chapter, make a manual save and finish the game again. Then I was able to start new game + on a new save file as I have a ton of collectibles and upgrades to get. But now, I think I will just do chapter select for the collectibles needed and If I can finish upgrades along the way great but if not, then start new game +.

hmm you shouldn't have to play the epilogue again (I didn't). btw you can't save upgrades via chapter select. The moment you reload the manual save after getting the collectibles needed it will revert to the upgrades you had at the time. Only collectibles will be saved.
You have two options either use chapter select to get collectibles then do a new game plus separately focusing purely on upgrades (which is what I'm doing)
or just do a new game plus and get all upgrades and collectibles in one go.

Anyone know how to turn off the annoying audio sound on the 'hidden while prone' accessibility feature? It's annoying AF.

On that note, I've toggled some of the useful accessibility options for the new game plus run and have to say while it is great that ND is catering to people of varying abilities... some of the options are really unpolished and buggy. The camera ones can outright get you killed, for instance, when trying to climb down a ladder - it just won't let you. And lock-on is awful. I think it's time to call it: the shooting in this game SUCKS. Somehow, it is way better to free aim but then I've always been a free aim person anyway. I had to turn many off the so-called handholding features off which makes me worry for people with actually disabilities that need them.

I also encountered a bug with the enhanced listening prompts remaining on the screen without coming off. Had to quit out to the menu. High contrast mode is great but very unresponsive. Have to swipe the touch pad multiple times before it comes on and off.

Anyway, new game plus run going well so far.

Ellie is fully upgraded, just Abby now. I've still got Ellie's Seattle 2 & 3 to do before I can even get to Abby though.

This game is long, even when rushing.

rizzla

Just finished it. A game full of bad decisions, beautiful moments, long repetitive sections and gorgeous graphics.

gimli2112

Just on the audio I found this terrible, often enemy sounds were coming from places nowhere near where they were at.

OptimusTractor

rizzla wrote: »

Just finished it. A game full of bad decisions, beautiful moments, long repetitive sections and gorgeous graphics.

So..... very close to real life.

rizzla

OptimusTractor wrote: »

So..... very close to real life.

I would rate life a 7/10.

Jordan 199

I was squeezing through a narrow passageway and a clicker came in on the opposite side of the passageway. I was face to face with it. Gave me the fright of my life.

Vicxas

Jordan 199 wrote: »

I was squeezing through a narrow passageway and a clicker came in on the opposite side of the passageway. I was face to face with it. Gave me the fright of my life.

That was one of the few times i paused the game and put the controller down to have a cry.

Markitron

Game has got some straight-up horror sections that would give the best of Dead Space and RE a run for its money. Its making me really want a ND-developed survival horror game.

Markitron wrote: »

Game has got some straight-up horror sections that would give the best of Dead Space and RE a run for its money. Its making me really want a ND-developed survival horror game.

Nothing like the camera centering behind you by itself when you go to go through a door or crack to let you know you're about to be f*cked up.

After seeing I only needed 1 collectible from Downtown seattle and no idea which one, I figured out I could load the next chapter and check my collectibles against an online list and see what I was missing, then loading the previous chapter and going directly for what I'm missing. Bit of a pain but it's the only surefire way I know without collecting everything again.

This game would be notably better with collectibles removed. Keep the pills, weapon slings etc... but dump the coins and cards. Exploration would immediately become a tonne more rewarding IMO. They at least try to link them to character traits here, but still hurts the pacing when the game pushes you to explore nooks and crannies for gear and supplies just to give you another bloody coin.

Also: dump the endless scribbled notes. There are so many of them it becomes farcical.

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

This game would be notably better with collectibles removed. Keep the pills, weapon slings etc... but dump the coins and cards. Exploration would immediately become a tonne more rewarding IMO. They at least try to link them to character traits here, but still hurts the pacing when the game pushes you to explore nooks and crannies for gear and supplies just to give you another bloody coin.

Also: dump the endless scribbled notes. There are so many of them it becomes farcical.

Yeah some of the notes are good, especially ones which explain something you might come across (location of code/safe/weapons, or even one I remember about a bunch of infected locked in a garage etc). But there are so many of them, especially just back and forth ones between two people that just become an annoyance after a while. End up quickly scrolling through just to see if there's any useful information. Some are just flyers for a band and stuff as well... get ta f*ck!

Coins and cards are also ridiculously hard to spot most of the time, and again too many of them.

I even think the ‘useful’ notes are an issue, as there are SO MANY people who decided to write down a safe code before meeting their maker. I mean, if I can figure it out by just listening to the clicks, surely their mates can too :pac:

It’s a consequence of the game being so long, arguably, but there are so many tragic notes beside a skeleton that it begins to feel repetitive and clunky. I mean, there are only so many ways you can say ‘this guy died here in a desperate situation’, and all these past tragedies blend into each other quickly. It’s kinda just bad storytelling too? Sometimes the past situations you stumble across are best left to the imagination - let a tragically placed gun or locked door imply, rather than a detailed note scribbled down overtly explaining what happened. I think our understanding of environmental storytelling is now strong enough that we don’t need letters or - their sci-fi equivalent - audio logs to tell us every single detail.

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I even think the ‘useful’ notes are an issue, as there are SO MANY people who decided to write down a safe code before meeting their maker. I mean, if I can figure it out by just listening to the clicks, surely their mates can too :pac:

It’s a consequence of the game being so long, arguably, but there are so many tragic notes beside a skeleton that it begins to feel repetitive and clunky. I mean, there are only so many ways you can say ‘this guy died here in a desperate situation’, and all these past tragedies blend into each other quickly. It’s kinda just bad storytelling too? Sometimes the past situations you stumble across are best left to the imagination - let a tragically placed gun or locked door imply, rather than a detailed note scribbled down overtly explaining what happened. I think our understanding of environmental storytelling is now strong enough that we don’t need letters or - their sci-fi equivalent - audio logs to tell us every single detail.

Agreed, I liked the notes which gave a hint to how to find the safe code in the environment rather than just saying them. They were still simple enough to figure out, but helped break up the monotomy of just scavenging through presses and bedside lockers.

Indeed, simple as those environmental puzzles are they do involve some active engagement with the world.

A couple of those spread out across the game would work pretty well! But when there’s a safe to unlock every hour or so, and three quarters of the codes are explicitly written down for you... that’s when the tedium sets in. No wonder many have taken to trying to crack the safe codes using the sound hints, as that’s more engaging.

On that note, I’m increasingly of the opinion that the whole outbreak in TLOU’s world must have begun because a dangerous lab sample was foolishly left in an hilariously easily crackable safe. That’s the story I’ve made up and I’m sticking to it

Retr0gamer

I heard in there's a lab in Wuhan where all researchers are only allowed to communicate in intricate diary entries and audio logs.

Retr0gamer

Actually find notes, audio logs and lore dumps really detrimental to a lot of games. I mean in System Shock they made sense as you had a bunch of researchers documenting their experiences but outside of that it really takes me out of the game with how silly they are.

Unless I'm playing a '0451' immersive sim I end up ignoring the majority of them as I find they add nothing and it's much better letting my mind fill in the gaps.

System Shock was also several decades ago. Things have moved on, you’d hope!

Outer Wilds it (mostly) makes sense that you’re doing lots of reading because they tend to be dedicated research labs and the like you discover. But again lots of the exploration in that game is based around interpreting messages on your own and following the clues. That’s great! Being just told a bunch of stories is less so.

Jordan 199

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Also: dump the endless scribbled notes. There are so many of them it becomes farcical.

The artifacts. Some very sad scribbled notes out there. Best one I found was a FEDRA poster with the four stages of the infected. Would love to get that printed on a t-shirt.

Notes are awesome.

https://twitter.com/Grosstastic/status/1274814103974891520?s=19

J. Marston

I don't mind audio logs as much. At least there's a voice actor and they're trying to convey some emotion.

Text logs are the drizzling shíts though. Finding another "I'm not gonna make it...." letter 20 hours into this is making my eyes roll.

Phew, that's the platinum done. It's been a journey.
As far as platinums go it's fairly easy but the dread of replaying some of the more stressful parts was a challenge in itself.
Now time to play more uplifting games lol. This one really took a toll on me emotionally. I suppose it speaks to what a game this really is. It's not perfect, no but it's still very well done. A shame about some of the incel toxicity around it.

I think the notes really fill out the world. Like in Hillcrest, there is a great backstory going on with local archer Boris and the WLF that you learn from his daughters at and other notes scribbled around the place.

Here's the story for those not bothered to read the notes but might be interested in the story. I only found the final note today on my collectibles run and tied the whole thing together like why those runners were locked in a garage and how you get the bow.

Boris was an archer who won many trophies for the sport. His daughter drew a pic of him and said he's the best Hunter of infected. When WLF overthrew Fedra, the local hillcrest community weren't happy with the new rules in place. Boris's daughter was caught doing some anti wlf graffiti and shot to death. Boris decided to rally the community to get revenge but his friends were worried what might happen to them so decided to turn him in. Boris found out about the betrayal, poisoned them to fall asleep and locked them in a spore filled garage. One of his friends woke up while boris was still in the garage with them and bit Boris. B made it out but knew his time was running out and locked himself in his house. You encounter Boris while in his house where he has become a stalker, kill him and take his bow. Another revenge tale that turned out to be the end of them.

All told through notes that could be completely missed. I love stuff like that.

gimli2112

probably would have been better in the spoiler thread Zero

it was a cool story though

gimli2112 wrote: »

probably would have been better in the spoiler thread Zero
it was a cool story though

Hence the spoilers..... Unless you saw it a second after i posted as i made s mistake in the tag and fixed it straight away

Grumpypants

I like when you find a note with a heartbreaking message of someone who was waiting for a loved one but couldn't wait any longer and had to move on.

They leave this note as a last gasp attempt to leave a breadcrumb for their loved one to maybe follow them.

Then Ellie reads it and stuffs it in her back pack.