The Last Of Us 2

Penn · 01-07-2020 3:55pm

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

Zero-Cool · 01-07-2020 5:06pm

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

rizzla · 01-07-2020 11:31pm

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

gimli2112 · 02-07-2020 6:11am

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

OptimusTractor · 02-07-2020 7:10am

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 · 02-07-2020 8:01am

OptimusTractor wrote: »

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

I would rate life a 7/10.

Jordan 199 · 02-07-2020 9:50am

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 · 02-07-2020 10:21am

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 · 02-07-2020 10:56am

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.

Penn · 02-07-2020 11:11am

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.

Zero-Cool · 02-07-2020 12:08pm

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.

johnny_ultimate · 02-07-2020 12:14pm

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.

Penn · 02-07-2020 12:31pm

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.

johnny_ultimate · 02-07-2020 12:39pm

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.

Penn · 02-07-2020 12:43pm

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.

johnny_ultimate · 02-07-2020 12:52pm

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 · 02-07-2020 12:59pm

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 · 02-07-2020 1:03pm

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.

johnny_ultimate · 02-07-2020 1:08pm

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 · 02-07-2020 1:31pm

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.

Zero-Cool · 02-07-2020 1:54pm

Notes are awesome.

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

J. Marston · 02-07-2020 2:18pm

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.

Zero-Cool · 02-07-2020 7:55pm

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 · 02-07-2020 7:57pm

probably would have been better in the spoiler thread Zero

it was a cool story though

Zero-Cool · 02-07-2020 8:12pm

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 · 02-07-2020 9:14pm

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.

The Last Of Us 2

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