Pressurecast Thirty-Seven: Is The Last Of Us Overrated?

Brian and Colin ask, is The Last Of Us Overrated? Playstation outsells Xbox 3 to 1, EA and Microsoft team up for EA Access, and Brian has is Oculus DK2 impressions.

[cfc78]

I think 99%(there's always a few that don't) of people who have played TLOU would agree that it deserved every award it got and then some so in my opinion no it wasn't not one bit.

[BiggerBoss]

Basically, play station gamers will say it's not overrated, while Xbox gamers will say it is. I LOVED the last of us and I don't see why so many articles try to downplay it. It definitely has some flaws, but every game does. Did the game breaking bugs in skyrim stop it from being critically acclaimed and selling boatloads?

[Wizard_King]

Yes TLOU is heavily over rated.

[ShowGun901]

TLoU is the only game ive played in the last, i dunno, decade, that actually made me care about the characters, the story, and how it would end. I literally was having a panic attack in the last level/cinematic!

it deserves every bit of praise its gotten, and the people who wrote the stories on assassins creed, watchdogs, COD, BF, and many others should sit up and pay attention.

[andrewer]

I never played it but by what my friends say about it this game indeed looks awesome. What I don't like are articles and comments that goes like "ND is the best studio ever, X studio should learn from them". Each studio has its own characteristics, and that's why we have such diversity in gaming. I don't care about the love for the game, but the love for the studio, yeah, it's overrated.

[DeusEx-Machina]

TBH, to me the the game felt lacking in some critical areas. Though story telling and the creation of atmosphere were flawless, gameplay design and level design (not confuse with art design!) were just average to me.

Biggest critique points for me are:

- predictability of combat/tense-phases ("enemy wave") and exploration/peace-phases. As well as distinctiveness of the too. If you were exploring a house you'd never had to fear an infected or a clicker would jump out of the next corner and you'd have to fight for your live unless introduced by a cut-scene

- too linear level design, not enough and wide enough areas. The game puts a lot of effort into creating the illusion of a wast and dystopian world, but to me it feels like a foul compromise between graphics and area size due to technical limitations.

My brother tells me I don't understand it and I want the game to be something, it's simply not. Maybe he's right. But regardless I can't help but think that ND missed many great opportunities to significantly outdo the expectations and enhance the experience and redefine their formula. But the pressure to deliver top of the line graphics the modern gamer expects and therefore accept shortages in other areas, were to great I fear.

To be fair, I think I am slightly biased as I was quite unhappy with Uncharted 3 (after 2 amazing predecessors), and I hoped TLoU to be more distinct in it's structure from the uncharted formula. Also I was quite late to the party and I guess rabid fanboys and their console wars kinda ruined it for me a little bit.

I agree though, it still deserved the scores it got.

[DrKarateChop]

I have no idea why you have so many Disagrees. You're opinion is rather thought out. Good stuff.

[randomass171]

Having played only the PS3 version so far, I would say heck no!

[Boody-Bandit]

Play remastered!
I played and completed it a few times on the PS3. I can't believe how excellent it looks and moves on the PS4. ND did an incredible job. The level of detail, clarity and lightening looks so much more realistic. It literally feel like you're part of the world. I don't know if it's just me but it just feels more immersive now.

On topic:
H3LL NO this game is not overrated!

[randomass171]

I can't. I don't have the money for a PS4 yet. :(

[Boody-Bandit]

When hopefully when you have the money TLOU Remastered will be included in a bundle for no additional cost. It looks so much better. I'm almost done my 1st play through and I'm trying to take my time by wandering around trying to find every collectible and items I can.

But I will play it a few times through.

[nope111]

Yes.

[guyman]

No

[MasterCornholio]

@looks at username

Nope.

[Wizard_King]

Yes

[insomnium2]

You really gave a great contribution to this discussion with your 2 comments. Have a Cookie!

[TheBoy]

It's a little bit overrated, those reviews state it's a perfect game too me are wrong considering the laughable AI and somewhat generic and simplistic gameplay, but it is still an outstanding game.

[SnakePlissken]

I found it overrated. Seems to me like every other third person shooter out there.

[mike32UK]

What is the point in this article? There is no definite answer to this question because it is subjective. To myself and many others no, to a small minority probably so

[Kevlar009]

I don't think it's grossly overrated (definitely not a 7.5) but I don't believe it's good enough to be among the best games of all time. From a gameplay/design perspective it can't stand up to the likes of Mario World/3/Galaxy, Metroid Prime. The story is its main selling point and even then it has stiff competition from the likes of Bioshock 1/Infinite, Final Fantasy 6. The ending is a little rushed and while the ending scene(s) is cool and makes you smile, I wouldn't say it's ground breaking.

TLOU certainly has one of the best partner/character relationships, but the fact it has to dumb down the AI to make up for some limited level design can't bring it up to other games. The gameplay is solid but nothing too innovative, which is understandable (not all games can break the mold in crazy ways and get away with it).

From a cinematic, character aspect it's one of the best out there, but when you go through the actual gameplay and design choices it lacks when compared to the other greats. I look at the Bioshock games or even Ocarina of Time and see equal, if not better stories with better AI and gameplay. When you take away the bias and compare the total package TLoU just misses the cut, but that's not to say it isn't a great game or didn't have an impact.

[LoveOfTheGame]

I think I have found the one person on this site who actually sees this game for exactly what it is: A great game with extremely high quality, but too many flaws to be considered among the best.

TLOU is overrated, to the extent that it is great not perfect.

[Master-H]

Only to Xboners who haven't played it.

[Paprika]

Isn't this type of article dead by now...... we had it for months after its ps3 release! Why not just say 10% of all £££ generated by the ad revenue all these articles accumulate will go to charity lol, at least then we can't complain from useless same old articles, and it goes to a good cause not just personal gain... yeah right!

Rant over, sorry lol!

[0P-Tigrex]

Are the story, characters, atmosphere of the game overrated? No. but it DOES have issues that take away from the immersion and make the game less fun to play when you realize the holes in what just took place. You would be mad to say the single player or multiplayer have no faults and the game is perfect.

[Braid]

No.

Next question.

[Scrivlar]

Yes it is overrated, and I'm glad there are still article's like this one that ask the question rather than everyone agreeing that the game is perfect. It's a bloody amazing game, but it isn't an absolutely perfect, flawless, God's gift to gamers.
I actually preferred GTA V last year if I'm honest I thought the sheer size and detail of that beautiful game coupled with the very fun missions and how hilarious some of the scenes were with trevor,It was a stunning game with a huge variety of things to do.
But because I don't pray to Naughty Dog every night before bed thanking them for making TLOU, the fan boys will have a go at me.

[ShowGun901]

Firstly, GTA4 and TLoU are both awesome, but its really an apples/oranges thing... i had more fun last year with FFXIV, its level of content was staggering, but its not fair to compare that to GTA5, ones an MMORPG, the others not...

what i think ND did correctly, is present a game, that when the merits of gaming are brought into question, theres another gem in the crown of gaming. I know people literally brought to tears by TLoU. I almost had a panic attack in the last 20min of the game LOL! When people say gaming is just explosions and virtual gun stroking, with needless violence and profanity, closer to Saw than Casablanca, we have one more example to fight back with.

Bioshock
Braid
Uncharted
TLoU
OoT
FFVII
Metal Gear Solid IV

all games that, by the end, you actually cared about the story, ones that made you think, ones that left an impact on you beyond getting a good K/D...

Thats what i think is good about TLoU. Now excuse me while i start playthough #3!

[StrawberryDiesel420]

I was in the middle of GTA 5 when I became bored of the mundane missions like moving containers as a longshore man or whatever the fuck that garbage mission was and popped in the Last of Us. Totally sucked me in and it was hard to go back and complete GTA 5 after playing through The Last of Us. When GTA is good it's good but there are a ton of boring filler missions and if you disagree your either blinded by fanboy goggles or don't know a good mission from a boring mission like doing yoga with the main characters wife and instructor. Really, was that fun for you? Last of Us is gripping from beginning to end, very little downtime or boring filler.

[UNKLE]

i finished the game 3 time in ps3 and one time in ps4 the ps4 version is buggy as hell and yeah i think is overrated no mater how good the game is no matter how many award deserve its overrated just like skyrim.And now naughty dogs too its always 60 fps and graphics...

[Smitty2020]

am in the middle Lou I think it's an amazing game well worth the money

[lefty]

Ask the Japanese......

[Artista]

It certainly is. . The story had no impact on me whatsoever..it was okay. Characters were decent. . I felt like the game was inconsistent.

The game-play was my main gripe... that A.I though, other games would never get a pass for that A.I. I suppose the game was heavily focused on Cinematic story-telling.

If I were to rate the single-player alone, i'd rate it a 7/10. As for the overall package including multi-player, I'd rate it an 8/10.

This is just my opinion. . it isn't gospel.

[harrisk954]

Is TLOU overrated?

No.

[DeusEx-Machina]

It suffers a little bit of over exposure on the internet, but it is not necessarily overrated.

[stripe814]

at the cover of the remastered "over 200 game of the year awards" yup i think it looks over rated /sarcasm

[WitWolfy]

The PS4 version isn't THAT much better than the PS3 version, well not in the way ND wanted people to believe graphically..

Saying its overrated? Far from it!

[GundalfDeGrej]

It's an amazing game that really shows how far we have come since games like pong were introduced.

It's not one of my personal favorite games ever (I mean come on, there are sooo many amazing games out there) but I really think it deserves the praise it has received.

[Einhert]

It is very overrated by fanboys obviously and Sony themselves labelling it as "the game of the generation" which is overly generous.

The last of us delivers on the story and character front but I felt it fell short with gameplay and mechanics. It does not deserve titles like game of the generation etc but it is one of the best of the gen.

Mass Effect was the game of the generation for me, it was star wars in game form.

[ShowGun901]

I loved Mass Effect 1&2, but the ending was SOOOOOOO bad that it kinda marred the whole experience with me... and i played it AFTER the whole controversy, and after the ending was "fixed"! (i didn't get it until the mass effect collection was released on the ps3)

mass effect 3 was mass effects "kingdom of the crystal skull" for me. I just sat there, wishing i hadn't seen that. If ME had the dark matter ending, i MIGHT agree with you, but if we include the canon ME ending, i cant LOL! it should have just cut away to a giant middle finger for 10min.

also, ME's story was AWESOME, but it had some pretty bad gameplay in certain places too, but with ME (and TLoU) gameplay took a backseat to story. (thats why it hurts so bad that they messed up MEs story!)

[StrawberryDiesel420]

hahaha nope