The Last Of Us Has One Flaw

Josh Wirtanen of CheatCC writes " The Last of Us is a game that a lot of people are excited for, and I’m definitely one of those people. There’s just so much to love about Naughty Dog’s foray into the horror genre, and I’m sure a lot of my peers in the games journalism industry are already making a mental note to keep this one in mind when 2013’s Game of the Year season comes around. And that’s probably valid. Still, I can’t help but feel a bit pessimistic about one particular feature of this game."

[GalacticEmpire]

It's just too awesome.

Cerealously though, when I saw the latest crap-your-pants video and heard of the 'listening' feature I knew it was going to come under fire.

Naughty Dog have included this because its a gameplay design that fits with the thier desired feel for the game. It must enhance the experiece or they would never have included it, after all it's Naughty Dog we're talking about here.

Not everyone at home has a great 7.1 surround sound setup and, as advanced as the sound will be in game, it's necessary for some to be able visualise the audio clues.

[chobit_A5HL3Y]

did you just put "cereal" in the word "seriously"?...

[Rumplebumpkin]

He's super cereal.

[JamieLeeC93]

Lmao!

[Double_O_Revan]

Super Cereal

[theBAWSE]

naughty dog should make listening mode an option at the start of the game

be great for deaf gamers

[Nimblest-Assassin]

Well this type of mode is common in stealth games now

Batman Arkham games
Assassins Creed
Hitman
Dishonored

I guess its done so the player can come up with a solution to how to deal with enemies

Also... im sure they will disable it on harder difficulties

[Kevin ButIer]

lol that cereal guy made my day...

On topic... it's kinda early to get that specific with in game mechanics, lets wait and see how it works trough actual gameplay

[InactiveUser]

Interesting article, haven't heard about the feature before. Sounds like Situational Awareness in Uncharted's multiplayer where Elena Fisher is suddenly a Chimera who can see through walls.

Unless you're a Chimera (Resistance) seeing heat signatures, or you have some sort of heat sensor equipment in a tactical shooter like Rainbow Six.. seeing through walls is pretty stupid.

Hopefully it's not so blatant. I haven't seen any footage on it yet. I thought Batman's detective mode was dumb too when I first played the demo. It's feels like cheating or super easy mode knowing where everyone is around every turn, well before you get there.

[zeee]

Actually, the author answered his own concern. Read below:

"Now, I understand that Listen Mode is basically a visual metaphor. It’s an on-screen representation of the game world’s unique “soundscape,” one that’s been designed from the ground up to direct players in its combat/stealth scenarios. Joel can’t literally see through walls; his senses are just finely attuned enough that he can judge enemy locations and things using nothing but audio cues."

I think he got that part right. It explains everything quite beautiful. What's the confusion then?

[GalacticEmpire]

Yeah, I made a South Park reference and people are actually critising my English down below lol.

Or maybe I'm just an idiot who actually thought seriously was spelled like that and South Park provided a fortunate scape goat for my illiteracy? Just... maybe.

[ShabbaRanks]

OMG IM DYING LMAOOOO

[deafdani]

Puns are cerealous business.

[MmaFan-Qc]

peoples camplaining about the "Listen Mode" really need to understand something really important.

its better to have the option WHEN YOU DONT NEED IT ....than NOT HAVING IT WHEN YOU NEED IT.

you know, kinda.....like a condom.

[miyamoto]

ROFL...ha ha correct.
maybe they put it for those who dont like random active encounters of the third kind....better err in the side of caution than instantly meet your destruction
for those man enough to face them Clikers by all means dont use Listen Mode

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

Lol exactly. If you don't like "listen mode" you don't have to use it. There may be a situation where trying to realistically rely on sound might make a certain level hard to beat and thus "listen mode" because an option you can use if you ever decide to give up on playing the game realistically due certain areas being too difficult.

[Bathyj]

or a handgun

[zeee]

Hahaha! Good one MMAFAN-QC. Same goes for toilet paper :)

[clrlite]

....or a big net, in case Man Bear Pig makes an appearance later in the game.

I agree though and learned to appreciate listening in counter strike.

[wsoutlaw87]

I agree. If part of the game is listening to where the enimies are than its awesome thst they are spending time to make the audio great for people wih great sound systems or head sets. For the people who dont, im sure this visual hearing is neccessary. I just shows you visualy what the charecter hears

[BlmThug]

Oh well as long I'm not forced to use it, which I'm not :D, then I don't really care.

[Campy da Camper]

Sennheiser 280 HD Pros ftw!

[toxic-inferno]

I agree about the 7.1 surround sound comment. I'm still using basic stereo! But the only way I can truly see this mechanism working effectively in such a gritty title is if they implement a way by which the "Listen Mode" can make mistakes. I've often thought of this as something I'd like implemented into a game.

Basically, if the "Listen Mode" is merely a representation of what Joel can deduce, then the "projections" he can "see" are merely based on interpretation. It is therefore possible for Joel to misinterpret the sounds he "hears", which would actually work against you if you relied too heavily on it.

A simple example; if there are enemies approaching, Joel might have a fairly good idea where they are, but knowing the exact numbers of those enemies would be very different. Additionally, enemies could "fool" the player, by throwing rocks around to make extra noise.

[MONOLITHICIDE]

Your on to something. I like!

[rainslacker]

That's actually a very clever game play mechanic you thought out there. Good job.:)

[WeskerChildReborned]

Yea i specifically like this feature, it adds more to the survival gameplay.

[dcortz2027]

Oh no he di'int! lol.

[joab777]

I dont understand his problem. It seems that it is entirely optional and that they created a new system that will allow ppl to use good headphones to determine location. That is amazing. But can u imagine the backlash from the deaf community if the game was predicated on listening and there wasnt an alternate way to do it. Also, many ppl may want to enjoy the story and world but not sit and listen for sound cues. I dont think he thought this through.

[DigitalAnalog]

From what I've heard with the "listen mode", ND could at least used something a little more minimalist like the sound detector in Peace walker. It basically shows a circle as an audio queue to determine the enemies location. I can definitely see that a see-through concept could easily put a lot of people off in the immersion but to those with a 5.1 surround or the PS3's very own 7.1 virtual surround headset may prove a better alternative.

[Dilldo_]

LOL your english sucks donkey balls

[smashcrashbash]

I don't see what the big deal is. Isn't it better to at least know where you enemies are so you can avoid them? If you just relied on just simply sound cues it would make it very hard to figure out whee the noises are actually coming from. And in a game like this you need to know the specifics or you will be getting a whole bunch of cheap deaths. Remember the clicker can kill you will one hit and noise and sight will alert the other infected. So if you go in not knowing where exactly the enemy is you could walk right into a clicker and be killed instantly.Sound cues won't tell you how close the infected is and how quiet you should be so it won't hear you or where to hide so it won't see you.At least if you know where they are it will give you room to form a strategy.If not it will just be trial and error seeing that they don't even stay in the same place each time. Then you will know which doors not to go through, when exactly to move and if you should duck down if they are coming to where you are hiding.

[DigitalRaptor]

Some people just don't think deep enough about the issues they're complaining about before they hit the publish button. You're doing a better job than these "journalists" every day of the week. Let's keep it that way mate.

Now I'm not implying The Last of Us will be perfect, as I'm sure there will be some genuine downsides, but surely true logic has to prevail, and you have provided it, so here, have a bubble!

Plus isn't Listening mode optional? Jesus!

[32froshes]

This author says he played the game for 30 minutes, sat down to talk with the Creative Director of the game, and then formed an opinion based on that. How is that worse journalism than a person reading the article and saying "I don't really see it that way?" Especially when that person hasn't actually played it or spoken with the people who made the thing.

In fact, I'm willing to bet that most of the people who are posting comments haven't even read the article all the way through.

Also, I like your Drippy avatar. Ni No Kuni is fantastic.

[Pintheshadows]

Tidy comment man. :)

[Longsama]

I don't think it's that big of a deal but i see where he's coming from with the atmosphere Naughty Dog has created with this game it kinda feels like cheating. I just couldn't imagine being nearly as terrified playing dead space 2 if i could see through walls

[smashcrashbash]

Yes I understand that you would think that way but any other way would just result in your constant death.It's different with Dead Space.You are armed to the teeth and you are not teetering on the fact that the next thing can kill you instantly if you don't have any bullets or if it even hears you at all. Think of it like this. Suppose in the room are two clickers and a whole bunch of runners. You have to depend on sight or sound to determine where they are but if you get too close the clicker might be close enough to hear you or you might be in the sight of the runners and fighting them will alert the clickers so double trouble from them.If you can't determine where each thing is it will be very hard for you to sneak by. And this is not Batman where you can just jump in a grate or leap to ledge above or use your grappling hook to pull yourself out of danger or Dead space where you can just pull out a bunch of guns so you have to be extra careful.

The terror comes from that your next move could easily be your last and that you have to be extra cautious or you are dead meat. It's no different then Batman AA. It make an effective strategy you had to know where your targets are at all times and that didn't take any of the peril away from the game. Many times I used my vision in the Batman games and still got discovered and gunned down and he could at least still fight back.In this case you don't have many options if anything or anyone finds you sneaking around so ND at least has to give you some sort of advantage or like I said it would just be a whole bunch of constant cheap deaths as soon as you make even the slightest sound or mistake which I am sure is not what you want.

I understand your concern but I am sure it will work out just fine.Besides I don't think that Last of Us main goal was to terrify you like other games attempt to do. I think they were going more for despair,hopelessness and a sense of loneliness then heart stopping terror. If that was their main goal I think they would have made the infected the main enemy and the main point of the game.

[Ace_Pheonix]

I have two comments for this that could make everyone happy. The first one being MGS4 perfected this mechanic with the Threat Ring. A nice little visual audio aid that made sneaking so much better without blatently breaking the game. It felt natural, like hearing, when you looked at it. Didn't know exactly where the noise was coming from, just a general idea. Naughty Dog should just steal this, because it worked so damn good. Kojima already has good report with them, I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Hell, he'd probably even like a cameo feature in it, like finding a Solid Snake action figure or something. That'd be awesome. The other idea is that they could have Listen Mode disabled on harder difficulty settings. Problem solved, everyone's happy.

[Longsama]

That makes a lot of sense and I feel like listen mode being disabled in a higher difficulty is actually decently likely

[Walker]

Listen Mode is a good optional choice . Anyone can listening and it's not a suprehero ability !

in naughty GOD we trust .

[Veni Vidi Vici]

There's a big difference between listening like a human and listening like a fricken bat. We don't have sonar. It's saved by the fact that it's optional but it shouldn't even be in there unless it's in an easy mode or something.

[Just_The_Truth]

I guarantee you'll use it at some point. Clicker can kill you in one hit, there's a reason they added it.

[aquamala]

I think the game is delayed to 6/18, just got an email from Best Buy because I pre ordered.

[LarVanian]

I agree with the fact that it has one flaw....it's still three months away.

[Conzul]

Nah, there's only one possible way that TLoU could let us down: being too short.

[LarVanian]

I'm hoping the story is at least 15-18 hours. That, in my opinion, would be a suitable length for a survival horror game.
Naughty Dog have said themselves that it isn't short though, so I'm just going to go by their word.

[akaakaaka]

is not out jet?
that's the only flaw I can find..

I bet is not going to be perfect but o well.

[thebudgetgamer]

I'm not playing right now.

[Jek_Porkins]

Realistically, the game might have a couple of flaws. We don't know yet because it isn't out. I will say that in almost 20 years of gaming, I've never played a "perfect" game that had zero flaws. Game looks amazing and I have it pre-ordered though, ND always delivers quality gaming experiences.

[waltyftm]

"anal players like myself can just skip it entirely"

So why talk crap about it, stop being so ANAL.

[Veni Vidi Vici]

Because it's basically cheating. Can you see stuff through walls in real life? I completely agree with him. It's cheesy and totally out of place.

If you want to cheat, have at it. I won't touch it. Games are getting way too easy nowadays.

[Just_The_Truth]

You must have a hard time playing any GAME with those standards.

[Veni Vidi Vici]

Nope. I grew up in the 8 bit generation where games were beaten through hard work and determination.

Go back and try Battletoads, Mario without warping, etc and see the difference in difficulty. I've seen many articles here about how games are way too easy now. It's the truth. Younger people just don't realize it because they grew up with easier games.

[Hicken]

So, in an environment where paying DAMN GOOD ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU HEAR is the only real way to survive, having a visual representation of that DAMN GOOD HEARING is cheating?

smashcrashbash gave a perfect example above about a room with a mixture of enemies. Navigating such a landscape IN REAL LIFE would require VERY CLOSE ATTENTION to the details of what you hear. And what do we have in Joel but a survivor who's extremely experienced AT SURVIVING?

In real life, someone who's been through enough experiences can- if they've been paying attention- give you a rather accurate idea of who and what's in a room based on how it sounds. Blind people can do it, to a certain extent; if your life depends on it, I hope you're able to, as well.

Seriously, you're overthinking it. Either that, or not thinking it through enough.

[Pintheshadows]

You are aware that some blind children develop the ability to create images by clicking at objects so they can identify them. My point being this actually isn't that far fetched If you stop and listen carefully you can usually tell where a sound is coming from and what it is. And bear in mind this is a game, due to to the fact that other senses are lacking you need a visual representation on screen. And this doesn't sound as intrusive as the instinct system in Hitman for example or a mini map in about a bajillion other games.

[bluetoto]

@VVV
It sounds like you only play games to feel a sense of accomplishment or self-validation of some sort, which I find cheesy and totally out of place in videogames.

While my accessment of you is based on a quick observation of your post and completely irrevalent I feel compelled to inform you, but most of us play games to have fun.

You speak of real life while discussing a videgame. A VIDEOGAME. This is not real life.

[fsfsxii]

You clearly have not read the article, its "optional" and would benefit those with sound surround systems

[plaZeHD]

It's optional.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Why has this "Listen Mode" not been talked about more? This is the first I've heard of it, and I agree that it makes sense in Batman, but I don't like the idea of it in a game like this. And its not about the generic so don't use it, or its optional responses, its that I don't like the IDEA of this option being in a survival horror game.

[isarai]

well from what i've seen of the gameplay videos, it isn't mandatory, so don't use it if you don't like it

[PirateThom]

Sounds like it's an alternative for people who don't have surround set ups.

[Bathyj]

Yeah, but seriously, everyone whose a gamer should get a surround sound setup. It doesnt have to be a good one, just surround.

Playing in stereo is like playing with one eye covered, you just dont have that awareness of your surroundings.

You have to wait till you SEE something to know where it is, but how many times in a game have you reacted first to the sound offscreen?

Especially shooters.
How is anyone playing online without surround or at least simulated surround headphones?

Still, its good its optional.

[babis1974]

i think it will be a great game but does anybody knows how many hours of gameplay it will have?

[plaZeHD]

Currently no body knows, but the creative director for The Last Of Us said "It ain't short." on Twitter.

[32froshes]

Jacob Minkoff, Lead Creative Designer said: "The game has a lot of content. There’s a lot of variety in this game."

What that means is anyone's guess.

http://dispatches.cheatcc.c...

[babis1974]

thanks

[Bathyj]

I would guess it would be the norm now, 7 to 10 hours, but in all honesty I never finish a game in that as I like to take my time.

I think TLoU might be stretched out even further because I plan to do alot of sneaking, observing and even replaying levels to toy with the AI.

[Kennytaur]

As long as it's vague and not essentially an X ray vision, I don't mind. But I have a feeling it'll be too exact.

[KillrateOmega]

I can see where this guy is coming from here. It kind of cheapens the experience. However, it's Naughty Dog, so I'm sure it won't be a big problem in the final product and the game will definitely be great.

Maybe they'll make it less precise. If it's precise to the point where you can actually see their silhouettes, then that's just too much. I hope they make it so that you can detect enemy positions, but instead of a silhouette it's just a mid-sized, blurry, highlighted area. You know, keep it vague.

[InTheLab]

I hate when people complain about optional features. We all thought detective mode would break Hitman but it didn't, as it was optional or not available on harder difficulties.

It's optional...so stop whining...

[clintagious650]

Some of u hating on the listening option are idiots. Naughty Dog is making the experience as real as possible for example someone breaks into your house & kills your family & u jump in the closet to hide because your scared as hell & u can hear them walking around searching for goods to steal or look to see if anyone else is in the house. What u think your going to do being scared for your life? Your going to stay as quiet as u can & your going to LISTEN just in case they come in and check the closet your hiding in. It puts more realism to the scary side of human reactions in real life. I think its an awesome idea especially wit my surround sound, i want to get scared as hell playing this game. Cant effin wait.

[jakmckratos]

Lame reason. An optional gameplay feature is not a good reason to incite it has a flaw but let's get down to the real reason this game should have you worried..

..it's not black enough.

[bluetoto]

This gen is the by far the worse. Are we now complaining about OPTIONS!?

Where is it written that we all have to play the same game the same way?

Some of you need to get off your high horse and realize not everyone wants to play like you nor do we get the same enjoyment from the same games. Some of us actually have a life and play games to have fun, not as a way to feel better about our sorry lives. Most of us are not tracking down who beat what game what on what level because most of us are not playing to impress others, we are playing for ourselves.

Damn, how hard is it to understand give everyone opitions and play how YOU want and stop trying to dictate how other gamers should play THEIR game.

[r21]

The author failed to mention the flaw of this 'flaw'. Its that to use the said ability, Joel has to stop completely and cannot move whilst using Listen Mode, leaving him an easy target.

Also, the author kinda jjust confirmed TDM(infected vs non-infected) for MP.

[KingKevo]

The Last Of Us has one flaw ... right, it is not out yet.

[TheOneEyedHound]

You are not worthy, was this even worth the write? I want the name, of he who wrote this, so I could tell my kids one day to not waste their time like people like ________.

[KingKevo]

Josh Wirtanen, you can find his name at the bottom of the article. But I know, it's hard to make it that far when the article is so ridiculous imho (I just scrolled down ;))

[sdplisken]

four letters:
GOTY
three words:
"Only on Playstation"

[maxcon]

For anyone who is worried about not having surround sound, go grab the Sony pulse headset! You won't regret it

[Bathyj]

I was worried about this too when I heard about it. It does seem out of place.

I absolutely DONT want xray vision and being able to see which direction the enemy is facing and when he starts to turn like Hitman Absolution.

I would prefer it more like XIII (anyone remember that) where you just saw a tap tap of footsteps, but obviously not so cartoony. Maybe just a blur or a soundwave radiating.

And I want not just the option of not using it, but disabling it completely.

At least its optional, I really hated the stealth camo in Ghost Recon FS. It was always on whenever you crouched and made the game so cheap. It didnt even have a battery or anything to make its use limited.

[NoTheMama]

my only flaw with TLOU is that its not out yet!!

[CrimsonFox13]

The biggest flaw is it's exclusive.

[ajax17]

This guy is such a troll for calling it a "flaw". It's just a neat game OPTION. Nothing to whine over. Anyway, this is definitely going to make me invest in some headphones for my PS3.

[ACEMANWISE]

Using all the senses seems to be important for surviving in the wild. Otherwise we wouldn't have developed them.

A civilized man uses his senses for self gratification instead. Visuals that please the eye. Sounds that please the ear. Foods that please the tongue. These are the expected stimuli of one who has no other uses for them.

[SOULJER]

Josh sounds fruity. Next time just ask for hits.

[stage88]

Love that this game is a PS3 exclusive :)

[lex-1020]

There's one flaw. It's not out yet. You can't say there's a problem if the thing isn't out yet.

[Son_Lee]

The only flaw it has is that it isn't in my PS3 right now.

[Tzuno]

CACA!!!

[blastcorp64]

It's funny how people believe you can't say a bad thing about this game unless you played it (which is true) but how can people call this the best game of 2013 without actually, you know, played it.

[blastcorp64]

It's funny how people claim you can't say anything bad about the game unless you played it (which is true) but how can people claim it to be the best game of 2013 without actually, you know, played it?

[landog]

please, people are over hyping this game way too much, after the last infected fighting video i watched, i have lowered my expectations a TON!

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

bad framerate, low res textures

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

poor ai, awful character models on enimies

hopefully this gets cleaned up, but i doubt it

i think it will be a very good game, great voice acting, and story as i've come to expect from naughtydog, but, BUT...i think the gameplay looked a bit clunky, the gunplay was mediocre at best (just like uncharted), but that isn't the allure of this type of game for me, its the setting, the story and the wonderful artwork

game of the year, it very well could be, but i don't think so, an excellent game, for sure, but Ni No Kuni, Starcraft Heart of the Swarm, company of heroes 2, god of war ascension, crysis 3 (unlikely, but could be amazing) ect...ect....there are a lot of games coming or already out this year that very well could be way better than last of us.

am i getting it, heck yes, but i've tempered my lofty expectations

from what i've seen, it has much more than one flaw! It's gonna be awesome, but it ain't gonna be perfect.

[Rrobba]

A game with only one flaw is a great game to me