The Last of Us is a complex game, so let's break down the good, the bad, and the ugly of Naughty Dog's take on the zombie apocalypse.
"The Game Music Foundation are today very proud and pleased to announce an additional concert, circling back to the roots of Game Muisic Festival in Poland. On April 28th, 2024, the National Forum of Music in Wroclaw will once again become a place to celebrate the art of video game music, featuring scores from The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II." - The Game Music Foundation.
Speaking on what’s coming next for Naughty Dog, which could be either their new IP or The Last Of Us Part III, Druckmann gave what he seems to feel are realities of the project he’s talking about. That it’ll both be “really ambitious” but also “really hard.”
Neil Druckmann talks about Naughty Dog's Next Game which is really ambitious and parts of it are hard to make! pic.twitter.com/IqY2KEI1Gb
— DomTheBomb (@DomTheBombYT) March 1, 2024
"I’ve really surrendered to knowing it’s going to be really hard, knowing it’s going to stress members of the team out"
As if crunch wasn't stressing them enough
That it’ll both be “really ambitious” but also “really hard.”
Not 'is' but 'will be', kinda suggests that they haven't started yet, hope not.
Come on ND, a game PLEAAAAASSSSEEEE. Desperate this gen.
Also, just off-topic slightly but..
Does anyone think that layoffs now may well be making space for AI integration of game development, and 'crunch-time', 'unsustainable', 'big budget' are all terms been used to butter us up to receiving the news that AI integration will help and maintain the level of AAA games that were accustomed to? Perhaps the layoffs were the devs that didn't join a union quick enough and if only they had the smarts of SAG members and strike while the time is right, before its too late?! Imagine DEV's on strike at a time like this, there's already a game drought.
A new The Last of Us 2 documentary reveals that Naughty Dog almost made a different version of the PS4 and PS5 game similar to Bloodborne.
Kind of a misleading comparison. They were simply talking about the game being melee oriented and more of an open world. I wouldn't compare a game to a soulslike based on that.
A more melee oriented Last of Us 2 would've been so much better imo. The combat mechanics barely got any use from me cause everyone just shoots at you, and then the Scars with their bows are even more annoying. Level design was also more Bloodborne, and I love the level design in Souls game, there's a real sense of scale and exploration due to the branching paths. We really gotta move away from open world in the style of GTA and BoTW and do it more like Souls.
Def did good with their own thing I'm so over the whole copy souls combat sheesh I can dee if in certain games it would be bosses that looked like a souls boss but straight out copying the combat and feel takes away from a game that supposed to be its own lol
The author of this article lists the character aiming and immersion breaking AI under bad.
At first the aiming does seem to sway a little bit like a drunken sailor, but you can greatly reduce the sway through upgrading your characters abilities to the point where it's a non issue.
I actually really enjoyed the aiming and shooting mechanics as it brought about for me a real sense of panic during tense gun battles.
I do agree somewhat with his point about the character ai. I had this happen more than a few times and i know this was deliberate on Naughty Dog's part so as to make the game less frustrating, however it does rather break the immersion somewhat when you are hiding in cover and your ai companions are standing right out in the open in front of enemies and they don't spot them.
That was pretty much my only minor quibble in what i consider a stellar title and one of the very best games ever crafted.
This game is mint in every aspect. You do seem powerless at times; it's a matter of good timing and smart choices. I liked the fact that I was not impervious to the elements in the game. Felt more tangible. Keep up the good work Naughty Dog!
the bad the ugly? tlof is perfect 100/100
TLoU isn't perfect but it -is- a lot better than I was expecting from Naughty Dog after the mess that was Uncharted 3.
It's still far too linear of an experience. It would have been a much better game if it had more open-ended level design.