5 ms·

I wouldn't begrudge anyone holding this opinion - I would struggle to point to any gameplay element as a true breakthrough - but the polish, quality of storytel

I wouldn't begrudge anyone holding this opinion - I would struggle to point to any gameplay element as a true breakthrough - but the polish, quality of storytelling (that prologue!), and first rate acting/animation really set it apart for me. Like everything Naughty Dog, I would rate it as a lot closer to a "Steven Speilberg" level of cinematic/dramatic presentation, whereas most AAA games I can think of (Fallout 4, Starcraft II and GTA:V come to mind) are closer to schlocky B-movies IMO. Ultimately, that's not a gameplay feature, but I think it provides a compelling sense of motivation that makes playing their games uniquely immersive.

criddell 10y ago
The prologue was very good. I'm normally hammering away at the buttons on the controller trying to skip the cut scenes (I'm looking at you Metal Gear Solid), but that one I watched.
- snuxoll 10y ago
  > Metal Gear Solid I can understand wanting to skip past the lengthy dialogue, but you're missing out on a lot of the kooky fun of the MGS franchise if you just skip past the cutscenes. If it's not your thing that's totally fine, but the MGS story is best enjoyed when not taken too seriously and just as a fun ride, and I'm guessing that might be your issue with it (please, correct me if I am off base here!)
  - criddell 10y ago
    My problem with the cutscenes in MGS was the quantity and length of them. I realize it's totally subjective, but I just wanted to play the game. I never did finish though, that game was too long. BTW, that's another thing that Last of Us got right - the length of the game was perfect (for me).
    - snuxoll 10y ago
      Fair enough! I find the opposite issue with most MGS games, personally, they are often rather brief (MGS4 excluded, the cutscenes in that took forever) - though that's an advantage in my eyes since I'm easily able to replay them in a night or two when I feel like.
snuxoll 10y ago
> that prologue! As someone who had just become a father less than a year before TLoU came out the prologue was literally the most emotional moment I had as a result of playing a video game in my life. I've had others, the end of HL2: Episode 2 struck a pretty big chord for me as well in particular, but I think it will take a long time for another game to come out that can make me feel something like that again. Overall I'd agree with your assessment (and really, it applies to ever modern Naughty Dog title) - the gameplay is above-average but serves more as a vehicle to drive the story, but unlike many other "cinematic" games it doesn't detract from it and make the whole of the work feel half-baked.

criddell 10y ago

The prologue was very good. I'm normally hammering away at the buttons on the controller trying to skip the cut scenes (I'm looking at you Metal Gear Solid), but that one I watched.

snuxoll 10y ago
> Metal Gear Solid I can understand wanting to skip past the lengthy dialogue, but you're missing out on a lot of the kooky fun of the MGS franchise if you just skip past the cutscenes. If it's not your thing that's totally fine, but the MGS story is best enjoyed when not taken too seriously and just as a fun ride, and I'm guessing that might be your issue with it (please, correct me if I am off base here!)
- criddell 10y ago
  My problem with the cutscenes in MGS was the quantity and length of them. I realize it's totally subjective, but I just wanted to play the game. I never did finish though, that game was too long. BTW, that's another thing that Last of Us got right - the length of the game was perfect (for me).
  - snuxoll 10y ago
    Fair enough! I find the opposite issue with most MGS games, personally, they are often rather brief (MGS4 excluded, the cutscenes in that took forever) - though that's an advantage in my eyes since I'm easily able to replay them in a night or two when I feel like.

snuxoll 10y ago

> that prologue! As someone who had just become a father less than a year before TLoU came out the prologue was literally the most emotional moment I had as a result of playing a video game in my life. I've had others, the end of HL2: Episode 2 struck a pretty big chord for me as well in particular, but I think it will take a long time for another game to come out that can make me feel something like that again. Overall I'd agree with your assessment (and really, it applies to ever modern Naughty Dog title) - the gameplay is above-average but serves more as a vehicle to drive the story, but unlike many other "cinematic" games it doesn't detract from it and make the whole of the work feel half-baked.