Loved both Last of Us and GTA V.
Last of us gathered dust after I beat it(not knocking it against the game) while I still play GTA V.
Both game worlds are amazing. Shit add Columbia to the list of awesome game worlds delivered this year. Then there is TR and...**** 2013 has been an awesome year for gaming.
I really can't decide which game world I like more. Columbia just looked so amazing and crispy while Last of Us's tone and art style makes it a top cotender as well. In the end I lean more towards San Andreas because of the scope of the sandbox and just how good everything managed to look within that ridiculously huge scope in aged hardware
Originally posted by wakkawakkawakka
Still don't understand why Nemebro and Blax don't like The Last of Us but its whatever. The opening scene alone should've drew people in instantly IMO. Nonetheless I kind of expected GTAV to win based on its popularity and the amount it sold.
i think it didn't win GOTY cuz it wasn't a Multi-platform game
Originally posted by BackFire
Action Adventure, Survival Horror, and quiet exploration.
I was talking about gameplay. Some of the game's most memorable moments - one in particular comes to mind - are during these long stretches, sometimes as long as 15 minutes, where you're just walking around; no combat, no environmental puzzles, but just being absorbed in the world and listening to dialogue between Joel and Ellie and being immersed in the mood and atmosphere that the game masterfully creates.
Sorry, I think you're just completely wrong here. There are an overwhelming amount of differences between the two series. Some of which you mention (I'd say those differences alone are important enough to disqualify the comparison from being very meaningful)
Not sure why that is, because frankly, the ones I mentioned are going to appeal to people on a case by case basis. Aka: Subjective. The similarities? Their qualities are objective.
but others also include Half Life being more interested in environmental storytelling, atmosphere and exploration.
Right, like that thing I said.
Also the tone of each series is totally different - Half Life having the more lonesome and depressing, and I'd say simply better, atmosphere, where as Halo is pure shallow popcorn style fare.
I am also pretty sure I covered this (Albeit without letting my posts drip with bias), with terms such as "bombastic" or "space opera" to describe Halo, and terms like "minimalistic" and "grounded" for Half Life.
Also of course Half Life has various puzzles and more obvious innovations, such as the Gravity gun.
I will allow you that much.
Also the way they each handle the main character is completely different.
Ah, that is true. Somehow forgot to mention the differences between Gordon and John.
The supporting characters, too.
Explain?
The only things they really share are that they are both "shooters" and they both involve aliens. That's not enough for a very compelling comparison, to me.
I'll be honest, I haven't played Half Life in so long that you may be right. I think I last played Half Life 2 when I was like 17, so I can't rmember a whole lot.
Well, I completely disagree here. Obviously something like this is purely subjective, but I found the beginning to be one of the most gripping introductions I've ever played in a video game. If you didn't like it, fair enough, though.
It might have been better had I not seen the outcome coming a mile away.
Originally posted by Impediment
GTA V didn't deserve Game of the Year.GTA V had sales and nothing more. The game is a driving/flying/boating/etc simulator with quests that any random yahoo can play. Popularity wins again.
The Last of Us is a true masterpiece with a level of depth, emotion, and character development of the like which I have NEVER seen in a video game.
I am pretty sure that any random yahoo could play The Last of Us, to be honest. It's hardly Ghosts and Goblins.
Originally posted by Nephthys
Nemebro and Blax are contrarian assholes who get off on being 'edgy' and 'rebellious'.
Calm down.
Neme - I've not played Demon's Souls so I can't comment on that, however Shadow of the Colossus doesn't qualify as survival horror. So not sure why you posted that in response.
Bioshock Infinite does something similar there, you're right, but it does it differently. Infinite's only real lengthy and quiet segment is at the beginning of the game, after that it becomes a more traditional action game. Granted, there are still quiet moments, but none that are quite as lengthy or memorable as the introduction. Last of Us has these types of segments throughout the entire game, the most memorable of which comes towards the end - and the way it combines these segments with action adventure and survival horror creates a piece of work that is unlike anything I've experienced before. It just feels unique in its tone and the way it flows. That's the best I can really explain it.
You ask how the supporting characters in Half Life and Halo are different. The most important goes back to the style of storytelling that each game utilizes. Halo's characters are traditional bombastic/shallow action movie characters that come and go and rely more on traditional action movie type tropes and dialogue, where as Half Life, because of the atmosphere and mood the game is interested in creating, has more sober and realistic characters that, for me, just felt more like actual people, and not characters in an action movie. Also Alyx from Half Life 2 in particular is not really like anything Halo has done. Halo 4 attempted to replicate a bit of Alyx with the game's version of Cortana and having her be sort of the emotional epicenter of the story, but it was still different just by way of styles.
The beginning of Last of Us was not about being unpredictable. I think anyone could see where it was going. It was about execution. A piece of fiction doesn't have to be unpredictable in order to be good, as your post implies. For example, Breaking Bad is fairly predictable - it's easy to see where the story is ultimately going, or where particular threads are sort of going, it's more about the details and how it gets there that makes the show good. And I'd say the same is true for the beginning of Last of Us.
Originally posted by NemeBro
[B[/B]
I bought that game during the Steam sales.
I still haven't finished it. The levels were far too linear and it got boring. Some of the cutscenes were amazing.
But, then...boring. Boring boring boring.
It would have been different had the game been more sandbox/open world. Oh, and...upgrades didn't feel worthless.
Based on what I read online, I got about 80% through the game.
For 2013, it was my most disappointing buy. 🙁
Originally posted by Nephthys
I'm just keeping it real, NemeBro.
FTFY 313
Originally posted by dadudemon
I bought that game during the Steam sales.I still haven't finished it. The levels were far too linear and it got boring. Some of the cutscenes were amazing.
But, then...boring. Boring boring boring.
It would have been different had the game been more sandbox/open world. Oh, and...upgrades didn't feel worthless.
Based on what I read online, I got about 80% through the game.
For 2013, it was my most disappointing buy. 🙁
This. This, this, this. I wanted to enjoy Infinite and was amazed for an hour but eventually it became, dare I say, lacking. And when I reached that boss that was a ghost...oh god it was so BORING! And no fight with the Songbird to make up for it!
Originally posted by Nemesis X+2 to both of you. Infinite never even lived up to Bioshock 1, never mind a masterpiece like TLoU. Shadow of the Colossus is not survival horror. It's not even horror. Its an action adventure game. Neither is Demon Souls. Its an action RPG with dark elements.
This. This, this, this. I wanted to enjoy Infinite and was amazed for an hour but eventually it became, dare I say, lacking. And when I reached that boss that was a ghost...oh god it was so [b]BORING! And no fight with the Songbird to make up for it! [/B]
Both also have moments of quiet exploration (Demon Souls to a much lesser extent), but neither of them did it as well as TLoU. Its like BackFire said. TLoU successfully merged a ton of different elements (that yes, other games have, not not to the quality of TLoU, and not mixed with other elements that allow it all to come together so perfectly) to make something amazing. There is a reason that it's reviews (100 of them) are almost completely perfect 10s across the board. Those who doubt this games quality are in the very small minority for a reason.
Originally posted by Arachnid1
+2 to both of you. Infinite never even lived up to Bioshock 1, never mind a masterpiece like TLoU. Shadow of the Colossus is not survival horror. It's not even horror. Its an action adventure game. Neither is Demon Souls. Its an action RPG with dark elements.Both also have moments of quiet exploration (Demon Souls to a much lesser extent), but neither of them did it as well as TLoU. Its like BackFire said. TLoU successfully merged a ton of different elements (that yes, other games have, not not to the quality of TLoU, and not mixed with other elements that allow it all to come together so perfectly) to make something amazing. There is a reason that it's reviews (100 of them) are almost completely perfect 10s across the board. Those who doubt this games quality are in the very small minority for a reason.
Almost thou persuadest me to be a TLoU fan.
Still haven't played it. I will play it, though.
Originally posted by BackFire
Neme - I've not played Demon's Souls so I can't comment on that, however Shadow of the Colossus doesn't qualify as survival horror. So not sure why you posted that in response.
Oh yeah?
Using wiki (Because let's not pretend that "survival horror" is some universally recognized and definable term), survival horror is "a subgenre of action-adventure video games inspired by horror fiction. Although combat can be a part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less powerful than in typical action games, because of limited ammunition, health, speed, or other limitations. The player is also challenged to find items that unlock the path to new areas, and solve puzzles at certain locations. Games make use of strong horror themes, and the player is often challenged to navigate dark maze-like environments, and react to unexpected attacks from enemies.".
The only thing here that doesn't really apply is the unexpected attacks from enemies part IIRC. Most prominently, Wander is significantly more helpless than your average action-adventure hero.
Bioshock Infinite does something similar there, you're right, but it does it differently. Infinite's only real lengthy and quiet segment is at the beginning of the game, after that it becomes a more traditional action game.
Not through all of it. At the beginning, you explore Colombia at your leisure before being thrust into high-paced combat, but you get further opportunities to explore at the beach, and in other sections where tipping off the guards to your arrival can be entirely avoided (Or prolonged? I forget some shit here).
Granted, there are still quiet moments, but none that are quite as lengthy or memorable as the introduction.
I'd disagree, I found the beach even more memorable. I traversed the entire thing to hear every nameless NPC's dialogue, due to apparently having OCD.
Last of Us has these types of segments throughout the entire game, the most memorable of which comes towards the end - and the way it combines these segments with action adventure and survival horror creates a piece of work that is unlike anything I've experienced before. It just feels unique in its tone and the way it flows. That's the best I can really explain it.
I'd frankly dispute the level of Survival Horror in tLoU to be honest. The duration of my playthrough, I could easily just Rambo my way through everything due to the ease of the melee system and the relative abundance of ammunition.
You ask how the supporting characters in Half Life and Halo are different. The most important goes back to the style of storytelling that each game utilizes. Halo's characters are traditional bombastic/shallow action movie characters that come and go and rely more on traditional action movie type tropes and dialogue, where as Half Life, because of the atmosphere and mood the game is interested in creating, has more sober and realistic characters that, for me, just felt more like actual people, and not characters in an action movie.
... Really?
I am talking about Half Life 1, for the record, not 2.
Half Life 1's characters though frankly felt even more basic and generic than Halo's.
Also Alyx from Half Life 2 in particular is not really like anything Halo has done. Halo 4 attempted to replicate a bit of Alyx with the game's version of Cortana and having her be sort of the emotional epicenter of the story, but it was still different just by way of styles.
This is probably sort of my fault: I was only comparing the first games of both series. Sorry I didn't make that clear.
The beginning of Last of Us was not about being unpredictable. I think anyone could see where it was going. It was about execution. A piece of fiction doesn't have to be unpredictable in order to be good, as your post implies. For example, Breaking Bad is fairly predictable - it's easy to see where the story is ultimately going, or where particular threads are sort of going, it's more about the details and how it gets there that makes the show good. And I'd say the same is true for the beginning of Last of Us.
I haven't ever seen Breaking Bad so I can't see the connection. But Breaking Bad is a long-running TV series and has had time to expand on all of its characters and shit, correct?
The beginning of tLoU, while giving you control of the girl (No I do not remember her name) was a nice touch at the beginning to allow some player-controlled characterization, at the end I could not be persuaded to really care that she gets lolshot, nor did I care for Joel's gruff Troy Baker bearded character sadness.
Originally posted by Arachnid1
+2 to both of you. Infinite never even lived up to Bioshock 1, never mind a masterpiece like TLoU.
Bioshock is better than tLoU though.
Shadow of the Colossus is not survival horror. It's not even horror. Its an action adventure game. Neither is Demon Souls. Its an action RPG with dark elements.
Both are more survival horror than tLoU could ever be.
Both also have moments of quiet exploration (Demon Souls to a much lesser extent)
It has more of those than either, lol. Having a silent protagonist and a more open world helps. Dark Souls has even more of this.
, but neither of them did it as well as TLoU.
And by that token I could point out that tLoU has not even a fifth of the depth of gameplay that Shadow of the Colossus or especially Demon's/Dark Souls do. The difference is that rather than being a more immaterial viewpoint like yours, mine has some basis in the fact that, gameplay-wise, tLoU is nothing particularly new or challenging.
Its like BackFire said. TLoU successfully merged a ton of different elements (that yes, other games have, not not to the quality of TLoU, and not mixed with other elements that allow it all to come together so perfectly) to make something amazing. There is a reason that it's reviews (100 of them) are almost completely perfect 10s across the board. Those who doubt this games quality are in the very small minority for a reason.
Skyrim on the XBOX 360 had better reviews, and Modern Warfare 1 and 2's reviews were about equivalent. Uncharted 2's reviews were better than tLoU.
I am just saying. /shrugs
Neme - What are the horror themes of Shadow of the Colossus? This is obviously an important aspect of the sub-genre, as "Horror" is a word used in the very term, and it's listed in your wiki definition, but as far as I saw there were none in that game. I remember the atmosphere being somber and lonesome, but not particularly scary or creepy in any parts.
Also we're talking about different things when it comes to Bioshock Infinite and Last of Us, it seems. You're referencing moments where you can avoid combat in Infinite if you wish, I'm referencing moments in Last of Us where there is no combat to be avoided. Simply segments that exist purely to emphasize the atmosphere/characters.
Also by your own definition TLoU would count as survival horror because even if you did find it easy, you had to actually scrounge and look for ammo, and there was less of it than the typical action game.
But yeah, we seem to have had a bit of a disconnect in regards to the Half Life/Halo comparison. I was talking mostly about Half Life 2, particularly when it came to characterization. You're right, Half Life is much less impressive in characterization than Half Life 2, and probably any of the Halo games as well.
Whether BB is long running isn't really relevant to my greater point - that fiction doesn't need to be unpredictable in order to be engaging. The fact is the beginning of TLoU is very effective foreshadowing that is very subtlety echoed during the end of the game. This was the entire purpose of the beginning.
Anyways, since the discussion was initially about how Last of Us is innovative and unique, and that aspect of the discussion has become muddled because we're talking about other things, I'll just repeat here how I felt it was unique - It just feels unique in its tone and the way it flows. That's the best I can really explain it. And it feels this way because of the way it combined all the above mentioned genres.
Originally posted by BackFire
Neme - What are the horror themes of Shadow of the Colossus? This is obviously an important aspect of the sub-genre, as "Horror" is a word used in the very term, and it's listed in your wiki definition, but as far as I saw there were none in that game. I remember the atmosphere being somber and lonesome, but not particularly scary or creepy in any parts.Also we're talking about different things when it comes to Bioshock Infinite and Last of Us, it seems. You're referencing moments where you can avoid combat in Infinite if you wish, I'm referencing moments in Last of Us where there is no combat to be avoided. Simply segments that exist purely to emphasize the atmosphere/characters.
Also by your own definition TLoU would count as survival horror because even if you did find it easy, you had to actually scrounge and look for ammo, and there was less of it than the typical action game.
But yeah, we seem to have had a bit of a disconnect in regards to the Half Life/Halo comparison. I was talking mostly about Half Life 2, particularly when it came to characterization. You're right, Half Life is much less impressive in characterization than Half Life 2, and probably any of the Halo games as well.
Whether BB is long running isn't really relevant to my greater point - that fiction doesn't need to be unpredictable in order to be engaging. The fact is the beginning of TLoU is very effective foreshadowing that is very subtlety echoed during the end of the game. This was the entire purpose of the beginning.
Anyways, since the discussion was initially about how Last of Us is innovative and unique, and that aspect of the discussion has become muddled because we're talking about other things, I'll just repeat here how I felt it was unique - It just feels unique in its tone and the way it flows. That's the best I can really explain it. And it feels this way because of the way it combined all the above mentioned genres.
The Last of Us did not win GOTY because it's not Multi-Platform, meaning Both Consoles cant enjoy the acclaimed experience. thats why it didn't win and GTA5 a Multi-Platform game did, i agree that game is better than Overhyped and Rated GTA but us Xbox Gamers cant enjoy the experience, and if you look at the past Arkham City and Asylum won GOTY because they were Multi-Platform and loved by both Gamers PS and Xbox as well as Red Dead Redemption, its a good Game but since it's not Multi-platform it didn't Win GOTY
Originally posted by RedX1852
The Last of Us did not win GOTY because it's not Multi-Platform, meaning Both Consoles cant enjoy the acclaimed experience. thats why it didn't win and GTA5 a Multi-Platform game did, i agree that game is better than Overhyped and Rated GTA but us Xbox Gamers cant enjoy the experience, and if you look at the past Arkham City and Asylum won GOTY because they were Multi-Platform and loved by both Gamers PS and Xbox as well as Red Dead Redemption, its a good Game but since it's not Multi-platform it didn't Win GOTY
Originally posted by Nemesis X
YouTube video
I Cant see what you posted?