The Last Of Us Part 2 - Review

It's already July, how did that happen? So what I have achieved this year? Umm...played a lot of games, watched TV and gained some weight, that's good, right?  Last night I finished playing The Last of Us Part 2. Playing it was very interesting and was certainly very different from the first installment, but was that a bad thing?


The other evening I wanted takeout, I ask my better half Starfish Nolls what she wanted, now in my head, I was waiting for her to say what did I want and in my head, I was thinking pizza. She then suggested Spitjack's, it gave me pause, I checked the menu and went for a chicken and ribs combo with vegetables, mash, and an extra bit of garlic mash. It was so tasty it was crazy and am still thinking about it now (damn I'm hungry). I guess what I am saying is I went in one with an idea and when I allowed myself to be more open I was both surprised and happy. Playing The Last of Us Part 2 I found myself asking was I happy and surprised or should I have just ordered a pizza?

Story


The Last of Us Part 2 picks up a few years after the first game. We see both Ellie and Joel a little older and living in Jackson, a secure safe place with everything they could possibly want, life is good. As is often the way it is when life is good and we let our guard is down that we can get sucker-punched. Early on Ellie witnesses a brutal murder and so starts rising in her darkness that can only be quenched by revenge.


The story sees Ellie leaving the safety of Jackson to exact revenge, half the game is spent from her perspective and the second half you play as Abby the person she wishes to punish. Naughty Dog does a great job of making you feel conflicted about the two characters. It is hard to describe either character as being completely good or bad. By the end of the game, I was left struggling who's side to be on. The game has a lot of complexities to it. Revenge is damaging not only to those it is exacting it on but those are exacting it. There are many people I felt compassion and sorrow for and nothing was ever black and white but constant shades of grey.


Reading reviews and how people generally felt there a bit of backlash regarding Ellie being gay (which had already been established in the first game). Never did I feel it was dealt with ham-fistedly or hammered home, it was what it was. When it came to the transgender character I did feel it was slightly shoehorned in. There should have either be no mention of it or perhaps create a bit more discussion about it. That being said this element did not stop me in any way enjoying the story. The only real gripe I had was the endings, it felt a bit like Lord of The Rings Return of the King (not the extended edition) and was never sure if the ending I was seeing was the last one.


Overall Naughty Dog a great job of the story, it was thought-provoking, never black and white, and often toyed with my emotions. Any good sequel should be better in every way to its predecessor and Naughty Dog managed to do this perfectly in relation to the story.

Visuals


The visuals are...wow. The game looks sharp, organic and the world is really interesting to explore. There are lush forests, remnants of the old world in the form of a torn-up city, crude camps, and more sophisticated from along with dark dank areas which you want nothing more than to escape as quickly as possible. With some games it feels like you are just moving from one set piece to another, playing The Last of Us Part 2 never felt that way to me.



Overall the visuals are out of this world if you take that the studio that brought us Crash Bandicoot also brought us Uncharted and The Last of Us it is almost unbelievable. The team they have working on the visuals but in so much time to make the game look perfect. I am salivating at the idea of Naughty Dog making a follow up if for no other reason than the visuals.



Music


There are two distinct music styles used in the game, the first is hard plucked acoustic guitar to convey somber tones and gives the player pause, the other is an array of musical instruments to create a feeling of danger, threat, and sometimes intense action. The music is skillfully used in the game helping to heighten situations and but is never a constant but instead used subtly. The score is created by Argentinian composer Gustavo Santaolalla who has been part of a number of TV Series and Films including; 21 Grams, Brokeback Mountain, and the series Making A Murder, and the band's Iris, Soluna, and Wet Picnic. The additional music is supplied by Mac Quayle who worked on Mr. Robot, American Horror Story, The Best Friend, and Bad Samaritans to know just a few.


The soundtrack runs just shy of two hours and in my opinion, is the best video game soundtrack of the year. While to me they are all great tracks there are a few that stood out for me; 'Eye for an eye',
'They're still out there', 'The WLF', and 'The Island'.


Overall an amazing soundtrack that enhanced an already great experience.

Gameplay


Onto the breast and ribs (wow without the food analogy at the beginning that would sound creepy). The game has you take on the role of both Ellie and Abby in the third-person just like the first installment. The game at its core is a survival game that feels a lot more action-packed than before. The game can be played fairly stealthily but sometimes things get loud and you got to do what you got to do.


With Ellie, her close combat weapon is a flick knife, the strongest I have ever seen and I slit a lot of throats and it never broke once. Abby has the ability to make shivs but these are only really helpful against the infected enemies known as clickers, for the most part, she uses her powerful arms to break necks. They both have similar weapons, hands guns, rifles, and bombs but I did prefer Abby's. With Abby, she has a crossbow which is powerful and you can retrieve the bolts, unlike Ellie's bow where once the arrows are fired they are gone. Ellie has the more subtle rifle whereas Abby has the semi-automatic rifle which one you get the scope equipped it was one of my number one weapons next to the hunting pistol. Standing back looking at the two characters' weapons Ellie favors a bit more subtly verses Abby's which are noisier and more powerful, which speaks to my play style.


Manuals are back, these can be found in the world and unlock skill trees to improve the character, take enough pills and you can unlock everything you need. Ellie's had some great ones for increasing health, and Abby has the ability to craft certain ammo which is really handy later on.


The combat and cover system works.....mostly. Similar to the first game the cover works most of the time but sometimes the character won't stick to cover or points the wrong way. Occasionally you would perform an action behind cover and then stand up and get spotted. NPC's traveling with you can almost walk straight in front of an enemy and can't be seen, which is jarring if when you are being stealthy. The close-quarters combat works and can be a lot of fun but sometimes an action won't be recognized and messes everything up. Gunplay works okay as well but even with certain upgrades shooting can feel slightly inaccurate.


Overall the gameplay is a lot of fun and while some annoyances from part one still linger in part two there are improvements and for the most part, did not stop me enjoying the game.





Final Thoughts


So, after thirty hours how did I feel? Happy, sad, and many other emotions. The story was a brilliant experience and while occasionally it felt a little longer in places than it needed it was still enjoyable. The visuals were incredible and the world felt so organic which made everything I did seem more important. The music was somber, dark, and intense and made for a really good soundtrack. The gameplay was pretty strong but there were certain areas that could use improvement, hopefully, if there is a part three these will get ironed out. Is the game perfect? No, but it is pretty damn close, this one gets a 4 out of 5

The Last Of Us Remastered - Review

Back in 2014, a new game was being released by Naughty Dog, it was getting an amazing amount of attention & positive feedback.  Now, whenever anything gets this much attention I find myself sceptical & feel it can't possibly live up to all the hype.  So when it was released I gave it some time before picking up a copy & playing it.   I have to admit it the game blew me away, in the same way, Bryan Cranston's performance did in Breaking Bad.  This is the studio that made Crash Bandicoot, this isn't a slight against the studio or the game but to go from that to The Last of Us was simply inspiring.  Naturally, I was pretty excited to play the remastered version of the game & lucky enough my favourite technician, work colleague & friend Siniša loaned it to me.


Have you ever tried a battered potato pie? What is it you ask? Well simply put it is a lump of potato that has been deep-fried - something like a giant chip.  It is something that is really popular down here in Cork, when I heard about how good it was I found myself shrugging my shoulders & thought 'meh, how good could it be?'.  When I did finally try it I could not believe how nice it was, soft potato battered to perfection it was so different from what I thought it would be.  I guess as I have already revealed I enjoyed the game I can't use my 'when I was playing The Last of Us I had to ask myself....' spiel, I will just let the review do my talking for me.

The game starts off in the grips of a deadly virus outbreak, we are introduced to Joel & his family who are trying to escape the madness.  After a heartbreaking & tragic beginning, we fast forward to 20 years in the future & we see Joel is now a smuggler in what is left of humanity.  This time he & his partner have to smuggle something very different, a girl named Ellie to a resistance group called the Fireflies.


The two central characters in the game are Joel & Ellie.  Joel is a man who has become hardened due to a troubled past & hasn't got much time for other people.  Ellie is an obnoxious teen with a mouth on her that & no problem standing up to people.  Naturally, the two don't get on together at first but as time goes by they become reliant on each other & form a partnership.


While there are differences with the remastered edition versus the original one of the biggest is that it comes packaged with the DLC Left Behind.  Which adds another 3 hours of content & not only helps to fill in some blanks from the main story but also allows us to see a little of Ellie's past.  The flashback storytelling method worked well & helped at times to make for some tense storytelling. We get to see Ellie & her friend Riley hanging out together & having fun rather than just fighting to stay alive.


One of the biggest & in some ways the best part of this game is the story, it is an emotional roller coaster. I like that it makes no qualms that things are not always black & white.  The ending of the game made me have some mixed feelings, the DLC helped give me a bit more perspective & made me more settled on some of earlier thinking.

The visuals in The Last of Us always looked great but the overhaul on them for the remastered edition changed them to stunning.  There is so much more detail & definition in everything.  The characters look more defined & make them look more real.  The world itself looks more post-apocalyptic, the way wooden floors looks more beaten up & rotten, the paint on the walls is peeling & chipped off & all help to show that humanity is at its end.  The wilderness is lush & green but always manages to carry a slight undertone of darkness.  There are horses in the game that look great, it reminded me of my lovely horse, with its fetlocks blowing in the wind (I have to watch Father Ted again).


I really liked the music in the game, it uses a lot of moody guitar solos which helps to create a downbeat sound which suits the atmosphere of the world you are in.  While the sound is more simplistic than other games it makes everything feel more poignant & that much more important.


This sound is created by Gustavo Santaolalla, who is from Argentina & has a very rich musical background.  He has been part of a number of bands including; Acro Iris, Soluna & Wet Picnic. Outside of this, he has worked on a number of films & TV series including; 21 Grams, Brokeback Mountain & the series Making A Murder.


Also accompanying Santaolalla is session violinist from Nashville Alan Umstead.  He has worked with many musicians including; Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks & Elton John, along with many others.  He has also worked with composers such as; Austin Wintory, Jason Graves, Bear McGeary & Jesse Harlin.  If this wasn't enough his contribution to the video games industry has been massive & has worked with all the big video game companies.  Some of his works include games such as; Ratchet & Clank, Unfinished Swan, Dragon Age Inquisition & Mafia III.


The score is just under an hour long but that doesn't mean it isn't good, in fact, it is very much the opposite & would have to be one of my favourite soundtrack that I have listened to this year. My favourite pieces included; 'Quarantine Zone', 'The Hunters', 'The Choice', 'Last of Us (Never Again)', 'Infected', 'Last of Us (New Dawn)' &' All Gone (No Escape)'.

Onto the meat or lack thereof as it's a post-apocalyptic world...anyway onto the gameplay.   Something that has always struck me with The Last of Us even when I played it on the Playstation 3 is that the game gives you time to enjoy your surroundings rather than feeling like you are being rushed through it.  That may seem like an odd observation to make but I feel when so much time & effort has gone into something I want to take the time to take it all in.


The combat has plenty of high points, the gun-play & cover system for the most part work well. Upgrading your weapons feels worthwhile, especially the flamethrower.  Shotguns are loud & proud, Shivs are sharp & stabby - you can't ask for more than that.  On occasion when Joel is being overpowered by an enemy Ellie helps you during combat by jumping on their back & stabbing them -which is handy.


The enemies can vary in difficulty. Clickers are still a pain in the ass if they get too close to you & the cut scenes are a harsh reminder for you to be more cautious next time.  Occasionally the human enemy AI can be a little dumb, they will stand facing a wall not moving just asking to be killed. There is a strange 'glitch' where enemies can see you but they can't see the people you are with, it is something I hoped they would iron out from the original as it throws off combat/stealth sections.


The sections where you get to play as Ellie are really good & help flesh out her character.  It helps her & Joel feel more like a real partnership, rather than her just being his sidekick as some other games tend to do.


The gameplay itself didn't feel largely different from the original but that's not necessarily a bad thing although it would have been great if they knocked out a few the kinks that the original had.  Overall though solid gameplay & the additional content really made it feel like a more rounded game.


Warning - There are spoilers in the trailer below!



So after nearly 20 hours how did I feel?  Pretty damn good, I probably enjoyed the game more this time not only because of the overhaul on visuals but also because of the additional story content.  A really solid game & still one of the best titles released on the Playstation 3, I am looking forward to The Last of Us 2 next year.  This one was easy to score 4 out of 5

The Power of Three

I am not a fan of console wars, a great is a great game & it really should not matter what console it's on.  Over the years I have bought quite of few game consoles & all of them had something great to offer.  That all being said I did & still do have a tendency to favor my XBOX 360 over my Playstation 3, generally because for me I feel there were more games I liked on the XBOX 360 & loved the user interface.


The Playstation 3 has a lot to offer in terms of design; it features an in built Blu-ray drive, there is no traditional drive tray instead it just sucks in the games, the dual shock controller feels really light & comes with a charging cable & it sounds silly but I am going to say it any way I like the sound it makes when you power on the console.


The Playstation 3 boasts many great titles & I wanted to take some time out to recognise & talk about them.  As normal I have picked three titles that really stood out for me.

I want start the review by saying this game is amazing!  I am not a big hype fan & for me I thought the game could not live up to what others had told me about it - it did.  Quantic Dream the developers of the title focus on three key things essential to any truly great video game; story, visuals & gameplay.


The story focuses on four main characters: Ethan - a family man, Scott - a private investigator, Norman - a FBI profiler & Madison  - a journalist.  While their backgrounds are very different they all have one thing in common, The Origami Killer.  While all four characters have a key role to play Ethan's is probably the largest due to very early on one of his children being kidnapped.  With such a rich story I can't afford to say more without spoiling it for you, for those of you who have already played it you know what I mean.


The name Heavy Rain is not just a good title but also a big feature of the game, the rain effects look great & help add to the bleakness of the story. One of the first places you get to see is Ethan's house. It may sound strange but it feels like you're actually in someones house.  Often with games there is the world & the story, while they are two separate components they are always intertwined. For me the better the game the harder it is to distinguish one from the other. Whether you are inside or outside the world you are in always feels organic & really adds depth to the game, this is something Quantic Dream do very well.


The music used is perfect & adds another layer to an already rich game.  Often it lingers in the background subtle & unintrusive while other times it is intense & abrasive. I regularly found myself moved from a state of calm to an almost white knuckle panic, by doing this the game teaches you never to be complacent & ever ready for what might come next.


The gameplay is interesting as no matter what your play style is normally Heavy Rain forces you to adopt a new one.  Every place you are in holds importance & every action helps drives the story even if it is only in a minor way. An example of this is when you are in Ethan's House & your wife asks you to get plates out for dinner.  You have to go the cupboard, open the door, grab the plates & put them out.  If you don't do this quick enough you get told off for it.  This happened to me as I took too long to help out as I was putting some music & got a little too distracted. This is something that regularly happens in the game & with so many choices you won't get the chance to see & hear every outcome on your first play-through. Sometimes you are required to make a decision & you get little time to think about, this is not only punctuated by the music but also by the floating options that circle the character in question. This can cause you to make decisions that given more time you may not have chosen.  This adds a pressure & realism to the gameplay that really keeps you focused.


It is very difficult to find a flaw with this game & if I was forced to mention one I would say
that simple actions like opening or closing cupboards for example can feel overly complicated in regards to the analogue controls.  With the exception of the minor issue the game is fantastic & I am really looking forward to playing the remastered edition on Playstation 4.  If you have a Playstation 3 or 4 I would highly recommend purchasing a copy of this game, you wont regret it.

You might be thinking why did he pick another game from Quantic Dream? Well multiple reasons but there are few key titles I missed out on & still need to play, namely; Uncharted & Killzone. Had I played through these my selection could have been different. This game was highly underrated & while it is not as good as Heavy Rain it is like trying to compare Chinese Food & Pizza - both tasty & satisfying but in very different ways.


You take control of Jodie (played by Ellen Page) a young girl with a special friend named Aiden, he is an entity connected to her since birth.  She possesses supernatural & psychic abilities that allow her to manipulate objects, communicate with Aiden & do much more. Her father figure in the game is
Dr Dawkins (played by Willem Dafoe) a researcher at the Department of Paranormal Activity.  Even more so that Heavy Rain the game focuses on story so to save on spoilers I won't say anymore.


Visually the game is very different to Heavy Rain (see Chinese Food & Pizza). The earlier parts of the game features a research facility which looks futuristic & cool! Other areas include Africa, a military base & one of my favorite sections of the game which sees Jodie homeless. I know what you are thinking, how can someone being homeless good?  It's not that it is good but the story, visuals & characters are so well done that part really stuck with me.


The music used in the game is deep & often feels very somber.  The sound reminds me of something you would hear in a film rather than a game but this I feel was purposefully done as the game is more story driven than a lot of others.  What this means is that you take more time to listen & watch than focus on movement.


For some critics I know they felt the gameplay was an issue as it often feels like you are part of an interactive story rather than a game.  While that is a slight over simplification I liked the direction & is the same reason I really enjoyed Tell Tale's The Walking Dead (Can't wait for Season 3!). Playing as Jodie was great but I really liked playing as Aiden as it was a lot of fun manipulating objects in the game, throwing stuff around & sometimes doing it for no other reason than to scare people (muwhahahha!).  Games evolve & change just like the music that is in them & while the play style is different I don't think it is bad thing & is a welcome change.  I also really respect that Quantic Dream were willing to try & do something different especially with a triple A title. For a lot of companies out there it is less about taking risks & more about just rinsing & repeating what came before sticking a new number on the box.


While the game may have it's flaws including dialogue that sometimes feels a little clunky & some control issues, I enjoyed the experience & I know I will play the game in the future.  If you never played it because of the bad things you heard about it I would say to you march down to your local game shop & pick up a copy & try it for yourself.

I am not sure I can say anything about this game that has not already been said, being honest there is probably not a single Playstation 3 owner that has not played this title. Naughty Dog has come a long way from Crash Bandicoot & if you have told me back then they would or could create a game of this caliber I would have called you a liar - I am sorry to the fictional person I never said that too.


Outbreaks make for a great back drop for a story, I think the big reason for this is that if we were going to be brought to the brink of destruction in today's world it would be most likely from a virus or a crazy fungus.  You play as Joel a loving father just trying to escape for a crazy fungus out break with your daughter.  As bad as things are they get worse for Joel who loses his daughter.  Years on you see him working as a smuggler & through a turn of events you find your self helping to smuggle a girl called Ellie to a rebel group called the Fireflies.  Sounds simple enough until you find out Ellie is infected by the virus & might be key to curing it.  That's your lot, that is all I am telling you.


Visually the game looks amazing, when I say this I mean post apocalyptic & grim.  There are old failed check points that litter the world showing the devastation the virus caused. In some areas it feels like nature is starting to reclaim the world & presents you with some visual delights.  There is an area later in the game covered with snow that just looks beautiful & stunning.  When it comes to visuals this game does not disappoint.


In terms of music in the game it is used sparingly, while this may sound like a bad thing it is not.  If you ask most people what sound they remember hearing from the game they will mention the guitar solos, somber, poignant & more than that very fitting.  It help captures the world Joel, Ellie & the others live in; scattered, broken & isolated.


The gameplay is really fun to play, lack of ammo & a constant worrying that using a gun may attract others to you make you rely on other tactics.  The key one is take downs & using a shiv to stab those annoying fungus guys in the head or just regular crazy people.  Often it was not essential to kill everyone & everything in sight, survival is key so avoiding conflict can be advantageous. I doubt I am the only one that feels this way but there is section where you play as Ellie & to me it is almost the best section of the game.  I can't say too much on the off chance you have not played it or don't want to remember, what I will say is; snow, lots of crazy guys, creepy old guy, diner.


There is a multiplayer aspect to the game but it did not really do anything for me.  This is not that surprising as for me games are more about the single player experience, that is not say I don't occasionally enjoy playing with others but for me I play games for me.


 I had a few minor issues like sometimes when you were with people & they ran in front of patrols & were not seen but if you looked in the wrong direction you would get seen. The take down ability you get for the fungus head guys never really worked very well.  There are a few characters I was not too keen on but being honest I think most of that was done on purpose.  This being said the game was really great & well deserving of the praise it received. I can't wait to get the Playstation 4 to play the remastered edition.

The end has come again of another console/game review. There are so many great games on this console, some of which I still have to play, below is a short list of those games:

Uncharted 1-3
Killzone 1-3
Journey
Time Crisis 4
Little Big Planet (may not be great but a lot of fun)


Next up, the Nintendo 3DS!