Guys, no need to worry. TLOU Factions has just become friends with Metroid Prime 4. Both have a lot of things in common and they are having a healthy chemistry. Why you gotta ruin their relationship like this?
Oh yeah, a couple weeks ago TLOU Part 1 remake was on sale, and thanks to some funding from my sister hyped to get into it after the show, I paid just over 40$ for it, decent price IMO since I know I'll be playing it 100% again.
Haven't had time to get into it with her until very recently now, but getting the Remake for her to use instead of using the original version was actually a really, really good decision on Accessibility alone.
She’s still a novice at third-person shooter games right? And after a stressful run through the prologue, the first infected encounter and a few human encounters, while she was stressed and confused about the controls (and how stealth-survival games like this work) I managed to convince her to turn on accessibility options.
And boy oh boy I forgot how crazy detailed Naughty Dog’s list is.
We’ve turned on lock-on aim, Listen mode ping system, awareness indicators, auto pick-up items and increased the HUD size (it really is pretty small by default)
We’ve also lowered some aspects of the difficulty (thank goodness for custom options) so that should make her live longer, enemies more fragile, and less lethal.
It's only been turned on for the first tiny combat encounters in the Wharf, so I won’t know how/if this will help her that much until we get further in, but I’m confident.
She kept getting very worried about enemy movement, but forgetting to use listen mode, and the dichotomy between stealth/spotting/spotted she didn’t totally understand. Also missing dropped items and other things in the level (the remake has less of a “exaggerated realism” style than the original, I think items are smaller and ‘flash’ less than usual.)
We seemingly have confirmation of a Last of Us Part 2 Remaster native to the PS5...
Gustavo Santaolalla had a spanish interview recently, where he seemingly confirmed there's a new version on the way, that has an interactive Gustavo NPC, you can request songs he can play! The Last of Us Part 2 Remaster Seemingly Leaked by Composer
Introducing the Universal Studios Orlando parks, The Last of Us haunted house!
Yes, that's right, this is the one you've all been waiting for!
Remember the super popular HBO show from this year? Well, this actually isn't based on that, it's based on the game only. No HBO branding here.
At least it has actors portraying the characters!
No, wait, they're lipsyncing to pre-recorded dialogue. Surprisingly though they got recordings of Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson!
So The Last of Us Day (Outbreak Day) came and went just a few days ago, with little fanfare as predicted.
No reveals or any updates about current naughty dog projects -- I never expected that, since they're all essentially "not revealed" with any official title or promotion. If anything were to be revealed (Factions 2 UGH) it'll be at the TGA's.
They released a VOD of Troy Baker performing various Last of Us related songs, which is actually the coolest thing about the Day's events. This was performed last year for some group of fans, idk where I never got invited smh, but neat! (Skip to 5:50)
There was also Photo Mode competitions, as usual. Wallpapers to download, as usual. Cosplay Guides, as usual. Merch to sell, as usual. And a collab with Pearl Jam! And it's the most hilariously lame collab I've ever seen!
Introducing the Outbreak Day 10th anniversary t-shirt with Pearl Jam!
BOTTOM TEXT
I saw some other merch they revealed but this takes the cake, pretty low effort. The font doesn't even look right. Troy's live performance was good though.
So The Last of Us Day (Outbreak Day) came and went just a few days ago, with little fanfare as predicted.
No reveals or any updates about … morecurrent naughty dog projects -- I never expected that, since they're all essentially "not revealed" with any official title or promotion. If anything were to be revealed (Factions 2 UGH) it'll be at the TGA's.
They released a VOD of Troy Baker performing various Last of Us related songs, which is actually the coolest thing about the Day's events. This was performed last year for some group of fans, idk where I never got invited smh, but neat! (Skip to 5:50)
There was also Photo Mode competitions, as usual. Wallpapers to download, as usual. Cosplay Guides, as usual. Merch to sell, as usual. And a collab with Pearl Jam! And it's the most hilariously lame collab I've ever seen!
Introducing the Outbreak Day 10th anniversary t-shirt with Pearl Jam!
BOTTOM TEXT
There's a roguelike mode with all the juicy combat from the game! Challenge yourself in various combat arenas, some new like Jackson, and see how far you can survive!
The Last of Us Part II Remastered is designed to let you dig deeper into both its development and mechanics. Chief among these is a brand-new mode called No Return, a roguelike survival mode designed to let players prove their mettle in randomized encounters and experience The Last of Us Part II’s combat in a fresh experience.
The mode includes a host of playable characters to choose from – some playable for the first time in The Last of Us franchise (which you may have spotted in our trailer) – who each come with their own traits to suit different playstyles. Players will chart their own course on each run, choosing between various stealth and combat encounters that will pit you against a range of enemies, with unique twists that can add new, unexpected factors to any given encounter.
Each run will offer a new chance to decide what rewards you get after each encounter, how you spec out your character, and more. Unlock more characters, skins, and more as you progress to use in the mode, customize your own runs, and compete on a global leaderboard as part of a Daily Run2. We’re excited to share more about No Return as we get closer to launch.
The mode includes a host of playable characters to choose from – some playable for the first time in The Last of Us franchise (which you may have spotted in our trailer) – who each come with their own traits to suit different playstyles. Players will chart their own course on each run, choosing between various stealth and combat encounters that will pit you against a range of enemies, with unique twists that can add new, unexpected factors to any given encounter.
There's 3 bonus levels called Lost Levels that offer you a chance to play some unfinished content cut from the main game's runtime, with embedded developer commentary to give you context on their original intention of each level.
There's a new Director's Commentary mode for all the cutscenes in the main story from Neil Druckmann, Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey.
Some Accessibility options have been added from Part 1, like Audio Descriptions for cutscenes and Speech to Vibrations for the controller.
There are a few additions like Character and Weapon Skins for Ellie and Abby to choose from. Plus some Photo Mode additions like Dynamic Lighting and Gaze Direction.
It will fun at a native 4K 30fps in Fidelity and upscaled to 4K in 60fps Performance Mode.
Better Load times and full Dualsense features as expected!
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered comes to PS5 in January next year!
It also comes with lots of new content!
Also want to preface: there … moreIS an upgrade path for people who own Part 2 on PS4! 10$ USD BABYYYY!
https://blog.playstation.com/2023/11/17/the-last-of-us-part-ii-remastered-coming-to-ps5-on-january-19-2024
There's a roguelike mode with all the juicy combat from the game! Challenge yourself in various combat arenas, some new like Jackson, and see how far you can survive!
The Last of Us Part II Remastered is designed to let you dig deeper into both its development and mechanics. Chief among these is a brand-new mode called No Return, a roguelike survival mode designed to let players prove their mettle in randomized encounters and experience The Last of Us Part II’s combat in a fresh experience.
The mode includes a host of playable characters to choose from – some playable for the first time in The Last of Us franchis… [view original content]
Finally we can be goofy in Part II in the face of unrelenting despair.
I'm so hyped for this considering the surprisingly cheap upgrade path. That's some good additions! Way more mechanically than what Part 1 had in store, IMO.
A little preview of the No Return Mode -- this looks like a very fun time-sink!
Pick your character -- between Ellie, Dina, Jesse, Tommy, Joel, Abby, Lev, Yara, Mel, or Manny. Each with different traits, available skills/bonuses and starting loadouts.
Randomized challenges with each run with different objectives. Kill X number of enemies, survive for Y time or a number of waves, find and open Z safes. There are also modifiers that can activate like raining molotovs in one shot, or possibly a level with a weird colour-shifting filter on, or even it seems invisible enemies seen here. Where's the enemy?? Check the bottom right, seems to be some modifier to the level.
Some of these alt skins look weird but great! Ellie in a spacesuit, or some futuristic jumpsuit|? Abby looking like she's coming from Mad Max. Wild!
Hopefully there's a little more variety in the "Final Fight" than Rat King in Hospital Basement every time. That might get old -- however, Roguelikes pride themselves on replaying stuff, so it might be good.
The mini-boss Stalker that comes off of the Rat King was seen in the Theater at one point, so that could be in different environments at least!
I guess the writing was on the wall for a while, but it's so strange how it took them THIS LONG to put it to bed. The big delay and major dev team shift happened back in May/June...
The original TLOU MP was damn good and I'm sad there's still nothing like it out there!
It's only a matter of time until they shut down the PS4 servers.
If only Naughty Dog focused on an upscaled version of the original rather than going full games as service, we wouldn't be here 😭
Welp, at the very least I'm sure this means Thr Last of Us Part 3 is back on the table, Aron! 🤭
If only Naughty Dog focused on an upscaled version of the original rather than going full games as service, we wouldn't be here 😭
I remember seeing it reported that it was Sony specifically who were pushing for ND to make Factions a live service game to the point that they brought in Bungie to advise them on how to increase player retention and engagement.
You monster!
The original TLOU MP was damn good and I'm sad there's still nothing like it out there!
It's only a matter of time until th… moreey shut down the PS4 servers.
If only Naughty Dog focused on an upscaled version of the original rather than going full games as service, we wouldn't be here 😭
Welp, at the very least I'm sure this means Thr Last of Us Part 3 is back on the table, Aron! 🤭
And then we found out how much trouble Bungie is in financially. So I guess all they've accomplished so far under the ownership of Sony is killing Factions part II.
If only Naughty Dog focused on an upscaled version of the original rather than going full games as service, we wouldn't be here 😭
I … moreremember seeing it reported that it was Sony specifically who were pushing for ND to make Factions a live service game to the point that they brought in Bungie to advise them on how to increase player retention and engagement.
Did you actually expect Factions 2 to see the light of day? I'm not even upset that it was cancelled. It's the fact that Naughty Dog keeps making decisions that lead their fans to disappointment. What have they done in this generation so far? Milking TLOU which is a very safe route.
The only way for them to win me back is a brand new story-driven Survival Horror game. But the chances are extemely low.
You monster!
The original TLOU MP was damn good and I'm sad there's still nothing like it out there!
It's only a matter of time until th… moreey shut down the PS4 servers.
If only Naughty Dog focused on an upscaled version of the original rather than going full games as service, we wouldn't be here 😭
Welp, at the very least I'm sure this means Thr Last of Us Part 3 is back on the table, Aron! 🤭
I’m stoked it’s available on PC but sadly don’t have the means to pay such a hefty price for it at the moment.
It’s the long waiting game for me unfortunately perhaps once it drops to sub $10 range I might pick it up again for nostalgia sake. Game is definitely worthy of the full price tag imo
Oh yeah, a couple weeks ago TLOU Part 1 remake was on sale, and thanks to some funding from my sister hyped to get into it after the show, I… more paid just over 40$ for it, decent price IMO since I know I'll be playing it 100% again.
Haven't had time to get into it with her until very recently now, but getting the Remake for her to use instead of using the original version was actually a really, really good decision on Accessibility alone.
She’s still a novice at third-person shooter games right? And after a stressful run through the prologue, the first infected encounter and a few human encounters, while she was stressed and confused about the controls (and how stealth-survival games like this work) I managed to convince her to turn on accessibility options.
And boy oh boy I forgot how crazy detailed Naughty Dog’s list is.
We’ve turned on lock-on aim, Listen mode ping system, awareness indicators, auto pick-up items and increased the … [view original content]
Last night was the non-televised Emmy Technical Awards
This gives awards to editing, set design, opening credits, etc.
For some reason, the Guest Star category is also in this event, since it's smaller than a Supporting Role credit.
And... Nick Offerman won Best Guest Actor for The Last of Us, and Storm Reid won Best Guest Actress for TLOU too!
The Last of Us has a lot of buzz this awards season, only rivaled by Succession. Interested to see how this'll play out since it won those already (and plenty other tech awards too!)
Tonight is the Golden Globes...
Edit 1: Pedro Pascal didn't win, but Kieran Culkin did and said "I've dreamed of this for so long, suck it Pedro 😏" lmao oki
A couple big castings for season 2 of the HBO series!
Kaitlyn Dever has been cast as Abby! May God have mercy on her soul. She was one of the popular fancasts for Ellie when the series was announced so it's kinda funny to see her being cast as her villain instead.
While Young Mazino has been cast as Jesse.
Hot damn, he looks almost exactly like Jesse it's uncanny. Heard he was great in Beef, which was his acting debut.
So, this whole time there HAS been a documentary on The Last of Us 2 that's been filmed.
And I don't know why it took this long, but they'll be releasing it soon (and you'll also be able to access it through the game via an update later on)
So, uh, I've finally started playing TLOU Part 1 remake, and while the game is definitely a shot-for-shot, mechanic-for-mechanic rebuild of the original game that people keep mentioning about it (for better or worse) there... seems to be at least some tiny bit of addition to the game?
First of all, I know they didn't record anything new, but I guess they revived some cut/missing line from Ellie here!
I've never heard this "They still have their faces" line! It was always [Kill Runners in Building] -> [Tess says "They must've just turned"]
Some scenes near the start transition in and out of in-game cutscenes by following the camera through with Joel, instead of a cut to a different angle (dropping into the shipping area for one thing) and some gameplay-to-cutscene transitions (that used to be pre-rendered scenes) no longer have the black cutaway to separate them.
This can either be good or bad, IMO.
The "can't deny that view" scene ends at sunset with the Capitol building off in the distance, with the gang climbing down a ladder -- then it cuts to later on with the building just a few blocks away, the gang had just climbed down another ladder and it's midday. --But in the remake, there's no cut to black, so the transition between the two scenes back-to-back feels jarring and chronologically dissonant.
The animations, for better or worse, have also been changed to match Part 2's detail. Joel feels way more weighty and sluggish. Vaulting feels like it takes just a liiitle bit more time than usual, as he doesn't quite "snap into" a vault like the original game. It feels off, though that's because I've played the original version for years on end.
In terms of net "Improvements" I've found that the lighting and environment is a lot better and makes certain locations way better to navigate.
The Capitol building was notorious for me, for having some pitch-black rooms off to the side for some reason, making enemies who patrol within it virtually impossible to spot before they run into you. But in the remake, they've improved lighting coming in from outside the room, making things visible and clearer to see.
They've also "improved" the Clickers so that they match their behaviour from Part 2.
They honestly feel way more terrifying and deadly than they have before.
Believe it or not, their AI was essentially "broken" this whole time in the original game. It was claimed that they were blind and could "see like bats" with echolocation, but that latter part was false. The only way you could get spotted by them was making heavy noise or getting too close to them.
In Part 2, they refined them so they actually used echolocation, and "clicked" in certain directions to let you know where they're looking, and could even spot you even if you're standing still in front of them.
And this is also now how they work in the Part 1 Remake. The subway section where you face a gauntlet felt wayy worse than usual because of this.
Okay! So, if your region's timezone is now on January 19th, you should be able to get your PS4-To-5 Upgrade now!
I got mine for 15 bucks CAD and that's pretty sweet. Can't wait to see how that Roguelike mode is tomorrow. Cool that you can decide to download the Story or No Return first! (I chose No Return and it has to download about half the game before you can play. Total is around 76GB btw...)
Also, apparently the game is in some weird "limbo" mode regarding when it comes out (IDK what specific time, but the store page still lists the game as a pre-order.
And funny enough, even though you weren't supposed to be able to "pre-order" an upgrade, because I'm quick in this weird limbo period, I got my upgrade for cheap and got the pre-order bonus! (It's just the same as the PS4 version's, but at least I'll have the option to enable it on both versions now!
Lol, haven't played No Return, but there's a lot of good apparently. And a little bit of weird according to eager fans already.
Abby sometimes gets called "Anna" by WLF enemies in encounters.
(Huh?? Is this some accidental old Part 2 content used instead of the release one? Or accidental Part 3 use?)
Also, apparently Joel and Tommy use all of Abby/Ellie's animations (not sure which) which makes them look weird.
Strange how they didn't use animations from Part 1.
Also, apparently Joel and Tommy use all of Abby/Ellie's animations (not sure which) which makes them look weird. Strange how they didn't use animations from Part 1.
If this isn't lazy and uncreative, then I dunno what it is. They don't even have their own costumes. I don't accept any excuses for this.
Lol, haven't played No Return, but there's a lot of good apparently. And a little bit of weird according to eager fans already.
Abby some… moretimes gets called "Anna" by WLF enemies in encounters.
(Huh?? Is this some accidental old Part 2 content used instead of the release one? Or accidental Part 3 use?)
Also, apparently Joel and Tommy use all of Abby/Ellie's animations (not sure which) which makes them look weird.
Strange how they didn't use animations from Part 1.
I tried out a bit of TLOU2 No Return this morning!
It's probably gonna be pretty great and addictive.
Challenges to complete to unlock more characters and modes, randomized encounters you wouldn't see in the main game...
It's also quite tough (probably because I tried it on Hard because I like the lethality of it -- but I guess that's only when I have checkpoints to fall back on lol) 😅
Played 3 runs of it. The first two, I died on the first encounter. The third one, I finished 2 encounters, but died on the third.
Mostly I only got Seraphite ones lol, and man they are stealthy! Some just find their way behind me, its spooky!
I've probably gotta get a better hang of this mode on Normal mode at most for now. Because death comes swift and then it's over. Plus it's been a long while since I've played any of the Part 2 encounters so the maps are still confusing for now lol
I've played some more TLOU2 No Return and I think I've got enough to make some decent first impressions and critiques.
It's a solid mode that should offer tons of replayability and challenge, giving you new combat scenarios with a roll of the dice whenever you want it, compared to the main game's decently sized but limited/unchanging combat encounters.
The mode can be quite tough if you don't play it safe or start to lose your cool.
However, encounters are very quick (I'd say 5-10 mins at most for each, especially the un-timed Assault Modes) Plus, there's only 6 levels to get through before you're done.
You're also graded after each one based on how well you killed, avoided damage, did side-tasks etc. Good for high-score chasing.
Each character so far feels different than others and have notable strengths if you want to specify your playstyle into one thing.
Plus, the game has a good Shop system where you can buy other crafting recipes or weapons that are usually starter-ones for other characters.
The Dead Drop system is good for finding supplies in a match and sacrificing a few crafted items so you can get a recipe or a lucrative gun for free if you survive.
Gambits are just little one-time challenge tasks per encounter to make you experiment a bit, but can help in giving you a small edge in Coins or Ammo if you need it.
Ellie is a good all-rounder.
Abby is great at close-combat melee focused builds.
Dina can get flush with crafting recipes and resources.
Jesse is great at building up Coins to use in the trading post.
Lev is great for stealth-runs, where possible.
Now, with Tommy, I've only played one unsuccessful run with him, but like Joel, he also has the inability to dodge for some reason.
And I think that could be a major problem most times. The game is built around the dodge combat system, with the enemy being able to get first-punch-priority even if you try to get in a good swing.
There's 4 mode types and you have to play up to 7 runs to be able to unlock all of them (the latter 2 unlock at 5 and 7 runs)
Assault - Hunted - Holdout - Capture
Assault is a wave-based mode, you have to kill waves of enemies while picking up materials and sneaking around.
This mode can unfortunately be cheesed by letting the final enemy of the wave live while you run around the map collecting as many materials as you can.
Hunted is time-based where you have to survive a set time while enemies keep pouring into the map (I think the limit varies)
If you can survive long enough, you win.
The strategy is basically to hide or run away as much as possible, but can be quite tough and nail-biting when faced with Infected faction because they'll almost always spawn in alerted and trying to follow the rest of the group.
Holdout is Infected-exclusive where you have to kill a set amount (I think 20 in total?) enemies while you have an Ally partner who has a health-bar that needs to be kept alive too.
It's okay. But can get pretty chaotic when you're faced with 4 of them boxing you in causing you to die by your own bomb oops.
Capture is where an enemy group is placed around a safe and you have a limited time to get to the safe and open it. It is VERY useful to get extra parts, skill supplements, or coins to use back at base. If you don't unlock the safe in time, it becomes Assault where you just have to kill all the enemies instead.
Oh yes and there's a Daily Run mode where you're locked to one character, everyone has the same branching mode paths, and you have to finish a whole run and get the highest score possible. Everyone is separated by difficulty chosen I think.
You can quit between encounters and can come back to finish the rest before the 24-hours are up, but I didn't get to verify that lol. (The reset time is 7pm ET. I started a DR, played through a few, quit out at 7pm exactly, and was confused why the Run suddenly got wiped and changed. Lol.)
Overall I think it's a good mode that could also use some improvement.
Cut out the weapon upgrade animations in this mode only. It was a cool detail to see in the linear main game, but in this mode it feels like it's wasting my time locking me into those animations every time (Crossbow animation have mercy)
Characters either use Ellie or Abby's combat animations I think. Even Tommy and Joel (he should really use his Part 1 animation set, I really thought that's why he was included here)
This can look a little weird with some people, as Abby's "jog" animation with a pistol can look silly on someone else's body, and I think facial expressions are affected too.
Jesse uses Abby's animations and looks constipated while sprinting here.
Strange lack of Owen given how prominent of a character he was in Abby's story. At least maybe he should be implemented as a alt skin for Mel? He'd work well as a good healing-type.
A successful run (on Normal) can feel a little too short. 6 levels of a few minutes each, just 30 minutes overall I'd say, and that's it.
You get very few resources overall and (despite being allowed to use your entire arsenal by the final level) you can be left feeling pretty limited in the ability/gun/stockpile front by the Boss level.
I think having a mode that doubles the length of a normal run would feel great.
Some maps from the main story seem to be missing for whatever reason. I haven't encountered all from the trailers yet, but I've heard that:
Abby's boat-crossing section isn't there.
An enclosed version of the Tilted-Buildings section could be great.
The opening storefront-street from the Santa Barbara section isn't there too.
Overall, TLDR etc. I think No Return breathes so much life into the game's combat system and at least for now is very fun -- even if some of the challenges are a little too easy to complete (unlocking more level mods just needs you to complete other levels with mods on them. Very simple, just playing the game haha.)
Abby crawling under the fence, Jeffrey Wright as Isaac, Catherine O'Hara playing a new character -- therapist at Jackson maybe? Joel's new lover cut plotline?
Mmmm it all looks to be good!
I remember a theory early on that she's playing the leader of the Seraphites. So it could be clever editing to make it look like some sort of therapy session with Joel, but she's actually talking to like Yara or Lev. I honestly don't see Joel being able to spill his deepest darkest secrets to anyone that's not his brother.
I wonder if they're gonna pull the Joel trigger super early, like the first episode, or they'll maybe push it a little later to episode 2 or 3.
Also I wonder what's going on with that shot of Ellie screaming on a gurney/bed.
20-second teaser released for HBO The Last of Us Season 2.
RRRRRAAAHHHHHH GRRRRRR YEAHHHH They're freaking cooking with this one!!
https://youtube.com/shorts/rti6rR7EeMU?si=izjUYqw5zuJ5IjAx
(Spoiler)
It looks absolutely incredible! Very much looking forward to this!
There goes that theory of the therapist secretly being another character lol.
The actor they got to play Jesse looks pretty damn spot on.
Kaitlyn Dever looks great as Abby as well!
Looks like they really cranked up the infected count. This trailer might have already featured more infected than the entirety of season 1 lol.
YEAH BABY. Looks incredible, looks like they've brought the intensity the second game brings.
I'm also very interested in how/whether they're gonna mess around with how they tell the story with this season. Since we're basically only getting half of it until they film Season 3, and this is Television, so we aren't restricted to one POV as a playable character, there's a lot they could do with the structure. (Also with a big star like Pedro Pascal... do they wanna keep him around across the whole season?)
From what we see in the trailer, we've got a shot of Joel on the porch with Ellie approaching -- that looks a lot like the final scene in the game -- and the big reveal of what went down with their relationship just before the game started. So that's potentially good and interesting news.
Also Abby crying over a grave, so... yeah, interesting...
Catherine O Hara is a therapist, and I guess will be the one to have the heart-to-heart "truth" scene with Joel instead of Joel+Tommy at the start of the game. And... perhaps she might also play a larger role? I feel like there's room for her to become Joel's love interest from a short plotline that was cut from the game.
But, Craig Mazin seems very adamant to stick to what the game's themes and main writing choices are, so we'll see...
What a teaser that was! It revealed much more then I was expecting. Looks like the actress who played Ellie will be back? Glad Joel is still a part of season 2 as well. I season 1 over two days and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Peak fiction makes its return in just a month ( '0' )/
Looks great! There's a few very familiar moments in the trailer and some very interesting additions. Very much looking forward to it!
Tommy and Maria have a son now! Completely forgot that she was pregnant in the first season. That's gonna make Tommy leaving them to go after Abby hit harder, especially towards the end of the story.
Looks like spores are making an appearance in the series, which probably means we're getting the mask scene from the game. I wonder why they're introducing them now, after replacing them with the veins from the first season.
Episode 1 of season 2 is finally out and it's a strong, but admittedly a little slow start to the season. It's very much setting up the events of the following season while re-introducing Joel and Ellie, and the new cast of characters. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey continue to be wonderful, and I've got to give praise to Isabela Marcela as Dina and Catherine O'Hara as Gail, an original character for the series.
There are some new additions and changes from the game. Ellie is less dour and more playful, the same goes for Dina who in this actually has an established rapport with Joel. Jackson is more expanded upon as a town, we get to see more of the inner workings of their local government and how things run. More time has also passed in this than the original game. There's some other stuff as well, but they border on spoiler territory.
Overall very happy with what I'm seeing so far. Looking forward to seeing it all unfold in the coming weeks!
Spoilery Notes
Cool to see that they actually filmed a little extra to continue off from the last season.
Interesting that they establish Abby's goal within the first few minutes. I thought they'd want to keep it a surprise like in the game.
That stalker scene was great! Really creeper and the little fungus 'hairs' coming out of Ellie's new bite were really gross.
The party was pretty much an exact recreation which is cool to see. Joel pushes Seth way harder here than in the game though lol.
Seeing Ellie walk past Joel instead of talking to him was heartbreaking, though I'm assuming that at the end of the next season we'll see Ellie walking back to him to have their reconciliation.
I was wondering if the pipe from earlier on in the episode would have the veins and lo and behold. Looks like this'll be how Jackson goes under siege from the trailers
Comments
As someone who suffered from verbal abuse, I hope she recovers and gets rid of that fucker.
Pretty cool, the script for Long Long Time has been released online to view and download for free!
It might not be at SGF
Guys, no need to worry. TLOU Factions has just become friends with Metroid Prime 4. Both have a lot of things in common and they are having a healthy chemistry. Why you gotta ruin their relationship like this?
The original The Last of Us turned 10 yesterday!
Oh yeah, a couple weeks ago TLOU Part 1 remake was on sale, and thanks to some funding from my sister hyped to get into it after the show, I paid just over 40$ for it, decent price IMO since I know I'll be playing it 100% again.
Haven't had time to get into it with her until very recently now, but getting the Remake for her to use instead of using the original version was actually a really, really good decision on Accessibility alone.
She’s still a novice at third-person shooter games right? And after a stressful run through the prologue, the first infected encounter and a few human encounters, while she was stressed and confused about the controls (and how stealth-survival games like this work) I managed to convince her to turn on accessibility options.
And boy oh boy I forgot how crazy detailed Naughty Dog’s list is.
We’ve turned on lock-on aim, Listen mode ping system, awareness indicators, auto pick-up items and increased the HUD size (it really is pretty small by default)
We’ve also lowered some aspects of the difficulty (thank goodness for custom options) so that should make her live longer, enemies more fragile, and less lethal.
It's only been turned on for the first tiny combat encounters in the Wharf, so I won’t know how/if this will help her that much until we get further in, but I’m confident.
She kept getting very worried about enemy movement, but forgetting to use listen mode, and the dichotomy between stealth/spotting/spotted she didn’t totally understand. Also missing dropped items and other things in the level (the remake has less of a “exaggerated realism” style than the original, I think items are smaller and ‘flash’ less than usual.)
We seemingly have confirmation of a Last of Us Part 2 Remaster native to the PS5...
Gustavo Santaolalla had a spanish interview recently, where he seemingly confirmed there's a new version on the way, that has an interactive Gustavo NPC, you can request songs he can play!
The Last of Us Part 2 Remaster Seemingly Leaked by Composer
Introducing the Universal Studios Orlando parks, The Last of Us haunted house!
Yes, that's right, this is the one you've all been waiting for!
Remember the super popular HBO show from this year? Well, this actually isn't based on that, it's based on the game only. No HBO branding here.
At least it has actors portraying the characters!
No, wait, they're lipsyncing to pre-recorded dialogue. Surprisingly though they got recordings of Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson!
This feels like a really weird Frankenstin-ing of a popular, viral IP.
So The Last of Us Day (Outbreak Day) came and went just a few days ago, with little fanfare as predicted.
No reveals or any updates about current naughty dog projects -- I never expected that, since they're all essentially "not revealed" with any official title or promotion. If anything were to be revealed (Factions 2 UGH) it'll be at the TGA's.
They released a VOD of Troy Baker performing various Last of Us related songs, which is actually the coolest thing about the Day's events. This was performed last year for some group of fans, idk where I never got invited smh, but neat! (Skip to 5:50)
There was also Photo Mode competitions, as usual. Wallpapers to download, as usual. Cosplay Guides, as usual. Merch to sell, as usual. And a collab with Pearl Jam! And it's the most hilariously lame collab I've ever seen!
Introducing the Outbreak Day 10th anniversary t-shirt with Pearl Jam!
BOTTOM TEXT
I saw some other merch they revealed but this takes the cake, pretty low effort. The font doesn't even look right. Troy's live performance was good though.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered comes to PS5 in January next year!
It also comes with lots of new content!
Also want to preface: there IS an upgrade path for people who own Part 2 on PS4! 10$ USD BABYYYY!
https://blog.playstation.com/2023/11/17/the-last-of-us-part-ii-remastered-coming-to-ps5-on-january-19-2024
There's a roguelike mode with all the juicy combat from the game! Challenge yourself in various combat arenas, some new like Jackson, and see how far you can survive!
The mode includes a host of playable characters to choose from – some playable for the first time in The Last of Us franchise (which you may have spotted in our trailer) – who each come with their own traits to suit different playstyles. Players will chart their own course on each run, choosing between various stealth and combat encounters that will pit you against a range of enemies, with unique twists that can add new, unexpected factors to any given encounter.
There's 3 bonus levels called Lost Levels that offer you a chance to play some unfinished content cut from the main game's runtime, with embedded developer commentary to give you context on their original intention of each level.
There's a new Director's Commentary mode for all the cutscenes in the main story from Neil Druckmann, Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey.
Some Accessibility options have been added from Part 1, like Audio Descriptions for cutscenes and Speech to Vibrations for the controller.
There are a few additions like Character and Weapon Skins for Ellie and Abby to choose from. Plus some Photo Mode additions like Dynamic Lighting and Gaze Direction.
It will fun at a native 4K 30fps in Fidelity and upscaled to 4K in 60fps Performance Mode.
Better Load times and full Dualsense features as expected!
Lmao Ellie with the astronaut outfit and Abby looking like Furiosa
Finally we can be goofy in Part II in the face of unrelenting despair.
I'm so hyped for this considering the surprisingly cheap upgrade path. That's some good additions! Way more mechanically than what Part 1 had in store, IMO.
A little preview of the No Return Mode -- this looks like a very fun time-sink!
Pick your character -- between Ellie, Dina, Jesse, Tommy, Joel, Abby, Lev, Yara, Mel, or Manny. Each with different traits, available skills/bonuses and starting loadouts.
Randomized challenges with each run with different objectives. Kill X number of enemies, survive for Y time or a number of waves, find and open Z safes. There are also modifiers that can activate like raining molotovs in one shot, or possibly a level with a weird colour-shifting filter on, or even it seems invisible enemies seen here. Where's the enemy?? Check the bottom right, seems to be some modifier to the level.
Some of these alt skins look weird but great! Ellie in a spacesuit, or some futuristic jumpsuit|? Abby looking like she's coming from Mad Max. Wild!
Hopefully there's a little more variety in the "Final Fight" than Rat King in Hospital Basement every time. That might get old -- however, Roguelikes pride themselves on replaying stuff, so it might be good.
The mini-boss Stalker that comes off of the Rat King was seen in the Theater at one point, so that could be in different environments at least!
Naughty Dog: The Last of Us Online (Factions 2) has stopped development.
https://www.naughtydog.com/blog/an_update_on_the_last_of_us_online
IT'S OVER. FUCK...
I guess the writing was on the wall for a while, but it's so strange how it took them THIS LONG to put it to bed. The big delay and major dev team shift happened back in May/June...
...
You monster!
The original TLOU MP was damn good and I'm sad there's still nothing like it out there!
It's only a matter of time until they shut down the PS4 servers.
If only Naughty Dog focused on an upscaled version of the original rather than going full games as service, we wouldn't be here 😭
Welp, at the very least I'm sure this means Thr Last of Us Part 3 is back on the table, Aron! 🤭
I remember seeing it reported that it was Sony specifically who were pushing for ND to make Factions a live service game to the point that they brought in Bungie to advise them on how to increase player retention and engagement.
And then we found out how much trouble Bungie is in financially. So I guess all they've accomplished so far under the ownership of Sony is killing Factions part II.
For real though
Did you actually expect Factions 2 to see the light of day? I'm not even upset that it was cancelled. It's the fact that Naughty Dog keeps making decisions that lead their fans to disappointment. What have they done in this generation so far? Milking TLOU which is a very safe route.
The only way for them to win me back is a brand new story-driven Survival Horror game. But the chances are extemely low.
I’m stoked it’s available on PC but sadly don’t have the means to pay such a hefty price for it at the moment.
It’s the long waiting game for me unfortunately perhaps once it drops to sub $10 range I might pick it up again for nostalgia sake. Game is definitely worthy of the full price tag imo
Last night was the non-televised Emmy Technical Awards
This gives awards to editing, set design, opening credits, etc.
For some reason, the Guest Star category is also in this event, since it's smaller than a Supporting Role credit.
And... Nick Offerman won Best Guest Actor for The Last of Us, and Storm Reid won Best Guest Actress for TLOU too!
The Last of Us has a lot of buzz this awards season, only rivaled by Succession. Interested to see how this'll play out since it won those already (and plenty other tech awards too!)
Tonight is the Golden Globes...
Edit 1: Pedro Pascal didn't win, but Kieran Culkin did and said "I've dreamed of this for so long, suck it Pedro 😏" lmao oki
In honor of the upcoming Remaster, Naughty Dog has dropped a few more recreated memes.
We finally have Pedro Pascal Crazy Laugh meme
And Barbie Singing meme
A couple big castings for season 2 of the HBO series!
Kaitlyn Dever has been cast as Abby! May God have mercy on her soul. She was one of the popular fancasts for Ellie when the series was announced so it's kinda funny to see her being cast as her villain instead.
While Young Mazino has been cast as Jesse.
Hot damn, he looks almost exactly like Jesse it's uncanny. Heard he was great in Beef, which was his acting debut.
So, this whole time there HAS been a documentary on The Last of Us 2 that's been filmed.
And I don't know why it took this long, but they'll be releasing it soon (and you'll also be able to access it through the game via an update later on)
So, uh, I've finally started playing TLOU Part 1 remake, and while the game is definitely a shot-for-shot, mechanic-for-mechanic rebuild of the original game that people keep mentioning about it (for better or worse) there... seems to be at least some tiny bit of addition to the game?
First of all, I know they didn't record anything new, but I guess they revived some cut/missing line from Ellie here!
I've never heard this "They still have their faces" line! It was always [Kill Runners in Building] -> [Tess says "They must've just turned"]
Some scenes near the start transition in and out of in-game cutscenes by following the camera through with Joel, instead of a cut to a different angle (dropping into the shipping area for one thing) and some gameplay-to-cutscene transitions (that used to be pre-rendered scenes) no longer have the black cutaway to separate them.
This can either be good or bad, IMO.
The "can't deny that view" scene ends at sunset with the Capitol building off in the distance, with the gang climbing down a ladder -- then it cuts to later on with the building just a few blocks away, the gang had just climbed down another ladder and it's midday. --But in the remake, there's no cut to black, so the transition between the two scenes back-to-back feels jarring and chronologically dissonant.
The animations, for better or worse, have also been changed to match Part 2's detail. Joel feels way more weighty and sluggish. Vaulting feels like it takes just a liiitle bit more time than usual, as he doesn't quite "snap into" a vault like the original game. It feels off, though that's because I've played the original version for years on end.
In terms of net "Improvements" I've found that the lighting and environment is a lot better and makes certain locations way better to navigate.
The Capitol building was notorious for me, for having some pitch-black rooms off to the side for some reason, making enemies who patrol within it virtually impossible to spot before they run into you. But in the remake, they've improved lighting coming in from outside the room, making things visible and clearer to see.
They've also "improved" the Clickers so that they match their behaviour from Part 2.
They honestly feel way more terrifying and deadly than they have before.
Believe it or not, their AI was essentially "broken" this whole time in the original game. It was claimed that they were blind and could "see like bats" with echolocation, but that latter part was false. The only way you could get spotted by them was making heavy noise or getting too close to them.
In Part 2, they refined them so they actually used echolocation, and "clicked" in certain directions to let you know where they're looking, and could even spot you even if you're standing still in front of them.
And this is also now how they work in the Part 1 Remake. The subway section where you face a gauntlet felt wayy worse than usual because of this.
Okay! So, if your region's timezone is now on January 19th, you should be able to get your PS4-To-5 Upgrade now!
I got mine for 15 bucks CAD and that's pretty sweet. Can't wait to see how that Roguelike mode is tomorrow. Cool that you can decide to download the Story or No Return first! (I chose No Return and it has to download about half the game before you can play. Total is around 76GB btw...)
Also, apparently the game is in some weird "limbo" mode regarding when it comes out (IDK what specific time, but the store page still lists the game as a pre-order.
And funny enough, even though you weren't supposed to be able to "pre-order" an upgrade, because I'm quick in this weird limbo period, I got my upgrade for cheap and got the pre-order bonus! (It's just the same as the PS4 version's, but at least I'll have the option to enable it on both versions now!
Lol, haven't played No Return, but there's a lot of good apparently. And a little bit of weird according to eager fans already.
Abby sometimes gets called "Anna" by WLF enemies in encounters.
(Huh?? Is this some accidental old Part 2 content used instead of the release one? Or accidental Part 3 use?)
Also, apparently Joel and Tommy use all of Abby/Ellie's animations (not sure which) which makes them look weird.
Strange how they didn't use animations from Part 1.
If this isn't lazy and uncreative, then I dunno what it is. They don't even have their own costumes. I don't accept any excuses for this.
I tried out a bit of TLOU2 No Return this morning!
It's probably gonna be pretty great and addictive.
Challenges to complete to unlock more characters and modes, randomized encounters you wouldn't see in the main game...
It's also quite tough (probably because I tried it on Hard because I like the lethality of it -- but I guess that's only when I have checkpoints to fall back on lol) 😅
Played 3 runs of it. The first two, I died on the first encounter. The third one, I finished 2 encounters, but died on the third.
Mostly I only got Seraphite ones lol, and man they are stealthy! Some just find their way behind me, its spooky!
I've probably gotta get a better hang of this mode on Normal mode at most for now. Because death comes swift and then it's over. Plus it's been a long while since I've played any of the Part 2 encounters so the maps are still confusing for now lol
I've played some more TLOU2 No Return and I think I've got enough to make some decent first impressions and critiques.
It's a solid mode that should offer tons of replayability and challenge, giving you new combat scenarios with a roll of the dice whenever you want it, compared to the main game's decently sized but limited/unchanging combat encounters.
The mode can be quite tough if you don't play it safe or start to lose your cool.
However, encounters are very quick (I'd say 5-10 mins at most for each, especially the un-timed Assault Modes) Plus, there's only 6 levels to get through before you're done.
You're also graded after each one based on how well you killed, avoided damage, did side-tasks etc. Good for high-score chasing.
Each character so far feels different than others and have notable strengths if you want to specify your playstyle into one thing.
Plus, the game has a good Shop system where you can buy other crafting recipes or weapons that are usually starter-ones for other characters.
The Dead Drop system is good for finding supplies in a match and sacrificing a few crafted items so you can get a recipe or a lucrative gun for free if you survive.
Gambits are just little one-time challenge tasks per encounter to make you experiment a bit, but can help in giving you a small edge in Coins or Ammo if you need it.
Ellie is a good all-rounder.
Abby is great at close-combat melee focused builds.
Dina can get flush with crafting recipes and resources.
Jesse is great at building up Coins to use in the trading post.
Lev is great for stealth-runs, where possible.
Now, with Tommy, I've only played one unsuccessful run with him, but like Joel, he also has the inability to dodge for some reason.
And I think that could be a major problem most times. The game is built around the dodge combat system, with the enemy being able to get first-punch-priority even if you try to get in a good swing.
There's 4 mode types and you have to play up to 7 runs to be able to unlock all of them (the latter 2 unlock at 5 and 7 runs)
Assault - Hunted - Holdout - Capture
Assault is a wave-based mode, you have to kill waves of enemies while picking up materials and sneaking around.
This mode can unfortunately be cheesed by letting the final enemy of the wave live while you run around the map collecting as many materials as you can.
Hunted is time-based where you have to survive a set time while enemies keep pouring into the map (I think the limit varies)
If you can survive long enough, you win.
The strategy is basically to hide or run away as much as possible, but can be quite tough and nail-biting when faced with Infected faction because they'll almost always spawn in alerted and trying to follow the rest of the group.
Holdout is Infected-exclusive where you have to kill a set amount (I think 20 in total?) enemies while you have an Ally partner who has a health-bar that needs to be kept alive too.
It's okay. But can get pretty chaotic when you're faced with 4 of them boxing you in causing you to die by your own bomb oops.
Capture is where an enemy group is placed around a safe and you have a limited time to get to the safe and open it. It is VERY useful to get extra parts, skill supplements, or coins to use back at base. If you don't unlock the safe in time, it becomes Assault where you just have to kill all the enemies instead.
Oh yes and there's a Daily Run mode where you're locked to one character, everyone has the same branching mode paths, and you have to finish a whole run and get the highest score possible. Everyone is separated by difficulty chosen I think.
You can quit between encounters and can come back to finish the rest before the 24-hours are up, but I didn't get to verify that lol. (The reset time is 7pm ET. I started a DR, played through a few, quit out at 7pm exactly, and was confused why the Run suddenly got wiped and changed. Lol.)
Overall I think it's a good mode that could also use some improvement.
Cut out the weapon upgrade animations in this mode only. It was a cool detail to see in the linear main game, but in this mode it feels like it's wasting my time locking me into those animations every time (Crossbow animation have mercy)
Characters either use Ellie or Abby's combat animations I think. Even Tommy and Joel (he should really use his Part 1 animation set, I really thought that's why he was included here)
This can look a little weird with some people, as Abby's "jog" animation with a pistol can look silly on someone else's body, and I think facial expressions are affected too.
Jesse uses Abby's animations and looks constipated while sprinting here.
Strange lack of Owen given how prominent of a character he was in Abby's story. At least maybe he should be implemented as a alt skin for Mel? He'd work well as a good healing-type.
A successful run (on Normal) can feel a little too short. 6 levels of a few minutes each, just 30 minutes overall I'd say, and that's it.
You get very few resources overall and (despite being allowed to use your entire arsenal by the final level) you can be left feeling pretty limited in the ability/gun/stockpile front by the Boss level.
I think having a mode that doubles the length of a normal run would feel great.
Some maps from the main story seem to be missing for whatever reason. I haven't encountered all from the trailers yet, but I've heard that:
Abby's boat-crossing section isn't there.
An enclosed version of the Tilted-Buildings section could be great.
The opening storefront-street from the Santa Barbara section isn't there too.
Overall, TLDR etc. I think No Return breathes so much life into the game's combat system and at least for now is very fun -- even if some of the challenges are a little too easy to complete (unlocking more level mods just needs you to complete other levels with mods on them. Very simple, just playing the game haha.)
The Making of TLOU Part 2 documentary is out now! See it on youtube or in the PS5 game's menu.
It's 2 hours long.
20-second teaser released for HBO The Last of Us Season 2.
RRRRRAAAHHHHHH GRRRRRR YEAHHHH They're freaking cooking with this one!!
https://youtube.com/shorts/rti6rR7EeMU?si=izjUYqw5zuJ5IjAx
Abby crawling under the fence, Jeffrey Wright as Isaac, Catherine O'Hara playing a new character -- therapist at Jackson maybe? Joel's new lover cut plotline?
Mmmm it all looks to be good!
👀
I remember a theory early on that she's playing the leader of the Seraphites. So it could be clever editing to make it look like some sort of therapy session with Joel, but she's actually talking to like Yara or Lev. I honestly don't see Joel being able to spill his deepest darkest secrets to anyone that's not his brother.
I wonder if they're gonna pull the Joel trigger super early, like the first episode, or they'll maybe push it a little later to episode 2 or 3.
Also I wonder what's going on with that shot of Ellie screaming on a gurney/bed.
A teaser trailer for season 2 is finally out!
It looks absolutely incredible! Very much looking forward to this!
There goes that theory of the therapist secretly being another character lol.
The actor they got to play Jesse looks pretty damn spot on.
Kaitlyn Dever looks great as Abby as well!
Looks like they really cranked up the infected count. This trailer might have already featured more infected than the entirety of season 1 lol.
YEAH BABY. Looks incredible, looks like they've brought the intensity the second game brings.
I'm also very interested in how/whether they're gonna mess around with how they tell the story with this season. Since we're basically only getting half of it until they film Season 3, and this is Television, so we aren't restricted to one POV as a playable character, there's a lot they could do with the structure. (Also with a big star like Pedro Pascal... do they wanna keep him around across the whole season?)
From what we see in the trailer, we've got a shot of Joel on the porch with Ellie approaching -- that looks a lot like the final scene in the game -- and the big reveal of what went down with their relationship just before the game started. So that's potentially good and interesting news.
Also Abby crying over a grave, so... yeah, interesting...
Catherine O Hara is a therapist, and I guess will be the one to have the heart-to-heart "truth" scene with Joel instead of Joel+Tommy at the start of the game. And... perhaps she might also play a larger role? I feel like there's room for her to become Joel's love interest from a short plotline that was cut from the game.
But, Craig Mazin seems very adamant to stick to what the game's themes and main writing choices are, so we'll see...
What a teaser that was! It revealed much more then I was expecting. Looks like the actress who played Ellie will be back? Glad Joel is still a part of season 2 as well. I season 1 over two days and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Peak fiction makes its return in just a month ( '0' )/
Looks great! There's a few very familiar moments in the trailer and some very interesting additions. Very much looking forward to it!
Episode 1 of season 2 is finally out and it's a strong, but admittedly a little slow start to the season. It's very much setting up the events of the following season while re-introducing Joel and Ellie, and the new cast of characters. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey continue to be wonderful, and I've got to give praise to Isabela Marcela as Dina and Catherine O'Hara as Gail, an original character for the series.
There are some new additions and changes from the game. Ellie is less dour and more playful, the same goes for Dina who in this actually has an established rapport with Joel. Jackson is more expanded upon as a town, we get to see more of the inner workings of their local government and how things run. More time has also passed in this than the original game. There's some other stuff as well, but they border on spoiler territory.
Overall very happy with what I'm seeing so far. Looking forward to seeing it all unfold in the coming weeks!
Spoilery Notes
Cool to see that they actually filmed a little extra to continue off from the last season.
Interesting that they establish Abby's goal within the first few minutes. I thought they'd want to keep it a surprise like in the game.
That stalker scene was great! Really creeper and the little fungus 'hairs' coming out of Ellie's new bite were really gross.
The party was pretty much an exact recreation which is cool to see. Joel pushes Seth way harder here than in the game though lol.
Seeing Ellie walk past Joel instead of talking to him was heartbreaking, though I'm assuming that at the end of the next season we'll see Ellie walking back to him to have their reconciliation.
I was wondering if the pipe from earlier on in the episode would have the veins and lo and behold. Looks like this'll be how Jackson goes under siege from the trailers