Be Excellent To Each Other

I haven't struggled with strangle/shiv just because of the timing I naturally use but I can see how some people would with shiv being on the same button you use to initially grapple someone. That aside I don't think the controls are too bad; everything's on a different direction of the D-pad as with most games these days but I do find that in the heat of the moment I have a tendency to lose control a bit and just start spamming melee, although I can't really blame the game for that. The biggest problem with full on combat for me is how unutterably shit the guns are. Enemies, even fully human soldiers, seem to just shrug off most shoots and it's a real fucking pain to put them down. My total mistrust of the guns means that if I fuck up a chance to stealth or melee a section I just restart it without even thinking about it because the shootouts are pretty horrible. This reaction is compounded by the fact you don't get a lot of ammo so pumping a good few shots into a single target to drop them feels 'wrong' because the game teaches you that ammo is precious; it's almost at odds with it's own design in that respect.

What difficulty level are you playing on? I played on Normal and found the human enemies went down reasonably easily. You really need to aim for the head if you want them finished in one shot. Also the handguns are pretty weak if you hit a limb or body. Perversely, the shooting gets easier the further you get through the game, as the guns get better.

I think this dimlie sums up my reaction to the above

I never had a problem with grabbing a baddie, shanking a baddie or with any of the controls. Changing weapons on the fly is only a D-Pad press away and improved once you get some more holsters. Getting stuff out your bag by holding X on a weapon slot isn't exactly demanding either.

I've found the combat meaty and satisfying throughout (it is better towards the end though when you've got a load of different kit to play with but even then the ammo between each weapon gets quite sparse) and the lack of, say, CoD's snap-on aim making it much more tense as you wait until the last minute struggling to get the sights over the face for a headshot or just waste ammo popping shots into the torso as the infected come running towards you.

The shotgun helps a great deal in a battle though as a close range blow at chest height - or at the legs - will take down most enemies in one shot. You just have to get close enough to do it.

There's no point firing a bow at anyone who has spotted you, mind. It's only worth is taking out foes from a stealthy distance. But if you miss then, you'll certainly know about it.

All of the weapons systems are all about risk and reward, right?

And remember that enemies will always go to the last position you were seen/heard. So you can fire shots, move about without being spotted, and flank folks indiscriminately. You can also run and hide from clickers and humans alike.

I'm on normal difficulty. It's the handguns I'm really talking about, I'm terrible at getting headshots and the slow reload of the rifle made it pretty much suicide for me! I noticed it most in the section where you're hanging upside down from one of Bill's traps and are forced to fend off waves of enemies. I had to repeat that section a lot because it was taking so many shots to drop individual enemies that I was constantly being eaten during a reload but a previous attempt to gunfight it out with some soldiers saw them mostly seeming to laugh off my pistol shots as well. I'll just need to practice the old headshots I think.

Yeah, I didn't ever find it too difficult but it does require at least some basic competence

Yeah, I didn't find it a breeze at all, but I never felt it was unfair at any points. If I was dying lots, it's because I was being shit.

Just tried the school corridor section again about eight or ten times. Tried stealthing, tried shooting, tried distracting and tried a combination of the three: comprehensively chewed on by clickers each and every time. My frustration levels reached such that, um, I'll be going shopping for a new controller tomorrow lunch time. Tomorrow I'll try dropping the difficulty down to easy but I still think I'm about done here. If I can't get with the combat this early in the game I'll likely end up dropping out at some point in the future anyway. Say, for instance, the horrible looking armoured fuck in the gym right at the end of the section I'm stuck on (yeah, I Youtubed ahead a bit). Shame; it seemed like quite a good game apart from, well, the actual game.

What to play next? Maybe something more my speed, like fucking Barbie: Horse Adventures. I'm genuinely annoyed and disappointed with myself for not being able to play this game; what a weird thing to feel over some entertainment.

Crouch down take it slow & you can easily take out a clicker by getting up close & using a shiv.

Another tactic to try is throw a bottle to attract attention & when the clicker gets close hit him with a Molotov.

Thanks man but, nah; I've decided I'm done and it's getting swapped at lunchtime. Ultimately if you're not having actual fun playing a game then it's not worth it and that's the point I'm at with it (indeed I haven't really enjoyed and of the gameplay) so fuck it, I'm out.

On to SotC, which I'll almost certainly hate after this.

You could just blast through it on Easy.

I know, but frankly I'm a bit worried even that'll be too hard later on down the line given how bizarrely cack-handed I seem to be at this game. I've also just soured myself on it a bit with the frustration I'm currently feeling about it and it's not like I was really enjoying the combat much even up to this point. Although it would be good to see the rest of the world and the characters they've crafted. Ach, I dunno, I need to go into Game or whatever at lunchtime anyway to get another control pad so I'll maybe see how I feel then. Apologies for clogging up this thread with my idiot whining though chaps.

I agree with Elk drop it down to easy so you can enjoy the story.

It is mainly a stealth based game, there are sections where you have to go all guns blazing but these are very few.

There are also some sections where you just need to ignore the infected & run !!

You also need to really search the area to find any ammo & materials. There is usually one shiv room also in each area which will have lots of items to pickup.

Also remember when you have a NPC with you like Bill with his shotgun. They have infinite ammo so make use of them by just running around & letting them kill the infected.

Alternatively it may just not be your cup of chai ?

In that case trade it in & go play something else, no point in forcing yourself if you are not enjoying it.

This is going to be ace. By which I mean it'll be a car crash.

Thanks for the vote of confidence! On my current form I can't really disagree mind. I ended up skipping the entire PS2/Xbox generation for some reason so, as good a couple of games as ICO and SotC apparently are, if there's anything particularly 'of their generation' about the game design I might struggle. You should certainly be on high alert for lots of needless whining about various aspects of them, that's for sure.

I think I just pipe-bombed my way through the school corridor. I never found it that difficult, although I did only play through the game on Normal difficulty.

I remember it was a bit panicky but yeah, a couple of petrol bombs and some shooting and I was out of there.

There are more difficult sections later on than the school area. Take it slow & they are easily done.

and completed.

So, after all my whining I decided to try that bit again before dropping the difficulty down and, um, banged straight through it on my second attempt. Bottle into a wall followed by nail bomb to all interested punters took care of the first section. Then I just stayed back and let Bill take most of the rest of them down with his shotgun while I bounced a few infected off walls at the back. I even did the big guy in the gym first time and thoroughly enjoyed it, whereas I usually hate those sort of enclosed arena encounters in any game. Indeed the only reason it took me two attempts is because on my first attempt a clicker somehow survived standing at ground zero of my nailbomb and ran over to munch on me as revenge. Tch.

I'm now at the bit in hotel where you get separated from Ellie and I'm pretty sure the other shoe's about to drop. I suspect I'm in for another difficulty spike but I'm invested enough now that I'll definitely see it through regardless. I have to say, the difficulty level pretty much dropped right through the floor straight after the bit I was stuck on. It's just been wide open levels full of humans which have been hilariously easy to pick off one at a time; especially with the upgraded radar sense which makes a massive difference in these sections.

Other stuff:

• The first encounter with the Hunters was hilarious because I ran up to one of them for a fist fight without realising I had a brick in my hand. Ahahahaha! I genuinely hadn't realise it could be used as a melee weapon like that. Ellie's slightly shocked, "Jesus Joel!" even echoed my own surprise and amusement in a moment of excellent synchronicity. Note to self: find a reason to try that again with a bottle.
• The ending of the Jim section was cool and Ellie's chat with
  ZOMG Spoiler! Click here to view!

  the porno mag she stole from Jim
  had me grinning along like I was listening to a real conversation between two people.
• Which leads on to my continuing amazement at the characterisation. It really is phenomenal what the writers, voice actors and 3d modellers have pulled off here. It's not just one of the best games I've seen in that regard it's probably better than most films I've watched. I totally expect to 'get something in my eye' at whatever they pull out for an ending given my investment in the characters.
• There was one slightly odd moment after clearing out the Hunter filled library. I'd gone upstairs first and cleared it completely out then went to the ground floor and fucked everyone up down there. Thinking I was finished I sauntered back upstairs only to run right into a huge pile of the fuckers that hadn't existed five minutes ago! Due to the crowded nature of the stairwell I took them out pretty much one at a time hand-to-hand but it was a nasty shock and has left me wary in case the game ever pulls that shoddy trick again. Hmmm.
• You can tell the difficulty has dropped because I am absolutely bulging with stuff. I've had a completely full inventory for hours now to the point that it's been ages since I was last even able to pick up any crafting items or ammo. Really the only thing I'm ransacking the levels for now are the pill things that let you upgrade Joel's skills, everything else is just shiny trash. Not that I mind so much but it does speak to a level of imbalance I think...

Also I didn't realise there was DLC planned for the game. Multiplayer DLC will be easy enough to slot in I imagine but I wonder how they'll get SP content into what is (I assume?) a self-contained and completed story.

There's a reason the options menu has a 'no radar ears' toggle; it's borderline cheating. I suspect it was added late in the dev cycle. I stopped using it an hour or so in and I think it was the better game for it.

I completed the entire game without ever trying that. Tch.
If Ellie starts telling jokes from her joke book, stop and listen. It's awesome.

Abandon preconceptions. The ending is not predictable. At all. But my god, it works so well.

Hah, yes. Enjoy that while it lasts. Winter is coming.

I'm going to keep it on because, once the clickers reappear, I suspect I'll need all the help I can get. The inclusion of the entire mechanic did seem pretty odd right from the get-go because your guy having this weird magical ability didn't fit with the realistic (as games go anyway) tone of it all so you might be right about it being a late addition. Which suggests that their own play-testing indicated players needing help with the game presumably.



Heh, yeah, after sneaking a look at the trophies and seeing it included there I started listening out for that. The best such moment so far was when



The only preconceptions I've got at all are that the ending will be excellent and that it'll go very badly for everyone involved.

No spoilers but the ending is great

SP DLC was reported earlier this month but no further news announced just yet.

I've not been able to play this at all since before i went on holiday in June but reading this thread has made me desperate to play it again.
I love the fact that I read one of Bamba's posts above where he quoted Ellie saying 'Jesus Joel' and I read it in her voice, such great voice acting.
I'm really glad you got back into it Bamba, it's a great game. I dealt with sections like the one you got stuck at by throwing bricks or bottles until the majority of the zombies were in one area, then throwing a molotov or something at them and running in to take out any other with the shotgun.
I might not bother playing this tonight mind you, I'm home alone and now I'm thinking about it, I might get scared!

Finished. Amazing. I don't think I could praise it enough. In two long gaming sessions last night and tonight, I played from the second half of Fall onwards and was just constantly picking out highlights only for them to be superseded moments later.

I'm at the start of the university part. After progressing well since my last tantrum I eventually capitulated and dropped the difficulty down to easy last night at the part where you get separated from Ellie/Hnery and have to work through an infected/clicker infested room with Sam*. The clickers end up not being the problem; it's more the roaming infected who can not only see you (which the clickers can't) but seem to be fucking psychic as well. No matter how slowly I moved and how much I stayed out of their line of sight they'd always 'see' me whenever I got within any kind of distance of them; it was really odd. At which point you're pretty much fucked of course as all the 'sleeping' clickers wake up and go nuts.

*I totally called it how it their story would end as soon as we met them. Not that the relative predictability took away from the punch of it at all.

I'm beginning to get pretty bored of even the human encounters (which I'm not struggling with) anyway so it's probably a good decision to drop the difficulty down anyway as now I can blast through the rest of it before the 'game' part detracts too much from the 'experience' part. Fair play to them for mixing it up a bit sometimes (the sniper section in the suburbs was suitably tense due to the slow reload) and I'm still loving the characters, writing, story, graphics and sound very much but I doubt I'll feel like playing through it again when I'm finished.

Ugh, God, doesn't this game ever fucking end. Having had a cheeky look at a walkthrough I'm on the very last section and I really just want to be done with it now. Also they disappointingly screwed the pooch at the last minute plot/character wise when

I managed to.

That's the best fucking game/experience/story I've played. Absolute quality.

Now to read through this thread and comment on all your thoughts.

Bamba, you're shit.

OMG better than Dark Souls WTF?

It's my game of the generation. It's just perfect in so many ways: characterisation, world-building, immersion, mechanics, graphics, art direction, and that wonderful ending. Playing almost anything else after it feels so bland and pointless and contrived.

They'll make this available as some sort of downloadable or rereleased game for the PS4, right?

I would very much expect so, yes. They have talked about initially making a select few blockbuster PS3 titles available on the PS4, and if this isn't one of those, I don't know what is.

Does anyone honestly bother with the tacked on multiplayer stuff in games like this? It just seems so incongruous.

I've dabbled in it once or twice.

Praise the Sun!

Yeah, going to play through Ico and SotC next I think.

Nope.

I had a few goes and it ain't half bad at all. It's certainly better than most tacked on multiplayer (Dead Space/Bioshock et all) and well worth a blast.

Only rented it so its going back to Blockbusters.

Yeah, TLOU's multiplayer is actually not too bad - usually I wouldn't bother with the multiplayer in something like this either.

I'm getting withdrawal symptoms.

Did I mention that a friend has let me borrow this? Well, he has.. I just need to get around to playing it now.

Saints Row IV might have something to say about that though.