The Last of Us Part I

[HandsomeDead]

It's just the decision to do this generally I'm not a fan of.  This isn't the only way you can keep your talent occupied and get to grips with the new tech, there are more valuable ways of doing it.  I'm thinking when Double Fine split their team into different groups and made a bunch of different small games.  Others have done similar projects (even ND themselves with their DLC episodes).

 

Like, I guess the RE4 remake is more of a meaningful remake than this but even then I don't know what they're chasing.  I think RE4 is timeless with the caveat of being a game from 2004, there are few others that hold up as well, but that is going to happen eventually with it's remake: it's going to be a game from 2023 so do they remake it again in 10 years when design trends have changed?  TLoU very much falls into this even more strikingly.

 

To me it's about availability at this point.  I can get behind that for the most part if it's a game stuck on an old platform and they want to do more than a remaster (as long as it's not as a poorly conceived project as the GTA3 trilogy) but thankfully we are moving to a place where games are kept available on modern platforms and I hope that continues.

 

I just ask in this environment where you can easily buy TLoU on your PS5, why is this happening when other, more interesting options are available?

That's the core of everything I'm saying at least and I'm not seeing that answered.  It's hard to not parse out that the answer is 💲💲

[DisturbedSwan]

Who knows if it was ever actually a 'decision' really though? From the rumours this started out as a small team in PS San Diego (VASG) who were a whole new group of developers trying to cut their teeth, once their part in pre-production finished ND wanted to take over the mantle as the original game. Higher ups at ND obviously saw this as a good way for fresh hires to get their teeth into the way ND work and their attention to detail, they were excited to work on it and that was pretty much that. If devs are excited to work on something, excited to finish a game for the first time as maybe their first project than what's the issue really? 

 

I do not want ND making a load of unmemorable smaller titles, no thank you. I would much rather they keep putting out fantastic AAA masterpieces.

 

The way folks speak of this is that Sony wanted a game, went to ND to put this out as a quick cash grab, where the reality is ND have full oversight of their own projects (as all over PS studios pretty much), they work on what they want to work on, if they hadn't wanted to do this, they wouldn't of.

 

Yes, this remake wasn't needed, I agree. But if they update the game with TLOUPII's visuals, combat, AI and everything that goes with it, it will be a worthwhile endeavour in my view. You don't have to buy it. 

 

We've still seen no gameplay yet, the news is that it's gone gold, I'm sorry that has triggered a few folks, but this game exists, is coming out and a lot of folks are looking forward to it. 

[one-armed dwarf]

I think the reason for this specific game being remade is at least partly due to the HBO series out next year, and Sony probably eager to see if there's cross over hit potential there.

 

They've been chasing that 'prestige gaming' mantle for a bit now. 

 

('triggered' a few folks, come on lol)

[Maf]

49 minutes ago, DisturbedSwan said:

But if they update the game with TLOUPII's visuals, combat, AI and everything that goes with it, it will be a worthwhile endeavour in my view. You don't have to buy it.  

If that’s what they do. Then that’s different to what they’ve advertised so far. So far it’s been look at this lighting and this shirt texture.

 

Which is all mighty impressive and looks great. But the problem is it doesn’t help achieve what TLoU can already do.

 

I bought up RE4 1) because I’m playing it and 2) because the core of that game is it’s action. Everything in that game is secondary or in service of the action being thrilling. Even though in 2022 it still definitely works great, mechanically it feels old and stuck. It still works but it can work better. So a remake of that game makes sense.

 

Add to the fact it’s a true remake where they are changing levels, story, tone, etc. Basically a new game inspired by RE4. 
 

So on both levels a remake of that game makes sense to me.

 

The core of The Last of Us is it’s story and characters. And even though those things are communicated by how the game looks it’s still effective at that even in it’s PS3/PS4 state. That’s the difference why this feels redundant because so far all they’ve shown is better motion capture and graphics. I get it’s to help tell their story, but their story works perfectly great as it is. So it’s like why.

 

If they end up changing the actual game well then we’re talking about something different. But they haven’t shown that yet. I’m not even sure where that idea is coming from 

[HandsomeDead]

@DisturbedSwan Dude, I know I don't have to buy it, I likely won't (not having a PS5 being the first obstacle).  But I think it's an extreme case of a larger issue, or potential issue and using it as a jumping off point to talk about it.  I'm not "triggered" I'm making what I see as reasonable observations.  

 

And I never made any claims about who made the decision to make this game because I don't know who did, just that a decision was made.  How can you push back against that?  Was it divine intervention or something?

 

I like talking about games and the craft of them, not sales and that side of things, that's for fanboys to validate themselves.  There's games I like to talk about that sold really well, some haven't sold well, it's not something I care about at all unless it's relevant to a broader issue (e.g what would it mean to a follow up, with Elden Ring what does it mean to how they'd been previously misreading the audience).  I'm happy if a game I like sells well, I don't revel in any game not selling well, but it's mostly something I don't think much about, let alone get triggered at.

 

I'm not trying to take away anyone's enjoyment and there is no doubt people are looking forward to it and I've never disputed that or expressed it as a problem, please get a grip because you're not responding to anything actually said (so I imagine this post will be misread too). 

Unless I'm mistaken, news threads aren't just for sales cheerleading.

[one-armed dwarf]

Some gameplay here finally, from a leaker

 

https://streamable.com/rh53cm

 

looks sorta the same I think, gameplay wise

[HandsomeDead]

😶

[Nag]

Are we absolutely sure that isn't the PS4 game?!?!

[Snaggletooth]

It does look better, just really on the scale of diminishing returns with these modern remakes, If we hadnt had the PS4 remaster then this may be more of a big deal. Really if they wanted to do another TLoU game with Joel it should have gone back a bit further and made a new story.

But I guess this is an easy turn around for them, and help tie in with the new Netflix series.

I just have no reason or motivation to buy this anywhere north of a £20 price tag which its not going to be for some years.

I do wonder wether it will be a straight to the new PS+ service though, would certainly be a sound addition.

[DisturbedSwan]

I'll await gameplay footage from ND themselves, but if this gameplay leak turns out to be the finished game I will be quite disappointed. Graphically it's still leaps and bounds above the original and PS4 remaster but the animations, gameplay etc. don't look on the same level as TLOUP2 as I'd been hoping for. 

 

Still Day 1 though even if worst comes to the worst and the final game has these animations etc. I'll buy for £60, sell for £50 when I'm done with it, so will cost me a net £10. 

[one-armed dwarf]

Yeah to me at this point it's more that the level of 'remake' here isn't really in line with the price tag. Leak footage or not stuff when a game is at an advanced stage as it is in that clip it's too late to expect radical changes, aside from bugs and performance things

 

I sort of think a remake needs to either be something like RE, where it's a huge gameplay overhaul, or Demon's Souls, where it's the same game but the scale of technical changes/improvements are huge. Even Crash Bandicoot falls into the latter grouping here.

 

Based on what's out there to me it reminds me more of the thing Square are doing with Crisis Core, where it has all the same animations and stuff but modern graphics kinda layer on top of it (which speaking personally has this uncanny effect about it). But even that has gameplay improvements (way more twitchy, you can dodge and stuff) so I dunno. Crisis Core is also way cheaper.

 

Like I think price is the thing that's really galling now about this project. I do think it's not a bad idea to have smaller projects to get teams up to speed, but ND being coy about showing actual gameplay and asking for so damn much to buy the game is very questionable of them at the very least

[Maf]

Yeah, it’s really underwhelming. I’m sure in person on a nice screen it will look much better, but there’s stuff like when he changes weapons in the backpack it’s a really bad and jarring animation. If the game has lots of stuff like that, there’s things a big TV can’t solve

 

The only big technical problem I had with the original is ally NPC’s can walk in front of enemies and be invisible. I thought for the remake they might find a way to solve that, but from the clip it looks like it’s still there

[bellow]

If you own the remaster (as I do) and you're thinking of paying full price for this, please PM me. I have some sound investment opportunities for you.

[Maf]

@bellow I just sent you a message 

[bellow]

Bring your wallet

[mmmark]

10 hours ago, Snaggletooth said:

But I guess this is an easy turn around for them, and help tie in with the new Netflix series.

I said that here weeks ago and got told off 

 

Its a HBO show btw. 

[one-armed dwarf]

More gameplay things

 

 

 

They maintain that the AI is improved here, and based off TLOUII.

 

edit, my impression is still the same tbh, but I am interested in those AI changes. But it doesn't seem that dramatic, I guess tho it's an interesting video to see them talk about animation systems and shit but it's really the AI and gameplay I'm interested in and I wonder does the Ai improvements here go all the way with characters communicating with each other/reacting to you and such, cause it was a big thing in 2

[DisturbedSwan]

Still a bit disappointed the full suite of TLOUP2 upgrades couldn't be put in there, but that video did a lot to allay my fears, the upgraded AI, motion mapping along with the haptics in the dualsense, better movement and crazy good graphical upgrades is enough for me.

 

I look at some of the side by side comparisons in that video and can't believe the remaster looks so bad, it's pretty crazy how amazing it looks in my mind compared to the footage. The one that stood out to me was the Guard of the quarantine area with Tess right at the beginning of the game, it's just night and day how wooden the facial model was and how lifelike it now is. 

 

But yeah, I was always Day 1 on this, I was a bit disappointed yesterday but it was probably my own fault partly for getting my hopes up too much for them to put TLOUP2 level design, gameplay etc. fully into this as others had pointed out the level design and animations would have to drastically change. So I was wrong there, I hold my hands up.

 

This is a no brainer Day 1 for me still.

[Maf]

I’ll say that trailer is a fantastic bit of marketing and moved me loads way more in favour of it than I was before. Seeing a lot more “real time” side by sides really shows off the graphics. The thing they were talking about animation sounds great. The improved enemy AI sounds great as well. 
 

I can’t say it’s won me all the way over to want to spend £70 on a game I’ve already played 5 times and know extremely well. But it does look super good. 
 

It’s moved me from no chance of buying it too on the fence. If they can show a bit more of it and prove the gameplay changes are there, because that leaked footage from yesterday didn’t make the game look much better at all, I could be pushed further in to wanting it. That’s a really effective way to showcase the game 

[DisturbedSwan]