100% agree with your assessment of The Last of Us. It is a decent enough game, but the story is the equivalent of "Maybe the real journey is the friends we made along the way."
Okay you did get a few snort laughs out of me. The biggest came after the Beatles review (I also think they have no bangers! 👎) and I’m with you on TLOU, I just couldn’t get on with it and I wasn’t that interested 😮💨 just gotta get that off my chest 🤣
I'm a certified TLOU stan. And you're absolutely right. One of the other reasons people jumped on TLOU (which I think you assess pretty well here) was also its brevity and its relative lack of player-controlled NPC interactions. Mass Effect 2 definitely has stronger overall character writing (we're talking a 10 v a 9 here though), but the RPG-ness and the expectation that Shepard needs to talk to the whole crew and carry out all the extra missions is a very "videogame" idea that TLOU didn't try to do. So people who aren't used to character-driven party mechanics didn't look twice at ME2, but basically everyone can comprehend what's going on in TLOU. I don't think that makes it "dumber" exactly, but its expectations and interactivity were certainly simpler. Allows people to focus on narrative and immersing with Joel, and I guess it worked on enough people.
I actually think TLOUII is more interesting, but that's for another day. Great stuff, hilarious as always
Exactly! I love that point! There are numerous “gamey” elements of ME2 along with its genre not being in the zeitgeist at the time. Also, notice how TLOU2 isn’t on the list… 😉
As a lowly grasshopper, I seek guidance from you, one touched by Disco Elysium.
I'm working through the game right now, but keep having to replay entire hours of gameplay thanks to the crappiness of the Switch port, which has an aggravating tendency to crash without warning. Does it deserve my patience, or am I better off trying again with a different version down the road?
Yeah, I strongly disagree with your #1, but you did get me at "ghetto Charles Bukowski", so we're good 😁
It’s what I do best lol, thanks for the read tho, means a lot that you took the time to hear me out!
100% agree with your assessment of The Last of Us. It is a decent enough game, but the story is the equivalent of "Maybe the real journey is the friends we made along the way."
But most importantly the Giraffes we saw.
Okay you did get a few snort laughs out of me. The biggest came after the Beatles review (I also think they have no bangers! 👎) and I’m with you on TLOU, I just couldn’t get on with it and I wasn’t that interested 😮💨 just gotta get that off my chest 🤣
You are safe here lol. Honestly, I felt the same even before it became gaming sacred calf, but I had to come clean.
As one of the only reviewers at the time who gave The Last of Us a slightly critical review, thank you! You truly are the homie.
Thanks for being a true trailblazer in the space, real ass game journalism will always live on!
I have never consistently chuckled at any piece of writing before, this was a great article and I agree especially with TLOU
Glad you enjoyed the piece always hyped that my writing brings laughter to everyone in gaming substack.
Yahoo Pool caught me off guard ngl. I thought it was GOTY.
For my first internet crush and me it was GOTY.
Still can't believe Nintendogs isn't about raising little Mario-themed dogs by feeding them stars and mushrooms. Wasted opportunity.
Nintendo doesn’t know shit bout marketing, they have an alarm clock that plays no games.
You played the WRONG Nintendogs. German Shepard and Friends was where the party was at!
Lmao none of Nintendogs franchise has my dog’s breed in them so 0/10 bad game forever!
I'm a certified TLOU stan. And you're absolutely right. One of the other reasons people jumped on TLOU (which I think you assess pretty well here) was also its brevity and its relative lack of player-controlled NPC interactions. Mass Effect 2 definitely has stronger overall character writing (we're talking a 10 v a 9 here though), but the RPG-ness and the expectation that Shepard needs to talk to the whole crew and carry out all the extra missions is a very "videogame" idea that TLOU didn't try to do. So people who aren't used to character-driven party mechanics didn't look twice at ME2, but basically everyone can comprehend what's going on in TLOU. I don't think that makes it "dumber" exactly, but its expectations and interactivity were certainly simpler. Allows people to focus on narrative and immersing with Joel, and I guess it worked on enough people.
I actually think TLOUII is more interesting, but that's for another day. Great stuff, hilarious as always
Exactly! I love that point! There are numerous “gamey” elements of ME2 along with its genre not being in the zeitgeist at the time. Also, notice how TLOU2 isn’t on the list… 😉
I only see correct opinions here, excellent post!
(I hadn't thought of that Yahoo Pool game in over 15 years, you're making me feel old 💀)
Sometimes the embarrassments of your formative years make for comedic stories.
As a lowly grasshopper, I seek guidance from you, one touched by Disco Elysium.
I'm working through the game right now, but keep having to replay entire hours of gameplay thanks to the crappiness of the Switch port, which has an aggravating tendency to crash without warning. Does it deserve my patience, or am I better off trying again with a different version down the road?
With love,
Reading Fatigued.