The Last of Us

Game On's - At A Glance

THE LAST OF US

(published by Sony Computer Entertainment, developed by Naughty Dog)

platform played - PS3

THE LAST OF US takes you into an alternate world that tests your survival skills and your patience to stealth.  You run through a post-apocalyptic setting, fighting and avoiding infected, zombie-like people and belligerent survivors.  Timing and stealth are the key components to effective game-play while moving through the visually detailed stages.  This both makes THE LAST challenging and frustrating. 

The game progresses you linearly through the story, pushing you to the end while limiting some of the freethinking and open world exploration, which could have been quite awesome.  Along the way, you find collectable items to craft new weapons, objects used for combat, and items to distract bad guys.  These can be useful in this low ammo setting.  Another added quality is your character being able to 'listen' for possible hidden or out of sight enemies.  A nice feature but not always helpful, so don't depend on it all the time or you'll find yourself becoming a 'fungi freak' chew toy.

The combat and linear-like maneuvering is what I found the most troubling.  Although they boast about the AI for real-time interaction when confronting bad guys, it leaves you needing to combat one thing at a time or be swarmed with no way to understand where the attacks are coming from.  And don't expect much help from your AI buddies.  Sure they shoot occasionally, but their bullets are about effective as yours (... meaning not so much, apparently you can shake it off pretty quickly).  The worst part (which I think they mean to be helpful) is that the game will give you an idea of where you went wrong after you die.  Some of the combat sequences and suggestions make this more a skill game than a shooter game (don't put a gun in a game and expect us to not use it, and where are all the guns and ammo on the fallen bad guys?? really???).  A suggestion, if you want lifelike responses for AI to initiate combat, how about a little more thought into effective combat damage.  So, after all my whining, the need to stealth is very heavy and you must do things in stages for combat as they give them to you or the AI will trigger some bad situations.

Overall, this is a great product.  I found the cut-scenes epic, using motion-capture for fluid body movement, and the distressed story filled with the human condition.  The graphics and attention to detail for movement and body language really sells the narrative.  With the haunting music to help set the darker tone, these elements alone validate the numerous "Game of the Year" awards.  This game may not be for free world hustlers like me but I can make allowances.

Titanfall

TITANFALL

(published by Electronic Arts, developed by Respawn Entertainment)

platform played - XBOX 360

So, finally locking down some time, I 'dropped' in for some TITANFALL. 

The premise is that you are a pilot, for one of two opposing sides, battling for control of a space frontier.  This multiplayer first-person shooter puts you in 6-on-6 fire-team scenarios, which is the primary draw for gamers interested.  This is also its weakness.

The game starts out strong.  The training stages did a great job walking you through the different maneuvers and understanding Titan combat.  I would almost wish other more complex games embraced this style, would help my dim game-wits and old man controller hands.  After completion, Titanfall begins to stumble.

For the campaign stages, the game offers very little, and that is with making you fight for both sides in the war.  I was able to complete the whole campaign in five hours.  For the multiplayer events, you have five modes to chose from:  Attrition, Pilot Hunter, Hardpoint Domination, Last Titan Standing, and Capture the Flag.  They are all team based and earn your pilot experience to unlock better equipment and perks.  Unfortunately, this is where things get unbalanced.  Players at all levels are matched up, making you attempt, and I use "attempt", to knock out opposing pilots who potentially outmatch your weapons and armor.  Even when you have them dead-to-rights, they still have the upper hand since you can't take them out even after plugging them a few times (thus, giving you away for a nice head shot).  Yes, you and your friends can link up and play as a team, but the chaos that ensues will make things difficult once someone gets picked off.

The storyline is simplistic, which is why it works for the game.  No need to bog playtime down with complex plotlines and too much dialogue.  You only get this during the waiting periods between matches to fill the time.  This allows for cool down after having your ass handed to you and the final numbers are posted so you can see how little you actually contributed to the last match.  Painful.  Don't get me wrong, you will work your way through and continue to climb the ranks, but noobs will probably grow tired of the ground and pound after a point.

Titanfall shows why it has won many awards and has a plethora of great reviews, with large, spacious maps and quick combat, but you will have to put in your time and be cheated with a brief campaign mode.  After suffering through many deaths and humiliations, I can say that Titanfall is fun as a multiplayer game until you hit a slump in a match and start screaming at the TV.  Then it's Game On *****'s.