The game(s) that will be regarded as timeless classics for the 7th gen are games that are great and that brought something new and fresh to the video game table. TLOU didn't bring anything gameplay or graphics-wise. So it's really about the narrative, the characters and the acting. I have no problem at all with a game being held up as a timeless classic based on elements that are not core gameplay. I've always really enjoyed video games as a story telling medium and I want that aspect of games to become more and more sophisticated. There will always be lots of games that are about pure gameplay, but not all games need to be that.
Whether TLOU rises to become a defining moment in games as a story telling medium remains to be seen. Aguably for the 7th gen Uncharted actually paved the way. TLOU was a refinement.
One way in which TLOU could become a pivotal game is if it gets successfully adapted into a movie that gets both critical praise and box office success. It would finally signal that video games can be a good source of material for movie adaptation. I'm not confident TLOU will make a critically and commercially successful translation to the big screen, and I'm not even certain the movie will ever be completed. But I think this could potentially be the biggest contribution TLOU makes to video games, and it would deserve to be remembered for that.
“The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” - Bertrand Russell
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."
Jimi Hendrix
