The story and setting are intertwined. The setting informs the story. The opening of the game clearly demonstrates this. When a character I've never seen in any promotional materials is introduced in the first moments of the game, I already know what's going to happen to them. I can see half the story unfolding before my eyes. Here is the main character's excuse to be a jaded anti-hero. Here is his troubled past, or whatever. And then zombies start happening, and then people are the real enemy, and why is everyone acting like this is a really powerful moment? I mean there are apparently people legitimately being brought to tears by this opening for reasons I can't discern. It's a predictable story. The way it's told is alright, but it feels like it's going out of its way to hit all the familiar notes along the way -- oh, it's the main character's birthday, and there's a bonding moment because the game wants me to become attached to this character I already know is going to die, now this character is scared and I'm supposed to empathise with them because I'm supposed to. Every zombie trope imaginable is struck along the way. "It started in the city." "What if this guy is infected?"

It's not like it stops after the opening. Protect the cure. Whoops, I forgot that people are the real enemy. That means there can't be a cure because people don't deserve it. Good thing our hardened, cynical anti-hero can make the hard choices and be the hero we deserve but not the one we need right now.

Enough bashing the story. You should see by now that the story doesn't interest me, and this is a game that insists on telling its story the way it wants. It's the main selling point of the game, the main focus of most of its critical praise. What about the gameplay is worth writing home about, worth trudging through this heavy-handed story I don't care about to experience?

So I played the Walking Dead a few weeks before the Last of Us and I was a bit worried. I had just played a story about looking after a small girl that wasn't my daughter, I had just played a game about an emotional journey and of course surviving mutants/zombies. I didn't really like the Walking Dead because as you say, the gameplay was just bad. It was point and click, but not as good or interesting point and click as things like Monkey Island.

The Last of Us is completely different. The gameplay feeds back into the story and the story feeds into the gameplay. The gameplay is not a runner and gunner, it is not just a stealth game and nor is it a survival horror. It can kind of be what you want (if you scavenge enough). There is great variety in the gameplay, and everything just feels so intense. That is due to the story, graphics, scarce nature of supplies and of course Ellie. This game is just brilliant, it is not perfect, but damm close

the game starts off intense, than it gets slow... i don't know about towards the end, because i only went 3 hours in.

@the_dengel

If you don't care to experience the game then why comment on it? Why did you make a post on this topic?

@Siko1989

Keep  playing. The next time you start playing you won't be able to put the controller down.

This game is just too awesome!

lol don't worry i havnt stopped. i am still playing the game.. its just at the point of the game where the story is slow...

What's so good about it? It keeps me wanting to play more of it, yet not too much at once to savor it. I want to get better at it, and not end most encounters in a panic as the AI outflanks me again. I would sooner compare the story and feel of the game to children of men then to twd. I'm not that far in yet though.

Btw I don't get people that power through it in one weekend then complain it gets repetitive. Watch 2 seasons of Game of Thrones without a break and tell me it doesn't get boring... Upto 2 hours a night is perfect, exploring every section, great game.

Full Flesh characters, and a good story. These are some of the reasons why I love the Sly Cooper franchise so much :3

This.