Peanut

I've been trying to get this answer for a few days and it doesn't seem like there's really anything concrete. All I've gotten so far is that I'm either 1) an idiot 2) being too cynical or 3) an idiot.

@vigorousjammer: Which part of the story was incredible? I'm not saying this to be an asshole or to say you're wrong, this is entirely an opinion, but I want to know what people are hanging their hat on here. I mean...the moment you find out Ellie is immune the entire ending popped fully formed into my head. I felt like I was listening to someone tell a story I already knew the ending to, which they prolonged by stopping to tell a joke without a punchline.

Just beat the game and I'm so fucking confused right now. I honestly don't know how people can get passed the poor stealth and the awful zombie shit. I thought the game had some amazing moments and was a decent amount of fun for the most part, but there were so many issues that I'm really blown away by people falling all over themselves to praise it the way they are.

Naughty Dog built an incredibly detailed world, with believable characters that are well acted and well written, but so many of the mechanics of the game serve no other purpose than to completely fucking break that immersion. Throw a brick in a puddle - ZOMBIES RUSH it from 20 feet away! Ellie pushes a giant god damn crate off the side of a truck 10 feet from a pack of zombies and...nothing. I can't count the number of times the AI would run out into the open, sometimes pushing enemies off of their patrol route while in an intense stealth section. The part where you sneak by the room full of Clickers, only to have Tess and Ellie running laps around the entire area, was a joke.

I think the gunplay is average and the stealth was pretty fun when taking on human enemies, but everything to do with the zombies outside of very specific instances was a chore. Also, how about those "puzzles", huh? Fucking floating palette and ladders all up in this joint! Loved turning me on some generators, too! But, hey, I guess it has a decent enough plot (for a game) that everyone can overlook all the flaws.

I thought the ending was pitch perfect, though. Really pulled in just how much baggage Joel is carrying and how truly fucked up he is inside.

FUCK USED GAMES! It's about not owning a physical thing you bought because it needs to ping some fucking server. I don't give a damn about used games, I care that my thousands of dollars collection of games isn't worthless in a decade.

I was deep in the 360 ecosystem this go around. Had my PS3 for exclusives only. I'm incredibly disappointed that there wasn't something on stage that could swing me back to Microsoft as my "go to", despite their shitty DRM, but I also don't know what that thing could have been.

I guess now my launch choice relies on whether Sony breaches the "online checks to play games you paid $60 for or go fuck yourself" thing.

Digitally nothing. Physically fucking everything. Telling me I need to "check in" to play a physical piece of media that I own and is in my hands is fucking lunacy.

Also, being pro-PC is in vogue right now.

I never thought Insomniac did much of worth outside of Ratchet, which they very quickly drove into the fucking ground. It doesn't surprise me that they make another average shooter that doesn't benefit from the "exclusive shooter" bump and tank.

Viva Pinata

You're completely right and I fully agree with what you're saying, but Nintendo is still doing new and interesting things with their existing IP's and the games are still good enough to warrant attention. That's all I'm trying to get at with that point. I also think it should be noted Sony consistently needs to put out new IP, because the ones they have can't sustain interest over a long period of time the way Nintendo IP can. Again, I'm not saying Nintendo shouldn't do new stuff, but to think Sony or anyone else is creating new IP because they want to and not because their existing shit has been milked dry is a bit naive.

Yeah, no. Totally. What I want is more God of War's and Halo's and Killzone's and Gears of War's and Assassin's Creed's and Call of Duty's and whatever the fuck else we've seen time and again this generation. You show me a single game series that has re-invented itself and stayed as consistently superb over the course of THIS GENERATION as the Mario franchise has over nearly 3 decades and I'll concede defeat to your tired ass fucking argument.