Bioshock Infinite vs The Last of Us -if you’ve finished both

I loved Bioshock, the world was fascinating to experience and explore but the gamplay was very one dimensional for me.....it played much more like a standard FPS than I was expecting. Thats fine and I absolutely loved it (I also have fond memories of is as its the game that christened my new gaming PC).

The Last of Us had a lot more gameplay variety for me and the story was better told. Because it was not as fantastical as Bioshock and was much grittier I found myself completely engrossed and taken in when I was playing. I have never felt more engaged and in some sequences I was literally on the edge of my seat and found my heart was genuinely racing. Bioshock was amazing but it was just a shooter in the end that had some really nice story elements dotted throughout. TLOU was all about the story, relationships and characters.

There was a comment earlier in this thread about perhaps having multiple ending, this would have been very interesting I have to agree, however I am not sure my ending would have been any different to how it ends now.

The Last of Us. To me, while Infinite was very good, it's gameplay still wasn't quite up to par, and the world and story weren't as engaging as I was hoping. I love the ending, or rather, the concept of the ending, but the way it's just basically one huge info dump at the end of the game was a poor way to handle it. Still, I really, really liked the game, but it was still ultimately a slight disappointment. I will applaud it for giving me a different reason to replay it than any other game has ever offered.

The Last of Us, for me, actually lived up to the hype in the end. I started pretty lukewarm on the gameplay but really came around to it after a few hours. It doesn't do anything new, but it feels really good. The plot is hardly original, too, but the storytelling is far superior to that of Infinite. I loved my time with the game and it kept me fully engaged from beginning to end. I feel more comfortable considering this for GOTY than Infinite, at the very least.

Infinite.

As much as I liked the characters in Last of Us, it was just such a chore to play. I hated damn near everything about the game mechanically.

People are still very much in the "Honeymoon phase" with Last of Us. It isn't going to be thought of as highly as a GAME in the future. Yes, it's an amazing bit of storytelling, but I feel it falls short as a total package.

I like bioshock better sorry :) (let the hate rain down upon me)

Both are exceptional games, however I lean towards bioshock because it was IMO just more fun to play. The slow methodical pacing of TLoU was perfect for the game, but the fast paced power slinging rail riding action of Bioshock was more fun for me and is something I have gone back to play many times just for kicks.

I picked Bioshock Infinite because I like good games. The Last of Us is not a good game. It's like 17 different mechanics put together in a way that makes no sense.

loved the stealth, and the style and bit more over bioshock's first person shooting and more cartoony art style

I'm too tired to write something long and meaningful right now, but I did finish both, and I loved Infinite because of the last 30 minutes. On the other hand The Last of Us was a slow burn for me, and it was not really fun but kinda tense but yet still riveting to play, but it just got better and better the further I went so I gotta say TLoU.

Oh wow, someone resurrected my thread :P - even with 40 more votes, the results aren't changing though. Interesting to say the least, and definitely some interesting new comments posted.

@skooky: @gaminghooligan: @alkusanagi:

First streak of dudes saying Bioshock, and I have to say there is nothing wrong with preferring it. It's an awesome game and I honestly think it's a much funner game with fantastic replay-ability and a story which just gets better with each watching. I wouldn't be surprised if it tops TLoU in Giant Bomb's official GOTY stuff this year, as it think it's more up the alley of many of the GB crew.

That said, to those who think The Last of Us is only winning this poll because of a "honeymoon period" or some other zeitgeist-inspired reason, you are only partially correct in my opinion. Immediacy does not taint the legitimate comparisons many have made in this thread, or rationalisations for their feelings - and this includes myself. For example, I have recordings and written notes which tell me my initial feelings after Bioshock, and the same for The Last of Us, and even listening back to all of that my feelings are quite plainly in favour of the latter.

Anyway, y'all made the right choice because I don't think there's a wrong choice in this poll.

I have no idea if you have any meaningful critiques, because I couldn't get past the first sentence of your drivel.

Flagged:

1st: Calling people fucking morons, for not agreeing with your opinion... i hope you see the irony in this.

2nd: Shitting on fanboys, when your obviously the biggest Infinite fanboy.

3rd: Bioshock Infinite was far from perfect it self, no game is.

4th: Your argument that Booker is better character than Joel, is not even an argument, cause you dont give one.

I hated the combat in both games but i liked the story in last of us more.

I like both, but I like The Last Of Us a little bit better. Bioshock Infinite itself has a great sci-fi story, I like how the entire game is peppered with small things that later on make you go, "Oh wow, that's why they put that there" in the ending.

Last of Us on the other hand, focuses more on feelings, humanity, and the ambiguity of it.

Gameplay wise, I prefer The Last Of Us, because I enjoyed stealth games (e.g. MGS), where I can wait and wait for the right moment, or lure enemies together in small corridor and throw a molotov to them. Bioshock comes in second, mainly because I'm never really into FPS, and kind of tired about it right now.

I thought Bioshock was more consistently engaging. From the moment I stared playing I wanted to see what was around the next corner and everything about Columbia was interesting. I think The Last of Us starts off too slow (after the intro of course) and takes too long to get really interesting. The last five hours or so are amazing, but it shouldn't take that long to really hook me. The Last of Us also has technical problems that made Bioshock a better experience for me. The framerate gets dicey whenever you are outside in a green area and the AI leaves a lot to be desired. There's also pretty bad aliasing that really stands out against the otherwise gorgeous game. To be fair, I played Bioshock on my PC, but since The Last of Us isn't available for that platform, it's the only comparison I can make.

I think I'd go with The Last of Us but they're both great games and the kind of games that remind you what the medium is capable of. Yay for video games!

Last of Us has maybe the more affecting, if not more interesting, storyline. Bioshock Infinite is a better cohesive game and narrative package. I consider Infinite the better game by a wide margin.

I bought Infinite in May and just let it gather dust for a while, never really getting around to it. With The Last of Us just a week away, I decided to pick it up earlier this month -- just to keep me busy until June 14th.

What started as a time killer ended up being one of my favourite games in many, many years. BioShock Infinite was the first game in a long time where I stayed up until stupid o' clock in the morning, because it was so compelling I couldn't stop playing it until I finished. The entire second half of that game was engrossing. I started playing at 11pm one night, and didn't put the controller down until I bested it at 7am. At that point, I said "I may have just set the bar too high for The Last of Us" and was confident BioShock would be my GOTY.

Then The Last of Us came out and somehow surpassed it.

So, first of all, June was an incredible month for me as a gamer, and I'm definitely in the camp that thinks, with GTA V, Watch_Dogs, and others still to come, this could be the best gaming year in God knows how long.

As for why The Last of Us is my pick -- simply put I just think it is superlative in almost every single way. I still have yet to replay BioShock Infinite even though I really want to discover the voxaphones I missed, to soak in the scenery again, to relieve the story, all of that jazz... but the reason I haven't is because I don't think the gameplay is compelling enough to trudge through again. And that's what it would be for me; trudging. Now, that's not to say it was bad; not even close. Infinite isn't just a pretty and well written game - it's a well crafted shooter. But by the 12/13 hour mark when I finished it, I was officially done with it as a gaming experience. As fun as the toys are, as clever as the enemies are, by the end I really had my fill of being plonked into circular arena, after circular arena, after circular arena and clearing out the enemies before advancing. No matter how solid your mechanics are, when you have the level of repitition that Infinite has, it all starts to wear on you. Infinite had great pacing, in the sense that just as it was beginning to get tiresome (I had my fill after that tower defense thing at the end), it finishes. The flipside of that though, is I can't see myself diving in for a second playthough, at least not soon.

To me, The Last of Us is much better from a gameplay point of view. I'm already progressing through a second playthrough on the higher difficulty, and I'm still in love with the resource gathering, the different ways everything can be tackled, the heavy feel of the weapons, the terrifying stealth.

Story-wise, despite thematic similarities, I find them hard to compare because tonally they are so different but I feel like The Last of Us is the new benchmark for storytelling in games. For all of BioShock's (deserved) acclaim for it's maturity and intelligence, it's The Last of Us that truly excelled in presenting a story that epitomizes those traits. As discussed in the TLoU forum; the great twist in the game is that there really isn't a twist. Not to flippantly dismiss the excellent BioShock ending, but in TLoU there isn't that dependence on the HUGE TWIST that many of us probably expected when we play it. There isn't a character death to stun you, particularly a protagonist's, there is just this set of circumstances to give you TONNES to think on. Some who were more critical of the ending have acted like there isn't, but you just need to read the forums, watch the video reviews, listen to the discussion podcasts to see that there is. I've seen players split right down the middle as to whether or not people understood Joel's point of view, or thought of him as the biggest villain in the entire game. That, to me, makes it stand out from a story-point of view -- it's that ability to make those last two lines of dialog resonate with you so much, rather than busting out every insane plot twist conceivable to make your point.

It was said elsewhere in the thread -- BioShock Infinite is a great game, a classic. The Last of Us is an important one. Infinite would be the game of the year on any other year, but in 2013, for me, it just couldn't hang with a genre-defining title like The Last of Us,

Both are incredible games and I can't really decide, but there is a distinctive difference between the two for me. Last Of Us is clearly the better game, but Bioshock Infinite I found more enjoyable and more fun plus I loved Booker and Elizabeth way more than Joel and Ellie. When it gets closer to GOTY time I'll replay both and any other big games like Tomb Raider, but for now I can't decide.

Infinite was good plain sci fi while the last of us was more of a story about people. I liked both for their themes and gameplay and can't really decide which I liked more.

Combat wears a little thin in both but I loved both of the games on the whole. I can't pick between them. Bioshock's characters stuck in my mind longer though.

The Last of Us, absolutely no fucking contest. This game joins the pantheon of Spec Ops and To the Moon as a game that has truly effected me emotionally and intellectually.

I think The Last of Us is my favourite in terms of writing, but the gameplay is just uncharted 4, and I was sick of Uncharted's gameplay half way through Uncharted 2.

I watched Last of Us on youtube in its entirety (no PS3) and i still think it is better than Infinite

I choose TLoU as it feels like a more complete game and real world. I like the scaled down combat- even with multiplayer. But Bioshock packed the biggest punch with it's ending and it won everyone over. But once you know the twist I'm not sure how much I would enjoy playing it again, where as TLoU is more of a slow burn told really well with an open ended ending.

@oldirtybearon: Dude it sounds like you just didn't like the ending. Betray his character? Joel is selfish and doesn't trust anyone throughout the entire game. Sure he grows but only in his attachment to ellie.

They're both outstanding games, but I preferred BioShock Infinite. TLoU drags in sections, while Infinite is a nearly perfect length. I also find the world created in Infinite to be so much more interesting and unique than the extremely tired framework of TLoU, and it's a much more visually arresting experience. TLoU wins on drama and tension, but the high points of Infinite are better. Infinite isn't a world-class FPS, but the shooting was still more engaging than the stiff and slightly awkward combat in TLoU, and Infinite had better level design with less predictability and a greater sense of openness.

But it's also worth mentioning that I have Asperger's Syndrome and am a massive history nerd, as well as a genre fiction nerd, so the idea of an alternative history take on manifest destiny and American exceptionalism gone horribly wrong that's actually a sci-fi story was perhaps always going to resonate more with me than the taut, weighty human drama of The Last of Us. I had also never played a Naughty Dog game before, whereas the original BioShock is one of my favourite games of all-time, so I was a bit predisposed to liking Infinite more than TLoU - I wasn't even sure I was going to play the latter at all until I saw what insanely good reviews it was getting.

oh god reading all this is so depressing for a PC owner T_T
Someone lend me a PS3 and The Last of Us

This poll is biased in favor of TLoU considering many people here including myself just finished the game and still have it fresh on their mind. The Story, gameplay, and graphics were good, but that good? eh. Now it's been months since i would say most people have finished Bioshock Infinite and its mystical wonders are not wrapped around their minds anymore. In addition, many people that play TLoU have been long Play station users, so do expect some fanboyism and inclined to supporting their Last of Us. My opinion is I have played both, and I do own both consoles, and I believe Infinite is better, there is no game ending out there that rivals it, i had shivers going down my spine when i finished it. Just because TLoU has a simpler feel doesn't mean its better. Possibly put a new poll out in a couple months once all the smoke has cleared, and see what people think then.

I feel like this is all self Indulgent, I mean a opinion is an opinion and I'm happy for those of you who found enjoyment in any one or both of them.

The Last of Us is just not fun to play...the mechanics are average to Okay at best. They service I guess you could say.

Bioshock I loved at the time but cant remember why anymore lol.

I would say Bioshock right now but neither would be in the top five of my favorite games this year.

And to be honest it comes down to what tickles my fancies, its called diversity people, its okay not to like something that everyone loves on the internet or like something everyone hates. I prefer corkier games, and you can tell a serious stories with corcky/happy characters. When you find a character that you enjoy seeing happy, its makes it worst to watch them put in a situation where they may be hurt physically/emotionally....FF9 anyone! Poor Vivi :(

That being said I did find the characters in The Last of Us amazing. They should seriously be considered for a Golden Globe, Oscar or something. And those scenes like the ending scene/Tess Scene/Bill note scene...ect were some of the most compelling scenes in a game I've ever witnessed even if I didn't have fun playing it.

Feel free to rip me apart lol Im used to it, my opinions are seldomly ever liked. I wish I loved these games more, I wanted too... :'( I sorry lol

I have to say The Last of Us, because it was pretty much perfect.

I am a huge Bioshock fan but the shooting in Infinite was ... not so good, even a bit boring towards the end.

Nevertheless, I hope there will be more single player focused games from now on.

Wow. I liked The Last of us, but it's easily Infinite for me. Surprised by poll results.

I'm going with the Last of Us, while Bioshock Infinite was a great game it didn't have as much of an impact on me as the first Bioshock did. The Last of Us was just amazing to me from start to finish and I want to get around to completing a survival play-through of it.

It's almost not a real decision as they are both such high quality games, but if I were to split hairs - I'd have to go with Bioshock Infinite. Quite simply, that ending left me with my mouth hanging wide open and unable to play another game for almost a week afterwards. I thought Elizabeth was a better 'NPC sidekick' as well. Somehow, Irrational just straight up took on the legacy of the first Bioshock and succeeded. It's a humongous achievement.

I totally understand the argument for The Last of Us as well, but we had to choose ONE so there's my choice.

Bioshock gets the nod from me. It's mostly a setting thing. Bioshock was such an interesting world to be in, The Last of Us was just another zombie setting. Both left a lot to be desired mechanically.

Tough call but based on what I enjoyed playing more i'll go with Bioshock Infinite.

I enjoyed The Last of Us' stealth gameplay more than Infinite's FPS gameplay. Also the word in TLOU was much more haunting and beautiful, even if it was less original.

Still, I wasn't too crazy about either game and I don't think either one will be GOTY for me.

The Last of Us is one of the finest gameplay experiences I've had in a very long time. It's game design of the highest standard. It's almost impossible to break down everything that is good with this game, because all the pieces fit together so perfectly so you can't really distinguish one small detail from the other. The whole time, I felt like I was there, in the game. Especially the winter episode. It was just me and Ellie, man. The ending is just perfect as well. I'm glad they didn't shy away from it. Let's just say I hate games that claim to be cinematic. I don't think this is a thing to be proud of. Games are games. Cinema is cinema. That said, The Last of Us had a lot to prove since I hate Uncharted. And I was worried about The Last of Us. Could Naughty Dog handle the mature theme? Could a game this bleak still be engaging? Would it be even more cinematic? But it won me over completely. They did handle the theme, it was engaging and they actually let me play the game instead of just watching it. In my book, The Last of Us goes down as the best PS3 exclusive game, perhaps the best console exclusive this generation. It's bummer that _everyone_ won't play it because of that. Nothing comes even close to it. However, if we're talking multi-platform...

Bioshock Infinite is just fucking insane. After 6 hours into the game, you just let go. The ending is a 40 minute carpet bombing that finishes off with a nuclear bomb. It literally took me days to digest everything. Several months after finishing it, I still keep thinking about the game. I would even go as far as to say that we might never see anything like it again. It's too crazy to exist. For that reason, I kind of like it more than The Last of Us.

I couldn't believe how depressing both of those games were in their final hour. I think my vote has to go for The Last of Us, because it affected me way more strongly. Once I finished that game, kind of like Vinny said on the podcast, I had to just kind of sit there for a good while thinking about what happened.

All in all though, I think we can agree that the real winner is Troy Baker. Whenever he yelled "Elizabeth!", I would yell "Katherine!" in return.

Infinite was more fun by far. TLoU had a good story but the gameplay is bland and repetitive. There is no real challenge in having to move around the environments in non-combat scenarios. Gameplay is much more important that storyline in a game, if I want storyline I'll read a book or watch a movie.

Personally:

Last of Us > Binary Domain > Bioshock Infinite.

They're such different games. I mean yes, they both have an emotional core that can be described with the same words, but one's a swashbuckling adventure and the other's grim exercise in futility. Both fantastic games for entirely different reasons.

haha im gonna have to retract my earlier post and say that The last of us is a better game. I almost cried in some parts of the game haha, man such a good fucking game.

I loved them both, but where I can list several crippling flaws with BioShock Infinite both mechanically and narratively, all I can say against The Last of Us is the early stealth encounters fucking sucked.

Infinite had some spots that really dragged. I never really experienced that with Last of Us. I think both stories are great but I think the script was better in LS. I thought both had gameplay issues so that's kind of a draw. So I would go with LS.

The Last of Us left a much stronger impression on me narratively speaking, and going back through the first third of it a second time opened a newfound appreciation for the combat even if I did downgrade to Easy.

However, Bioshock Infinite's presentation/story was no slouch either, and that game was MUCH more exhilarating to play. I haven't enjoyed an FPS like that, single- or multi-player, since the original Modern Warfare. Granted, the only other one I played to completion in that timespan was Killzone 2, but I think that really means a lot that halfway through 2013 and I consider a first-person shooter the most fun game of the year.

I voted Can't Decide out of fairness to having beaten Infinite 3 times and having only played Last of Us 1 and a third times, but I feel like I'd vote Bioshock Infinite pretty swiftly with a gun to my head.

storywise both games were fantastic, art as well.

gameplay, TLOU while Bioshock Infinite was more old school. TLOU was also more refined probably due to having backing of sony.

TLoU is more grounded in reality and very realistic while Bioshock infinite might as well be a disney movie, their two different type of stories.

But i love both

Bio Infinite I thought was a more enjoyable playing game and great story overall with an amazing ending.

Last of Us was a enjoyable playing game...for the first few hours then I just wanted to get to the next cutscene. Story was bloated and way to long until the ending which totally redeemed the game for me.

Both are fantastic but it is an easy vote for Infinite.

Please don't make me choose...

I would have said The Last of Us until it ended. It's an incredibly well crafted game and I'm the first one for dark endings but I'm also the first one for smartly designed character arcs being the basis of narrative storytelling. I really feel like Last of Us dropped the ball in the final quarter and undid most of their incredible storytelling.

Bioshock left me amazed, and though it's not stronger in terms of story it felt more adventurous with it's story and design. There were moments in Bioshock I was truly impressed and surprised, blown back by elements of the game. Was it kinda scatterbrained? Yea, a bit. Could the core mechanics have used some tweaking? Yup! it's not perfect but it's beyond remarkable. And as much as I loved Last of Us and believe it to be one of the best examples of the medium I couldn't escape the feeling like it tread so much old fiction without adding much to any of it. That and the ending was not something I feel came together.

It's my opinion.

The Last of us gets my vote. Incredible game!! Whilst I loved the world of Columbia I found the combat to be dull.

I wasn't sure at first, but I replayed Bioshock, and the Last of Us just blows it away.

The combat is too repetitive, the weapon pool is too saturated and enemies drop the randomest ammo. The vending machines seem useless because I always have to switch weapons, and even the voice acting didn't seem right. But I'm sure I'm way too biased at this point.

I voted BioShock just because I'm a sucker for multiple universe/reality stuff.

The Last of Us was friggin fantastic though.