Duders, please tell me I'm not alone here. I missed the zeitgeist around The Last of Us when it first came out. I recently nabbed it off of the PS Store for cheap and fired it up. Problem is, I'm like 3-4 hours in and the game still hasn't grabbed me. I literally just came off of playing through the Uncharted series, and the tonal and gameplay shift between the two franchises was very jarring to me. I'm struggling to find the desire to pick it up again. I REALLY want to like it and finish it, but..... idk. Did I miss the window for this game?

Hey, it's always possible it's just not for you bud. At the same time, expecting anything like Uncharted in TLoU is a surefire way to get your butt blown out.

Game caught me straight away and I still go back to it sometimes, so I don't think you've missed much in the way of this game in its "prime."

Zombie market has become very...saturated, however. If you're not enjoying the game, or not enticed by it at least, don't feel like you need to play this game.

It depends on what you specifically don't like about it. The Last of Us just isn't paced like Uncharted at all. There are set pieces, but they are few and far between, and not the same type of sequences as Uncharted. They aim more for unique scenarios or tension, as opposed to relentless, high-octane stuff. In terms of story, it's also quite different. It's very somber, characters with questionable morality, and a story with few easy answers. And yes, TLoU takes a while to get going, for sure. Once you get your hands on some weapons and it stops becoming so stealth oriented, that helps. Also helpful: turning it to the easiest difficulty. Just makes it go by quicker, so you don't have to drag through the mud with each and every confrontation.

For what it's worth, I prefer Uncharted (especially 4, which is ironically made by TLoU crew). I also think all of Naughty Dog's games have horrid pacing, though I really enjoy their stories and set pieces. Except for maybe Uncharted 4. That really was pretty great all around.

@dr_beaverah:
I mean its not Uncharted, so expecting to be is the first problem...

What difficulty are you playing on? The gameplay is good, but is can be a chore at times. The story is what makes the game so compelling. Once you slog through the slow start, the relationship between Ellie and Joel really grips hold. Then everything will start to click, especially after upgrading your weapons, etc.

Also, don't forget the multiplayer. It is incredible and very different to most competitive shooters out there.

If it's the change in difficulty, don't be afraid to knock it down to easy and just enjoy the story.

Did not like playing this game very much. The story was well delivered but didn't do a ton for me as a plot. Like others said, if you like the story but not the gameplay put it on a lower difficulty. Otherwise not sure though. I think it's pretty good but nothing beyond that.

Weirdly enough, I've done a similar thing this year. I played through all of the Uncharted series with the exception of Uncharted 4 and replayed The Last of Us soon after, although with a break between to complete The Witcher DLC. I really enjoyed replaying The Last of Us, and in respect of story, atmosphere and gameplay, I personally think that it's Naughty Dog's best game.

If you're not feeling it after 4 hours then perhaps it's just not for you, but the story still had the same emotional punch to me as it did the first time around, so personally I think that it stands the test of time as an overall experience rather than just being of the moment or whatever. That said, it's not trying to be the same kind of popcorn movie thrill-ride that Uncharted was going for. It's a quieter, more slowly paced game that plays better if you lean more into the stealth side of it, so I guess it's not necessarily going to be something you'd like just because you enjoy Uncharted.

I found the game to be very interesting and fascinating but not exactly balls to the wall fun. That's something I can deal with every now and then with certain games. The Last of Us can be really tense and dreadful and that's completely fine for me. It's the appropriate tone they're going for

My problem was that I had spoiled a lot the big moments for myself and that made it hard for me to get invested. I still wanna play through it just for the hell of it though.

I've played it for the first time this year too. Took me about 2 hours to warm up to it (until the end of Boston), but I ended up really liking it. Surprisingly enough, not only the story, but also the gameplay. The fights felt like a really well done mix of stealth-combat puzzles and a brutal, hectic fight for survival to me.

For the record, though, I do not like the Uncharted games at all. I think TLoU is very different from those, if you don't enjoy it after 4 hours it might just not be for you.

Not attempting to make a snarky post, but going from Uncharted (a series I love) to The Last of Us (a game I consider a landmark achievement) is like going from Indiana Jones to Apocalypse Now and expecting to find the same entertainment.

Replayed the game on PS4 last year and yep, still one of the most compelling games I've ever played. Defiantly recommend playing on hard for the full experience.

I wouldn't expect it to change drastically tbh. I had the same reaction; there's something about the more serious tone makes the gameplay shortcomings more annoying than they are in the Uncharted games. Though my enthusiasm has waned I'll still take any Uncharted over TLOU.

You are not alone, as much as i tried i did not like that game at all. Maybe got 3 or 4 hours in before i decided i wasnt enjoying anything i was doing in it. The intro is still one of the most memorable things in games though.

You might not like the game but I'm not sure what Uncharted has to do with it. I had beaten Uncharted 1 and 2 when I played TLOU. I have since played through UC 3 and 4. The games were made by the same people (at least some of them) and of course have some similarities (you can definitely see the influence of TLOU on Uncharted 4) but it's not like there's a clear progression between them. TLOU is just a slower, more methodical, and in some ways smaller scale (you fight fewer enemies and have less massive environments and set pieces) game. It's more intimate and grittier.

I doubt you would have liked TLOU more had you not played Uncharted 4 first.

For what it's worth it took some time for the game to grow on me, and I even put it down for a few weeks at one point, but I played the entire second half over a weekend and ended up really enjoying it. I do think the game gets better when you've upgraded some stuff and have more options in combat.

I don't think you "missed the window" for playing the game, but you might just not like it. Don't be afraid to bail if it's not working for you, but I might push on for another hour or two to see whether that changes your perspective.

This.

You didn't miss any window, you're just expecting it to be something that it isn't. The Last of Us is as much of a good game as it was when it first came out. It's OK if you don't like it, not everyone has to and to each their own. But remember that just because it isn't action focused it doesn't mean it's bad or that the different gameplay and pace should be considered as a flaw, because it isn't. You should approach this one as a stealth game with some light survival, not as a balls out action game.