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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Last of Us Remastered in Video Games

Jul 22, 2020

Perseverance pays off apparently

I absolutely love the Uncharted series, so when The Last of Us launched at the end of the PS3s lifecycle, I was naturally excited to play it. I didn't get very far before I gave up on it. It just failed to grab me, and I couldn't quite figure out why.
Fast forward to the Remastered release on PS4, and I had exactly the same issue. I got a little further this time (reached the abandoned hotel) but just got distracted by another game and never bothered to go back.
About a month before TLOU2 released, I decided to give it one last try, and it finally clicked into place.
Before I knew it, I was obsessed with finding as many supplies and resources as I could, checking every dark corner and locked room, as I slowly grew to care deeply for Joel and Ellie along the way.

This bleak and unforgiving world of TLOU is possibly what put me off before, but this time around I found it easy to get lost in (definitely nothing to do with the current state of the real world...probably).
The combat is a little jumpy at times, but it has that unmistakable Naughty Dog design that has since been perfected and it's easy enough to get used to. Whilst I wound up frustrated at enemy encounters early on, by the games halfway point it all felt a lot smoother and satisfyingly brutal.
The "zombies" are straightforward enough, but the design of the Clickers is something original and particularly nasty.

The narrative is the main draw for TLOU though. The characters of Joel and Ellie are so well crafted, and the back and forth between the two is extremely well written. The sense of protection that I felt for Ellie was strong, so hats off to Naughty Dog for smashing that element.

I'm glad I finally got round to seeing the appeal of TLOU. It's a well crafted adventure that deserves the praise it gets.

Kudos

Elizabeth (1521 KP) Jul 23, 2020

I also lost interest around the abandoned hotel. I've recently been thinking of revisiting the game now that I have more time to play.

Kudos

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) Jul 23, 2020

I would definitely recommend it. Maybe try playing it when you have no other games to distract you, but I completely understand the hesitation!

Kudos

ClareR (5879 KP) rated The End of Men in Books

Jun 8, 2021

The End of Men

Christina Sweeney-Baird | 2021 | Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Oh. My. Goodness. This book is totally my cup of tea (unlike in this book, it has both tea and milk in it). I’ve always been drawn to science fiction, dystopian and apocalyptic styles of novels ever since I read Stephen Kings The Stand as a teenager. The End of Men drew me in and had me checking the news outlets, just to check that Covid-19 hadn’t taken a turn for the even worse - and I’m not joking here. I did question whether reading a book about a global pandemic during a global pandemic was a good idea, and then I told myself to shut up, sit back and just enjoy it (much the same as when I read Last One at The Party by Bethany Clift!). And I really did!

This is told from multiple perspectives. There are mostly recurring characters, such as Dr Maclean, some scientists, the anthropologist, intelligence and government types, interspersed with ‘ordinary’ people who were also affected and lost friends and family. We see perspectives from all over the world. The voices of these people all seem so real: their pain, confusion and determination coming through in their own voices, as their stories are all told in journal form.

The End of Men had pretty much the same effect on me as World War Z: I was checking the news and the windows (just in case), completely preoccupied with the book whilst I was reading it, and I predictably experienced a stonking book-hangover when it ended.
This is science fiction for people who wouldn’t normally pick up science fiction (a bit like a gateway drug!). It reads like contemporary fiction - the here and now.

This novel had me on the edge of my seat and in tears - and a bit angry at times, truth be told. This doesn’t feel like you’re reading science-fiction, it has a tinge of the non-fiction about it. Perhaps that’s because of the times we’re living in...
Would I recommend it? You’d better believe I would!