by Wolf Bird » Wed Mar 19, '14, 2:29 am
I don't think really there's a game or series in general that I really obsess over overall. That said, there are definitely games that in short-medium term, as I play them and for a time after, capture my mind and imagination more than others. I've talked about this game plenty lately, but I have to again, because The Last of Us certainly falls into this category.
I don't think it's because I particularly love the game, at least the way I love, say EarthBound or Okami. I think it's multifacted as to why TLoU has captivated me. For one, it has done what no movie, TV show, novel or other game in my memory has done - make me want to play it while simultaneously making me hesitate to do so. It's because I get truly, physically tense playing it. Not because I'm trying to do something hard, but because it is truly frightening and conveys incredible intensity with each encounter (and consequences of failure are severe and brutal). And I feel it - I was playing Saturday night, and as soon as I booted my save I had to get around four instant-kill enemies (clickers). I successfully stealthed past them, and had little time to relax before having to confront a group of six pack enemies (runners)...and then had to navigate through a building with mixed groups, taking several tries. That ended in meeting a new enemy type (the bloater) that raised the stakes on the Cordyceps disease and brought closure to a bit of foreshadowing. By the time I finished playing, I was shaking from tension as badly as I do after an intense workout.
The second reason is the Cordyceps itself. Naughty Dog took incredible care to make this seem like a real disease. It isn't just THERE...they gave it a history, a source, pathophysiology, a life cycle, everything to make it seem real. It has a story as well. Of course, eventually, reality gives way to the science fiction, but the fact remains that Cordyceps is a real thing in the world, and the creative director got the game idea from the BBC's Planet Earth and learning about this real mind bending fungus. Because Naughty Dog successfully and artfully bridged reality and science fiction, I sometimes wonder...
Could it happen?
Next Pokemon game(s): Pearl
Last finished Pokémon game: Shield
Other games: Skyrim Special Edition (Switch), Spyro Reignited Trilogy (Switch & PS4), Okami (Switch & PS4)
Other gaming goals: completing a Living Pokedex (minus some event Pokes) and going through at least 1 game per generation