The whole issue of throwing an object to distract an enemy needs to be dealt with more intelligently in general. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory probably did this the best. The first time you throw a rock or can, it might distract the guard and get them to go check out the noise. The second time, however, it will piss them off and make them suspicious. They'll know someone is making noise to mess with them. If you keep throwing items, not only will they not go check for the source, they'll probably raise the alert level, turn on their flashlights, and hunt as a pack (3-4 guards together) to come smoke you out.

This applies to basically any noise you make in Chaos Theory. The more times a guard hears you making noise, the more likely you are to get boned by the quite intelligent AI.

The only real nitpick I have with this video is the criticism of the jump between Winter and Spring. Joel and Ellie definitely were not acting as if "nothing had happened". You can easily tell that Ellie has been affected by this event; she's more muted, mainly after seeing the picture of the deer right at the beginning, which probably made her remember the events of Winter, a time where she truly lost her innocence. It makes the giraffe scene better, as Ellie finds a small bit of hope and happiness again, if only for a short while.

"*THUMP THUMP THUMP* "I got a key for this gate, I suggest we be quiet." made me laugh

I know this is an old review but after winter they just didnt continue like nothing happened. Ellie is a lot more quiet while Joel is now the one who tries to lighten the mood

"I see no reason why I should be punished for my lack of dedication to a multiplayer mode so a person with more free time can feel better about themselves"
DAMN MATTHEW. TELL US HOW YOU REALLY FEEL!!!

I didn't have that bug but the way the sound dropped off when someone was in another room was sometimes a bit harsh.

As for a score out of a hundred I have to decline to offer one. Putting in a score steals too much focus from the analysis itself, eventually I'd be seeing people saying "Matthew thinks TLoU is X/100" instead of discussing the game. I don't intent to hand out scores for anything I review, I hope you understand.

I actually think the chapter transition work really well cause the game glosses over what would have been pretty bad scenes. Having Joel after the winter sequence ask Ellie how she feels about nearly getting raped by a cannibal would have been a pretty bad scene. We know how Ellie feels, the next scene shows her being distant, it's had a big effect on her. Scenes in which characters 'exposition' with each other about something that just happened are shit.

The critique of the giraffe scene is questionable to me. It would seem, if only taking this video into consideration, that Matthew doesn't understand that a story directly emphasizing its theme does not always mean its prior, subtler communication of that theme is undermined. I am a fiction writer myself, went to university for it, spend most of my time reading, writing and thinking about narrative, and from my experience this is one of those things that wholly depends on the writer's discretion, and the unique context of the particular narrative surrounding it.

The giraffe scene in The Last of Us is like a waterfall, and the prior, more indirect emphasis on the beauty of nature like the hike through the forest before you reach that waterfall. If you listen closely, you can hear the rush of the water before you ever break through the treeline, but even if you enjoy its presence in subtle terms like those, the moment where you do see the waterfall is no less majestic or ripe with awe.

The giraffe scene is not the game bludgeoning you over the head with one of its themes, but rather a kind of crystalline punctuation on knowledge the player, whether they realize it or not, already has. There are many breadcrumb-like details that point to this moment, such as the escaped monkeys running loose around the university campus, etc. It's not a scene meant to ensure you "got" the message if you hadn't prior; it's a moment where together the game, its makers, and you share a moment of bliss, - and more importantly, optimism. Because after this scene, even though light and dark are woven in many shades, just as in the rest of the game, no other moment will have this real, unambivalent brightness.

On my first playthrough that invisible sniper really pissed me off. I even said to my brother who was watching me play that part, "Who even okay-ed this?"

you are a lot better of a reviewer than angry joe. You have his sternness, but at the same time you are fair and understanding because it seems you really are knowledgeable about the development process in video games. Probably one of the best reviewers out there. never stop this man. You have a real talent.

Yeah, Matt has a real talent for reviews

Ahhhh, clickers ain't shit.

Throw a molotov into the middle of an area they're in and the noise will draw them to it. They'll literally stand right in the flame and burn themselves to death.

17:25 "Gotta get outta here!"
17:33 "Oh look, they're having a sale on books"

"If Naughty Dog decides to revisit this world, I hope they do so with some new characters instead."


Curb Your Enthusiasm theme starts playing

"We go from Ellie just escaping brutal murder from a cannibal, to Joel and Ellie walking along as though nothing has happened"... You mean the bit where she's spacing out and looking at the picture of the deer, reliving and remember part of the horror of winter just passed, and then mentally checking out a couple of minutes later in the bus depot. Seems as though there was still some effects in play there.

24:07 Bruh, I didn't even know stalkers existed in this game.

They've both gotten overblown acclaim but as far as I'm concerned TLoU is a lot closer to deserving its praise than Infinite. I'm considering doing a comparison video between the two games to go into this a bit more, is that something people would like to see?

This is still the best The Last of Us review on the internet. Most reviews are either "ZOMG BEST GAME 5EVAR 10/10" or "The AI is bad and I'm completely going to overlook the good things of this game 4/10" This reviews avoids both and manages to stay objective, mature and well-informed. In my opinion, the game is an 8.5/10 to me. It's pretty great, but the AI fucks some parts of the game, especially the parts involving stealth.

I really enjoyed you pointing out the nature vs. man aspect of the giraffe scene, as I never thought of it that way. But I think the reason that scene is there is not only for that theme. I viewed it in relation to the mental state of Ellie at that time. She had just been traumatized, and was notably distant and quiet. That scene was a welcome relief between two extreme traumas for her, and was a reminder that she still has her youthful curiosity and enthusiasm. My impression was that the writer was saying, "Remember, she's still a teenager, after all," which made her more sympathetic. In fact, the song playing is titled Vanishing Grace (Childhood). It also built up Joel's decision in the ending that way.

The ending also was complete to me, because it merged the two themes of survival vs. morality and the need for belonging/companionship, although it initially didn't feel complete.

Subtitles say "Yeah"
"I bet I would have"
0/10 dropped shit game