http://gamewizzard.com gamewizzard.com en Copyright (c) 2008-2026 5 Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:10:11 +0000 Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:10:11 +0000 gamewizzard.com http://gamewizzard.com http://gamewizzard.com/news/11/59994/The-Last-of-Us-Part-II-Gain-Ground-and-McQueen--Staying-In-Episode-58.html The-Last-of-Us Wed, 4 Jul 2018 07:38:02 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/11/59994/The-Last-of-Us-Part-II-Gain-Ground-and-McQueen--Staying-In-Episode-58.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/91/2593/How-Naughty-Dog-Is-Enhancing-The-Last-of-Us-Part-II’s-Combat.html
The Last of Us: Part II opened Sony’s press conference with a bang. Not only did we meet a new character named Dina who’s obviously important in Ellie’s life, but we also saw a slice of the combat. As with any follow-up title, the next game always looks to improve on its predecessor, and true to Naughty Dog, it’s set on taking things to the next level. During E3 2018, I got the opportunity to sit with co-directors Kurt Margenau and Anthony Newman to discuss how combat has evolved and what we can expect from it the highly anticipated sequel. 
Proving More Stealth Options
According to Newman, when the Naughty Dog team sat down to think about the game, it explored what worked well and what would be appropriate for this game and expand on what was done previously. “The Last of Us has always been about the natural world and reclaiming society and civilization, so a natural evolution of Last of Us 1 was to increase the vegetation in the world,” he explained. “That obviously plays into the stealth game that’s super important, so that pushed us to create this analog stealth system where based on your stance, whether you’re crouched, standing, or prone in the thickness of the vegetation you’re in, enemies have an easier or harder time seeing you. There’s this sliding scale of how susceptible you are. It’s more appropriate to the tension of the world of The Last of Us.” That means gone are the isolated patches, and instead, the environments offer lush, full forests that provide plenty of opportunities for Ellie to strategize.
Melee Has Been Revamped
In the demo, we saw Ellie dodging left and right as enemies attacked her. Naughty Dog added a dedicated dodge button this time around. “This allows us to do a lot more with melee,” Margenau said. “You can fight multiple enemies at once and [there are] all these cool contextual moves she does like planting off the surface and attacking with various finishers. We also have all the melee weapons, like she’s able to take a hammer off someone and use that.”
“That’s actually a new detail; if you don’t have a melee weapon beyond your switchblade and you’re finishing off someone who does have one, you can smoothly transition and grab that weapon from them,” Newman added.
Historically, melee has been animation-based, but more collision-based elements are being added to it. For instance, if a brute keeps swinging his hammer, he can hit stuff in the environment if he misses the player. “It’s kind of a small detail but it makes the system much more connected to the environment,” Newman explained. This has also enhanced the returning melee weapons, such as the machete and switchblade. Newman spoke to the movesets being more nuanced and complex than they were in the first game.
Taking Care Of Arrow Wounds
In the trailer, we saw Ellie face off against bow-and-arrow enemies. At one point, she gets an arrow stuck in her. This was not scripted for the demo; it’s something else you must consider as you battle menacing foes. When an arrow pierces you, it stays in you until you find a safe place to remove it. “While it’s in you, you don’t have access to listen mode and your aim is all out of whack,” Margenau said. “It’s the first status effect that we’ve introduced in the game,” Newman added.
Making Crafting Matter
Margenau confirmed there will be new craftable ammo for the bow and arrow, such as the explosive arrow we saw in the demo. “When we think about crafting such a core part of that experience in the Last of Us is the choice you make and what you give up when you craft it,” Margenau said. The team is always looking for what makes the experience unique as opposed to giving you a laundry list of items you can craft. It’s important there’s always something at stake. “It is a delicate balance of what options you give the player and what we showed is just a slice of what we’re planning,” Margenau teased. 
A Different Fighter With More Enemies To Master
This entry is upping the ante with the weapons enemies use against you, such as bow-and-arrow users alongside different classes of the infected. Margenau spoke to one big adversary, who has a heavy melee attack and can throw Ellie through things and over things. He’s certainly no pushover; he can also block and parry your attacks. This doesn’t mean Ellie is defenseless against him, though. “This is obviously a harsh world and anybody who is going to survive in this world must become a very competent fighter,” Newman said. “Ellie has had five years to pick up some new tricks along the way.”
However, the team also had to think of how she would be a different fighter than Joel and what would make sense for her character. “She’s not as big or as bulky as Joel,” Newman explained. “She’s not going to be able to just overpower enemies with her raw strength.” 
To compensate for this difference and to keep combat interesting, Naughty Dog added a dodge for the melee to increase complexity. A new addition is also a jump button to make environments more vertical. “This makes escaping more dynamic and frenetic,” Newman said about the addition. “Escaping is always an option,” Margenau added. “The squeezing through and hiding under things … you don’t always have to kill everyone.” 
No Easy Way Out
While I discussed combat with Margenau and Newman one thing that kept coming up was the importance of tension, which they aren’t letting simmer in the slightest. “We’re trying to provide a lot more options for the player,” Newman said. “Overall, the level of threat that you’ll be facing means that you’re not going to be able to take things head on. Whether you want to do stealth or go loud with your combat, you’re never going to be able to do it without putting a lot of careful thought into what you’re doing.” The co-directors assured us they’ve expanded both the stealth and action playstyles. Naughty Dog wants players to have options and different ways to tackle every situation. “We’re not trying to make it more of an action game than The Last of Us,” Margenau assured. “It’s still a survival action game.”
To learn more about The Last of Us: Part II, check out that delves deeper into the narrative. ]]> The-Last-of-Us Tue, 3 Jul 2018 02:38:06 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/91/2593/How-Naughty-Dog-Is-Enhancing-The-Last-of-Us-Part-II’s-Combat.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/53/2160/The-Last-of-Us-2-The-E3-demo-was-fake-The-game-will-be-downgraded--Naughty-Dog-Interview.html The-Last-of-Us Tue, 3 Jul 2018 01:51:58 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/53/2160/The-Last-of-Us-2-The-E3-demo-was-fake-The-game-will-be-downgraded--Naughty-Dog-Interview.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/85/11228/Sony-Posts-Witty-Tweet-Says-The-Last-of-Us-Is-The-Greatest-Game-Ever.html The-Last-of-Us Mon, 2 Jul 2018 14:33:23 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/85/11228/Sony-Posts-Witty-Tweet-Says-The-Last-of-Us-Is-The-Greatest-Game-Ever.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/41/8146/Tech-Analysis-How-The-Last-of-Us-2-pushes-realism-to-the-next-level.html
To what extent can further technological innovation be delivered on the current generation of console hardware? Sony stood up to be counted at E3 2018 with a series of superb gameplay reveals - and taking centre-stage was Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part 2. On the surface, it looks as great as you might expect. From its detailed characters to its lush environments, it's clear that the game is shaping up well - but if you look closer, there are some remarkable new technologies on display. From our perspective, animation and interaction are two key areas set to separate this game from its rivals.
What's immediately apparent is that there's a fluidity to the animation quite unlike anything on the market, to the point where some don't even believe that the demo is authentic in-game action. Of course, Naughty Dog has a rich history in pushing back the boundaries in this respect, with the expertly crafted blending and transitions seen in both the Uncharted titles and The Last of Us, but clearly, this latest E3 reveal is on a whole new level - and it's all down to a new animation technology known as motion matching.
"It's this crazy science fiction stuff where you take just hundreds and hundreds of animations of like walking forward and turning or whatever, and you put them in this huge bucket, and then based on what the player is trying to do or what an NPC is trying to do, it pulls from that bucket, sometimes two or three different animations, and blends them together to make this totally seamless thing," co-game director Anthony Newman .
]]> The-Last-of-Us Mon, 2 Jul 2018 01:34:47 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/41/8146/Tech-Analysis-How-The-Last-of-Us-2-pushes-realism-to-the-next-level.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/85/11218/Let-Queer-Characters-Be-Happy.html The-Last-of-Us Sun, 1 Jul 2018 22:33:16 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/85/11218/Let-Queer-Characters-Be-Happy.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/40/14563/Sony-Posts-Witty-Tweet-Says-The-Last-of-Us-Is-The-Greatest-Game-Ever.html The-Last-of-Us Sun, 1 Jul 2018 16:12:29 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/40/14563/Sony-Posts-Witty-Tweet-Says-The-Last-of-Us-Is-The-Greatest-Game-Ever.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/63/2076/The-Last-of-Us-Part-II-E3-assets-showcase-beautiful-moments-and-brutal-action.html Relive the touching moments, and the brutal visceral ones in a new set of E3 screens and a gameplay trailer for TLOU2.
View the full article, here:]]> The-Last-of-Us Sun, 1 Jul 2018 01:48:34 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/63/2076/The-Last-of-Us-Part-II-E3-assets-showcase-beautiful-moments-and-brutal-action.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/86/5098/E3-2018-Sony-Briefing-roundup.html Did you miss the PlayStation Briefing last night? Greg didn't, he covered the whole show. Check out the roundup below to find out what went on. Ellie kissed a girl and she liked it. New The Last of Us Part II footage To kick off Sony’s E3 2018 press conference, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II was shown, with a new cinematic furthering Ellie’s characterisation into the r...[Read More] Classic Black Ops maps coming to Black Ops III and 4 The four classic maps Jungle, Summit, Slums, and Firing Range are being remastered for Call of Duty Black Ops 4 and, surprisingly, also Black Ops III . Further ...[Read More] Ghost of Tsushima debut gameplay footage New footage was revealed of Sucker Punch’s Samurai adventure game Ghost of Tsushima. A beautiful field full of flora and fauna, followed by a dark forest and so...[Read More] Resident Evil 2 remake re-revealed Finally, after years of waiting we got to see something of the Resident Evil 2 remake. Pretty visuals, shots of Sherry, Ada, and Leon, zombies and a licker, I’m...[Read More] Trover Saves the Universe from Rick and Morty creator Justin Roiland revealed Rick and Morty creator, Justin Roiland, brings us a new comedy sci-fi game for PSVR and PS4, Trover Saves the Universe, developed by Squanch Games, we see what ...[Read More] Death Stranding gameplay footage debut Sony have delivered on the gameplay footage we’ve all been waiting for, footage for Kojima Production’s Death Stranding. It looks gorgeous, eerie and confusing,...[Read More] New Spider-Man gameplay footage The Sony E3 2018 press conference delivered some more Spider-Man footage, revealing several classic villains will be involved in the adventure. And with the tit...[Read More] Control revealed A third-person action game with physics manipulation, possibly also some time manipulation, was shown off at the E3 2018 Sony press conference. A new title call...[Read More] Nioh 2 revealed Nioh 2 got a quick reveal teaser in the Sony E3 2018 press conference. A really quick teaser. I’m sure it’ll pop up online shortly, but as of yet no...[Read More]
]]> The-Last-of-Us Sun, 1 Jul 2018 01:47:25 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/86/5098/E3-2018-Sony-Briefing-roundup.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/86/5113/Ellie-kissed-a-girl-and-she-liked-it-New-The-Last-of-Us-Part-II-footage.html To kick off Sony’s E3 2018 press conference, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II was shown, with a new cinematic furthering Ellie’s characterisation into the realm of a lesbian relationship, and gameplay footage showing off the brutal combat you’d expect from the series but revealing the protagonist to be, in fact, Ellie this time around. Stealth mechanics, distracting whistles, salvaging for weapons and equipment, world-class voice acting and desperately intense combat is certainly the order of the day. Be sure to check out the trailer below:
]]> The-Last-of-Us Sun, 1 Jul 2018 01:47:25 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/86/5113/Ellie-kissed-a-girl-and-she-liked-it-New-The-Last-of-Us-Part-II-footage.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/91/2583/Survival-Horrror-Cooperative-Shooter-GTFO-Shows-Promise.html
Gamers have had a glut of interesting cooperative shooters to play in the last few years, with standouts like Destiny, Ghost Recon Wildlands, and The Division keeping squads together through various universes. But one curious absence in the current cooperative landscape is a survival-horror experience that riffs on the tension and teamplay sensibilities of the cult favorite Left 4 Dead franchise. A small team of former Payday developers at 10 Chambers Collective hopes to tap into that neglected theme with GTFO. 
This universe isn't another me-too zombie game sending waves of brain-eaters at your squad. Instead, players assume the role of prisoners sent into the depths of a mysterious underground complex against their will to retrieve curious items of interest for their warden. Finding the objects is easy enough; making it out alive is the tricky part, as the halls are roamed by deadly monstrosities that look like grotesque evolutions of The Last of Us' clickers.
Before dropping into the darkened halls for a hands-on session I had a chance to check out the arsenal available to players. Each prisoner can carry two guns, a melee weapon, and a special tool like a motion sensor, area scanner that can tag enemies behind walls, sentry turret,  and a glue gun that can be used to slow the advancing horde of creatures. Picking the right combination of tools can be key to making it back alive.
When we drop into the complex, its halls are eerily quiet. A squad member scans each door before we open it expecting to find a pack of enemies waiting for us, but four doors in we haven't seen a thing. The tension hanging heavily in the air continues to build with each empty chamber, but eventually the scanner lights up with activity. We move carefully so not to disturb the enemies, and they stand quietly, waiting to spring into action at the command of the scout. These creatures extend visible tendrils into the atmosphere hoping to pick up movement. Once they sense someone is there they let out a shrill cry to spring the other enemies into action. Moving around these tendrils can be dangerous, but we arm our melee weapons and successfully take this small forward group out stealthily to avoid a bigger firefight.
Moving further into the complex, we come across a command console near a locked door. These computers look like they are running DOS, and players can even type commands into the prompt. Since we need the key to the door, we query its location into the console and it gives us a new objective marker to pursue. 10 Chambers doesn't want to hold players' hands in these circumstances, and instead wants the teams to problem-solve solutions. Players also have to work together to figure out how to open locked supply crates.
Going further into the complex, things finally get hairy. Once alerted, the enemies come fast and furiously, forcing players to stay in constant communication and never stray too far from one other. Friendly fire compounds the issue, as a few wayward bullets can do the creature's job for them. These frantic battles create great circumstances for heroic moments, like the last person standing trying frantically to survive the wave so they can revive their fallen comrades. Failing to do so would kick you back to the start of the mission, though longer challenges will feature some checkpoints with the caveat that they only save during the duration of that play session. If you shut down for the day, you'll have to start from scratch next time. 
Unlike Payday, which sent unrelenting waves at you the moment you get noticed, GTFO is a much more rhythmic experience, shifting from quiet moments of stealth and resource gathering to the more deadly enemy onslaughts. Giving players a breather is a welcome evolution, as supplies can be scarce and making sure everyone has at least a few clips and access to a med kit is crucial before engaging the next encounter.
Once we find the keycard, the real firefight begins. We head back to the Apex door that has the object of interest behind its walls, and insert the key. This starts a bioscan, where all four players must stand in a highlighted circle to get the door to unlock. Apex doors make you go through multiple bioscans before opening, during which waves of enemies continue to rush toward your position.
Preparing for these battles is crucial; we make sure to cover the floor in front of us with glue to slow their approach and position the sentry so it covers two hallways. Our original plan was sound, but in moving from the second to the third bioscan we forget to move the sentry to a forward position. When the horrors descend on our position, the sentry picks up the movement and starts firing. This proves to be a problem considering we are standing in between the monsters and the turret. Friendly fire – 1, squad – 0. Thus ends our run in the underground; another team of prisoners will have to complete the job. 
GTFO pulls no punches. The missions can be unapologetically hard, demanding constant communication between squad mates if you want to make it to the extraction point. The missions are tiered so players must complete three jobs before they get to one that provides a loot drop. 10 Chamber Collective founder Ulf Andersson says they want to slow the reward drip so each time you get an item it feels more meaningful. Some missions could take upwards of six hours to complete, but the studio also plans to offer more breezy "lunch" missions as well. 
The gameplay felt tight, and the studio is aiming for 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. Given those parameters, you may be surprised to learn it's running on the Unity engine, a popular mobile platform that is making strides into the PC and console platforms. 
10 Chambers Collective hopes to have a beta out on PC by the end of the year, but won't release it until they feel it's ready. I only experienced a brief slice of gameplay, but the emphasis on teamwork and suffocating tension make this one worth watching. ]]> The-Last-of-Us Sun, 1 Jul 2018 01:39:12 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/91/2583/Survival-Horrror-Cooperative-Shooter-GTFO-Shows-Promise.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/41/8124/PlayStation-Hits-is-PS4s-new-£16-budget-games-range.html
Sony has announced PlayStation Hits, a new budget games range for PlayStation 4 which features some of the platform's best exclusives.
Uncharted 4, Bloodborne and The Last of Us Remastered are all present and correct. Killzone Shadow Fall, InFamous Second Son and Driveclub are also included.
Strangely, there's no sign of Knack.
]]> The-Last-of-Us Sun, 1 Jul 2018 01:35:40 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/41/8124/PlayStation-Hits-is-PS4s-new-£16-budget-games-range.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/133/9943/E3-2018-A-new-Xbox-announced-kinda-and-games-like-Fallout-76-The-Last-of-Us-Halo-Fortnite.html The-Last-of-Us Sat, 30 Jun 2018 01:44:30 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/133/9943/E3-2018-A-new-Xbox-announced-kinda-and-games-like-Fallout-76-The-Last-of-Us-Halo-Fortnite.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/41/8107/Sony-offers-beauty-evasion-and-a-little-hubris-at-E3.html
There are a number of reasons why Sony's PlayStation showcase at this year's E3 was a little odd - and to be fair to the electronics giant, it did warn us. A few weeks ago, Sony issued word that it would be taking a new approach, avoiding major first-party announcements and focusing on four games that had already broken cover at least a year previously: Spider-Man, The Last of Us Part 2, Death Stranding and Ghosts of Tsushima. (Days Gone, star of the show two years ago, seems to have been thrown under a bus - and it's .)
This was a surprisingly blunt bit of expectation management, and the truth behind it is quite simple. Sony's marketing enthusiasm has long outpaced its actual first-party game development, and having announced too much too soon over the course of the last five years, it needed to take a year on the benches to let the studios catch up. There are simply no unannounced PS4 exclusives left in the tank. (Or if there are, Sony has in its wisdom decided it is too early, or E3 is not the right venue for any of them.)
Nor was it necessarily a problem. Armed with the knowledge that we would not be surprised, we could relax and enjoy extensive demos of four strikingly beautiful-looking games. Well, three. It's good that Spider-Man is only a few months from release, because this antic, joyful superhero game from Insomniac begs to be played and didn't really need another overly busy and garish demo, stuffed with characters and complicated peril, to sell us on it. It was an odd choice for the closer given the majesty on display elsewhere.
]]> The-Last-of-Us Sat, 30 Jun 2018 01:37:08 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/41/8107/Sony-offers-beauty-evasion-and-a-little-hubris-at-E3.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/4/4644/SpiderMan-handson-—-It’s-the-webhead-game-you’ve-always-wanted.html When the bizarre (but entertaining) PlayStation media briefing ended the night before the opening of the Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show in Los Angeles, Sony Interactive Entertainment ushered us out into a Spider-Man-themed after party. After spending time on games like Ghosts of Tsushima, Death Stranding, and The Last of Us Part II, the publisher ...]]]> The-Last-of-Us Sat, 30 Jun 2018 01:35:49 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/4/4644/SpiderMan-handson-—-It’s-the-webhead-game-you’ve-always-wanted.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/4/4648/How-Sony-showed-us-The-Last-of-Us-Part-II.html In a press event in a sound stage converted into a giant church for 3,000 journalists and other onlookers, Sony unveiled more details about Naughty Dog's next big game, The Last of Us Part II, at the 2018 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) today in Los Angeles. The trailer of gameplay showed Ellie, older than in ...]]]> The-Last-of-Us Sat, 30 Jun 2018 01:35:49 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/4/4648/How-Sony-showed-us-The-Last-of-Us-Part-II.html http://gamewizzard.com/news/4/4657/Sony’s-E3-2018-strategy-isn’t-about-PlayStation-5-—-GamesBeat-Decides.html At the Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show in Los Angeles next month, Sony has announced that its PlayStation event will focus on Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima, Spider-Man, and The Last of Us Part II. Some fans have already taken this as a sign that the PlayStation 5 is coming, because Sony Worldwide Studios would have ...]]]> The-Last-of-Us Sat, 30 Jun 2018 01:35:49 +0000 http://gamewizzard.com/news/4/4657/Sony’s-E3-2018-strategy-isn’t-about-PlayStation-5-—-GamesBeat-Decides.html