The Last of Us Part I Review (SkullySM)
**DISCLAIMER** The Crash Of Us 2023
I would recommend this game but only under a specific set of circumstances. If you have system settings that are the same, or less than mine PLEASE consider not purchasing this title until they have actually optimized this game for PC. As of right now it is a VERY unoptimized port of this game and is VERY graphically intensive.
So after beating the game 1 1/2 times I believe I can finally make a review. The huge negative to this game is the system requirements to run it. The game is NOT optimized correctly. I have a pretty decent PC and at times struggled to keep even 30 FPS on medium to high settings. Although in many places I did get between 40-60 FPS
System:
GTX 2080 Super
Intel I9-9700K
1TB SSD
32 GB RAM
1920X1080 monitor (Resolution makes a huge difference)
That being said, if you do get the game PLEASE allow the game to complete it's compilation of shaders at the main menu before you start playing the game. If you do not allow the game to complete "compiling shaders" at the main menu, the game *will* crash and have HUGE visual errors. It took nearly 3 hours for me to compile shaders at the main menu, even with my PC. Mind you, this would be past the point of allowing a refund if for some reason I wanted to return the game so you are warned, once you buy it you basically cant try it out and return it.
That being said, TLOU is a fantastic story driven shooter, stealth, looter, and horror game. I had patiently waited 10 years for this game to come to PC and was extremely happy when it finally released. The game-play and world building is vast, and terrifying in many regards. The melee combat is the most satisfying experience I've had since playing Mad Max and I LOVED the melee combat in that game. Progression is well paced *AND* once you beat the game you can start a New Game+ which allows you to keep all of your inventory and start the campaign over again which is super bad ass, I had no idea that'd be a thing. The shooting, crafting, and looting in this game are also fantastic and feel very rewarding. I often found myself double, triple, and quadruple checking everything and *STILL* missed many collectibles and one locked room on my game.
I slugged through the visual errors, long loading times, frame dumps, and many, many crashes while playing the game. The game actually starting crashing significantly more during my New Game+ for some reason, as I had literally no crashes during the entirety of the main game after allowing it to compile shaders. So you are now warned. If your PC can handle the game it is worth it, just expect some issues, or do not purchase it. Comparable to how DayZ standalone released.