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The Last of Us Part 2 Will Have Many Accessibility Options, New Upgrade System, Every single character has a heartbeat.

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

Speaking with 3D Juegos, The Last of Us Part 2 director Neil Druckmann confirmed that the game will have many accessibility options, so that the game will be playable regardless of players’ skill levels or their auditory or visual abilities.

“We will have many accessibility options,” said Druckmann. “We know that not everyone has the same skill, the same visual or auditory ability. We want to make sure everyone can enjoy the story.”

The Last of Us Part 2 will, of course, also have multiple difficult settings for players to choose from. That said, Druckmann also gave assurances that regardless of what difficulty the game is played on, it will still always be a tense experience, because that, according to him, is a vital part of the game and of Ellie’s story.

“We want the game to be accessible so that many people can play it, but that everyone feels the tension no matter what difficulty they play it on,” he said. “That tension is very important in Ellie’s story and the feeling that leaves you.”


We recently got our hands on the game at a preview event, and it seems upgrades are more than just a way to make Ellie stronger; they'll drastically change the way you play. GameSpot editor Phil Hornshaw spent time with the game and also spoke to co-director Anthony Newman about the feature.

When Phil inquired about the upgrade system, Newman said, "There was so much we really wanted to explore in terms of player strategy. We really wanted to try and double-down on allowing players to express themselves strategically and find their own way to play the game. And so something I'm really thrilled about is the new player upgrade system where rather than having upgrades that are just minor stat booths to different things, we really wanted to have upgrades that potentially unlocked entirely new abilities or just had drastic effects on the way that you played a game."

It seems that several gameplay mechanics will stack as you improve Ellie's capabilities, Newman gave an example saying, "One totally new ability you can get is holding your breath while aiming to steady your aim. It doesn't come by default but you can learn it over time." These can overlap with other systems, and Newman continued, "There are entire crafting recipes, like the silencer for the pistol, that you can only learn via the player upgrade system. Or some really extreme upgrades where you can craft two of an item for the same resources. You can craft two trap mines or two smoke bombs for the same resources."

By the sound of it, different players may end up with different gameplay experiences gameplay in The Last Of Us Part II, but aren't beholden to a specific 'build' per se. As Newman concluded, "You can find these synergies between playstyle, a set of weapon upgrades that you get at the workbench, a set of player upgrades that all create this confluence of a unique version of the game for yourself."


Everyone, it seems, has a heartbeat.

There’s no heartbeat monitor in The Last of Us Part 2. It’s not a gameplay mechanic where you have to keep a steady heartbeat and there’s no stamina meter to worry about. But characters’ heart rates do alter the game in significant ways.

Anthony Newman, the game’s co-director, explained this new technology in an interview with Polygon.

“Just every facet of the game updated some new level,” said Newman. “One of them is the audio where, I’m not sure if you noticed it, but as Ellie sprints around and then she settles, she’ll kind of [mimics heavy breathing] catch her breath.”

This is a cool touch, but heavy breathing after a sprint isn’t all that unique in video games. Apparently it goes even deeper, though.

“What’s happening behind the scenes is that [Ellie] has a heart rate that is oscillating up and down,” Newman said. “It goes up when you sprint, it goes up when you melee, it goes up when you take damage, and goes up into the presence of enemies. And that modulates the bucket of breathing sounds that she’s able to use.”

In other words, any action you take will have an impact on the sounds that Ellie is making. Even just being near enemies will cause her to breathe a little harder, making the scene even more tense and realistic.

But she’s not alone. Every character in The Last of Us Part 2 is driven by the same tech, including human enemies and, yes, even the infected.

“It’s been incredible because I found myself able to play cat and mouse with Clickers better than ever before because I can kind of understand them by the noises that they’re making,” said Newman. “And the humans will do the same thing with breathing and sprinting and stuff.”

 
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Birdo

Banned
As I said in the Death Stranding thread. If you are that bad at games that you just want to watch the story, it's much cheaper to just watch a playthrough on Youtube.
 

JoduanER2

Member
Nice feature to add more inmersion. It will make you feel like you are really in control of a human being, who is afraid and reacts to what is happening around him/her. I just hope the game is not as "woke" as its creators.
 
Ellie has to learn how to hold her breath?

giphy.gif
 

rəddəM

Member
I want film grain and motion blur sliders.
Chromatic aberration toggle.
Camera and aiming is probably the same as U4.
Aiming at 5. Aiming acceleration at 10. Deadzone at 4 and camera at 10.
Aiming assist at 6.
 

Birdo

Banned
So.......just so happens it's the Sony exclusives that you are calling movies and non-games right?

What? What I just said applies to ANY game. You can just watch a playthrough on Youtube to see the whole game. (The only reason I mentioned those two games, was because those devs mentioned it)

Try not seeing console war crap in everything. Jesus.
 

T_LVPL

Member
I always set games, especially Naughty Dog games straight to Hardest difficulty available at the start. I’ve never even encountered that silly Listen Mode thing which is cheap and ridiculous and everyone on Youtube simply spams all the time. What’s the point? It’s pointless. In Naughty Dog games the whole point is the feeling of suspense and like you might get killed at any moment. and the satisfaction of clearing a difficult area. Simply ploughing through TLoU on easy or normal must be a mediocre experience. Even when i haven’t played it in a year or 2, i’ll go straight to Grounded difficulty otherwise it isn’t fun.
 
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daninthemix

Member
As I said in the Death Stranding thread. If you are that bad at games that you just want to watch the story, it's much cheaper to just watch a playthrough on Youtube.
I know, but I'd rather play on the easiest difficulty just to annoy you.
 

Birdo

Banned
I know, but I'd rather play on the easiest difficulty just to annoy you.

I don't find it annoying. I find it quite interesting that games are having "Story" modes added. I would have used it for the old Resident Evil games, since I hated the gameplay, but wanted to see what happened.

But like I said, in the age of internet playthroughs, you could save money if the story is the only thing you are interested in.

(I don't know why this opinion is so controversial :messenger_expressionless:. When I mentioned it before, most agreed)
 
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Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
I don't mind the accessibility options for those people that are bad at games. It sounds like this game will be tense even on normal 👍
 

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
I don't find it annoying. I find it quite interesting that games are having "Story" modes added. I would have used it for the old Resident Evil games, since I hated the gameplay, but wanted to see what happened.

But like I said, in the age of internet playthroughs, you could save money if the story is the only thing you are interested in.

(I don't know why this opinion is so controversial :messenger_expressionless:. When I mentioned it before, most agreed)

It's not controversial. In all Playstation related threads lately the number one thing Trolls say is the game is a movie or "Where's the gameplay". So I apologize for the comment earlier if you were just being honest. But I assume gamers want to sorta play the game "AND" watch the cutscenes. Having some player agency is better than watching a Youtube video of all the cutscenes.
 

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
It's not controversial. In all Playstation related threads lately the number one thing Trolls say is the game is a movie or "Where's the gameplay". So I apologize for the comment earlier if you were just being honest. But I assume gamers want to sorta play the game "AND" watch the cutscenes. Having some player agency is better than watching a Youtube video of all the cutscenes.
This. And the gameplay in TLOU Pt 2 looks fantastic, especially the melee
 
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DavidGzz

Member
Will anyone remember the heartbeats? Will it matter? I still remember the hype for so many different games and in the end, it was either a lie or didn't affect anything.
 

scalman

Member
We need as much options as it can be in all games but its better when its no difficulty settings just level raises with time. But as much freedom to play how yoy want is needed
 
“We will have many accessibility options,” said Druckmann”

So will a lesbian be able to play this with a pair of scissors?
 

cormack12

Gold Member
I'm guessing they will at least link it back to the rumble motors which might work for those with auditory issues. Seems taken a little out of context tbh. It's more about delivering tension through different mechanisms.


It sounds like these might become more relevant the higher up the difficulty chain you go as well, enemies hearing panting etc. Bit bemusing as to why it hasn't been demoed though. Maybe they fear another AI dowgrade type of scenario.
 

DForce

NaughtyDog Defense Force
Will anyone remember the heartbeats? Will it matter? I still remember the hype for so many different games and in the end, it was either a lie or didn't affect anything.

It will help when you're playing online (if they include it) because you can sprint for a limited time on TLOU until you need to catch your breath.
 

Flayer

Member
Those upgrades that "drastically" change how the game plays sound like pretty standard upgrades. Like how does crafting 2 items instead of 1 really change anything significantly? A load of hot air and bullshit in my opinion.
 

Pallas

Gold Member
Heartbeats? I’m suddenly reminded of Modern Warfare 3’s heartbeat monitor accessory. But hey, I’m looking forward to this game, but definitely not going to catch the hype. I always get let down when shit gets hyped to hell and back.

InB4 this thread becomes a console war.

Can’t prevent it, run while you can Kojima’s prodigal son. Teach future generations that console wars aren’t the answer that we can all live in harmony so that the products of our loins can live without being called Xbot, Sony Pony, Nintendrone and bombarded with redundant videos, websites, articles that nitpick at every small negative, only to be exacerbated by ruthless console warriors and used as ammunition in their never ending war to make sure that your console sucks.
 
Is the accessibility mode meant for gaming Journos?





I though that the Writer's Guild Award for video game as a joke, one year they gave it to Tomb Raider reboot - this game has some of the worse dialog and story plot ever written. so what's the point?

If anything, Neil would probably be the legitimate person who could receive that award.
 
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