Beyond

The Last of Us Online & The Live Service Problem - Beyond 829

Dec 20, 2023

The Last of Us Online is not happening, reflecting on the challenges of big multiplayer games. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 gets updates. The gang plays Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and feels it's either too safe or lacks creativity.

54:30

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Quick takeaways

The Last of Us Online is officially not happening, reflecting a larger problem in ambitious multiplayer games.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will receive much-requested updates next year.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora falls short in navigation, inventory management, and lacks engaging gameplay.

Deep dives

Summary

The Avatar game has beautiful graphics and is reminiscent of the Far Cry series. However, it falls short in terms of navigation, inventory management, and UI. It tries to add unique mechanics like respect for nature, but it doesn't always work well. The world feels empty and the game lacks the fun and excitement of a typical Far Cry game. While there are some cool aspects, it ultimately feels middling and frustrating. The game has potential for improvement with quality of life updates, but as of now, it falls short of expectations.

Introduction

2min

Bean bag purchases and the Insomniac breach

3min

The Consequences of Leaks and Respect for Personal Information

23min

Challenges and possibilities of developing multiplayer games

5min

The Frustration of Playing Avatar Front

6min

Mixed Feelings on Scavenger's Rain

13min

The Philosophy of Sequels and Balancing Progress

3min

The Last of Us Online is officially not happening, according to a disappointing but unsurprising announcement from Naughty Dog. We reflect on how this call is ultimately probably for the best, but still a bummer, and one that is symptomatic of a larger problem in how big and ambitious multiplayer games have become since The Last of Us’ original Factions mode was released. In other news: Insomniac announced that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is getting some much-requested updates next year and the gang’s all been playing Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. A Far Cry game reskinned to look like Avatar seemed like the easiest win possible, but it either plays it too safe, or doesn’t get creative enough, depending who you’re asking.

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Beyond

The Last of Us Online & The Live Service Problem - Beyond 829

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Summary

Disappointment and Lack of Originality

Frustrating Navigation and Inventory Management

Issues with Worldbuilding and Experience

Future Potential with Updates

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts