2013 Game of the Year Pick Here at ‘Last’
2013 was another great year for videogames. A lot of amazing titles came out that pushed the limits of the current generation consoles, making way for the next generation of consoles to be released and allowing a new age of gaming for the gaming community. From the incredible over the top action of Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, to the amazing set design of BioShock Infinite, I had the great privilege to play a lot of these titles that released this year, and picking a favorite was very difficult. But in my opinion there was one game that did stand on top of all the others. One that mixed all the amazing attributes of some of the best video games ever made. That game was The Last Of Us.
Not going to lie, when I first heard of the game I was skeptical. Another post-apocalyptic world that involves zombies/infected creatures. These games I felt come too often, and always seem to not do it for me. But I looked more into the game, and once I saw it was being made by Naughty Dog Studios, it had my attention.
After playing through the Uncharted trilogy with a friend, all my former impressions went out the window. I had no worries when it comes to Naughty Dog and their games. They truly know how to mix incredible story elements, amazing gameplay, and know how to make incredible also memorable videogame moments. Not only that but the gameplay was so well crafted that everything flowed and meshed together perfectly giving the player a very satisfying gameplay experience.
The Last Of Us had probably the most incredible cinematic moments I have seen in a videogame, that are akin to that of big time movies. I love that this game gave an in depth story, great moments, and even made us legitimately care about the characters. Naughty Dog has a good track record in character development, and Joel and Ellie were some of their best character creations. Never have I had such a sense of fulfillment and emotion by videogame characters. This also has to be the work of spectacular voice actors, in the form of Troy Baker as Joel, and Ashley Johnson as Ellie. They were able to portray a level of emotion with these characters the likes of which I personally haven’t experienced in a videogame ever.
However it’s not just great story, amazing gameplay, and character development that make a great game, it’s mixing all those elements together to bring a seamless game experience. Not a lot of games nowadays do that. Some lack one or the other, and some just mess it up completely, but The Last Of Us did something right, and managed to pull it all together completely, including stunning graphics, and fitting music. This was an incredible game, released toward the end of the PS3 life cycle, and I highly recommend you pick it up, especially if you are a Sony fan, and/or a fan of Naughty Dog Studios.
