Video Game Review: THE LAST OF US
The Last Of Us is an adventure, survival horror video game developed by Naughty Dog, the minds behind the incredible Uncharted Trilogy exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It was officially revealed on December 10, 2011 during the Spike TV Video Game Awards, and was release on June 14, 2013 in North America, and in Japan on June 20, 2013. Before I even get started, I am just going to say it off the bat: The Last Of Us is the best game to have ever come out on the PlayStation 3. Naughty Dog has once again shown why they are one of the industry’s top studios, if not the best. The story of the game is a fungus outbreak, causing people to become aggressive, and hostile. This eventually leads to an epidemic, and over the course of 20 years it grows exponential. Even in the first opening, 15 minutes of the game, you are instantly connected to these characters, and care what happens to them. Now you play as Joel, a survivor and one of two main characters, the second is Ellie who was born into this world. Their dynamic makes for some real incredible moments, as the dialogue between the two of them make for some of the games best moments.
The graphics of this game has to be one of the best the PS3 has had in awhile. They pushed the boundaries of graphics to a new level. The graphics looks almost too incredible to be a current gen game. I love that this game gives off that feel of a truly post apocalyptic world, as buildings look run down, grass taking over cars, and other destroyed ruins of civilization. The designs of all the locations, the character models, facial animations, even the infected, look amazing. The cut-scenes are akin to that of a CGI movie. The set pieces make you feel down, and makes you feel like you are there. It draws you in, and you start to feel what the characters in the game feel. They set up these scenes so well, and makes you so interested in Joel and Ellie’s growing relationship. I love it when a game makes me care about these characters, and I was so invested in their growth, and loved learning and hearing about them. The story is the most immersive story I have played all year.
This has top notch gameplay. The third-person action is great. Fighting between human and infected makes you think about what you are gonna do. Human enemies are smart, and will react to whatever you do while infected are merely there to kill you.Taking on runners who are first-stage infected, you would take the same approach as a human and think about what you are doing. However the clickers are much more of a challenge. They are blind, but will react to sound, and once they bite you, it’s game over. And I should mention death scenes can be brutal. What I love most about this game is that you have to think about how you taken on opposition. Being a survival game set in this post-apocalyptic world, ammo is rare. You have firearms, but it’s best to save them for moments you will need them. It is better to use stealth, knife, and physical weapons when the situation arises. Sometimes when action picks up, and you take on armed enemies, that is when you want to use the firearms. Also being a survival game, you must scrounge for materials, then you can use these materials to make weapons and items. Another nice touch, it fits the game’s tone, and it is all done in real time. I like this because it doesn’t give you this choice of safety, and it doesn’t halt the action to stop and make items. You have to strategically make your items, after all there is a time and place for everything.
The soundtrack for this game fits the mold perfectly. The sound of isolation, and country-style music fits the setting well enough to match the games’ dark tone. Not to mention the spectacular voice-over work for this game. The main character Joel is voiced by Troy Baker, who most should know for being the voice of Chris Redfield from the RE series, Booker Dewitt from Bioshock Infinite, Tim Drake Robin from Batman Arkham City, and his next gaming role of The Joker in Batman Arkham Origins coming up this fall. Ellie is both voiced and motion captured by Ashley Johnson who is known for her roles as Gwyn Tennyson in the Ben 10 TV series, as well as Terra from Teen Titans. The excellent voice-over work and music score for this game is great and well fitting, and just adds much more to the game.
At first, when I heard there was multi-player in this game, I was kind of worried that it will hinder my experience playing, and I have never been more wrong. The multi-player mode, Factions, is essentially extended themes that are present in the single player experience. It comes with the modes supply raid, and survivors fits perfectly in the games tone, and doesn’t hinder their game overall experience. First you will pick a side, either Hunters or Fireflies. Supply Mode has you scavenge the area, and keep your team alive with a pool of twenty reinforcements available. In Survivors Mode, there are no respawns, meaning once you die, you are eliminated until the next round. It’s a best of seven rounds, with the first team to win four rounds winning the match. I found it rather enjoyable.
In closing, The Last Of Us was an incredible game, and an experience that all PS3 owners should own and play. It is nothing short of a masterpiece and Naughty Dog outdid themselves with this one. I give The Last Of Us a 5 out of 5. With this under their wing, going into the PS4, I can not wait to see what they will unveil next.
