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I'm not going mince words here. The Last of Us is simply one of the best games I have ever played. It is that simple. The Last of Us is, really, about as good as games get. Don't be scared by the premise; ND has crafted something that reaches far and wide delivering an experience that's akin to a playable drama film. Wash away those horrible memories of The House of the Dead and put your fears away. The Last of Us is simply incredible.
The Last of Us is a tale that takes inspiration from various works in the genre it works with (most notably The Road, No Country For old Men, and The Walking Dead), while forging its own path to create something equally memorable and carving out its own path that sets it apart from all of its inspirations beforehand (certainly feels like it). What may sound like B-movie shlock on paper has been transformed by Naughty Dog into something no short of a masterpiece. While stalwart games like Resident Evil 1 are so horribly done that they make Ed Wood look like George Bernard Shaw, The Last of Us is an instant classic that would rightly belong in the Criterion Collection or right next to an art film. Naughty Dog really outdone themselves, and they have done something entirely else. ND has created something that feel so real and tangible for today's society. Through the epidemic certainly has ravaged the lives of so many people by turning them into horrible creatures, The Last of Us isn't so much a zombie based horror flick as it is a tough, deeply woven drama with the vision that reaches far and wide.
The Last of Us stars Joel and Ellie, two amazing characters who are heart and soul of this journey. What follows these two incredible characters is a journey that will test your limits as it touches upon society as a whole in ways that I myself wasn't even expecting. At it's core, what happens when society collapses? What is the capacity that man would do in order to survive? How far would you go? The Last of Us may seem simple, but it hides under this and explores the implications of society's horrifying ability to crack underneath the pressure. Or on a more simple but wider note: "what it would mean to live in such a world?" What follows is a brutal, but often beautiful, journey that touches upon the lives and delicately explores all the turbulence one would expect when society breaks down from a horrible apocalypse. It's a thematically rich and touching tale, with oceans of subtly and the resulting details that should take far more time to grasp than lightweight fiction would ask of you to do so. Take it all in, appreciate it, read everything that comes to you, and don't be afraid to put all of what you know and would imply during the situations that unfold throughout this extremely long journey. For my money, this is one of the best stories I've ever encountered in the medium.
Visuals and sound are two of the video game medium's greatest strengths, and you can be sure Naughty Dog knows this. Visuals are amazing and absolutely essential to the experience, using the power of the PS3 to make the experience irreversibly absorbing. Sure, the technical aspect of The Last of Us are first rate, but the artistic vision of the game is where it truly shines. The environments are absolutely PACKED with detail, and build a frightfully immerse and believable world. It feels real as you traverse it. Whether it's crawling through a decrepit hotel, a horribly bleak, ruined convenience store, the rancid and dehumanizing quarantine zones, or the serene and calm realm of nature that has overtaken humanity, the world in The Last of Us is telling and a character in itself.Animations, especially facial animations, are also top notch. Facial animation can indeed make or a break a character's emotional resonance (you've might of heard of the uncanny valley), and Naughty Dog makes sure The Last of Us does not break the emotional resonance. Simply put, The Last of Us is a beautiful game, both technically and artistically.
Sound is also amazing as well. The sound track, composed by two time Oscar Winner Gustavo Santaolalla (Babel, Brokeback Mountain), plays a big part in the game's experience. The score is sparse, but is effective in bringing a bleak and beautiful sense of isolation, also not forgetting to puncture the game's most harrowing moments with appropriate menace. At its softer moments, its tinged with a particularly Americana melancholy, which perfectly evokes the kind of western feel one would get reading Blood Meridian's most beautiful moments. Sound Design is also terrific. It makes sure that the entire world comes to life in a dizzying amount of different ways: it makes the violence almost too harrowing, the sound of the zombies horrifying, and makes the space you traverse feel real; an active experience indeed. No matter if you feel sorrow, or dread, happiness or solitude, sound is there to make sure your experience comes to life.
Also, the acting performances are on a whole 'nother level. Troy Baker in particular absolutely needs recognition for his performance, (The intro. My god that intro), but everybody else does a fantastic job. Led by Druckmann's exceptional script, the performances feel so understated, quiet, human. It's often simple and direct delivery unexpectedly leads to depth, getting into the lives of these people and how they relate to the apocalypse, the turbulence of such an event, the fear, the loss, the suffering and brutality of the world around, and beauty and heart in the most unexpected of places. It's pristine delivery, with such delicate crystal clarity and nuance, makes sure every spoken word lingers in the air with such believable weight. No matter how uncomfortable or violently dark, savage, these people get, you still understand them. When these characters speak, you simply feel these human beings within yourself.
As terrific as all of this is, graphics and sound aren't the most important aspect of storytelling. Game play is what completes a video game narrative. Ever since the medium's inception, games have been struggling to properly mesh game play and narrative, especially games with a heavy emphasis on combat. I'm not going to be point fingers at any particular game here(it's really all comes to one's subjective player experience), but there is no doubt games have been hobbled by this design flaw. Luckily, TLOU averts this with absolute skill. The Last of Us made sure that game play didn't become second nature, and as a result it has to be one of the best examples of seamless meld of game play and story in the medium. True to its survival horror roots, The Last of Us has nailed its goal of violence and game play as an art form, and as a result the game is tense, horrifying, brutal, and gritty as a player authored experience.
TLOU is a survival piece. Be of note, this game needs to play on the highest difficulty in order to truly make it a harrowing experience to interact with. Emotionally tax yourself on hard, and once you unlock Survivor mode, bite the bullet and never in turn lax the emotion. With little resources available to you and enemies that can kill you in one or two hits (assuming you're playing on higher difficulties), TLOU is as frightening real as games get. Your best bet, whenever possible, is to avoid combat as much as you can, and cling to your wits in order to make it out alive of any situation. If not, be prepared for some chilling engagement. The Last of Us is horrifically violent, so brutal that the game can really be harrowing in a way that few video games ever hope to achieve. Oh, and you swerve with an almost overwhelming sense of nausea. While some complained about the aiming, I thought it only made the game more nerve racking (it's not impossible to get used to the aiming, either). I think this is a valid complaint for those who aren't willing to deal with it (this aspect, I imagine, will be rather subjective), but it makes sure that the cover based moments still feel dangerous despite being in cover. It's like a playable No Country for Old Men, which is the highest praise I can give this game.
Mechanically, TLOU doesn't feature the complexity of EVE Online, but it opens up well enough as you go through the game. True to its genre, the game rewards exploration and scrounging, and with a variety of supplies, you can craft numerous weapons that help you creatively both offensively and defensively, such as sticky grenades, smoke bombs. Molotov cocktails, shivs, blades on melee weapons, and more. In addition, numerous amounts of upgrades to both your character (through medicine) and your weapons (through upgrades) means that you will adapt and evolve throughout the game. Better health, faster crafting times, less swaying, and many others will enhance the player character; for the weapons, expect better reload times, a few enhancements, the ability hold more ammunition, additional weapon slots (saving your character the agony of having to go through a back pack) and others. Even better, the new game plus mode makes sure that you can play through the game more than once and build upon the arsenal you had in your last game.
While the game's story and presentation, and its merge of game play and narrative, is damn near perfect (or at least close, considering perfection is impossible), I do have to point out some flaws in the game play, mostly due to minor game play lapses (which is typical in most ND games). I found the highest difficulty mode to be challenging without breaking my engagement, but there are some spots in the campaign that felt unbalanced and cheap. Battling against enemies has the weird bullet sponge feel, and it's often annoying when facing soldiers. The annoying fiddliness of the survival horror genre doesn't fully avert The Last of Us (much like System Shock 2), with combat sections that turn the game's balance from "challenging" to "unbalanced". Luckily, this happens very infrequently, and the game is still mechanically satisfying. However, just keep this in mind when you play through The Last of Us, because moments like these will come up.
I'll leave the MP to other people if they want to talk about it. It's great, but you can ignore it altogether like a bonus track because the SP is a masterpiece. All I'm saying is this: believe the hype when it comes to TLOU. The Last of Us is incredible as an experience that Naughty Dog deserves your money for the SP alone. The Last of Us is not only just a superb video game, but it's a brilliant shake up that this industry sorely needs. I remember reading an interview that they wanted to raise the story bar with The Last of Us, and in turn making other developers scramble for cover. This was the end goal Naughty Dog wanted to achieve with this release. Well, I tip my hat to you, Naughty Dog. You've succeeded. The Last of Us is another success for Naughty Dog on a story telling level, and for the medium as a whole. It's a masterpiece, one of the best games of 2013, a game of the generation, and one of the best games I have ever played.
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I don't think I've ever played a game that ratcheted the tension so high, for so long, as this amazing storytelling masterpiece. This would make a very intriguing mini-series on cable--it's like a long movie that gets better and better.
If you can, play it on hard difficulty, as that really makes you feel just how hard survival is in The Last Of Us universe; when supplies are just barely enough if you're very careful. Where you must constantly be prepared for anything, think quick on your feet and be ready to make tough decisions and face the consequences. Life here is brutal, and you do what you can to survive. Joy is measured out in brief, sparse instances that pass by in a second and must be savored, because hardship, misery and loss are constants here.
The Last Of Us initially sounds like a variation on zombie apocalyptic stories that are so popular now, but it is so much more, and executed so beautifully that it rises above everything else. The sadness and desolation feel real, and have depth. Unlike most zombie games and movies, here there are long periods of tranquility, when the magnitude and weight of what's happened really sinks in and burrows into your brain, and grips your heart and slowly squeezes. There is loss, and this game makes you feel it. What happens to those who become infected, who become drones? Are their consciences trapped in there? Do they feel sorrow, do they feel the loss of control and loss of life they have suffered? Is the fungus a puppet master controlling their body while their souls watch in horror at what they've become? And what about the living, who lose lovers, family and friends--are the creatures you're fighting now one of these people? Are they mothers, fathers and children? You feel pity for these creatures that you kill--and the Last Of Us makes you feel it.
Buy The Last of Us Now
I suck at video games. I love to play any and all, but I genuinely stink. My husband can't watch me play because it makes him seasick. That being said, this game is phenomenal. It is amazing even for a dreadful player like me. I put it on easy. I put it on auto aim. I still died 387 times throughout the game. I CONTINUED PLAYING! The story line in and of itself makes it almost a necessity to persevere until you figure it out and make it to the next chapter. The story was funny. It was scary. It was heartbreaking. By the end, I was so emotionally exhausted I literally cried. Guess what? I'm starting it again immediately, this time on Easy +. I will keep playing until I make it to Expert. THE STORY AND THE GAME PLAY ARE JUST THAT GOOD.
This is my first game review. I wanted to share my experience because there is no way I am the only crazy person who continues to play games even though they are awful at them, and I wanted to allay any fear of spending $60 on a game that they may not excel at right away. Buy it. The people who made this experience deserve every single penny. I will be at the midnight release of ANY Last of Us prequels or sequels.
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I just finished this game, and when they say it is an instant classic, they mean it. It is the best game I have played in 23 years of gaming, and the graphics, voice acting, and gameplay are unparalleled. The best $60 I've ever spent in my life.
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Naughty Dog's "The Last of Us" is one of those games that is best characterized as a must-have, system defining exclusive. If you have a PS3, you should own this game. If you don't have a PS3, you should be buying one for this game. It is simply that dang good.
This game uses the graphics engine Naughty Dog perfected with their Uncharted series. This means at no point will you be let down when it comes to amazing scenery and visuals while you play. The Last of Us (TLoU for now on in this review) is some of the best graphically that you will ever see on a current-gen console. The lighting, "god rays," colors, and details are consistently top-notch in the single player story.
The sound and music are fantastic. The music sets the mood brilliantly, guns sound powerful, infected sound frightening and instill the sense of dread, and the voice acting is so believable it is nearly uncanny. You WILL ultimately find yourself caring for these characters.
Other reviewers have posted mild spoilers regarding the first 15-ish minutes of the game, and their reactions are spot-on. It is a powerful intro that makes you feel a plethora of emotion. Ultimately giving you the perfect insight into Joel, the grizzled character you control. It will easily remain as one of those gaming moments I will always remember.
Thankfully the game doesn't let you down after that amazing opening act. From that point on, the tension roller coaster peaks and falls until you finally just have to take a break to gather your senses. It is exhilarating for a game to make you feel so much from a story.
The combat in this game is initially cumbersome, but you quickly adapt to it. It is similar to Uncharted, but feels a bit more clumsy, possibly to make it less arcadey. Ultimately though, you may learn sometimes the best course of action is to sneak by the threat rather than engage. Honestly I had never cared much for stealth games (I run and gun in nearly everything I play,) but I find myself taking some form of stealth option or route most of the time unless it looks like there is no better recourse. Don't get me wrong, once you have the hang of fighting in this game, combat is A LOT of fun also. It is just with the limited bullets and durability of your melee weapons, it makes stealth the smarter choice in most scenarios. Tip of advice, don't waste too many shivs on killing!
The crafting is a fun way of managing your resources, and encourages searching every nook and cranny of this beautiful post-apocalyptic world Naughty Dog created. I actually found myself getting frustrated at opening cabinets or lockers and not finding some sort of goodie (not like in Bioshock, where you'll find something every few feet. But scavenging in TLoU is obviously the more realistic scenario.)
A downside is the game does suffer from some long loading times when you initially start it up, but there is no problem after that for the remainder of your play-through. It is hardly enough to dock any stars for. There was a day-1 bug regarding the autosave, but that has since been fixed. I still manually save at random points just to be on the safe side (like if I do something stupid and want to revert to an old save to avoid it.)
This game does continue the Naughty Dog tradition of long, beautiful cutscenes in between spurts of gameplay. You will be watching as much as you are playing. I find this makes the story more fulfilling (and gives you that moment to catch your breath,) but be forewarned if this is something that may bother you.
I bought this game specifically for the single player, and at $60, it was completely worth it. There is a multiplayer facet of the TLoU, but I haven't tried it yet. I played the story on Hard, but at non-crescendo events that still felt a bit on the easy side. I will update my review after I have given the multiplayer a fair chance.
**** MULTIPLAYER UPDATE ****
The multiplayer of TLoU is, at its core, a flavor of Team Deathmatch. There is a respawn mode ("Supply Raid") and a single-life-per-round mode ("Survivors".) Even though it is "only" team deathmatch, it is really well done and quite fun to play. It doesn't feel like a cheesy slap-on gamemode like many developers throw into their single player games to help milk out DLC. It requires a great deal of strategy and skill. The team with teamwork and cooperation will win, if you "lone-wolf" you will die, and your team will more than likely suffer a lost round if you are playing for yourself. It utilizes many of the great features found in the singleplayer, such as item crafting, scavenging, and stealth.
Multiplayer has a meta-game where the better or worse you do affects your personal camp of survivors. As you play better in the TDM gametypes, the number of survivors in your camp grows. You keep them healthy by collecting dropped supplies in the matches from kills and by other means. That said, if you don't play well your camp of survivors begins to die off. It doesn't do anything to change your match gameplay, it is just a good motivator which drives you to try to play better (and makes you work toward corresponding trophies dealing with the number of survivors you have at Day 40.)
When you first start the multiplayer, you join one of the two warring factions and stay as that faction until after the 40 day time frame (40 matches each match is a day) or you kill off all your camp survivors from incompetency. After that you can then choose to play as the other faction if you wish. The factions are both equal in abilities, their difference is just visual.
The game utilizes "boosters and upgrades" similar to the Uncharted series. You don't need to use them to be competitive in matches, but they do help out. They consist of such abilities as faster healing, less rifle sway, and knowing when you are spotted by the enemy.
All in all, you should own this game. Do what it takes, and get The Last of Us... you wont regret it.
