The Last of Us

Before I begin this review I've played other big name games, ranging in ratings that is. Such as The Witcher 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, Batman Arkham City, Portal 2, etc. Never have I played a game so human though as The Last Of Us.

When the game first released I was too young to play, and it really felt bad having to wait to play. 6 years later here I am, got it for the PS4 and started playing. Was I ready for the emotional rollercoaster of the first 20 minutes? Nope. Was I ready for how absolutely mind blowing the game would be after that? Nope. Will I ever forget my experience with this game? Not for a second. This game really takes it home for me when it comes to big name games (listed up top). The characters are human and you can feel their every emotion, the story is so captivating and great pacing. The score by Gustavo Santaolalla is very suiting for this game. Everything about this game just lines up perfect. This game may just be the definition of masterpiece, not just in gaming, but period.

A must play to any human ever!

Leave it to a video game to produce the greatest zombie story since George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. Yes, the story is great. Yes, the voice acting is great. Yes, you get emotionally involved with the characters and everything that happens to them. With that said, though, The Last of Us is more than just a well-told story, it could very well be a sign of where the genre is headed, and if that's the case then colour me excited.

What I'm talking about, mainly is the emphasis on survival. In most zombie games, ammo is really the only resource you need to worry about, and more than often there seems to be enough of it. I'm not saying those kinds of zombie games are bad, but it really seemed like a cop-out when these games would continue to embrace a heavy action, FPS style of gaming. But what about the survival aspects? What about having to consistently gather food, weapons, various items, and find shelter? Why not makes these games about how far someone's will can take them, of how determined they are to survive and the things they're will to do in order to do that? The Last of Us aims to do just that.

While still an action game, it's definitely not a shoot-em up. While you collect various weapons throughout, mainly guns, ammo is extremely scarce. There is no guarantee that an enemy you kill will drop some ammo, and if they do it may not be for the gun you need it for. Sometimes they don't drop ammo at all, but instead supplies that can be used to craft other weapons. Even then, the amount of supplies that's dropped is never consistent, and if you don't have enough of one particular item it can mean the difference between crafting another weapon or health kit, and ultimately, your ability to survive. In short, The Last of Us encourages you to find new ways to kill or bypass your enemies in order to preserve your supplies for as long as possible. Though the game doesn't go as far as I've described in the last paragraph, The Last of Us definitely points towards that direction.

I'm also a fan of how involved other humans are in this game. It isn't simply one person or a few persons trying to sabotage you the whole way, you interact with a lot of people in this game, and it's because of that that it really grounds it. It doesn't simply become a game of Us Vs. the Infected, but instead, and a lot like in Romero's best Zombie films, it's mainly about the collapse of society, of people trying to carve a little spot for themselves in this New America, and striving to discover your purpose and worth amongst the chaos. It's so easy to make the zombies the villains in these games, but it's ultimately pointless because zombie's cannot reason. They are what they are and their nature must be accepted, for better or worse. Humans, on the other hand, can reason, and it's what they're capable of that is most frightening. The Last of Us gets that, and that's why it stands out.

With all of this said, there are some issues I have with the game, though not detrimental enough to cause any kind of dent in my rating, though they're issues non-the-less. I'm not the biggest fan of there being different types of zombies, as it just feels like the developers are purposely doing it to give gamers varying levels of difficulty in their encounters, which doesn't ring true to me. I'm also not a fan of how your allies interact with the zombies; so Clickers can kill you in one attack, but if they attack Ellie then she can withstand it for a longer period of time? There's just no consistency there.

Still, the good far out way those two quibbles of mine. The game is damn near flawless, from how the story is written and acted, to the mechanics and how the game is played, to the graphics and just how real and involved everything feels. Naughty Dog continues their success with this game, and the way it ends definitely calls for a sequel. It's one of the best games I've ever played, and I can't wait to see where they take the story next.

I know this has almost become clichéd on IMDb but the greatness of this game has indeed caused me to write my first and only review. The Last Of Us is a unique game which captures the fragility of our social structure and demonstrates the brutality that some people are capable of. Don't pay any attention to nonsensical reviews by critics such as Polygon's Phillip Kollar who argues criticisms such as 'the game isn't fun' as it was never meant to be. The world that the game is based in isn't fun and this has been further emphasised by every trailer and demo that had been revealed prior to game's release. When playing on normal i felt like almost every encounter could be my last and i was equally terrified by the fact that Naughty Dog wouldn't hold back in showing just what the consequences of failure are. The game rather than focusing on horror revolves around the relationship between Joel and Ellie and this is masterfully complimented by the score which was composed by two-time Oscar Award winner, Gustavo Santaolalla.

The game-play is reminiscent of Uncharted as it uses the same engine however it is much more down to Earth; focusing on small-scale firefights or stealth to navigate through levels. However, one small downside I found was that the AI for followers/companions would often act obstructive or perform actions like running right in-front of eight people you may have spent 10 minutes sneaking past and for some reason not even warranting a reaction.

The story may be (inspite of some tiny detail over-sights which you may or may not notice as they linger in the back) quite possibly the greatest asset to this game. It is so well structured and directed by Neil Druckmann that it is hard to believe that this was his directorial debut. The game leaves a long lasting impression on you long before you're even halfway through the game and a series of events in the game leave your jaw hanging and your eyes teary.

The game is well presented and ammo is scarce; helping to emphasise the survival-orientated objective of the game. The multi-player is far from just a distraction as although it could still be a little more refined it has an interesting concept.

In conclusion, this game is absolutely amazing and it is hard to argue that the storyline isn't one of the best in gaming. I'd like to point out that I am a hardcore gamer and in the 15+ years of gaming I have only previously used the word 'Masterpiece' for four titles: Zelda: Ocarina of Time, FFVII, Half-Life 2, and more recently Bioshock: Infinite. I can whole-heartedly say that The Last Of Us is a Masterpiece in every sense of the word.

Holy moly quacamolely! I think I've found a game that is better than mostly all TV and film alike. Just...where do I start? I was made aware of this game a long time ago when it first came out, and I always knew it had stellar reviews, so I did buy the Grounded version and DLC package in 2015. Thing is- I never had the time to sit down and play it, because I'm the kind of person who likes to start and finish a game in one sitting. So since I could never find the time, it always just sat on my shelf collecting dust. Flash forward to 2020, inside quarentine and have nothing to do but watch and or play everything I already haven't. I was going through my video game collection and I remembered about the game, so I popped it into my PlayStation to play.

About 12 hours later I was sobbing in my seat. I just can't start, other than saying, this game is a masterpiece! A genuine masterpiece. I'm not saying its better than most TV and Film, but I'm saying its SUPERIOR!

The atmosphere, the setting, the cinematography is breathtakingly beautiful. I teared up at the lighting in the decimated city landscapes. You could feel the lonliness, but also feel the somberness to it. The writing? It's shockingly thoughtful. You're never gonna get writing like this in video games. Very few have been able the capture the sentiment and care in their dialogue. And especially for a post-apocalyptic, first-shooter, stealth kind of game, it's very easy for it to become generic. But it never did. Nothing the character's said ever felt out of place. It felt natural and it built the story. Never an awkward moment.

Now, Joel and Ellie. I'm just calling it as it is. Top 2 characters of any video game in the last decade. I have a wide range of characters from video games I adore so much. But Joel and Ellie are just rare. They have so much complexities for the average survivor, and have grey areas to them that make you unsure at times. But they felt human. I actually cried for the both of them. And if anything, Ellie made me want to adopt a girl. Cause I just fell hard for her. The relationship between them is amicabley thoughtful.

I think I found a game that changed my life. More than any film, show, book or anything. 500% recommended. I think it's a genuine crime to not play this.

Pros:

• Amazingly Great story & characters
• Great gameplay
• Great ending
• Amazing graphics
• Companions are very helpful
• Great cinematics and cutscenes
• A-grade voice acting and animation
• Diverse level design
• Effective horror elements
• Online is also not bad

Cons:

• none

Verdict: Emotional and deep, this is might be the best game I've ever played on all consoles.

10/10