The Last of Us

The overall zombie/post-apocalyptic/infected/dystopian story may be somewhat trite, yet that doesn't halt The Last of Us from being one of the best and most cinematic video game experiences ever.

You can see multiple filmic influences throughout the game, 28 Days Later, The Road, Dawn of the Dead, Pontypool, Rec, The Road Warrior.

You play the game as two (soul) survivors, a hard boiled man who's lost everything and a cocky young girl who just may have the solution to save the world.

It's very much like interacting in a live action film rather than just playing a game. These feel like real people and not just game characters.

Looking forward to the inevitable sequel(s).

Rightfully one of the best games in history!

The very story that will hook almost every gamer, despite the banal theme of the post-apocalypse (this deserves special praise).

An interesting idea, it's not really about the battle with the infected, no, but more about moral values, the price of survival and showing the nature of people who can do even the most disgusting things in this horror.

The game is not particularly scary, but it can keep you on your toes. It's just the most beautiful world that you want to admire. From the first location, you immerse yourself in this atmosphere... And the music! It's just something.

An interesting plot with steep character development and the game itself is told slowly (but it only gets better), despite the linearity of the plot, you can walk around the entire location and "sniff" every corner :)

As a result, it's just a great game, considered a "living classic", and which everyone should play!

For me personally, the best game on this topic and just one of the best, in general (after all, there is no better game in general. But it is very possible to single out some kind of game from the genre)

My Rating : 10/10.

My The Last of Us review I'm so overwhelmed by this game right now. This game is like a delicious meal. When it ends you want so bad to have more of it but in some other way you are the most satisfied human being in the planet.

The graphics are so amazing I can't even digest it. The story is so well done that I was left teary. And thinking about the ending is surprisingly just as deep as analyzing a good movie. I'm gonna talk about the ending later so keep on with me (haha). Where to start... OK.

This game tells the story of a man with a mission. He has to go across a post-apocalyptic America to deliver a little girl to a rebel group of survivors. As I came aware that it was involving a rebel group holding against the government I was worried. I said to myself "Oh, this is so cliché!". But I was wrong. And I have to mention this was just a meaningless worry still having in my mind the amazing prologue that I just witnessed. The setting the gameplay and the execution of what envelopes is superb in the prologue and in the whole game in general.

The game is divided by seasons (I know, it's weird but awesome). and every season ends with something big. My favorite I think might be winter but it's hard to pick one because they all are amazing! But I'm just gonna go with winter now. The pacing and the way they are told and experienced are awesome.

Now... what most gamers were worried about...! The gameplay. Let me say this. This game... has the most fluid and satisfying gameplay that I have ever experienced. The way the gameplay combines with the atmosphere and story is done masterfully. It has a level of intensity to it that hits you right in the brain's sweet spot. You have to carefully walk through dark hallways and smartly plan what to waste and what to spare. The brutality of the combat also makes it engaging and sometimes disturbing, like when you are choking the life out of an enemy. In Uncharted you just went "snap" with the dude's neck and you were done, here you see Joel's face struggling to keep a grip, and the victim's eyes starting to loose it as he claws for Joel's face.

There was good variety in the enemies and very few and minimal glitches that I encountered.

OK, now let's get into the graphics. These are easily the best graphics that I have seen on a console. They are smooth, detailed and very beautiful. There were a few scenes with animals in them and they are jaw dropping. (Yes, even the rabbit.) Oh and the lighting. Haha man the lighting. The shadows the reflections and the beautifully animated dynamic lighting make this game shine. (No pun intended) The cherry on top of all of this must be the ending. I understand that some didn't like it because of it's abruptness but for me it was deep, dark and let's say, real! I spent easily a day thinking and analyzing these characters (specially Joel at the end) to really understand this character's complex payoff! I mean, what game does this! I can really think of critically acclaimed movies that go toe to toe with this game.

This game is a masterpiece of our time. Everyone must experience it and it should be taken from now on as a reference to what the gaming industry is capable of and how it has already reached the heights of film depth and quality. I'm giving The Last of Us a 10 out of 10.

Thanks for reading! Have a good day!

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.

When The Last Of Us was first announced I knew it would be a cut above most games but I didn't know it would be this good! For me Naughty Dog has had a flawless track record, with Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter and Uncharted all possessing unique qualities. However, The Last Of Us manages to raise the bar set by all of these games, setting the bar for video game excellence, as we head into the next generation.

The story is an absolute masterpiece, with the best voice acting in the industry on display. It's this voice acting from Troy Baker as Joel and Ashley Johnson as Ellie, that gives this story all of its emotional weight and therefore, its momentum. Troy Baker does an excellent job of portraying a man on the edge, who's wiling to do anything to survive and to protect those that he cares about. However, it's Ashley Johnson who steals the show, perfectly portraying a badass teenager whose had to mature fast in order to survive. The relationship between these characters develops beautifully, providing you with an unparallelled sense of attachment to the characters. This relationship, is partly shaped by these two characters encounters with fellow survivors, with all the supporting cast doing a brilliant job, particularly Nolan North. Last but certainly not least, the score is by an academy award winning composer and it shows, as this is the finest soundtrack for any game and is an integral part of the story.

The gameplay is pretty similar to that of Uncharted, with refinements made to the shooting system, which ensure that all your shots register. The crafting system is excellent, giving you incentive to explore in order to better equip yourself for upcoming engagements. These engagements are unparallelled in video game history, as engagements with the infected create a real sense of fear and your ability to advance in the story, is determined by how you choose to engage enemies. Clickers and Bloaters are the toughest enemies and the freedom to choose between stealth and aggression, is much appreciated. Graphically, the game is stunning, adding that extra bit of realism to proceedings, as you get swept up in the environments. Finally, the most impressive gameplay feature is the dynamic speech. Whether it be conversations between Joel and Ellie about ice cream and whistling or Ellie telling you that you nailed an enemy, all of the dynamic speech contributes greatly to your investment in these characters, highlighting how Naughty Dog continues to innovate effectively.

Ultimately, The Last Of Us is a masterpiece and Naughty Dog should be commended for showing the world that the gaming medium can be considered art, just like the movie and TV mediums. The unprecedented voice acting, story and fear on display, all contribute to a beautiful game which opens in cinematic fashion and which ends, boldly and beautifully. The Last Of Us differentiates itself well from other story's in the over-saturated zombie genre, making it a must buy and the game of the generation.