The Last of Us
Overview -
Riding high off the success of the Uncharted franchise, developer Naughty Dog definitely went in a different direction with The Last of Us. While you can see some small similarities to the world of Nathan Drake in the game, the core gameplay is radically different and the story is just as emotionally impacting as Telltale's The Walking Dead.
Almost immediately, players are put in control of Joel, a 40-something survivor living in Boston approximately 20 years after a mutant fungus tore through the United States infecting and killing the majority of the population. Survivors are left to fend for themselves in quarantine zones within major cities or live outside of these zones in the wilderness. Joel is an intelligent, caring individual that often has to portray himself as the opposite in order to survive. You will see that in his exchanges with Tess, his romantic and business partner of sorts.
Along Joel's journey, you will encounter a feisty 14-year-old girl named Ellie. Filled with teenage bravado, Ellie's attitude is one of hope and wonder. She's discovering parts of the world that she's never seen, learning about humanity's past and generally testing her own limits. While it takes a while for the two characters to start bonding, you will find that Naughty Dog has created something special between these two. Something as simple as listening to Ellie and Joel's banter as she learns how to whistle over the course of the journey is heartwarming. Even though there's fear, despair and death potentially around every corner, the growing father-daughter bond between the two brings a glimmer of light into a completely desperate situation.
Video Review
Visually, there's very little to complain about in The Last of Us. While enemy collision with Joel can often look a bit odd when detected, the developers did a fantastic job handling character animations for all situations. Level environments are absolutely stunning as well, typically the attention to detail in creating a post- apocalyptic version of metropolitan cities and rural areas of the United States. In addition, the frame rate is absolutely rock solid when advanced visual effects like exploding spores and raging fire covers the screen. It's probably more detailed an intricate than Uncharted 3, basically using every bit of power in the PlayStation 3; an ideal sendoff for the aging console.
Audio Review
The voice acting within The Last of Us is truly unmatched when pitted against any game released in the last year. Ashley Johnson (Ellie) and Troy Baker (Joel) are asbolutely brilliant in their roles. There are many times during the game where the action simply halts and the story is completely driven by banter between Ellie and Joel. It makes you want to spend more time looking around for supplies just to hear another exchange between the two characters. The supporting cast is also phenomenal, particularly W. Earl Brown as Bill, Annie Wersching as Tess and Nolan North as David.
Beyond voices, the music in the game is haunting to say the least. The guitar ballads lend themselves to the rustic, overgrown environment and the sweeping, frantic crescendos during battle situations only plays up the desperate urgency of the situation. The sound effects are also solid as well, everything from the shriek of an infected human to the ringing shots of gunfire. Similar to other stealth games, directional audio is key to determining the direction the enemy is located. Be sure to crank up the sound system to hear every creepy background noise. Or you can play with a quality set of headphones and leap out of your seat any time someone sneaks up behind you.
It's really tough to describe the amazing gauntlet of emotions that you will experience when playing through 15+ hour campaign in The Last of Us. After all the twists and turns in the narrative, you will truly be amazed at Naughty Dog's ability to weave this masterpiece. Honestly, I've never played anything quite like it and that's saying something with all the games under my belt in the last 15+ years. If you have any interest in story-driven adventure games, don't hesitate to pick up The Last of Us. It's the best that the PlayStation 3 has to offer, without question.
