Review: The Last of Us (PS3)

Ok, so as of late, both the movie and gaming market have been flooded with post apocalyptic, zombie infestation type content…so you’d be forgiven for thinking that perhaps Naughty Dogs “The Last of Us” would be just more of the same… Let’s clear this up right now, “The Last of Us” is the best game of this console generation, I’d even say of any generation.

In the first 5 minutes of the game, you will be able to tell exactly what you’re in for, emotionally that is, and pretty much, it’s all bad news.Naughty Dog has made such believable characters in Joel and Ellie (the games 2 main protagonists) that The Last of Us is more of an experience that just a game. Travelling across a devastated America has never felt so dreadfully sad, and yet so alive because at every instance, your current breath could be your last. The detail in the environments is staggering, and the optional conversation points between Joel and Ellie just helps to make the world more colorful. The supporting characters are done just as well and you can’t help but to be drawn into the world that Naughty Dog has created.

You’ll be collecting supplies (which serve a number of functions such as making bombs, health kits or upgrading your weapons) and reading through notes left by people that have long since turned into the “infected”. Now these aren’t exactly zombies like in “The Walking Dead”, but the world has been ripped apart by a plague which has turned the population into diseased, fungal/human hybrids, and taking them out can be tricky, considering that ammo is scarce and running away might just be the better option.

You’ll notice I’m not saying much about the plot, but this is something you need to experience, there are so many sights to take in, from the deserted suburbs to the dark abandoned subways, and the atmosphere, it’s perfect.

For example, you come to a point where you are outside and it’s raining, so you have the usual rain sound effects, as you’re playing, you move through the broken down carriage of a truck, the sound of the rain changes as you move through it to accommodate the water falling onto the metal around you. It’s the small details that this game has that will pull you into it. I’m sure that other games have done this, but I suppose I just never noticed…that’s the point…

Then there are the other survivors…I won’t tell you why you are fighting them, but when you do, you will be trying to sneak around them, trying to figure out how to take them out without using your last 9mm round…speaking of which, the guns feel real and have a weight to them that doesn’t happen all that often in 3rd person games.

I finished the Last of Us in just under 14 hours, so it’s a lengthy title by today’s standards, and every second of it is an absolutely great example of what gaming should be, there are no texture issues, no load times at all from the time that the game has loaded onto your system, virtually no bugs, a soundtrack that suits the mood and the world that the game provides perfectly.

The characters are something that you will come to care for, and honestly, no pixelated individual has ever looked this realistic…

If you own an Xbox, I suggest that you purchase a PS3 just for this game…

Conclusion:

• Straight up, this gets a 10/10 on all fronts.
• Should you play it? Most definitely!
• Graphics: 10/10
• Music: 10/10
• Gameplay: 10/10

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Buy The Last of Us from Amazon.com

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[kkstarratings]

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