A masterpiece of post-apocalyptic gaming
User Rating: 9.5 | The Last of Us PS3
Naughty Dog, the same company that brought us Crash Bandicoot and Uncharted series, has thrown a new blockbuster game out this summer, The Last of Us. The game isn't just a typical post apocalyptic, however, it probably the most touching, dark, and best post apocalyptic game of time in a near perfect fashion. The Last of Us is a beautiful game, not just with the amazing scale, and detailed graphics, but with its mode. From the moment, you start the game you feel a connection with the characters and the absolute dread that surrounds them. You can control of Joel about two decades after an infection wipes out half the population of the world and the people learn to survive any way they can. Joel is tasked to protect a young girl named Ellie, and bring her to a group known as the Fireflies. It is the interactions between Joel and Ellie that drive the game through to the end, and the friendship that keeps players on the edge of their seat. The talented voice acting and motion capture of these characters as well as other characters in the game, tell a great story leaving the player wondering what's going to happen to a character next. The enemies of the game consist of infected and humans. The infected, runners and clickers, bring a sense of survival horror and won't hesitate trying to kill you in the game, especially since one bite from an infected can kill you. The human enemies work together and will try to flake you if possible. The combat is where the game really shines. Ammo is scarce and you will need to plan your tactics before engaging in a fight. Wherever possible, stealth is important. Sneaking up behind enemies and killing them, setting traps, and leading them into a corner and then sneak up behind them and finish them off, can all save your ammo. But there are times when shooting your way through a segment is the only way to go, you just have to make sure you stock up on ammo before these shootouts. This is where The Last of Us, brings the element of survival into the game, and forces the player to be prepared for anything. You can collect items to upgrade your weapons, build explosives, health kits, and shivs through the 13 hour campaign, but this is done in real time so you feel on edge when doing this. After the campaign, there are collectibles to find and a multiplayer. Much like the Uncharted games, the multiplayer is as much of a joy to play as the single player campaign. It's not significantly different from other games but fun to play none the less. The Last of Us is a marvel to video games and an instant PS3 masterpiece. 9.5/10
