I do not get the chance to do many game reviews because of lack of financial backing from both myself and others. So It is a special day when I can get a game at launch.
I am admitadly a big fan of the uncharted series. I have platnumed 2 of them and am close to the third. So when Naughty Dog announced The Last of us I was locked in. I have been waiting and drooling for a good year. Now I can stop drinking so much water from dehydrating myself.
The Last of Us is a journey very unlike any that Naughty dog has sent you on in the past. It is a step in a different direction from the lighthearted games they are use to making. But Naughty dog has taken all that they have learned from making Uncharted and turned out a new series that not only bennefits from previous games from the company but expands on them.
Your main protaganist is Joel. He has been hardened from all the difficulties of years in a post modern world. He is synical and angry and has done many things that many of us would hope we would never do. But all this has made him the perfect man for the job.
Elle is our other main character and is a character at that. She can be a brat and a sweetheart. She is always helpful and will do anything to help Joel.
There are many other characters in this that you will love and hate. Some are more helpful than others. Some you might hate at first but love and miss once they part ways. Others you will always hate as they are not likeable characters. But that is how Naughty dog meant them to be.
When you finish The Last of Us you will have felt you were on this journey with them. Naughty Dog has done a supreme job at this story. You might cry with them you might feel cold and unfealing like joel tries to be at all times. But you will have a large range of emotions throughout this game.
The gameplay mechanics are clean and work well. Although there were some points where I was trying to hit someone or something and completly missed even though I was close. The situations in this game make you need to show control of when you will show force or when you will sneak around. On top of that it is sometimes just better to run to fighanother day. But those options are always there.
The AI is very smart and depending on the enemy will hunt you down in different ways. I died many times because I did not take into account that the infected did not fight like the humans and vice versa. And when you die by the hands of the infected it is not a pretty sight. The infected pay no attention to your flashlight. This is good since they are no alway is the brightest spots. The humans will talk and coordinate with eachother to surround and capture you. This is where I found running helpful.
The graphics for this game are what we all have come to expect from Naughty Dog. The sets and vibrant and detailed. The cities are grey and dreary feeling with hints of life. The outdoors are bright and green. But they both give you the feeling of being alone and scared of whats next.
The Last of Us is Naughty Dogs grand goodbye to the PS3 and boy did they do it right. Not much was missed in this game from the great mood setting music and wonderfully written story line. To the great graphics and gameplay that keeps you in the story. As Naughty dog is not creating a game but more an interactive experience. This game is a must play. But be aware of the language and gore that come with it.
