My review of 'The Last of Us' on PS3
Today, my boyfriend and I finished 'The Last of Us', the latest game by Naughty Dog (creators of 'Uncharted'). In my opinion, it's one of the best games I've ever played. To avoid ruining your gaming experience, I'm gonna keep this review as spoiler-free as I can.
The story is incredibly well-written. This is the first game that actually made me cry. Wouldn't say too much about it to avoid spoiling it but the premise of the game is that it's set 20 years after a cordyceps infection destroyed much of civilization. Those who got infected turn into rabid monstrous creatures. The handful of human survivors left now live in quarantine zones or out in the wild. But whether you live in or outside the quarantine zone, it's still a struggle to survive. You play as Joel, a 50-something old man who has been tasked to smuggle fourteen year old Ellie out of the quarantine zone in Boston. The game follows both of them as they track across the USA.
As for character development, Naught Dog did a great job of making relatable characters. As the story goes on, you become very attached to Joel and Ellie. You really do care about what happens to them.
It's not just Ellie and Joel who you'll care about. You meet plenty of side-characters who are memorable no matter how briefly you see them. I was also very pleased to see a game feature strong women and people of colour. Unlike most games, the women in this game are not sexualized or damsels in distress. They can hold their own and it's very refreshing to see.
Another thing that interested me about this story is that even the 'bad guys' aren't necessarily evil. They do bad things, no doubt about it but it's just their way of surviving a very hostile world. Even Joel and Ellie aren't exactly saints.
The game play is a mix of exploring and action scenes. A lot of times, you'll be exploring rundown cities, towns and the outdoors. I would recommend that you do so 'cause the graphics are simply stunning. The amount of detail paid to each location is truly amazing. It's really a joy to behold and it's quite nice to just stand back and take it all in.
There are also parts where action and fighting is involved. These can be quite a challenge. You are not given a lot of ammo or supplies so use them wisely. Unlike other action games where you can do in guns-blazing, 'The Last of Us' will challenge (or encourage) you to use other methods. Going in guns-blazing is more often than not a sure way to get killed. Again unlike other action games, Joel isn't a strong man with a large health bar. I'm not saying it can't be done but I wouldn't recommend it. Stealth and strategy are often the way to go as it'll help you save your ammo and health for when you really need it.
Your enemies are both other survivors and Infected. Both tend to require slightly different strategies to take them down. Also, the Infected also have two types : Runners (humans who have been bitten) and Clickers (humans who have been infected for so long, they've fungi growth on their face. They're pretty much blind and use ecolocation to find their pray). I'll give you one piece of advice : If you can avoid fighting Clickers, then do so. Don't let their blindness fool you. They're strong, scary mofo's who are not taken down easily.
So is this game absolutely perfect? Well, not entirely. The enemy A.I isn't always the best and combat can be a wee bit sluggish.
Also, I should warn you that this game has a 18+ rating for a reason. It can be graphically violent (tho IMO not as bad as Tomb raider IMO) and there is quite a lot of swearing in it. But none of those flaws distracted me from playing and enjoying this game.
People have often said that video games are becoming a new way of telling stories just like books and movies have done for years. If more games are made like this, then I truly believe this will be the case. So yeah, I would highly recommend this game.
The story is incredibly well-written. This is the first game that actually made me cry. Wouldn't say too much about it to avoid spoiling it but the premise of the game is that it's set 20 years after a cordyceps infection destroyed much of civilization. Those who got infected turn into rabid monstrous creatures. The handful of human survivors left now live in quarantine zones or out in the wild. But whether you live in or outside the quarantine zone, it's still a struggle to survive. You play as Joel, a 50-something old man who has been tasked to smuggle fourteen year old Ellie out of the quarantine zone in Boston. The game follows both of them as they track across the USA.
As for character development, Naught Dog did a great job of making relatable characters. As the story goes on, you become very attached to Joel and Ellie. You really do care about what happens to them.
It's not just Ellie and Joel who you'll care about. You meet plenty of side-characters who are memorable no matter how briefly you see them. I was also very pleased to see a game feature strong women and people of colour. Unlike most games, the women in this game are not sexualized or damsels in distress. They can hold their own and it's very refreshing to see.
Another thing that interested me about this story is that even the 'bad guys' aren't necessarily evil. They do bad things, no doubt about it but it's just their way of surviving a very hostile world. Even Joel and Ellie aren't exactly saints.
The game play is a mix of exploring and action scenes. A lot of times, you'll be exploring rundown cities, towns and the outdoors. I would recommend that you do so 'cause the graphics are simply stunning. The amount of detail paid to each location is truly amazing. It's really a joy to behold and it's quite nice to just stand back and take it all in.
There are also parts where action and fighting is involved. These can be quite a challenge. You are not given a lot of ammo or supplies so use them wisely. Unlike other action games where you can do in guns-blazing, 'The Last of Us' will challenge (or encourage) you to use other methods. Going in guns-blazing is more often than not a sure way to get killed. Again unlike other action games, Joel isn't a strong man with a large health bar. I'm not saying it can't be done but I wouldn't recommend it. Stealth and strategy are often the way to go as it'll help you save your ammo and health for when you really need it.
Your enemies are both other survivors and Infected. Both tend to require slightly different strategies to take them down. Also, the Infected also have two types : Runners (humans who have been bitten) and Clickers (humans who have been infected for so long, they've fungi growth on their face. They're pretty much blind and use ecolocation to find their pray). I'll give you one piece of advice : If you can avoid fighting Clickers, then do so. Don't let their blindness fool you. They're strong, scary mofo's who are not taken down easily.
So is this game absolutely perfect? Well, not entirely. The enemy A.I isn't always the best and combat can be a wee bit sluggish.
Also, I should warn you that this game has a 18+ rating for a reason. It can be graphically violent (tho IMO not as bad as Tomb raider IMO) and there is quite a lot of swearing in it. But none of those flaws distracted me from playing and enjoying this game.
People have often said that video games are becoming a new way of telling stories just like books and movies have done for years. If more games are made like this, then I truly believe this will be the case. So yeah, I would highly recommend this game.