Game Review: The Last of Us

  With all the hype currently surrounding the Next-Generation of Video Gaming, Naughty Dog and Sony Computer Entertainment has managed to not only provide one of the last great games to end this current generation but also happens to be one of the most important games of all time.

     Twenty years after a global outbreak of a cordyceps-like fungal infection, the world has become dark, bleak place. Civilization, or what is left of it, has settled in military run quarantine zones all around the world, complete with curfews and most people having to live off of militarized rations. For a man named Joel doing whatever it takes to survive means smuggling items including drugs and firearms on the black market and sometimes outside the quarantined areas. Following a deal gone wrong, Joel and his partner Tess come across a resistance group named "The Fireflies" whose leader wants them to smuggle a fourteen year-old girl named Ellie across the country in exchange weapons. Ellie turns out to be much more than just a teenage girl and Joel and Tess find this out the hard way as they are hunted by the military as well as having to deal with hostile survivors and more terrifyingly, the infected.

   The gameplay is set in the third-person perspective with players in control of Joel. However unlike Naughty Dog's flagship series  Uncharted where players are constantly engaged in firefights, The Last of Us is mainly based around stealth and avoiding conflict. Joel and Ellie are almost always outnumbered and with little resources, it'd be best for players to use their heads, be patient and save their equipment  for other, more difficult conflicts in which having the right weapon or tool would be the one crucial item for surviving. There are three main enemy types: hostile survivors, the military and the infected; the humans are less predictable in movement but are much easier to kill however the infected's movement is easily predictable but much harder to kill as some infected types are only killed by certain weapons and will result in an instant player death if it comes too close. During the quieter moments of exploration, scavenging for items is key. Ammunition is scarce and players will need as much as they can find, finding certain tools and parts can upgrade Joel's arsenal as well as crafting items such as med kits and molotov cocktails.

   The game is very dark, gritty and bleak but that's how it should be. Within the first ten minutes, the game and its story is already toying with the players emotions. Joel is established as a very different character than Uncharted's Nathan Drake; he has seen things, he has known life before the infection but most importantly he does whatever it takes to survive. Ellie is a precocious teenage girl who has no  knowledge of life and society before the outbreak, therefore she has grown up in a harsh environment and has learned to fend for herself, notably she can be just as fast and effective with her switchblade as she can with her feisty mouth. The relationship between the two characters of course starts off rocky but eventually grows into a father-daughter relationship which is easily the center of the game's emotional core.

   The Last of Us is a perfect blend of visuals, gameplay and emotional masterpiece storytelling; taking such inspirations from Children of Men, I am Legend and 28 Days Later but yet unique in its own right. Naughty Dog Studios has gained a reputation for making great titles but this game is arguably their best game yet as well as being not only one of the most important games in recent years but also a perfect send off for the new upcoming gaming generation.