The Last of Us

I was really late to the party on this one. I didn’t have a PS3 when this launched, and had really never been that interested in games like this anyway. My girlfriend got it, didn’t like it that much, and sold it pretty quickly after giving up on it. So I ignored it for three years. I wish I hadn’t.

As flawed as it is, The Last of Us is one of the most intriguing games I’ve ever played. Even the Uncharted games, which I assumed this would be similar to and which I do not like, aren’t all that comparable to this, especially in terms of narrative. Naughty Dog genuinely seemed to do something new with this game, and that’s the most surprising thing about it.
The second most surprising thing about it is how bad everything is. I mean it; everything in this game is bad. At least, everything in the gameplay parts is at least a little bad.

First, the whole game is so goddamn railroaded. Now, obviously this isn’t the worst thing in the world and there are plenty of great games that are straight-forward (like Resident Evil 4 and Metal Gear Solid 3). But, man, I wish this game had more to offer in terms of its world. To me, this is the most intriguing post-apocalyptic world to come out in video games, as far as I can remember. I was bored to tears by the worlds of Fallout 3 and The Walking Dead and this world really interested me, but you don’t have any opportunities to really explore it. As weird as it is to say, this game made me wish that it had been built more like Fallout 3. Even though I don’t like that game, there were so many moments here where I wish I could hack into computers, or break into the non-essential apartments and just see more of what had happened in this world. Instead, you move in mostly a straight line, with little diversion, for the entirely playthrough.

Building on that, the setting, though gorgeous and wholly unique, is so empty. I don’t just mean that you can’t explore most of it, which is a problem in itself. I mean that the parts you can explore are pretty much completely empty. There’s a scene where you’re hiding out in a warehouse, of all places, and there’s still nothing really of note to find. Throughout the entire game, for the most part, the only things you can find are crafting materials and weapons. Sure, there are some collectables, but there’s not very many of them, and more of them, especially non-essential ones that paint a broader picture of what this world is like and what it was like in the immediate aftermath of the apocalypse, would’ve helped so much with world-building.

That last bit brings me to my next point: the time-skip at the beginning hurts so badly. I want to see how this world came to be, but, instead, we jump right into a story, 20 years down the road, when the entire post-apocalyptic world has already settled. I didn’t like that at all.

As far as general gameplay mechanics are concerned, nearly all of them were done before, and better, in other games. The stealth is inexcusably bad and the gunplay is just awful, compared even to the developer’s own Uncharted series. If you’re looking for great gameplay, this is absolutely not the place to find it. For good stealth, play the first two Metal Gear Solid games. For good third-person shooting, play Resident Evil 4 or even Gears of War, from what I’ve heard. This game does neither of its core mechanics well.

The story is done pretty well, I will admit. There isn’t much of a natural progression (due to all of the god awful time-skipping) but there are quite a few really touching moments here. The ending is fantastic and is one of the best video game endings ever. I didn’t expect something so original and so morally ambiguous, and I was surprised. The relationship between Ellie and Joel, usually considered the best aspect of this game, could’ve been better developed (again, a result of the time-skipping) but it’s heart-warming and sweet.

That last paragraph could be enough to sell this game for some people, but I am not in that camp. It’s a game with a great story and forgettable to awful gameplay mechanics. This is one of the few games that made me wish I had just watched a Let’s Play of the entire thing.

Play it on: Youtube, if you can tolerate that. Otherwise, PS3 and PS4 versions are both fine.

Mi ricordo ancora abbastanza vivamente il momento in cui giocando a Last of Us ho guardato lo schermo a bocca aperta. Eravamo agli inizi, primo capitolo forse, al livello di difficoltà più alto possibile al primo giro, e stavo letteralmente di lato ad una guardia che aveva l'ordine di ammazzarmi a vista ma non mi vedeva. Lo sbigottimento non era di certo positivo. Non ho ancora capito come sia avvenuto ma di fatto questo è diventato quasi immediatamente il gioco simbolo di una console che ha avuto Metal Gear Solid 4 e Valkyria Chronicle ed ancora non mi capacito. Mi ricordo un altri due momenti abbastanza vivamente: il primo è un infetto che sbatte su di Ellie senza che nessuno dei due batta un ciglio ed il secondo è il nostro eroe che con il ventre perforato da mesi ed infenzione annessa passa dal letto di morte alle botte dopo una cutscene a base di antibiotico scaduto.
Non male per un gioco il cui scopo è scortare Ellie e che è stato applaudito per la scrittura profonda.

Last of Us è così: una storia da episodio filler di Walking Dead, gameplay approssimativo e l'IA peggiore mai vista in un AAA degli ultimi 10 anni. Ah, ma c'è la graficona eh.

Beyond the entertaining but gimmicky Hollywood doohickery of Heavy Rain and Until Dawn. This is a kind of post-cinematic storytelling where texture (both literal and figurative) and interactivity only embolden the foundations of character, mood, plot, setting and theme further. Calling it gaming's Citizen Kane moment is not only idiotic but extremely reductive.

I got maybe 20% through the original but decided to pick up the remake because I was in the mood for something narrative-heavy. Aside from being the prettiest PS5 game so far I feel like it's pretty much flawless, which is hard for me to say of any AAA game, let alone a remake. The streamlined narrative approach really shows where the modern open world, map-centric design gets it wrong. I'll take one really good scripted encounter over 10 hours of something like Dying Light 2 or Horizon Zero Dawn / Forbidden West. Joel and Ellie's relationship is played out extremely well through incidental dialogue, I can't think of anything I've played in recent memory with the same level of character development.

O melhor roteiro dos games? Não sei, mas poucos me emocionaram e surpreenderam de forma tão consistente. É simplesmente uma história muitíssimo bem escrita, que nada deve às melhores do gênero de qualquer mídia audiovisual.

Em termos de gameplay, não impressiona nem inova, mas é muito competente - em especial as sessões de stealth contra os Clickers. Praticamente toda ideia, ainda que básica, é bem executada e ajuda a fortalecer a ligação com a narrativa.

The Last Of Us is one of the most engaging pieces of fiction I've ever experienced.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Joel must travel the country with Ellie in hopes that they can get a vaccine for the virus that has spread through the world. A simple story... But it executes it so incredibly well.

Joel and Ellie go through really screwed up things in this game... And I mean REALLY disturbing stuff. And you can see them get closer to the point where it's almost Father and daughter. It's beautifully done with amazing voice acting, writing, moments, characters, and making the gameplay flow with the story.

As for gameplay, the game is incredibly designed, forcing you to think outside the box by throwing you in intense situations. You have to solve puzzles, outrun zombies, and many more moments in the game where you need to be constantly on your toes. The upgrade system for your weapons and attributes is really well done and it contains a very organized weapon system. You have to learn how to manage your resources while being prepared to improvise at any moment and it is so immersive and ties into the story incredibly.

The music is fantastic. It's often ambiance or a soft guitar. The game really succeeds, however, with the silence. Makes you feel immersed in a world where humanity and society is truly dead.

If I had to think of some problems... There are definitely some glitches and sometimes enemies don't respond to what you are doing which can lead to a lot of frustration.

With that being said...

The Last Of Us contains one of the most engaging stories, full of jaw-dropping moments, and wonderful characters. It has fantastic gameplay (With some annoying glitches here and there). A great example of a game that makes you feel absolutely immersed in the story it wants to tell.