Naughty Dog Vs. The Last Of Us

As a console ventures deeper into its lifecycle, more high quality titles are to be expected. It goes without saying that the PS3 has accumulated a solid number of respectable exclusives, namely from the likes of Naughty Dog, who are responsible for the Uncharted series. Given the massive success of the Uncharted games, it almost came as a guarantee that their new, upcoming IP would turn out to be a huge success as well. Yet, this time around, Naughty Dog took a completely different approach with The Last of Us. Instead of an over-the-top, all-out fun action/adventure game comparable to Uncharted, The Last of Us is an incredibly gritty, emotional, and narrative-driven survival/action game. The Last of Us comfortably lives up to Naughty Dog’s

reputation; Furthermore, it manages to exceed it by not only emerging as a game of the year contender, but a game of the generation contender as well.

Diving into it, The Last of Us revolves around a world devastated by a viral fungal infection, essentially turning people into zombie-like creatures that kill or infect remaining survivors. As worn out of a premise as that may seem, calling The Last of Us a generic zombie game is undoubtedly an insult. This is evident by the opening level, which actually provides an eye opening outlook on the world just before and as it’s all going downhill, which is appreciated as most apocalyptic games skip over such events. Aforementioned events are seen through the eyes of Joel, the main protagonist, who is a fairly typical man living a decent life as father before the whole outbreak occurred. The Last of Us wastes no time in tugging at your heartstrings after some unthinkable events unfold in the unforgettable intro. Thus, the dreary tone is set for what, unlike past Naughty Dogs game, is a brutal and emotionally draining game.

Jumping ahead 20 years later, the world is in a reasonably believable post-apocalyptic condition. The closest remnant to civilization resides within quarantined military zones, though punishments are almost certainly death to those who disobey. Then there’s Joel and his newly introduced partner Tess, who live life on the edge and smuggle weapons and do whatever else is necessary to survive in this new, inhospitable world. While this initial glance at this post-apocalyptic scene is interesting, the main plot doesn’t really unfold until you meet Ellie, a young teenaged girl, who is genuinely the heart and soul of the story. The foremost task involving Ellie is simple- deliver her to the Fireflies, a group fighting against the other militia groups and attempting to find a cure for humanity.

Once Ellie is at Joel’s side, the game may appear to be one large escort mission. Fortunately, that is not the case. Ellie, along with other allies met along the way, are virtually never liabilities in any situation. Friendly AI isn’t perfect, though they rarely are a nuisance by getting in the way and can’t attract enemies to your position. The latter point may be one of extremely few minor criticisms to muster in The Last of Us as friendlies can be a bit noisy, yet not attract attention, thus possibly interfering with the immersion. Overall, however, this is a fair system since no one needs babysitting and there aren’t long, awkward sections without dialogue. Also, to be fair, Joel does remind Ellie to keep it down every once in a while. And as a plus, friendlies indubitably do provide significant help from time to time, occasionally going as far as supplying some much needed ammunition or even a health pack.

Though The Last of Us has a considerably large focus on the plot, which primarily focuses on Joel and Ellie’s journey to find the Fireflies, the gameplay is an engaging aspect that should not be overlooked. To begin with, The Last of Us is not your run-of-the-mill third-person shooter. At the beginning of the game, the only firearm there is to work with is the basic pistol, which takes a few seconds to aim steadily. Ammo, unsurprisingly, is an uncommon treat, which oftentimes almost isn’t plentiful enough to take down every foe you come across. On the bright side, stealth is nearly always a viable option and is well implemented. Not only can foes be taken down quietly, but some sections may be bypassed altogether with precise and well-planned sneaking. The cover-system works smoothly as Joel automatically leans next to various surfaces that are well utilized in providing cover from firearm wielding enemies. Scattered bricks and bottles are a seemingly subtle, but brilliant component to the gameplay as they can be tossed as distractions or even chucked directly at hostiles for the purpose of stunning them, which can easily aid a quick getaway or one-two punch to take them down. Basically, it’s an excellent last resort if ammo and/or supplies are depleted, or just a great alternative to using said ammo and supplies.

With a limited ammo supply, scavenging and making every shot count is vital to surviving.

Of course, as the game progresses, better weaponry is acquired, thus expanding Joel’s arsenal. However, every weapon accumulated can’t just be summoned with the press of a button. There are limited weapon slots, one for a small weapon and another for a large weapon. In order to access other small or large weapons, they must be swapped while pulling out Joel’s backpack in the “hotkey” positions, all in real time. Situations must be planned accordingly, as it’s highly nerve-racking having to sit there and exchange weapons while surrounded by enemies. Focusing back to scavenging, ammo isn’t the only essential supply. Various, common-day items may be scrounged to craft useful items such as health packs, molotovs, crudely-constructed bombs, and even to modify melee weapons such as crowbars to inflict one-hit kills on foes in close combat. Weapon parts are scattered about to make weapons more easy to use, or even to expand the amount of weapons Joel has quick access to. Supplements enhance Joel’s abilities, like extending his overall health, which can only be replenished with snacks and health packs. Lastly, the HUD is quite limited, allowing for an exceptionally immersive and intense experience. All of these gameplay touches make for a fairly lifelike and surprisingly enriching adventure, with just one minor oddity, and that being listening mode. Listening mode allows you to temporary “hear”

enemies through walls and such by highlighting them within a certain distance. Yet, this is a non-issue as it can be disabled if need be, though it’s a tempting crutch to use on the first go-around. Naturally, it is completely disabled in Survivor mode to allow for a more interesting and challenging experience.

Concerning the visual and other technical components of The Last of Us, they are simply amazing considering the aging hardware it’s being pushed on.

The visuals are stunning and drive the PS3 to its limits. Cut-scenes are especially breathtaking, transitioning well from gameplay moments, aren’t overdone, and highly enhance the cinematic aspects of the game. Performance as a whole is steady, though there are some frame rate dips, although gameplay is practically never interrupted by performance issues. Perhaps one of the more notable elements of the game is the fact that there are essentially no loading screens. Also, the few instances there are of loading times are extremely brief, minus the lengthy loading screen upon starting up the game. This truly keeps the game flowing from start to finish. Lastly, voice acting is superb, and this isn’t just limited to human characters, but the sounds of the infected are terrifyingly well done too. As a whole, the audio excels in complementing the rest of the game and fitting the current

scene.

For a linear game, The Last of Us succeeds in keeping the experience consistent and immersive. The pacing, first of all, is almost perfect. It isn’t as shallow as simply clearing out room after room of enemies as there is plenty of time in between to explore and truly soak in the amazing post-apocalyptic world that has been expertly crafted. Crumbling buildings, well-placed foliage, abandoned homes, and other fragments from the initial outbreak make for a realistically depicted 20 year aftermath of a world torn apart and partially abandoned. Foes, as well, provide a decent change of pace. There are different stages of infected that react and must be dealt with in different ways, which leads to intense situations when they’re mixed together in certain sections. In many instances, humans are a larger threat than the infected. Hunters, groups of survivors hostile to outsiders, are a notable menace. Human enemies, in most situations, act in a tactful and intelligent manner, using such maneuvers as flanking and utilizing cover to gain an easier shooting advantage. Overall, The Last of Us doesn’t rely on being over-the-top on the action or wildly unrealistic with most situations. Aside from a few excessive moments such as sniping away at a multitude of spawning enemies, there typically aren’t any more than a dozen scattered foes to deal with in every circumstance. Yet, the scarcity of ammo, weighty movement, crafting plus switching weapons in real time, and stealthing in tight spots always makes for a tense. thrilling experience.