Naughty Dog has achieved such great success because (in my opinion), they take every good idea that the industry has come up with, and throws them all together in a single game. The Last of Us is the best example of this so far, and with very few flaws to find, not only cements itself as the best game Naughty Dog has made, but may be one of the best video games of the current generation.
Every single second of The Last of Us feels familiar, from the Dead Space style power node/shiv system, to the Uncharted duck and cover 1 vs.1000 gunplay. This game feels like a 3D Metroid when my flashlight is out, but also has a Dead Rising-esque workbench where I can make a baseball-bat-sword. Boston reminds me of a Half-Life 2 city, while the open Pittsburgh is very Fallout-y. The only thing beyond comparison, that is truly unique, is the writing. The story in The Last of Us is top-notch, and with all these great ideas complementing it, truly memorable.
It was very interesting going from the "I've got something important to say about America" Bioshock Infinite, which spent 10 hours almost breaking the 4th wall, to The Last of Us, which focuses more on a single man, and less on the apocalyptic world that he is struggling inside of. Now, while I think I like Bioshock Infinite more, I do appreciate the change of pace with Joel, a man who, unlike Booker DeWitt, genuinely cares about the people around him. One way or the other.
Every other review you read about this game will go into how technically flawless The Last of Us is, or how it's an action packed emotional roller coaster, but I want you to play it for the story it tells. The Last of Us is about fatherhood, keeping calm when danger is near, and morals where there shouldn't be any. I promise, that after the credits roll, you'll be talking to your friends exclusively about Joel and Ellie, not giving a fuck about the gunplay.
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