The Last of Us

- Reviewed on PS4 -

The Last of Us released on June 14th, 2013.

One of Naughty Dogs' best game series, The Last of Us is a dual protagonist story and although I was very late to the party in terms of the first entry, I can not recommend this game enough for people who are fans of the post apocalyptic / horror genre. 

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

You play as one of the main protagonists, Joel Miller who is on a mission to get immune girl, Ellie to a militia group named the Fireflies. 

Undoubtedly a story / journey I will never forget, The Last of Us plays out like a movie at times and the animation for the enemies, combat, weapons, etc. are out of this world even for the era (game generation) The Last of Us originally came out in. 

You will most likely spend about 15-25 hours in this game as the story takes its time to immerse the player(s) into the father figure role, Joel picks up for Ellie. 

I was, without question, late to the party with this series but the remastered version of The Last of Us really lived up for the hype it had back then graphics wise.

It still blows my mind this game came out during the PS3 era and it was as big as it is. This game was truly ahead of its time. 

Naughty Dog did not hesitate to show you how cruel this story was going to be in the very beginning where Joel (SPOILER) loses his daughter Sarah. 

The remastered version on PS4 of The Last of Us runs at a great 60 frames per second, which is greater than the 30 frames per second on the PS3. 

Similar to other games I have played, The Last of Us offers a great photo mode that even though I didn't use as much as other games, still is a great addition for high quality screenshots of the survival title. 

Assessing your items to craft, organize, and equip is very unique in a sense where your progress in the story (gameplay) does not pause like in other games. 

This makes you feel a sense of urgency when in stressful fight scenarios and causes you to be properly equipped before hand and kind of forces you to explore for materials. 

The controls are as smooth as they can possibly be and the animations (like mentioned earlier) that go along with the controls positively match in unison. 

You see the bond Joel and Ellie get throughout the game.

Ellie starts out not wanting to travel with Joel but over the course of constant fighting, horror, stress, suspense, and losses, Ellie starts to see Joel as a father figure, and later on, a true, loyal friend who didn't / doesn't leave her like her past relationships. 

This is the same for Joel as well, he losses his daughter but then over the course of the story, sees Ellie as his own daughter, this being very apparent at the end of the game where (SPOILER) Joel saves Ellies life instead of having the Fireflies find a cure for the horrible plague that has contaminated their whole way of life. 

You can play as Ellie towards the end of the game where she saves Joel's life and almost sacrifices her own life for Joel's. 

The Last of Us: Left Behind is the only story based DLC for The Last of Us (other DLCs being for multiplayer) and shows Ellie's backstory before she ends up with Joel in the main campaign. 

Beginning to end this game had me feeling all sorts of ways emotionally. 

From scared, due to the horrific monsters and the stealth gameplay along with them. 

To happy, from Joel and Ellies bonding.

Anger from the backstabbing characters and the enemies in general who pose a threat to Joel and Ellie's journey. 

To finally, sadness because of the sheer fact that Ellie has to live her whole life in a terrifying reality full of monsters and of course all the loss Joel suffers throughout their journey. 

Combine all these emotions with great gameplay, music, animation, story, and of course characters and you got a near perfect video game to enjoy! 

Pros: 

    - Great Animations
    - Wonderful Music to Go Along with Certain Scenarios
    - Great Character Development (Especially Between Joel and Ellie) 
    - Outstanding Story Throughout Game
    - Photo Mode (at least on remastered PS4 version)
    - Nice Graphics
    - Great FPS

Cons:

    - Weapon Aiming is a Bit Hard 
    - Lackluster Multiplayer

My Rating for The Last of Us (on PS4):

5 / 5


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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.



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