Dear Chlorine,
When I first saw the trailer for Naughty Dog’s new game, The Last of Us, back in E3 2012, I knew I was going buy it, play it, and love it just as much as I loved the Uncharted Trilogy, which was at the time my favorite game(s) of all time.
Between each installments, Uncharted became better and better, so I also knew Naughty Dog would pleasantly surprise me with this follow-up game, even though it’s not related to the Uncharted series and the gameplay is somewhat different.
The setting is much more appealing, too – a post-apocalyptic world two people (who I initially thought were father and daughter) must survive – the harsh reality taking its toll on the young, innocent 14-year old Ellie, while on the other hand, Joel’s principles are questioned.
Amidst the inevitable action comes an intrinsic form of strategy – Should I shoot that guy or reserve these two bullets for later? Am I sure there’s only one guy left? What type of zombie/infected is that again? I think that’s the blind one so I should be able to pass by quietly in front of it…
It was perfect! I’ve bought games on Day One for far fewer reasons.
The game was released in June 2013. At that time, I was hooked on Guild Wars 2 and I didn’t want my attention divided while playing The Last of Us, so I thought I’d at least wait for the Guild Wars 2 addiction to pass.
As I mentioned in my “The Break” post, after Guild Wars 2, I decided to do a little more physical activities so I did a little biking. Again, I still could have bought this game, but I wanted it so that while I’m playing it, I’m not doing anything else. So I decided to postpone it once more.
Earlier this year we played Star Wars: The Old Republic, so yeah, same reason as before.
Come May 2014, I was ready to play this game. In fact, I was already looking up its current prices and a little news and update to wet my appetite, when I stumbled upon a recent announcement that a remastered version was going to be released on the PS4 on July 29th.
At this time I was actually ready to buy the PS4 – I had money for it set aside already – but I wanted to get it only once we transfer to our new home (which, hopefully, is where you are right now while you’re reading this). I estimated we would transfer by late July or early August, so it was perfect!
It became clear near the end of July that we won’t be able to transfer until probably mid-August or later, so I decided to purchase the PS4 in time for the release of this game. I had to play it sooner rather than later!
And boy, was the one-year wait worth it. The game was amazing (scored 10/10 in IGN, higher than any Uncharted game, or any game I’ve played for that matter, and 95 on Metacritic). It’s easily the best PS4 game available so far, and I’m pretty sure that won’t change anytime soon (sorry soon-to-be-released games, the bar is set way up high).
Actually, in my opinion, it’s in the discussion for best game ever on any platform. I was actually surprised to find comments here and there that said they didn’t find the game as good as people say, because I really think it’s that and more. To each his/her own, I guess.
Anyway, out of respect for the game, I won’t even talk about it, other than to say it’s a third-person shooter, stealth, and survival game with an awesome storyline. It’s linear (and most people hate this, but not me), but the format has been working since Uncharted so why change it. It’s more stealthy and survivalist, and less adventurous than Uncharted. It’s also heavily story-driven, so anything I say about the story might ruin your experience.
Here’s a very short video, though. I found this sequence funny even though your Mommy doesn’t. Still, it shows a lot of the fundamental gameplay outside the story-telling phases – a lot of sneaking, listening, and (strategic, resource efficient) fighting.
By the time you read this, I’d have no doubt asked you to play hundreds of games with me. There are three games, however, where I won’t rest until you try them at least once. The Last of Us easily becomes the 4th entry to that exclusive list.
Patience pays off.
And more importantly, enjoy the experience (of playing The Last of Us).
