The Last of Us

UPC: 711719981749

Platform: PlayStation 3

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc.

Developer: Naughty Dog, Inc.

Category: Adventure

Style(s): Survival Horror

Synopsis: Set 20 years after the Cordyceps parasitic fungus has mutated and begun infecting people, The Last of Us puts players in the role of an amoral black-market dealer named Joel as he attempts to usher a 14-year-old named Ellie across the country to a resistance group known as the Fireflies. The journey is extremely perilous, as gamers must escape quarantined zones where martial law has been enacted, avoid infected humans, scavengers, and bandits roaming cities that have been reclaimed by nature, and elude the military, who desperately want to return Ellie to her quarantined city.


Developed by Naughty Dog, the company behind Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, and Uncharted, The Last of Us represents something of a departure from those action-oriented franchises. While guns and visceral melee combat do play a large role in the game, the post-apocalyptic environment means that ammo and weapons are quite scarce. On top of that, the fungus enters through one's eyes, rendering those infected either partially or fully blind, but giving them remarkable hearing ability, so loud noises are generally inadvisable. Therefore, survival is likely to hinge as much on the use of stealth and guile as the use of guns and knives.


Several other characters join Joel and Ellie during their trek, but for the most part gamers will be controlling Joel while the AI handles Ellie. Players can attempt to make their way directly through each level, but those who explore will find a variety of collectibles and objects that can be combined and used as weapons or health kits. The world does not stop when Joel goes into his backpack to craft something, however, so gamers must plan ahead or make sure they are in a secure area before crafting. The Last of Us also features a fully formed multiplayer mode, complete with in-game currency and a perk system. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Online Pass

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

The Last of Us is an often harrowing journey through a post-apocalyptic world populated by zombie-like humans. While the premise has seen more miles than Aerosmith's tour bus, the developers' grim and gritty approach to the subject matter will nonetheless enthrall those fascinated by the themes and settings of The Walking Dead, The Road, or Children of Men. Lead character Joel is not a gung-ho, wisecracking action hero, but rather a weary, sullen 50 year old who has endured hardship after hardship, even before the mysterious virus transformed much of the population into twitchy, bloodthirsty freaks.

The story takes place 20 years after the outbreak, with society mostly in ruins. Homes are abandoned, gangs murder to steal meager supplies, quarantine zones have been established, and a militia group called the Fireflies searches for a cure by any means necessary. Joel reluctantly agrees to escort a 14-year-old girl named Ellie to a Firefly safe zone, as she potentially holds the key to reversing the disease. Like Joel, Ellie is not your typical video game character. She's not someone you have to constantly worry about, as she's strong-willed and capable of handling herself in a pinch. She's also not shy and will express her disappointment or excitement in colorful, crude language.

The game is played entirely from a third-person perspective, though the action is more stealth than shooter. While you will outfit Joel with a variety of weapons, ammo is limited and must be replenished (along with craftable supplies like bandages) by searching drawers, lockers, shelves, and other areas in the surprisingly diverse looking environments. Joel and Ellie will regularly encounter patrols of enemies (soldiers, bandits, or infected) roaming across city streets, apartment complexes, hotels, and more. Yet, for the most part, the stealth in The Last of Us isn't punishing; you generally have quite a bit of freedom within the environments to avoid detection or to plan out your attacks. You can sneak up and choke an enemy for a silent kill, pummel another with your fists, plant a shrapnel bomb, swing a bat, or take the odd shot or two. If you are spotted, you can flee and find cover to break the enemy's line of sight.

Unfortunately that sense of freedom is rudely taken away during scenes involving a specific type of infected: "clickers." Clickers resemble humans with one nasty difference: their heads look like roasted cauliflower. Since they cannot see, they rely on sound to stalk their prey, tracking targets with an unnerving clicking sound. They move almost comically, like bar patrons after a night of carousing, but if they hear you, they'll suddenly sprint at high speed and instantly kill you if they make contact. It's the one-shot-kill that irritates the most; instead of making this enemy more challenging to kill or defend against, the developers made it so you are forced to carefully crab walk your way past to avoid detection.

While some may see this as a welcome element of strategy, the developers use the clickers in diabolically evil ways, like putting two or more within groups of other infected. In combat, you can't easily prioritize targets, so you will often die to a clicker while you engage another type of infected. When you die in this game, it often feels like it's more a case of bad luck than a failure to execute. (Keep in mind that Joel could stop a clicker dead in its tracks by tripping it with his foot.) These encounters are one of several "gamey" moments that pull you out of the title's carefully crafted sense of realism (see also: lead pipes that aren't much more durable than wooden bats, enemies that can't hear your companions, or bricks being far more useful than guns).

In addition to these stealth-centric combat sequences, there are times when Joel and Ellie simply have to find their way across an area. Unfortunately, this isn't any more complicated than moving a plank to use as a bridge between buildings, positioning a ladder to reach a higher level, or grabbing a wooden platform so Ellie can cross the water (she can't swim). Joel not only can't use his legs in combat, but he can barely jump or climb without assistance. Considering the frequency with which you encounter collapsing buildings, water, and other potential hazards, more puzzles involving how to best traverse the landscape would have been welcome. As it stands, the best parts of these travel sequences are the conversations between characters.

And the characters are remarkably expressive, brought to life by first-rate voice acting and facial animation. Joel and Ellie will also encounter various people throughout their journey, and each new contact brings a different dynamic to the group, enabling characters to show some emotion and backstory as you figure out a way through the hostile environments. The impeccably detailed settings also convey a heart-wrenching sense of loss and sadness: a husband's hastily scribbled note to his wife and child detailing where to meet; skeletal remains of a couple in a bathtub; children's drawings of their "protectors" and heroes; and numerous unfinished diaries. Families have been destroyed, distraught people have committed suicide, and disturbing acts of violence has been committed to those simply trying to survive.

So, despite the moments of frustration due to some cheap mechanics, despite the game's somewhat repetitive structure, and despite the simplified design, you will find yourself deeply invested in the story and wanting to ensure that Joel and Ellie safely reach their destination. It's often the small things that resonate in The Last of Us, such as the joy Ellie expresses when discovering a comic book for the first time or Joel giving a clearly broken coffee machine a wistful whirl. While Joel is a father-figure symbolic of a world that has ended, Ellie is a child of the future, possessing one of the most precious commodities in the game: hope. The Last of Us is an often harrowing journey, one in which you will feel mentally and even physically drained once it reaches its conclusion, its scenes and characters getting under your skin faster than an infected human's bite. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.