Right, so exactly a week ago on a bright Sunday morning I received this game. A good 16 hours spread over three days was invested from that point on in completing this title and having done that, when I look back now, I can safely say those 16 hours were perhaps the best chunk of gaming entertainment that I have had in recent times.
The Last of Us I felt isn't only a game in it's entirety. It's an experience, a journey where you dawn your rugged old boots and start treading your way onto the cold blades of grass, in an unforgiving, overcast dystopia. From that first step into the well crafted apocalyptic infected world to the very last mile you wade, this game rivets you and makes you actually feel that breathing in a decaying, ruined, infested world isn't easy. In fact it's extremely and scarily difficult.
Plot (The meat of the game!): Story-telling is such an art, and this game is chock-full of it. Twenty flat minutes into the game and your practically sucked into the vortex of the plot, itching to unravel it step by step. As I played through this title it grew onto me in a rather rich way. The way the characters evolve with the passage of time, the way the writers have slowly laid out the plot in their beautifully narrated scripts is something to cherish... to bits. As you move through the desolate streets of the nearly inhabited city you often come across notes, little memento's left behind from the past dwellers. Each of them have their own little stories, their tales which adds to the believability that the dystopia that Joel and Ellie are traversing through now was once a sprawling metropolis, in it's glory. The raw survival instincts, the grey zone of rights and wrongs and the brute feeling of conquering all
odds in a city succumbing and reeling under a deadly infection is brought out exceptionally well. The story was pasted into me like butter to bread and it never did let go of me, even once. As the story matures not once did it feel that it's losing it's grip on me. This was a cinematic novel... and a great one at that. Naughty Dog created a charm with the solid story and it works wonderfully, flawlessly.
Character Development: If there is anything more annoying in a game it's a bunch of half baked in-game characters. Having a great story is one aspect of a good, solid title but to firmly attach and engrave it onto in the player's mind you need interesting, sensitive characters. Characters in which some part of the player's mind is also inter-wined as he progresses through the game's levels. TLoU does this to the very bone. Joel and Ellie are beautifully portrayed in their own ways and each of them have their own set of thoughts and emotions, their rights, their wrongs. They agree, bicker on certain things, have their own noir zone regarding certain related aspects, have their own memories and pasts to come to terms with but at the end of the day they realize to survive their inter-interdependent trusts are of paramount importance. They are human and they are fallible but they face similar odds to their very existence. The other characters who are brought in across the game's many levels are all well crafted. They are there for a reason, their gravity of existence fully realized, in permanence. Dialogues are top-notch, not once did they seem hammy.
Graphics: I haven't played Killzone 3 yet but this looked absolutely sweet. The entire apocalyptic, desolate, cold world which the game sets out to depict is brought to life with some fantastic, well detailed graphics. Characters models look well done, specially that of Ellie. Season's change and the world around the player evolves, masterfully.
Gameplay: Aaah... this was pure greatness. I have always been an ardent lover of stealth games. If a game has stealth then I'm all for it. To make things work it has to complemented with good AI and this title doesn't disappoint in that department. Surely, one can and will need to bring out the artillery from time to time but the squishy art of tip-toeing your way around enemies without them noticing you is pure art and severely gratifying. What I particularly liked about TLOU is the way the developers let you choose your style of gameplay, although the pure resounding emphasis is to go the quieter way you can make the bullets whiz whenever the need be. Also, the very concept behind this game is scavenging. I was in fact all eyes, scouring every nook and corner of the map on each level, picking up each and everything Joel's backpack could carry, making sure I had all the necessary items as best as possible. It didn't feel overbearing at all.... it felt like second nature largely due to the fact it's all so seamless. Resource management is such a crucial thing in this game and one has to be wise enough to stock up on all the necessary supplies and ammunition for the harder and more challenging parts of the game. This is daringly one of the most atmospheric titles on the console, scarily unnerving at times. The tension brewed up in pints, specially so when I was trying to keep it nice and stealthy, avoiding enemies creeping my way through was utterly brilliant (damn those Clickers!!). The outdoor levels as opposed to the close quartered stifling corridors were much, much harder to conquer in hide and seek mode. Leveling up, crafting your weapons at workbenches and a strong melee combat system in those moments of heated confrontation with the enemies, all work coherently. For the one's who haven't played this game yet... just wait till you encounter a Clicker or a Bloater! Tread carefully my friends!!
(One little thing though... I felt the developers pushed the player into a lot of forced combat in the later stages of the game as opposed to the dark, grim corridors in the initial levels where I could hush down the enemies Sam Fisher style. I felt the 'dynamic stealth' idea could be beefed up more on certain levels. Thankfully though the last couple of levels focused on stealth and were the most nerve-wracking levels in my opinion, even for the most stealth loving gamers out there.)
Wrap-up: I've always felt there are RPG's and then there is Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Baldur's Gate because they belong to a league of their own. In my heart of hearts... survival horror's triumphant moment is this. There are survival horror titles and then there is this. The Last of Us is a brilliantly made title, a cinematic gameplay experience which is an utterly delightful slice of modern day gaming in all it's absolute splendor. Thank-you Naughty Dog!
How many of you are facing this issue. I mean some people are getting the survivor+ mode available after completing on hard and some are not.
