video game thoughts: Last of Us Remastered (PS4)

[orangerful]

I could not stop playing Last of Us this weekend until I had to stop because I ran out of game. SUCH a good game, definitely the pace I like my survival horror stories - lots of tension but then a few cut scenes/talk scenes to let you relax again. Plus, Ellie and Joel were so great, fantastic characters that stay with you long after the game ends. Tim just got me this game for Christmas and I don't think I've just sat down and played through something in a long time.

If you haven't played it, the plot line is what you might expect - a world ravaged by a virus that turns people into zombie-like creatures (it's all plant based, they look like creepy exploding flower things). Joel is a rough guy, just surviving, resigned to his existence now that everything has gone to hell. Then circumstances happen and he ends up having to escort Ellie across the country. Ellie has grown up in this world but her life became extra complicated when she was attacked by one of the creatures but did not become infected. Together they hope to get her to a renegade group called "The Fireflies" and hopefully find a cure.

The story is so well crafted. Naughty Dog Studios does tend to make more cinematic games. They are famous for another Playstation exclusive - the Uncharted series. The first two games of that series feel like interactive movies at time, with long cut scenes that can sometimes slow things down a bit too much. But with Last of Us, they writers and developers found a perfect balance of cut scenes, interactive dialogue scenes, action and stealth sequences.

By the end of the game, you care about Joel and Ellie and you want them to survive.

I played the Remastered edition for the PS4 which also included Left Behind, which includes flashbacks for Ellie and also a story that we "missed" in the regular game. As if my heart wasn't broken enough at the end of the game, this went ahead and jumped up and down on it.

And not only is the story well done and the gameplay fantastic but the game itself is just beautiful. Even as you are sneaking through derelict buildings and fighting monsters in abandoned schools, you find yourself looking at the rays of sunshine reflecting off the broken windows.

Last of Us: Part II has been announced and is expected to be released in 2018. From the brief trailer we see, time has passed, Ellie is now a true young adult and Joel is far more grayer. I cannot wait to find out about their lives and their new stories, even though I fear for the worst with the trailer featuring a blood stained Ellie swearing revenge.

If you have a PS3 or PS4, I HIGHLY recommend picking this up. It's dropped down to about $20 now and it is more than worth it. 5 stars.

Comments

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love The Last Of Us! I did a review a bit ago and most recently my thoughts on the announcement trailer for Part II.

I have a love of cinematic games like this. Ones where you don't even have to play the game in order to be invested with the story, and add in the brilliance of the writing, the plot, the voice actors (who also did the motion capture for their characters) who have so much chemistry and depth with their characters and their relationships with each other, and how absolutely stunning the game is overall, it's just phenomenal in every aspect. I love TLOU so much, I just have so many feelings about Ellie and Joel. Ugh, my heart.

Have you seen the The Last Of Us: One Night Live, where Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, along with some of the other voice actors, reprised their roles and reenacted scenes from the game? It's so beautifully done. I swear, if we don't get a live action film adaptation I want there to at least be a stage adaptation.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

oh my gosh, I will have to watch that YouTube video when I get home because wow...what an amazing idea to perform it live like that.

I'm kind of scared of a film adaptation. I just can't imagine them not screwing it up. :( But I would watch a CGI movie voiced by all the same people <3 <3

Okay, going to read all your thoughts now. :)

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

And in case you haven't come across it already, there was another part of the One Night Live which wasn't filmed, but still described by people who were there. It was an epilogue, which took place a few weeks after the last scene of the game, and apparently it was quite beautiful and touching.

Here is the only picture of the epilogue from the event.

[ragnarok-08.livejournal.com]

The Last of Us is such a great game :D

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I don't use this word lightly, I would say it is perfect.

[eowyn.livejournal.com]

Oh TLOU!! I love that game. I actually don't game, but I've watched all the cut scenes together like a film AND I LOVE IT SO HARD. How exciting there's going to be a part II!

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

LOL sounds like it has a LARGE following of people who never played it and just watched the cut scenes. Did they include the walk-and-talk sequences in the game in those collections? There's just so much in that game, it's so well done, they did it right.

[eowyn.livejournal.com]

Some do! The good ones include all the action pertinent to the plot, too.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you enjoyed playing the game. I have several friends who really seem to love it.

[1-rhiannon-1.livejournal.com]

Drake desperately wants to play this, but I bought it for him twice and neither disc played. :( We don't have an account since it costs money so the download code won't work either.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

WHAT!? That is ridiculous. Did you contact Playstation? I feel like after two tries, they should just link the download to your account. The basic playstation account is free so they should b able to get it to you. So weird that the other games work and not this one :(

[1-rhiannon-1.livejournal.com]

No, we bought it from Gamestop. I returned one, but didn't return the other. I finally just said fuck it and so did he, basically. He's upset about it, but we don't know what else to do but just let it go. The PS3 is Raven's, not ours, so we hesitate to do anything with it except put a disc in it.

[tersa.livejournal.com]

I own it, but I sadly only have so much free time for video games and recently my Star Wars: The Old Republc (MMO) has consumed most of it. I've heard such gooooood things about it, though, and now your review!

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

LOL yeah, that was why I ended up finally walking away from WoW, I had so many video games I wanted to play but that monthly fee for WoW made it hard to walk away. :) But when you get free time again and need a break from SW, this one is worth it!!!!

[tersa.livejournal.com]

It's not just the monthly fee; I am still enjoying playing parts of it, at least. :) Mostly the social aspects (I raid twice a week and have a third night I usually just log on and putter about), although I've been chipping away at one story thing that's been nibbling at me to do.

My game backlog is sooooooooooo big though. Stupid Steam and their stupid sales! And Mass Effect: Andromeda is coming out in about six weeks, and I expect that's going to subsume me for a little while. XD

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I keep waffling back and forth about pre-ordering Mass Effect. I'm really excited about it but I want to make sure I have the time to sit and play before I spend the money but I also want to talk online with everyone about it aaaaaah #gamerproblems

[night-owl-9.livejournal.com]

The Last of Us is such a good game! I adore it. I can't wait for Part II.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a wonderful game. I'm not a gamer like that though, so I doubt I'll check it out. Also for me? Zombies = nightmares. :-P Hubby loves zombie movies though,but he is more into those shooting games, you know?

[dancingdragon3.livejournal.com]

Another friend of mine loves The Last of Us, too. I'm really missing out, not playing video games :-/