Monday, July 22, 2013

The Last of Us - Review


Naughty Dog is a well known developer for Sony consoles, and if you are like many of today's gamers, they are a company that you may have grown up with as well. What many people may not realize though, that it isn't just you who aged, but Naughty Dog's games as well. Back on the PlayStation they released Crash Bandicoot. It was a game that everyone could play, but it was also one that really stood out to the kids. As years went on more Crash games were released, but then came along Jak and Daxter. If you were a kid of the 90s, by the time Jak and Daxter came out, you may have been a preteen. While the game was still aimed at everyone, it did feature a little more crude humor. Well jump ahead a little bit more, the "pre teens" playing Jak and Daxter are now teens, and Jak II comes out; Naughty Dog's first T rated game.

While Jak II was a bit darker, and featured mild language, it was still a pretty "goofy" game overall. It didn't take itself too seriously, and still knew how to have fun. This is how Jak 3 continued the trend, but then things changed a few more years later. By this time the "teens" playing Jak II and 3 were now in their mid to late teens, and that is when the Uncharted series came out. The Uncharted series was aimed more at the mature audience, but it still held back in some areas. It was a game suitable for teenagers to play, and it was also a game that would most likely appeal to Naughty Dog's original fans from way back during the Crash days. Naughty Dog seemingly grew up with their fans, and that trend is still continuing on today.

The Last of Us is the next "series" in line for Naughty Dog, and once again they have made a change. Unlike Jak and Uncharted, The Last of Us is an M rated game, and the first one Naughty Dog has created. By this time most of Naughty Dog's original fans are now 17 years or older, and it is very clear that they still plan on keeping their fans of old happy. When The Last of Us was first announced, the game got a lot of hype, and that hype continued on for the next few years. Fans would jump for joy every time some news was released for the game, and as time went on the wait for it got harder and harder.

After waiting for quite awhile, the game finally got released on June 14th 2013; that was over a month ago. Now that the hype has finally died down, how good is the game really? Were we all blinded by the hype? Did everyone just jump on the band wagon and see this game as a masterpiece no matter how many faults it might have? Well, how about we find out how good the game really is?

The Story:

The Last of Us' story is a very slow moving one at first, and because of that it takes quite some time before the game's actual story even begins. The game opens up with a young girl waiting for her father Joel to come home from work. Today is Joel's birthday, and she wants to be there to give him his present. Despite the fact that it is almost midnight, she continues to wait until the door knob finally turns, and her father comes home. While Joel is shocked to see his daughter up so late at night, he happily accepts the brand new watch she has just given him, and he then carries her to bed. From the very start it is clear that he really loves his daughter, and that he is willing to do anything for her. As a single parent, she is all he really has in the world, and she is very precious to him.


A few hours later the phone rings, and the girl (who we learn is named Sarah) is woken up by it; it is her uncle Tommy. As Tommy asks Sarah to get Joel on the phone as fast as she can, he is suddenly cut off, and Sarah decides to go looking for her dad. Although at this point the players get to take control of Sarah, the game's intro continues on. As you/Sarah walk through the house looking for Joel, you slowly learn things are a bit off. After looking in Joel's room, Sarah sees a news report where there has apparently been an explosion; which is shortly followed by yet another one that seemingly kills the reporters. The explosion can be seen from Joel's window, and Sarah begins to become scared. After running down the stairs into the living room, police cars zoom by the house, and Sarah heads for her dad's office. At this moment, her life is changed forever.


Not too long after entering Joel's study, he comes running in from outside, and he is covered in blood. He begins to ask Sarah if she had seen anything strange, and he warns her to stay away from the doors and windows. By this point Sarah is truly terrified, and not sure about what is going on; however it all becomes clear. Just then Sarah's next door neighbor runs into the house, Joel yells at him to stay back, and then procedes to shoot him in the head. As Sarah stands still in utter shock, Joel tries to explain to her that something bad has happened, and that they have to get out of there. As the two run outside the house, uncle Tommy is there to pick both of them up, and their attempt to flee the city begins.


As uncle Tommy drives, you get to control Sarah as she looks out the windows of the car. Along the way you can see many people begging for someone to stop and help them, you pass by burning buildings, and finally uncle Tommy pulls up to the backed up highway. This is when you and Sarah get your first real look at what is going on. People are running everywhere, being pulled out of cars, and being bitten by other people. It looks like something out of a zombie movie, and everyone in the car knows that they have to escape. However; attempting to run is futile. Soon after a car crashes into the side of your car, and you are sent rolling.


The very next scene the player takes control of Joel as he pulls his daughter out of the car, and begins to carry her through the street. People are running screaming, gas stations are exploding, and people are being pulled to the ground where they are then bit. Death is all around you, and Joel does everything he can to carry his daughter to safety; however, that doesn't happen. After coming across a cop, Sarah is shot and killed just moments before Tommy is able to shoot the cop. Joel lays on the ground holding his daughter, and is forced to watch her life fade away before his eyes. That was 20 years ago.

When the game truly opens, the world is a different place. People live in quarantine zones, and we ourselves get to see what has been going on. It turns out a new type of fungus has appeared, and it has begun taking control of humans. Very much like the fungus that takes controls of ants, and other bugs in real life, this fungus hijacks a human's brain, it controls them until it finds a place to settle down, it kills them, and then continues to grow and spread. At this point it releases spores, and takes control of people once again. The world has now been completely destroyed by it, a military now controls most of the world in a new sort of dictatorship, and a resistance group called the Fireflies has taken root. The game begins with players taking control of Joel once again as he lives in Boston which is now under complete control of the military.


After being screwed over by some guy who was supposed to give Joel and his female friend Tess weapons, the two decide to head out and track him down. They plan on getting their supplies, and they are willing to do anything to fix the mess they are now in. After a series of events though, their plans soon change, and Joel is sent out on the adventure of his lifetime. Not too long after dealing with their little "issue," Joel and Tess meet a member of the Fireflies who apparently has their weapons. She tells them that she will give their supplies back to them, but only if they do something for her as well. She wants something smuggled out of the city, and that little something is a 14 year old girl named Ellie. At first the plan seemed easy enough, but after things go wrong yet again, Joel ends up deciding to cross the country with her. Ellie is a special girl, and she may just hold the key to the human race's survival.

An Emotional Adventure:

Like the Uncharted series, The Last of Us really puts a lot of focus into its story. While the game does have engaging gameplay, what will really drive you to play this game is its story, its characters, and its top notch acting. Every scene in The Last of Us is filmed in a motion capture studio, and both movements and audio are captured at the same time. Although this may not seem like that big of a deal, it really helps get the character's emotions across, and because of that the acting really stands out compared to some other games. The characters in The Last of us are VERY believable, and they really help pull you into the world the game takes place in. There is always this sense of sadness in the air, and you can really understand what these characters are going through. You'll understand their motives and what drives them, and you'll be able to understand their somewhat questionable responses as well.


The thing is, no one is really a "bad guy" in this game world. Just like Joel and Ellie, everyone you meet is just trying to survive. Everyone has people that they care about, they have friends, they have family members, and all they want to do is live. In a world where supplies are limited, and where death is always around the corner, you have to do everything it takes to survive. "You either hang onto your morals and die, or you do everything it takes to survive." This line spoken by Ellie in the game's promos holds true, and it becomes very clear early on.

Killing people in The Last of Us is also extremely grounded as well. From a gameplay point of view, taking someone down is a risk, but the game also always reminds you that these are normal people as well. Sure they may try to kill you, but that's only because they know you are going to kill them. They just want to live, and each time you kill you know that you just killed someone like yourself. Killing isn't taken lightly in The Last of Us, and it always reminds you if it truly is the right thing to do. Unlike in the Uncharted games where Elena simply picks up a gun from the start and starts pulling off head shots like its nothing, the characters in The Last of Us are always aware of their actions. At one point during the game, one character is forced to shoot and kill another which really has an impact on Joel. Instead of simply saying "good job" or "you did great," he holds back crying, and turns his head as he smarts off to them in order to hide his emotions. At times like these you really feel that the characters are alive, and that is a rare quality in most games today.


The Last of Us really is a rare breed in the world of gaming. Not many games out there will make you feel anger, sadness, and take you on an emotional roller coaster, but The Last of Us somehow manages to do it all. Even so, this is only just a half of the game.

A Dynamic Stealth Game:

The gameplay in The Last of Us isn't quite like other games. When the game was still in development Naughty Dog themselves classified it as a "Dynamic Stealth" game, and that is exactly what it is. It is a Dynamic Stealth game that mixes elements of 3rd person shooting, survival horror, and puzzle solving.

Unlike in the Uncharted series, The Last of Us is overall a lot more grounded. The characters have sort of tank controls, where you turn them left and right or use quick turn arounds to turn yourself at a 90 degree angle, you cannot scale buildings or climb unless you can realistically reach a ledge and would be able to pull yourself up if it were in real life, bullets actually act like bullets (they kill fast, and if Joel gets shot, he'll stumble backwards from the impact and bleed), and the enemies you come across are actually smart. If you're expecting Uncharted, well, you better just stick with uncharted because this isn't it.


As you make your way through The Last of Us, you must always be thinking ahead and playing it safe. First of all, your supplies are limited. Throughout the game you'll be able to go into houses, search through drawers, and scavenge for supplies, but you'll soon learn that supplies aren't as plentiful as you might think. The amount of supplies in the world completely depends on the difficulty mode. In the easier modes you'll be finding supplies almost non stop, but in the harder modes they will be very limiting. This really makes you think about how you want to use all of your materials, and it will constantly have you planning ahead.

The game also features a crafting system, and that is where almost all of your weapons and even healing items will be coming from. As you find more supplies you'll be able to build more items, but you have to really plan ahead if you want to make the most out of what you have. Since Joel only has a limited amount of space in his backpack, you cannot carry everything you come across; however you also don't want to just use materials to free up space either. For example, at one point you may have the materials to make a cocktail which you can use to take out the group of enemies ahead of you, but some of the materials used for that cocktail can also be used to create a med kit. Do you really need to make that cocktail to take out them enemies, but then again, do you really want to use your ammo to take them out? With the cocktail you'll be able to take them on as a group, while you will have to take them down one by one with your gun; that is if you can even hit them and kill them all before you run out of ammo. Then again, you may also be low on health, so what should you do? That's for you to decide, and that's a question you will be asking yourself time and time again as you play. Still, that's only a small part of the gameplay.


Enemies in The Last of Us are also very smart. They will communicate with their friends to plan attacks against you, they will try to corner you and kill you as fast as possible, and they will even flank you if the opportunity arises. For example, you may have a few enemies hiding behind a turned over table that you need to take out. You've got them pinned down, and all you have to do is wait for them to peak out so you can hit them right? Well, what if one peaks out on the far left end of the table, and you take the shot? Sure you might hit them, but what you might not have noticed is that another enemy just snuck out of cover from the far left side of the table. You didn't notice because you weren't watching that end, and that enemy is now sneaking up on YOU for a change. As you stand hiding behind cover looking for any opening to take a shot (you are limited on ammo after all), that enemy who was sneaking up on you has just flanked you from the side and it may be the end for you. Maybe. The fact is, you still have Ellie by your side.

Ellie is an extremely useful partner, and possibly one of the best kids to be in a video game. She'll actually yell and warn you if an enemy is sneaking up on you, she'll pick up bricks and throw them at the enemy's head to stun them, and she will basically always have your back. Sometimes she will be the deciding factor between life and death. She may see the gun sneaking up to you from behind, she may yell "JOEL BEHIND YOU!" And you may be able to turn around in time to prevent yourself from being shot. It is up to you to listen to her, but if you do, she is a lifesaver.

Besides shooting enemies, you can also deal with them in many different ways as well. Joel can sneak up behind them and choke them out, you can stab them with makeshift shivs (which require materials to be made), you can punch them to death and use the environment to your advantage (for example you can shove people's heads into walls), or you can even pick up bricks, glass bottles, boards, pipes, axes, and other objects to beat the enemy with as well. It's really up to you what you do, but each option has its own pros and cons. While shooting enemies will use up ammo, chocking someone out isn't as fast and easy as it might sound. You may not realize it, but you can't just grab someone's neck and watch them pass out in less than a second like most games show, and most people aren't going to stand still as you try to choke them; it is no different in The Last of Us. If you go to choke an enemy out, that enemy will make as much sound as possible, they will fight back, they will start kicking, and it does take some time before they finally pass out. It's a stealthy way to take someone down, but you may be spotted before the enemy finally hits the ground. Now if you want to do a true quick and stealthy take down, you can stab an enemy with a shiv, but this has problems as well. First of all the shiv requires materials to make, and second of all, they break. Shivs have other uses (such as opening doors), so this isn't always the best option. As for punching someone to death, or beating them with a brick or bottle; well, it's not much different than shooting. It takes awhile to kill someone this way, and the person you are attacking WILL alert everyone around them; it is not an option if you're going for stealth.


Although you can simply just run in and take out the enemies by force, there are also a wide verity of ways to trick them as well. By throwing a brick or bottle you can alert an enemy and distract them. You could use this to lead them in the opposite direction so you can either sneak by them or sneak up on them and take them out, but that only works if you haven't been spotted yet; so what if you have been spotted? Well, like I said enemies are smart, and they will realize when you might be in "trouble." If you have a gun that is out of ammo, you can actually point the gun at them, pull the trigger, and let the click of the hammer hitting nothing ring out. Everyone who hears that click will know that you are "out of ammo," and they WILL use that to their advantage. "I KNOW THAT SOUND," they might say as they come out of cover and walk toward you to finish you off. At this moment you could then either pull out your backup gun and shoot them, or go in for a melee kill; it's up to you. This isn't the only way this tricks like this can be used though. Now what if you truly are out of ammo, what then? Well, one option is to sneak up on an enemy and take them hostage. Sure the gun you are pointing at their head is empty, but they don't know that, and their friends don't know it. At this moment their friends may actually try to beg that you spare your hostage, and they may give up. Moments like these are your chance to slowly walk up to your hostage's friend, and knock both them and your hostage out before they even get a chance to raise their gun and fire back. Not only do you take out two enemies, but you can also collect their guns and go on your merry way. Coming up with plans like these is where The Last of Us' gameplay really shines, and it is one reason the game is called a Dynamic Stealth game. You are always adapting to the situation around you, and you will never run through an area the same way twice.

Another thing that makes the game unique is the fact that the game never stops playing(unless you actually pause it). If you pick up a note and read it, the game will in fact keep playing; meaning you may be ambushed from behind. In other words, if you want to read that piece of paper you just found on the ground, or look at a map, you better think smart. Press yourself up against a wall, get a clear view of the door, and be on the look out as you read. Sure Ellie will be there to warn you from time to time, but enemies will use every opening they get to take you down, and they will always be on the watch. The moment you drop your guard, they will strike, and a warning from Ellie may not always come in time.


Now all this time I've actually been talking about soldier and other human enemies, but that isn't the only threat you face in The Last of Us. Now sure, they make up a pretty large part of the game, but the real threat actually comes in the form of "the infected." The infected are humans who have either taken in the spores from the fungus, or they have been bitten. These zombie like creatures come in a few different forms (or stages), and each one is more dangerous than the last. While the basic "runners" keep their human forms and simply run up to you and try to bite you, they really aren't much of a threat. Joel can easily push them off of him, he can strangle them from behind, or he can simply shoot them like a normal enemy. These people are in fact "normal humans" after all, they just aren't in complete control of their bodies; however the same can't be said for the "clickers" or the "bloaters." Becoming a clicker is the next stage of the fungus' infection, and at this point mushrooms begin to grow allover the human's body, and they even cover their face. Just as it may seem, clickers are in fact blind, and they use a type of sonar to find their way around. Clickers let out a clicking sound, and that is how you will know when they are around.


Unlike the normal "runners," clickers are strong. They can take a lot of shots, they will run at you at full force if they hear you, and they WILL kill you the moment they come up to you. Later on you can unlock a skill which allows you to use a shiv to kill them, but this isn't always an option. Clickers grab a hold of Joel and rip his neck open in a graphic death scene, which results in an auto game over; at least until you respawn at the checkpoint. The only real option when dealing with clickers is to either throw bricks and bottles to guide them away from you, or you can try and pick them off with shivs, heavy weapons, and bombs. Clickers also have a very high sense of hearing, and because of that they can actually hear you if you walk or crawl too fast.

Becoming a bloater is the final stage for an infected human, and it is also the lesser common stage. Apparently most infected die out, and press up against a wall shortly after becoming a clicker, but sometimes they do go on to become a bloater. A bloater is basically a massive clicker that throws spore bombs at you, and is strong enough to rip you in half. Bloaters mostly serve as sort of "boss fights" in The Last of Us, and they are spread out though out the game.

Hidden Secrets and Collectibles:

Even though The Last of Us is a linear game, it does have hidden secrets and collectibles just like in the Uncharted series. Throughout the game you'll be able to find a wide verity of items that serve as subtle pieces of story development (such as a diary left behind by a young boy who used to live in a house), comics that Ellie likes to read, and you'll even come across dog tags left behind by the Fireflies. Although most of these items are just for trophies, some items may lead to hidden conversations between the characters as well.


While finding items is normally just a matter of looking for something shiny, conversations between characters aren't always as easy to spot. As you play Ellie and other characters will walk around you searching the area, and sometimes they will find something that peaks their interest; this is when conversations will take place, and they can be easily missed if you rush ahead too soon.

Joel's Skills and Abilities:

The final core feature of The Last of Us' gameplay is the ability to upgrade Joel and his weapons. Throughout the game you'll come across pills which Joel can take to increase some of his skills. These skills and abilities range from how much health Joel has, to how fast he can heal himself, and even to how far his special listening mode (which allows you to hear enemies walking around behind walls) reaches. Although you will not be able to actually upgrade every one of Joel's skills on the first play through, they really aren't all needed. The whole system basically allows you to continue to play the game how you want to play. If you want to be able to use shivs more, upgrade the shiv ability, but if you rely on the listening mode (which is deactivated in harder modes), then upgrade the distance Joel can hear from. Although it isn't an extremely deep upgrade system like some games might have, it is enough.


Besides being able to upgrade Joel's skills and abilities, you can also upgrade your weapons, and book bag as well. Each weapon can be modified in a few different areas, and once again you get to decide which ones to upgrade, and when you want to upgrade them. At the start of the game Joel will have a basic backpack which allows him to carry a handgun and a larger gun at once, but you can add extra pouches to be able to carry up to two as well; however you also have to decide if it is really needed or not. Even without the extra pouches, you can in fact switch between guns, but Joel has to sit his backpack down to do so. As for the guns themselves, you are always being forced to decide on which one is truly worth upgrading. Sure you can upgrade how many shells the clip of your gun can hold, or how fast you can reload it, but you also really don't know how much you'll be using that gun. During that point in time you may be using it as your main weapon, but there may also come a time where ammo for it becomes limited, and that means all of your upgrades were for nothing. This is just another way the game makes you plan ahead, but that just makes it even better. The entire game is based on you doing your own thing and adapting to the world around you, and it really is nice to see the upgrade system work the same.

The Multiplayer:

While the single player mode of The Last of Us is the main, it does include an extra multiplayer mode as well; although it isn't quite how you might expect it to be. On the surface The Last of Us seems like a shooter, and most people will go into the multiplayer mode expecting it to be the same, but that isn't the case at all.

When you first turn on the multiplayer mode you are asked to take a side. You can either be one of the survivors, or you can be a Firefly. Whatever you pick is the faction you will be stuck with for the rest of the multiplayer campaign, so you better choose wisely. After you do so though, you are then thrown right into the world of The Last of Us, and before you know it, it is becoming a little bit more personal. The very next step is to decide if you want to connect the game to your Facebook account, or not. If you connect it to Facebook your Facebook friends will actually start appearing in the multiplayer mode, but if you don't, the game will use generic character names. Now if you're worried about the game posting to your Facebook wall; let me tell you now that it doesn't post anything at all. All this connection does is look at your friend's profile pictures, and their names; nothing else.

Once you've joined the faction, and either decided on using your friends from Facebook or not, you can then begin the game's multiplayer mode. In this mode every single match you play counts as a "day" in the life of this world. You are the leader of a small group of people (your friends or random survivors), and it is your job to keep everyone alive. For them to survive you need to go out into the wild, gather supplies, and return home with them to keep the camp going; this is when you actually get to play.


The Last of Us' online has two modes to pick from, and both modes are basically the same. The first mode is a basic team "death match" where the survivor faction fights the Fireflies, while the second mode is the same thing but with one major change; if you die, you STAY dead. It really doesn't matter which one you pick to play, but as I said, each time you play as one it counts as a day.

When the match finally starts you will be in control of one of your survivors from camp, and you will have to get food. In the standard death match mode your goal will be to kill all of the other team's units (each time you or your enemy dies it uses up one), and in the survival mode your goal is to be the last one standing if possible. As you battle it out, you will be able to recover materials (which can be used to upgrade your weapons, and craft items) as well as food. If you want to keep all of your survivors back at camp alive, you will have to get enough food or materials to convert into food from that match, and that can become quite the challenge. While at first you'll only have a few survivors to worry about; soon more and more will be joining your team, and slowly you will start to feel the pressure to do your very best as you play online.

If you truly want to survive in the online mode, you will have to play it smart, and you will have to remember that everyone else is a real player. You'll need to watch your back, only shoot when you are completely sure its the right time, and you will have to do everything it takes to get the materials you need. Just like in the main game materials are limited, and you will have to decide between using them now, or saving them for later. Sure you can use that salvage you just found to make your gun better, but you can also convert it into food for your people back in town... Which one is more important?

After playing so many matches and going through so many "days," other things will begin to happen, and that's when things get real interesting. And stressful. For example during the end of one week an event may occur where a shipment of items is coming in, and you may be able to "take it" for yourself. To do this you will be asked to pick a goal from a long list of possible goals, and you will be given only three days to complete it. These goals/missions range from simple ones like "getting three kills," to "reviving three allies who are downed." What you have to realize when taking on one of these jobs is the fact that some of them may be based on luck or being at the right place at the right time. Sure killing three enemies may be easy, but what about missions that ask you to get a set number kills with a specific item or weapon? You'll have to make sure you can access that item, and you'll have to use it to the best of your ability. You really can't afford to mess up, and sometimes that pressure may get to you.


Once you finally complete the mission, and the three days are up, you will then get your reward; however the results of these missions may not always be a reward per say. The thing is, whenever these missions pop up you can take the same one over again, but each time you take it the requirements will become harder and harder; this is where problems may show up. Now lets pretend that you've lasted quite awhile online, you've already done all of the missions that you can do easily, and their requirements are now at an insanely hard level. What do you do when the next event shows up and it is one where you risk losing 60% or more of your survivors if you don't complete the goal? Your only option is to take on a requirement which is going to be hard for you, and hope that you can complete the goal in the three days that they give you; because if you don't, you will basically lose everything. Once again it is better to play smart and take the harder ones when the risks are low, and take the easy ones when the risks are high; this is just another way the game tries to get you to play smart.

Remastered:

Since this original review the PlayStation 4 came out, and The Last of Us was re-released for it. Although this new release doesn't change our original score, it is well worth mentioning. While the game is basically the same on both consoles, the PS4 version does have the option to play the game in 60 FPS rather than 30 FPS, and that alone makes a pretty big difference (if you can tell that is). The graphics have also been upgraded, and the DLC "Left Behind" has been included as well. By far it is the superior version, but both versions do offer the same experience.

The Good and the Bad of The Last of Us:

Let me cut right to the chase. When I bring up the "bad" in The Last of Us, it is only based on people's personal tastes. The simple fact is, not everyone likes games like this type of game. Some people don't like games that use strong language, some may be turned off by the blood and gore (trust me, there is a LOT of it), some people don't like games that have any form of shooting, and others don't like stealth games. If you're one of the people who want to jump into a video game, and speed through it as fast as possible; chances are you will not like The Last of Us. The game starts out very slow, its gameplay is overall slow paced, and its "puzzles" are nothing more than moving boards and ladders to where they need to be. It's very basic, but it really doesn't need to be anything more than that. The simple fact is, The Last of Us is a stealth game mixed with a horror survival, and if you don't like that style of game; The Last of Us isn't for you.


If you're a fan of stealth games, The Last of Us is going to be a must buy for you. I have already talked about just about everything that makes The Last of Us a great game. It has an amazingly and deeply emotional story, it has solid stealth elements, it has solid survival elements, it packs a few scares every now and then, and it is easily one of the best looking games on the PlayStation 3. Sure there may be a random freeze from time to time, or you may notice an enemy clip into an object, but these are simply minor issues that all games experience from time to time, and they are no reason to give the game a lower rating. Although some of you may be put off by the fact that almost every trophy is unlocked by beating the game; I personally liked it. For the first time in a long time, I played through a PlayStation 3 game without worrying about missing trophies my first time around. Sure there were collectibles that could be missed, but that was nothing that couldn't be fixed by simply going to the chapter select screen.

In the end The Last of Us is a one of a kind masterpiece. It is not a game everyone will enjoy, that is true, but that doesn't change the fact that it is rock solid. I'm sure you've already guessed it, but I'm giving The Last of Us for the PlayStation 3 a perfect 10/10. Good job Naughty Dog, I can't wait to see what you do next.