Back in 2014, a new game was being released by Naughty Dog, it was getting an amazing amount of attention & positive feedback. Now, whenever anything gets this much attention I find myself sceptical & feel it can't possibly live up to all the hype. So when it was released I gave it some time before picking up a copy & playing it. I have to admit it the game blew me away, in the same way, Bryan Cranston's performance did in Breaking Bad. This is the studio that made Crash Bandicoot, this isn't a slight against the studio or the game but to go from that to The Last of Us was simply inspiring. Naturally, I was pretty excited to play the remastered version of the game & lucky enough my favourite technician, work colleague & friend SiniĊĦa loaned it to me.
Have you ever tried a battered potato pie? What is it you ask? Well simply put it is a lump of potato that has been deep-fried - something like a giant chip. It is something that is really popular down here in Cork, when I heard about how good it was I found myself shrugging my shoulders & thought 'meh, how good could it be?'. When I did finally try it I could not believe how nice it was, soft potato battered to perfection it was so different from what I thought it would be. I guess as I have already revealed I enjoyed the game I can't use my 'when I was playing The Last of Us I had to ask myself....' spiel, I will just let the review do my talking for me.
The game starts off in the grips of a deadly virus outbreak, we are introduced to Joel & his family who are trying to escape the madness. After a heartbreaking & tragic beginning, we fast forward to 20 years in the future & we see Joel is now a smuggler in what is left of humanity. This time he & his partner have to smuggle something very different, a girl named Ellie to a resistance group called the Fireflies.
The two central characters in the game are Joel & Ellie. Joel is a man who has become hardened due to a troubled past & hasn't got much time for other people. Ellie is an obnoxious teen with a mouth on her that & no problem standing up to people. Naturally, the two don't get on together at first but as time goes by they become reliant on each other & form a partnership.
While there are differences with the remastered edition versus the original one of the biggest is that it comes packaged with the DLC Left Behind. Which adds another 3 hours of content & not only helps to fill in some blanks from the main story but also allows us to see a little of Ellie's past. The flashback storytelling method worked well & helped at times to make for some tense storytelling. We get to see Ellie & her friend Riley hanging out together & having fun rather than just fighting to stay alive.
One of the biggest & in some ways the best part of this game is the story, it is an emotional roller coaster. I like that it makes no qualms that things are not always black & white. The ending of the game made me have some mixed feelings, the DLC helped give me a bit more perspective & made me more settled on some of earlier thinking.
The visuals in The Last of Us always looked great but the overhaul on them for the remastered edition changed them to stunning. There is so much more detail & definition in everything. The characters look more defined & make them look more real. The world itself looks more post-apocalyptic, the way wooden floors looks more beaten up & rotten, the paint on the walls is peeling & chipped off & all help to show that humanity is at its end. The wilderness is lush & green but always manages to carry a slight undertone of darkness. There are horses in the game that look great, it reminded me of my lovely horse, with its fetlocks blowing in the wind (I have to watch Father Ted again).
I really liked the music in the game, it uses a lot of moody guitar solos which helps to create a downbeat sound which suits the atmosphere of the world you are in. While the sound is more simplistic than other games it makes everything feel more poignant & that much more important.
This sound is created by Gustavo Santaolalla, who is from Argentina & has a very rich musical background. He has been part of a number of bands including; Acro Iris, Soluna & Wet Picnic. Outside of this, he has worked on a number of films & TV series including; 21 Grams, Brokeback Mountain & the series Making A Murder.
Also accompanying Santaolalla is session violinist from Nashville Alan Umstead. He has worked with many musicians including; Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks & Elton John, along with many others. He has also worked with composers such as; Austin Wintory, Jason Graves, Bear McGeary & Jesse Harlin. If this wasn't enough his contribution to the video games industry has been massive & has worked with all the big video game companies. Some of his works include games such as; Ratchet & Clank, Unfinished Swan, Dragon Age Inquisition & Mafia III.
The score is just under an hour long but that doesn't mean it isn't good, in fact, it is very much the opposite & would have to be one of my favourite soundtrack that I have listened to this year. My favourite pieces included; 'Quarantine Zone', 'The Hunters', 'The Choice', 'Last of Us (Never Again)', 'Infected', 'Last of Us (New Dawn)' &' All Gone (No Escape)'.
Onto the meat or lack thereof as it's a post-apocalyptic world...anyway onto the gameplay. Something that has always struck me with The Last of Us even when I played it on the Playstation 3 is that the game gives you time to enjoy your surroundings rather than feeling like you are being rushed through it. That may seem like an odd observation to make but I feel when so much time & effort has gone into something I want to take the time to take it all in.
The combat has plenty of high points, the gun-play & cover system for the most part work well. Upgrading your weapons feels worthwhile, especially the flamethrower. Shotguns are loud & proud, Shivs are sharp & stabby - you can't ask for more than that. On occasion when Joel is being overpowered by an enemy Ellie helps you during combat by jumping on their back & stabbing them -which is handy.
The enemies can vary in difficulty. Clickers are still a pain in the ass if they get too close to you & the cut scenes are a harsh reminder for you to be more cautious next time. Occasionally the human enemy AI can be a little dumb, they will stand facing a wall not moving just asking to be killed. There is a strange 'glitch' where enemies can see you but they can't see the people you are with, it is something I hoped they would iron out from the original as it throws off combat/stealth sections.
The sections where you get to play as Ellie are really good & help flesh out her character. It helps her & Joel feel more like a real partnership, rather than her just being his sidekick as some other games tend to do.
The gameplay itself didn't feel largely different from the original but that's not necessarily a bad thing although it would have been great if they knocked out a few the kinks that the original had. Overall though solid gameplay & the additional content really made it feel like a more rounded game.
Warning - There are spoilers in the trailer below!
So after nearly 20 hours how did I feel? Pretty damn good, I probably enjoyed the game more this time not only because of the overhaul on visuals but also because of the additional story content. A really solid game & still one of the best titles released on the Playstation 3, I am looking forward to The Last of Us 2 next year. This one was easy to score 4 out of 5
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