DAY 100 / GAME 100
The Last of Us
When the Last of Us was released last year I made sure to pick up a copy as soon as humanly possible. As of late, I reserve day 1 purchases for only special games that are story heavy and I don't want spoiled before I get a chance to play them. The first night I had a good chance to sit down with this game I made sure Denise joined me because I knew it was going to be a real experience.
The Last of Us struck me before I had even started. Gustavo Santaolalla's hauntingly perfect soundtrack plays through during the only load screen in the game as you wait to play for the first time. It had set the mood instantly. The game opens up with a somewhat quick backstory, giving you a chance to experience the initial outbreak, the mayhem and the panic.
Naughty Dog, the same veteran game developer who created both Crash Bandicoot and the Uncharted series; created this third-person shooter slash survival horror with a Uncharted style cover system. It plays extremely well and feels as smooth as Uncharted but with new stealth elements as you tend to find yourself hiding quite often from the zombie-esque, cordyceps infected walking fungus people.
But the Last of Us is far more than a high quality survival horror game. What makes it so important, at least to me, is that it contains one of the most incredible stories I've ever experienced in a video game. The most incredible story, the most amazing characters and the most incredible relationship. It builds slowly, but as you make your way across the US in a year long journey the father-daughter bond between Joel and Ellie grows to become so believable that all the events in the game feel like they have real consequences.
I talked about this before with Bioshock, but this is far more deeply rooted than that ever was. Being a father is half of what makes this game so relatable. A parent-child bond that is depicted so seriously and accurately meant this game and it's story has stuck with me moreso than any other game. Even digging up the artwork for this post brings back feelings about the Joel and Ellie. It's just so perfect.
Like Half-Life 2, I could go on about this game for a very long time. The Last of Us may be one of my absolute favorite games of all time. In fact, I would go on a lot more concerning the events and character choices in the game, but I try my best not to spoil the story in my posts and this is one story that is well worth experiencing on one's own. All I can say is that Last of Us is an accurate depiction of who I'd become if I was forced into Joel's situation and felt those choices were very real.
The Last of Us
The Last of Us struck me before I had even started. Gustavo Santaolalla's hauntingly perfect soundtrack plays through during the only load screen in the game as you wait to play for the first time. It had set the mood instantly. The game opens up with a somewhat quick backstory, giving you a chance to experience the initial outbreak, the mayhem and the panic.
Naughty Dog, the same veteran game developer who created both Crash Bandicoot and the Uncharted series; created this third-person shooter slash survival horror with a Uncharted style cover system. It plays extremely well and feels as smooth as Uncharted but with new stealth elements as you tend to find yourself hiding quite often from the zombie-esque, cordyceps infected walking fungus people.
But the Last of Us is far more than a high quality survival horror game. What makes it so important, at least to me, is that it contains one of the most incredible stories I've ever experienced in a video game. The most incredible story, the most amazing characters and the most incredible relationship. It builds slowly, but as you make your way across the US in a year long journey the father-daughter bond between Joel and Ellie grows to become so believable that all the events in the game feel like they have real consequences.
I talked about this before with Bioshock, but this is far more deeply rooted than that ever was. Being a father is half of what makes this game so relatable. A parent-child bond that is depicted so seriously and accurately meant this game and it's story has stuck with me moreso than any other game. Even digging up the artwork for this post brings back feelings about the Joel and Ellie. It's just so perfect.
Like Half-Life 2, I could go on about this game for a very long time. The Last of Us may be one of my absolute favorite games of all time. In fact, I would go on a lot more concerning the events and character choices in the game, but I try my best not to spoil the story in my posts and this is one story that is well worth experiencing on one's own. All I can say is that Last of Us is an accurate depiction of who I'd become if I was forced into Joel's situation and felt those choices were very real.
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