I still remember watching the gameplay demo from E3 2012. A game
that looked so immersive in its storytelling, so startling in its gameplay and
with such beautiful graphics that I forgot all my arguments about realistic
videogames. If you could call programmers car mechanics than this game would be
James Bond's freaking Alfa Romeo. A pure understanding of what the audience
wanted and becoming a how-to-game-story-tell smack down from Naughty Dog. But
with all the critics and players already going on about the story, sometimes it
is forgotten how fluid and immersive the gameplay itself was. Of course, no
such statements can go unexplained, so I will take you through why The Last of Us is my game
of the year.
It was strange yesterday writing my Can Watch_Dogs Hack It blog
(available here http://psykoticgamer.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/can-watchdogs-hack-it.html)
because I came across another draft that I had written that I thought Bioshock Infinite had a better story. While it is
true that both narratives are superbly crafted, it is difficult to say which is
better, especially because of the similarities. In both games you play as a
character voiced by Troy Baker (also featured in this years Batman: Arkham Origins as
the Joker) accompanied by a younger NPC female characters both of which in you
develop a father-daughter relationship with. But upon returning to both worlds
months later, I still found The
Last of Us had a story that I still found intriguing and I still loved
the dialogue and set pieces that I had loved before. So while it was difficult to
decide which story I preferred (and of course remembering that art is
subjective) I'm going to give this one to The
Last of Us. I'm still going to say that Bioshock
Infinite's beginning is the best I've ever played and that is why I'm
naming it my runner-up of 2013. Expect a full blog explaining why tomorrow. I
can also thank both games for kick-starting my interest in videogames up to 11
and for having brilliantly beautiful endings. This was another similarity I
found between the two. At the end of both, once you've "won" the
game, you're left to ponder what exactly it was that you won.
I have often said to anyone who would
listen that realism in videogames is a dead end. Before last generation it was
a goal to strive for as we moved from 2D games into the third dimension but now
that we're here, for some reason we're trying harder than ever. The fact that
the Xbox One and PS4 are just high end computers made to give us the most
polygons at the highest resolution backs this up. Also, when dealing with
realism you come across the Uncanny Valley problem, where if something looks
human but not human enough, the more off-putting it is. That's why games that
choose a style, like Legend of
Zelda: Wind Waker and the Fable series can be more emotionally
evocative and still hold up today graphically. But I'm meant to be talking
about The Last of Us aren't
I? Well, I can say that it's realistic, but beautiful because of it. Naughty
Dog seems to understand that something like light travelling through a trees
leaves is realistic and gloriously realised this to make it gorgeous. They
realise that if you juxtaposed this beauty against the collapse of humanity,
you've made something more than just a game. The
Last of Us is a testament to realism in the same way that The Girl with the Pearl Earring is.
Not a goal, but an art form
But Sean? How does it play? Is it fun?
Games are fun right? So it should be fun. Well yes and no. Games can be fun,
but videogames tend to take it further. Videogames can be fun. They can be
epic. They can be downright terrifying. The
Last of Us accomplishes all of these things. The main gameplay is made
out of encounters with enemies; mushroom zombies split into three categories
(runners, the more difficult clickers and the hardest: Bloaters) as well as
human enemies, such as other survivors or soldiers who wear armour. Each
encounter is dynamic and different than the last. Throughout the game Joel, the
player character acquires more weapons, including firearms and makeshift bombs
which have to be crafted. It is up to the player to decide his or her own
tactics, remembering that supplies are limited. Some encounters can be avoided
by stealthily avoiding enemies and silently taking down a few. Sometimes you
may be spotted and enter a fight. Will you use the three bullets you have left?
Or maybe a crowbar to the face will solve your problems. Dealing with human
enemies is a blast because of the unique AI system of the game that means
enemies will respond if they see you have a weapon, or hear the click of your
gun as you run out of ammo. The AI also means that these guys won't be
pointlessly walking the same paths in circles. Like I said, everything is
dynamic. Plus, going up against the clickers, enemies that are blind and hear
with sound, are some of the tensest and exhilarating moments of the entire
experience. Play on survivor mode and you can play without the
"listen" ability that lets you gage where the baddies are. Top stuff,
infinitely replayable.
(THE NEXT PARAGRAPH CONTAINS SPOILERS)
There is one thing left that I would like
to say and that's concerning the relationship between Joel, Ellie and the
player. The opening of the game lets you play as Joel as the outbreak begins,
carrying his daughter to safety. When you finally reach the title credits of
the game you realise what "the last of us" is meant to mean. My
interpretation is that it is the end of humanity and the end to humanity. The
beginning of this game puts you into the mindset of just one of thousands of
people who lost everything during that time and prepares you to face the world
twenty years later. Joel is a smuggler and he is tasked with escorting a
fourteen year old named Ellie across the country because she may be the last
hope for humanity. Of course Joel is none too eager to do this but
circumstances prevent him from backing out. Slowly throughout the game, as you
explore the world looking for supplies you are treated to dialogue between the
two and you begin to form the aforementioned father-daughter relationship,
leading up to the point where Joel decides to finally decides that he will go
to the end of the Earth for this girl. And since this is grown beautifully out
of the natural dialogue, you the player have formed an attachment for this
girl. So when Joel is injured and maybe dead, the player takes control of Ellie
and the stakes have never been higher. You now care about your player character
emotionally and because it is now you that is directly in charge of keeping
Ellie safe. Following this is almost certainly one of the most beautiful set
pieces I have ever seen, in videogames or otherwise that make seeing giraffes
on the walls in the final level (people who've finished the game will
understand) make you want to cry.
(END SPOILERS)
From Crash
Bandicoot to Jak and
Daxter to Uncharted, Naughty Dog has
proven too many that they simply may be incapable of making a bad game. The Last of Us provides a
beautiful swansong for the Playstation 3, one that really delivers everything
we could have wanted out of the little behemoth. You don't even have to take my
word for it. If you have a PS3, you have to play this game. If you have already
finished it, play it again. 17 hours long and never a dull moment. 5 stars, 2
thumbs up and a psykotic recommendation from me.
Though I'm just a gamer with a personality
disorder. Do you agree? What was your top game of the year? Were there any
games that didn't get the spotlight you think they deserved? Leave a comment!!
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