So I felt like this debut gameplay video post needed just a little more than a simple blurb. At last years Spike Video Game Awards Naughty Dog, the team behind the critically acclaimed and well renowned Uncharted series, debuted their next game titled The Last of Us, exclusively for the PS3. In the debut trailer, we were taken to a lush and decimated post-apocalyptic city (looks like NYC), populated with crazed survivors doing anything necessary in order to survive and infected individuals that resemble fast moving zombies looking to feed on anything. Furthermore, we were introduced to the games two lead characters, Joel the strong and kind survivor, and Ellie (who looks strikingly like Ellen Page), the quick-witted teenage girl who accompanies Joel on this epic journey of survival. The debut trailer for The Last of Us generated a lot of hype within the gaming community, and PS3 fanboys and girls everywhere rejoiced to having yet another PS3 exclusive.
Since then though, not much else has been said or seen about The Last of Us. Back in May a second trailer released to the public showcasing the beauty and insanity of the game, but aside from that there hasn’t been much else; until now.
At E3 this year, Sony and Naughty Dog debuted the first gameplay trailer for The Last of Us, and hot damn does it look good. The environments look absolutely amazing; taking this once urban and metropolis city and transforming it into a lush and dense urban jungle. In the trailer, you assume the role of Joel, and you are accompanied by your heroine friend Ellie as you set out exploring this stunning landscape for survival supplies. It isn’t long until you run into some very unfriendly company, looking to do whatever it takes in order to survive. However, this same mentality applies to both Joel and Ellie, and you realize that you will have to do whatever it takes in order to survive in this insane world. The combat, therefore, looks great. Rather then gunning down the enemies before them, Joel and Ellie have to be resourceful and use their intuition in order surpass their foes. You will have to save your ammo and rely on silent or loud, up close and personal kills in order to survive. In every sense of the word, this is a true survival action game at its best.
It’s not just the environments and combat that really stand out in this trailer. It’s the animation and attention to detail that really grasps your attention. From the first silent kill Joel performs, to the last kill of the trailer every animation looks clean, crisp and real. Enemies actually struggle and react when you use them as a human shield. Ellie is actually an extremely smart and useful AI character, and never before have I seen a game where instead of just picking up the gun as ammo, you empty the chamber for the actual bullets and leave the gun behind.
It’s this type of attention to detail that separates the great games from the mediocre, and with that being said The Last of Us is well on its way to being one of the best games on the PS3. I don’t even own a PS3, but just from this trailer I’m convinced that I’m going to have to get my hands on one when this game comes out. Be sure to check out the trailer below and let us know what you think, and stay tuned to NGN as well for all the latest in E3 news.