The Last of Us: The best PlayStation game anyone should ever miss

^{Source: wallpaperaccess.com}

If you're the only human on the planet who hasn't played this game, let me tell you there are spoilers in this post.

Fun fact: I had a hard time finding the main image of my post, when I searched the words "The Last of Us" in Google Images I only got results for The Last of Us 2, I don't know if it's because I'm unlucky or just that The Last of Us 2 will be so amazing that it could leave its prequel behind? I don't know, but as a fan of the saga, simply The Last of Us 2 will be a dream come true and even if I don't have PS4 to play it, the walkthroughs of this game won't be long in coming

Talking about The Last of Us isn't just talking about a game, this work of art has been transformed into an experience that immerses the player in a new world, making The Last of Us become much more than a game, something like a story that more than just killing people (or zombies), makes you part of the characters that make life in the game.

The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic game where we face a virus caused by a fungus called Cordyceps, this virus makes people become zombies through physical contact (open wounds). At the beginning of the game we are told that this virus emerged mainly in cities, so people working outside them were not affected at first.

^{Source: vice.com}

Our main characters are Joel and Ellie, survivors of the plague, who will bring the whole story of The Last of Us to life. At the beginning of the game we play as Sarah, Joel's daughter, who pitifully dies after about 15 minutes of play.

The soundtrack made by Gustavo Santaolalla is definitely a masterpiece. The music made by Santaolalla helps the feelings that the game seeks to transmit throughout history. The sensations that the music transmits are simply incredible and a work worthy of admiration. Naughty Dog should be proud of the work done by the Argentinean musician.

In the first 15 minutes of the game we find the first impressions of the virus and what it can do to people, the gameplay of The Last of Us not innovative or something like that, on the contrary, there have been third person games before, in this aspect The Last of Us does not stand out. Thanks Naughty Dog.

^{Screenshot from the game thanks to MKIceAndFire}

But all this is compensated thanks to the details that the game has, The Last of Us is completely different from other games of the same style thanks to the humanization that they give to the NPCs. When you approach them, they tell you what they're thinking at the time or what they've experienced, and the human form in which they explain all this makes it much more interesting and you have to pay attention to this kind of detail. I've read reviews before that say that The Last of Us has a common story, that is, they only pursue one goal and the game is over when it's accomplished. From my perspective this is not true, you can even have conversations with other secondary characters as the game progresses, you don't need to keep completing the game or anything like that, you just have a common conversation and this allows you to know more about what the characters think, this kind of detail makes playing The Last of Us not just about completing the main mission, it makes it a different experience and makes you part of the story. Small details, but interesting and important.

When I compare The Last of Us to other games' AI, the difference I've been able to see is really big. When you start a conversation with a character, it gives you an idea of what that character is thinking or wants to convey, and this human factor makes The Last of Us much more than just a game.

^{Source: vice.com}

Personally I think that the graphics of the game have also been an important part of it, I'm very detailed about what I'm seeing (funny because I'm myopic), I like to detail the facial expressions of the characters as this reflects the feeling of these within the game, and what do you think? Naughty Dog was right on this point too. The way the characters react to specific events throughout the game is fascinating, in the first 15 minutes of the game we can see how Joel reacts to the death of his daughter Sarah and how initiates the great story of The Last of Us, the way Joel reacts along with the music of Santaolalla makes the game convey the message it wants the player to receive, I think the work done is simply fantastic because, although there have obviously been better games in the graphic aspect at that time, The Last of Us has enough to ask for no more.

The Last of Us succeeded in many aspects that made it the best game on PS3 and 3 years later, incredibly the best game on PS4 in its remastered version. The story is huge and has so many things that more than just a game, it makes it a completely different experience, a work of art that conveys different messages throughout its duration and makes you appreciate the characters.

^{Source: cheapgames.ca (yup, a game store)}

Definitely The Last of Us is my favorite game, I had the opportunity to play it on a PS3 of my cousin about 3-4 years ago and since then I fell in love with this game, hopefully someday I can buy one of these consoles to play this masterpiece again (and have the opportunity to play its sequel that will come out soon), if you have a PS3 or PS4 and have not played this game, I invite you to give it a try, it will not disappoint you.

-- Jean