The Last of Us came out with its final DLC, Reclaimed Territories, in the U.S. Tuesday. With this DLC came new multiplayer maps, “Grounded Mode”—a new single-player difficulty level, the “Survivalist Weapon Bundle,” and two “Survival Skills Bundles.” All new DLCs can be purchased through the Playstation store, GameStop, Amazon, and Best Buy, but are also included with the season pass which will stop being available after the 13th.
The Last of Us won over 200 game of the year awards for 2013 all over the world by groups such as Amazon, Yahoo Games, Hardcore Gamer, the Nerdist, Eurogamer.net, etc., and it is apparent why. In light of the new DLC, let’s look back at why The Last of Us is so great.
IT COULD HAPPEN
As far-fetched as it may seem at this time, the zombie outbreak that is in the Last of Us is plausible in the future. The Last of Us features a mutated strand of Cordyceps, a real-life fungus that acts as a parasite, invading and eventually replacing the host tissue and replacing it with its own. The fungus is known to affect the behavior of their insect hosts causing them to attack and act ways that are not common to their species. The fungus does not die when its host does, though, as there are multiple accounts of affected ants climbing a plant and attaching themselves before dying ensuring the proper release of its spores. The fungus currently does not affect humans, but evolution is an interesting (and plausibly terrifying) thing. And that is something that is just fascinating.
IT’S REALISTIC
In addition to the (conceivably) realistic nature of the zombies, the game play itself is realistic. Unlike other games that seem to pause when healing or creating weapons, it is part of the gameplay in the Last of Us. If a player is being attacked and runs out of ammo or needs to heal himself, he is vulnerable while he does so, literally kneeling to the ground while zombies could possibly be running around and attacking. There is also no endless ammunition as with other games—when bullets run out, they’re out and if more can’t be found, a gun can’t be used. There is also a limit as to what can be carried at one time without upgrades. While the realistic aspect of the game has its critics—some saying qualities such as companions being loud despite sound attracting clickers and a general lack of compassion from most characters, Ellie and, at time, Joel excluded—it actually adds to the believability of the game. When a character is loud and runs up behind Joel, it gives the player a little scare, thinking that a zombie is attacking. The lack of sympathetic characters just exemplifies what the world has come to in the post-apocalyptic time—the zombies are not necessarily the creatures that should be feared. Or as Bill says, “You know, as bad as (the zombies) are, at least they’re predictable. It’s the normal people that scare me.”
THE STORY
The narrative of the game is perhaps the best part, and those who play it were far from surprised when it won the best narrative/ story by multiple groups, like BAFTA. The story that is played out in the Last of Us encapsulates the human condition. The game is chock-full of loss and abandonment from the very beginning. The first character that is played is Sarah, Joel’s daughter. Within 20 minutes of play time, though, she is shot and killed by a soldier. The game then jumps to twenty years later and Joel is still mourning his daughter—and the player is still in shock, feeling a loss as well. Sarah is not the only death though as the characters lose Tess, Frank, Sam, Henry, and more. Despite the constant loss, there are also strong bonds forged between Ellie and Joel that, although they deny it as much as possible when the topic is brought up, mirrors a father daughter relationship, even if it’s a dysfunctional one. When they try to separate Ellie even says “Don’t act like I’m better off with someone else. Because the truth is I’ll just be more scared.” In the game, it is the people we care about that allow us to survive.
THE ZOMBIES
It almost goes without saying that any post-apocalyptic zombie game cannot be successful without a great zombie, and the Last of Us does not disappoint, featuring four different kinds.
THE RUNNER
The first zombie that a player will encounter is a “runner,” the first and weakest stage of the outbreak. They have poor eyesight, but maintain many human instincts and appearances, except for their glowing red eyes. They are sluggish and passive unless attacked, showing that they are trying to fight against the fungus.
THE STALKER
The second stage of the zombie outbreak is the “stalker,” which is not a runner anymore, but not quite a clicker. This stage occurs between one week and one year of infection. They are beginning to show signs of fungal growth over one eye, limiting their vision causing them to resort to a distinctive croaking echolocation. They’re way of attack is by ambush after taking cover for a period of time.
THE CLICKERS
The third stage of infection is the “clicker,” which no longer have any shred of humanity left to them. Fungal growth cover most of their body, causing them to become blind and utilize an echolocation– where they receive their name from. Unlike the runners and stalkers, clickers cannot be strangled and must be killed by weapons, like shivs.
THE BLOATERS
Bloaters are the fourth, final, and most dangerous of all the infected. They take the longest to develop, resulting in their rarity– only being found in five locations throughout the game. The fungal growths cover their entire body and serve as an armor, making them extremely hard to kill, but fire weakens them.
THE DLC
Earlier this year, Naughty Dog released its first single player expansion “Left Behind” that detailed events that took place with the “real Ellie” before the Last of Us with her friend, Riley. “Left Behind” featured a stronger emphasis on exploration and non-combat experiences that, according to lead game designer Jacob Minkoff, will match up and possibly even exceed the Last of Us campaign from a narrative standpoint. Riley acts as a parallel to Joel but provides a different support system for Ellie. While Joel at times takes a more selfish view of life– you find someone or something to care about and that gives you the fuel to survive, Riley says that you fight and survive for those you love.
The DLC that debuted Tuesday featured multiplayer map packs at locations such as the Wharf, the Boston Capitol, the Colorado Coal Mine, and the Lincoln Water Tower. It also features the agility skill in “the Situational Survival Skills Bundle” that will allow players to climb at a high level, vault and crouch-move faster noiselessly.
While the game is currently available exclusively for PlayStation 3, game developers said that it will be released for the PlayStation 4 in the third or fourth quarter of this year. Needless to say, exciting things are on the horizon for a truly amazing game
Published: May 6, 2014 05:28 pm