Naughty Dog managed to somehow top themselves again after the brilliance of Uncharted 2 and 3 with survival horror masterpiece The Last of Us. Despite its emotionally intense finale, arguably the greatest sequence in the game comes at the very start. The opening 15 minutes introduces us to Joel and his daughter Sarah, before players are given control of Sarah as the Cordyceps fungus breaks out in Texas. You venture downstairs to find a panicked Joel preparing for war, just as one of the infected neighbours breaks into the home and Joel shoots him dead. With Joel's brother Tommy, the three of you flee in the car, and as Joel drives through the streets, Hell is evidently breaking loose. The car ends up being blindsided by another vehicle, and at this point players take control of Joel, as he carries Sarah in his arms and looks for safety with Tommy. Tommy ends up staying behind to fend off the attackers while Joel and Sarah are confronted by a soldier, who ends up shooting Sarah. Tommy kills the soldier, but it's too late, and Sarah dies in Joel's arms as the title screen appears. Few video games can make us get emotional, and even fewer can do it in the opening 15 minutes without unfairly manipulating our emotions. Naughty Dog again reminds us why they're one of the best developers in the industry today, taking gaming to more mature and human places than it almost ever goes.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
