18 Greatest Video Games Of The PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 Generation

2. The Last Of Us

Story has always been a key feature of any good video game but with the previous generation of games, it seemed to be absolutely paramount. All of a sudden, we were greeted by a series of games that were willing to create interesting, emotionally-driven stories without having to drown them in video game cliches like high scores and violence. The pinnacle of these ideas last gen was The Last Of Us. Setting a game in a zombie apocalypse is a dangerous business; there are so many ideas and issues that are brought up by that one scenario that need to be addressed, and most importantly the player has to feel constantly under pressure; tension is an absolute must. The Last Of Us delivers on this fantastically; the 'zombies' (humans mutated by a parasitic infection) are a genuine threat throughout and stealth with improvised weaponry adds to the sense of atmosphere well. This isn't about killing zombies - it's about surviving and outlasting them. Of course, as we've seen with the Walking Dead, humans are just as dangerous as the zombies in an apocalyptic scenario. Again, LoU handles this superbly, especially with the final few sections of the game. The ending poses some serious questions about judgement and rationale, and it will be debated for some time thanks to exceptional writing and incredible emotional investment. With The Last Of Us, Naughty Dog cemented themselves as one of the finest development teams in gaming, and the downloadable extra episode Left Behind shows it wasn't a fluke either. Fantastically well-designed with phenomenal writing, this made a major impact on the gaming industry and is exactly why the PlayStation 3 will be remembered so fondly by so many in the years to come.