If that title got your back up, then it did its job! I want to make it clear now, I completely understand that The Last of Us is one of the finest games made of the last generation, hell maybe even ever! I can acknowledge something for its achievements and still not enjoy it (e.g the world cup). A few months back, I was finally swayed to play Last of Us when it came up as a free game as part of my PS Plus subscription, I’m not a massive fan of narrative games, prefer to find my own fun normally, but I’d had enough of people telling me to get cracking and play this icon of the industry!
So, I sat down and blasted through the first few hours of Joel and Ellie’s action adventure, and then I just… stopped, I lost interest. A switch just turned off in my mind and I honestly couldn’t care less what happened to either of these characters, just one night I turned the game off and haven’t gone back since! This would turn out to be a decision that would divide my friends like the iron curtain. Some understood why saying the game was a bit of a slog for those of us who like a bit wilder fun or open-ended adventures, while a vocal few insisted I was a fool who wouldn’t know well if it pistol whipped me repeatedly! It was a strange situation that led me to have a little guilt and even doubted my credentials as a gamer and reviewer! If this is such a peak game, why couldn’t I enjoy it?!
I think the key issue I had, was just how bleak things really are, while Ellie brings plenty of joy and light to the whole affair, It’s overall a dark look at humanity with very little light in the tale! Contrary to my loud and frequent bouts of joy at video game violence, I like a little positivity and light! Much like how Bioshock pales to Infinite in my eyes, because Infinite is brighter and has more actual fun with its world!
Like I say above, I can look at Last of Us and appreciate how it tells its story and the development of its characters. Naughty dog have crafted something beautiful, but I am the sort who plays a game for the fun gameplay. Last of Us doesn’t do anything really exciting gameplay wise, with the usual action adventure flair of sneaking around foes before ambushing them, then exploring the level to find the next ground of rascals waiting for a few bullets to the dome. Even in the few moments where I felt like I was having a wild time in gameplay, it never lasted too long and eventually I’d be back in the dreary real-world watching Joel come to terms with his past. Nothing to really excite me I suppose! Frankly I’m on the side that Naughty Dog’s peak work in the genre, is and always will be the Uncharted series, a far more fun and exciting experience for someone like me who just looks for a little escapism in my titles! Not a hard look at what it is to be a good person!
Obviously, the world of gamers is now waiting with baited breath for the follow up coming next week, and I just have to keep my head down in a few group chats whenever people discuss it! I just can’t handle more people telling me off or asking why I just don’t care! Enjoy your title, get as hype as you want! Just try to not be too shocked that not EVERYONE feels the same way as you! Some of us are content to just play Skyrim for the millionth time…