Naughty Dog, the studio that brought us popular franchises such as Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter and more recently, Uncharted, promises to give gamers an innovative survival action horror title that will have gamers at the edge of their seats. “The Last of Us” revolves around black market smuggler Joel, who is asked by his partner to smuggle a girl, Ellie, from out of a city under military rule.  This proves to be no easy task, with the world infected with a fungus which renders humans to a zombie-like state.

From viewing the very first gameplay trailer in 2011, “The Last of Us” definitely brings tension and tough decisions to the forefront.  Joel is tasked with protecting Ellie, but this does not mean she is a useless non-player character. If the player takes cover, she will do so as well. If she hears enemies near, she will alert Joel. She picks up her own weapons and uses them to assist Joel.

The choice of how to dispatch of enemies is completely up to the player. Straight forward methods such as using a gun are an option… until the player runs out of ammo.  If the enemy hears your gun click it will know you are out of ammo and advance upon you. Other ways to kill include Molotov cocktails, stolen weapons, and performing choke holds on unsuspecting enemies.  A highlight of dealing with enemies is being able to use the environment as a weapon, and being able to create your own weapons with items scavenged from the environment. The player can bash a thug’s head into a table or wall if they so choose.  However, these choices will factor in later in the game for the player.

The environment in “The Last of Us” is surreal, as it is very clear that the earth is reclaiming the environment. The characters slug through stagnant water, as vegetation covers everything.  Throughout the first trailer the monsters are strategically absent, but this does not take away from the preview of the game.  The environment and human enemies give off more than enough tension and intrigue to keep the audience engaged.  For example, sounds from footsteps, floors creaking, and wind blowing through empty buildings give off a feeling of isolation as Joel and Ellie traverse the city, attempting to escape. However, one little noise can disrupt the silence and put the player immediately on high alert.

The second trailer is a “story trailer,” which gives more insight into the dilemma of smuggling Ellie out of the city.  The tension of the game is amplified by the reveal of the “zombie-esque” monster designs.  They appear extremely grotesque as well as formidable, and are seen lunging at Joel and Ellie in the trailer. The designs for the creatures are a welcome breath of fresh air, as they do not look or feel like your typical zombie-like creatures.  Their visage is obscured with oozing fungi that really do look infectious to the touch. The audience is also given more of a look at the military rule of the city, with constant soldier vigilance, and civilians being arrested.  In addition, the relationship between Joel and Ellie is also being put to the test, as the stress from trying to escape both infected and non-infected humans is evident.

“The Last of Us” is very much anticipated and as such, gamers were disconcerted to hear that Naughty Dog is planning for the game to have a multiplayer component.  As of now they are still very tight lipped about it, but believe it will not compromise the single player experience.

“The Last of Us” is a PlayStation exclusive set to be released on May 7, 2013.  For pre-ordering with Amazon.com, gamers will receive “a digital download of the game soundtrack, featuring original music by Academy Award winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla, a PS3 dynamic theme showing Joel and Ellie on their journey through a ravaged city and two exclusive PlayStation Network avatars featuring Joel and Ellie in winter survival gear.”  For gamers that pre-order with GameStop will receive the same bonuses as Amazon as well as a “survival pack” for the game’s multiplayer mode.

Two special editions were announced on January 22, 2013 on the PlayStation Blog.  The “Survival Edition” will cost $79.99 (USD) while the “Post-Pandemic Edition” will cost $159.99 (USD) and come with everything from the “Survival Edition” to a twelve-inch figurine of Joel and Ellie, but does not include the art book. The “Post-Pandemic Edition” will only be available from GameStop. Collectors will have a difficult choice to make between the art book and the figurine. On the bright side, the art book will be available for purchase in July.

Image Courtesy : Polygon

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Unlike their competitors, Sony wasted no time getting to the most important topic for any gamer during its E3 presentation: games. Unfortunately, not all of the games shown were to everyones liking.

Beyond: Two Souls, developed by Quantic Dreams, the makers of Heavy Rain, was announced at the beginning of the show. Much like Heavy Rain, story and cinematic seem to play a large role in the game and follows the protagonist, Judie Holmes, over the course of her life.

Sony fans itching for some Super Smash Bros. are fortunately in luck; PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale aims to fill that niche. Battles are based around getting points, which players can obtain through defeating others and special moves. Big Daddy from Bioshock was confirmed as a playable character; other 3rd party characters may be included.

Sony also touched on their online service, PlayStation Network (PSN), revealing that over 200 games are due for release on the service within the next 12 months, including titles like The Unfinished Swan PSN and PS1 titles available online are also headed toward the Vita.  Fans can look forward to PS1 classics like Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy 7.

In addition, PlayStation Plus members can also expect to get great deals on content and online games, a smart move that will hopefully get more people to sign up for the service.

A Call of Duty game is in development for the Vita, along with the upcoming Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation (AC). Liberation is the first Assassin’s Creed game to feature a female assassin as the lead, has touch screen capabilities, and was built ground up for the Vita. There are also extras that can be unlocked when the game is linked up to Assassin’s Creed 3 on PlayStation 3. The games will give Vita owners something to look forward to in the coming months.

The latest flagship game in the AC series will have an emphasis on water, with controlling ships on the high seas as an important part of the game. A special and realistic weather system will also be in place in the game. Both Assassin’s Creed games will take place in America during revolutionary times.

Far Cry 3 multiplayer was also shown. The mode will include 4-player co-op and feature missions made specifically for multiplayer. Looking a little rough at this time, the game still has a ways to go in development, but looks to be a fun experience.

Sony, however, went wrong announcing Wonder Book: Book of Spells. Utilizing the PlayStation Move, players can cast spells and embark on quests in a Harry Potter themed world. The game is, however, nothing like the games fans were expecting and is more reminiscent of a point-and-click game meant for children. Many fans voiced their disapproval of the software and the lengthy amount of time devoted to it. 

Toward the end of the conference, a trailer for the new God of War game, subtitled “Ascension,” was shown. Fans of the series will be delighted to know that the game looks to follow its predecessor’s closely in terms of game-play and gore. A multiplayer mode will be included, up to 8 players can join in games of competitive team play where players will battle for control of the map. A release date of March 12, 2013 has been announced.

Sony closed its show with The Last of Us. Created by developer Naughty Dog, responsible for successful franchises like Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter and the Uncharted series, the trailer for the game was by far the highlight of Sony’s conference. It features two characters, the ruthless Joel and the young but wise Ellie, trying to survive in a zombie infested post-apocalyptic world. While the concept might seem overdone, Naughty Dog breathes fresh life into the wasteland with fast and action-packed game-play.

While Sony had some high points and some low points, many fans overall were disappointed. Many games they expected to be shown or announced were not touched upon, such as Kingdom Hearts 3. Other than The Last of Us, there were no big surprises, and many hated Wonder Book: Book of Spells. Luckily for Sony, The Last of Us was enough not to alienate fans, but they definitely will not attract any newcomers with the show.

Image Courtesy of  PlayStation.Blog.Europe

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Sony Computer Entertainment America have announced The Last of Us, a new franchise created exclusively for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. Developed by Naughty Dog, the creators of the highly acclaimed and best-selling UNCHARTED series, The Last of Us was unveiled in a world premiere trailer at the Spike TV 2011 Video Game Award Show.

The Last of Us is a genre-defining experience that blends survival and action elements to tell a character driven story about a population decimated by a modern plague. Abandoned cities are being reclaimed by nature, and the remaining survivors are killing each other for food, weapons, and whatever they can get their hands on.

Joel, a ruthless survivor, and Ellie, a brave young teenage girl who is wise beyond her years, must work together to survive their journey across what remains of the United States.

“We are excited to finally unveil The Last of Us, a project the team has been working hard on for some time,” said Evan Wells, co-president of Naughty Dog. “Naughty Dog’s mission is to change the way people experience videogames. We are confident The Last of Us will take a leap forward in cinematic gaming and storytelling, providing gamers with an experience unlike anything else in the industry.”

The Last of Us is developed by some of the industry’s most talented game designers including Bruce Straley, game director, and Neil Druckmann, creative director. Naughty Dog advanced to the forefront of the videogame industry in 1996 with the successful introduction of Crash Bandicoot on the original PlayStation system.

The developer extended the franchise with Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped and Crash Team Racing, selling 22 million copies worldwide and led to Naughty Dog being the most successful video game developer in the United States for that console generation.

The team then created the Jak and Daxter franchise including Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Jak II, Jak 3 and Jak X: Combat Racing.  All four titles are “Greatest Hits” for the PlayStation 2 system.

In 2007, the team released UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune and followed with UNCHARTED2: Among Thieves and the recent November launch of UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception. Having currently sold over 13 million units worldwide, the UNCHARTED franchise represents some of the most impressive graphics and sound and processing capabilities found on the PS3 system.

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