Entertainment

Games: Expectations are high for The Last of Us Part II

A down n' dirty action horror that challenged stomachs and hearts, the original Last of Us was the perfect movie-as-game
A down n' dirty action horror that challenged stomachs and hearts, the original Last of Us was the perfect movie-as-game A down n' dirty action horror that challenged stomachs and hearts, the original Last of Us was the perfect movie-as-game

Preview:

The Last of Us Part II (PS4)

By: Sony

PERHAPS the greatest of all Sony acquisitions, Naughty Dog have come a long way from their Crash Bandicoot days on the original PlayStation. Casting orange marsupials aside, the team went on to cement the PlayStation brand’s adventure chops with Uncharted and The Last of Us.

And with awards out the wazoo, the original LOU is regarded as one of the finest videogames ever made – so perfect, even its most rabid fans didn’t expect a sequel. But Sony’s accountants can’t ignore 17 million sales, and Naughty Dog have dutifully returned to the well, fine-tuning a sequel so much, the original release date of February 21 has slipped to the end of May.

A down n' dirty action horror that challenged stomachs and hearts, the original Last of Us was the perfect movie-as-game. After a mushroom-esque virus turned people into less than fun-guys, players dragged Joel and Ellie through a post-apocalyptic actioner that packed serious emotional wallop and with grim vibes straight out of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.

A game so masterful it elevated rummaging in bins to high art, The Last of Us’s stamp on pop culture is undeniable. As a makeshift family surviving blind ghouls that hunt based on sound, it was an obvious inspiration for 2018's indie horror darling A Quiet Place, while its tale of a grizzled, bearded man protecting his young female ward in a horrific wasteland would like a word with the writers of Logan.

Though its first trailer was widely criticised for non-stop torture porn cliches that seemed a world away from the original, Naughty Dog haven't put a foot wrong yet, and it's unlikely they'll disappoint with the sequel to their most iconic property. Taking place five years after the events of the first game, Last of Us II stars a 19-year-old Ellie as the main protagonist.

No longer a faltering child but a grown warrior, Ellie takes out the trash with guns, arrows and makeshift weapons. And while a greyer, wiser Joel features, it’s understood he won’t be playable.

Split into four seasons, starting with winter in Wyoming, Ellie eventually embarks on a revenge-soaked quest against a mysterious cult known as the Seraphites. A crescendo of suspense peppered with heartbreak and girl-on-girl action (though in a woke, rather than male fantasy, way), its gay, female lead is a veritable check-list of social justice.

The original was created for PS3, and while gussied up for its PS4 rerelease, LOU II is the first taste of what the franchise can do on more gutsy hardware. This Naughty Dog has learned some new tricks, and it looks sharper, moves at a nippier rate and showcases another sound tour de force, from the wailing of your foe and the sounds of snapping bones to a score from Brokeback Mountain composer Gustavo Santaolalla. So hefty is its tech, in fact, the game will ship on two discs.

It may be more of the same, and will never recapture the original’s sharp shock of psychological battery, but if Naughty Dog can at least maintain the quality, we’re in for another polished blend of humanity and horror.

Releasing for PS4 on May 29, it’s guaranteed to have you white-knuckling your controller for the duration.