Double post for great justice.
The Last of Us is, in my estimation, one of the best 3 games of this generation. It takes The Walking Dead and adds some more dynamic gameplay (While at the same time reducing variance by not giving you dialogue options). If one were to be critically inclined, one would call it rather linear.
However, linearity is not always a bad thing. In this case, it allows the game to tell a story and concentrate on getting it just right, hitting the exact tone it wants to hit.
I would compare it to three other games, Naughty Dog's Uncharted series, the Tomb Raider reboot, and Bioshock Infinite. TLoU's gameplay and design take themes from these games and remixes them into a compelling whole.
From Uncharted, we take the incredible sense ND has for building environments. Graphically, this is one of the most beautiful games out there. Yes, of yourse it looks dated when compared to Crysis 3 running on my PC, being locked to 720p and suffering from the need to have some low-resolution (but not low quality!) texture work here and there. But what it does bring to the table is an incredible amount of verisimilitude. The designers have put great care into making a believable, living world, and there will be times when the game will leave you stunned at the vistas it throws in your face.
From Tomb Raider, we take the scavenging theme. Unlike Tomb Raider, however, this aspect of the game is way more relevant, as it will make the decision to use ressources, especially ammunition, very relevant. You will find yourself running around with your guns almost empty for long stretches of time, you'll absolutely have to scavenge for crafting materials or you'll run out of critical ressources at the most inconvenient moments.
This basically has the effect of forcing you to be extremely careful in approaching combat, with stealth and plain old running away being the right choice more often than not.
From Bioshock Infinite, we take the dynamic between the main characters. However, where BSI's Elizabeth is more of a plot device than anything else, Ellie feels much more like a real person. The voice and motion actors for both characters are excellent, with Joel showing you all of the world-weariness and Ellie all of her 14-year-old-ness with a lot of nuance and detail. Another thing TLoU does much better than BSI is acknowledging the things Joel does over the course of the game.
Short version, if you can, play this game. It is sooooo worth it, and definitely one of the best games for the PS3, period.
For another insightful look at the game, I would recommend
this article on gamasutra.
