The ever-evolving arena of entertainment has changed again. Video games have now not only passed most movies and TV in regards to money-making ability, but it would appear that superior voice acting, action and top-shelf storytelling are part of the package as well.
The tide has been turning for a while now with great narrative titles like Red Dead Redemption and Heavy Rain, but the first game to inspire comments like, "whoa, this is like playing an action adventure movie," was Uncharted 2. Strangely enough, that same company's newest title is also responsible for this week's entertainment review: The Last of Us.
The show is an apocalypse/zombie thriller, a genre that has certainly been overexposed lately, which speaks even more to the standout quality of this game. You play Joel, a character reminiscent of True Grit, as he travels across the country with a young girl. Children of Men comparisons are also apt and welcome as that was a phenomenal movie as well.
The opening scene alone packs an emotional punch, with plenty of breathtaking scenes to follow. And not giving anything away, but the ending moments are all sorts of unexpected awesome and most certainly worth the play through.
The game play itself is of the third-person-narrative, stealth-shooter variety. For non-gamers who are intimidated by games like this, don't be. That's what easy setting/auto aim is for. It's basically active movie watching at its best. The Last of Us is only available on the Play Station 3 but since PS4 is about to come out you can probably pick one up cheap as chips and score a Blueray player to boot.
