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We're getting a lot of interesting new games this year...

The Last of Us

The next big thing from Uncharted developer Naughty Dog took the world by surprise last year. Considering that Uncharted 3 had just recently been released, it was assumed that it would be some time before the team announced their next project (which should have been Uncharted Racing, based on their previous history). When The Last of Us was revealed at the 2011 Spike VGAs as something more than just a teaser, the gaming industry took notice. A year later we're still watching this new game's overall structure continue to take shape.

Set in various quarantine zones of a ruined America, The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic action/adventure game with a twist. Or two. It’s difficult to tell at this time, because each time I see the game it seems like something different. We know that the reason for the end of the world in this game is due to “zombies,” or rather, humans infected by a parasite that creates all manner of fungal growth that disfigures the afflicted. However, these infected humans almost seem to be part of the background; they have not been featured prominently since that initial 2011 trailer.

A far more pressing concern seems to be surviving the harsh realities of life after a complete societal breakdown. As is so often the case in these kinds of stories, man is your greatest enemy in a world where desperate people do desperate things to continue living. The protagonist, Joel, is no different. He looks like a man that’s been through hell a couple times already, and somehow he becomes the sole protector and partner of the young woman Ellie. The most recent trailer makes Ellie out to be of some vital importance, and it’s up to Joel to get her where she needs to go. Their relationship seems very similar to what Irrational Games is doing with Booker and Elizabeth in BioShock Infinite, and I’m curious to see how that unfolds, especially since The Last of Us is coming out in May, just a couple months later.