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All Articles: The Last of Us
The Last of Us wins five Best of E3 2012 awards
It’s hard to argue with those who believe The Last of Us reigned supreme at this year’s E3 Expo. That claim has been given some further validation by the Game Critics Awards, which handed five “Best of E3 2012” statues to Naughty Dog for The Last of Us.
The game, which stars two survivors of a post-apocalyptic America, won “Best of Show,” “Best Original Game,” “Best Console Game,” and “Best Action/Adventure Game.” It also took home a “Special Commendation for Sound.”
No other game came close, though Dance Central 3, Halo 4, and XCOM: Enemy Unknown all won two awards and Watch Dogs collected two Commendations.
The Wii U was mostly shut out of the awards show, though the system itself won “Best Hardware” and the multiplatform Injustice: Gods Among Us won for “Best Fighting Game.”
A complete list of winners can be found after the break. (more…)
Game Critics Awards announce nominees for Best of E3 2012
The world’s biggest gaming websites, including Kotaku, IGN, Nintendo Power, Joystiq and The Escapist (don’t worry, Warp Zoned will be there one day!) have released their full list of nominees for awards pertaining to what was shown and played at this year’s E3 Expo. Some of the highlights of the show, such as Star Wars: 1313 or Ubisoft’s surprise Watch Dogs do not qualify, as the rules state the journalists must be able to “manipulate a game in real-time while running on its native platform.” However, it seems there was not much love for Nintendo’s Wii U, with no mention of the system’s most-anticipated game, ZombiU. Although both Wii Fit U and Game & Wario made it into the “Best Motion Simulation” category.
The awards will be handed out at GameCriticsAwards.com on June 26. The full list of nominees is available after the break. (more…)
E3 trailer for The Last of Us shows brutal gameplay
E3 saw the release of more footage from Naughty Dog’s much anticipated new game The Last of Us, and boy was it brutal. Although initially it looks very similar to the Uncharted series, as the trailer progresses it has a distinct feel, conjuring up the tension and eeriness of I Am Legend or “The Walking Dead.” Joel certainly has a touch of Sheriff Rick Grimes about him.
The trailer sees Joel and Ellie attempting to reach a bridge and escape the city. They are strangers in this territory, controlled by scavenging hunters. The player remains in control of Joel, and the level felt reminiscent of the French Villa chapter in Uncharted 3, with Sully offering banter and, later on, support.
However, the game itself seems to flow smoother than Drake’s last outing, and whereas that world took some liberties with the action, The Last of Us looks to be more grounded in reality. There are no funny quips here. This is survival, kill or be killed. The game seems to have more of a focus on stealth, but once discovered, Joel has no alternative than to kill a group of hunters in order to protect himself and Ellie. AT one point he even uses a hunter as a human shield. Ellie helps out when Joel runs out of bullets; although it was unclear whether this was an automatic reaction by the companion AI, or whether it was an action directed by the player.
The other main distinction from the Uncharted series is the lack of ammunition and reliance on hand-to-hand combat or improvisation. After Joel has run out of bullets, we see him create a Molotov cocktail from items in his backpack, and setting fire to one of the hunters, before wrestling the last one for a shotgun and blowing his face off as he begs for his life. This is not merely a shooter; there is a gravity to the killing here, you can hear the regret in Troy Baker’s voice acting.
This, coupled with the foreboding musical score by double Oscar winner Gustavo Santaolalla makes The Last of Us all the more compelling, and my most anticipated title for 2012 (or maybe 2013).
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged E3 2012, The Last of Us
Sony @ E3 12: The Last of Us is brutal and gritty
Naughty Dog was on hand to show the first gameplay demo for The Last of Us, which feels like a grown-up version of Uncharted. Not that Uncharted isn’t grown up, but The Last of Us can be downright brutal. The realistic fight scene stretched over several rooms, starting with the main characters trying to stealth, but then being forced into battle.
Your pint-sized companion jumps in at just the right moment to distract one of your assailants, helping you to take him out. She also jumps on top of another enemy and stabs him in the back. You then wrap it up by shooting him in the face with his own shotgun.
Like I said – it’s brutal. I couldn’t see Nathan Drake being quite so cold-hearted, no matter how many dudes he’s tossed over cliffs.
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged E3 2012, The Last of Us