Well, here we are at the end of another countdown. I guarantee there’s some people who were shocked to see that I didn’t have Cyberpunk 2077 at the top of my list like all the other sites with their heads up their ass. And to be honest, if I wasn’t 100% confident that my number 1 game would be coming out this year, it would have topped the list. But this next game is the sequel to one of the best video games of all time. It’s not overhyped. In fact, I think many people have forgotten about it since it didn’t appear at E3 this year. But believe me, I haven’t. I’m eagerly anticipating the next Sony press conference where I hope they will finally announce the release date of…
Numbuh 1: The Last of Us Part 2
Yes, there was a brief period of time where I owned a PlayStation console. I know, it was a life giving 3 months. I finally had a system that had games that were worth playing instead of ReCore, State of Decay, and Crackdown 3. After college, I tried to convince my friends at the time to jump ship to PlayStation since no one had traded their Xbox 360s from Xbox Ones yet. So I bought a PS4 with The Last of Us Remastered, Bloodborne, and Mortal Kombat X. While the other games were incredible, there really isn’t another game like The Last of Us. I mean yes there are cover based zombie survival shooters out there, of course. But The Last of Us is one of the best all around games I’ve ever played in my entire life. Let’s start with the fact that it is on a very short list of games that have actually caused me to cry (and not from unrelenting rage). The story gets you engaged so quickly in its opening scenes, and breaks your heart within minutes. The character development is unprecedented, and as you move through the campaign it just continues to get deeper and deeper. Think like The Walking Dead episode where Daryll and Beth are separated from the group. Daryll is the quiet calculated fan favorite, and Beth is a little whiny bitch. But as the episode progresses, you get to see that each of them have much more to offer than their basic character plot lines. Daryll struggles with guilt for things he couldn’t have controlled, and Beth struggles with being a kid stuck in a world that is growing up faster than she is. This all comes to a climax both in the episode when they realize this, and at the end of the season when Beth is killed. My heart shattered when I saw Daryll crying while he carried Beth’s dead body out of the hospital. That scene wouldn’t have had 1/10th of the emotional impact without the character development.
Well, that’s what The Last of Us does for the entire 15 hour campaign. Hell, even the short 3 hour DLC does an excellent job of developing Ellie and her friend to make the ending emotional. It seamlessly intertwines the story into the gameplay. From basic elements like sneaking by clickers to the disturbing fight against David where Ellie is pushed to her limit, the game doesn’t pull any punches. There’s no meaningless “go grab this” or “go here and find this then go here and fight this” missions. Everything has a purpose and the dialogue in between keeps you engaged in the story. On top of all of this, narrative based games typically have a half-assed online multiplayer mode tacked on at the end of development. I shit you not: I played that multiplayer mode for around 40 hours after I beat the campaign. Its like Gears of War where its cover based and you have limited lives with pickups around the map, but unlike Gears the combat is actually consistent and fun. The game all around is just a complete masterpiece, from the gritty story, to the state of the art graphics, and the engaging gameplay. And there’s zero doubt in my mind that everything is going to be take to the next level in Part 2. You can already tell from the trailers. Ellie isn’t a kid anymore. She’s an adult, molded by the hellish environment surrounding her, and she’s become an absolute badass because of it. So what is going to be thrown at her now? Well, it looks like a whole lost of messed up shit and I am here. for. it.
We don’t have a confirmed release date for The Last of Us Part II, but someone made a mistake revealing that it may be coming out in May 2020. Regardless, I’m sure it is a 2020 title, whether it is a launch title for the PS5 or it’s a bridge title that comes out in early summer. And I will find some way to get a hold of whatever console it is released on and play it.
