The Last of Us

[SpideyVille]

I've gotta admit, I've never seen I Am Legend, but I'll take everyone's word about getting a similar vibe from this game.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

damn, sure looks like Naughty Dog will be striking gold with this game

looking forward to it

 

[Balthus Dire]

Looks like a potentially great game, but Ellen Page should seek compensation lol.

 

[Superhero 101]

Haha you know who i think Joel looks like? Hugh Jackman

 

[DorkyFresh]

The thing I like about this post-apocalyptic is that it's going to be character driven. To me the best movies and games are character driven. That's why Uncharted and Metal Gear Solid stick out in my mind. They are both franchises that have memorable characters that feel fleshed out. This game definitely has the potential to redefine the survival horror franchise. Lately the genre has become less serious, either becoming a parody of the genre or basically being more about the action than the raw visceral experience. The Last of Us seems to look like it's bringing back some much needed grit and gravitas to the survival horror genre.

 

[TheBat812]

Definitely looking forward to this. Reminds me of a number of post-apocalyptic things, especially I Am Legend and The Road. Definitely agree on the character driven part, not nearly enough games make this a priority, which is what makes games the most engaging.

 

[ttotheusher]

Nope, it's Ashley Johnson.

Spoiler

Hey, it's her out of What Women Want. Cool.

That's because its Lead Designer is the same one from Enslaved, Mark Richard Davies. Other good news is that Bruce Straley, the director of Uncharted 2, is directing this as well.

Good to see those guys getting some work, I do really believe that Heavenly Sword and Enslaved are unsung PS3 classics.

 

[Jick]

What about the release date?
2013?

 

[Superhero 101]

I think i heard 2012 but i have a feeling it will be pushed back to 2013

 

[KALEL114]

Well it's already been in production for 2 years, so I think 2012 is good bet. That's why Keighley said “I’m shocked every day that none of this has leaked out, but we’ve got something absolutely mind-blowing that we’re going to unveil from Sony at the VGAs.”

He was right. I was really surprised that it was kept under wraps so long.

Here's a question (maybe one to ask when we know more about the project), do you think this should be a one shot and not have a ton of sequels?

 

[Nathan]

2 years in development and not a single leak? That's truly impressive. Makes me think of this.

 

[Jick]

Here's a question (maybe one to ask when we know more about the project), do you think this should be a one shot and not have a ton of sequels?

That depends on the arc and story they're trying to tell.

When I watched I Am Legend, I thought that was a one shot deal. I still do. I never thought of sequels.

Is there any hope in this doomed world that is worth looking for? Or is it just a tale of survival?
If it has more to do with the first question, then I think it'll probably be a bigger arc with one or two sequels.

 

[KALEL114]

The Composer of the game is Gustavo Santaolalla. He did the soundtrack for Babel, 21 Grams, Brokeback Mountain, and many others.

 

[Resistance61513]

I'm REALLY looking forward to this franchise. Survival horror games are very few and far between. Which is unfortunate. The genre still has a ton of untapped potential. However, everyone feels it's necessary to cram First Person Shooters down our throats.

While that genre also has a lot of untapped potential as well, no one is really taking the necessary steps to advance it. Every developer/publisher is content with rinse and repeating the Modern Warfare formula. At least knowing Naughty Dog's track record, they strive for an emotional story and memorable characters. Combine that with their phenomenal animators and they make a masterpiece!

I'm hoping this Intellectual Property delivers a truly emotional experience. Something I was hoping to get from Dead Island when I saw that teaser trailer. Unfortunately, they decided to make something similar to Left 4 Dead.

I can't wait to hear more about this project. Glad to hear it's being so well received.

 

[Wolfwood]

Well it's already been in production for 2 years, so I think 2012 is good bet. That's why Keighley said “I’m shocked every day that none of this has leaked out, but we’ve got something absolutely mind-blowing that we’re going to unveil from Sony at the VGAs.”

He was right. I was really surprised that it was kept under wraps so long.

Here's a question (maybe one to ask when we know more about the project), do you think this should be a one shot and not have a ton of sequels?

Well I'd like to see them do a one shot story, something that is contained and tightly wrapped up by the end of the game. We don't have too many of those, unless the game bombs sales wise, there's usually a sequel.

 

[The Squirrel]

I want a self contained story like the Uncharted games. That way if it doesn't get a sequel we won't be left with a cliffhanger.

 

[KALEL114]

3rd person confirmed.

A spore of an idea from the Planet Earth documentary series is growing into a new video game from Naughty Dog, the studio behind the PlayStation 3's flagship Uncharted franchise. The Sony-owned studio's recent release, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, is nominated for multiple game-of-the-year awards.
This new project, The Last of Us, involves a virulent fungus that spreads through the human population in the near future. That leaves the unaffected in a constant battle for survival.


In the first trailer for the game, shown during Saturday's Spike TV Video Game Awards broadcast, a middle-aged man and a teenage girl are attacked by zombie-like mutated humans. "This is our routine. Day and night," says the girl character, Ellie, in a voice-over. "All we do is survive. It never lets up."


Expected for PS3 in late 2012 or early 2013, The Last of Us is a rare new intellectual property in an era when publishers rely heavily on trusted franchises. "The team at Naughty Dog is known for incredible storytelling, and what excites me most about The Last of Us is the potential of a grittier and more mature story," says Geoff Keighley of Spike's GameTrailers TV. "If Uncharted is the video-game version of Indiana Jones, The Last of Us has the potential to be a video-game version of Cormac McCarthy's The Road."



Although the designers don't want to give away the entire story line, the development team recently gave an exclusive inside look into the project. At the start of the game, the lead character, Joel, finds Ellie, and they team up. Joel is "a vicious survivor. When he meets this girl, she is his one chance at redemption," says Neil Druckmann, the game's creative director. "That kind of arc has always been intriguing."


Back in 2008, Druckmann had been mulling an idea for a graphic novel about a father and daughter in a zombie tale. He and game director Bruce Straley were watching the BBC/Discovery series Planet Earth and saw a segment on the cordyceps fungus. At the time, both were working on Uncharted 2: Among Thieves; they had also worked on Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.


In close-ups, the documentary showed how the parasitic fungus infected ants and, having taken over their brains, resulted in protruding growths from their heads. A thousand-plus fungus variations exist, each genetically targeting an individual species. "We instantly thought 'humans,' " Straley says.


The two discussed how "it would be a cool realistic backsetting to a zombie movie where this thing jumped species," Druckmann recalls, "not knowing there was going to be another (game) project."


Meanwhile, Naughty Dog co-presidents Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra had been considering splitting the one-project-at-a-time studio into two teams. "We felt if we didn't expand the roles for people, we could potentially lose them, because they really wanted to be challenged," Wells says. "We didn't want to lose that talent."


So after Uncharted 2 shipped, some studio members moved to the Last of Us project, while others worked on Uncharted 3.
Like the Uncharted games, The Last of Us has a third-person perspective, in which you see the character on-screen, but it has a more realistic, cinematic look. "We're trying to move the medium of video games into an area elevated in the same manner of respect of film," Balestra says. "We want to redefine what our medium is even called. 'Video game' is not an accurate name anymore. It is not necessarily a game with rules and a winner and a loser. It's an experience."

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming...urce=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=110941

Sounds like we are going to get something pretty awesome. Can't wait.

 

[SpideyVille]

Good, I can't stand first person games. Not that they're bad, but its just not my preference.

 

[eternalinferno]

Yea it certainly sounds like something amazing is coming to the ps3, I have full faith in naughty dog to deliver

 

[Superhero 101]

Cool third persons are more funner
no i just need to know if there is any co-op or multiplayer.

 

[The Squirrel]

Co-op would be nice, but I don't see the need for multiplayer.

 

[TheBat812]

I'm really hoping it is a linear, story based, single player game like Uncharted. I don't want another multiplayer, online zombie game. Excluding Undead Nightmare, when is the last time we had a proper single player zombie game? Code Veronica?

Exactly. It's about time we get a story and character driven 'zombie/post apocalyptic' game. If anybody can pull it off, it's ND, and with the writing for UC 3, I'm not really worried. Unless the gameplay is miraculously terrible, this has definitely got me excited.

 

[MoPlaYa]

This game looking F`n Amazing!

 

[Havok83]

I'm really hoping it is a linear, story based, single player game like Uncharted. I don't want another multiplayer, online zombie game. Excluding Undead Nightmare, when is the last time we had a proper single player zombie game? Code Veronica?

Nope. There was Siren: Blood Curse

 

[Electro UK]

(Which is awesome)