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'The Last of Us Part II' is as brutal as it is daring
Early trailers, comments from director Neil Druckmann and an extensive preview last fall confirmed that The Last of Us Part II would be bigger, more violent and more grueling than what came before. Naughty Dog has proven itself to a developer that deserves the benefit of the doubt, and I had few concerns that The Last of Us Part II would succeed on a technical level. As expected, it looks fantastic, showing just how far we’ve come from the PS3 original. Gameplay has been smoothed out and improved upon in many ways, as well. But what I really care about is Ellie and Joel. The Last of Us ended with ambiguity, but nonetheless provided a stunning conclusion to a nuanced and layered story. Druckmann said that developer Naughty Dog didn’t take the decision to continue that story lightly — but after seven years of waiting, the next chapter in Ellie and Joel’s story really needed to deliver.
In ‘The Last of Us Part II,’ Ellie is a lethal loner
"The Wolf" is a force to be reckoned with: She can make her own explosive arrowheads, use her enemies as bullet shields and fell attackers much taller and bigger than her. During the gameplay trailer for The Last of Us: Part II (TLOU2), Ellie is violent, destructive and unhesitant.
Naughty Dog pondering new IP and what comes after The Last of Us
Now that Naughty Dog has wrapped up "Left Behind," the first (and only) single-player DLC for The Last of Us, the studio is considering new game ideas. "We have started brainstorming some stuff. To be honest, some of them are sequel ideas, and some of them are brand new IP - we've spent the last few weeks brainstorming new IP," Neil Druckmann, creative director of The Last of Us, told Eurogamer. "So we have to get some good steps and see... It's kind of like how we approached Left Behind. Can we tell people a story that's really worth telling, and that's not repeating itself? And if we can't, where can we get inspired - what is something that's really going to challenge us, and push storytelling in this medium forward?" Druckmann's statements imply Naughty Dog is leaning more towards cultivating new ideas than pursuing a sequel to The Last of Us. Naughty Dog already has one confirmed sequel in development: the Santa Monica studio is working on a new Uncharted game for PS4. "Left Behind," a prequel chapter to The Last of Us campaign, is set to be released on Valentine's Day, February 14, for $14.99. The supplemental story follows Ellie and her best friend, Riley, who are both stuck in a military boarding school in the Boston quarantine zone. [Image: Naughty Dog]
The Last of Us developer diary characterizes Joel and Ellie
This developer diary video for The Last of Us shows the game's cast and crew elaborating on protagonists' motivations. Lead Designer Jacob Minkoff notes Ellie's unique perspective in the game, while voice actor Troy Baker reveals how one line from his audition helped shape Joel's character.
The Last of Us screens put Joel and Ellie in Pittsburgh
How can you tell Naughty Dog is serious about the infectious danger in The Last of Us? Because while Uncharted's Nathan Drake made the half-tuck famous, Last of Us' Joel has apparently gone full untuck in these screenshots over on Game Informer. Not. Kidding. Around. Elsewhere in the screenshots, we can see that part of the game takes place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so steel yourself for that (sorry). Weapons will break after being used in combat, so part of the challenge in wandering around the lush world is just staying armed. And that girl in the image above is Ellie, a teenager who will be following Joel around for part of his journey. Naughty Dog is working hard on her AI, and says she won't require a lot of micro-management while being escorted. Game Informer promises 20 images of the game in its upcoming issue, but you can head to the website right now to see the other two shots on display. Full untuck, guys!
