the last of us
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God of War: Ascension includes early access to The Last of Us demo
The Blu-Ray of Total Recall came with a God of War: Ascension demo. Now the chain of demos continues: when you buy God of War Ascension, it will in turn come with a demo for The Last of Us.The demo won't be on the disc when Ascension comes out May 7, but it will enable early access to the one-chapter sample of The Last of Us at a later date. "Just load the God of War: Ascension disc into your PS3 and find The Last of Us listing on the main menu," Eric Monacelli, Naughty Dog Community Strategist explained on the PlayStation Blog. "There, you'll find details on how you can obtain The Last of Us demo for free as soon as it becomes available."
The Last of Us special editions in US all about Survival, Post-Pandemics
The Last of Us doesn't want its special editions to feel lonely, so it has two for the US: the Survival Edition, available at retail and online for $80, and the Post-Pandemic Edition, which is GameStop-exclusive and runs $150.The Survival Edition, pictured above, includes a hardcover art book and issue one of The Last of Us: American Dreams, complete with an exclusive variant cover, both from Dark Horse. It comes with a steelbook case featuring Ellie and Joel, and includes the Sights and Sounds DLC pack. Sights and Sounds comes with the game's original soundtrack from Oscar-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla, a dynamic theme for PS3, and the Winter Joel and Winter Ellie PSN avatars.The Post-Pandemic Edition, shown below, is available only at GameStop, and it includes the steelbook case and American Dreams comic from the Survival Edition. The bulk of its price seems to come from a 12-inch statue of Joel and Ellie from Project Triforce, which has an estimated retail value of $200. Post-Pandemic comes with the Sights and Sounds DLC and the Survival multiplayer DLC pack (that's not confusing), which has bonus XP, a melee booster, in-game currency, customizable items, and bonus Ellie and Joel skins once the game is completed.These both differ from the UK special editions of The Last of Us, also announced today.
The Last of Us UK special editions come in Ellie, Joel flavors
The Last of Us gets the VIP treatment in the UK, where it has two, slightly different, retailer-exclusive special versions, the Ellie Edition and the Joel Edition. The Ellie Edition, pictured above, is available only at GAME, and includes a mini artbook, the first issue of Dark Horse's The Last of Us: American Dreams, the Survival multiplayer DLC pack, the Sights and Sounds DLC pack, a LittleBigPlanet Ellie skin, and the game package, collectable poster and Dualshock skin featuring Ellie's face.The Joel Edition contains exactly the same things, but with Joel's face and skin (ew) instead of Ellie's; take a look at that version below. The Survival DLC pack includes bonus XP, a melee booster, in-game currency and customizable character items for multiplayer, and bonus Joel and Ellie skins after the single-player game is completed. The Sights and Sounds pack features the official soundtrack from Oscar-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla, a dynamic theme for PS3 and the Winter Joel and Ellie PSN avatars.All pre-orders, from any retailer in the UK or US, get the Sights and Sounds DLC pack. Pre-orders from US GameStops and snag the Survival DLC, too.
The Last of Us behind the scenes vid shows how mo-cap becomes final copy
This video for Naughty Dog's The Last of Us introduces the Tess character, played by Annie Wersching (Renee Walker in 24). It also neatly shows off the effects of what's required to get from motion-capture to final animation, and those bauble-dotted mo-cap suits which are always fun. %Gallery-173446%
The Last of Us pre-order bonuses detailed, trailer unveiled
Naughty Dog revealed the pre-order bonuses for The Last of Us this weekend, hot on the trail of the new trailer from the VGAs, which you can watch above. As for the pre-orders, they're split into the stuff all participating retailers are offering and the additional in-game content GameStop is bundling in.All participating pre-orders include the game's official soundtrack, a PS3 dynamic theme based on the box art, and 'Winter Joel' and 'Winter Ellie' PSN avatars. That sounds perfect for a game confirmed for late spring - May 7, 2013, to be specific.Pre-order at GameStop and you'll also get multiplayer goodies on top of the soundtrack, theme, and avatars. Those goodies include bonus XP, a melee attack booster, customizable character items, bonus skins, and a bit of extra in-game cash to help you on your way. Naughty Dog confirmed earlier this year that multiplayer would be coming to The Last of Us, but not in the form of campaign co-op.
The Last of Us finds a friend in all of us May 7, 2013 [update: video pulled]
The evil fungus of The Last of Us is among us on May 7, 2013. Check out the new trailer beyond the break!Update: Sadly, this trailer's been pulled. We'll update this post (and the rest of our VGA 2012 posts with video) as soon as it's back up.
This Last of Us gameplay video lasts for a while
During PAX, Naughty Dog publicly demonstrated the section of The Last of Us gameplay shown to press at E3, which was previously released in part here. Now you can see the fifteen-minute slice of (desperately clinging to) life for yourself, above.Over fifteen minutes, you'll see some downtime movie talk, exploration of a run-down building, some stealth, and lots of fighting. You also see surprisingly little of the mutant monsters who have destroyed the world – their presence has required monstrous behavior from those not infected.
Watch The Last of Us from a dirty throne at PAX Prime
After waiting in line for (probably) hours to catch a glimpse of The Last of Us at PAX Prime later this week, Naughty Dog will usher you into their special demo area: a bathroom. More specifically, demos for The Last of Us will be stationed in an area modeled after a bathroom featured in the game's announcement trailer. The Last of Us will not be playable, Naughty Dog confirmed to Joystiq.If you get a chance to watch the demo, Naughty Dog is handing out exclusive t-shirts featuring survivors Ellie and Joel (see them after the break). In a PlayStation Blog post, Naughty Dog also revealed a gorgeous poster (seen above) developed by artist Alexander Iaccarino from That Kid Who Draws, that will be given away to PAX attendees.Game director Bruce Straley will be at the PlayStation booth (#222) on Saturday, September 1, from 5:00pm to 6:00pm and Sunday, September 2, from 11:00am to 12:00pm to sign posters.
The Last of Us and the process of creating a cutscene
It's quite the process to create a cutscene in The Last of Us – from the animators to the actors doing the motion-capture to the end result in-game, it takes a lot of effort. Developer Naughty Dog has given us a behind-the-scenes look at how one scene in particular was made, which is, to be quite frank, equal parts fascinating and daunting. But, hey, if all this insight isn't your thing, then at least you get to watch people run around in funny suits. There's got to be some value in that, right?
Sony Gamescom media megapost: The Last of Us, Assassins Creed: Liberation and more
Welcome friend, to Joystiq's Sony Trailer and Gallery Wildlife Preserve. Here, you will find trailers for upcoming Sony games and/or games exclusive to Sony systems, cohabiting in a forced amalgamation of their natural habitats.Take for instance, The Last of Us' Gamescom trailer, chilling majestically above like a panther stalking its pray. Or perhaps, take a trip through the reserve's front gates and take a gander at LittleBigPlanet Vita and LittleBigPlanet Karting, Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation, Tokyo Jungle, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and the Vita's suite of AR card games, all from the safety of your own virtual Jeep.
Nate Wells leaves Irrational Games for Naughty Dog
BioShock Infinite art director Nate Wells just left Irrational Games, and today he's revealed it's for a new gig at Santa Monica-based Naughty Dog. Wells announced the news on Twitter earlier today, though didn't say much more beyond that – it's unknown whether or not he'll have any hand in Naughty Dog's next game, The Last of Us.Wells was one of three high-profile vacancies at Irrational Games last week, which was soon followed by one high-profile hire: Epic Games alumnus Rod Fergusson. In a follow-up piece, Irrational Games creative director Ken Levine commented on Wells' departure and BioShock Infinite's new art director, Scott Sinclair.
Watch The Last of Us Comic-Con panel without waiting in line
Naughty Dog waxed poetic about The Last of Us in front of a packed panel room at San Diego Comic-Con, sharing design processes and story hints, and you now have a front-row seat (which is more than we can say when we were actually there).We've already covered the new character announcement, a cranky old man with a familiar name and face. In the above video creative director Neil Druckmann and game director Bruce Straley discuss the intricacies of post-apocalyptic survival with Joel and Ellie, while actors Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson and W. Earl Brown talk performance capture.
Meet Bill, the grizzled elderly gentleman in The Last of Us
Bill's doing fine on his own ... then Ellie and Joel come busting through his boobytraps, calling on old favors for him to piece together a workable vehicle. Like so many characters we've seen in The Last of Us, Bill isn't what we'd call "all there." The end of society will do that to a man, it seems.
The Last of Us adds another survivor, Bill the angry old man
Bill is a new character in The Last of Us, set as a supporting actor in Joel and Ellie's main storyline, Naughty Dog announced at its San Diego Comic-Con panel. The first look at Bill, who is portrayed via performance capture by William Earl Brown, shows him as a crotchety, tough old man with a safe house that Ellie and Joel break into, apparently setting off all kinds of booby traps along the way.The introductory cinematic cutscene suggests Joel and Bill have a history, and as is expected for the game, it's a relationship based mainly on four-letter words and raised voices. The scene sets Joel and Ellie up to scavenge around the town for parts so Bill can build a car for the main duo's escape.We assume that earlier in his life, Bill helped another group of lost souls survive a zombie apocalypse. He's surprisingly nice for a mean old man.
Sony plans Last of Us, Beyond: Two Souls, PS All-Stars panels for SDCC
Sony has rounded up everything it's is doing at the San Diego Comic Con next week, and between the panels, the announcements, and various playable game on the floor, there's a lot going down. The Last of Us and Beyond: Two Souls (which each made a big splash at E3) are getting panels of their own, while The Unfinished Swan panel will show off the upcoming game's art. The PlayStation All-Stars panel will reveal two more playable characters for the upcoming cross-franchise beatdown.Additionally, the GT Academy National Finals will be taking place near the convention center in the Gaslight District, complete with a chance for passers-by to join the tournament at the last minute. There'll be plenty of demos on the show floor too, including quite a few PS Vita games. Joystiq will, of course, be in attendance at the show this year, and we'll bring you every crumb of Comic-Con news we can find.
The Last of Us multi isn't campaign co-op
The multiplayer portion of The Last of Us will not be campaign co-op, Naughty Dog recently told Gaming Examiner. The possibility of cooperative play hasn't been ruled out entirely, as the developer noted, "We're not ready to talk about the details of how multiplayer will be implemented, however we can say that it is not co-op within the main campaign."It's still possible we'll see cooperative play offered in discreet episodes, as Naughty Dog did with the Uncharted series. Of course, there's the possibility for adversarial multiplayer as well, though that seems a bit ... inappropriate given the heavy subject matter in The Last of Us.
The Last of Us tops E3 Game Critics Awards
Of the games shown at E3, The Last of Us has been named the best of them, according to the Game Critics Awards, the honors given to games by a shadowy secret cabal of attending journalists. Naughty Dog's survival game earned "Best of Show," "Best Original Game," "Best Console Game," and "Best Action/Adventure Game," along with a "Special Commendation for Sound."There were a few awards that went to other games, surprisingly. Among the other big winners were the Wii U for Best Hardware, Dance Central 3 for Best Social/Casual Game and Best Motion Simulation Game, and Sound Shapes for Best Handheld/Mobile Game.
The Last of Us not hitting (or shooting, or sneaking) until 2013
The last we heard about The Last of Us arriving at retail, it was pinned to "late 2012/early 2013." That date seemingly shifted to a less definitive "2013" recently, as Naughty Dog creative director Neil Druckmann and game director Bruce Straley told Jimmy Fallon as much on last night's Late Night.The Naughty Dog duo also gave Fallon a personal walkthrough of the gameplay we saw back at E3, with 100 percent fewer swears and 100 percent more Jimmy Fallon commentary. If you're into that kinda thing, we've got it above.
The Last of Us E3 demo video is brutal, bloody
Sony showed off a gameplay demo of The Last of Us today, demonstrating the stopping power of bullets and desk corners alike. This demo closed out Sony's E3 press conference today, and it did so with -- wait for it -- quite a bang.Like, a head bang. Against a desk. Get it?
Troy Baker, the industry's 'new' Nolan North
If you've spotted the assassin Kai Leng in Mass Effect 3, roamed the streets of Steelport spitting hot lead and one-liners as the voice of 'Male Caucasian 1' in Saints Row: The Third, or pillaged dungeons with the Scoundrel as your ally in Diablo 3, you're familiar with the industry's newest voice actor all star: Troy Baker.Before his voice was featured in countless big budget video games, Baker's career was focused on music, playing in the indie-rock band Tripp Fontaine. Though Baker says music "came naturally" to him, he knew his life would revolve around some form of entertainment. "I knew from when I left my mother's womb that I was going to be a performer," Baker tells Joystiq.Around 2004, Baker "stumbled" into doing car commercials, which led to a chance encounter that would shift his entire career focus. "Since we were doing album work at the same studio, it was just right place right time. So I started doing commercial work, and met Christopher Sabat who plays Vegeta in Dragonball Z." Soon he was cast in a slew of minor roles throughout the anime and video game world: various iterations of Dragonball Z, bit parts in Lupin III, roles in One Piece, Bloodrayne 2 and Mega Man X: Command Mission. Things started to explode, and did so with a sonic boom when he was cast as the memorable Frank Archer in Fullmetal Alchemist.He was working frequently and with passion, but Baker's next big break came from another happenstance situation: being friends with a Gearbox Software employee.
