Let's take a step back here.

The Last of Us came out earlier this year (2013). It was made by one of my favorite developers (Naughty Dog). They have made several games I enjoy: The Uncharted triology... Crash Bandicoot... the Jak and Daxter series...

Here, I was hoping to add The Last of Us to that collection of superb games. Unfortunately, this was not to be, and I find myself asking "why?".

I mean, on the surface, it looks good, there is a good story, and it looks well made. I was so excited to play it. So here we are, at a review, and I have no idea where it went wrong. I'm just as confused as you are. Here's hoping the review sheds some light on it for both of us.

Graphics - 10

There's nothing to complain about on a visual standpoint. The models are well made, the environments are gorgeous, and the design of just about everything is top notch. This game pushes the PS3 to it's very limit, as expected of Naughty Dog, who have a history of making beautiful games for the PS3. The graphic design gets a major pass, so it's not them I have an issue with (though graphics stand for only about 10% of my overall score).

Sounds - 8

Not fantastic, but not bad. Naughty Dog gets another pass in this department. Everything sounds as it should, and most areas have a good track to go with them. Only a few times did I reject the musical number, and when I did, one could argue I was nitpicking. Overall, it was a very solid (if not underwhelming) soundtrack. Nothing worth clamoring over. (This stands for about 10% of my score as well.)

Addictiveness - 6

We arrive at the first fault I have with the game. It's just not that fun. I've played every Naughty Dog game made for the last 10 or so years, and never before have I been this out of a gaming experience. A game should capture your attention, and entrap you in a world you don't actually belong in. It should feel like a place you want to explore, a place you want to witness, whether it's a fun world or a dark world. Dark worlds like the one in The Last of Us can be fun, I've played games like Resident Evil 2 and Dark Souls. Those games are fun, without being boring, despite the bleakness of the world.

Ultimately, it boils down to one thing, I didn't enjoy the game the first time. Why would I play it a second time unless I was trophy hunting? (I'm not a trophy hunter.) There's just nothing left for me that I feel warrants a second playthrough. (This makes up 35% of my score)

Depth - 4

I wrestled with how to grade this one. There are some things you can do, like collecting all the collectibles, or acquiring all the costumes, but there's not much reason to do it. Really, I give this game a 4 because it has a tacked on multiplayer mode that's more fun to play than the single player game. That's a bad sign right off the bat. Any time a multiplayer experience (one that was tacked on at that) overshadows the meat of the game, you are left with a soggy unfun taste. Some can argue this is higher, but really, I don't think one can argue that this game is a 10 in depth. By any measure. (This makes up 20% of my score)

Story - 9

I'll give credit where credit is due. Naughty Dog has done what Naughty Dog does. They tell a very interesting story (at times) and leave you wondering what will happen next. The majority of the story line is pretty cliche, and I won't give anything away for those yet to play it, but ultimately it gets the message across about who these people are, and why they are doing what they are doing. Of note is the development between Joel and Ellie. This is why I gave it a 9 and not a 10.

Without giving away any plot, I feel like the evolution of their dynamic goes way too fast to be believable. When you first meet her, Joel is extremely wary and distant of Ellie, however, later (as the trailers show, it's not spoiling if it was in the trailer) he becomes more of a father figure. In between, the progression feels skewed, like there was more to the story and game, but they cut it for being boring, or for time, or whatever. It's still told well enough to get an idea, but I feel they could have done so much more with this.

The story is the crowning glory of this game, and is honestly the major reason that despite being disappointed, I recommend a playthrough, just to experience what it is I'm talking about. (This makes up 25% of my score.)

Difficulty - Varies, but for the purposes of this review, it is about a 4 on normal mode?

The game isn't really difficult. There are hard moments that may have you a little frustrated, especially any time you run into clickers, and don't have a shiv on you in case one gets close to you, but ultimately, anyone with enough persistence will be able to beat this game on normal mode (I switched to easy at one point stupidly to see how different the difficulty was, and as a result, didn't get a trophy for beating the game on normal).

My one complaint is that even on Normal mode, there is just too much leeway for one to go guns blazing and kill everything. I wanted this game to force me to be more intelligent, conservative and stealthy. If you want that experience, play on a higher difficulty.

The control scheme is pretty intuitive, and thankfully, Ellie's AI is incapable of alerting guards, otherwise this would gain points for being asinine. (This makes up 0% of my score, unless a game is intentionally difficult for the wrong reasons, then it loses major points.)

Grading - As you have seen throughout this review, I have rolled out a new way for me to grade a game's overall score. This became a neccessity, as I couldn't give this game an overall score without it. So if nothing else, this game forced me to revolutionize my standards. I will not go back to old reviews and apply this score to them, as I prefer old work to stand.

Below is a reminder of how I value a game experience. Addictiveness, Story, and Depth are the most important. They make up 80% of a games score for me. Whereas Graphics and Sound make up only 20%. I shouldn't have to explain why.

Graphics - 10% (10% of 10 is 1)
Sound - 10% (10% of 8 is .8)
Addictiveness - 35% (35% of 6 is 2.1)
Depth - 20% (20% of 4 is .8)
Story - 25% (25% of 9 is 2.25)
Difficulty - 0% (0% of 4 is 0)

Total - 6.95. I am choosing this time to give bonus points however for the story this time around. As well as the fact the game was glitch free, which is MAJORLY IMPORTANT AND NOT GRADED. Thus, the overall score is...

Overall - 7.4

So that answers that. The game is 7.4, which grades out to me as pretty much average. It also explains why I was disappointed. I expected another 9 or at least an 8.5 like the Uncharted games, and I just didn't get it this time around.

The killing blow for me was again, the fact the game just wasn't fun. If the game is fun, maybe the game gets a 9 or a 10 there, and gains an extra point in the overall department. However, I cannot make an exception for any game, even one made by my favorite game developers.

Not that a 7.4 is bad, it's just not the masterpiece that so many insist it is. A year ago, I wanted this game so badly, and prematurely called it Game of the Year. As of this moment, I don't think this game should even be a contender for Game of the Year, let alone Best PS3 Exclusive of the year (Tales of Xillia might end up grading higher. Who knows?)

Again, I should reiterate before I'm lynched for giving this game a low score that 7.4 really isn't bad. It's just that unlike 90% of the internet, I grade on the 0-10 scale, not the 8-10 scale.

For those who are in doubt, buy this game when it falls below 40 bucks (Black Friday perhaps?) and give it a go yourself. It's a game one should play, but not one I would say is a must play.

You are the first person iv seen who hasnt raved about this game.
I havent bought it yet because it didnt appeal to me enough. When its half the price i'll get it.

Incidentally, i noticed you have the newest saints row.
What possessed you to buy it?

Damn good review, it practically sums up how many of my friends felt when they played this game. I am yet to have played it, but the general concensus from those around me was that it was simply "okay", which is shocking for a Naughty Dog game.

The percentages and actual reasoning used in this the rating in this review got me too. Brlliant system.

thenumberone :

Well, I have been a fan of Saints Row since the second one (first was drab). I just like silly mindless fun on occasion, no other reason.

I'll be reviewing that one on a later occasion though, so I won't go too into depth on it. I just liked the idea of super power enfused mayhem.

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alexanyways :

Yeah, I was so upset to play an "ok" game, which speaks volumes on how good Naughty Dog as a company is.

legacyme3 : Good review Leggy, and yeah, I do play The Last of Us and I think it's a goof game and all, but I don't really think it it's all that I was expected for a 10 out of 10 game. and you're the first person I've seen that seen that The Last of Us wasn't as good as it's hype..

But still, good review though.

legacyme3 : That was definitely a great review legacy, as even when you talked about faults you found when you played the game you described and showed many details on why you gave it that score which I think is greatly needed in reviewing. I'd say it's definitely well worthy of the featured review opening, great job once again and have a nice day