The Last of Us: Left Behind Review
A
Journalistic Review by DefiantParrot
09/05/2017
*Warning:
May Contain Spoilers
Like
no seriously guys MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD ON THIS ONE!*
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: Playstation 3
Genre: Action-Adventure, Survival Horror
Release: February 14, 2014
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| (1) This isn't going to end well |
Microtransactions,
pre-order bonuses, exclusive content… there are a lot of things in gaming I
find disgusting these days. I mentioned how much I hated online passes in my
Last of Us and my Kingdoms of Amalur reviews, but there are so many more that
drive me up the wall.
Downloadable content in many ways was a prelude to this
and while like anything it can be abused, I find that DLC is not an entirely
evil way to extend a games life and for companies to still make some money.
So while I don’t plan to review every piece of DLC for
every game, there are some I wish to give my take on and tell you if it is
worth your time, so first up is The Last of Us: Left Behind.
Left Behind is an expansion pack to The Last of Us
detailing Ellie’s time with her friend Riley and how she rescued Joel in the
main game after his horrific injury.
 |
| (2) Combat is CLEARLY not the point here |
Left Behind takes almost everything from the main game,
from the scavenging, controls, combat, graphics etcetera and just like the main
game they are phenomenal here. Left Behind is not an expansion pack for the
gameplay I feel.
However as I said
its gameplay is really good and can be described as more Last of Us which is
not a bad thing for the record. Left Behind’s goal for me is to be a character
driven story with the narrative and characters taking center stage.
Ellie’s friend Riley comes and finds her after some time
away and the two basically go out to have fun and spend time with each other.
It’s nice to see Ellie more laid back and having some fun and not have to fear
for her life every three seconds. Riley is instantly likeable and it’s easy to
see how these two became friends, much of the gameplay here is exploration and
minigames. From trying on different Halloween masks to “playing” an arcade cabinet
this game is meant to show how innocent Ellie and Riley still are even in a
world doing its best to take that from them.
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| (3) This part was really cool |
Now that’s not to say there is no combat in this game,
but most of it is done in the sections where Ellie is attempting to save Joel’s
life and one thing this expansion does do well is finally mix the monsters with
the human threats.
That’s right infected and survivors together in the same
room, this was really fun. Either sneaking between the warring sides, diving
into the fray and battling both, or egging one side on as they killed each
other was really freakin’ cool. Of course I still died a few times here so that
doesn’t mean it’s easy.
It is pretty short admittedly of course as it’s not a
full game I wasn’t expecting it to be as long as the core game and while it is
a lot of fun and I really enjoyed diving back into the world and spending some
more time with Ellie, $10 for 2 maybe 2 and half hours of gameplay may turn
people away especially if for some reason they’re expecting more combat than
arcade machines.
 |
| (4) Ellie is still a total badass |
Now this standalone expansion here won many awards,
mainly for its representation of the blossoming relationship between Ellie and
Riley with the two of them even sharing a kiss, personally I bought their
relationship and I believed that the subject matter handled here was
represented extremely well which also made it heartbreaking when both of them
are infected.
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| (5) That moment when... |
For those of us who finished The Last of Us we knew what
the fate of Riley was going to be, but I can’t help but feel the ending here
was disappointing it ends after the two are bitten and decide to wait the
infection out. We never see Ellie discover that she is immune or see Riley
turn. It would’ve been fascinating to see that maybe they both discover that
Ellie is immune and Riley convinces her to go to the Fireflies and that is why
she is so determined in the main game, she feels she is keeping a promise to
someone she loved.
It also would’ve been gut wrenching to see Ellie or
better yet play Ellie as you have to kill an infected Riley this character we
have come to know and love during this adventure.
All in all for $10 Left Behind was an enjoyable
experience a little pricey for my taste but more Last of Us as I said is no
means a bad thing and with Part II on its way I am more than ready to see Joel
and Ellie’s next adventure
The Last of Us: Left Behind receives my Bronze Seal of
Acceptance
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| (6) For when you and you're best friend are bitten... |
The length and ending are what brings it down from a
Silver to a Bronze for me but don’t misunderstand me, if you love The Last of
Us seeing Ellie and Riley’s story is definitely worth it.
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