Ah, The Last of Us -- definitely my most anticipated game at the current moment, alongside Watch_Dogs. While the gameplay looks brutally intense and very refined, and the graphics and voice acting are impeccable (in addition to the realistic A.I.), what I'm looking forward to most would definitely be its take on the relationship between Joel and Ellie. I mean, in regards to raw, incredibly in-depth character development, I've rarely seen a developer handle it as deftly as Naughty Dog and Amy Hennig have with Uncharted and Nathan Drake, and I'm more than certain that Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley surely won't drop the ball now, either. Here's to hopin' it'll stay that way, though, 'ey? :P
On the other hand, there's no doubt that I'll also be looking forward to Beyond in earnest anticipation as well, tbh; from what I've seen, Heavy Rain has been one of the most captivating gaming experiences I've undergone in recent memory, in spite of its rather overdone storytelling. However, as an interactive, cinematic character-driven drama, I never even cared that much about its flaws simply because it was executed very, very well, and has proven to be a powerful tour de force in relatable, emotional storytelling for gaming -- whatever the case, David Cage himself has said that he wasn't satisfied with Heavy Rain, and, along with a unique show of humility that's rarely seen in any kind of entertainment industry these days, that in itself convinces me that he has the potential to do far better, and I bet that he'd definitely be capable of pulling that off with the likes of Beyond, lol. So far, though, it looks extremely promising (and not just in graphics). And plus, he's got Ellen Page working with him; that practically confirms how the quality will be in terms of audio design (e.g. fantastic :P).
Oh, and speaking of audio design, I'm surprised no one's already mentioned the allegedly leaked theme for The Last of Us either, lol. I don't know about any of you, but that was what pretty much sold me, since I initially had doubts over whether or not Naughty Dog was truly serious in making a story-driven post-apocalyptic game that gamers have never seen before, revolving around mature themes such as desperation and redemption. The theme song, however, really set the tone for what I believe the developers wanted the game to be about, which I'd like to believe is something along the lines of hope in a world uncertain in what to hope for anymore -- on the long run, though, I thought it was very good, and very different from the booming orchestral scores of Uncharted, lol.
Anyways, here it is, for those of you who haven't already heard it; if you'd like to hear more of the artist's work, look up 'Gustavo Santaolalla' on Youtube and you'll come across other breathtaking portions of his musical prowess. I mean, the guy definitely didn't win an Oscar for nothing. :P
