The Last of Us is a good game…nothing more, nothing less

[Veknoid_Outcast]

This thread already has over 200 replies, but, what the heck, I'll add my two cents.

The Last of Us is a great game. The stealth and shooting mechanics are polished and intuitive. The story and voice acting is beyond exceptional. And the crafting system and light RPG elements add much-needed depth. Overall, it's one of the best games of 2013.

However, I do agree that it's somewhat overrated. It's not the "game of the generation." It's not "gaming's Citizen Kane moment." It's just a smart, expertly-designed stealth action game that ranks among the best the PS3 has to offer.

Really, the only way in which The Last of Us is groundbreaking is in its subject matter. It's not afraid to go to some very dark places, not afraid to feature characters who are monstrous in their attempts to survive, not afraid of an unhappy ending. In that way, The Last of Us is trailblazing.

In all other ways -- sound design, graphics, play control, and gameplay, to name a few -- it's excellent, but not especially inventive. It's a synthesis of many different, established ideas. But that's Naughty Dog's gift: to repurpose and repackage existing mechanics and gameplay scenarios into a new package with superior production values. The Last of Us is no different.

tl;dr version: The Last of Us is a great game worthy of praise, but it's not the Second Coming.