The Last of Us - PlayStation 3

Naughty Dog Turns Our World Upside Down

2013-05-17T03:01:00Z

Yesterday, during a pre-E3 event in Santa Monica, California, I played through a newly revealed section of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us. The survival-based game is a road trip story starring two survivors in a post-apocalyptic world. Joel and Ellie are looking for a man named Bill – a loner out in Lincoln, Pennsylvania that owes Joel a favor. During my hands-on time with the game I got a feel for combat against the infected, nasty traps set by survivors, and improvised navigation past environmental obstacles.

Joel and Ellie find themselves in the woods on their way to the small town of Lincoln. Ellie is taken aback by the beauty of the woods, admiring the serene wildlife. Joel is less concerned with sight-seeing, and seems determined to find Bill before the sun sets. Their progress is halted by a high, barbed-wire fence blocking them from entering town. I climb atop a small building to get a better view. I spot the roof of another nearby building, but my attempt to leap the gap falls short. Upon further investigation I find a long, narrow board – just about the length between the two roofs. I pick up the board, carry it over to the small building, lean it up against the side, climb up the building, and pull the board up. I’m then able to lay the board between across the roofs for Joel and Ellie to cross.

Lincoln is Bill’s stomping grounds, and his mark is apparent. I hear an odd clicking as an infected comes sprinting around a corner, followed by a loud explosion. One of Bill’s tripwire traps blows the thing’s legs clean off. Further exploration of Lincoln reveals a number of rigged devices, some of which must be safely detonated by tossing a brick or bottle into them. You can set up your own homemade traps and lure the wandering infected into them as well.

One of my favorite moments in the demo involves sneaking past a handful of the fungal-infected humanoids. These creatures are in a sort of sleep-state when I come across them. I choose to leave them alone and crouch-walk safely past them. If I had been braver, I could have snuck up to them quietly, dispatched them with a melee weapon, and looted their corpses. These enemies’ senses are based on noise, so stealth is key.

My closest encounter with the crazed monsters involves one of Bill’s more successful traps. Joel is snagged by a snare after opening a door. A refrigerator acts as a counterweight, pulling him into the air by his foot. Both Joel and the camera are tipped upside down as Ellie struggles to cut the line. Infected encroach on the pair, and I have to gun them down from the disorienting angle. The reliable controls allow me to dispatch most of them easily, but one heavily infected mushroom head gets too close and instantly chomps down on me. I have better luck my second attempt. Ellie cuts me down and the duo finally cross paths with Bill.

Joel’s gas-masked contact blasts a few infected and beckons them to follow. A frantic chase through alleyways and building interiors ensues. Bullets and health supplies are limited, so standing my ground isn’t an option. Throughout the demo I had plenty of opportunities to craft melee weapons, like a pipe with scissors taped to it or Molotov cocktail. I also found a few medkits. It’s not enough to endure a full-on infected assault, however.

In addition to item crafting, players can find tools, supplements, and other resources that can permanently upgrade Joel and his equipment. Supplements can steady his aim or increase his health. Tool kits and constituent parts can be used to create extra weapon holsters or improve the damage of weapons. I didn’t have an opportunity to dive deep into these systems, but Naughty Dog says players can carry their upgrades and gear over into a new game-plus.

Bill, Joel, and Ellie eventually reach safety. Without skipping a beat, Bill handcuffs Ellie to a pipe and holds Joel at gunpoint. He begins roughly checking the two for the signs of a sprouting infection. While Joel tries to calm him down, Ellie pulls the pipe loose and whacks Bill. After a brief scuffle the three cool down. Joel calls in his favor with Bill. They need a car, and Bill agrees to help them get one running. My hands-on time with the new demo ends here.

My path through Lincoln was just one route among a variety of options. Depending on your playstyle you could aggressively clear out the infected or sneak past them all. Upgrading Joel and his equipment is also influenced by your tastes. Do you want to invest resources into melee combat or firearms? Naughty Dog has packed The Last of Us with tons of options while delivering an engaging yet bleak story of survival.

Watch the entire 2012 PAX Prime gameplay demo here.

New Developer Diary Shows Off The Environment

2013-04-09T14:16:00Z

The latest developer diary for Naughty Dog's The Last of Us looks at the environment of a collapsed plague-stricken world. Alongside Ellie and Joel, the environment is one of The Last of Us' most important characters, showcasing beauty and destruction all at once. At least, that is what Naughty Dog wants players to think while they explore and look around.

Along with many interviews with Naughty Dog's assorted artists, you also get a look at some gameplay, and see just how much work goes into creating a dilapidated apartment.

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The Last of Us is coming to PlayStation 3 June 14. Be sure to check out our Last of Us coverage hub, which contains all kinds of features for the game, by clicking the banner below.

[via PlayStation blog]

See What's At Stake In This Extended Commercial For The Last Of Us

2013-04-02T17:37:00Z

The cost of survival is high in The Last of Us, and this extended version of the commercial for the game sets the tone.

This excellent trailer shows us the toil the outbreak has taken on the characters, talks about how Joel and Ellie got connected, and puts some of the game's gory action into context.

The Last of Us comes out for PlayStation 3 on June 14.

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Avoiding The Infected In The Last Of Us

2013-02-28T16:54:00Z

The first episode in a series of developer diaries for The Last of Us talks about the Infected and their origins.

Certain kinds of Infected use echolocation like bats to find their targets, which makes silence golden in the game. The video also talks about how the Infected virus spreads among humans.

The Last of Us comes out for the PlayStation 3 on June 14.

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For more on the game, take a look at this recent gameplay trailer or click on the Hub below for access to our exclusive cover story features.

Naughty Dog Debuts The Infected Horror

2013-02-20T21:30:00Z

Previous demos of The Last Of Us have centered on the danger that Joel and Ellie's fellow survivors present as the pair scraped their way through the dangerous streets of Pittsburg. All the while, a more sinister threat has loomed in the distance, seen only in glimpses until now. Our newest look at the game has the protagonists on the outskirts of Boston, and unveils two of the infected enemy types – and Naughty Dog handed the controller over to me to experience the terror first-hand.

Joel and Ellie are accompanied by a new character, a middle-aged woman named Tess. Tess is Joel's partner in crime; the two make their living by supplying weapons and items to the black market inside one of Boston's oppressive, military-controlled quarantine zones. In this instance, Joel and Tess have been hired to smuggle Ellie out of the city to the Fireflies, a resistance group trying to establish a new society that isn't run by a brutal police state.

Escape from the city requires cutting a path through a partially collapsed building. As I turn on my flashlight to survey the area, Tess points out a mutilated corpse next to an adjacent doorway. The building is overrun with the infected.

The survivors have mapped out the complete life cycle of humans infected with the deadly, cordyceps-like fungus, and each stage serves as a different enemy type. Runners are in stage one of the infection, and as their name suggests, they're fast on their feet. Clickers are in stage three of the infection, and trade speed for considerable strength. Clickers have been completely blinded by the infection, and instead rely on echolocation to identify targets. If you hear a clicker's distinctive call, you had better be behind cover.

My first encounter with the infected aptly demonstrates their deadliness. While Tess and Ellie hang back behind cover, I run into a pack of runners and my action game sensibilities get the best of me. Shooting the first enemy alerts the other two to my presence – before I know it, the six bullets I've scavenged thus far are gone. I sprint out of the room in desperation, knocking my attackers out of the way only to run straight into a fourth runner in the hallway; mashing on the square button pries him off of me, but not before being brought to the brink of death.

I blindly run through a maze of rooms, sliding over desks and bouncing off of doorways as I attempt to lose my attackers. I finally duck behind an overturned cabinet and take stock of my situation. A lone runner wanders into the room and this time I manage to sneak up behind him and slowly choke him out as the camera slowly pans and zooms in to highlight the brutal action.

After scavenging a few items from the environment – including a helpful-looking two-by-four – I try pushing aside a cabinet that's blocking the exit, but the noise sends the remaining infected scrambling to my location. The first runner goes down with a few hits from my new melee weapon, but the others are close behind him. I run back into the darkness, retreating to the room where I was first ambushed. I scavenge a few more bullets off of the corpse I killed earlier, and grab a nearby brick as the pursuing runners burst through the doorway. I down the first one with my two-by-four, but it breaks in the process, and I'm forced to use precious handgun ammo on the final attacker.

Joel calls out to Tess and Ellie, telling them the coast is clear. After looting some more items, I stop to examine the simple but incredibly helpful crafting system.

Unlike most crafting systems, items looted from the environment feed into several generic categories, so you're never looking for a specific item to complete a recipe. After looking over the options, I craft a health kit, a Molotov cocktail, and upgrade a baseball bat I found moments earlier. Opening the crafting menu doesn't pause the game, however, so you want to make sure you're in a safe place before restocking.

I continue through the dilapidated building until I come upon an open office teeming with clickers. With my upgraded bat in hand (which now has a pair of scissors taped to the end of it), I sneak my way into the hall, only to bump into a runner feeding on a corpse. I take him down with a single, gruesome blow of my bat, but a clicker kills me with equal lethality; the camera zooms in to show the deformed creature pull back a mouthful of skin and tendons from my neck just before the screen goes black.

During my next attempt, I use a new ability Naughty Dog calls "listen mode." By holding down the right trigger, Joel is able to identify nearby figures and footsteps through walls and objects, while moving at a greatly reduced pace. I also take advantage of the bottles and bricks strewn around the environment to lure enemies out of the way, but severity of the situation quickly becomes apparent; the room is a maze of desks and cabinets, and the terrifying calls of clickers echo all around me as they grope in the darkness for my location. I find a shotgun and three shells by one desk, but using it would be suicide given the odds.

A tense game of cat and mouse unfolds as I zigzag through the room, always one misstep away from certain death. None of the action feels scripted, and there is no clear path through the environment. Unlike last time, Ellie and Tess have been at my side the entire time, effortlessly navigating the environment and avoiding enemies as I scour the darkness for a way out, a reassuring sign that Naughty Dog has crafted competent AI for the characters accompanying Joel.

Salvation comes in the form of a ladder in an adjoining room at the far end of the complex, but a final clicker stands in our way. Throwing a bottle to distract it would run the risk of attracting the other enemies we've managed to sneak by. I desperately weigh my options, but there is no time – another infected is approaching Tess from behind and she's forced to open fire. I quickly switch to my shotgun and take down the other clicker, as Tess shoots down her assailant. The three of us move to the ladder, but more infected are streaming into the cramped room; we have no choice but to make a stand.

I use the last of my shotgun shells on two more clickers and effortlessly switch to my bat to take down an approaching runner. More clickers appear, and Tess proves the better marksman as I take a few wild shots with my remaining revolver bullets. I hurl my one and only Molotov at two infected climbing through a broken window, who collapse to the floor in flames. Tess shoots down the remaining creatures. The three of us capitalize on the ensuing moment of silence and climb the ladder.

I take one more look below. The rush of surviving the standoff is dampened by the realization that I've used all of my supplies and ammo. I contemplate going back down for the few glowing items lying at the base of ladder, but decide to push on.

Naughty Dog has proven itself a master at creating tense setpiece moments in its games, which translate particularly well to scripted demos. My hands-on time with The Last Of Us only has me more excited. The world feels alive and loaded with details, the characters are engaging and believable, and the gameplay is a tense mix of stealth, strategy, and explosive action.

This preview originally appeared in issue 240 of Game Informer.

Fungal Enemies Featured In The Last Of Us Gameplay Footage And Screens

2013-02-04T17:52:00Z

Naughty Dog first spilled the beans on its post-apocalyptic action game, The Last of Us, in one of our exclusive cover stories. Since then, the developer has been quiet about how protagonists Joel and Ellie will interact with the fungus-infected enemies of the game. This new gameplay footage and batch of screenshots shows off more of the mushroom-headed foes than ever before.

Watch the trailer below for a glimpse at the tension and suspense that comes with creeping through a dark building filled with the fungal enemies. Beware, the video contains harsh language and gore.

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For an even closer look at the game, check out the gorgeous screenshots in the gallery below. The Last of Us arrives exclusively on the PlayStation 3 on May 7, 2013.

Watch The PAX Prime Demo Of The Last Of Us

2012-09-05T19:55:00Z

This month at PAX Prime, Naughty Dog showed off the riveting, behind-closed-doors E3 trailer of The Last of Us. If you weren't at either event, you can now see the full 16-minute demo here. We promise you it was worth the wait.

I only saw the public demo Naughty Dog showed for The Last of Us at E3, so this one was completely new to me, and serves as a stark reminder for why PS3 owners are so excited for the game. While the environmental puzzles look like standard fare, Naughty Dog has done a remarkable job of humanizing Joel and Ellie's enemies, which makes the already visceral combat even more brutal.

I'm still amazed at how dynamic all of the animation seems – we'll have to wait until we get our hands on the game to see just how orchestrated these live demos are, but so far the game is looking great.

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For more of The Last of Us, check out the trailer Naughty Dog showed at Gamescom.

From Mo-Cap To Finished

2012-08-15T17:40:00Z

Gamers know that most of their favorite characters begin as actors in a motion capture studio. The process isn't simple, and involves several artistic passes to create what we ultimately see on the screen. In this new video for The Last of Us, Naughty Dog shows the progression from beginning to end.

It's impressive, though not exactly jaw-dropping. If you want something less technical and more dramatic, you should probably watch the latest trailer instead. You can also check out a new batch of screens below.

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The Last of Us Continues To Impress With Gamescom Trailer

2012-08-14T20:08:00Z

It's getting to the point where we couldn't be more excited for Naughty Dog's The Last of Us. However, that shouldn't stop you from watching this gripping new trailer, which shows protagonists Joel and Ellie fighting for their lives to Hank Williams' classic country song "Alone and Forsaken."

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Last Of Us Trailer Reveals New Character

2012-07-16T18:50:00Z

A new trailer released by Naughty Dog reveals a new character in the Last of Us called Bill. We don't know much about him,other than he wears a gas mask. The video shows the trio escaping an infected and later figuring out a plan to repair a car to get out of town.

The Last of Us is due out in 2013 for PlayStation 3.

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Previewing The Alternate Theater Presentation

2012-06-08T02:28:00Z

Naughty Dog takes a more stealthy approach through the derelict hotel in this eyes-on new demo.

If you watched Sony's stage presentation via streaming, you saw Joel and Ellie's violent trip through a flooded hotel. In a behind closed doors theater presentation, Naughty Dog showed off the same area, but with a completely different approach and went farther into the level.

The first difference we saw when they were walking around the initial area was a new conversation between the pair concerning an old movie poster for Dawn of the Wolf. It seems that if the player stops and looks at it, Joel and Ellie will kick off a chat. Ellie seems confused as to why people would enjoy gory entertainment since she's so used to it in everyday life. Joel brushes it off as a "dumb teen movie."

They continue inside and spy a ladder up on some scaffolding. It's highlighted in a strange glow that makes it stand out as a goal/interactive object, yet it also mildly breaks the otherwise stark realism of the game. They search around and find a laundry cart and Joel rolls it over and boosts Ellie up. She pushes the ladder down. Joel grabs it and moves it over to another area they need to go and climbs up. It seems like he can move and place it anywhere so we wouldn't be surprised if Naughty Dog used this to hide stashes of supplies or secret collectibles.

Once they get up to the new area, a group of survivors start searching the place. Joel grabs an empty glass bottle and tosses it into an open window to distract them. One of the guys goes to investigate and the pair moves to another room. Joel sneaks up behind another guy and chokes him out. Next they enter a bathroom and two long-dead corpses in the tub. Joel scavenges some bandages out of a drawer and grabs a metal pipe off the ground outside. They move up to the next floor and look for an exit when they hear some coughing.

Another patrol starts searching this floor as well and Joel decides on a more offensive tactic. He picks up a brick and smashes the hell out of a man's face. Another guy sees it and darts off to warn the others. Joel pull out a revolver and lets off a few rounds, but the guy ducks away. Out of nowhere another goon tries to grab Joel from behind. He prompts the enemy with the gun to shoot Joel while he's got a hold of him. Joel quickly reverses the hold and the attacker is shot instead. Then Joel shoots the man with the gun. He flanks around and catches another enemy off guard. He throws a glass bottle at his head and dashes at him with a metal pipe. After a brutal beatdown, this guy is most certainly dead.

The final scavenger tries to escape and Joel chases him with his gun. After missing a few times it seems a little too quiet. Joel creeps through the hall calling out to the goon. Out of nowhere he springs out of a doorway and tosses a Molotov cocktail at Joel but it just misses and ignites the wall next to him. As Joel stumbles away from the flames, the man charges. Joel pulls himself together quickly and shoots him down.

Ellie joins up with him and they move toward the abandoned elevator shaft. It creaks menacingly as they jump down onto the roof of a car. Joel boosts Ellie up to an open elevator door and as the camera zooms in you can see a sizable gash on Joel's face that is seeping blood. The moment he gets her up the car gives out and Joel falls with it a few stories. When it slams into the bottom of the flooded shaft, Joel bounces violently off the top and splashes into the water. He manages to swim back to the surface to the sounds of Ellie calling out his name. He says he's okay and flips on a flashlight to wade further into the darkness. The demo fades to black here and we're left to wonder what happens next.

Be sure to check out The Last of Us' collection of E3 2012 screens and a trailer.

Ambushed

2012-05-16T15:23:00Z

The latest trailer for The Last of Us shows the game's dangerous world and how some survivors will stop at nothing.

The ambush scenario, which we detailed in our cover story (issue #227), not only highlights the kinds of situations Ellie and Joel will face, but also the group AI of their enemies.

For more on the game, be sure to click on the banner below to check out all our exclusive online content for our cover story.

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A Flood Of New Last Of Us Screens

2012-03-08T00:39:00Z

In the March issue of Game Informer Magazine we gave you all the gruesome details about Naughty Dog’s new game, The Last Of Us. If you missed out last month, you can get your fill of in-game screens right now.

Be sure to check out our Last Of Us hub for more juicy details about Naughty Dog’s upcoming masterwork.

Strife Breeds Strife: Inspiration For The Last Of Us

2012-02-10T18:45:00Z

Naughty Dog is attempting to deliver a very different gaming experience with The Last of Us. The ambitious team wants to craft a tense atmosphere, believable relationships, and a post-apocalyptic world like we have never seen in video games. While The Last of Us is a brand new IP, the talented crew at Naughty Dog is citing myriad sources of inspiration for the game. After chatting with the team for our March cover story, we came away with a list of Naughty Dog’s key muses.

No Country for Old Men

The Coen brothers’ film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s grim novel is serving as inspiration for The Last of Us on several levels. “The psychological impact that this movie had was completely inspiring,” says director Bruce Straley regarding his first time watching the film. Like No Country for Old Men, Naughty Dog is aiming for the “less is more” approach to the game’s soundtrack. The Coen brothers’ movie had a mere 20 minutes or so of total music (about five minutes of which was during the credits). This allows for viewers to get sucked into the subtle noises like footsteps and breathing to increase tension. Naughty Dog is also looking to the film as an overall inspiration for the game’s gritty, brutal tone.

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BBC’s Planet Earth

We've already spent a ton of time analyzing the Planet Earth footage about the cordyceps fungus, which turns insects into infectious zombies. The real life phenomenon is the core inspiration for the civilization-ending disaster The Last of Us. Watch the video above to watch Naughty Dog discuss their initial reactions to the brief clip, along with other key inspirational pieces of art.

Children of Men

Alfonso Cuarón’s movie version of P.D. James’ book, The Children of Men, is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the future of humanity hangs on the line. It’s a stark, realistic portrayal of a man’s desperate quest to fight against deranged survivors to deliver precious cargo that could save humanity. Naughty Dog wants The Last of Us to stand out from the plethora of other titles set on a ravaged earth, and using this bleak story as a muse can’t hurt.

The Walking Dead

Whether you’re a fan of AMC’s TV series or Robert Kirkman’s comic series, The Walking Dead is one of the definitive ongoing end-of-days tales. At a glance it appears to be all about the zombie apocalypse, but spending any amount of time with the gripping saga reveals that humans end up being the real monsters. This story of a band of survivors intermittently fighting zombie hordes – and each other – echoes Naughty’s Dog’s insistence that the fungus-infected enemies will play a smaller role in the game than you might think.

City of Thieves by David Benioff

This piece of historical fiction focuses on two young men’s attempt to sneak through Leningrad as it is being occupied by Nazi forces. A mix of suspense and humor creates an interesting contrast as the two unlikely allies search the shattered city for supplies. An unlikely duo, tension-breaking levity, and an oppressive environment make City of Thieves a good tonal reference for Joel and Ellie’s harrowing adventure.

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

Both Alan Weisman’s non-fiction book and the documentary of the same name show how nature might reclaim the world as our sprawling cities rot away. One look at concept art or the trailer for The Last of Us reveals the obvious influence The World Without Us has had on Naughty Dog. The developer wants to deliver a post-apocalyptic world like you’ve never seen, filled with the lush greens of a rebounding mother nature instead of bland browns and sepia tones.

Polio: An American Story by David Oshinsky

The cordyceps fungus is the central disaster that rocks the world of The Last of Us. To gain better insight to how diseases can ravage America, Naughty Dog turned to Polio: An American Story. This non-fiction work documents the polio epidemic that rocked the nations in the 1940s and 50s. Given that the real life cordyceps fungus helped spark the idea for The Last of Us, it’s suiting that the team would look back on a real historical disaster for further research.

The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen

A piece of historical fiction set in 1918, The Last Town on Earth focuses on a town undergoing quarantine to avoid succumbing to the Spanish flu. Things become hectic as the flu eventually infiltrates the populous, spreading infection and treachery as the citizens turn on one another. Naughty Dog has openly stated that players will primarily be battling humans in The Last of Us, and this glimpse into a threatened urban environment is rife with examples of man vs. man.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Naughty Dog looked at Cormac McCarthy’s sad tale of a father and son’s trek through a desolate post-apocalyptic world pocketed with groups of depraved cannibals and other unsavory characters for inspiration for the relationship between Joel and Ellie. Like Ellie in The Last of Us, the son in The Road was born after a catastrophe, and the shattered world is all he knows. The raw, unyielding picture McCarthy paints is both impactful and believable, which gels with Naughty Dog’s vision for a new kind of post-apocalyptic survival tale.

True Grit

Naughty Dog looks to the Coen brothers’ version of a classic tale about a seemingly soulless man’s journey to help a young girl seek out revenge on her father’s death. Again, Naughty Dog is interested in the relationship between a hardened journeyman and an innocent-yet-tough youngster growing up in hard times. From what we’ve seen, there are definite parallels between The Last of Us’ Joel, a black market dealer-turned-bodyguard, and True Grit’s “Rooster” Cogburn, a washed up, alcoholic gun for hire.

Road to Perdition

Similar to True Grit, Naughty Dog draws inspiration from the core relationship in film/graphic novel Road to Perdition. It’s the story of a hitman fighting tooth and nail to protect his son while seeking revenge on his wrongdoers. Naughty Dog wants players to feel a strong connection to Joel and Ellie, and is looking to Mike Sullivan’s emotional quest to protect his son for ideas.

The Last of Us creative director Neil Druckmann on Road to Perdition and True Grit:

“You have these male, violent characters that have gone someplace dark that are essentially dead inside. They get a chance at redemption when they are introduced to this kid, this person who still has some innocence left in this world. They’re helping them fulfill some part of them that’s missing. And for the kid it turns into this coming of age story were both of these characters are pretty capable and pretty brave relative to the circumstances they’re in.

“Through this protector, through this adult that they’re hanging out with who’s in some ways corrupting them but in some ways giving them the tools to become independent in this world.”

Want more exclusive coverage tied to our The Last of Us cover story? Click the link to the hub below.

Everything We Know About The Last Of Us

2011-12-13T23:49:00Z

The Last of Us has officially been unveiled care of the VGAs as Naughty Dog’s next game following its successful Uncharted series. Based on the trailer, we think the game will likely feature an older man and a young teenage woman as they try to survive in newly created post-apocalypse world.

The first footage shown about the game was a montage of riot footage as a male narrator reminisced about a time when you could watch football on TV and enjoy barbecue. He ends his narration with, “Just one peaceful night. A clean conscience. All gone.” Something really bad must have happened.

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The next hint offered got a little bit more interesting. Some footage was posted on the game's official website of an ant throwing some sort of fit, and growing a fungus out of his head. The internet realized that the footage of the ant was taken from a BBC documentary called Planet Earth discussing the effects of a parasitic fungus called Cordyceps. We’ll talk more about that later.

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It was also revealed that Uncharted 3 contained an Easter egg for The Last Of Us. In the opening level of the game, you can find a newspaper with the headline, “Scientists are still struggling to understand deadly fungus.”

Finally, the VGAs showed us the first true footage of the game and things started clicking. This was a game that takes place years after something has ravaged the human race. We see the man and a young woman battling against what appears to be normal humans over supplies, as well as terrifying humanoid creatures who seem have some sort of fungus growing from their heads.

We know the world can’t have been in ruin for too long. Ellie, the young girl in the trailer narrates the end by saying, “He tells me how these streets were crowded with people just going about their lives.” If the older man has memories of a normal world, then whatever changed everything for the worse could not have been very long ago. This potential narrative structure is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's novel The Road. That book and its film version features a man protecting his son, who was born before an apocalyptic event occurred.

There are few concrete details that can be drawn from the trailer, but there are many educated assumptions and that can be made based on the few hints offered to the internet before the reveal, and even a few Naughty Dog confirmations.

This is where the Cordyceps fungus comes into play. According to Planet Earth, the Cordyceps fungus has all kinds of terrifying effects on insect life, and there are even some positive effects on humans. The ant featured in the above video is a bullet ant. When these ants become infected with the Cordyceps fungus, they go crazy and their infected brains force them to climb and attach themselves to stems. Once they have reached the appropriate height, the fungus takes over killing the ant and grows over the course of three weeks. The fungus will grow from the body of the ant, and explode into infectious spores that have been known to wipe out entire colonies of ants. The ants begin exhibiting very specific, recognizable behaviors when infected with the fungus, and if noticed, healthy ants will remove these zombie ants from the colony placing them far away in a sort of quarantine in order to prevent widespread infection. Zombie ant is the actual term used to describe the infected ants, and not one I made up because it sounded awesome.

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In nature, this fungus is in place to prevent any one insect species from overtaking the others. There are thousands of types of the Cordyceps fungus, each focusing on one species of insect and keeping it in check just in case things were ever to get out of hand like us human beings have. The fungus looks radically different for each species, which means there is already a built in visual identifier for the video game purposes of creating different enemy types afflicted with the Cordyceps fungus.

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The fungus does not affect humans in this way, at least not in the real world. In fact, the Cordyceps fungus has been shown to possess health benefits for humans. In 1993, a group of female Chinese athletes broke five world records in distance running at the Olympics. The athletes were taking doses of caterpillar fungus (another name for the Cordyceps fungus) according to their coach. There is no scientific proof that the fungus was directly involved in increasing the physical prowess of these women though, and many were found guilty of other illegal substances. I’m guessing it was the Cordyceps though, because that would be awesome.

The Cordyceps fungus is used medicinally as well. It has been shown to help with protection from liver damage, used as an anti-depressant, may benefit people with an insulin resistance, and recently have even been used to help fight cancer. This brings us to the movie I Am Legend. In the film adaptation of the novel, the plague infecting the world leaving Will Smith to be one of the last humans alive was the result of a cancer cure gone horribly awry. That film and this game have been shown to share a similar art style, and the Cordyceps being used in the real world as a possible cancer cure definitely could lead to similar storytelling.

So, what does this all mean for The Last of Us? An infection of some kind has ravaged the world, and you are one of the few survivors. The plague is fungal and spreads via airborne spores as opposed the typical viral infections seen in other zombie games. We can also assume that if the fungus in the game is not the Cordycep itself, it's something that acts in a similar nature. Well, similar to how it affects jungle insects, anyway.

There are thousands of different types of Cordyceps fungi, meaning there will probably be all kinds of different types of enemy infected. We can also assume that all the enemies will be very happy (anti-depressant), super human (we saw what it supposedly did for those Olympic athletes), strong livered (see above), beasts perfectly capable of eating sugary sweets (see above again). But in all seriousness, the varying ways the Cordyceps fungus manifests itself in jungle insects visually and mechanically could point to some intriguing game design. We've only discussed the fungus' affect on humans and insects, but there is also the possibility of the game including fungal-infected dogs, birds, fish, zoo animals, and all other sorts of mushroom-laden threats to combat.

In an interview with USA Today, The Last of Us's creative director Neil Druckmann and game director Bruce Straley confirmed a few other details about the game, and stated that the zombie ant from the documentary is in fact what inspired the first idea. "It would be a cool realistic back setting to a zombie movie where this thing jumped species," said Druckmann in regard to the idea of the Cordyceps fungus.

The interview also reveals that the game will play in the third-person perspective and that players will be playing as the older man named, whose name is Joel. Druckmann said that Joel finds Ellie at the start of the game. "[Joel is] a vicious survivor. When he meets the girl, she is his one chance at redemption," said Druckmann.

The only question that remains is, are Joel and Ellen Page look-a-like Ellie immune to the fungus? The older man shoots one of the spore-infected creatures at point blank range, and at least in the course of the trailer did not seem to succumb to the sickness. Maybe they are immune, or maybe that explains why they bolted out of the building at full speed. Perhaps they needed to avoid breathing in the spores.

At first glance, it seems like Naughty Dog is offering its own take on the zombie genre. However, if you dig a little deeper and look at the clues, we could be in for something very different.