The Last Of Us is many things: An effective lesson in storytelling in gaming, an achievement in well-balanced gameplay and stunning graphics, a chance to stab Nolan North repeatedly. And now it’s got another feather in its cap: According to Sony it’s the fastest-selling game the PS3 has ever seen.
It’s blown well past what Sony expected the game to sell, and in fact is selling far better than a console exclusive is supposed to, these days. It’s moved 3.4 million copies so far, been number one on the UK charts for a solid month, and apparently is on track to sell between five and six million copies, which would put it up there for one of the PS3’s best-selling games, period.
It’s not a surprise, if you’ve played the game; it’s both a well-told story with great voice acting and a solid script that avoids cliches, and a genuinely tense gameplay experience that can find you carefully sneaking or putting boot to ass, and both are brain-teasing and fun. Even the sparse, guitar-inflected score by Gustavo Santaolalla is classic in its own right. It could have faced “zombie fatigue” or been lost in the shuffle, but instead it’s getting the attention it deserves.
Now, of course, the question is, does Naughty Dog let it stand, or will they tell another story in this world? We’re torn; another adventure following another story would be great, but the game itself feels so complete it might be better left standing on its own.