78 - The Last of Us
The lads strap on their gas masks and look for the light as they face down both the Infected and the evil heart of humanity in Naughty Dog’s 2013 mega-hit: The Last of Us: Part I. Topics include the history of zombie media, the tremendous performances, and the deeply cynical philosophy at the heart of the “greatest video game story ever told.”
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Media Referenced in this Episode:
The Last of Us: Remastered Available on PS4
The Last of Us Available on PS3
“Grounded: The Making of the Last of Us”. Directed by Jason Bertrand, Matt Chandronait, Jeffrey Keith Negus, Ryan O'Donnell, Cesar Quintero. Produced by Sony, Feb 2014.
“The Power of Failure: Making ‘The Last of Us’” by Andrew Webster. The Verge September 19th, 2013.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Featuring Eleanor Philips as “Ellie”.
Comments (15)
I actually listened half of the episode in Spotify and the whole episode here. The problem with comparing the cordyseps pandemic and Covid19 is that the latter didn't make anyone a maniac tearing other people to pieces. I was working in customer service the whole pandemic and never caught it, even though I met new people every day. I kept my mask on, washed my hands and did all the shit you were supposed to do. The infection in TLOU is kind of similar to 28 Days Later, when the infection gets a hold on you, you go berserk, 28 Days infection being immediate though. If someone had come to my work trying to claw my eyes out, I would have taken advantage of my carpet knife asap without any hesitation. I am a pessimistic ahole though and dead inside, so that is probably the reason why I resonate with TLOU so much, even when I know it's not a perfect game. Thanks for all the game reviews you guys do, I just really like to hear what you have to say. Your podcast is definitely the most entertaining but you also make sense of things and analyze them property. Also, I just know you would love to play Far Cry: New Dawn.
As an actual scientist with a background in biology, the moral weight of Joel's decision really falls apart at the end. Whatever the Fireflies are doing in search for a cure flies in the face of scientific discipline, basic ethics of consent relating to experimental subjects, and the Hippocratic Oath on the part of the surgeon. He was 100% in the moral right to do what he did simply because they didn't ask for Ellie's consent (what she hypothetically would have said was irrelevant), and odds were extremely good they were just going to kill her without getting anything conclusive out of it. The whole scenario about not being able to take samples without killing her was also totally contrived unless they simply didn't have the training to do so, which also speaks to incompetence.
The Yankees? Man. Going to a baseball game and rooting for the Yankees is like going to a foreclosure auction and cheering for the bank
But does this game have anything to say about Mazovian socio-economics?
Seriously though, I don't really think there's much depth in just pointing out the darkness, or the reasons to be cynical. Not that you shouldn't do that, but you need to do more. Taking Disco Elysium as an example, there's a game seeped in darkness and cynicism, both personal and political, but which doesn't stop there. It explores the reasons to go on anyway, and the causes for hope, and entertains the possibility for rebirth. And it's aware that many of these bad things have real causes, which can be changed if people choose to.
"I thought he'd taste like chicken because he has drumsticks". That was some good shit
The constant drum beat of conservatives believing that a gun and a grocery store are the only things between themselves and cannibalism is so frustrating. I listen to Knowledge Fight which covers Alex Jones and he is constantly talking about societal collapse like this. TLoU is a beautiful game but I am sick of the "total depravity" obsession.
It is disturbing that that seems to have become a pretty prominent narrative. More so because widely believing it makes it more likely. I'm willing to go out on a pretty sturdy limb to say that most people aren't that close to cannibalism, if they'd ever engage in it, and most of them probably know that. But if people feel that they'd be the stupid one for trusting someone else, then they'll treat other people like imminent cannibals. And then society might actually collapse into fighting among a bunch of people taught to be suspicious about their potential ally. Because, of course, a suspicion of cooperation is beneficial to people like capitalists who count on us being atomized.
oh my god when josh dropped a dream reference i took like actual Sanity stat damage
that one was just for the under-25 crowd. glad you enjoyed
the last of all possible us
Ooh, I gotta comment again after hearing the part about raiders not making sense. This is something I loved about Days Gone, raiders set traps for you, wire across the road or a sniper in a tree. The only times it's lots of guys with guns is when you raid them back by attacking their camp. Or lead a herd of zombies to their camp... I also that most the people you meet live and work together in the camps and aren't sad and dead. Even the rippers are humanized.
AJ "I only played soccer because of Pokémon cards" Ditty having a staunch opinion on baseball was not on my 2023 bingo card
Really interesting that the I Am Legend book predates the first Zombie Apocalypse film by over a decade.
Always enjoy the video game episodes, hope you'll do one on deadly premonition eventually!