Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us looks incredible – and it’s even got a few PC loyalists contemplating a PlayStation 3. Like many games it promises that your actions will have genuine consequences. Some deliver, while others culminate three games in to little more than three colours to choose from. Naughty Dog wants you to think about and weigh up everything you do in The Last of Us – including how you manage your inventory.
“We’re trying to emphasize the reality of the situation that Joel and Ellie are in. There are consequences to your actions,” The Last of US director Bruce Straley told GamesIndustry. “If you go in willy nilly and just expect to come out unscathed, then you’re wrong. How much ammo did you come into this scenario with? Have you been able to craft something like a molotov? Do you have two molotovs? Do you have a health kit? What do you have? And you’re using the same inventory items for both crafting the molotov as well as the health kit, so you’re making a choice: Am I going to be offensive or defensive?” (Ed’s note: Darryn is always offensive. Always)
And it’s not like you’ll be able to stare at your inventory, whiling away time as you come up with a new plan if you are caught with your pants down, either.
“Our inventory system is living, meaning the game is still running. You’re not paused when you’re going into your inventory,” Straley said. “So it’s just like you’ve pulled the backpack off of your back and you’re in there creating something live while the enemies are moving around the environment and coming to get you if you’ve engaged with them. So what we want to try to do is make you feel that there is a consequence to it.”
The Last of Us is also rather story focused – and will explore the human condition;
"So we’re going to see the best and worst of humanity. When the pressure is applied, how do we as humans react? If you don’t have food in your stomach and you know your neighbor has something in their kitchen, when do you knock on their door and when do you just break it down? When do you bond together and go out and hunt together and strategize together and when do you just kill them and take what they have? And these are the interesting choices that we’re putting into this world and into this game that hopefully make you feel an inner psychological conflict with this and more grounded with the situation."
The Last of Us is expected next year – and is exclusive to the PS3. I can’t wait.
Last Updated: July 19, 2012
