The Last of Us TV show is a massive critical hit
Multiple reviewers have called it the best videogame adaptation ever.
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The Last of Uswon’t come to PC for a couple months yet—it’s slated to launch on Steam on March 3, a full decade after its original PS3 debut. The TV adaptation arrives next week, though, and by all reports it’ll be a very good way to get your Naughty Dog fix while you wait for the game to arrive.
Movies based on videogames haven’t exactly set the world on fire, but it’s been a very different story with television adaptations in recent years. Shows likeArcaneandCyberpunk: Edgerunnershave received widespread acclaim, theHalo TV seriesis not bad (and it gave us the opportunity todo this), and whileTheWitcherseries on Netflix is based on the books and not the games, I’m claiming it as one of ours anyway.
If the critical response is any indication, The Last of Us is set to join those ranks, and may even be the best television rework yet. It holds a 98% rating atRotten Tomatoesacross dozens of critic ratings, and enjoys breathless superlatives like:
#TheLastOfUs is a finer version of ‘The Walking Dead’ — and HBO’s next big hit https://t.co/AUdI7PNh7pJanuary 10, 2023
The first reviews are in for #TheLastOfUs - currently it’s #Fresh at 100% on the #Tomatometer, with 28 reviews: https://t.co/Kl2ea45dh8 pic.twitter.com/oWVpPXP5FkJanuary 10, 2023
‘The Last of Us’ Review: Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in HBO’s Powerful Video Game Adaptation https://t.co/PETRH29JgRJanuary 10, 2023
there is an early episode of The Last of Us that every review will talk about, and when it airs, i think everyone will talk about it too. that one episode alone, imo, almost justifies the entire project. it’s very very good. https://t.co/tPkacR7swMJanuary 10, 2023
The show isn’t perfect, of course. The BBC said in its review that some scenes “feel too gamey for television,” while the latter half of the series feels a bit rushed. And of course the intensity of being “immersed in that world” via gameplay is absent in the non-interactive version of the story.
“And yet, it doesn’t feel even remotely controversial to call this the best videogame adaptation ever made,” reviewer Stephen Kelly wrote, steering things back into the ‘pretty close to perfect’ lane. “For fans of the game, it is an adaptation of the utmost skill and reverence, yet one still capable of surprise; for people who have never picked up a controller, it is an encapsulation of the game’s heart and soul—its full-blooded characters, its neat plotting, its mature themes of love and loss. It is, to finish Ellie’s joke, ‘outstanding in its field’.”
That’s not bad, eh? Critics aren’t infallible and your mileage may vary, but when you see this kind of across-the-board consensus, you have to start thinking that maybe they’re on to something.
The Last of Us will debut in the US onHBOand HBO Max on January 15, and in the UK on Sky Atlantic and Now on January 16. Fair warning to PC gamers who plan to play The Last of Us for the first time in March: Though the TV adaptation does apparently diverge from the game in some ways, I suspect it’ll still give away major story moments, so you might want to steer clear of the show until you’re fully caught up.
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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill.Lotsof Henry Cavill.
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