The Last of Us

     Hey, everyone. My two favorite games that I have ever played(for any system) are Far Cry 4 and the Last of Us. I read just a day ago that they had been planning to make a movie about Joel and Ellie from the Last of Us. Unfortunately, those plans have failed utterly, as I understand it. The girl from Game of Thrones (Arya) had been approached about playing Ellie in the movie. I think she would have been a terrific choice for the role. You know who I would love to play the role of Joel? Wolverine from the X-Men. Alas, it is not to be.
    I did hear that there is to be a sequel to the game, however. I certainly would love to see that.
     This game came free with my PS4 and what a great choice for the package. It is the epitome of the 'story driven' game. The two lead characters draw you into their lives in such a compelling manner!
      Joel is a middle-aged guy with a 12 year old daughter. When a zombie epidemic hits the States the daughter is killed by a trigger-happy soldier. It scars Joel for life, as you can imagine.
     Years later we find him in a city. He and a female companion survive by smuggling. There is Marshall Law, Ration Cards, the whole enchilada. Most younger humans have never been outside the city, experienced trees, woods, fishing, abundance of food, medicine, hope, security. In order to clinch a deal, Joel and his lady agree to take a package into the wasteland outside the city. There is a group known as the 'Fireflies' who are waiting for this package.
     Well, the package is a little kid, 14 year-old Ellie. She is special in many ways. Perhaps most special because she has been exposed to the zombie virus and is still alive weeks later. This has never happened so there is hope that her blood could hold the key to the antidote.
     Joel, having seen his own daughter die, wants no such responsibility put on him. Ellie reminds him of his own daughter. During most of their time together, Joel is a crabby old man, something which I understand fairly well. Ha,ha.
      Their journey into a desolate, disastrous American apocalypse is the stuff of legends among gamers all over the world. The ammo and food supplies are in short supply. Considerable strategy is required. Watching the deterioration of character and morals in the people Joel and Ellie encounter is grim stuff.
      Conversely, watching the growing loyalty and affection between Ellie and Joel is uplifting in the extreme. This is more than a game, it is an experience. It was a privilege to play it. Rarely do I finish a game, book or movie and I'm mad because I didn't write it. This is one such instance. I went back and played it again two months ago and enjoyed it more than the first time. How does a game win over 200 Game of the Year Awards? Play it and you'll see.
      By the way,I looked at my controls for The Order: 1886 today and sure enough, the up and down controls were reversed. Glad to correct that.
       These guys from the Order have a lot of modern weapons. For instance, they have a graphite gun that spreads a graphite cloud of grit around a bad guy, then shoots an electric bolt into the cloud. This ignites the cloud of particles, resulting in painful but not necessarily deadly burns. They also have sub machine guns and Luger pistols straight out of 1942 Nazi Germany. So, I look forward to solving this mystery. Perhaps they are time travelers?
      Oh, another thing they possess is a potion that comes in little vials. If injured in battle, they drink the vial's contents and you watch the wound close up. I suspect this game may have quite the story, like The Last of Us. We shall see, here at the Author's Green Retreat. I'm CE Wills.