#The last of us dlc contents series#

If anything, the best thing Left Behind does is to encourage fans to once again consider playing through The Last of Us. The combat вЂ“ while pleasing enough in terms of gameplay вЂ“ stands in contrast to the difficult balance the first game was so masterful about creating. The Last of Us DLC: Left Behind adds a little to the overall story, but nothing that most will notice вЂ“ or really even care that they missed. It further deepens our understanding of one of the better developed characters in video games though. The DLC isnвЂ™t essential to the story, nor does it change anything. With that said, the DLC does help expand the character of Ellie вЂ“ at least the prequel section. She did what she had to in order to survive, but leaving a pile of bodies behind her would have been unthinkable. One of the primary themes of the original game was EllieвЂ™s maturation. The emphasis on combat also slightly changes the character of Ellie. PArt of that is down to the nature of the DLC, where inventory management isnвЂ™t an issue, but mostly it is a consequence of the level design that forces you to fight. You can easily fight your way through most sections, which cuts down on the tension and makes the game feel like so many others. The Last of Us was always about survival, and that included combat. It all works on that level, but it is counter-intuitive to what the game was all about. You can even trick the two groups into fighting each other without ever being seen. Sneak up behind a human and stab them, then let their buddies chase you into a group of infected. Throw a bottle against a wall to attract enemies, then toss a bomb.

Gameplay is smooth and responsive, and switching between items creates several creative possibilities. She also is a much better shot than Joel ever was, and can pick off enemies from a distance. Ammo is relatively plentiful, as are crafting items to create additional weapons like bombs. Ellie wasnвЂ™t a fighter in the previous game, but she is now, and the game encourages you embrace this. There are even sections where you must clear the area before you can progress. Some of the areas Ellie needs to cross can be navigated through with stealth, but combat is much easier. Throughout it all, she is hunted by both the infected and humans. This proves more difficult than it first seems, and she is quickly sidetracked. Without giving any spoilers, Ellie has a single task to accomplish without the benefit of Joel. The later section, however, is entirely gameplay oriented. Ellie and RileyвЂ™s story is sad, touching, and funny, even if there isnвЂ™t much to do in terms of gameplay. It was a very human story, despite the inhuman elements, and the focus on the friends retains that. The Last of Us featured strong gameplay, but it was the story that made it so memorable. This is where the game is at its best.Д®llie and RileyвЂ™s story is sad, touching, and funny, even if there isnвЂ™t much to do in terms of gameplay.

#The last of us dlc contents series#

Ellie and Riley have a deep, complicated friendship, which is revealed through a series of conversations.

Ellie hasnвЂ™t yet gained many of the survival abilities sheвЂ™ll later learn from Joel, so much of this section вЂ“ with a few exceptions вЂ“ is essentially an interactive movie. The first time period is heavily story driven.

Despite that unifying thread, however, the two time periods arenвЂ™t really that connected in either story or gameplay. The game jumps from time period to time period, as the teenage girls explore a mall outside of the Boston quarantine zone prior to Ellie meeting Joel, and then again in another mall, this one half way across the country. Saying more would be a spoiler, but it fits well within the original gameвЂ™s framework. The second is deep into the primary campaign, and takes place during a moment when Joel was indisposed. The first is a prequel to the game and introduces us to the character of Riley Abel, a friend of EllieвЂ™s that has connections to the rebel militants, the Fireflies. You take control of Ellie for three to four hours, jumping between two moments in her life. In the DLC Left Behind, many of those conventions, unfortunately, revert to the genreвЂ™s default. And for the character of Ellie, killing was a soul-shattering experience that lingered with her. Tense shootouts forced you to battle a dwindling inventory and your own characterвЂ™s limitations as much as the enemies. Every bullet spent or bomb thrown mattered. Combat, for example, was something you were forced to do rather than wanted to do, and the game was better for it. Things we take for granted in similar games were turned on their head. At first glance it looked like countless other games, but on closer inspection that turned out to be a setup. One of the things that made The Last of Us such an arresting and eye-opening game was its continual rebuttal of action-game conventions.