3) The Last of Us
Choosing your favorite scene from The Last of Us is akin to selecting your favourite flavour of pizza. Granted, there’s often no out-and-out right answer, but there’s always that one particular relish or, in this case, cinematic that stands head and shoulders above the rest. And for Naughty Dog’s magnum opus, it’s the opening prelude that deserves the most praise.
Perhaps one of the reasons this segment in particular was so poignant is the fact that the studio refrained from using it during the game’s marketing campaign. In the build-up to release, we as an audience became acclimatised to key characters such as Joel and Ellie and began to form an idea as to how this tale would unfold. Given Naughty Dog’s penchant for storytelling, though, our heartstrings probably should’ve been prepared from the get-go.
And so, as the soldier draws fire on Joel and Sarah on the outskirts of town, we begin to realise that this is a pivotal scene in The Last of Us’ narrative in and of itself. A lost, broken father holding his dead daughter in his hands will always be heart wrenching, but it’s a testimony to Troy Baker’s raw, heartfelt voice acting that we feel that explicit sense of emotional attachment a mere fifteen minutes into the game.
As a prelude, not only did this heartbreaking sequence provide a crucial glimpse into Joel’s past, it also painted a harrowing picture of the Cordyceps-infested world we were about to venture into.
– Michael Briers