In the lead-up to E3, we’re counting down with our most anticipated titles. You can find out when all the press conferences are taking place in Australian/NZ times HERE.
In this business, there’s few better than Naughty Dog at penning stories about characters we adore and wish well for. The Last of Us forced us to realise an almost paternal instinct as Ellie became the first and lone priority for gruff protagonist Joel in a post-pandemic world. As gamers, we felt our bond to Ellie grow as his did. With the sequel rumoured to be set in Seattle, let’s hope their friendship isn’t tested by the hardships they’re sure to face in a harsh, clicker-eat-dog world.
WHEN WAS IT ANNOUNCED?
The Last of Us: Part II was revealed the PlayStation Experience event back in 2016, as its trailer showed us that Ellie clearly did go on to learn the guitar. It was a haunting trailer that showed that death, decay and destruction hadn’t stopped following the pair.
WHERE WILL WE SEE IT?
In the lead-up to E3 2018, Shawn Layden of Sony Worldwide Studios revealed The Last of Us: Part II would be apart of a conference that would pay special focus to four particular games.
WHEN WILL IT RELEASE?
The release date of The Last of Us: Part II is one of gaming’s most hotly speculated ones. Given the game was apparently halfway through its development back in December, the safe money is a 2019 release.
WHAT DO WE WANT TO SEE?
It’s hard to be fussy about anything Naughty Dog serve us because it’s always bound to be high-quality. The original reveal was haunting on its own, while the second, graphic trailer did a lot to build a not-so-subtle sense of faction-on-faction conflict that the sequel is likely to have, while leaving us with a few questions about who we’d just spent five minutes watching dangle from a noose.
While Naughty Dog’s cinematic trailers are a delight, we hope to finally see a bit of gameplay that shows us more of Ellie, perhaps shed some light on who that mystery woman from the second trailer is and give us a glimpse of where Joel and Ellie have found themselves after all this time. Expect a nice linear slice of the game that finishes in a signature set piece that has become Naughty Dog’s bread and butter over the last decade.
And do we dare dream that Naughty Dog might close the demonstration by confirming The Last of Us: Part II will occupy that Q1 slot that Sony’s first-party has dominated for the past couple of years? Fingers crossed.
