The Last Of Us voted ‘greatest game of all time’ in new poll

A still from The Last of Us video game.

The Last of Us is keeping its legacy firmly intact after landing in the top spot in a major poll of the greatest video games of all time, conducted by Empire magazine.

The post-apocalyptic Naughty Dog video game was originally released on PlayStation 3 hit in 2013, becoming an instant hit among gamers.

The much-anticipated sequel, The Last of Us Part II, dropped in 2020 and the story reached new audiences earlier this year after HBO aired an acclaimed TV adaption starring The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal and Game of Thrones’ Bella Ramsey.

The plot follows hardened pandemic survivor Joel, who takes immune teenager Ellie under his wing as they travel across a zombie-infested US.

Joel and Ellie’s father-daughter bond is the beating heart of the video game, tracing an emotional story arc as the two fight to survive.

The Last of Us
Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us. (Liane Hentscher/HBO)

While the HBO series adaptation maintains the original’s treasured chemistry, it also brings the franchise’s LGBTQ+ representation to the fore by further exploring Ellie’s sexuality as a lesbian and dedicating a heart-wrenching special to minor video game couple Bill and Frank.

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The new poll, offering the top 100 list of the best video games of all time, saw The Last of Us firmly take first place, scoring highly for its combat, crafting, acting, script, sound design, art design, graphics and more. However, as noted by Empire: “Its story and its characters that really set The Last Of Us apart.”

Although there is currently no official world on the third instalment in the video game franchise, fans will definitely be getting a second season of the HBO series.

The upcoming second season, currently delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes, will remain faithful to the video game source material meaning there is plenty of high-stakes standoffs, sweet romances and heartbreaking confrontations ahead of us.

Ellie (left) and Dina dancing in The Last of Us: Part Two
Ellie (left) and Dina dancing in The Last of Us: Part Two (Naughty Dog)

And fans will finally get to meet the live action version of Ellie’s girlfriend from The Last of Us Part II, Dina. In February, Ramsey shared their excitement at portraying Ellie and Dina’s season two relationship.

“I’m really excited, to be honest for the Ellie/ Dina story,” the actor told Josh Horowitz on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast.

“I’ve watched a cut together, someone’s made a phenomenal – I don’t know how they do it – like an amazing edit of just the gameplay, like Ellie and Dina’s love story. So I’m excited to play that out.”

The Last of Us season one is available to stream on HBO Max. There is currently no release date for season two.

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