HBO's The Last Of Us is currently the highest-rated video game adaptation ever

You’ve probably heard people talking about the ‘video game curse’ in recent days, namely the fact that HBO’s The Last of Us series may have broken it. Let’s be honest, the vast majority of video game adaptations have a tendency to underwhelm and disappoint.

That being said, The Last of Us is by no means the first adaptation to break the curse. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and Arcane were both excellent, but there is a reason why critics have branded The Last of Us as the ‘greatest video game adaptation ever made’ in a series of rave reviews. It’s more than a good adaptation. The Last of Us is top-tier prestige TV, so it’s no surprise that it’s also landed the title of being the highest-rated video adaptation ever too.

Take a look at the trailer below ahead of the show’s 15 January premiere.

The Last of Us’ first season currently has an impressive rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is leagues ahead of other video game adaptations. To compare, Werewolves Within has a score of 86%, followed by The Angry Birds Movie 2 with 73%, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 with 69%, and Pokémon Detective Pikachu with 68%.

There’s no denying that The Last of Us has certainly fared better as an adaptation for Naughty Dog than Uncharted did. While the film still was a commercial success and we could see a future sequel, critics gave the flick just a 41% rating.

Reviewing The Last of Us, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, “This isn’t just a breakthrough video game adaptation. It’s a great show, period,” while RogerEbert.com added that The Last of Us is “a fascinating deconstruction of the game that leans on character and storytelling instead of action, and it does so in a way that’s confidently grounded.” Who’s counting down the days until the premiere?