The Last Of Us inducted into Video Game Hall Of Fame

There are few games that are more deserving of praise and accolades than The Last of Us, if we’re being honest. Which is good when you consider how many it’s already accumulated over the years.

With the exception of The Last of Us Part I’s recent PC release (which was stupendously buggy at launch, and quickly became Naughty Dog’s worst rated game ever), The Last of Us is a franchise that produces nothing but quality. The emotional and complex story that was set in motion by the first game and furthered by the sequel and TV adaptation is one of gaming’s greatest, and it’s undeniable what an impact the series has had on the medium as a whole.

Take a look at this comparison of Ellie in the TV show and games below.

Therefore, I’m honestly a bit surprised that it’s taken this long for The Last of Us to be inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame, but better late than never, right? In a press release published on the National Museum of Play site, it was confirmed that the original PS3/PS4 game is one of four titles to be added to the Hall of Fame this year. The other titles are the iconic Wii launch title, Wii Sports, the 1971 arcade game Computer Space, and 1996’s Barbie Fashion Designer.

These four games faced some stiff competition - also in the running this year were Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, GoldenEye 007, FIFA International Soccer, NBA 2K, Age of Empires, Angry Birds, Wizardry and Quake. While at first glance, it might seem like an odd choice for Barbie Fashion Designer to take the crown ahead of some of those other iconic titles, it’s important to keep in mind that it released at a point in time where most games were marketed towards men and boys, so to have a predominantly female-oriented game sell so well really helped prove that plenty of women and girls were - and still are, obviously - as interested in gaming as anyone else.

As for The Last of Us, the press release confirms that it was selected in part due to its “intimate exploration of humanity”, as well as its “memorable characters” and “in-depth storytelling”. I'm sure that no one is going to dispute its place here.

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