Today is supposedly the day that the cordyceps outbreak spilled over in The Last of Us, so they released an “alternate ending” (endgame spoilers, obviously).
It’s worth a watch.
Finished it last night. I am not a fan of zombies but finally picked this game up at the urging of several friends.
What amazing characters! Facial/body movements were completely realistic. Dialogue was top-notch, even down to the ambient chatter. I would have very much enjoyed this as a movie.
“Hahaha! You couldn’t hit anything!” “I’m about to hit you.” 
The plot was simple, subtle, and hit me pretty hard. The world must’ve been a very lonely place for Joel and Ellie.
I felt the gameplay was sort of bland, like it was there simply to tie all the cutscenes together. One thing I did like was how unpredictable the enemies’ movements were, which made stealth a lot more interesting and challenging (Metal Gear Solid stealth is child’s play in comparison). It was nice to figure out multiple ways to sneak around or beat your enemies when you’re grossly outnumbered. And to my delight, they somehow managed to make Runners and Clickers not seem too zombie-ish.
My most and least favorite parts:
[SPOILER]Ellie not being able to swim was annoying. It makes sense, since she grew up in a world without pools or beaches, but Joel certainly could’ve taught her in a few hours or a day. The raft puzzles were my least favorite part of the game, especially since Ellie sometimes refused to hop off until you were in the exact right spot. You also couldn’t let go of the raft until you finished, preventing you from looking at your environment gracefully.
My favorite point in the whole game was when Ellie was on her own and hunting for that buck (elk?). I thought Joel was dead (were you supposed to think that?) and I would’ve been perfectly happy if the rest of the game was her by herself, though that would’ve cut out a ton of dialogue.[/SPOILER]The graphics were stunning. I don’t have a single complaint about them. All areas, down to the most insignificant bathroom, were each unique and highly detailed. You can tell how much time was spent on map design.
Crafting could’ve been a little more developed. Workbenches were too few and far between for my liking, and I didn’t pick up Level 5 tools until they were practically useless (I was near the end of the game). It would’ve been nice to be able to make something more interesting than an iron pipe with scissors taped to it.
Finally, I was told over and over again how great the ending is. I thought…
[SPOILER]…it was meh. It was very interesting how Joel lied to Ellie, and I agree with the posters upthread who liked the “empty” feeling they got from the ending, like the entire journey was really for nothing. But the game ended so abruptly and I sat through the credits expecting some post-credit scene. I was a little angry that there wasn’t some sort of epilogue.
I did like they didn’t answer all the questions (What brought Joel to Boston after his daughter died? Why did he and his wife divorce? Why was he such a dick to Ellie throughout most of the game? Was the plague limited to North America only, or was the entire world affected? What will happen to humanity? One question it would’ve been nice to have an answer to, though: what was the mission of the Fireflies?[/SPOILER]Twenty hours to complete the game seemed a little too short.
It was nice to play it once, but I don’t see much replay value in it. I give it an 8/10.
Missed edit window. Did anyone else feel like they were playing the video game version of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road?