Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

New Last Of Us Podcast provides inside look at series

By

The first episode of a new podcast based on the popular PlayStation 4 game The Last of Us is out now, according to the official PlayStation blog.

The Official The Last of Us Podcast is hosted by writer, podcaster, and comedian Christian Spicer and is available on multiple platforms, including Spotify and Apple.

Recommended Videos

“After hours of recording and captivating discussions over the last several months, today I’m proud to announce The Official The Last of Us Podcast and the launch of our very first episode,” Spicer said in a statement.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The podcast will include guests like Troy Baker, who voices protagonist Joel in the game, as well as character Ellie’s voice actor Ashley Johnson. Developers of the game, like Naughty Dog vice president Neil Druckmann and Anthony Newman, a game designer and the architect of the game’s melee combat, will also appear.

Related

The slickly produced podcast episode begins with a breakdown of the first game, where Joel is forced out of his home with his daughter Sarah, and the horrible tragedy that follows. It plans to follow that narrative as a lead up to the release of the second game.

Spicer said that on July 7, “once everyone’s had a chance to play (the new game), we’ll be turning our focus to The Last of Us Part II and unpacking the story, gameplay, and development process.”

In the first episode, Druckmann says The Last of Us was going to start differently, with Joel going to a neighbor’s house and discovering the harrowing illness that plagues the game. But the team felt that opening wasn’t original enough.

They decided that starting the game with his daughter Sarah would have a more substantial emotional impact.

“Because you’re playing a much more innocent, not as capable person you feel the fear of the world kind of falling apart around you,” he said.

These broad emotional strokes are part of what has made The Last of Us one of the most cherished and lauded games in recent memory. After it was released, the game landed on many award lists, including the coveted Game of the Year at the 14th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards.

The podcast episode is full of insights for fans and serves as a refresher before the release of The Last of Us Part II. There are eight planned episodes, which will be released every Tuesday.

The Last of Us Part II comes out on June 19 for the PS4 and will continue the story of Ellie as she deals with an apocalyptic world.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Jon Silman
Jon Silman
Former Digital Trends Contributor
How to access Lost Levels in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered
Lev draws a bow in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered officially brings the popular Naughty Dog game to PlayStation 5 with a number of enhancements, including visual upgrades, a new roguelike mode, and a variety of fresh features that returning players may be interested in checking out. Among these new features are Lost Levels, which showcase early versions of areas that were ultimately cut from the game. There are three of these unique levels you can explore, including Jackson Dance, Seattle Sewers, and The Hunt — and they're all accessible right away, meaning you won't need to beat the main game to explore them. When you're ready to dive into The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered's Lost Levels, we'll tell you where to find them below.
How to access Lost Levels

The Lost Levels can be selected by booting up the game and loading up the main menu. At the bottom of the list of options will be a section titled Making Of. Click this to reveal the Lost Levels on the following page. From here, you can choose between the following bonus levels:

Read more
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered: No Return tips and tricks for beginners
Tommy in The Last of Us 2 Remastered

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered's campaign mostly just features visual upgrades over the PlayStation 4 original, but its new No Return mode provides players with a roguelike experience within the same world. This tense and challenging experience requires equal parts patience, strategy, and quick reflexes if you want to survive till the very end. In this guide, we'll share some things you'll want to keep in mind while tackling No Return.
Pick the right character for you
No Return features various characters from The Last of Us Part 2, each sporting unique initial loadouts, upgrade paths, and traits that can make a massive difference in your run. Picking one that suits the way you like to approach combat is extremely important, as certain characters will excel at some encounter types more than others.

For instance, Abby gets instant access to the Melee Upgrade Recipe and heals after killing an enemy with a melee attack, whereas Ellie gains extra supplements and gets immediate access to the Molotov Recipe for burning foes alive. Later, you can even unlock Yara, who will always bring along Lev as a sidekick to help you kill enemies in every encounter, though she sacrifices any other particularly unique extras as a result. As you can see, there's a character for every player, and a bit of trial and error should reveal which one works best for you.
Plan out your runs ahead of time

Read more
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered turns the original game into a cruel punch line
Lev draws a bow in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered.

It was a sunny spring day in 2020, amid the social isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, when I beat The Last of Us Part 2. As its long credits rolled, I paced around my small apartment living room, unpacking what had transpired. I adored the sequel’s first two acts and its multifaceted discussion of cyclical violence, but I found myself critical of its California-set finale. It seemed to backtrack on all the nuance of Ellie and Abby’s struggle by introducing a definitively evil faction that I wouldn’t feel bad about shooting with a machine gun. It was a discordant note at the end of a symphony, but I was determined to dig below my surface reading and try to understand what Naughty Dog was going for. It had earned that.

That’s when I was hit by the one moment of the game I’ll never forget. As I was deep in reflection, the credits wrapped up, and a final bit of text splashed on the screen. As a reward for finishing the brutal story, I had unlocked New Game+ mode, which would encourage me to replay it again with all my upgraded guns. The benefit of the doubt I’d given Naughty Dog went out the window; did the studio even understand its own game?

Read more