Posted on

The end of Joel and Ellie? New characters a possibility for The Last of Us 2

The Last of Us has made waves as one of the best modern games to ever release and the developers at Naughty Dog have certainly had the idea of a second game in their head since the first title’s launch on the PS3 back in 2013.

In an interview with PlayStation Magazine Naughty Dog’s creative director, Neil Druckman, revealed that Uncharted 4’s development impeded on his and Bruce Straley’s desire to get to work brainstorming the next The Last of Us.

“…we were brainstorming ideas for The Last Of Us 2 with new characters; ideas for TLOU 2 with Joel and Ellie; ideas for a sci-fi game; ideas for a fantasy game, and building prototypes for each one of those ideas. And just as we were getting close to settling or narrowing that list down, we were asked to work on Uncharted 4.”

With a team as small and concentrated as Naughty Dog it’s understandable that The Last of Us has taken a backseat to Uncharted 4, but that doesn’t mean some things are being brewed by the dev. Nolan North, Joel’s voice actor, confirmed the existence of a TLOU 2 last week at MetroCon.

Apparently Naughty Dog wasn’t quite expecting North to talk about the game at all according to Druckman. “…that was kind of a surprise for us for him to say that. I was like “Oh, he knows more than we know [about] what we’re doing next.’ We joked about it afterwards during shoots and stuff.”

North also announced that he has not been approached (yet) for any other work from Naughty Dog besides’ Uncharted 4.

Though with the revelation of these type of stories in the same time frame it’s likely that Naughty Dog truly hasn’t gotten too deep into the TLOU 2’s development. It’s a possibility that not even they know if Joel and Ellie’s story will continue in some fashion in the next game.

Posted on

Dark Souls II wins Game of the Year; DayZ wins Best Original Game | Golden Joystick Awards 2014 winners revealed

Dark Souls' dark setting and art style help set the mood for one of the most intense games of the year.
Dark Souls’ dark setting and art style help set the mood for one of the most intense games of the year.

Dark Souls II and the intense challenge it brings to players, has been given the honor of Game of the Year.

With nine million voters this time around enticed by a free copy of X-Com: Enemy Unknown, GreenmanGaming and ComputerAndVideoGames’ award display had an assortment of winners, but The Last of Us: Left Behind, DayZ, and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag each tied for most awards in show (2).

From Software’s Dark Souls II won the most prestigious honor with the Game of the Year win. The difficult gameplay, dark style, and the intense online multiplayer were more than enough to entice the voters.

Future’s (Publisher of CVG) head of content and marketing for film, games and music, Declan Gough commended the event for it’s success.

“This year’s awards have been another triumph for both Future and the world of gaming. The fans have once again voted in their absolute masses with some categories literally coming down to the last hours of voting. The Joysticks have once again demonstrated the depth and quality of this market and something we are very proud to be part of.”

Here’s the full list of winners below:

Best Original Game in association with Digital Spy
DayZ

Best Online Game in association with PC Gamer
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

Best Storytelling
The Last of Us: Left Behind

Best Visual Design
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Best Audio in association with PDP
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Playfire Most Played Game of the Year
Rust

Best Multiplayer in association with Absolute Radio
Battlefield 4

Best Indie Game in association with Official X-Box Magazine
DayZ

Innovation of the Year in association with T3
Oculus Rift DK2

Best Gaming Moment in association with Sony Xperia Z3
The Last of Us: Left Behind – “The kiss”

Best Handheld Game
Pokemon X & Y

Best Mobile Game in association with Kiss FM
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

Most Wanted in association with The Sun
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Gaming Personality of the Year in association with Kotaku UK
PewDiePie

Studio of the Year in association with CVG
Ubisoft Montreal

Gaming Platform of the Year in association with GamesRadar
Steam

Lifetime Achievement
Hideo Kojima

Game of the Year in association with Green Man Gaming
Dark Souls II