The Last of Us game review: First-rate

The most striking moments in The Last of Us come when the music is low, the room is dark and once again you crawl along the floor, avoiding detection from a hideously mutated person. Then -- BAM! -- another one surprises you and takes a chunk out of your jugular.

Few games provide the eerie atmosphere and believable realism of a post-apocalyptic society. The opening visuals present a city, country and world thrown into chaos when a biological event sends humans into two camps: survivors (the few) and infected (the many).

Decisions by individuals, groups and governments all make sense on the surface, but how those actions affect those closest to you gets presented in stark terms and leaves the main character forever changed. That person is Joel, and in 2033 he's doing what he can just to get by each day in a world ruled by anarchy and martial law. Not long after we catch up with Joel, he must safeguard a teen named Ellie, and she instantly becomes the heartbeat of the game.This isn't a Hollywood version of the apocalypse where everyone has the best intentions and characters are defined in black and white

While you control Joel, Ellie is the star and the reason to push on. It won't take long before you really immerse yourself in the story of these two trying to make do in a place that just wants to dissolve into nothingness.

RATING M for Mature

PLOT Post-apocalyptic scary fun

DETAILS PlayStation 3, $60

BOTTOM LINE A first-rate immersive experience