Chapter 767: Dual Explosion
The week following the 15th was a carnival for many players.
As *The Last of Us* exploded in sales and critical acclaim, the DLC for *Uncharted*... "Whoa, I can smell the battlefield of a rivalry!"
"Wow, this train chase scene is absolutely incredible! It feels on par with the original's vehicle chase!"
"Drake, who breaks everything he steps on, doesn't even spare a train? Utterly insane!"
"Shangri-La!!! Holy crap, this scene is unbeatable, even more beautiful than the pirate utopia!"
"So... Shangri-La just bites the dust like that? Damn, demolition captain Drake leaves nothing intact wherever he goes—are you here to discover ruins or destroy them???"
"The plane blew up too??"
"Drake is a real man, walking out of the desert on foot??"
"...Another ruin gone. Just basic operations for the demolition captain. Sit down, everyone."
"The Global Heritage Protection Association strongly condemns this and requests Drake be added to the global no-fly list!"
After these three DLCs were released, Nathan Drake's title of "Demolition Captain" was firmly cemented. Enthusiastic fans even tallied up the vehicles that exploded due to Nathan Drake's presence: a total of 6 ships, 13 cars, 2 planes, and 1 train. As for the terrain and ruins that collapsed under his feet, they were countless—at least the Golden City, Shangri-La, the City of a Thousand Pillars, and the Pirate Paradise didn't leave a single tile behind...
But jokes aside, players still felt an inexplicable sense of emotion, because they once again experienced that unforgettable adventure.
After playing through the content of these three DLCs, many players could better understand why Nathan Drake chose to end his adventuring career and return to family life in the main *Uncharted* game.
For Nathan Drake, this was a choice and a form of growth. Earlier, many players felt that Nathan willingly settling into an ordinary life didn't match his personality. But after experiencing these prior adventures, all players had to admit: yes, Nathan Drake should retire.
After all, there weren't many ruins left in the world. Better to leave some for future generations...
...
Amid the dual explosion of *The Last of Us* and *Uncharted*, the sales of *Surviving the Apocalypse* looked utterly pathetic.
To be fair, *Surviving the Apocalypse* was a decent game, but it all depended on who you compared it to.
Even Josh Wilson himself bought *The Last of Us* as soon as it was released. He just wanted to see what kind of universally acclaimed masterpiece could completely defeat him and earn perfect scores from every game review outlet.
After finishing *The Last of Us*, Josh Wilson could only sigh: no comparison, no comparison.
Josh Wilson suddenly realized that his approach had been too deliberate. Inserting various seemingly innovative gameplay mechanics on top of a traditional zombie theme couldn't unify all parts into a perfect whole.
*The Last of Us* didn't have so many flashy mechanics or forced changes. It simply focused on telling a story well, adding seemingly insignificant details around that story, and cutting out all the redundant parts.
Yet, this made *The Last of Us* a streamlined work of art—a flawless masterpiece where adding or removing even a single element would create a flaw.
After finishing *The Last of Us*, Josh Wilson could only lament.
"It seems this year's Game of the Year has no suspense left."
As a designer, Josh Wilson was relatively open-minded. As the saying goes, "In the morning, hear the Way; in the evening, die content." A designer being defeated by a masterpiece that truly humbles them is a loss they can accept willingly.
But GA was far from calm. Two of their most anticipated games this year had both crashed and burned due to unfortunate timing!
First, *Lost Treasure* collided with *Uncharted*, and then *Surviving the Apocalypse* collided with *The Last of Us*. Every time GA thought they had victory in their grasp and charged in to win, the plot took an unexpected twist, leaving them battered and bloodied!
As for other game developers, they were much luckier, since their different genres meant less direct competition. But they all knew that this year's Game of the Year was out of their reach.
Game of the Year seemed all but certain. *The Last of Us* had already earned perfect scores from nearly every major game review outlet. And even without *The Last of Us*, *Uncharted*'s innovation in the adventure genre would have made it a strong contender for Game of the Year.
Genius remembers this site's address in one second: