Joining the Empire Online's 5/5 and OPM UK's 10/10, we now have Edge adding their own accolades for The Last of Us - but we don't have access to the whole review quite yet (embargo lifts on June 5th).

What we do have is preroll ads on youtube videos which have leaked the surprisingly high score (Edge is known for being quite critical);

These ads are region targeted - it seems only duders in the UK see them at the moment.

For reference, here are their previous (and to my knowledge only) 10/10s, thanks @ Neogaf user StevePharma

• Super Mario 64; Nintendo 64
• Gran Turismo; PlayStation
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time; Nintendo 64
• Halo: Combat Evolved; Xbox
• Half-Life 2; Windows
• Halo 3; Xbox 360
• The Orange Box; Windows, Xbox 360
• Super Mario Galaxy; Wii
• Grand Theft Auto IV; PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
• LittleBigPlanet; PlayStation 3
• Bayonetta; PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
• Super Mario Galaxy 2; Wii
• Rock Band 3; PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword; Wii

just to post this again

@TheKevinDent

David Cage should just do PR for Naughty Dog, they do what he aspires to be, but he sells it better. The lowest score I am hearing is 93/100

So yeah be ready for maybe the highest rated game of all time XD

Uncharted 2 – 9/10 from EDGE.

The Last of Us –Perfect 10/10!!!

Glad this turned out to be potential a great game after my hope that Remember Me was going to be a sneak hit.

Performance is improved over the demo version, I want to throw that out there.

Man, I pre-ordered it on PSN to try out the newfangled play-as-you-download feature.

It's just sitting there... MOCKING ME. WITH THAT VIOLIN MUSIC.

But yeah, good to know - I was worried for a moment there with the digital foundry analysis.

Scumbags didn't give Vagrant Story a 10/10, credibility is ruined. Actually that list of 10/10's is shit, where did Edge get their rep? Madness. Blasphemy! Who takes one of the hardest RPGs ever made and complains about the difficulty? You're supposed to follow the hype train and pretend like you enjoy difficulty just for one game like the Souls reviewers do!

Metroid Prime anyone? Clearly a worse game than 2 Halos.

so its the citizen kane of video games ?

Have to say, I'm on the same page there. I only agree with 4 games on that list (halo 1, half life 2, orange box / ie portal 1, and the original gran turismo). But hey, it all comes down to taste.

That said, they gave both Uncharted 2 and 3 9s/10, (IMO underrating 2 and overrating 3) - but at least this may indicate that they believe TLoU is better than any Uncharted. Which would be crazy.

Can't wait to see what Tom Chick says.

looks like it.

There better not be a shitty twist at the end that stupid people are really impressed by, even if it's backed up by decent foreshadowing it needs to be something actually well designed this time. *cough* Bioshock Infinite *cough* (though the would you kindly twist is good)

Empire and a licensed mag mean nothing but Edge is so stingy with tens that I am starting to believe the hype.

Shame I sold my PS3 ages ago (it was on a 60gb and I got a silly offer) but I plan to buy a super-super-slim or whatever they release cheap when the PS4 comes out.

Seems like a great game I'll watch someone else play.

I dunno, us stupid people do like our twists in vidja game plotses

Super bummed the PS4 isn't backwards compatible now, probably going to switch to Sony next gen but is it too late now to buy a PS3 for the exclusives?

I dont really care about reviews anymore as reviewers habits on gaming do not equal mine, i.e playing games on normal, running through so they can get to their next review, critical of every little thing, etc.. That being said I have played almost all of Naughty Dogs previous titles and am sure of one thing quaility, innovation, story and charcters that i care about, good gameplay, amazing visuals and just pure awesomeness. Cant wait! BTW, Sony is just killing it this year exclusives this year with Rain, Beyond two Souls, Until Dawn yet to come.

Just me speculating but:

@commandergermanshepard said:

I'd probably pick one up after the inevitable price cut if I were you (or if you're savvy, 2nd hand right now - it goes for hella cheap).

I mean, just Uncharted 1/2 (and 3, I guess) + The Last of Us is 3-4 top notch games and that's just what Naughty dog released for the system. Beyond that you have a swath of Japanese exclusives to catch up on (Demon's Souls, Valkyria Chronicles, etc). As a single player gamer primarily, the PS3 got way more play time this gen than my 360.

Oh, and let's not forget Infamous - I'm with Brad in saying that those games are best-in-class in terms of open-world gameplay and mayhem. Infamous 2 is free with PS+ right now to boot.

I don't think so. I think you can still find exclusives for the PS3 and enjoy them before the PS4 launches. However, I feel that in a year or two, Sony will eventually make a model for the PS4 where it is backwards compatible. They did it with the PS3, why not for this console?

Wait until a "journalist" thinks it is cool to hate on a near perfect game and watch the entire media turn on this game.

Or maybe, who knows, someone simply won't like it as much.

@mocbucket62 said:

Sony did the exact opposite of that - they eventually phased out backwards compatibility. It's not too late

Well thats cool I guess. Still no interest. Hope its good for those who are going to play it though.

just imagine how angry your post will be if they do... i wouldn't like to be them.

The Last of Us makes me really bummed that my PS3 recently bit the dust.

Epic hyperbole.

Always happy to see a new IP do well. Is it wrong that this is literally the first game in the entire existence of the PS3 that makes me want to buy the console?

Also I can't wait to hear Patrick and Brad complain about the over the top violence not being necessary, or hear the hypocrisy hit the roof when it doesn't bother them because you know....it's a dude, or it's not an artsy/story driven game....

Google translated or so so excuse the bad grammar and so on. But you will get the basics^^

Open (love) letter to C. Balestra :

Dear M. Balestra...
Oh and after all, we are in a young and dynamic industry. There is no place for fancy protocol and long presentation ceremony. Here, we call ourselves by our first name, we tap in each other’s back and drink beer together.

So, even if we one day reach a respectable age (only if age can ever be) because, if I recall correctly, born the same year, working in the same industry for the same time but are both from different side of the mirror, please let me use a more direct tone for the occasion.
Furthermore, we meet several times. I even had the pleasure to interview you, for my present site, GamAlive.
Anyway.
Dear Christophe,

I present myself today to take the feather (its an expression, I actually just grab my keyboard) to thanks you for The Last of Us. You, and all your team at Naughty Dog.

I just beat the game. Wah. What an emotional choc. What a beautiful, incredible, beyond understanding slap.

Thank you. Thank you a thousand times for this amazing experience. Thank you for this amazing adventure.

The Last of Us is one of these game for adults, too rare, that gaming needs. Thank you for intelligent scenario, really worked out, that does not spare any reallity to the players. We are a thousand miles away from Hollywood good moral where we deliberatly stay silent on basic logic or avoid all the dirty questions the audience have on the tips of their lips.

Here, everything is shown. The player gets his face smashed by an horrible reality that is nothing short but true and basic in it’s more horryfing form and it will take you to tears, beyong moral, beyong acceptance.

The Last of Us is a great game. What am I saying, a giant game that deserves to stay in memories thanks to his perfectly mastered treatement all along. My god what a slap !

The story plays with our feeling in a esquishing way.

You will care for the characters as they care after each others so their sacrifices and challenges are then more intense and painfull to us.

Pushed by solid graphics, this story is that captivating, the game is that good that it will push back every littles concerns we could have to the «it’s not important» box (you can read about it in our test that will be online tomorow). A true great game, really.
The Last of Us is one of this game that will move your guts, will make you feel passionante and move you. A monument. A pure and intense moment of bliss.

Thank you. Thank you a thousand times for this unique experience.
During my already long career as a game journalist (already 17 years) it’s the first time I’m writting such a thing as an open letter. But it is deserved : The Last of US is without a doubt the best game I ever played. If not the best. That’s it. Just Amazing.

And who cares if this entire letter can look fishy. I know that today, criticizing is a way for many to feel alive online. And too often we tend to not got over enthousiatic, we do not congratulate. To keep an editorial line because many believe that doing so, praising in public or congratulating something, is selling ourself. I do not believe that. I think that if we are harsh towards failures, we should be equaly praising masterpieces. This is why I let my self take off my hat and bend over for this one master’s work.

Thank you for daring. Thank you for not censoring anything.

Thank you for going this far to make this project written in history as one of the best game ever.

Friendly,

Cedric Gasperini

Chief Editor

GamAlive


http://www.gamalive.com/actus/16887-the-last-of-us-lettre-ouverte-naughty-dog.htm

Well, at least it won't be a terrible game. I don't really trust Edge since they have been doing some shady deals with publishers in the past1 What bums me out is that I can't really play this next Friday or the weekend that comes after it. Time to shut off the internet to avoid spoilers when that time comes.

This is great news! It's safe to hyper-inflate our expectations. Nothing could possible go wrong

@darji: It would befit you to mention that that is translated from the original language (it reads like it was written by a 5 year old thanks to the translation process).

I think that err... editorial? would play better if I could understand it natively.

yeah sorry about that. Edited a mentioning that this is kind of google translated XD

But seriously I have never seen anything like that from an actual review site^^

Indeed. He'll probably like it.

Nope, this has a faster pace so it's actually better.

So the main character dies then right? Or you have to shoot the girl in the face or somin' that's the only way something gets a 10/10.

EDGE was one of the few magazines I would routinely buy and their reviews are usually pretty reasonable. For a bunch of miserable British bastards.

Don't you hear the hype train rolling? Last chance to board.

But seriously if recent titles like AC3, Dead Space 3 or Hitman: Absolution have taught me anything it's to keep my expectations in check. I didn't have extremely high hopes going into Bioshock Infinite and it ended up surprising me by being way better than I thought it would be. The Last of Us will probably a good game and I have enough interest to play it the week it comes out but expecting one of the best games of this generation is never a good starting point.

I don't know if it's me keeping my expectations in check, but I'd be happy if the game was just good. If it's better than good, then that'd just be all gravy ontop. But, I really like Naughty Dog...and it was good to see them take a chance at trying a brand new IP, at the end of the generation rather than crank out a fourth Uncharted. I think the easy money would have been to do another Uncharted, but they didn't. I don't know, that seems like some chance-taking I'd like to turn out well. And I'm speaking as a total Uncharted fanboy who really enjoyed U3, and would definitely play a U4.

Good to see the early word is good.

Dude, you want to disagree to such an extent that sometimes you contradict yourself. This is what you put on a Remember Me Forum yesterday:

"Edge (widely viewed as one of the only sources of credible reviews)."

I'm a pretty big Zelda fan and I don't think Skyward Sword was quite that good.

Widely viewed, doesn't mean that he agrees. Or maybe he just lost his faith in Edge after the 10/10 scores were laid out for him

Seems like one of those cinematic experience games, like Uncharted was. If that's the case, I'm not interested at all. Though reviewers tend to love them for some reason.

There's no way that they'd kill the girl. She screams "invincible child."

Maybe it's because of next gen right around the corner, but I have lost all interest in playing this game.

God, the people who use the word "epic" to describe things that are fun or whatever......ugh.

They'll be vastly outnumbered by people who've decided it's the greatest thing ever before they've actually played it, and who will throw a gigantic tantrum on a website that dares to give it 8.5/10.

Was already excited for this game so I'm glad the game is doing really good. Can't wait to play this.

I hereby forbid game journalists to use the following sentence: "... is the Citizen Cane of video games"

And I also forbid them to use the following word: "Epic"

So, I bet it's an amazing, ridiculously well produced game and all, but is this going to be yet another 'highly cinematic blockbuster experience,' featuring lots of impressive setpieces and mo-capped movements, rich with QTEs and pushing up on the stick? 'Cause, don't get me wrong, that has its place and can make a great game even better, but that's precisely what got me off the Dead Space train with 2, and got frustratingly bland in Uncharted 3, Tomb Raider, etc. I'm just kinda over that games-so-cinematic-your-girlfriend-will-think-she's-watching-a-movie stuff that Sony was peddling with Uncharted.