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Guess which game has the most BAFTA award nominations! You get no brownie points for guessing The Last of Us. Naughty Dog's zombie survival game was nominated in ten categories by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts—a curiously familiar number. Check out the full list of nominees here.Read more...

DLC is still such a new thing in gaming that it's hard to say if anyone has gotten it exactly right. Maybe BioWare? Maybe Rockstar? Maybe Bethesda? The people at Naughty Dog are taking a crack at it this week with the release of some single-player DLC for The Last of Us. They took their own path, wisely or not. Read more...

Strong, witty, and a little rough around the edges, Ellie from The Last of Us played a tremendous role in making the critically-acclaimed PS3 game shine. Her endearing dialogue and emotional connection with Joel provide The Last of Us with several layers of narrative. But there’s more of her story to be told.

This week on Friday, The Last of Us: Left Behind arrives on PS3. The DLC explores Ellie’s past, along with her connection with close friend and confidant, Riley. This additional chapter in the world of The Last of Us bestows gamers with intimate insight into defining moments of Ellie’s past.

But there’s more coming this week to the world of PlayStation. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII launches on PS3, concluding Lightning’s chapter in the long-running JRPG series. Lightning Returns features a large, open world, tons of sidequests, and an elaborate customization system that will let players design their ideal fighter.

For a complete list of games coming this week, read on. And enjoy the Drop!

New PlayStation Releases This Week Blowout PS2 Classic — Digital Mutated clones have overtaken the battle platform known as the Honour Guard. With the crew dead, only John “Dutch” Cane can step in and stop them. Potentially while he enjoys a cigar. Bundle: Borderlands 2 & Dishonored PS3 — Retail Two massive, critically-acclaimed games, now available in one package. Survive Pandora and hunt down amazing loot in Borderlands 2, or prowl the shadows and seek revenge in Dishonored. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc PS Vita — Digital, Retail A group of high school students are pulled into a deadly trial, judged by a murderous bear. Unravel the mysteries surrounding an unusual court in this quirky game of truth and lies. Bundle: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim & BioShock Infinite PS3 — Retail Another herculean pairing comes to PlayStation with this package. Journey the icy forests and great halls of Skyrim, or plunge up into the lofty reaches of Columbia as Booker DeWitt to wipe away his dark past. RPG fans and shooter aficionados have more than enough game here to enjoy. Far Cry Classic PS3 — Digital Return to the start of the Far Cry series with this updated classic. Explore the beautiful but dangerous island environments of Far Cry with enhanced visuals, cutscenes, and a refined user interface. Far Cry Compilation PS3 — Retail For gamers that missed out on the thrill of the Far Cry series, look no further than this Blu-ray collection that bundles Far Cry 2, Far Cry 3, and Blood Dragon into one package. See how the Far Cry series brought its own tremendous, open environments to the first-person shooter genre. Fort Defense PS Vita — Digital A pirate-themed tower defense game with unique ships, powerful bosses, and immense spells. Protect your fortress with towers as the battle boils on both land and at sea. The Last of Us: Left Behind PS3 — Digital (Available Friday) Uncover an additional chapter of Ellie’s past, and her connection with her close friend, Riley. Explore a fragment of Ellie’s life before The Last of Us began, as the two teenage girls move through a shopping complex and peer into a world they never knew. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII PS3 — Digital, Retail The final chapter of Lightning’s story, Lightning Returns, brings the rose-haired warrior to a new world open to exploration. Customize Lightning’s weapons and attire, while saving lost souls teetering on the brink of the apocalypse. Pac-Man World 20th Anniversary PSone Classic — Digital One of the most iconic video game characters of all time makes his retro return! Toc-Man has kidnapped Pac-Man’s friends and family. Now it’s up to Pac-Man to save the day. Toukiden: The Age of Demons PS Vita — Digital, Retail A fantastical third-person action game from the team at Tecmo Koei. Take up the role of Slayer and stop the Oni menace from undoing the very fabric of humanity. Use the souls of fallen heroes to aid the Slayers in their fight. TxK PS Vita — Digital A spiritual successor to the genre-defining, 90′s shooter Tempest, TxK packs in 100 levels of score-chasing play. Set to a pounding soundtrack, players can lose themselves in three different games modes for five minute bites or marathon sessions climbing the scoreboards. Wolf Fang PSone Import — Digital Jump into a mech and get shooting. This high-speed platformer throws players into a futuristic struggle burning through Australia and New Zealand. Wield auto-cannons, grenade guns, lasers, and more in this explosive mission from the PSone generation. Zombeer PS3 — Digital Stay alive during the zombie apocalypse by consuming just the right amount of Zombeer. This first-person shooter comes filled to the brim with crazy gags, film references, and — of course — zombie hordes. Don’t get turned! Demos and Betas Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 — PS3 Demo
Far Cry Classic — PS3 Demo
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD — PS3 Demo
Skullgirls Encore — PS3 Demo
Toki Tori — PS3 Demo

The information above is subject to change without notice.

Now that Naughty Dog has wrapped up "Left Behind," the first (and only) single-player DLC for The Last of Us, the studio is considering new game ideas.

"We have started brainstorming some stuff. To be honest, some of them are sequel ideas, and some of them are brand new IP - we've spent the last few weeks brainstorming new IP," Neil Druckmann, creative director of The Last of Us, told Eurogamer. "So we have to get some good steps and see... It's kind of like how we approached Left Behind. Can we tell people a story that's really worth telling, and that's not repeating itself? And if we can't, where can we get inspired - what is something that's really going to challenge us, and push storytelling in this medium forward?"

Druckmann's statements imply Naughty Dog is leaning more towards cultivating new ideas than pursuing a sequel to The Last of Us. Naughty Dog already has one confirmed sequel in development: the Santa Monica studio is working on a new Uncharted game for PS4.

"Left Behind," a prequel chapter to The Last of Us campaign, is set to be released on Valentine's Day, February 14, for $14.99. The supplemental story follows Ellie and her best friend, Riley, who are both stuck in a military boarding school in the Boston quarantine zone. [Image: Naughty Dog]

The Last of Us won this year's Writers Guild of America gong for Outstanding Achievement in Video Game Writing, in case Naughty Dog wasn't happy with its already creaking trophy cabinet. It's the right outcome out of a nominees list with some notable absentees.

It's not the first time Naughty Dog has won it, with Uncharted 2 and 3 doing the same in 2010 and 2012. Of course, ND's zombie opera already got the only prize that matters - apart from the OMG Where's That Ladder Award, as previously won by Uncharted 2 and 3.

The Speakys have spoken, and it's a unified Game of the Year championship belt for The Last of Us—Game of the Year (Kotaku), Game of the Year (Kotaku readers' choice) and now Game of the Year (Speakys/Kotaku Talk Amongst Yourselves).Read more...

The Last of Us looks to be getting just the one addition to its campaign, after Naughty Dog said it has no plans for further single-player DLC. We knew Left Behind was the only single-player addition of the three in the season pass, the first being the Abandoned Territories pack released in October, and the third previously confirmed as multiplayer too.

"There's multiplayer DLC up next," Naughty Dog Community Strategist Eric Monacelli said on the PlayStation Blog, "We don't have any more single player DLC planned."

So, beyond the season pass, it seems The Last of Us' gritty adventure is at an end - until a sequel comes along, right? Still, it's a shame to say goodbye to Naughty Dog's emotional story, one that pushed The Last of Us to the uber-honor of Joystiq Game of the Year 2013.

Left Behind hopes to provide a loving send-off when it hits on Valentine's Day next month. The prequel delves into Ellie's past, showing her in a more playful light that actress Ashley Johnson described as "like a post-pandemic version of two teenage girls hanging out."

According to the PS Store Last Behind is $15, but for just $5 more you can get the season pass that also covers Abandoned Territories and the next multiplayer DLC.

The Last of Us won't be getting its first story DLC, "Left Behind," until Valentine's Day, but you can get a head-start now by checking out the opening cinematic. Knowing this world and how well things tend to turn out, Riley's return to Ellie's life can only mean good things, right? ... Right?

Hope you haven't unhooked your PS3 yet; 2013's Kotaku Game of the Year is getting a new story on February 14, and you can watch the cinematic intro here. (Don't worry—it's not as traumatizing as the first few minutes of The Last of Us.)Read more...

The boys gather for their annual festivity: predicting PlayStation's next year. Uncharted? Patapon? Vita Slims? They're all in the mix.

Following its strong showing in Game of the Year awards industry-wide, all eyes have turned towards the future of The Last of Us. And that would be The Last of Us: Left Behind, the upcoming story-driven epilogue written by TLOU scribe Neil Druckmann and starring Ashley Johnson as Ellie and Yaani King as Riley, Ellie’s older and arguably wiser friend.

Set before Joel and Ellie meet in The Last of Us, Left Behind will focus strongly on Ellie and Riley, adding intriguing new wrinkles to Ellie’s future relationship with Joel, as well as immersive details about the game’s decaying world.

With the DLC due out February 14th, we caught up with Ashley and Yaani to learn more about what makes Left Behind tick.

Today also marks the release of a new, full-length, in-game cinematic from The Last of Us: Left Behind. You’ll learn a lot about Ellie and Riley’s relationship and Left Behind’s narrative.

After scouring through nearly four hundred t-shirt designs, Naughty Dog has selected the winners for its The Last of Us-inspired We Love Fine fan art contest. The fan-made and fan- and judge-voted contest slimmed down selections to five winners, each with a unique take on Naughty Dog's award-winning game.

The grand prize winner - a navy shirt featuring Ellie's silhouette - was selected by fans, the PlayStation Blog revealed today. The winning shirt was developed by graphic designer Brandon Meier, who walked away with $1160 in cash and a number of The Last of Us-based goodies as his award. Judges Troy Baker (voice of Joel), Ashley Johnson (voice of Ellie), Neil Druckmann (creative director) and Bruce Stranley (game director) selected runner-up winners and special prize category winners, culminating in a variety of designs that range from harrowing to adorable.

Shirts are available for men and women in a variety of sizes for $25.

Killin' Time, by Feli Tomkinson. This piece of art was inspired by the game The Last of Us and just won its artist $400 after it was picked from a batch of submissions by Ashley Johnson, who voiced Ellie in the acclaimed PS3 game. See the rest of the winners of WeLoveFine's fan art design contest here. The winning designs are available for purchase as prints or t-shirts. Read more...

Wow. You guys and gals really love The Last of Us. We had more than three hundred and sixty incredible submissions that poured in over just three weeks during our We Love Fine fan art design contest. We saw some silly ideas and some serious designs, but all designs showed an incredible amount of passion and talent. Thank you for sharing these with everyone.

It was very difficult to pick the winners, but after the fan voting and the judging rounds, a few rose to the top. Here they are:

The Grand Prize winner, the t-shirt in the center of this image with the word “Endure” on it, was chosen by your votes. Our guest judges, Ashley Johnson (Ellie) and Troy Baker (Joel), selected the two runner-up winners, while Neil Druckmann (Creative Director) and Bruce Straley (Game Director) awarded the special prizes category winners. All these designs are now available as t-shirts you can proudly wear. You can purchase these and many other cool items on the We Love Fine website.

We loved so many of your designs that we talked it over with the awesome people of We Love Fine and they agreed to potentially make more t-shirts and items based on your art. News about this will be coming once we’ve worked out all the details. Look for more awesome Naughty Dog merchandise from We Love Fine in the coming months.

The first DLC chapter for Naughty Dog's The Last of Us is set for a Valentine's Day release, according to a PlayStation Store promotional image captured by GameTrailers.

Pricing the upcoming "Left Behind" chapter at $14.99, the image claims that the DLC will be available on February 14. The pack's Sony Entertainment Network listing has also been updated to reflect the new release date.

Actor Ashley Johnson revealed earlier this week that "Left Behind" will star a younger, more playful version of pandemic survivor Ellie. "Left Behind" is included as part of The Last of Us' Season Pass.

The first DLC extension for The Last of Us, "Left Behind," is listed for a Feb. 14 launch in a pre-order listing on the PlayStation Store.Read more...

Players will have an opportunity to meet "the real" Ellie in "Left Behind," the upcoming single-player DLC for The Last of Us, actor Ashley Johnson promises. The actor, whose stirring portrayal as a survivor in Naughty Dog's latest game left a colossal impression on critics, told the PlayStation Blog that the prequel will reveal more of Ellie's past and show her in a softer light as she interacts with her similarly-aged friend Riley.

"It's definitely different. It's a little bit more 'fun,' because you have two teenage girls going through a mall. It's kind of like a post-pandemic version of two teenage girls hanging out. Definitely not a normal hangout! It's very different - a little more playful," Johnson says. "I loved the idea that it was kind of a prequel, and you'd meet a younger Ellie and find out what makes her tick."

Johnson says that her return as Ellie was somewhat of a role reversal in studio as the veteran cast member with motion capture experience, acting as support for actor Yaani King as Troy Baker had when The Last of Us began production.

"I was so used to working with Troy and I think a lot of my confidence and comfort on set came from him because he's such a pro," she reveals, adding that her new role as mentor and Baker's absence may have helped her performance portraying a "younger version of Ellie who has her own insecurities as a teenage girl."

A first look trailer for "Left Behind" can be found after the break, courtesy of IGN. Make sure to read Joystiq's "Best of 2013" feature, which handed top honors to The Last of Us.

As announced in November last year, Naughty Dog is currently hard at work on Left Behind — a new single-player story expansion for its hugely acclaimed PS3 adventure The Last of Us. Acting as a prequel of sorts, the add-on will center around Ellie and her best friend Riley (played by newcomer Yaani King) as they attend a military boarding school in the Boston quarantine zone, prior to meeting Joel and the events in the main campaign of The Last of Us.

We’ll be revealing much more about what to expect from Left Behind later this week, but to whet your appetite I sat down with actress Ashley Johnson, who so brilliantly brings Ellie to life. Read on to find out more about where the new chapter takes the character.

When did your involvement with Left Behind begin?

Ashley Johnson: Shortly after the release of The Last of Us, I went for lunch with Neil [Druckmann, Creative Director]. We sat down, and he said “Okay, I’m going to tell you the story for the DLC.” I was sitting there and just completely taken in by the story; so excited. I loved the idea that it was kind of a prequel, and you’d meet a younger Ellie and find out what makes her tick. From there we got started pretty quickly on the casting for Riley.

How different is the Ellie we meet in Left Behind to the Ellie we got to know in the original The Last of Us campaign?

Johnson: You kind of get to meet the real her. She’s in the quarantine zone prior to the events of The Last of Us — it’s her and her best friend Riley — what they do and how they live their lives in this world.

You’ll definitely see a more playful side to Ellie and get to know her a bit better. You’re going to see a lot of different sides to the character that you definitely didn’t see in The Last of Us. I’m excited for people to experience it!

How does the “feel” of the Left Behind campaign and the game universe differ to The Last of Us?

Johnson: It’s definitely different. It’s a little bit more “fun,” because you have two teenage girls going through a mall. It’s kind of like a post-pandemic version of two teenage girls hanging out. Definitely not a normal hangout! It’s very different — a little more playful.

There’s a bit of everything in there. You’re really getting a new sense of the environment. You’ll engage in combat that seems familiar from the original campaign, but there are some new touches and nuances, too.

In the original campaign, Ellie mentions being bitten by one of the Infected while with Riley. Is this something we’ll learn more about?

Johnson: There’s a lot you’ll find out about Ellie. You’ll just have to play it and find out!

How much of a challenge was it to hit reset and play a younger, more innocent Ellie who’s yet to experience the traumatic events of The Last of Us?

Johnson: It was a bit of a challenge to set aside everything we’d gone through, but when Yaani got on board she was just so fun and so silly that it sort of brought out my own kid-like tendencies, too. It was perfect. It’s so significant to the story because Riley is her best friend — this is a really important side of Ellie that people need to see.

What’s the relationship dynamic between Ellie and Riley? Presumably it’s very different to Ellie and Joel?

Johnson: It was interesting after working with Troy [Baker] and the Joel character for over two years, and then getting back on set and working with someone totally new. The relationship with Riley is vastly different to the one with Joel — firstly, they’re best friends and secondly, they’re both teenage girls.

There’s a playfulness and silliness that wasn’t necessarily there with Joel! It’s a different kind of relationship — I love it. Some of the stuff that we captured for Left Behind is my favourite stuff that we’ve done on the whole project.

How was it working with Yaani King?

Johnson: She was awesome. During casting, I got to be there to read with the different Rileys that Naughty Dog was looking at. When she came in, she was exactly who I always pictured, and who I had in my mind. She was tough, but really fun. She was perfect, and I’m glad everyone else liked her as much as I did, too.

Yaani is an incredible actress and she’s formed Riley perfectly. It was like she’d been there since the beginning, which I think in some ways is very hard. The whole crew at Naughty Dog are so awesome and anyone new coming in is made to feel totally welcome, but it’s still hard to come onto a set where people have been working together for so long. She did it with such ease.

Doing motion capture for the first time must be challenging for a young actress — did you feel you had to mentor her at all?

Johnson: There was a little bit of that, which was funny, because it was like I was in Troy’s shoes. But she’s such a pro. She just put on her suit and was like “Okay, let’s do this.” She had the attitude of Riley from the get go, which was great.

Did you miss not having Troy around this time?

Johnson: I was so used to working with Troy and I think a lot of my confidence and comfort on set came from him because he’s such a pro. So when it was just going to be me and someone new I was a little nervous. But I think that helped in a way, as it felt like I was doing something new. There was a little insecurity there — “Troy’s not here and he’s the master of this!” — but I think that actually helped in some ways because I’m playing the younger version of Ellie who has her own insecurities as a teenage girl.

It’s been six months or so since The Last of Us launched. What impact has the game had on your life and career?

Johnson: To this point in my life, The Last of Us is 100% my favorite thing I’ve ever worked on. You’d think working on something for two years would not be a fun thing to do, but I’ve been so blown away by the response. When we were working on it, I think we all knew we were working on something special. I just feel so fortunate that I got to be a part of it — even more so because of the response to Ellie and to what a strong female character she is.

PS4 reaches another gaming milestone, Titanfall's player count clarified, new concept art for Halo 5 & win IGN's 2013 Game of the Year.

Games in 2013 were full of amazing art and remarkable innovation. From sight to sound to gameplay - here is who did it best.

It works! That’s the biggest compliment you could pay the newly revealed PlayStation Now game streaming service formally unveiled at CES 2014. Set to roll out this summer on PS3 and PS4 — followed by PS Vita and an array of internet connected devices such as 2014 BRAVIA TVs — PS Now will enable users to stream a library of PS3 titles in real time over the internet.

At the show, gaming media went hands-on with PS Now across two devices, a 2014 BRAVIA TV and a PS Vita. The test drive featured four titles — Beyond: Two Souls, God of War: Ascension, The Last of Us, and Puppeteer. And across the board, the experience was encouraging. PS Now’s advantage lies in its immediacy and access; the ability to hop easily between multiple games across a host of devices without downloading huge files or swapping Blu-ray discs represents a major evolution of the medium.

On the BRAVIA, I picked up the DualShock 3 and launched into The Last of Us, Naughty Dog’s critically-acclaimed survival drama. Following a brief loading screen, I launched an early scenario set in the ruins of Boston. So far, so good: the experience looked and felt faithful to playing the game locally on a PS3. I crept through abandoned skyscrapers, evaded marauding Clickers, and engaged in a bareknuckle beatdown against a mob of Infected.

In the test demo I played on both the BRAVIA and PS Vita, gameplay latency was a non-issue. I had no trouble controlling the camera, aiming at enemies, or fending off incoming attacks. In fact, after a few minutes of play I forgot that I was “streaming a game” — I was just getting absorbed in playing The Last of Us. I also fired up Puppeteer and God of War: Ascension, and the experience was similarly convincing.

At this early stage of PS Now’s development, pixel counters and graphics aficionados might spot some minor concessions in the visual department, such as compression artifacts, consistent with high-quality internet video or gameplay streamed via PS Vita Remote Play.

And as with all bandwidth-intensive streaming content, a player’s experience with PS Now will depend on the overall quality of their broadband internet connection. The PS Now team is currently estimating that a 5 mbps connection will provide a good experience for most games, and they’ll be gathering user feedback during the closed beta before announcing more details.

There are still plenty of things we don’t know about the service that will surely be revealed as we get closer to its summer launch in the United States. But for now, as far as first impressions go, PS Now is looking promising, indeed. Sign up here for more information.

Team Joystiq is barging into 2014 with a celebration of last year's best games. Keep reading throughout the week to see our assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs. There's a certain dulling of expectations every time the next big-huge blockbuster game comes together. We've grown accustomed to the tradeoffs inherent in a product that grows and grows until it fits the proportions of cinema, having shaken off its boldest facets to safely stand a chance of earning a wide audience - and enough money to pay for that beautifully rendered jumble of furniture blocking the top of a stairway that wasn't meant to be explored. How could a game like The Last of Us overcome those barriers?

It doesn't, not always, but it pushes harder than you expect.

GLAAD, a media monitoring organization promoting LGBT imagery, has recognized Naughty Dog's The Last of Us for introducing a complex gay character to its to its post-apocalyptic narrative.

"[Bill is] an unstable loner in the town of Lincoln with a talent for fixing things. Through dialogue and backstory, the player learns that Bill once had a partner named Frank who he loved, but the plague drove them apart and led Frank to a bitter end," notes GLAAD in its list featuring characters form other mediums. "Both helpful and contentious, Bill is as deeply flawed but wholly unique a gay character found in any storytelling medium this year."

Other instances of LGBT characters in 2013 included a plot line in Gone Home, a playable character in State of Decay and ... well, there is a debate to be had about Animal Crossing: New Leaf's Gracie the Giraffe - a male character in the Japanese game, who is designated female everywhere else.

Well, that was close! Thousands of loyal Kotaku readers voted in our Game of the Year poll last week, and they have chosen The Last Of Us as their favorite game of 2013. But what's the game in the number two spot? The one that missed the top spot by just 24 votes?Read more...

We have a winner, as voted on by Kotaku's staff: The Last of Us — Kotaku's Game of the Year. Read more...

The first half of 2013 started off with the big news of Uncharted 3 Multiplayer going Free-to-Play and the critically and commercially successful launch of The Last of Us. In the second half, we marked the two-year anniversary of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, dropped new The Last of Us DLC, and managed to nab the first of we hope many Studio of the Year awards.

We wanted to celebrate your support, our hard work, the holiday season, and the coming New Year. Please enjoy what we’ve decided to call a The Last of Us music video. It features Gustavo Santaolalla’s beautiful, spellbinding main theme from The Last of Us. If you haven’t beaten the game yet you might want to do that before checking this out.

Between the media and fan voting, The Last of Us has taken home over forty game of the year awards so far. As awards season has just really begun we’re honored and ecstatic to hear such high praise as Yahoo Games calling The Last of Us “a moment, an instant classic, and the most important video game released in 2013” and Amazon giving us the nod as best game of 2013. There are a lot more awards out there and we hope we can count on your votes to take home of the reader and fan voted awards. But, above all, thank you for your numerous hours playing our games as those hours are the best votes we can ever get.

If you haven’t heard yet our first ever single player DLC, The Last of Us: Left Behind, will be available to download in early 2014. The teaser trailer is out and we’ll have ton of news hitting in early January about it so keep your PS3 humming.

Finally, our holiday card is adorable. Go check it out. 2014 will also bring our full reveal of UNCHARTED for PS4. So get ready – and visit the PlayStation.Blog and Naughty Dog blog often – 2014 is going to be awesome.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

In twenty thirteen, it was a very good year. It was a very good year for video games, with zombies and dames, killing monsters with flames... oh the things we've seen... in twenty thirteen.Read more...

Eytan Zana is a concept artist who works at Naughty Dog, where he's worked on both the Uncharted series and the studio's latest title, The Last Of Us.Read more...

Star Wars goes back to space dogfighting, DayZ launches on Steam Early Access, Ubisoft explains Watch Dogs delay, and win GOTY Nominee, Last of Us!

You've seen Joel from The Last of Us doing the stupid-yet-somehow-kind-of-endearing Banderas meme—now, thanks to LEGO The Last of Us creator Brian Anderson, here's a video of Joel from The Last of Us doing the stupid-yet-somehow-kind-of-endearing Banderas meme as a LEGO.Read more...