The Last of Us is a game that struck a deep chord with me during my teenage years, and while almost everyone may share that sentiment or another, it just goes to show how the game has one of the highest cult followings everwith an engrossing score of 95 on Metacritic.
It’s easily one of the most successful action-adventure games of all time. Still, it often begs the question: has any video game before or after its monumental release on the PS3 managed to one-up its quality or stand toe-to-toe with it on the critic charts that we all somehow base our opinion on for everything?
Well, luckily enough, I’ve come up with the answers you seek. For today’s list, I’ve prepared a personalized set of action-adventure titles that are rated higher than The Last of Us and that come close to rivaling the awe-inspiring tale of Joel and Ellie.
8
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar’s Great Work
Although the game may overlap in some areas as one of the best open world games, make no mistake that Red Dead Redemption 2 is still an action-adventure title at its core.
You’ve got a profound story that showcases the downfall of the Van Der Linde gang, with Arthur Morgan’s endearing characterization at its helm. And while the gameplay itself is in your typical third-person formula that the company is known for since their GTA series, the better parts of everything else outweigh that completely.
This isn’t to take away from Naughty Dog’s technical prowess either, but with the world design, details, and the overall performances led by the game’s cast, it’s enough of a clear indication of why it is one of the highest-rated games, just edging slightly above TLOU.
7
Super Mario Odyssey
An Italian Plumber’s Renaissance
Again, not your pure action-adventure title as one would describe it, but Super Mario Odyssey falls under that category in some technical aspects. And many of those technical aspects are what make this platformer from Nintendo so engrossing both commercially and financially.
The game boasts one of the most ambitious level designs and gameplay elements since the Galaxy titles. It never has a dull moment, thanks to remixed platformer mechanicswith Cappy and various callbacks/easter eggs to Super Mario’s entire franchise.
Controlling Mario in this game is more fluid and expressive than ever. Plus, it’s one of those rare platformers that rewards you for your curiosity, for mastering its finer gameplay ideas while also offering you the most charming presentations ever seen in a Nintendo title.
Absolute Solidus Cinema
The Last of Us is considered one of the best cinematic forms of video gamesand that equally cements Metal Gear Solid 2‘s placement here, since it was not only one of those rare games that pushed the PS2 to the limit, but also had a generational stealth gameplay design with tons of intricate details and freedom of approach despite being linear.
Hideo Kojima was a visionary ahead of his time, as evidenced by the MGS series as a whole. Still, you’d be surprised by how Metal Gear Solid 2 surpassed both the original and the critically acclaimed third entry, earning a 96 overall, just a smidge above TLOU.
The game wasn’t just about spies and superweapons this time—the narrative pushed post-truth and simulation layers, while also incorporating a dual-protagonist narrative that caught most players off guard. But hey, it did pay off in high spirits since we got our first taste of Raiden’s character.
5
BioShock
Lost in Rapture
BioShock is one of those games that I have a peculiar fondness for. Exploring the eerie yet grandiose city of Rapture for the first time—very few games in the latter span of my life gave me that kind of ominous feeling.
Even setting personal sentiment aside, I think BioShock deserves to be among the highest-reviewed action-adventure titles because it reinforces its core ideas across three categories: narrative, atmosphere, and gameplay.
A flexible FPS combat system that provides player agency to the utmost, along with the grimy and distilled atmosphere of Rapture itself, and a story that incorporates the dangers of unchecked ideology. For a game released in 2007, I think it’s sufficient to say that it had every right to receive this unprecedented praise and the follow-up sequel.
4
Half-Life
Valve’s Revolutionary FPS Adventure
A game that changed the industry for the better was the original Half-Life. Somebody will chew your ear off telling you how you can instead play Black Mesa for an optimal and feasible experience, but putting that aside, HL1 introduced a variety of groundbreaking things that made this one of the most influential titles.
A storytelling that prioritized in-game interactivity instead of cutscenes or cinematics, as well as various gameplay aspects from the Quake engine that entirely changed the design philosophy for games moving forward from layered level design to complex behavioral NPCs.
At this point, I might as well be overselling this game too much, but it just goes to show why it had such a cultural impact in the first place, to the point where the outcry for a third game from Valve is one of the most universal inside jokes in this industry that you’ll still see today.
3
Uncharted 2
A Thief’s Bold Leap
It was only fair to mention another cult-classic from Naughty Dog and one of their best sequels to date—Uncharted 2. A game that proved why it could rival the quality of Hollywood with its own blockbuster movie-like setpieces while also delivering all-killer, no-filler storytelling.
You had much of the original cast return once again, but this time, you also had Chloe joining the fray and having her own chemistry with Nathan Drake. And the icing on the cake was the pacing; big action moments spaced between traditional platforming, puzzles, and cinematic pieces.
For a game that launched just a few years before TLOU, it truly showcased the raw power of the PS3 and the rendering prowess of the massive spectacle stuff that would take place in this game, and then later be presented in new ways again in Uncharted 3.
2
Resident Evil 4
The Perfect Blend of Action & Horror
Similar in retrospect to Half-Life 1 on this list, Resident Evil 4 is also regarded as an influential video game solely because it reshaped the third-person gameplay formula with its over-the-shoulder style, a blueprint that other games took notice of in the years that followed.
The OG RE4 is also one of the very few games I had the absolute pleasure of replaying more than a couple of times. And part of that owes to the addictive, sublime combat system, from mowing down enemies with the Stingray to finishing them off with a roundhouse kick or a suplex from Leon.
I understand that the remake is great and all, heck, I’d even say it’s one of my favorite Platinum Trophiesbut dare I say, the original is a game that lives rent-free, not just for me but for plenty of people as one of their favorite action-horror titles.
As long as you give it the proper commitment and even get used to Leon’s tank control movement mechanics, I know you’ll love the original and may even understand why it’s sitting in the top ranks of Metacritic as one of the best video games of all time.
1
Mass Effect 2
All Aboard The Normandy
I’m glad I could cap off this list with my personal favorite video game of all time. Although I love the trilogy as a whole and then some, Mass Effect 2 has a special place in my heart and rightfully deserves to be slightly higher on the overall score review spectrum than The Last of Us.
It is one of the greatest video game sequels ever to be conceived, as it excellently picks up right after the events of the first game. And most importantly, it builds off making the Collectors the big bad of this entry immediately, while also slowly pivoting the Illusive Man into the mix by unraveling his motives.
You’ve also got one of the best RPG branching narrative systems of all time here for managing party member relationships, as it becomes a key role in deciding their fate for the penultimate suicide mission sequences.
The cherry on top of everything is a tightly structured narrative as you’re racing against an invisible clock, leading to the finale. I could rave a lot about the third game or even that Citadel DLC in it, but for me, Mass Effect 2 is just THE perfect video game where I’ll hardly find any nitpicks or flaws.
