There's not a lot I can say about The Last of Us that hasn't already been said. This game very nearly has it all.
The visual presentation in The Last of Us is truly second to none. Not only are the core graphics so incredibly high fidelity, with a truly cinematic lighting system, but its unique art direction and wide array of colour deliver through every frame of the game. It beggars belief that it's being rendered in real-time.
The narrative is superbly executed. There's no ambiguity here, no complex overlapping narrative threads. Brought to life by incredible voice acting, the characters execute and deliver a brilliantly-paced story that delivers on the cinematic nature of the video game.
What keeps it from the top shelf of my video game experiences is the combat. It's not bad by any means, but when the game so strongly executes the rest of its aspects, its the relatively rudimentary gunplay and encounter stages that are left behind.