Since releasing Uncharted: Drake's Fortune back in 2007, Naughty Dog have earned a reputation for releasing the video game equivalent of big-budget action movies. Moving away from the wacky and cartoony platformers of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter, they began telling human stories with believable characters and, well, the most adrenaline-fueled action set-pieces one could possibly imagine.
It's no surprise that big figures from the movie industry have shown their appreciation over the years. Who could forget the endearing video of Harrison Ford getting his mind blown as he plays Uncharted 3? The series now has another fan from the big screen, this time a director.
Speaking of gaming scenes that compete with movies, check out our best openings in video games round up - which features The Last of Us' iconic and heartbreaking opening.
Directors of Avengers: Endgame, and more recently Extraction and The Gray Man, brothers Anthony and Joe Russo have weighed in on how effective Naughty Dog's scenes have been over the years. In a recent video with IGN to promote The Gray Man, the two were asked to rate chase sequences from video games (The Gray Man has an excellent chase scene). While they admired the chases in Resident Evil Village and It Takes Two, the duo expressed particular admiration for Naughty Dog's recent releases.
Discussing the iconic drive through Madagascar in Uncharted 4, Joe Russo had the following to say: "I would say that Uncharted is one of the best action gaming franchises of all time." They then went on to talk about the infamous Rat King fight in The Last of Us Part 2, in which Abby goes up against the most terrifying creature in the entire franchise (so far). He says of the fight: "This is one of the greatest games ever made, The Last of Us...This is a page out of Spielberg's playbook."
We agree. He's spot on about both, and it's always nice to see big directors acknowledging the massive cultural influence of gaming.
Topics: The Last Of Us Part 2, The Last Of Us, Naughty Dog, Marvels Avengers