Tag Archives: PlayStation Studios

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From The Archives “Dreamcast: The Last Of Us”

Update: When I “relaunched” my site under the GameWrote moniker I archived all the previous articles of the site. However with The Last Of Us debuting on HBO this coming Sunday, January 15th 2023, I figured what better time than now to dust off this post. This post was originally from March of 2014, shortly after the announcement that The Last Of Us had been license for a feature film. Obviously things have changed over time and we are now at the point where The Last Of Us has become a television series instead. The HBO series starring Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, Game Of Thrones) and Bella Ramsey (Game Of Thrones) taking on the roles of the main characters Joel and Ellie will debut this Sunday. The show is believed to cover the main story from the original title as well as include content, character, and story from the added dlc chapter The Last Of Us: Left Behind.

For this update I did not change any of my choices, nor did I add choices for the characters that come from the dlc, since at the initial time of writing this the dlc had released, but I had not completed it myself. The casting Storm Reid from Euphoria for the series feels like a really great choice for right now, in 2014 who knows who I would have picked. In this post most of the pictures are updated from the archived post, and there is now a small blurb added for the choices as well as listing the actor that has been cast for the actual HBO series. I still feel pretty good about most of these choices although some would not work as well now as they would have back in 2014, due to you know time, aging, etc. But can anyone argue that my Joel and Tommy choices would have been anything short of great casting and seemingly believable brothers even? But enough with the update, go and see how GameWrote would’ve cast The Last Of Us movie in 2014. With all that, welcome back to March 17th, 2014…

Original: This will be the second time around this idea, likely use something close to this approach for future entries in the Dream Cast feature.  As most either know or should know if they follow gaming, the most award winning title of 2013, The Last Of Us, has been optioned for a big screen motion picture.  So with this in mind I think it’s time we get out there and cast this movie!  Worthy of noting we have no impact in the literal casting, but hey why not throw some ideas out there anyways.  Mind you as well that the assumption is that this movie will closely resemble the story and characters of the game, and hopefully it will, as of now Neil Druckman is writing the script and he was responsible for the game’s story.

Joel play by Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson at this point had already starred in Taken and Taken 2, which made him the marquee star for such a role in 2014. Joel will be played by Pedro Pascal in the HBO series.

Ellie played by Chloe Grace Moretz

Chloe Grace Moretz seemed like an incredible choice for the role coming off of the role as Hit Girl in Kick Ass and Kick Ass 2. Ellie will be played by Bella Ramsey in the HBO series.

Maria played by Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron at this point hadn’t really done much action, so she was more based on dramatic acting and look for the part. Maria will be played by Rutina Wesley in the HBO series.

Tess played by Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde was also my choice based off how well she fit the look of the part, a lot of what I had seen from her to this point was in comedies so it wasn’t based off previous roles as much. Tess will be played by Anna Torv in the HBO series.

Sam played by Michael B Jordan

Michael B Jordan had just starred in Fruitvale Station in 2013 and had shown dramatic acting chops already at a young age. Sam will be played by Keivonn Woodard in the HBO series.

David played by Adrian Brody

Adrian Brody was by this point a well established actor having starred in The Pianist and King Kong years prior. David interestingly enough is not listed on the series IMDB page…possibly the show is trying to throw the fans a curveball with the story. I would highly doubt they would leave this vital character out of the series, so we’ll have to wait and see with this role.

Bill played by Dean Norris

Dean Norris was my selection solely based off his role as Hank on Breaking Bad. Bill will be played by Nick Offerman in the HBO series.

Tommy played by Sharlto Copley

Sharlto Copley won me over with District 9 and he would really be a believable brother to our Joel. Tommy will be played by Gabriel Luna in the HBO series.

Marlene played by Rosario Dawson

Rosario Dawson would have been an easy choice for this role, having already delivered great performances in movies such as 25th Hour and Sin City. Marlen will be played by Merle Dandridge in the HBO series.

Robert played by Norman Reedus

Norman Reedus had already been in Boondock Saints and recently pushed into a bigger pop culture role with The Walking Dead tv series. Robert will be played by Brendan Fletcher in the HBO series.

Sarah played by Emily Kinney

Emily Kinney also would be coming off of a key role on The Walking Dead and would fit this role well despite it being a smaller part. Sarah will be played by Nico Parker in the HBO series.

Henry played by Chiwetel Ejiofor

Chiwetel Ejiofor had not yet had his massive pop culture role in Doctor Strange, but his performance in Children Of Men was what made him the choice here. Henry will be played by Lamar Johnson in the HBO series.

Callus played by Maximus

Maximus truly delivered a memorable performance in Tangled, now this role would require a more somber tone, but who doubts it could be achieved? Maximus casting unconfirmed in the HBO series.

What are your thoughts on this blast from the past, if you can put yourself back in 2014 how would you have cast some of these roles. What are your thoughts on the actual casting of the HBO series debuting this week, and what is your excitement level for the series. Comment here and please follow @GameWrote on Twitter and Instagram to interact more with me.

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PlayStation: Destination Unknown

By Zach Thomas

After E3 2021 had come and gone, something sure seemed to be missing…

We had Microsoft, Nintendo, Capcom, Ubisoft, and many, many other companies showing off what they have been working on, what’s to come, but still seems like something was off. Sure it was again a virtual/online version of events, but we have all likely grown accustomed to online events and showcases.

Despite having a State of Play in June showing off Horizon: Forbidden West, it feels like there is a large void in gaming at the moment. And as mentioned in our recap of the XBOX & Bethesda Game Studios Showcase, there seems to be a large shift incoming in the power struggle of console gaming. We are seeing Microsoft make bold moves, smart strategic changes, and really focus on the gamer in what is almost a complete swap from last generation.

Currently on deck for PlayStation we have Horizon: Forbidden West coming possibly the end of this year, God of War: Ragnorak coming hopefully early 2022, a Gran Turismo is in the works as well, along with new IP from Bend Studios and just announced unknown title from Deviation Games. Before the last State of Play word broke that there are twenty-three titles in development from the various owned and partnered studios from PlayStation. And shortly after E3 2021, Sony announced that they had acquired Housemarque as well. However through the recent months and years there has been a decrease in studios for PlayStation, and what seems to be a shift in focus by the company. We are seeing multiple IPs being utilized in various other forms of entertainment, an Uncharted film starring Spiderman himself Tom Holland has wrapped and slated to come out early 2022. Then over at HBO there is a series being developed in the world of The Last of Us, with Neil Druckmann heavily involved in the inner workings of the show. Additionally there were strong rumors suggesting a Twisted Metal show and Ghost of Tsushima Movie are both in development breaking earlier this year.

What changed since last generation where we almost knew most of the slate of games multiple years out, whereas now we have more info on PlayStation in other media forms aside from gaming. Or from even earlier generations where PlayStation not only heralded as the highest quality of first party titles, but also boasted the biggest range of genres. Just look at the variety that graced the PS3 generation:

Arcade Racer: Motorstorm

Play/Create/Share: Little Big Planet and Modnation Racers

Simulation Racer: Gran Turismo

First Person Shooters: Killzone and Resistance

Third Person Adventure: Uncharted and Heavenly Sword

Third Person Action: InFamous and The Last of Us

Party Games: Buzz! and Singstar

Tactical Shooters: SOCOM and MAG

Family Games: Jak & Daxter, Sly Cooper, and Rachet & Clank

Unique “Artistic” Games: Beyond, Heavy Rain, and Journey (Thatgamecompany titles)

(Top Left to Right: Modnation Racers, Uncharted, SOCOM, LittleBigPlanet. Bottom Left to Right: Resistance, BUZZ!, Motorstorm, Journey)

And while we are early on in the PS5 generation it would certainly be a shock to those paying attention to hear that PlayStation is dusting off Buzz! for another round. Or returning to make a Free To Play Modnation Racers game with loads of potential DLC and content packs with the vast abundance of PlayStation properties. Or another long running hope of mine a new Jet Moto (PS1 jet ski racing gem for you youngsters). Or possibly even have Deviation bring SOCOM back to life again in either a Free To Play style or priced release. However none of these seem likely to fit into the current roadmap for PlayStation. And while these ideas aren’t bad in my humble opinion, they certainly aren’t the sure fire hits like putting out sequels to Spiderman or Ghost of Tsushima would be and that seems to be where PlayStation is right now. Albeit predictable, but it is also safe and when your main rival in Microsoft is being as bold as they have and have the financial viability to go even further if need be, where does that leave PlayStation.

Will gamers, some of whom are in the fifth console lifecycle be ok with this vast shift away from diversity and the push for strictly marquee or AAA titles. Will the consumers be ok to just wait around and see if these new entertainment options produce the hopeful revenue streams for the company overall to return to some boldness of their own. Or perhaps PlayStation will just announce the remainder or majority of the remaining twenty-three titles in development and that will be enough to reassure many of their gaming faithful. Only time will tell and in time I’ll lay out some things that I would love to see PlayStation do in the coming months to realign themselves more with what we’ve been collectively used to from the predominant industry leader.

Would love to hear some of your ideas on that state of PlayStation, games in general, and what you would love to see from any of the major players in the industry. Comment here and please follow @GameWrote on Twitter and Instagram to interact more with me.