Look: I don’t know if you know this but there’s this big Sony event on Thursday that supposedly reveals the future of gaming and a chicken in every pot and a two-car garage for everyone, or something like that. It’s going to be a big deal. But, because Thursday’s going to be a big deal that potentially features such news as a new Resident Evil and a Bloodborne remaster, it also means that the days leading up to it are… quiet. (Unless you’re our hopelessly Destiny 2-obsessed Editor-in-Chief.) So, I’m going to level with you: Here’s a picture of a Santa Monica, California metro rail train with some The Last of Us Part II promotional advertising, ahead of the game’s release on June 19. No spoilers. No podcast news. No more guys from Chernobyl. It’s just a train, man. A literal hype train.
So stoked to see #TheLastofUsPartII on the train today! pic.twitter.com/gGSISh14zd
— Pete Ellis (@PeteEllisGames) June 8, 2020
The picture comes to us via Naughty Dog games designer Pete Ellis, with the train paint job appearing on the Expo Line to Santa Monica. That certainly is a train with some video game references on it. Not nearly as cool as the Pokemon Jet from Nippon Airways in Japan, but I guess it’s something interesting. It’s always weird seeing this kind of “out in the real world where actual people go” type of advertising for anything, let alone video games. I covered SXSW a couple of years in a row and the number of big advertising campaigns that take over the city is kind of astounding. My favorite still has to be the people mover busses the event used that were decked out to look like hearses for Twin Peaks Season 3, including mood lighting and a constantly running teaser trailer for the show on the inside.
But, yeah. That’s the news brief. There’s a train. Getting people hyped. A literal hype train. The game is out soon. Honestly, I think we should all be excited about the release of the game. If, for anything, that we can stop locking comments sections for fear of trolls who just want to post TLoU Part II spoilers for unsuspecting readers. Only ten more days. Until then, meditate on this train and think about your lives. Or, go see it if you’re in Santa Monica. That would be cool. But uh, wear a mask and keep yourself socially distanced if you do.
Trains. All aboard?
