The Last of Us 2's Uncharted 2 PS3 Easter Egg Explained
There's a nostalgic easter egg in the form of a PlayStation 3 and an Uncharted 2 case at the start of The Last of Us: Part 2 that's easy to miss.
There are tons of Easter Eggs and references to be found in The Last of Us: Part 2, including a nostalgic nod to the PlayStation 3 as well as several classic Naughty Dog games. The Uncharted 2 Easter egg in The Last of Us: Part 2 can be found easily at the beginning of the game, but only if players are willing to invest a bit of time to wandering around their surroundings.
The first entry in The Last of Us franchise was a smashing success when it released for PlayStation 3 in 2013, so it was no surprise when Naughty Dog and Sony announced the game was being brought back for a sequel. Six years and a few months later, The Last of Us: Part 2 released on June 19th, 2020 after multiple delays.
While The Last of Us: Part 2 has been met with intense player criticism and mixed (but mostly positive) critical reviews, what cannot be denied is the level of detail and thoroughness put into the game. With tons of things to explore and encounter, players will never be able to see everything their first time going through the story of The Last of Us: Part 2. With these tips, however, it’s possible to find this Last of Us: Part 2 Easter egg early on in the story.
The Last of Us came out at the end of the PlayStation 3’s generation, whereas The Last of Us: Part 2 released only months before the debut of the PlayStation 5. Given that both games came out at the end of a console’s generation, it feels fitting that The Last of Us: Part 2 incorporates various nods to PlayStation consoles as well as several of Naughty Dog’s classic games.
At the start of The Last of Us: Part 2, players have the opportunity to wander around in Ellie’s garage-turned-studio apartment in the Jackson County settlement. While doing so, they’ll find an array of objects and knick-knacks belonging to the teenager. If players head over to the TV, they’ll easily notice an old PlayStation 3 with several games scattered around it. The titles that are visible include Uncharted 2 and Jack & Daxter, both produced by Naughty Dog, the developer responsible for The Last of Us franchise. Clearly, Ellie is a fan of video games!
This isn’t the only PlayStation Easter Egg in The Last of Us: Part 2 players can find. There are tons of homes, shops, and other buildings to explore throughout the game, and a bit of investigation will uncover PS3s throughout many of these abandoned buildings. The reason there are so many PS3s as opposed to PS4s is because the outbreak occurred in 2013, meaning the PlayStation 4 never launched in Joel and Ellie’s world. Ellie and Dina will next stumble across a PS3 when looking through Eugene’s things in the old bookstore.
It’s not just a PS3 they’ll find in his weed-themed room, either, but also a mason jar filled with blunts and several adult videos. One of the videos is another nod to a Naughty Dog game. The title is “Smash Brandi’s Cootch,” a clear reference to Crash Bandicoot, one of the company’s original titles. Clearly, Naught Dog wanted to show that they haven't forgotten the PlayStation 3 in The Last of Us: Part 2, or the games they developed for it.