A new character for The Last of Us has been revealed by Naughty Dog via the official PlayStation Blog. She's called Tess and she's Joel's partner. Tess is played by Annie Wersching, who played Renee Walker in 24 as well as roles in several US TV shows including CSI and Hawaii Five-O.
According to Sony, tess is "a hardened survivor living in one of the last remaining quarantine zones, Tess operates in the black market of a city under martial law. Partners with Joel, they have become known within the criminal underworld for their ruthlessness. Street smart and confident, Tess is a savvy strategist and negotiator. Her ability to generate intelligent plans to secure the contraband for their trade is second to none.
"Tess and Joel subscribe to the same dog-eat-dog philosophy. They survive by being willing to do what others can’t or won’t. Her trust in and loyalty towards Joel runs deep. However, secretly, she questions whether Joel shares the same emotions that she feels for him."
Aside from a few screenshots (below), Sony has also released a behind-the-scenes video showing mo-cap and dialogue recording sessions, showing how the actors' performeances are applied to the character models, before having facial animations added. Clever stuff.
Here are some direct-feed stills from the exchange. Here's Tess, mid-gesticulation...
And here's the back of her head...
And the back of Joel's head too to complete the set.
The Last of Us is due out on PlayStation 3 on May 7, 2013.
