The second is the time directly after when Joel and Ellie leave the university, with the onset of winter directly upon them. The first is a prequel, taking place in the weeks leading up to her meeting Joel, and dealing specifically with her best friend Riley.
Left Behind is an Ellie story, dropping us into two defining moments of her journey. While we shouldn't be surprised by Naughty Dog's ability to weave a gripping narrative, this piece of story DLC transcends being simply extra. My favorite game of last year, it was a tense, unforgettable experience, one that I didn't think could be duplicated, much less improved upon. If you listened to our GOTY podcasts, I made no secret about my feelings towards The Last of Us. If you want to avoid spoilers of any kind, I'll save you the trouble of going any further: You need to play this.
Spoilers ahead: While I don't spoil anything essential to either the main story, or the DLC, understand that this piece deals directly with events in The Last of Us.
