The Last of Us Part II is the next game to get a remaster. Aptly named The Last of Us Part II Remastered, it’s set to arrive on January 19, 2024, for the Playstation 5. And that’s about as sensible as Zendaya getting a facelift.
Make no mistake, I’m generally all ears for The Last of Us news. Both part 1 and 2 stand among my absolute favorites. Yes, you read that right, even part 2. Despite the boatload of criticism the game faces to this day, I’ve always been impressed by the story it tells.
You could even say that The Last of Us was one of the major reasons for me to kickstart this blog. The article about HBO’s television series was actually one of my very first pieces.
But when it comes to the news about The Last of Us Part II Remastered, I can’t say it’s got me too excited. In fact, I find it ridiculous. Three years after Naughty Dog’s creation was released, it still stands as one of the most visually stunning games ever made. Even the offer of the Playstation 5 hasn’t frequently surpassed what Naughty Dog showcased on the Playstation 4. It already received a PS5 patch, elevating the game to 60FPS. Yet, here we are with a Remastered version.
At the risk of starting to sound like a whiny bastard: I’m not a big fan of remasters and remakes anyway. They seem to be popping up left and right lately, and new IPs appear to be increasingly scarce. I can understand remasters for very old games. For instance, the Resident Evil games are so dated that remakes can attract an entirely new audience. At the same time, it brings a lot of nostalgia, a strong emotion and motivator to revisit such a game.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t hold particularly nostalgic feelings for the year 2020. The release of The Last of Us Part II was a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dreary COVID-dominated year full of lockdowns.
What exactly needs improving in a game that was already so visually stunning? Well, not much. That’s evident from a screenshot shared by X user Pyo (@mrpyo1). The right one is from the PS5 Remastered version. If you spot the difference, do give me a shout, will you?
There are plenty of useless things in life. Take those ‘baby on board’ stickers on cars, for instance. I often try not to hit other cars, whether there’s a baby on board or not. Or what about automatic toothpaste dispensers? The Remastered version of The Last of Us Part II can be added to the list.
Playing devil’s advocate for a moment, the Remastered version does offer more than just the so-called graphical enhancement. The loading times will be shorter, and the game will make use of haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. There are also new skins to unlock for characters and weapons.
The new survival mode, ‘No Return‘ serves players random encounters to battle through, featuring both new and familiar characters. And for the musical players among us, there’s the Guitar Free Play mode available. Because why pick up a real guitar when you can do it digitally?
Eager to rush through all these novelties? Well, the Speedrun Mode has you covered, allowing you to time how quickly you can progress through the game. I wouldn’t recommend it though. Rushing through might prevent you from fully appreciating all those enormous graphical enhancements. That would be a shame.
Anyway, fans who already own The Last of Us Part II on the Playstation 4 can grab this Remastered version for just 10 euros. So…you know…I’m still going to get it.
