Published On: Mon, Jan 29th, 2024

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered review – Meaningless re-release or must-have masterpiece? | Gaming | Entertainment


Despite launching on last-gen hardware, The Last of Us Part 2 remains one of the most visually impressive games ever released – to the point that it puts many of the latest blockbusters to shame. With incredible performances by its cast, a powerful narrative, and action so tense you’ll need a surgeon to remove the controller from your grip, it’s fair to say that The Last of Us Part 2 will go down as one of the all time greats. It makes you wonder why exactly Sony felt the need to remaster it, especially when the original made its debut less than four years ago.

As a remastered release, the PS5 version contains numerous technical upgrades, including superior texture resolution, increased Level-of-Detail distances and improved shadow quality.

While this all sounds extremely impressive, the truth is that many people probably won’t notice much of a difference between this and the PS4 original.

The rock solid frame-rate is far more enticing, although Sony came pretty close to delivering this following the release of an earlier PS5 patch.

Sony has added unlocked frame-rates for fans looking to go above 60FPS, and you’ll get 4K at 30 frames-per-second, but is this really enough of a reason to upgrade? Probably not.

Instead, you should upgrade for new features such as the superb No Return game mode, which tasks players with surviving randomised encounters against humans, infected and bosses.

With conditions that range from killing waves of hunters, running out the clock, and raiding enemy goods, No Return is more than a run of the mill horde mode with a Last of Us paint job.

The randomised win conditions, unique modifiers, special bonus challenges, and wide selection of playable characters and unlockables means that No Return should keep fans busy for hours on end.

My only concern is that without future updates and added content, skilled Last of Us players may grow bored once they’ve seen it all. 

Fans will also be excited to try the three “Lost Levels”, which are essentially deleted scenes in playable form. While it’s a bit of a one-and-done experience (twice if you play again with the developer commentary), it’s fascinating to see what didn’t make the cut and why. I’d love to see more games include something like this.

Developer Naughty Dog has also added a reasonably fun Freeplay mode for Ellie’s Guitar, although mileage will vary.

While it’s not necessarily a new feature, the ability to play through the campaign with varying degrees of permadeath is another reason to go back and revisit.

I really like that you can customise the permadeath mode, choosing to restart at the beginning of the most recent chapter, Act, or even at the beginning of the game. 

The result is a more thrilling and intense experience, and one where you arguably form an even greater bond with your characters.

Of course, I’m talking about The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered from a position of having already played the original.

If you haven’t already experienced The Last of Us Part 2, then this is the definitive version of an incredible game. Even if you are familiar with Ellie’s latest adventure, the new features make it difficult not to recommend, especially if you’re counting down to the start of the second season of the TV show.

VERDICT: 5/5



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