I’ve often let loose my particularly unpopular opinion that Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us is an overrated game. That revelation’s generally met with gasps and dropped jaws, though what many seem unable to grasp is that overrated doesn’t mean bad. The Last of Us is one of the best games available for the PlayStation 3, and now, with its remastered version available just over a year later, it’s one of the best games available on the PlayStation 4.
There’s little point in re-analysing the story, the game’s mechanics or its much lauded characterisation. If you want all of that, you can read our original review here. There’s need really, because it’s all exactly the same, right down to the things that annoyed me so much the first time around.
Magically re-appearing bottles; poor enemy and companion AI; convenient pallets whenever there’s water; a gun that becomes mystically able to fire unlimited bullets when the situation calls for it. There were many admittedly minor irritations in the game that brought me out of the realistic world that Naughty Dog sought to create. Minor yes, but they all niggled away at the back of my brain, removing me from the action. Unfortunately, every one of them returns.
The Last of Us tells a wonderfully crafted story better than very nearly all other games, and it’s probably because of its narrative competence that its actual gameplay doesn’t hold up as well. The humanity the characters show off crumbles the second they flop about like digital puppets blocking your path as you try move from cover.
And yet, I found myself enjoying the game far more on this run. I think part of it is because I know precisely what to expect, making those irritations less pervasive. I’m loathe to admit that it could even be because of the new graphical fidelity and the game’s doubled frame rate. There’s a toggle to switch between 30 and 60fps, so purists can stick with 30fps if they so desire; it makes a rather marked difference, with 60 feeling decidedly smoother and more fluid. 30fps adds a certain gravitas that’s missing when played at 60fps and gives shadows a smoothing out, where they seem a tad more jagged at 60.
It is, of course, not the only bit of polish the game’s been afforded. Assets have mostly been given a higher resolution, making small details like the wrinkles in Joel’s face and his ashen hair stand out more. Rare smiles penetrate more, strained faces demonstrate their pain. It all adds weight to the game’s lofty emotional themes and contexts.
It’s not all good; The Last of US remastered doesn’t put the PlayStation 4 to work quite as hard as you’d expect, and as good as it looks it’s still very much a PlayStation 3 game with a new coat of paint on it. It becomes even more apparent when juxtaposed against the newly rendered cut-scenes, which now do seem to be worlds apart from the game itself. Where the PlayStation 3’s version blended nearly seamlessly between gameplay and cinematic, the supremely polished visuals of the cut-scenes take on an otherworldly tone.
Aside from the increase in visual fidelity, The Last of Us Remastered gathers and coagulates all of the game’s existing DLC in to one handy package. Most of it is multiplayer stuff; maps, skins and weapons but it also includes the rather wonderful Left Behind, which pokes in to Ellie’s character in further detail. The multiplayer itself is even more responsive thanks to the increase in frames. It could well be all in my imagination, but it seems that the latency issues that affected the PlayStation 3 game are less severe.
There are commentary tracks on in-game cinematics featuring the creative director and principal actors, making it a bit of a special edition or director’s cut of the game.
The final major addition to Remastered is a photo mode similar to the one in inFamous: Second Son. It allows players to pause the action and swing about the scene and take artistic screenshots, fiddling with the brightness, colour settings and overall graininess. It’s activated with a menu option that allows players to access Photo Mode by pressing L3. If you’re versed in console controls, that’s typically used for things like running, and during some of the more panic-laden moments I found myself pausing and panning instead of running in the opposite direction of clickers.
If you play games for the stories alone and have played the game and its DLC, there’s little reason to purchase it anew unless you get off on counting pixels. If you have, but love the multiplayer, or want the full, shinier package, it’s worth the money. If you’ve never played the game, there’s really very little reason not to get the game – even if it is just to see what the fuss is about.
Last Updated: August 1, 2014
| The Last of Us Remastered | |
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It's quite simple really. One of the games on the PlayStation is now one of the best games on the PlayStation 4.
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| The Last of Us Remastered was reviewed on PlayStation 4 | |
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95 /
100
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Umar
August 1, 2014 at 15:34
Is it just me…..Or do those screenshot look fairly similar to the PS3 version……..
Rags
August 1, 2014 at 15:36
What did you expect, a PC version? :PPP
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
August 1, 2014 at 15:37
no, the game looks pretty similar to the PS3 version. It wont blow your face off if you’ve seen the game before.
Umar
August 1, 2014 at 15:41
Yeah I was kind of wondering that. The PS3 version already looked pretty spectacular. Would you say a PS4 ONLY game looks better than this? Like Infamous?
veggiesaurus ZA
August 1, 2014 at 17:15
It looks like TLOU, except less muddy and much sharper. Really, the framerate is the most noticeable difference. Infamous is miles ahead in terms of quality
HYPERTiZ
August 6, 2014 at 12:37
it is 60fps not 30 (compared to PS4 and PS3)
HYPERTiZ
August 6, 2014 at 12:37
PS3 pushed to its limit (30FPS), PS4 (60FPS)
Thats why it does not look as spectacular as Killzone…
Despite both are a linear game
Wraith
August 1, 2014 at 16:03
That’s probably why LG has it categorised under PS3! 😛
HYPERTiZ
August 6, 2014 at 12:36
Its 30FPS vs 60FPS
its ofcourse going to need to compensate for it.
even though there is an option to run into 30FPS
it will still look the same as if its 60FPS.
so…
HYPERTiZ
August 6, 2014 at 12:36
PS3 vs PS4
Hammersteyn
August 1, 2014 at 15:41
Called it. TLOU bundle landed in Canada, hopefully it will come to our shores as well.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3911/14558236737_1bca3afd31_z.jpg
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 3, 2014 at 12:00
That’s cool, but I still think their white PS4/Destiny bundle is pure genius!
Hammersteyn
August 4, 2014 at 07:34
True
Gareth L (That eXCheez Guy)
August 1, 2014 at 15:46
People are paying nearly a thousand rand for a game that they’ve already played. Well done publishers. *slow clap*
Gaming today is making me more and more grumpy.
Aries
August 1, 2014 at 15:48
Think the game R550 on psn
Gareth L (That eXCheez Guy)
August 1, 2014 at 15:50
Ah, I see. I stand corrected. 🙂
Hammersteyn
August 1, 2014 at 15:50
DLC included
Aries
August 1, 2014 at 15:51
and i never played it, so i would buy it considering ps4 games are above expensive
Kevin
August 1, 2014 at 21:52
You bought a PS4 to play PS3 ports?
Aries
August 2, 2014 at 16:45
No, but why would i buy the ps3 version when the ps4 version just as good and the DLC included
Kevin
August 2, 2014 at 17:51
You still bought a port of a last gen game instead of buying a current gen game.
Aries
August 2, 2014 at 17:52
Never bought it yet, but would
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 3, 2014 at 12:27
Aaaw.. Show us, where the bad TLOU touched you? Dude, reading through your comments it sounds like you’ve got a severe case of butthurt.
http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/131/288/spongebob-butthurt.gif
Kevin
August 4, 2014 at 02:49
No I mad because they are rereleasing I game I bought and came out a year ago.
Hammersteyn
August 4, 2014 at 07:35
LOL!
Umar
August 1, 2014 at 15:49
Well I thought that too but there are people that haven’t played it though. Personally, I would never double dip into this game. I played it, loved it…end of story
Kevin
August 1, 2014 at 21:47
That doesn’t matter. It doesn’t rereleaseing a year later on the next platform.
bud green
August 1, 2014 at 23:48
When you have a new generation of systems then yes, it does justify a re-release. Besides, I don’t think Naughty Dog would have released it had it not been.
Kevin
August 2, 2014 at 01:10
No it doesn’t. The game was not old enpugh. They would have to because enough dumbasses would still have bought it. Game companies did not do this bullshit of rereleaseing a game a year later until this generation. The gaming industry has gone into hell in a handbasket.
bud green
August 2, 2014 at 03:29
It’s all about the $ales. I currently own this game(ps4) and it’s a particular game I always wanted but never had a ps3 since I was previously a 360 owner. I nearly bought a ps3 just for this game but held off the temptation. The re-release is for all the new (Sony) PS4 owners(me) both previous 360 owners and those who feel the need to revisit a highly acclaimed game in superior form. Sony is outselling X1 3-1 and considering a large portion of those sales were probably once 360 owners, the game will likely sell well. I do agree with you to an extent, though I have no problem with AAA games being remade.
Danny James
August 2, 2014 at 14:30
Ps4 has sold 2 million more consoles than x1 so far. Thats a potential 2 million ppl who havnt played this game. I switched from xbox to ps4 bought this game and i must say its truly amazing.
HYPERTiZ
August 6, 2014 at 12:40
Justified.
HYPERTiZ
August 6, 2014 at 12:41
*Naughty Dog’s decision?*
Son of Liberty
August 1, 2014 at 21:59
Meh not worth the rebuy.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 1, 2014 at 22:24
I’ll definitely double-dip the minute I can. 😀
Kevin
August 3, 2014 at 00:18
Then you are a moron.
Ryanza
August 3, 2014 at 08:04
Human beings such wonderful creatures. They are so different and they wont care cause they will do whatever they want to do. And there will always be a human to point a finger and say, ha ha.
When a person tends to like a game, they will play it over and over again, maybe for years. So if you like and playing a game over and over, you will must likely pick up the better looking version.
I lost count of the many times I played, Bioshock 1, Gears of War 1, GTA 3, VC, SA, 4, 5, Sim City, ect, i’m not going to keep on listing games.
All of which I doubled-dipped in. Console then PC version. Later this year I’ll be getting GTA 5 on PC, double-dipping again.
I guess I’m a moron too. And here I’m just waiting to double-dip on a version of Theme Hospital with more pixels.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 3, 2014 at 11:53
I’d double dip on a re-release of Theme Hospital or a proper version of Dungeon Keeper.
Kevin
August 4, 2014 at 02:45
That is different on the pc I games look way better. I am talking about a console port to another console.
Ryanza
August 4, 2014 at 07:51
PS3 is what like 7-8 years old and the PS4 is like less than a year old. And is the PS4 not basically a PC.
Kevin
August 5, 2014 at 01:45
No because PC are way more powerful. The PS4 and Xbone were already outdated by pc before they launched.
Ryanza
August 5, 2014 at 09:25
Don’t know where to start on this one.
Let me start with, the architectures of the PS4, basically makes it a PC at the heart of it. Consoles are closer to PC now than they ever been.
So the hope is that console ports to PC will be better this time around. But we will wait and see.
PC’s are way more powerful. If you look at the fastest graphics card on the market, R9 295 X2, then yes, way more powerful. But, the average PC gamer is not using a R9 295 X2. The average gamer is using entry level and mid spec graphic cards.
What’s available today as “new” are re-branded 7000 series AMD cards. So seeing as PS4 and Xbox One are closer to PC, it is easier to compare them to PC hardware.
PS4 graphics card can be compared to a AMD 7870 and Xbox One to a entry level AMD 7790.
Average PC gamers are still buying the re-branded 7870 cards or lesser cards.
So consoles now are inline with the average PC gamer.
Next, console ports. Console ports don’t tend to bring PC’s to it’s knees. Is that not what we have been complaining about for years.
So Last of Us being a console port to another console that at the heart of it is a PC. I would say the game will look better, have a better draw distance, maybe play smoother.
The remasted The Last of Us on PS4 is better than the PS3 version. If you bought the PS3 version then shame. If you bought the PS4 version, it’s not that different at all.
Seems like those who bought the PS3 version likes to troll.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 3, 2014 at 11:54
*burp*
Xcalibersa
August 3, 2014 at 08:45
useless review
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 3, 2014 at 12:21
To those whining about HD re-releases. How is it any different to having owned a movie on VHS, then deciding to get the DVD version and then a few years later, getting the BluRay version of the same movie? It’s still the same movie. Each version is an enhancement on the previous (with potentially more features, at roughly the same price as the former – if not a little more expensive).
Also, you don’t HAVE to buy the re-releases. If you’re fine with the VHS version, because you like to rewind tape, clean VCR heads with nail polish remover and earbuds, then who am I to judge you? Similarly, if you like DVD and would rather not get a movie on BluRay. Who am I to judge you, my young Luddite friend?
bud green
August 3, 2014 at 14:19
Damn good point Jim.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 3, 2014 at 14:48
Thank you my good sir! #TipsATopHat
Guest
August 3, 2014 at 17:30
Perhaps Naught Dog shouldn’t have bullshitted everyone when it was release on ps3? Perhaps they should’ve redeem themselves by including an upgrade option in the season pass. Perhaps they should just stop being so f*cking greedy nowadays. And that isn’t even debatable, all you need to do is hop off ND’s D and look at uncharted 3 and last of us. Lies and greed running rampant within that studio.
Kevin
August 4, 2014 at 02:48
Thank you. The funniest part is they said it was hard to port yet it barely looks different at all.
Kevin
August 4, 2014 at 02:47
The difference e is it is a not a year later dumbass there a huge difference in quality when a movie is put on a better platfirm. This game is barely a year old and the port barely looks any differwnt.
Ryanza
August 4, 2014 at 08:13
I’m not sure what you mad at. The Last of Us just has more larger sized textures on the PS4. Later this year GTA 5 is coming with more textures and that is what I want.
1 – the important one, you don’t have to buy the game if you already bought the game on PS3.
2 – If and I said if, you want more textures from a PS3 game, get the PS4 version.
3 – never owned a PS3 and now you own a PS4, oh look another game you can buy that a lot of people say is good.
4 – never bought the PS3 version, so not going to buy the PS4 version.
5 – troll the internet with Don’t support DRM, “shitty console port.
6 – people don’t care they still do what they want to do.
why is six scared of seven?
7 –
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 4, 2014 at 08:22
You’re really scoring butthurt combo points there buddy – It’s time to let the hate go. Drink some chamomile tea, do some exercise, maybe masturbate to a lady Gaga video… or Justin Bieber (if that’s your thing). But for the love of Zeus, just let the anger go. Yes, there’s now a Last of Us version for PS4. You own the PS3 version. Guess what YOU DON’T HAVE TO GET THE PS4 version. SHOCKING, isn’t it?
Let the anger go bud, that shit will give you ass cancer!
Hammersteyn
August 4, 2014 at 08:38
But not everyone who bought a PS4 had a PS3. So how are they supposed to play TLOU? Plus it’s only R500 with the DLC included.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 4, 2014 at 09:55
I think Kevin wants new PS4 owners who never played the game to buy PS3s (to play TLOU) because… “Kevin reasons”…. :/ The fact that this affects him so personally makes me worry about Kevin’s mental state.
oOqUiS
August 4, 2014 at 08:02
Still waiting for my copy…..Thats Kalahari.com folks! Think it’s time i start getting my arss in my car and drive over to BT Games and support them folks.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 4, 2014 at 08:17
Kalahari is terrible in this regard. :/ You have my utmost sympathies mate.
Ryanza
August 4, 2014 at 08:25
Kalahari shipping process works like this.
on the site it will said 24 hours to dispatch. All that mean is that they will hand over your parcel to the shipping guys within a day.
I guess to keep costs down, Kalahari doesn’t do 24 hour shipping. So shipping is the economy option, 2 – 3 days.
So if you know what to expect then you will be less disappointed.
oOqUiS
August 4, 2014 at 08:34
But the irony is i got my PS3 copy on launch day. It doesn’t always happen but it’s the second time now.
Morne Nell
August 4, 2014 at 08:24
Played this weekend could not put it down finished the min story after 30 Hours so glad they ported this to PS4 for folks like me that did not play it before.
Game is not perfect but brilliant story, sound and Graphics make up for minor glitches.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 4, 2014 at 08:28
My urge to double dip is reaching the BUY threshold. I always thought of the gun play in much the same way as Spec Ops the Line. You’re not supposed to run through it like Rambo, nor are you suppose to be a crack shot.
Anon A Mouse
August 4, 2014 at 08:50
I had so many ammo left after the main story for fear of running out. But that also actually helped me in being more stealthy and thinking about where to go and what to do. I loved that aspect of the game.
Guest
August 5, 2014 at 15:13
Beat it, won’t repeat it. My gaming philosophy (single player obviously)
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 6, 2014 at 13:07
Man, maybe I’m weird, but I always revisit older games. It’s like re-watching or re-reading a movie or a book. You sometimes miss little tidbits, and you come out of it feeling like a boss.
Hammersteyn
August 6, 2014 at 08:52
Angry Joe gave it 10/10 which is a surprise, was expecting 8/10
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 6, 2014 at 12:59
Wow.. Angry Joe? Link please. I need to watch that vid
Hammersteyn
August 6, 2014 at 13:05
Only the fourth game ever he’s given 10/10
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 6, 2014 at 13:06
I’m watching this when i get home… Holy sweet mother of mercy balls!!!!
Hammersteyn
August 6, 2014 at 13:07
10:37 is kak funny