The Last of Us Part I
The Last of Us is receiving the remake treatment and this has stirred discussion as to whether this particular remake is simply another remaster and if it deserves its $70 price tag.
First off, it's important to note that due to the HBO TV Series based on The Last of Us, a lot of new eyes will be on the franchise. People will be wanting to experience Joel and Ellie's journey from the beginning. It would be tempting to skip The Last of Us for the visual fidelity and gameplay enhancements of The Last of Us Part II. Not only is it hard to find a PS3 and run the game on original hardware, the PS4 remaster, while an absolutely gorgeous chance to experience a game that ran incredibly on the PS3 and took full advantage of its features, doesn't live up to modern standards. The reasons for a remake are clear, it makes sense to have a consistent visual and gameplay experience from Part I to Part II not only for veteran players, but for new players who might not be of the hardcore gamer variety.
People may have set their expectations unreasonably high when they expect features clearly designed around Ellie in Part II to make their way into Part I. Things like diving, crawling prone, the new dodge feature, seem to all be tied to Part II and would require even more redesigns of the entire game and its maps.
$70 is the price of admission for most next generation titles. It's been a harsh adjustment even for myself to get used to and has me being way more selective about which games I purchase at release and which games I choose to wait for a sale on. I also realize not every game is designed with me in mind and I look for titles with long term enjoyment or replayability.
The developers have more than taken the first game and simply remastered it again. Naughty Dog is not just upscaling the game to 4K resolution and running it at 60 frames per second. They've redone enemy AI with changes to enemy paths and strategies and they attempt to flank you and react to your movements and sounds. Buddy characters now navigate around cover and actively avoid NPC sightlines more authentically. Advanced haptics of the PS5 DualSense controller add subtle vibrations when interacting with the environment. Trigger pulls will have resistance when drawing a bow, aiming and firing various weapons, and the advanced haptics will have you feel the force of a pump action shotgun when firing, pumping, and reloading.
3D audio is going to add a new level of immersion to a game that already had astounding audio depth. Dealing with a group of stalkers, using listening mode to hear quiet shuffling of enemies. Quickly turning to see an enemy running at you from behind and promptly firing at them adds even more immersion.
$70 is the price of admission for most next generation titles. It's been a harsh adjustment even for myself to get used to and has me being way more selective about which games I purchase at release and which games I choose to wait for a sale on. I also realize not every game is designed with me in mind and I look for titles with long term enjoyment or replayability.
The developers have more than taken the first game and simply remastered it again. Naughty Dog is not just upscaling the game to 4K resolution and running it at 60 frames per second. They've redone enemy AI with changes to enemy paths and strategies and they attempt to flank you and react to your movements and sounds. Buddy characters now navigate around cover and actively avoid NPC sightlines more authentically. Advanced haptics of the PS5 DualSense controller add subtle vibrations when interacting with the environment. Trigger pulls will have resistance when drawing a bow, aiming and firing various weapons, and the advanced haptics will have you feel the force of a pump action shotgun when firing, pumping, and reloading.
3D audio is going to add a new level of immersion to a game that already had astounding audio depth. Dealing with a group of stalkers, using listening mode to hear quiet shuffling of enemies. Quickly turning to see an enemy running at you from behind and promptly firing at them adds even more immersion.
Naughty Dog is also adding even more accessibility features than any previous game. With over 60 options, the developers are once again setting an example for studios everywhere. Descriptive audio will be a first for any game. Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us Part II had a bevy of features designed to help the blind, those hard of hearing, and others in the disabled community. This is allowing even more players than ever to be welcomed into the world of The Last of Us that might have previously hit a barrier due to their needs.
The game is being rebuilt from the ground up with new character models, more detailed physical destruction of environments, and no load times blocking seamless transitions from cinematics to gameplay. Motion matching technology means that character animations will flow smoothly and realistically. Naughty Dog also added community requested features like "permadeath" mode, a speedrun-focused mode with a timer, and lots of brand new unlockable outfits for Joel and Ellie.
I don't like to stir up drama or hate reviews, I like to be honest and transparent. I can't faithfully call this a cash grab when everything that has been shown and explained by developers is that this is a massive project with a lot of love and hard work put into it. I won't drum up hate for what I believe is a wonderful work of art to get views or interactions. The leaks of Naughty Dog's recent projects have been frustrating for developers and fans alike. This ruins reveals, the overall experience, and can spoil the excitement for a project.
I can't wait to get my hands on The Last of Us Part I for PlayStation 5 and you can see me play it on stream September 2nd at https://www.youtube.com/c/aaronshack64
You can listen to my Podcast at the links below and find me online at all the links below.
Thanks for reading,
I don't like to stir up drama or hate reviews, I like to be honest and transparent. I can't faithfully call this a cash grab when everything that has been shown and explained by developers is that this is a massive project with a lot of love and hard work put into it. I won't drum up hate for what I believe is a wonderful work of art to get views or interactions. The leaks of Naughty Dog's recent projects have been frustrating for developers and fans alike. This ruins reveals, the overall experience, and can spoil the excitement for a project.
I can't wait to get my hands on The Last of Us Part I for PlayStation 5 and you can see me play it on stream September 2nd at https://www.youtube.com/c/aaronshack64
You can listen to my Podcast at the links below and find me online at all the links below.
Thanks for reading,
Aaron Shack
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