THE LAST OF US: REMASTERED REVIEW
COLIN MORIARTY
LAST, BUT NOT LEAST
Reviewed on PlayStation 4
→ JULY 28, 2014 Let's just cut to the chase, shall we? I'm happy to report that Naughty Dog has successfully brought PlayStation 3's single best game -- The Last of Us -- to PlayStation 4 in the form of The Last of Us: Remastered. (You can read my full review of 2013’s The Last of Us on PS3 here.) It’s as much a masterpiece on PS4 as it is on PS3, and it’s worth your undivided attention whether you’ve played it already or are about to jump in for the first time.
Sure, we may not have really needed a port so quickly, but then again, The Last of Us isn’t just any game. As one of the best games of all-time, the more places it is and the more people that can play it, the better.
The Last of Us: Remastered[/paste:font]
JULY 29, 2014
Survive an apocalypse on Earth in The Last of Us Remastered, a PS4 port of the original game that runs in 1080p and includes downloadable content.
to see the contrast. It’s hard to explain how much of a difference the 30-to-60 transition makes until you see it for yourself; the PS3 original frankly looks a bit choppy by comparison.
Doubling the framerate doesn’t only provide an obvious aesthetic boost; it enhances gameplay, too. The most hardcore competitive shooters on consoles – like the Call of Duty series – run at or near 60 frames because it makes the shooting that much more fluid, responsive, and accurate. You’ll see similar effects in The Last of Us: Remastered during gun battles, even if they are (or should be) few and far between. (Remember: this is largely, though not entirely, a stealth game.)
Just gorgeous.
The PlayStation 4’s extra horsepower also gives a boost to The Last of Us’ graphical fidelity. Now, I know that’s not necessarily saying a whole lot, considering The Last of Us on PS3 is already the most beautiful game I’ve seen on any console. But somehow, Remastered looks just a bit better. Textures are more detailed, the lighting is enhanced, and everything pops more.
The changes aren’t mind altering – or even game changing – but you can absolutely see the difference. From the moment I started the campaign, I couldn’t help but notice improvements everywhere. Some are far more minor than others, but they’re there, and they make The Last of Us burst with even more life.
You can really soak the beauty in with Remastered’s new Photo Mode, which allows you to take control of the camera, alter visual settings like focus and filters, and more to grab the most gorgeous shots possible. It’s not uncommon to encounter stunning sights in The Last of Us – like when you first enter environments reclaimed by nature with Joel and Tess near the beginning of the game – and now, you can capture those moments for posterity, if you’d like.
Another notable change from PS3 to PS4 is, as you might expect, the controller. Naughty Dog knew the weaknesses of the DualShock 3’s terrible triggers, which explains why aiming and shooting was unconventionally mapped to R1 and L1. DualShock 4’s far superior triggers don’t suffer from a similar problem, so you can map shooting to R2 and L2 if you want, or keep it as it originally was.
Still scary.
Your backpack menu can be brought up with the DualShock 4’s meaty center button, too. And, like Killzone: Shadow Fall, the controller’s speaker can be used to play audio diaries and sound effects like the on/off click of your flashlight, though you can turn this off if you find it too obnoxious.
For as great as Remastered’s little tweaks and additions are, the true value proposition comes in when you start to talk about DLC. A slew of DLC that had to be purchased separately on PlayStation 3 comes bundled-in on PlayStation 4. For instance, Left Behind – The Last of Us’ incredible single-player prequel DLC – is included (read the original review here), as are a ton of online maps and modes that you’d otherwise have to acquire separately on PS3.
And yes, playing The Last of Us: Remastered online is just as awesome as it was the first time around, again aided by a silky-smooth framerate. I suspect the surprising online addiction The Last of Us provided in 2013 will be renewed for some and discovered for the first time for others.
THE VERDICT
In 2013, I called The Last of Us on PlayStation 3 a masterpiece. The same holds true of its PlayStation 4 "Remastered" sibling. You can’t go wrong with either version, but with Remastered you’ll get a better framerate that smooths out gunplay, a prettier, sharper look, and a bunch of DLC content rolled into the package from the get-go (not to mention a whole fresh set of Trophies to earn again, if you have a whole lot of time on your hands).
Whether you’ve already experienced it on PlayStation 3 or have no idea what you’re missing, The Last of Us: Remastered is worth your time and attention. PlayStation 3’s best game just became PlayStation 4’s, too.
I can feel the fury
at bragging about a money grab rerelease
