It's no secret that The Last of Us was the PlayStation 3's Crowning Achievement. It was the final straw that had myself and many other XBOX360 loyalists feeling like we were missing out on greatness... Jump ahead 20 Years (Months).. (give or take).. The Last of Us: Remastered has given us a second chance to experience Joel and Ellie's journey on PlayStation 4.
The first thing I noticed was, that while graphically, Last of Us was a tour de force on PS3, even the updated and remastered version struggles to maintain its game changing graphics on the PS4. FULL DISCLOSURE!! This is not a chirp. This game looks absolutely amazing. The incredible draw distance is full of beautiful, sprawling landscapes. Top notch lighting and particle effects... horses... The character design is great, Ellie and Joel are given significant makeovers. But it's things like character movement, collision detection, and animation issues that get my nit-picking all fired up. Regular listeners of The All Range Mode Podcast have heard me refer to this as the "Bones" of previous gen hardware shining through. It's actually a testament to the potential of modern gaming machines, that so early on they are able to significantly raise the bar in comparison to the best of the best from 2 years ago.
I have some issues with the combat in the Last of Us, which we go into at length in Episode 77 of The All Range Mode Podcast. My main concern is that the combat is absurdly demanding, while NPC (Ally & Enemy) A.I. sometimes experience hiccups that can fundamentally pull you out of an otherwise encapsulating thriller. Some gamers will embrace this demand, while others, like myself, will resent the combat as it interrupts the progression of the story. NOTE: Combat situations and environments are significantly more compelling as the game progresses.
The interesting thing about this story is that you really have two characters to pull motivation from. Yes, the game dabbles with some cliche post-apocalypse, Zombie(esque) tropes, but they develop the character's relationships enough that you're engaged. I found myself excited to see how Joel and Ellie were going to survive these somewhat cliche story beats. There are some obvious highs and lows as far as the quality of the story telling. (I'm intentionally being vague for this next part)... The prologue is incredible, but the game takes its time getting you back to that level of engagement and investment. Told in 4 acts, each act has its own mood and feel, which keeps everything new and exciting throughout the game...
...You know what?.. To quote, All Range Mode'r, Dan Derby, "It's so good.. Soooooo Good"
This game is MANDATORY. I'm giving The Last of Us: Remastered 4.5/5 Stars.
Now go play it!! Let us know if you agree or disagre, in the instant feedback, below.
Thanks for reading!!
Joe
The first thing I noticed was, that while graphically, Last of Us was a tour de force on PS3, even the updated and remastered version struggles to maintain its game changing graphics on the PS4. FULL DISCLOSURE!! This is not a chirp. This game looks absolutely amazing. The incredible draw distance is full of beautiful, sprawling landscapes. Top notch lighting and particle effects... horses... The character design is great, Ellie and Joel are given significant makeovers. But it's things like character movement, collision detection, and animation issues that get my nit-picking all fired up. Regular listeners of The All Range Mode Podcast have heard me refer to this as the "Bones" of previous gen hardware shining through. It's actually a testament to the potential of modern gaming machines, that so early on they are able to significantly raise the bar in comparison to the best of the best from 2 years ago.
I have some issues with the combat in the Last of Us, which we go into at length in Episode 77 of The All Range Mode Podcast. My main concern is that the combat is absurdly demanding, while NPC (Ally & Enemy) A.I. sometimes experience hiccups that can fundamentally pull you out of an otherwise encapsulating thriller. Some gamers will embrace this demand, while others, like myself, will resent the combat as it interrupts the progression of the story. NOTE: Combat situations and environments are significantly more compelling as the game progresses.
The interesting thing about this story is that you really have two characters to pull motivation from. Yes, the game dabbles with some cliche post-apocalypse, Zombie(esque) tropes, but they develop the character's relationships enough that you're engaged. I found myself excited to see how Joel and Ellie were going to survive these somewhat cliche story beats. There are some obvious highs and lows as far as the quality of the story telling. (I'm intentionally being vague for this next part)... The prologue is incredible, but the game takes its time getting you back to that level of engagement and investment. Told in 4 acts, each act has its own mood and feel, which keeps everything new and exciting throughout the game...
...You know what?.. To quote, All Range Mode'r, Dan Derby, "It's so good.. Soooooo Good"
This game is MANDATORY. I'm giving The Last of Us: Remastered 4.5/5 Stars.
Now go play it!! Let us know if you agree or disagre, in the instant feedback, below.
Thanks for reading!!
Joe
