How would you like to pay $70 for a “remastered” rendition of a game that is barely three years old?
Naughty Dog has officially announced The Last of Us Part II is getting a remastered release on Sony’s PlayStation 5 console following several PSN Store leaks of the game, due to release on January 19th it will allow the most desolate consumers to relive and reexperience the horrors of dogshit writing with the sequel to 2013’s The Last of Us, featuring a woeful tale of inclusive lesbian relationships and toxic masculinity.
Graphics wise there’s virtually zero differences between 2020’s release on the PlayStation 4 (Pro) versus that of this “remastered” rendition, the only differences is that Naughty Dog are once again repackaging The Last of Us with some sprinkles for resale at a full retail price, given how they’ve previously recycled TLOU 1 with a PS4 oriented remaster which released the following year alongside another revised remake, dubbed “The Last of Us Part I” which released in 2022 for the PlayStation 5 and on PC.
This remake instead tarnished the original game with a massive visual overhaul, where the main differences lie upon the newly revised character models which brought gamers a new look to many beloved characters as Naughty Dog doubled down on the “realism” aspect in their overhauled design.
Realism just being a byword for “ugly and proud”.
The main alure to this so called “remaster” is the inclusion of a new game mode, a rougelike survival mode because those are all the rage these days, despite the fact how ballooned the actual budget was for the original 2020 title with no actual word about the proposed The Last of Us Multiplayer rendition which rumors state has been canceled.
The roguelike mode, called “No Return” aims to provide random encounters and experiences with TLOU2’s combat system, coincidentally this game mode is very reminiscent of the unofficially canceled Factions mode.
In the official blog post, Naughty Dog’s Jonathon Dornbush shared, “Players will have the opportunity to take on the roles of fresh characters, navigating diverse stealth and combat scenarios that challenge them against a variety of adversaries. Each encounter will bring unique twists, introducing unexpected factors to keep players on their toes.”
But in reality it’s more or less a half baked roguelike addition to facilitate consumers purchasing the same shitty game again after only three years after release, given how the other inclusions include a guitar free play mode that will allow for unlockable instruments. Naughty Dog are really scrapping the bottom of the barrel with that one.
It will also feature some of the cut levels from The Last of Us Part 2 along with developer commentary, just so you can hear Neil Druckmann’s personal thoughts and opinions on how he has made a stunning and brave story that was universally panned by actual gamers alike.
Critics sure did love it, mostly because it was more or less a movie than an actual game, a movie with woke nonsensical themes and values, completely tarnishing the original for the sake of progressive ideologies.
The gamers themselves however mostly hated it, the writing wasn’t just poor but it was entirely nonsense, blinded by vengeance Ellie is depicted as being a horrendous monster, killing countless people (and dogs), while Abby is supposedly portrayed as the sort of character that the player is supposed to feel sympathy towards.
Ellie slaughters and maims her way into getting revenge for the loss of Joel, and decides at the very end to simply allow Abby to escape because revenge is apparently wrong or something, just about everyone tuned out from the theatrical experience the moment that Joel was killed off entirely, the game was basically mocked through memes for its disgusting cinematic cutscenes and piss poor storytelling.
Hence why retailers across the world was essentially left with an excess supply in physical copies that seemingly wouldn’t sell, with many physical sales being returned / exchanged right after its launch.
But now players can relive the horror that is The Last of Us Part 2 with Abby, an overtly masculine woman as she engages in prolific sexual intercourse with a man alongside physically demolishing Ellie in a disgusting quick timed action sequences.
This remaster is just a testament of the current PlayStation landscape, there’s virtually zero enticing first party games available for the PlayStation 5, majority of its exclusive titles either have already come to the PC ecosystem or will eventually jump ship, remastering a three year old game is just a cheap tactic to milk the franchise in tune with HBO’s second season for The Last of Us adaptation.
To further prove their desperation, those who have purchased the original game on PS4 can upgrade to the digital version for the PlayStation 5 for the low price of just $10.
If you disliked the original TLOU2 due to its obvious narrative shortcomings, the new iteration will not alter your opinion. The visuals have not changed in the slightest.
This also assists Sony in bolstering their rather lackluster first-party games lineup for the PS5, which, in terms of games, appears to lack a clear roadmap for upcoming AAA titles apart from Insomniac’s Wolverine Game, but given the lackluster and woke nature of Spider-Man 2 there’s very little hope that this will be a compelling title.
Alongside Bungie’s extraction shooter, Marathon, all in all, it feels somewhat nostalgic to once again criticize The Last of Us 2 for being an unsympathetic dumpster fire.
