A Brief History

2020 during the height of a global pandemic, Naughty Dog released the sequel to one of their most celebrated games, which also happened to be set during the events of a global pandemic. Now in 2024, we have The Last of Us Part II: Remastered.

Plagued with what was considered one of the biggest leaks to hit a video game at the time, all cinematics of the upcoming title were uploaded and shared online. Along with false information being whispered amongst everyone online about certain characters. The Last of Us Part II became one of the most controversial video games to discuss online and still is to this day in some circles.

As a sequel, Naughty Dog took the already enjoyable gameplay of Part I and improved on it in every way. Ellie and Abby were more mobile than Joel in the previous instalment. With the ability to dodge, go prone, crawl, mantle ledges and objects. With the addition of more weapons to obtain and makeshift items to craft at their disposal.

Visually it was beautiful to look at, landscapes of nature exploding through the urban environments as it reclaimed the world once built upon it by force. As the background to the gameplay, it was a stark contrast to the brutality that unfolds among the beauty.

Four years have passed since the story of Ellie Williams and Abby Anderson was shared with the world. Naughty Dog has now remastered their tale but is the €10 worth the price of admission to access The Last of Us Part II: Remastered?

What’s in this remaster?

Naughty Dog has somehow managed to improve the visuals of The Last of Us Part II: Remastered. Beautiful environments and characters portraying emotion visually lead the way in storytelling through video games. The grotesque, ever-transforming Cordyceps enemies look more mutilated from their fungal infection with terrifying imagery that you cannot help but think “Could this happen if the cordyceps fungus was to ever mutate and infect humanity”? The brutality of humans and how they inflect that violence onto each other as they maim, torture and take lives all in the name of survival.

To go along with the visuals Naughty Dog has included a fair amount of skins for Ellie and Abby to wear during their adventure. Including but not limited to, a spacesuit, 80’s glam makeup and a Furiosa ‘wasteland’ inspired style. Along with a large amount of t-shirts featuring previous PlayStation titles and other franchises.

Point of ‘No Return’

In addition to new visuals for players to enjoy, a new roguelike game mode has been added to play with, “No Return”. This will more than likely be the first stop for returning players. With a selection of ten characters to choose from all picked from the cast of the story mode. Starting with Ellie and Abby, the additional eight characters have their own criteria needed for unlocking them.

Each character starts in their faction hideout with their own base set of weapons, items and a perk tree. There is a notice board on the wall with several polaroids pinned to it with string connecting them. How your run plays out is up to you. The path you take is locked in and all other polaroids not on that line will be burned upon returning after you complete your challenge of choice.

Each polaroid contains a location, type of engagement, what enemy forces you will be going against, and your reward for completion. Also, there will sometimes be level modifiers that will be present during your run for that selection.

Fight to survive

While you can play stealthily in these engagements, aggression is key. After three minutes, points for the level will be deducted and will alter your overall rating. Tackling each wave of enemies in ‘Assault’ is best played by quickly assessing the enemy location and ambushing the groups. Pulling these off in a matter of seconds always feels good and keeps the momentum going forward. The odds are in their favour and you need every tool at your disposal to come out on top.

In ‘Hunted’ a never-ending wave of enemies hunt you down and you just need to survive until the timer reaches zero but if you want that higher score, you’ll want to take as many of them out before you exit. Is the risk of engaging in a firefight worth that higher spot in the leaderboards? There are other game modes to unlock and enjoy in The Last of Us Part II: Remastered. There are also some scenarios pairing you with an ally to defend and survive alongside.

Each successful run returns you to the hideout to collect your reward and spend it as you see fit. The workbench becomes available to upgrade your arsenal and a gun cabinet opens with a randomised catalogue of weapons, perks and items.

As you play more enemies, allies, locations, bosses and gameplay elements will be unlocked. This will further expand the game mode with each run you embark on.

Choose your challenge

No Return allows you to choose your difficulty of choice to play with, nothing is locked from the player if they wish to play on the easy ‘Light’ difficulty or extremely challenging ‘grounded’ mode. The only difference is the higher the difficulty chosen will grant the player a larger score multiplier for a higher-end score. This is also included in the daily run. The character for the daily is predetermined but what difficulty and route the player takes to the end is entirely up to them to undertake at their own leisure.

No Return is great fun, each character has a checklist of challenges to compete in. These unlock individual skins to use in the game mode. It is especially great for players who have run the encounters from the level selected in story mode to death. Granting them randomised challenges to test their skills and compare scores with their friends and community.

The opportunity to release enemies, characters and locations from Part I as additional content for No Return is a no-brainer. I hope it can be implemented in the future for more reasons to return down the line.

Being content with cut content

Naughty Dog has included three pieces of cut content from the game, naming them the ‘Lost Levels’. Each of these has an introduction by the game’s director Neil Druckmann and has points of interest littered throughout which will play audio from a developer going into more detail about the level. While these are really short and all three can be finished within thirty minutes, they are a fantastic addition to the game and personally, I hope it sets a trend with future game releases across the board.

I imported my save from the PS4 and after all my trophies were unlocked and I gained my fastest platinum trophy yet, I had access to the lost levels as well as the director’s commentary. Which I enabled for my first playthrough. Fans of Part I who enjoyed the commentary track over the cinematics by Ashley Johnson (Ellie), Troy Baker (Joel) and director Neil Druckmann will enjoy the insights of Part II’s commentary track. Laura Bailey (Abby), Shannon Woodword (Dina) and narrative lead and co-writer Hailey Gross are now here.

The Last of Us Part II: Remastered: Is it worth it?

Yes. If you own a PS5 and have not played The Last of Us Part II yet this is the definitive way to enjoy it. The additional content alone is worth the €10 upgrade. Long load times are gone, it’s visually never looked better and the inclusion of adaptive triggers and haptic feedback make a more overall enjoyable experience. It’s a must-have upgrade for anyone looking to experience the game again or for the first time.

These words were brought to you by the remastered survivor, Lewis Magee.

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2022-08-31

On June 14th 2013, Naughty Dog released “The Last of Us”. A third-person stealth action game set in a post-apocalyptic world. Following the story of hardened survivor ‘Joel Miller’ as he travels across the United States escorting a fourteen-year-old girl named ‘Ellie Williams.’ Nine years, one DLC, one remaster, one sequel and an upcoming TV adaptation later. The Last of Us has now been “Rebuilt for PS5” and released for the third time as The Last of Us Part I.

So what’s the story?

There’s no need to go into story beats here. The game is unchanged and has been left intact. The only two new additions I noticed are, Jerry’s character model from Part II is included as the surgeon in the final act. Also, Ellie now sports a Mortal Kombat II poster in her bedroom during the opening cinematic of ‘Left Behind’. However storywise, The Last Of Us Part I is still as powerful and engaging as it was the two previous times. If not more due to the upgraded graphics. The past two games look almost cartoonish in comparison to Part I. This game is beautiful. From the lighting, environments and character models, Part I has set a high bar for standards as to how good you can make a game look on the system.

The facial capture in this rendition is second to none. The final moments of the prologue, a scene I have watched unfold about twelve times now, hit me harder than it ever has in the past. The subtext that was always implied in behind-the-scenes footage and director’s commentary tracks can be read on the character’s faces clearly as if you were watching a live-action performance of the actors on stage. As well as that, performance and fidelity modes can be switched anytime by pausing the game and opening the required menu to access it.

Are sixty frames per second just not enough for you? Have you got the tv/monitor that supports more? Well, you can enjoy the feature of an unlocked framerate of up to one hundred and twenty frames per second. But looks aren’t everything though, how does the gameplay differ in this new rebuilding of the game?

Is it not just the same game with better graphics?

I’m not going to say all barriers have been removed but the huge and vast amount of accessibility options that Naughty Dog have provided to new players who have difficulty or disabilities is astounding and has opened the door for new players to approach this game now who previously could not. These include high contrast settings, audio and haptic feedback while exploring an arena, audio description during cutscenes, a screen reader while navigating menus and a huge array of gameplay features to toggle to assist players who are finding the game difficult (invincibility while crouched, allies don’t get grabbed, puzzle skip).

Starting difficulties include ‘Very Light, Light, Moderate, Hard, Survivor and Grounded’ Custom is unlocked after completion of the game. (All of these can be paired with ‘Permadeath Mode’ for the hardcore players out there) For my playthrough, I played ‘Survivor’ difficulty and I don’t know if it was me being rusty at the game from not playing in a while but my death count for this run of the game was ridiculously high. The AI will pick up on every move Joel makes, telling their allies to flank him while he’s in cover or charges up on him while reloading.

Glitches and guns

Enemies yell they are moving up to get the drop on Joel, while their friends hang back with their guns fixed on Joel’s last known location. Staying in one spot, hiding in cover and expecting to clean up while picking off headshots will just get you a death screen. Gunplay is still fast and frantic, every shot missed during a firefight is felt and can force you to change your plan of action in real-time as you figure out how to deal with a group of enemies with less ammo now.

Sadly, some of the jarring problems from past games seem to be present in this one too. Ellie still can walk in front of an enemy while you’re sneaking up on them and they will just be oblivious to her. Also, some enemies just have tunnel vision for Joel and ignore everyone else. I had a hunter chase me down with a 2×4. While this was happening he was getting shot in the back and not caring about the collection of 9mm rounds he was assembling in his spine. These moments were sparse and few between to take me out of the experience.

Click to view slideshow.

The Last of Us Part I – What makes it different to the last gen version?

In regards to this being rebuilt for PS5, it uses everything the system has to offer. The haptic feedback is nice to have present throughout the playthrough, not up to par with ‘Returnal’ I will admit but nice to see it being used by other developers.

The activity cards are just an absolute treat to have, each chapter has its own activity card and every collectable, optional conversation and hidden area is listed in the order they appear. Great to have for completionists out there who are gunning for that platinum trophy and don’t want to have a guide open on their phone beside them. Fun fact, I actually used my old PS3 walkthrough in tangent with the activity cards to see what collectable was next. Then I used the guide in front of me to pinpoint the location as a player.

Tools of the trade

Joel’s tools for upgrades are now actual tools you can inspect as a collectable and each one is needed for its respective upgrade. It’s nice to see Joel’s little toolbelt fill up over the course of the game as he assembles various tools and then see him reach for them and use them on the workbench. One little nitpick would be, that so much attention to detail is put into some of the upgrades as Joel works on the weapon, for example physically extending the magazine in his handgun for more capacity and seeing the clip customised. To then pick the same upgrade on the hunting rifle and Joel just gives it one good wipe with a cloth and it magically gets +1 in ammo. Again not enough to take me out of the game but I did get a good laugh out of it whenever it happened.

The photo mode is back and revamped. In my playthrough, I say I spent 60% of my time playing The Last of Us Part I and the remaining 40% was getting lost in taking fancy screenshots. The images you can set out to create are nothing short of stunning and look like professional stills from a movie set.

So much content for completionists

Last but not least I cannot write about this game without mentioning one new feature of the new game plus. Known as ‘FULL LOADOUT’. In the past during NG+, you kept your upgraded weapons but only received them as you would normally on a playthrough. FULL LOADOUT means as soon as Joel gets his backpack in Boston he has everything. This includes the automatic assault rifle from the final area. This along with infinite ammo, infinite crafting and explosive arrows from the cheat menu you unlock at completion creates what I like to call ‘Murder Miller Mode’. I cannot state how much f*cking fun I had for that playthrough. Becoming a one man murder machine is so satisfying. I highly recommend it for anyone doing a collectable cleanup run.

As stated, cheats unlock with completion of the main game, along with skins for Joel and Ellie and weapon skins for the handgun, shotgun and bow (for Ellie). A speedrun mode is unlocked too, a great tool for anyone out there looking to get started in the speedrunning community and some visual and audio filters become unlocked too. Back at the main menu, you get a heap of models to view in the model viewer. There is also concept art from both the 2013 and 2022 releases of the game.

What’s the verdict so?

All in all The Last of Us Part I is indeed the intended way to play this game. If this is your third time around with this title I would recommend holding off for a price drop. You are not missing out on anything new or secrets to find.

If this is your first time with the series then I would say go for it. As a new game, as a new experience, The Last of Us Part I has more than enough for you to sink your teeth into. I have nothing but a mixture of envy and excitement for you if you decide to dive in and discover the cordyceps-infested world of The Last of Us for the first time.

Words by Lewis Magee.

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2020-06-12

Not long now until we finally see if The Last of Us Part II was worth the wait. There have been figurative and literal catastrophes along the way but June 19th is only a week away.

In The Last of Us, gamers were transported to a world where humanity wasn’t doing well. We had been pushed to the brink of extinction because of a virus that turned the victims into fungi monsters. The remaining humans fought against them best they could but it was a losing battle. There was no hope in this world. The player took control of Joel as he escorted Ellie across America defending her from the infected and the uninfected. There were betrayals, horrors and an iconic relationship was formed.

Now seven years later we return to this world and face the ramifications of surviving the last adventure.

The story thus far

Four years have passed since the events of The Last of Us and Ellie and Joel have found a life in Jackson. This settlement is lively, happy and most importantly safe. They protect themselves and each other. Everything is normal, or as normal as normal gets in a world with horrifying fungus zombies that is until some strangers rock into town looking to cause some damage.

When the dust settles and the damage is done Ellie and her new bestie Dina head out to exact justice because of what’s been done to the residents of Jackson.

Heading out into the brave, new world of The Last of Us Part II

Once I began my playthrough of The Last of Us Part II I was immediately taken by the graphics. This is a game that pushes the limits of the power of the PlayStation 4. The photorealism of The Last of Us Part II is unbelievable. The locales that you visit are varied and a treat to explore. I say treat even though I was tense 90% of the time I was playing The Last of Us Part II.

Thanks to the heightened realism of the design of the various human factions and the monsters the fear factor was always at an eleven for me. Whenever I thought I was safe I was reminded quickly that wasn’t. For example, to stay alive and prepared you have to ensure that you stay stocked up on crafting materials so you have to scavenge and you will search every nook and cranny for materials for your weapons and gear.

This means that you have to be constantly moving and constantly on the look out for crafting materials. Doing this can easily put you into more precarious situations whether it be with the WLF’s, the SCARS or the infected. All these factions want you dead and there are a lot more of them than you. The WLF’s and the SCARS are intense and well-trained humans but the infected are that same x-factor they were inThe Last of Us.

There are also several new variants of the infected and these new variants are even more disgusting and grotesque thanks to creative and nightmarish designs further enhanced by the impressive graphics on show.

Click to view slideshow.

Everything changes but stays the same

Gameplay-wise The Last of Us Part II is not that much different from its predecessor and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. After all the crafting materials from everyday items mechanic worked organically into the narrative of The Last of Us and it works well here too. The team at Naughty Dog have a,” if it’s not broke don’t fix it” attitude towards this system and that’s fine because for me it wasn’t the gameplay that won me over it was the originals narrative, but we’ll get to that element of this game later.

What has also stayed the same is the combat. You run and gun much like you did in the previous title the only difference is there are a number of new weapons to craft and play around with. My personal favourite is the crossbow an enhanced version of the bow from the first adventure. You can still enhance your skills and there are many options allowing you to craft the best version of your character.

This is the last point at which I will discuss gameplay because I think to fully appreciate this game you have to discuss its narrative and so I will say this final statement before I head into the spoiler zone.

The Last of Us Part II is an enjoyable game for fans of the survival horror genre. The graphics and gameplay are outstanding. it is head and shoulders above others of its kind but it will not win anyone over who is not already a fan. There were some animation issues during my playthrough as well as some rendering problems but they ultimately didn’t take away from my enjoyment.

Of monsters and men

To help you understand my mind going into this final paragraph I will state right now I hadn’t seen any of the leaks when they came out. I had only seen the first trailer and that was it. So my expectations were high, so when I tell you that this game is an emotional gut-punch that never stops delivering on award-worthy storytelling I want you to understand the full weight of that statement.

At first, this is a story of vengeance but as the story goes on you learn how destructive it can be to you and everyone around you and how in the end no one comes out clean. As I trudged through the mud facing off against monstrous hordes of cultists while escaping a rabid militia all I could think about was how all these characters were trying so hard to survive. Everyone has a story and everyone is a hero and a villain to someone in this imperfect world and I loved it.

The Last of Us Part II is a sublime tour de force of visceral and engaging storytelling that is complimented by a robust and addictive combat system. If you are a fan there is no reason not to have this day of release.

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Highly cinematic, the behind the shoulder camera which trails the trailer’s unknown protagonist and her captors as thunder roars the skies above and rain pummels them and the ground below establishes a tense and hostile atmosphere from the get-go. Much has been made of how violent the trailer is and, simply, there is no denying it. While realistic depictions of gratuitous violence have been commonplace in film and television for half a Century now, comparable displays of violence have only emerged in video games very recently as it was impossible for the relatively new medium to do so with the primitive technology and graphical ability of previous generations. In fact, it really wasn’t until the sixth generation of consoles, which emerged at the turn of the millennium that realistic, that the hardware was sufficiently powerful enough to depict convincing visual brutality (it could even be argued that it wasn’t until the seventh generation, the last one before the current generation, that it became truly realistic). What makes the trailer so hard to stomach for most people, I believe, is lack of context.

In film, heinous violence can be rendered bearable to the viewer if it is acceptably contextualised; it’s what separates, albeit brutal, movies like Hacksaw Ridge and Casino from the gore-porn of Saw and Hostel – emotional engagement, morality and quality storytelling. The problem that this trailer faces is that without sufficient narrative context, a woman having her arms broken with a claw-hammer is just, well, a woman having her arms broken with a claw-hammer. The first Last Of Us game was critically acclaimed not because of how violent it was (and it is, as anyone who has played it will tell you, exceptionally violent) but because, among a litany of other redeeming qualities, how it was able to suck the player into its dystopian world, through brilliant storytelling, outstanding scripting and voice acting, and the genuine emotion it evoked. Therefore, just as in Cormack McCarthy’s novel The Road, which is arguably The Last Of Us’ greatest source of inspiration, it is able to deal with uncomfortable themes of murder, starvation, tribalism, the death of children, rape and molestation without coming off as being deliberately antagonist or controversial. It’ll be interesting to see as graphics improve in gaming, becoming more detailed and vibrant if developers will forego quality storytelling in favour of graphical flare and depictions of increasingly graphic violence and death. Some games, in the past, have driven explicit violence to the forefront as the focal point of the experience (such as Manhunt or State of Emergency), and with rare exception – such as the latest seventh instalment in the Resident Evil franchise – it usually highlights a game lacking in any redeemable content or, worse still, overshadows any quality that may exist.

The good news is that, in an industry with a relatively low percentage of casual and passive consumers (when compared to film and music), I cannot see most developers becoming complacent with regards to its software’s other integral elements, one of which is storytelling, by simply relying on using violence as a shock tactic. What’s even better is that this is less likely to occur with The Last of Us Part II. Naughty Dog has, at this point, a rock solid track record and a reputation as one of the best developers in the world to uphold, with the first Last of Us game being one of the brightest jewels in its crown. (A quick side note on the sparseness of the trailer too is that games which tend to have minimalist trailers, or are indifferent to promoting their games at expo’s, usually indicate a developers confidence in their product – just look at Rockstar’s history of cryptic trailers and E3 no-shows.) It will be violent yes, probably the most violent product the studio has ever sold to the masses, but the violence will take place in a beautiful dystopian world, within which a wonderful story is likely to be woven, the chapters of which will be accessible through what is likely to be a masterfully crafted gameplay experience. In context – bloody, glorious context.

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2017-08-21

Out this week exclusively for the PlayStation 4 is the latest entry in the Uncharted series, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Lost Legacy follows on several months after the events of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End this story, however, follows fan favourite Chloe (Claudia Black) and her new partner in crime Nadine (Laura Bailey) fresh off her failure from her run-in with the Drake Brothers. Claudia and Nadine are in India searching for an ancient artifact called The Tusk of Ganesh. They run afoul of Asav (Usman Ally) an Indian warlord, and they have to race against him to find this ancient artifact in the beautiful mountain range of the Western Ghats.

It’s brilliant to see Chloe return after a long departure from the series. Claudia Black has not missed a beat; she still has that effortless charm and razor sharp wit that we all fell in love with when she was introduced in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Nadine is an excellent foil to Chloe, unlike Nathan who came off as a nagging aunt when he was around her. Nadine, on the other hand, doesn’t put up with her particular brand of b******t and it is this dynamic that makes Uncharted: The Lost Legacy such a pleasure to play. The story is top-notch, the exploration of the two characters is fascinating as we learn more about each of their backgrounds and motivations. Lost Legacy also oozes atmosphere, the dark war torn streets of the first act are wonderfully rendered, and you’ll take pause as the rain beats down on the rooftops you traverse. Once the story takes you to the Western Ghats, you’ll be taken aback by the beauty of the scenery. The team at Naughty Dog have truly outdone themselves in this regard.

The gameplay, for the most part, is the usual affair we’ve come to expect from the Uncharted series. You fight baddies with the same fluid combat system, combining square and triangle to beat up your enemies and when that doesn’t work, you’re utilising the many weapons available. Many of the gameplay mechanics we’ve come to enjoy from previous games in the series return, but there is a new addition however that give Chloe’s adventure its own unique identity. Chloe utilises her lock picking skills to break into different areas and to unlock various crates that house weaponry and collectible items. It’s a small change, but it’s much appreciated. As well as the reminiscent gameplay there are moments where the beautiful landscape of the Western Ghats looks all too familiar. Areas and layouts seem almost ripped from, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. It sadly adds a touch of complacency to the design and construction of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. There are also some rendering hiccups, and they momentarily take you out of the experience.

Click to view slideshow.

The puzzles return, and they range from absurdly easy to relatively difficult so they never truly feel like a challenge. Most of them involve moving jigsaw-like pieces around to form an image. There are also puzzles centred around several tokens, and this is an optional quest, and it’s quite enjoyable and is one taken at your leisure.

The real draw of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is its characters and their adventure. The gameplay is familiar but in a warm and welcoming way and with a bombastic and thrilling final act Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is a welcome addition to the Uncharted mythos, and I look forward to seeing the Uncharted Universe expanding even further with all the great characters within it.

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