"Uma relação sólida construída com o tempo, através da compreensão e superação de dificuldades" é a frase que, pra mim, descreve The Last of Us.
E isso não apenas por este ser um elemento chave na história do jogo, mas também porque essa frase, literalmente, descreve a minha experiência com o jogo.
A gameplay que eu achei, inicialmente, repleta de pontos irritantes e com elementos que pareciam desnecessários ou inúteis, com o tempo, e mesmo se mantendo imutável, se tornou uma experiência fantástica e dinâmica que eu simplesmente não queria parar de jogar.

Acho que é desnecessário eu focar aqui em dizer o que todo mundo já sabe, que é o quão maravilhosa é a história do jogo, assim como seus cenários e ambientação, então irei pular direto para a gameplay, que se trata justamente da minha jornada de entendimento do jogo.
Primeiro, vamos ao contexto geral: The Last of Us é um jogo que você precisa gerir muito bem seus recursos, porquê tudo quanto é tipo de situação pode rolar - e dependendo da situação, seus recursos vão se esgotar como água em um único embate.
Em situações Stealth, você não possui nenhuma habilidade extra de locomoção (como Dishonored) e nenhuma arma com silenciador que te permite derrubar inimigos de longe, de maneira precisa, sem alertar ninguém ao mesmo tempo que gastando só uma bala por inimigo (como em Metro). A única arma silenciada que você ganha no jogo é um arco e flecha, que é bem limitado dependendo da situação, distância e mobilidade do inimigo, o que te deixa em um Stealth quase exclusivamente melee, onde derrubar os inimigos silenciosamente é uma ação arriscada que toma alguns segundos... A menos que você utilize alguns recursos, o que, como se deve imaginar, é algo que não temos o luxo de fazer a qualquer momento - e qualquer deslize pode alertar os inimigos, que vão começar a te caçar violentamente. Em situações de batalha a coisa é igualmente complicada pois os inimigos sabem como te flanquear, além de se mexerem que nem umas enguias, o que dificulta economizar balas com headshots.
Esta, meus amigos, é a situação caótica que vai te acompanhar o jogo inteiro e, a menos que você aprenda a lidar com elas, você vai sofrer e gastar todos os seus recursos - e é JUSTAMENTE ISSO que te ensina a lidar com as situações do jogo: SOFRER COM FALTA DE RECURSOS!

The Last of Us possui uma gameplay singular que te faz, independente do costume com outros jogos, acabar jogando ele errado no começo. Isso devido as várias vezes que o jogo te pega de surpresa com a agressividade e letalidade das situações. E o jeito de aprender a jogar certo é caindo em situações de necessidade de recursos (que é uma situação que você vai se encontrar diversas vezes, acredite), que te obrigam a ser criativo, improvisar e utilizar coisas que você antes ignorava. Com isso, junto a determinação de sobreviver, você começa a entender DE VERDADE os diferentes elementos e mecânicas do jogo, assim como a forma correta de manipular eles para ganhar vantagem frente aos inúmeros problemas que te esperam no caminho - o que é FENOMENAL!

Por mim, eu daria 5 estrelas ao jogo fácil, mas infelizmente a versão que joguei (a de PC) sofre com uma quantidade muito alta de crashs súbitos. Pode ser que o jogo feche sozinho no menu, ou carregando o save, ou 5 minutos após carregar o save, ou 5 horas jogo adentro, ou simplesmente não fechar (o que, durante o meu jogo, foi um golpe de sorte que só tive duas vezes). Dando uma lida por aí, vi que sofrer com crashs no PC não é um azar incomum. Há soluções como desabilitar o DLSS ou limitar o FPS, que, dependendo, até ajudam, mas não em definitivo, então vai da sorte ou azar da compatibilidade do jogo com o seu PC.

Mas fora isso, The Last of Us é uma experiência fantástica e marcante que soube trabalhar ao primor todos os seus aspectos e que absolutamente merece ser jogada!

I used to think this game was overrated for the longest time, that being said this game was also on my backlog for the longest time and I had only gotten a few hours in before putting it down for like a year. I picked it back up on a whim this year and became hooked. The gameplay isn't the best in any game ever but it serves the story well and makes every battle feel hard-fought and earned. The main draw here is the story and it is genuinely my pick for the best story ever in a video game. I think the reason I put the game down all those years ago was that nothing really interesting in the story really happened in the first few hours that hooked me, but in this playthrough I got further than I had before and some crazy shit started happening and I just wanted to keep seeing what happened next. This game sucked me in and didn't let go until the very end and that's something that makes a game a true masterpiece to me.

Estou finalmente jogando e finalizando depois de 7 anos. Em 2016 tinha jogado em um PS3 emprestado, não gostei tanto na época e nem cheguei a finaliza-lo, mas jogando hoje em 2023 percebo que realmente é muito bom.

Gostei muito de como Joel e Ellie vão se aproximando, é muito orgânico e sutil, a jornada é muito emocionante e cativante com diálogos muito bons. Todos os personagens que aparecem, mesmo os que tem pouco tempo de tela são marcantes, são muito bem trabalhados na trama, o meu favorito foi Bill, simplesmente adoro esse personagem. O final, apesar de deixar um gosto amargo, é absurdo. A ambientação pós apocalíptica é incrível, até nos dias de hoje é difícil ver jogos com esse tema capricharem tanto nesse quesito, as mecânicas e os gráficos são de cair o queixo.

As coisas que me desagradaram foram poucas: Primeiramente o PÉSSIMO port pra PC, que fez o meu jogo crashar umas 50 vezez(sem exagero) e gerou alguns bugs durante a gameplay, chegando a desanimar de jogar as vezes. Outra coisa que não me agradou tanto foi a parte da neve, a cena final é muito emocionante e um dos melhores clímax do jogo, mas aquela ''boss fight'' achei muito forçada e sem sentido, fora esses 2 detalhes, gostei de tudo no jogo.

Revisitar TLOU foi uma das melhores decisões que tomei, mesmo que tenha sido bem desconfortável joga-lo no PC.

Good lord, what a game!

I'm not going to be able to express much here that hasn't already said. Naughty Dog seemingly fumbled through the first two or three Uncharted games before hitting gold with the original release of The Last of Us, and this remaster only serves to elevate the excellence. Seriously, look at some side-by-side images or videos and tell me that shit ain't positively remarkable.

It's genuinely impressive how well I could get this to run while still looking great on my potato-esque PC. The sound design, which I understand was extensively overhauled from the original release, is perhaps some of the best I've personally encountered in a game. It was so accurate that I rarely found myself having to use the "Listening Mode" when engaging in stealth. Just really cool.

Looking forward to a release of The Last of Us Part II on PC!

One of the most pointless things Sony has ever done, The Last Of Us Part 1 exists purely as a way for Naughty Dog to squeeze the last remaining cash from the rabid fan base (until Factions comes out if ever lol).

First things first I'd like to talk about is how The Last Of Us holds up nearly a decade later. Playing after the HBO Adaption (which is alright but I prefer the game) has definitely clouded things but I came out of it enjoying the experience despite how dated it felt. This is mainly because of just how solid the story is and how phenomenal all the performances were (again carried directly from the PS3 original). As an actual game though time has not been kind to TLOU with really shit level design and borderline retarded AI that can be gamed way too easily. Also forgot just how bad the quiet time in this game was, with way too many sections require the same ladder/plank of wood to cross a bridge scenario that tires really quick. Left Behind is also included in the main package which is a solid expansion if incredibly short at just about an hour of actual content. Definitely on the weaker echelon of Naughty Dog games (only UC1/3 are worse) but not a bad game at all.

Where everything comes falling apart is how Part 1 stands as a REMAKE. For 70 fucking dollars you're getting the same game with spruced up graphics (which personally looks worse) and mechanics from 2 except not really. Biggest changes I saw were the AI being more aggressive which I thought would make the game harder but it actually made Hard mode feel like easy (except in the final few encounters) because of seemingly how much ammo the game gives you as a way to compensate. Literally everything else is the same which means the enemy variety and level design that made Part 2 a solid experience aren't here in this SEVENTY DOLLAR REMAKE. Another thing sadly missing is the Factions mode in its entirety, which is really depressing since it's easily the best part of Remastered and would've added much needed value to this scam of a remake. It's absolutely insane that ND and Sony decided this would be worth a premium price point and stand head to toe with something like Demons Souls Remake (which while flawed I would easily recommend over since it actually has ALL ITS FUCKING CONTENT REMADE). Not sure where to put this but the PC Port is also one of the worse, with constant stuttering on Low w/DLSS Performance and graphics that constantly glitched out.

Under no circumstances can I recommend this absolute sham of a product. If you really want to play TLOU on PS5 I'd just recommend the far FAR superior Remaster for cheaper (and it has the Factions MP for added value). Here's hoping Factions turns out fine because if ND is releasing shit like this I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

4/10

’The Last Of Us’ is an incredibly confusing game for me to put my thoughts into because it's one of those titles that is really close to being amazing to me, but just falls short due to some significant issues I have with it. I don’t even have a lot of negatives, it is just the ones I have are very important to me. I’ll state now that this will be a more traditional look at ’The Last Of Us’ and it won’t be specifically talking about this remake and how it compares to the original alone, although there will be a paragraph dedicated to how it compares to the remastered counterpart (as I have not played the original PS3 version of the game). I also feel I should mention that this is the only Naughty Dog game I have played, although I do plan on checking out the ’Uncharted’ series very soon.

The biggest fault this game has is it feels conflicted in whether it wants to be a game with tense, difficult combat or a game where you don’t do much besides hold forward. It is paced pretty poorly because of this. The games combat sections are usually paced with walk and talk moments that last an incredibly long time or a “puzzle” of moving a certain item to another area that tends to be ten feet apart anyways. I wish they did a bit more to spice things up or focused on a certain style similar to ’Resident Evil 4’ or ’Dear Esther’ instead of switching between thirty minutes of action game then thirty minutes of walking simulator.

The combat itself though is actually pretty fantastic. Mind you, I played on hard difficulty as well as never used the listen mode and saved melee for last resorts mostly as I felt for me, those mechanics made the game a bit too easy. That’s something I do enjoy about some of the features. You can avoid most of the things that make the game easier and it feels completely natural. It’s nice to have something that can make the game more accessible for people who want an easier experience without making it a necessity. There is one thing that doesn’t follow this rule though which is how the sprinting animation changes between when you are in combat and when you are out of it. It ends up being this little tell of knowing you are safe or not which ruins some of the tension of the combat encounters.

There are two different encounters that you will run into. Ones that contain zombies and others that will be with normal humans. They both are executed well. With the humans, I never got good at fully stealthing past all of them so I would just go for a crazy fight and that was always pretty fun. They’re pretty smart too! Some of them will stay behind cover to distract me as another guy flanks me. I felt I constantly had to make sure every corner of me was safe. The zombies I would always attempt stealthing as their quick and odd movement made it hard for me to shoot. Especially since the clickers are blind and can only hear, so it’s made to be stealth encounters usually. Although it does get interesting when they combine normal zombies with the clickers. I will say also that playing the DLC after made me wish the base game had encounters with both humans and zombies, but I’ll talk more about that when I cover the DLC.

You’ll pretty much for the entire game have some sort of npc companion to help you. They don’t have limited ammo and can only die whenever they are grabbed and you haven't saved them in time. They also can’t be seen whenever you are trying to be stealthy which is helpful. I wonder if there was ever at some point an idea to include online co-op? It was a trend at the time with games like ’Resident Evil 5’, ’F.E.A.R. 3’, and ’Dead Space 3’ going this direction. I’m curious if ’The Last Of Us’ was going to have this feature at some point because it kind of feels built around that idea.

The gunplay does a lot to increase the difficulty of the combat in the game. The aiming I never felt I had a whole grasp of which did a lot to never make me feel too powerful. The game gives you plenty of weapons to use and all of them feel useful so I ended up switching between them constantly. This is cool because switching between some weapons will make you have to dig in your backpack for a second and switch between them which can be super tense. Especially since ammo is super limited, this was something I had to constantly worry about and that made combat so much more memorable for me.

Speaking of limited resources, this game is very hit or miss with it. It attempts to do it and is successful with the limit of ammo, but mostly everything else you can craft which just makes it way easier. The items you craft you won’t find much at all in the world either so you have to craft them which is pretty disappointing. I found myself swarmed in materials more than not, but the items you do have to find in the world are scarce. Enemies do drop items, but it is such a rare case similar to ’The Evil Within’ that it never became something I expected to get.

The exploration is okay. The game is incredibly linear with the occasional side path to small areas. I did feel disappointed sometimes when I was thrown into a huge environment and I didn’t get to explore much of it, but I’m not necessarily surprised by this. It is nice how the characters will mention something if you’re going the “story progression way” so if there hasn’t been something you’ve explored, you can do it now. There isn't much to do besides collect items and solve very minimal puzzles which is lame, but I guess it’s something.

I feel a lot of those issues that I have come from the fact that ’The Last Of Us’ is a very cinematic game. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as I do love these types of experiences, but I feel ’The Last Of Us’ is conflicted. It feels less like a video game made to be a cinematic experience, but like an idea for a show that they ended up turning into a game. It feels hesitant to push the game aspect of it outside of combat, yet the combat itself is very gamey. It also suffers from having a QTE for every insignificant action like opening a door. I don’t mind QTEs for major set pieces, but I never understood why it was used for such simple parts. It’s not like it’s more immersive considering I have a giant flashing button on my screen telling me to spam it.

To mention some of the stronger aspects of the game. I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I think it is well written and the things they went for worked well. It isn’t the most original or unique tale, but I find its execution, especially with the characters, excellent. The voice acting is superb which elevates the emotions you will have towards a character due to how realistic the performances are. I don’t think there was a single one that felt out of place or didn’t have as much love put into it. You can tell all around everyone who worked on them really cared about bringing these characters to life and I see it as successful. I won’t get too deep into themes or anything because I never want to spoil an experience and I know some people want to go in as blind as possible and although the story may not be the most special thing ever written, it’s well told enough that it makes me understand why so many people hold it very dear to them and I feel it is something worth experiencing to see if it clicks with you too.

The presentation of ’The Last Of Us’ is quite phenomenal as well… mostly. The sewer location wasn’t the most interesting for me although there were some rooms that were cool there. The office locations weren’t the best either, but most of these environments that weren’t that strong tended to be very dark which definitely ramped up the tension for the zombie encounters so they did have something going for them. Other than that, you’ll see an almost entirely abandoned world where nature begins to take over the buildings and roads that people have built. It gives a feeling of loneliness that you and Ellie are the only ones here and that the rest of the world is gone. Obviously, that’s not true, you fight plenty of normal people throughout the game, but being lost just staring as the grass and trees take everything back made me forget about that, even if it was just for a moment. There has been issues for a very long while now of games sacrificing the actual art design of the world in favor of photo realism, but I feel ’The Last Of Us’ does a very good job at not sacrificing any interesting art. It also runs well now which is cool. I know the PC port was pretty shitty when the game first came out, but they’ve fixed it a ton since then. The game did crash on me once, but it was only one time and I never figured out what caused that to happen.

This is a remake, but don’t think of it as a completely new experience or anything. It is the same game that came out a decade ago with very few quality of life improvements, slight HUD change, more accessibility options, and a graphical upgrade. It’s not even similar to the ’Resident Evil’ or ’Dead Space’ remakes. It adds nothing really new and doesn’t cut anything out (well except the online lol). That is the most important thing to know about this remake so you can make up your mind whether that is worth the price tag or not. Visually, the game does slightly differentiate itself. The remake can look a bit more washed out of color which I am not sure how I feel about. I think both styles work well enough. The lighting is absolutely fantastic in the remake. The face models do look a little different from the originals, but it wasn’t an entire overhaul or anything. They just touched up on it a little. There is one thing the remake adds being a speedrun mode. This basically gives an in game timer on your screen and will pause at cinematics and loading screens and I thought this was really cool! I used to speedrun and livesplit can be a pain in the ass so this was pretty dope to see.

’The Last Of Us’ I feel has the potential to be so much more, but just misses the mark. It has a well told story, decent combat, an interesting world, yet is all held back by the confused mess of what kind of video game it wants to be, if one at all. I do recommend it, it is a game people adore and I am one person out of those who are a bit more harsh on it, but it still is an enjoyable experience and I would say it is worth trying.

"I guess no matter how hard you try, you can’t escape your past..."

God this one hit hard.

While I have yet to play The Last Of Us Part 2, or the first game before, this game's story has been unmissable due to its impact on internet culture. Hell even though I spoiled myself many years ago and watched Markiplier's play-through of the game, it still managed to hit so fucking hard.

To start, the game is incredibly cinematic. But not in a over-the-top bombastic way, rather a reserved and emotional way. More than anything else, the developers wanted to tell you a story, and I was sooo down.

The Last Of Us's acting is phenomenal. This is one of the few games I've played where I feel like almost every actor could've earned an award for their performances. But Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson easily stole the show.

The writing for this game was amazing as well. While it was difficult for me to block out the spoilers I've been exposed to for the second game, I still found so much nuance in this game's story and dialogue.
Even if the second game was never made, Jole and Ellie would feel like fully realized characters. All of the credit goes to Neil Druckmann and all the lovely people who worked on this game.

As for the gameplay, I actually really liked it. In many ways it felt like a much faster Resident Evil 2. Limited ammo and supplies, and lots of scary enemies that need to die. While the combat took me a while to get the hang of (fuck the clickers), once I started playing aggressively I was mowing through EVERYBODY

But yeah, this game is a MUST PLAY, and I can't wait to try out Part 2

I love this game, no ifs, ands or buts, I just love it. We could go on a spiel about its drastic impact on the gaming industry, whether it was negative or positive, but that’d take us back to that games as art debate that got old and tired really quick. Getting it out of the way, they are art, there’s no point in frolicking about trying to find the answer. It’s right there, please curtail that redundancy in the entertainment area. This game did not bring the advent of good storytelling in games, it’s been there years before this game was even in the concept stages. Games have had good stories since at least the fifth generation, and you can go further back. This game has a good story, just like all the other games with good stories.

It’s a great game, and even greater than the sum of its parts. It deserves its accolades even if some of it feels misplaced or derisive of gaming at large. Y’now what? I don’t just love this game, I ADORE it, especially Part I, since it fixed all the issues I had with the gameplay of vanilla, but please, will everyone just shut the fuck up? Console warriors, naysayers, the “Sony just makes movie games” crowd, snobbish games journalists, twitter hoes. Thank you. As for the remake(ster) in question:

Vanilla has brain rot AI that barely functions as intended unless you’ve cranked up the difficulty to grounded, but even then, grounded lives up to its name, and it’s not fun. Part I not only remedied that, and just looks downright better, but it also has a new movement engine, new animations, and seamless gameplay to cutscene transitions, in turn making what’s basically the same game but somehow much better. It’s the little things. It’s not worth the asking price, but it’s at least worth half of it with how much effort they put into it, which is what I spent on it thank dog for years of unused in-store credit.

Post facto:

Rest in peace Annie Wersching, you gave a stand-out performance and this game wouldn’t have been the same without it.

Still to this day, one of the greatest stories told in any video game....

As I completed my 5th playthrough, (2x PS3, 2x PS4 (Remastered), and 1x (Remake). This game has seriously stood the test of time. The Last of Us Part 1 on PS5 is the definitive way to play the game nowadays but I wouldn't bar anyone who has access to it on PS3 or PS4 as the Story remains the same and most of the combat elements. The AI certainly feels like a slight improvement as they feel more "real" and strategize really well to where Joel is when he is hiding but they make it a fair but challenging endeavor unlike the previous versions of the game where they would just randomly walk to places. Graphics and audio are where this remake shines. It uses what seems to be the Last of us Part 2 tech and just makes it so pretty and visceral where it needs to be. Also not to mention it has accessibility features which are not present in the older versions of the game as far as I can remember.

The story is honestly one of the best in gaming. I am sure this sounds like a broken record but there is a reason they adapted this game into a tv show. With that it proves that video game storytelling has much to offer. Very emotional and still packs a punch even after 5 playthroughs and 10 years later.

Overall, I think the Last of us Part 1 is a great standalone experience. One of the best in gaming. Now the elephant in the room is should you buy it for full price. In my opinion, if you have not played the last of us at all and only have seen the show. Absolutely. Worth the price of admission albeit there is no multiplayer but there is the expansion "Left behind" included. If you have played the PS4 or PS3 version of the game, I would say wait for a sale or even have someone gift it to you or even borrow it from a friend to get that itch out of the way. I was gifted this game during Christmas and I was still pretty stoked to play it all things considered. It looks so pretty with the new tech and I was hooked from beginning to end I did not leave disappointed even being familiar with the gameplay and mechanics the game offers. There is a ton of extras such as a Cutscene commentary and comparing the original screenshots from 2013 to the 2023 game. Very nice little extras that I am barely touching the surface on. (NG+, Custom Difficulties, Skins, Models). Certified Hood Classic at the end of the day!

"After all we've been through, everything that I've done... it can't be for nothing."

While maybe not classified as a "remake" in every sense of the word, it's still a pretty justifiable rendition of one and a really good one at that. I really loved the Remastered version of this game specifically and have played it a ton since my first playthrough, but Part I hits really different and honestly dethrones Remastered as the preferred way to play the first game in all it's glory.

Obviously, nothing has really changed in the narrative department as everything was used as originally recorded and intended, it's more the focus on the gameplay and visuals that make this game worthwhile over the original and Remastered versions of the game. While I agree at some points, the price is a tall ask for a game that already exists twice over, I also feel like the money was worth it, especially for newcomers which it is honestly justifiably more aimed towards?

In any case, the quality of life is so much better in this than in the previous versions. I especially loved how much more emotional everything felt with the updated character models and facial expressions that far exceed the calibre of what the PS3 version and the Remaster were able to achieve. Things just feel much more real and grounded, a lot more personal than before, I don't think I can even touch the original versions anymore after this because, as it once did, it no longer has that emotional punch you get with these high detailed cutscenes and environments.

It's also way less buggy than before, I always found some bugs in my playthroughs, could be because I was pushing the game to it's limit on higher difficulties, but still, there shouldn't be any bugs fullstop. Safe to say, Part I was absolutely bug free in that department, even more so on Survivor difficulty which I did this playthrough on.

I mean, sure, it's not Part II level gameplay. There's no dodge or prone. A lot of people had an issue with this, but it actually makes sense. You can only change so much before the level design starts to feel a bit too different to what you remember. I completely see where Naughty Dog is coming from when they say the dodging mechanics could add to that issue (although there were some close combat instances where I really wish I could have just fucking dodged) and as for proning, well... the levels aren't really designed with that in mind. When you look at Part II, there are so many obvious options indicating you to prone. Like through grass, under trucks, in small spaces and the like, however, that was not the case here and it would be silly to add a mechanic that just... wouldn't really be used without drastically changing things about the levels themselves.

Haptic feedback was a real game changer for this title, it was like re-experiencing the whole thing all over again with an added layer of immersiveness which immensely contributes to the fact that the original versions might not hold up as well to me anymore in the gameplay department.

Overall, it's great and definitely worth your money, maybe not as much if you technically already own it, but get it on sale and you'll never go back.

An incredible story that made me wish I was doing anything but playing it.

The Last of Us is often heralded as one of the greatest games of all time, so needless to say my expectations were quite high upon starting the game. And in some aspects, these expectations were met! The story in The Last of Us is brilliantly written with incredible themes not explored enough in AAA games. However, as beautiful and deep as the story and its underlying themes are everything else surrounding the game is about as shallow as a puddle.

For a game with such a mature and thought-provoking story the puzzles and stealth in The Last of Us boil down to "find a ladder that's five feet in front of you" or "you COULD sneak past these guys it's just incredibly annoying and way less fun plus we'll still shower you with enough ammo anyway". Moments like these frankly felt insulting considering how deep the characters of Joel and Ellie are written and yet I'm never challenged to think when playing as them. It got to the point where the actual game felt like a mindless chore just to get to the cutscenes that would actively challenge my perception, and when these cutscenes ended I would always end at the same conclusion- why am I wasting my time with this game when I could just be watching the TV show?

This game feels as if it's embarrassed to be a videogame with its puzzles that never actively challenge the player or combat that plays out more like a movie. This is such a shame considering it houses such an engrossing story, I just wish everything else surrounding it was treated with that same level of thought.

It’s hard to review this version of this game as it’s pretty much the definitive version (sans multiplayer) of what’s considered an already amazing game.

But realistically this didn’t need to exist.

Sure this looks absolutely amazing, I’m not going to contest that there are improvements, it’s still an incredible game that everyone should try and play. But attempting to charge current-gen full price again is insane behaviour.

I made sure to only get this game if I could pay as little as possible for it, and thankfully I managed to get it for 75% off. I think for first time players who can get it cheap, sure buy this. But for the price it’s at, I’d still just recommend the remaster that’s sitting pretty cheap in the PS Store.

Nowadays, it seems like going anywhere near The Last of Us inspires a hotbed of hot takes, from folks calling its storytelling trite and its gameplay bland to those who boldly claim that it's the greatest thing to ever happen to video games as a medium. Are either of these views correct? I mean, that's perhaps up for debate, though I'd certainly argue that they're both hyperbolic.

However, with the HBO adaptation bringing home 8 Emmys and this new 'Part I' remake taking cues from Part II's gameplay and high-fidelity visuals, it's clear that the franchise has cultural staying power. What's most interesting to me, however, is how these two things have altered my opinion of the first game as a whole.

Despite the truncated length of the first season in comparison to the first game, there are certain changes and contextual additions that the HBO show makes to the story that I prefer. From certain details in character backstories and relationships to different nuances of the performances in comparison to their original actors, it's a case-by-case, scene-by-scene preference between the two for me.

That's not to imply that the game's story or performances are bad by any stretch; far from it. I suppose that's just bound to be the case when a new team approaches the same story a decade later. The narrative and performances of 2013's The Last of Us are still incredibly strong and emotionally resonant, well deserving of the various praise and accolades it's accrued over the years.

The remake only amplifies that, with the original motion capture performances being replicated 1:1 in-game thanks to the updated in-house engine Naughty Dog used for Part II. It's incredibly impressive visually and captivating to watch, yet somehow still without feeling too 'uncanny valley'.

Weirdly enough, though, it's this remake's gameplay that gives me pause in showering it with praise. To be clear, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Part I just takes Part II's upgraded UI, animations, and certain gameplay features, like a more in-depth-looking workbench menu, and retroactively applies them to the original. The result is very impressive and fun to play around with; however, it's not quite enough to justify a full-price purchase without any kind of upgrade path with a copy of the PS4 remaster.

Regardless, Part I is still an incredibly solid package and its improvements to the original are all very impressive. Perhaps not enough to charge full-price but at this point, Sony is as Sony does. Should you play the remake over the PS4 remaster? That's up to you, of course, but if you're willing to put up with the objectively inferior visuals of the PS4 remaster, I would highly suggest you give that a chance instead.

8.5/10

Even after all this time this games emotional beats still hit hard, if not harder, than when it first released, especially with the release of Part 2 and everything we know that happens in that game. It really adds a whole new perspective to the ending and the weight of Joels decision, and Ellies relationship to him in the sequel.

There was a lot of discussion on the neccesity and pricing of the remake, some of which I agree with, but after experiencing it first hand I can fully say it was worth it. It's drop dead gorgeous (and some iffy performance on PC which has been mostly ironed out) just brings so much more life to these characters and the world.

Hey gamers


I mean, what is there to say? It's my favourite video game of all time made even better with this, uh, remaster².


Ellie is probably my favourite character in any piece of media. I love watching her and Joel's relationship grow throughout the game. The dialogue and characters are so well-written. It looks amazing, it's packed with emotional gut punches everywhere, Gustavo's music is one of my all-time favourite scores.


I haven't even gotten tired of the gameplay all these years later. I like walking around and collecting things; I grew up playing LEGO Star Wars, after all. I adore the slow paced, strategic gunplay, and the combat environments have so many pathways and directions that I'm still discovering unique ways to tackle each skirmish over 10 playthroughs later. Some of these encounters get so incredibly tense, and your victories become even more satisfying because of it. I'll never forget those two grounded runs.


This newest version is, in nearly every way, an improvement. I mean, it plays and looks better, obviously. It's basically just putting the first game into the engine of the second one, and this upgrades the game in many ways: smooth transitions from gameplay to cinematics, unique workbench animations, and better collectible inspection. The thing I found the most impressive was the overhaul of the facial animations. I do miss the jump, dodge, and prone mechanics from the second game as a result, and I kept trying to instinctually use them, but I realize that these environments weren't built to accommodate them in the first place - well, maybe not the jump and prone, but they could've included the dodge. As for the DualSense usage, the trigger resistance wasn't anything above the average use of them, but the vibration was. It's probably the most I've gotten out of it since Astro's Playroom.


This version of the game is the best way to experience The Last of Us, but only if you're on either extreme of the spectrum of "I haven't played it yet" or "I already love the game and have played it several times". If you've only played it once or twice and still have the PS3/4 copy laying around, you're better off saving your money and sticking with that one for the time being.


Also, Naughty Dog, please put the smoke bombs back underneath the molotovs in the weapon cross, thanks.