The Last of Us is one of the best experiences that an fellow player can have, the solid gameplay mechanics, outstanding writing and world-building, phenomenal soundtrack, it's an special game and an one of kind experience.

in terms of this remake though, yeah it's totally useless. the visuals definitely got improved but that was the bare minimum, the actual features are disappointing, the only new thing that this has over the original PS3 release or PS4 Remaster that directly affects gameplay is the animation, things like the weapon upgrade bench, Joel checking up lore notes or the way he interacts with the enviroment is definitely better, I am an animation junkie and seeing those details being more realized here made me happy but for the value of 70 dollars though? this alone doesn't make it worth it. what about including the prone mechanic featured on Part 2, blocking and dodging attacks, more cut content maybe? there is not an single new addition in terms of game modes, the multiplayer got canned too.

the visuals were already masterful back on the PS3, of course it's better here but I can't deny that I liked the art direction as it was before, character designs are often better in their previous version as well.

the PC port is in an better state than before, I played on Steam Deck and had a few frame dips but overall an okay experience.

overall I will give the rating based on the game, this re-release though it's not worth it, stick to the PS4 Remaster, the art direction is better and the price point is wayy cheaper, you will get basically the same game without the extra visual fidelity and the multiplayer included.

fantastic writing and message, Arthur Morgan is one of the best characters in any media and that's not counting the rest of this game's cast, for an storyline perspective this whole game is extremely rewarding and compelling, what a ride. enjoyable combat and exploration, the game world feels alive/immersive and activities like hunting or fishing enhances that feeling perfectly, finely crafted on these details.

the missions are extremely restrictive and rigid on their design, almost all of them consists of following an NPC around, the classic Rockstar Games trope of mashing or holding A to accompany them and listen to endless dialogues until the player reaches their destination which usually culminates on an shooting gallery, repeat that for 60 hours and you got Red Dead 2's whole campaign gameplay. the movement is pretty clunky, taking cover is an pain in the ass and taking turns is just as bad, it's reliance on slow burn animations to every action that the player wants to do are all huge problems, definitely prefer the snappiness of the first game in comparison.

there are some undercooked mechanics too such as the health, energy and Dead Eye cores could have been more fleshed out, maybe some more needs such as hunger or thrist would have made more sense I imagine. the Van Der Linde camp mechanic is also equally useless, there is no consequences if you want to help or not, upgrades doesn't seem to do any difference aside from fast travel, I would say to unlock this and never bother with the mechanic at all.

the game does suffer an drop on writing quality once you reach Guarma, it's not an bad section but it's overall uninteresting compared to any previous and future story arcs, feel like they should have gone more crazy about it or just cut it entirely in favor of something else, the whole buildup to this chapter feels very rushed.

even with these problems I can't deny that this is an overall brilliant game, it deserves this rating, the story and character writing makes the experience worthwhile and that's not counting the immersive open-world and fun side activities, the combat is enjoyable enough for those seeking an solid third person shooter. look for varied activities if you want to enjoy this though, I can't imagine someone blasting through this game's whole storyline that easily reach up to 60 hours without getting tired.