TLOU: Remastered – No Upgrade Discount, Photo Mode Day 1 Patch & Stunning New Screenshots & Details
The release of The Last of Us: Remastered for the PS4 is less than a week away. While some fans question its early re-release, it’s a game that’s being released both for those that jumped ship from Xbox to Playstation with the new generation consoles that may have missed the original release and for returning fans wanting to play an even better version of the game that they already love.
TLOU: Remastered will offer improved visuals running at a gorgeous 1080p and 60fps, though you do have the option to lock it at 30fps (which won’t be an option I’ll be utilising). It will have improved audio, have DVD-like director commentary from the cast and developers of Naughty Dog, not to mention all the previously released PS3 DLC that includes Left Behind. Though as you will find out in this article, there may be even more DLC on the cards.
So let’s start with that extra and unexpected DLC that may be released in the near future. The chances are that it will be multiplayer content, but depending on the sales success of TLOU: Remastered, Naughty Dog might even be tempted to support it with further DLC down the line.
Coming from a Spanish journalist by the name of Javi Andre’s, he apparently attended an event in which a slide presentation was given that revealed further details (some we already knew about) for TLOU: Remastered, which of course included that potential DLC. The images were tweeted on his Twitter account, but for the benefit of image clicking, I’ll list his finding below.
The Last of Us: Remastered will include:
- 1080p/60fps in singleplayer and multiplayer
- Texture maps are 4x more detailed, shadow maps 2x
- Higher resolution particle effects
- Occlusion mapping on decals
- No texture streaming
- Longer draw distances, better level of detail
- Expanded Audio menu options
- Lock frame rate at 30fps
- Swap trigger and thumbstick controls
- DualShock 4 – Touch Pad, Light Bar and Speaker functions
- All major add-on content including – Abandoned Territories (MP), Reclaimed Territories (MP) and Left Behind (SP)
- Ground difficulty setting
- Cinematic commentary with Neil Druckmann, Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson
- All add-on content is Cross-Buy between PS3 and PS4
- Additional add-on releases planned for 2014
It has also been revealed that TLOU: Remastered will have a day one patch that will add a photo mode, similar to that of Infamous: Second Son. Now I know you can share images via the Share button on the DualShock 4, but the photo mode offers a free-roaming camera, not to mention various filters and more. This was revealed via an article from Polygon when speaking to Naughty Dog community strategist Eric Monacelli.
Here’s what Monacelli had to say on this feature:
If that wasn’t enough The Last of Us: Remastered goodness for you, then the folks over at the Playstation Blog got some hands-on time with the game, in which they not only reported their thoughts, but also revealed some stunning new screenshots taken directly from the game. The PS3 version of The Last of Us is already a visual stunner in its own right, but I don’t think even these screenshots can really do TLOU: Remastered justice, compared to what the game might look like when we get to play it in around a week’s time.
Below are those all new screenshots, as well as the thoughts from those that went hands-on at the Playstation Blog.
With The Last of Us Remastered’s PS4 release just weeks away (July 29th), I dove into a pre-release version of the game to see exactly how Naughty Dog is leveraging PS4’s hardware to upgrade last year’s biggest Game of the Year winner.
First, there’s the immediately noticeable bump in native screen resolution. The jump from 720p (PS3) to native 1080p (PS4) gives the visuals a major shot in the arm. The crisp new presentation banishes those nasty jaggies to the margins, while higher resolution environment textures adorn the lovingly crafted post-apocalyptic environments.
But the kicker is the new framerate. I’ll admit to being at least a bit sceptical on hearing that Naughty Dog would target a smoother, more fluid 60 frames per second for The Last of Us Remastered. I wondered whether it would add a distracting layer of artificiality, that it might somehow interfere with the game’s cinematic look and feel. Luckily, based on my hands-on experiences at a recent media event in New York City, those concerns feel entirely unwarranted. Played at the higher framerate, The Last of Us Remastered has a silky smooth feel that makes aiming and camera control feel more responsive and natural.
Conveniently, the PS4 version was shown side-by-side with the original PS3 game. Curious, I picked up the DualShock 3 and panned the camera around for a few seconds, before hastily switching right back to Remastered. It’s nice to see that Naughty Dog is giving players the choice to lock TLOUR to 30 frames per second — which PlayStation.Blog’s own Ryan Clements currently favours — but for me it’s 60 FPS or bust, no contest. I suspect this one will boil down to personal preference.
Then there are a slew of subtler visual details. Lighting quality has received a boost, with improved shadow detail. Joel and Ellie’s in-game character models also look more detailed, sporting higher resolution textures that allowed me to see the fabric weave in Joel’s filthy flannel shirt. The 1080p presentation also helped me spot subtle visual details I’d never noticed in the original PS3 version, like the way tiny streams of blood trickle down Joel’s arm when he’s injured, or how rats weave erratically through garbage-strewn ruins.
The gameplay remains unchanged, though the higher framerate does lend a feeling of increased responsiveness. The most notable difference is that the L2 and R2 triggers now control aiming and firing — and yep, you can switch back to the classic L1 and R1 controls if that floats your boat.
Though I didn’t get a chance to try out the multiplayer mode (a personal favourite), the campaign is looking mighty promising. The Last of Us Remastered will come complete with all previously released DLC, including the excellent story chapter Left Behind. And at a reduced price of $50, it’s a good bet for new PS4 owners who missed out on one of the best games of the generation, or seasoned TLOU veteran’s eager for another dose of Joel and Ellie.
Sadly we do have some bad news for those that had hoped for a discount when upgrading from the PS3 to the PS4 version of the game. In the comments section of the Playstation Blog (as linked above) SCE’s Fred Dutton responded to a question being asked by a fan, Fred replied “Alas, there is no upgrade discount.”
Though hopefully I can help you out by saving you a little money (for the UK at least),as GameStop UK are currently selling The Last of Us: Remastered for £29.97, which is the cheapest that I’ve found. They also have a trade-in offer that results in you paying £9.97 when parting with a selected game, and of course it also comes with the bonus Day One DLC.
The Last of Us: Remastered will release for the PS4 on July 29th in North America and August 1st across Europe.