'The Last of Us: Part I' - A Skeptical Review 

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Quick turn around is literally one of the first things you do in first last of us. It’s not a gameplay element added from TLOU2. Just thought I’d mention that.

One of the main arguments I’ve seen made for not having dodge and prone is that part 1 was not designed with those mechanics in mind so they would have to go back and rework a bunch of level design to make it fit in. Kind of like what they would do if it was a remake.... oh wait, it is.

The mirror in her room is not Ray traced, it's just a camera pointing out from the angle of the mirror, then it's rendered and applied as a texture to the mirror surface. This is the way reflections were done in games for a really long time.

That guy being blown apart with the shotgun feels like a most realistic depiction of the fourth rank of the Blood Mess perk in Fallout 4.

Joel’s daughters reflection in the screen door is actually in the ps3 version too, I was so blown away at the time that I played that actually stuck out for me. It’s a very low resolution reflection but still very cool for attempting at least.

I’m overall really impressed by the graphics and everything , but for the moment I don’t feel like getting it for full price again . I’m just not very excited about paying 70 bucks for a game that I’ve already played soooo many times before .

Maybe I am a loser but this remake actually blew my mind and reignited my love for this game and I think it was a very worthy 70$ for me

We need more games that pushes gore like this, I'm tired of shooters games scaring away from gore and blood.

At that price, they should have bundled it with Part 2.

So let me get this straight: Crash Bandicoot N'sane Trilogy / Spyro Reignited Trilogy - remakes of over 20 year old trilogies, with new voices and osts, bonus levels and improved gameplay - 40$ Final Fantasy 7 Remake / Resident Evil 2 Remake - a total reimagining of the original, over 20 year old games, with new gameplay, music and voices, making it a new experience without making original games obsolete - 60$ Mass Effect Legendary Edition - a whole trilogy, with all DLCs, better graphics, and improved gameplay - 60$ The Last of Us. Part 1 - new models + one DLC - 70$

There are a few inconsistencies in what he said about the bow and glass breaking: the bow reticle can be switched in the HUD settings and you can break glass in certain levels and areas - just depends on where you are.

I've been playing through this game and Ellie still runs into the field of view of human enemies. What in the hell does this tell us about the so called AI improvement? This game isn't built from the ground up. Its actually a play on words.

my dude got a code and still gave it a stern review. good job, luke. for me, no prone and dodging are the worst sins; those two changes alone would convince me to replay part 1, since they made part 2 so much better for me. EDIT: oh and you forgot to mention if the enemies scream out each other's names when they die. judging from the state of things, i'm guessing that they don't.

I played the remaster on the PS4 Pro and really enjoyed it. I loved the story, but spending $70 more on the same story isn't something I'll be doing.

I honestly believe game developers suffer the same issue as if you wrote out a research paper. You don’t notice the spots that obviously need improvements or think adding something extra is unnecessary but when having a second eye read your paper for the first time, they see what needs to be added in a necessary way and then everything just makes more sense and now your paper is more interesting and thrilling to read.

Same story, whole different gaming experience. People forget how dated the remaster is, the gameplay is just as phenomenal as part 2 now

I appreciate that alot of work went into this but there is nothing that is going to change the fact that this is the same game. They didn't have to go through years of story boarding to write a new story, didn't need to pay Voice actors and write a script again, didn't have to desighn the areas from the ground up and didn't have to throw 5+years at it to make it happen Why is £70 (more than it cost a decade ago) justifiable for this product.

I agree with everything you have said, you absolutely nailed it. If the price was $40 I could over look 99% of the lack of additions but at $70 forget it Sony.

It took 15+ versions of Skyrim till people complained.

Overall, I find the the graphics upgrade to be amazing, I love a lot of the changes they made in the facial expressions. Much like you Luke I am also upset they didn’t bring over dodge and prone over from tlou2. Now one thing I also liked was the weapons upgrade. I really loved that system from part 2 so much I nerd over it every time I played through it. I think it’s a system that needs to be implemented into most games. But I really liked how they utilized the tools and combined that with the same upgrade system they had in part 2. Best idea they had. If they are going to make a part 3. They need this this system.

To be honest, I’m impressed with how great everything looks. It’s my favorite game of all time and I would’ve loved to pay $10 for the ps5 upgrade. But to try to charge me $70 to play the game again is just a slap in the face. Improved graphics, enemy/buddy AI, and accessibility features are not worth more than the original game. Some of the people defending the $70 price tag talked shit about rockstar releasing gta5 for the 3rd time and I’ve found that fucking hilarious.

You can criticize the price tag all you want, but saying "they didn't even try" is an insult to the people that worked on this, just for a sensational thumbnail. Do better 👎

Great review very informative. I was wondering are you able to change the difficulty level in the middle of the game. I like to play Survivor but I know the bloater boss fight might frustrate me too much (which I heard is a little more difficult on this remake) and like to know I have the option of dropping it down a notch if I die more than 20 times. Thx

I thought the quick turnaround was in the original game already. I remember using something similar in the beginning when that truck explodes.

Considering i was here from quite early, the fact that luke got a playstation review copy feels kinda like a huge milestone, hopefully he gets one for Ragnarök 😅

Was the final enemy final blow 'execution' in the original? Seemed like that wasnt added until TLOU2 and i noticed several times the last enemy alive did the plead for mercy and you could slowly approach and kill or strike.

For the DuelSense, if you go in settings and turn on vibration for dialogue, it makes it immersive as hell, especially with a headset on

FYI, the 'raytraced reflections' you showed was a basic planar reflection. It's an old technique that only works on flat surfaces, has to be manually set up, and it's basically rendering the whole scene 2ce per reflection so is used sparingly, but moreso in scripted linear games. Random puddles, cars, and smaller or more complex objects still have ssr artifacts or cubemap limitations, so RT definitely isn't a thing.

I miss Joel's old model. The anger and intensity in his eyes has been replaced by a constant look of uncertainty. Am I the only one who sees this?

I really appreciate the overall honesty in this review despite having received a review code. Many creators are tempted to succumb into blind positivity when receiving a code so that makes it very easy to recommend you. Love the work and the breakdowns you do!

What Mic are you using?

Why am I not surprised as if we consider this a remake, it's definitely one of the weaker ones in this modern age of remakes. Especially compared to titles such as the Resident Evil 2 remake, or Mafia Definitive Edition. Overhauled gameplay that's still true to the original. Rebuilt level/world design from a gameplay point of view. Etc.

Seems like I’ll get just as much satisfaction from watching someone play this on a stream. Once they drop the price way down, I might pick it up for myself. Thanks, Luke

What would u prefer a graphical modern upgrade and some new features added in like TLOU part 1 or same graphics and same gameplay like gtav? They both came out the same year.

Quick turn is available on the original game, you're introduced to it on the beggining of the game when the fireflies make that car bomb attack when you're about to leave the city with Tess.

It looks to me like Naughty Dog is in a similar place that companies like Bethesda and Rockstar are in right now: they became famous making incredible original single-player content, everyone fell in love with them, they began experimenting which often removes the widespread love, then proceed to make multiplayer content to maximize profits. Now with Naughty Dog’s next game confirmed to be a multiplayer experience, all I can see is the same story playing itself out over and over again. Ya had a good run Naughty Dog! Guess all good things must end

And that was the last time Luke received a review code from Sony... Great video, you were thorough and fair. I'm glad you held them to task on what should clarify as a 'remake' or a 'remaster', this game clearly being the latter. Shame that a few simple changes would slightly forgive the extortionate asking price. I'll gladly wait and buy a reduced copy.

Did they improve or slightly change controls for better gameplay

Appreciate this analysis. Resonates a lot with what I feel. My dad just got back into gaming, and he's going to see this advertised (after just finishing the original), and how am I supposed to sell him on it? It's tough. Makes me wonder if the new coming fans are really worth alienating the OGs. In business, that formula usually never works out in the end. You never want to punish your loyal customers for sticking through everything, you'll lose more than you gain.

Nobody understands that if they were to add prone they would have to change the level design.

actually the pullback x mechanic was in the first game but i 100% agree. super disappointed there’s no dodging

Little trick with the safes you don’t even need to find the code just turn the selector until you hear a click then move too the next number.

I really appreciate the depth of this review. How articulate you are, your attention to detail and you’re clear and concise method of communication. I have subscribed and will look for further contact in the future. Thank you sir for your time

Spending 70$ on a remastered game that was released almost 10 years ago is an absolute madness, I think you should save that money for GOW Ragnarok One more thing is that Sony has started to irrationally increase the prices of its exclusive games in a complete silence of the players, Sony must take into account the players' love for their platform and abandon greed.

Thank you for keeping your integrity and providing your honest feedback even though the copy was provided to you from Sony. I expected nothing else but it never fails to be a refreshing feeling when I come back to your channel. Well done on all your success, utterly deserved.

It honestly feels like this remake exists solely so they can put Part 1 in the title

Appreciate the thoughtful analysis here. Excellent video I very much agree. If I hadn’t already played TLOU over a dozen times across 2 consoles I’d be stoked for this but I just can’t justify the price tag.

I was under the impression the new combat would include the dodge & prone features. Super disappointed that isn’t the case & feel cheated that’s how they were advertising this as a “built from the ground up” game. It feels rushed to accommodate the HBO series release & way too soon after TLOU 2.

I think the sweet spot would have been $49.99. Perfect for people that want to experience the game again while taking advantage of the PS5 power and for people that never played the game and can easily get this and TLOU Pt 2 for really cheap and dive into the series.

Never seen your channel before. This review is exactly what I've been looking. Thanks for your honesty and thorough review. Subscribing!

So I can crouch right in front of someone and go unnoticed and this is the improved ai? How is that possible?

Btw the quick turn around was in the original tlou. It even pops up a tutorial message for it in the beginning when you're trying to leave the zone to go find Robert but there's an explosion that makes them close off the gateway

More then likely I’ll pick this up on PC whenever it does launch because I do love the fact Sony is releasing more of their titles on other platforms. But no way in hell am I paying full retail price for a game I already bought twice on 2 other platforms. Once that steam sale kicks in then I’ll pick up

I like how honest u is bruh n how u break down things I think they should let ppl like you review the game before they release it

Is it true they only remade this to train new ND employees to work with the engine? I heard this the other day for the first time

Saying they didn’t try is incorrect, saying they didn’t add enough and the price is too steep is far more fair

No dodge and no prone is heartbreaking

First game $60. Remaster $40. Remake $70 = $170 for the same game. One of my favorite games of all time but I can’t even justify paying $70 for this.

You sir are now my favorite reviewer. Professional, honest, and relatable. What else is to say about this review? PERFECT

I’m honestly very happy they replaced the bow with Part 2’s 😅 that arc aiming was always so weird for long distance shots, way more satisfying and easier to pull off in 2

I feel like they should atleast have some sort of loyalty system for players who already bought the games before. E.g, First game ever in series - 60$ Already Own Part 2 - 45$ Already Own the original or remastered LOU - 30$ Already own both games - 20$ Something like this

Is there a gyro aim option as that's the one improvement that may persuade me to buy it again. Playing Fortnite, Zelda, Splatoon or even Doom on switch then being forced to go back to no gyro is so annoying every time it happens.

I'm honestly getting sick and fucking tired of companies just CONSTANTLY re-releasing games that came out TWO FUCKING CONSOLE GENERATIONS AGO to earn more money. Like... why not put those resources to helping to make a new game?

Everyone has basically reached the same conclusion: The LoUP1 is a great game that was remade too soon and is being sold for the wrong price. Hopefully Sony gets the memo.

This was a good review of this! I watched scallops and I couldn’t believe he supported the $70 price tag. This actually cost more than the last of us part two! It’s not like they started from nothing… There’s no way they should be $70. It is a beautified remaster that we’ve all played at least a dozen times. This is a hard pass for me

You're channel is very underrated.. love how you break these games down..

Are you only allowed to show certain scenes in a game that’s two consoles old

The visuals do look very impressive in some parts, but the jump in quality isn't big enough to justify the price, if only it was an actual ground up remake and featured new improved mechanics it would potentially be worth the price of a new game...

Great video as usual Luke! Just a little nitpick, the quickturn was already in the og, there's even a tutorial when you're on you're way to meet Robert and the fireflies attack the gates

The quick turn around as well as enemies begging for their lives do exist in the original tlou, at least in the ps4 remaster

Great video! Do you think you'll ever do a critique/video of Halo Infinite?

Skill Up just sucked it off till no end making it sound like the best thing ever.. I’m glad to see someone warning people from spending full price for a graphic update. Honestly I never really liked the gameplay so I will probably never play this.

23:09 the quick turn around was in the original game from like PS3 tho. I remember it being a tutorial part when the fireflies blow up the truck at the very beginning of the game and it definitely was in the remastered version(PS4) because I just went thru a bit of a few days ago.

For people who have played this game multiple times on multiple systems with multiple purchases, it's hard to justify buying it again until drops to under $20.00.

25:37 The arrow mechanics were absolute ass in the original as well. But they were refined in the sequel. But it looks by your footage the reticle is different than either of the two I mentioned. So where does it stand?

Thank you for how hard you worked putting together this great and professional review.

This is a very rare kind of review where you got a code but still speak your mind. Good job

Cani transfer my ps4 save to ps5 ?

I just recently purchased a Playstation 5 and never owned a Playstation before and I never played the last of us would you recommend this for someone like me?

Adding the ability to prone would require an overhaul of every single level in the game. The original games level design was just NOT designed for it. Dodging however, should have been implemented. Also you can change the settings for the bow to be like how it was before. The entire gameplay can be adjusted in the accessibility options. They’re not just there for people with disability, lol.

Thank you for the review. You confirmed what I suspected. I guess I will wait years before touching this one or wait until it is on PS Plus. As some have said, I am very happy that you stay consistent with your other reviews and criticized the company/studio even if copy was provided. Kudos to you Sir

At least you can open the safe like IRL. By listening to the clicks and that different click.

20:22 Can't you hear obvious different clicks? I remember the correct numbers clicking slightly differently in TLOU2.

The main improvement I was hoping for was the implementation of the gore system from TLOU2, so I'm very happy.

If only it had factions. That would’ve been worth it.

You crushed this video! Great work I truly enjoyed it

What? You can dodge with triangle?

Ultimately I think it all comes down to is the game worth $70 to you. For some people it will be and for some it won’t be. And I think they’re both fair opinions to have

If halo 2 anniversary, or (to a lesser extent) mass effect 1 legendary edition, are remasters then this is too. Its a very good remaster, but remakes are new games that replicate the story or style of the original. A remaster is a visual overhaul, maybe with some gameplay changes, that's that's built on the foundations of the original.

Funny how the Uncharted collection included multiple games from the same era for the same price. I’m curious, but was the OST remastered/remade as well?

Is this worth $70 if you’ve never completed the original? I made it to around that fallen skyscraper in the beginning(?) and then stopped playing.

I’ve beaten it 50 times on the PS4. My favorite game of all time but no way am I buying it again.

I agree with you a lot. This is one of my favorite games, and it looks phenomenal here on PS5. But I was extremely disappointed to find out that the gameplay was practically untouched, as it has aged (not as bad as others, but given this is a remake and not just a remaster it's disappointing this wasn't improved much). And to be honest, I wouldn't care if it were just visuals if it were at a lower price tag. But with a $70 asking price, it's absurd that the gameplay isn't modernized. Especially considering the PS4 remaster included the DLC as well, so this is a package with less content going for the price of a brand new AAA experience. It's absurd, and I hope it's not a sign of things to come with all the poor anti-consumer decisions Sony's been making lately. I was really on the fence about getting this, but given I've sunk 200 hours in the original and this is basically just visuals I'm definitely waiting for a sale if I get it at all.

13:52 The light glitch you point is just light passing through the branches something that happens in real life

People way underrated this remake because, having played the game twice already and now playing a third with this remake, I can tell you that it is significantly better than the OG and easily one of the most beautiful games I’ve played on PS5 so far. So much disrespect and cynicism in this video to the amount of work that really goes into something like this, I’ve been incredibly and continually impressed by it.

I think it's interesting that there's a case being made that this was made for people who watch the live action series and get curious to play the source material. But it seems like quite a jump to watch a tv series and then go buy a ps5 to experience this game at its best. Especially given the stock issues.

I don’t like that they’re charging $70. I’ve bought the game twice already, once on PS3 and once on PS4. I was planning on waiting for a sale, but seeing this footage really makes we want to play the game due to the improved graphics and gore. I’m going to have a hard time waiting as more footage comes out, I’m afraid…

This channel is like the budget version of Joseph Anderson, love it haha.

I genuinely want to watch this but the mic is picking up tons of puffs of air. Maybe one of those filter shields would help.