The Last of Us – Could it be visually the best looking game ever made?
Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Remastered, which launches July 29 on PS4, looks to be the definitive version of one of the best games of 2013. The package collects the game and all its single-player and multiplayer add-ons onto one Blu-ray Disc, which makes it a good deal. But the strongest reason for most people to buy the PS4 port will be the visual upgrade it offers, which is considerable.
The attention to detail on the PS4 version is visually stunning
In addition to using cutscene-resolution character models during gameplay, The Last of Us Remastered features twice as much detail in shadow mapping as the original PS3 game, and four times as much detail in texture mapping. The increased texture resolution makes the biggest difference, according to Eric Monacelli, community strategist at Naughty Dog.
Animations also look smoother on PS4, largely because Naughty Dog aimed for a frame rate of 60 frames per second throughout The Last of Us Remastered. And for those who don’t like a variable frame rate, or the way that cutscenes look at 60 fps, the studio included an option to lock the frame rate at 30 fps. Either way, the game runs in native 1080p.
Naughty Dog included some additional PS4-specific features in The Last of Us Remastered. Certain sounds will play through the DualShock 4′s speaker, such as the audio logs you pick up, and the light bar will flash and change colors when you take damage. And because the controller’s L2 and R2 buttons are shaped like actual triggers, players can choose to aim and shoot with L2 and R2, respectively, instead of L1 and R1 (which is the way the PS3 original was controlled). Finally, you can swipe on the touchpad to open up your backpack.
The Last of Us Remastered launches July 29 on PS4 for $49.99. Make sure you have your copy pre-ordered.
