The Last of Us Part 2 is getting a remaster. Well, we all knew that. The rumors of this remaster or a potential director’s cut have been flying around for the past two years, ever since the remaster of The Last of Us Part 1 hit the shelves. The recent leak reporting the inevitable arrival of The Last of Us Part 2 remastered/director’s cut came to us this time through the maestro who composed the soundtrack for both these titles.
In a recent interview, TLOU composer Gustavo Santaolalla hinted towards some ‘new editions’ of The Last of Us Part 2 coming soon.
It all started when the interviewer explained the excitement he felt after seeing the composer himself in TLOU Part 2. Santaolalla was featured in-game, playing a song on his banjo, sitting outside an abandoned building. The interviewer expressed his excitement, saying
“When you were there, that virtual cameo, I stayed next to the character – I kept looking at you and I said that I can’t believe this.’
Rather than merely engaging the interviewer with generic platitude, the composer let the news of upcoming remaster slip, before hastily moving the conversation along. He said,
“In the new editions, one we will be able to make me (in-game virtual cameo) play certain songs – and well nothing, I can’t tell you anything else.”
This certainly points towards the imminent arrival of The Last of Us Part 2, along with hopefully some great additional soundtrack by the Argentinian composer.
Do we need The Last of Us Part 2 Remaster?
Commonly hailed as one of the greatest video games ever made, remaster of the Part 1 of the popular game series made a lot of sense. After all, the game was seven years old and two generations behind, console-wise, when it got the remaster. The Last of Us Part 2, however, was released on PS4, with automatic upgrade available for the PS5 players. Which begs the question: is this lengthy sequel that warranted much polarization amongst the fans worth the remaster?
Part 1 remaster brought the game into current generation; however, many fans agree that it lost some of the gameplay charm, despite its remaster-enabled enhanced graphics. The most celebrated part about this remaster was the Left Behind DLC released alongside.
The Last of us Part 2 is definitely an immensely successful sequel for the celebrated title. It featured two strong protagonists and twisted the narrative. The sequel introduced flashback sequences to strengthen the emotional bond between its players and the morally ambiguous, more human characters – both the protagonists and NPCs. However, isn’t it finally time for Naughty Dog to move on to Part 3? Following the decade long success of the series, as well as riding on the wave of new fans pulled in from HBO’s the Last of Us TV series, a new entry would make the most logical sense.
Director’s Cut > Remaster?
A director’s cut for the Last of Us Part 2 might be more welcome though. It could give the publishers a chance to reimagine certain aspects that failed to excite or entertain the fans. The lengthy flashbacks, the omission of some of the cleverest and endearing gameplay mechanics, and yes, a sustainable and enjoyable PC port.
The Part 1 remaster received a PC port a year after the release, however, it failed to impress the fans. It was riddled with bugs and even though the majority of them have been fixed, it still seems to gather dust in the rarely visited isles of the Steam store these days.
The Last of Us Part 2, even after scoring a 10/10 on IGN, was a topic of serious debate after its release. The campaign is twice the length of Part 1, however, most of it is filled with flashbacks. This was a new mechanism that was introduced in the sequel, which makes sense, considering the story-heavy direction a lot of current-gen RPGs are moving towards. However, this meant losing a lot of tension and unpredictable gameplay-readiness that made The Last of Us a legend that it is.
Many fans reported of feeling constantly disconnected from the gameplay, while the depressive and at time irrationally angry storyline presented through the flashbacks deprived them of fully immersing and engaging themselves with the actual gameplay.
Source – Playstation Ultimate (via YouTube)
