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Opinion: Is The Last of Us Remake Worth $70? (IGN.com)

Is TLOU1 Remake Worth $70 to You?

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Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service

Opinion: Is The Last of Us Remake Worth $70?​

In this economy?​

https://www.ign.com/articles/is-the-last-of-us-remake-worth-70-bucks

by Brian Altano, 6/17/22

IGN said:
It may have not been a total surprise thanks to leaks more than a year ago, and sadly on the very morning of its reveal, but a remake of the 2013 masterpiece The Last of Us is officially coming to PS5 this September, with a PC release to follow. The remake of Naughty Dog’s epic PS3 action-horror game is visually a big step up from the remastered version released in 2014 for PlayStation 4. That’s because this remake isn’t just a simple uprezzed, slightly revamped port running on PlayStation 5. The Last of Us Part 1, as it’s officially called, features fully redone character models and environments, tons of improved textures, improved animations, 60 FPS performance, new accessibility features, and new combat options and revamped enemy AI building off the work done in The Last of Us Part 2. Awesome! This means it will not only look much better than any of the previous versions of the game, but the gameplay will be slightly different, too. Or dynamic, as the marketing departments love to say. But the big question is: is The Last of Us remake actually worth your $70?
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IGN said:

A Perplexing Price Point​

New textures and animations are great, but The Last of Us remake launches on September 2 with another newly overhauled feature that has been met with some blowback by fans—a price tag that will cost $70 for the basic version, $80 for the Digital Deluxe version, and $100 for the Firefly Edition. If you’ve been paying attention to PlayStation this generation, it’s not totally shocking to see this game launch at this price since that’s very much in line with the launch price of nearly every first-party PlayStation game on PS5. The Demon’s Souls remake was $70, Returnal was $70, the PS5 version of Horizon: Forbidden West was $70, and God of War Ragnarok will be $70 when it launches. $70 is here to stay for most PlayStation games, like it or not.

But The Last of Us launching at 70 bucks feels a bit steep. Now, before I really dive into my personal opinion on this, I want to make it clear that I absolutely adore The Last of Us and I think the remake looks gorgeous and I’m not telling you how to spend your money. Or save your money! You can handle that! You’re good at this! Or not. Who knows. We all buy dumb stuff. I spent $13 on a beer at the zoo the other day and it had clipart drawings of meerkats on it. I actually bought two of them. That’s $26 just to get my buzz on and look at animals that were half asleep.

But back to The Last of Us, which launched for $60 nearly a decade ago. Then the remaster launched a year later for $10 less. And in 2022, you can buy The Last of Us Remastered on your PS5 for $20 or access it as part of the PlayStation Plus collection if you’re a PS Plus subscriber. That means if you already have a PS5, you can play The Last of Us Remastered, which I think is still a very good version of that great game, in various ways, all for way cheaper than $70.
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IGN said:

The Updgrades Look Impressive (So Far)​

Now to be fair, from what we’ve seen, this remake is a drastic visual overhaul of The Last of Us. The brand new character models look awesome, they’ve got grittier and more realistic textures—just look at all of the wrinkles and scars you can see on Joel now! The developers went back and rescanned all of the original actor’s capture work and reanimated everything to feel more natural. The overall lighting is probably the most drastic improvement here. The remake pops more and feels less muted, there’s a stronger emphasis on contrast, the darker color levels feel more solid black and less muddy brown. The foliage that generally overruns the game world looks more natural and even expanded at times. And the level geometry seems rebuilt and more detailed.

We’ve still only seen snippets and not gone hands-on with the game yet ourselves, but from what we can see, everything feels decidedly more next-gen. Naughty Dog is one of the most technically proficient game developers working today and it’s awesome to see them making a dedicated PS5 game that isn’t held back by the PS4, and it’s clear a lot of work went in from the developers to make these leaps.

As for the promised gameplay improvements, well, it’s a bit harder to figure out where those will come into play based on what we’ve seen so far, but Naughty Dog has promised modernized gameplay, improved controls, and expanded accessibility options. How substantial those will be in practice we’ll have to wait to see, especially as we don’t know if the team has also made changes to levels to accommodate newer gameplay additions. There’s also the usual PS5 bells and whistles, like 3D Audio, haptics, and adaptive triggers, meaning you might get to feel gross, nasty stuff in your hands, like tiny saliva vibrations when a Clicker hisses and spits at you. Yuck.

There’s also ton of stuff implemented in The Last of Us 2 that I’d love to see return here that would further improve the experience, like Ellie having a permanent, unbreakable switchblade, a dedicated jump button, and the ability to go prone in high grass and foliage. Although, some of those would require redesigning environment layouts in the game, and from what we’ve seen we don’t quite know how much Naughty Dog has changed the structure of actual levels and missions. Generally speaking, handling characters in The Last of Us 2 felt more natural and intuitive and that’s the kind of thing that I hope ends up in this remake—and the kind of thing a trailer won’t really tell you.
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IGN said:

Some Features Are Left Behind​

So, back to that $70 price. We’ve talked about what is definitely in this remake, as well as what might be, but we do know for sure that the PS5 remake of The Last of Us does not include the popular Factions multiplayer mode that appeared in the previous version. It does have the Left Behind DLC, which is fantastic, but if you’re looking for some Last of Us multiplayer action on your PS5, you’ll have to wait until Naughty Dog launches the recently teased standalone multiplayer Last of Us game in 2023, which is a more ambitious project and most likely where Naughty Dog wanted to invest its multiplayer resources. That’s a pretty big omission for a game that costs more money than the versions that do contain the Factions mode, so this is definitely a bummer for people who really loved that mode.

But the biggest sticking point for me as to why I am not clamoring for a $70 remake of The Last of Us is that this is not necessarily a game that even “needs” a remake. The original still plays great, and while remakes are all the rage these days, recent remakes like Resident Evil 2 and Final Fantasy VII were far more drastic overhauls of their originals, mostly because remaking a game from the '90s and remaking a game from nine years ago are going to yield different results. Demon’s Souls was at least over a decade old when PlayStation released its remake, and never had a PS4 remaster.

But there are some pretty clear reasons as to why the remake is probably happening. There are likely millions of PS5 and PC owners who have never experienced this incredible game before, and millions more will be introduced to this universe for the first time when the upcoming HBO show launches. It makes sense for PlayStation to have a prettier, more modern game ready to cash in on the hype, rather than directing HBO viewers to the download of a nine-year-old game.
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IGN said:

You Keep Finding Something to Fight For​

So, with all that said, am I going to spend $70 on this remake? Well, no. Probably not. I’ve experienced this game already, I own multiple versions of this game, I love this game. It's a masterpiece, and while I appreciate all the clear work that’s gone into modernizing it, that’s still a steep price tag for something that’s almost entirely a known quantity to me and I could spend that money on a brand new video game experience instead. Or the aforementioned beers at the zoo. Personally, I feel like $50 would have been the perfect price here, as it's largely the same game as it was in 2013 but missing an entire multiplayer mode. PlayStation shouldn’t be so beholden to that $70 ideal and be willing to offer experiences on more of a sliding scale.

But if this game is somehow new to you, well, The Last of Us is one of the greatest games of all time. It absolutely rules. The remake will almost certainly be the definitive way to play it and also just act as a fantastic graphical showcase for your PS5 or gaming PC. The new gameplay enhancements could even be a bigger deal than Naughty Dog is letting on, too. So, if all of that adds up for you, by all means spend that $70.
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If this is deemed to be too much of clickbait article then just close the thread, but I've always thought the $70 price point was worth debating, regardless of what game it is.

Personally I think the game will sell extremely well. I'm not a fan of TLoU but this seems to be nearly exactly what most fans on here have claimed they want; the gameplay / graphics of part 2 without part 2's story.

I don't recall seeing an article in gaming journalism actually discussing price like this recently, and thought seeing a prominent person like Altano questioning it was a bit noteworthy. I thought the missing features and the price points of previous versions of this game were solid points of critique.
 
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saintjules

saintjules

Gold Member
Probably not, but if I were the Developer and my previous game sold 10 million copies I'd be asking for $70, sure lol.

In any event, it's coinciding with the TV show. So they'll bait the people who didn't play the first game.
 
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adamsapple

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
That it doesn't include MP as part of the package makes it a little hard to swallow.

But I'm sure folks who've already decided to buy it day 1, this won't change their mind.

edit: also OP you forgot to add a link to the article itself.
 
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Lunarorbit

Lunarorbit

Member
No. I'm the exact opposite in my feelings on tess's new image. Not a fan. Think they made her look older and more gaunt.

I'll play this but I'll just get it from the library this fall. Not gonna spend full price again especially since it doesn't even have factions in it. This game coulda been a test run for their online capabilities
 
DukeNukem00

DukeNukem00

Banned
But it actually costs 80 euros, right ? 80 euros for the literal entire planet, outside of a single country, where even there it doesnt cost 70 bucks because thats without tax. This american pricing, man.
 
TheRedRiders

TheRedRiders

Member
Being "worth it" is very relative depending on who you're speaking to and how much they value this game.

I think the hardcore fans and PC gamers will be the real winners here, the latter being a brand new audience who can enjoy a great game in stunning visuals.

I personally have no interest in buying it and I'm not a big fan of them even doing this project in the first place, but it is what it is.
 
nominedomine

nominedomine

Banned
I just got to get my hands on those elusive $70 first, once I have them it's going directly into Neil's pockets.
 
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Aion002

Aion002

Member
Not for me.

I bought at launch on the ps3 and got it on a sale on the ps4. Finished the game both times.


enough patrick stewart GIF
 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
Flabagast said:
Of course it's not worth it, they did not even record the voices.

This project must cost no more than 10% of TLOU2 production cost yet it costs 10$ more. How do you justify that ?

Only really really stupid people are ok with this.
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I caved on Skyward Sword HD so I can't really say anything.

But yeah, I forgot about the voice tracks part.
 
Ellery

Ellery

Member
To me yes easily because it is exactly my personal/subjective game I love, but I still think that the price for this game is pretty greedy on Sony's part.

Should've been a 40$ game or a 20$ upgrade for those owning a previous version of that game.

I can understand both sides here regarding TLOU1Remake. The great thing is that it is a completely optional game and doesn't affect the old copy of TLOU you already own in any way. You can easily skip it, replay the old one, or maybe wait for a sale.

It is amazing news for TLOU enthusiasts, people who never played it before, or are exclusively PC gamers. PC gamers get the best out of all worlds here. (Besides maybe the release date)
 
A

arvfab

Banned
Is it worth 70 bucks to play one of gaming best pieces made even better?
Hell yes.

Sure, there is a perfectly fine Remastered of the PS3 version running on PS4&5, but this one is more than just a port.

One could argue that there is no difference with the Demon's Souls Remake, which IMHO is also well worth the full price, and I can't remember people asking the same question. Or for the full price Wii/WiiU->Switch ports (no remakes!) we got.

There are also people playing it for the first time.
 
A

a multicultural team of v

Member
Wandering Leopard said:
Not for me, but I'll just wait for a months for it drop - which is an obvious option for anyone interested in it.
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Yeah... I don't care if the game costs $700 at launch, at some point it is going to be $20 or on Plus so who gives a shit?

Also the economy point makes absolutely no sense. Literally everything costs more money these days due to heavy inflationary pressure on every single resource imaginable, yet he expects what, video games to go DOWN in price? If anything, $70 is historically cheap for games. Even $60 from June 2013 is now $75. It gets even more crazy when you compare to games in the 90s.
 
Jennings

Jennings

Member
Sure, when taking inflation into account $70 is nothing. $70 today is a mere $19.75 in 1980 when the Atari 2600 was all the rage, and Atari games were $20-30 back then. This falls right in line with the historical cost of home console gaming.
 
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Bartski

Bartski

Gold Member
Yes it is and yes I already bought the deluxe like a little pony bitch.
I know I'm super privileged just to be able to buy games whenever I want but the fact most of the talk you see online is people angry over it being 10-20 bucks too much is like... How much is coffee in Starbucks nowadays?
It's a very cheap hobby this way or another.
 
SlimySnake

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Punished Miku said:
If this is deemed to be too much of clickbait article then just close the thread,
Click to expand...
Nah, we NEED journalists to call this out in the most strongest of terms and the more controversial the headline, the more heads it will turn. Including over at Sony who need a reality check.

This should be a $40-50 remake like SOTC and Ratchet back in the PS4 days. Or a $40 budget title like Lost Legacy or Spiderman Miles. Sony used to be really good at pricing these games that are clearly not as expensive to make as original AAA games.

I am hoping that ND has gone and completely redesigned the gameplay levels to make them bigger like in TLOU2. But if the layout is identical just the cutscene motion captures and voice animation then yeesh. I mean they didnt even upgrade the graphics to next gen standards. it literally looks identical to TLOU2. Demon Souls looked like a bigger leap, and I have doubts about that game being a full next gen title. ND can do so much more with the PS5. But since they cant for whatever reason then the game should be priced at $60 max.
 
MiguelItUp

MiguelItUp

Member
To each their own of course, but I don't think it is, personally. Even if it is "built from the ground up" it's still a remake that's going to follow in the steps of the original game. Because, it is a remake. Will there be new this and new that? Potentially. But everything else around it, is the same game. If the PS4 remaster didn't exist, I feel like I'd view this differently TBH.
 
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Jaybe

Jaybe

Member
Get it on sale or play it when it hits the sub service if you don’t like the price point. Or just don’t buy it. There’s no gun to your head. Plus we know this was mainly to port it over to PC in the near term.
 
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Topher

Topher

Identifies as young
DukeNukem00 said:
But it actually costs 80 euros, right ? 80 euros for the literal entire planet, outside of a single country, where even there it doesnt cost 70 bucks because thats without tax. This american pricing, man.
Click to expand...

That's because there is no national sales tax in the US, thankfully. But how is it the rest of the world is paying in euros again?
 
Danjin44

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Not for me, I enjoyed first game but I don’t feel need to get this full price, especially the fact that I still have remaster version that I can easily play on my PS5.
 
tmlDan

tmlDan

Member
SlimySnake said:
Nah, we NEED journalists to call this out in the most strongest of terms and the more controversial the headline, the more heads it will turn. Including over at Sony who need a reality check.

This should be a $40-50 remake like SOTC and Ratchet back in the PS4 days. Or a $40 budget title like Lost Legacy or Spiderman Miles. Sony used to be really good at pricing these games that are clearly not as expensive to make as original AAA games.

I am hoping that ND has gone and completely redesigned the gameplay levels to make them bigger like in TLOU2. But if the layout is identical just the cutscene motion captures and voice animation then yeesh. I mean they didnt even upgrade the graphics to next gen standards. it literally looks identical to TLOU2. Demon Souls looked like a bigger leap, and I have doubts about that game being a full next gen title. ND can do so much more with the PS5. But since they cant for whatever reason then the game should be priced at $60 max.
Click to expand...
you can bitch all you want but journalists saying anything won't matter. This isn't destruction all stars, the only way this will change is if people don't buy it.

But I will, so too bad. Also....it does not look the same wake up.

 
R6Rider

R6Rider

Gold Member
If you've never played the original or PS4 version, then maybe.

I've played the PS4 remaster, but won't be buying this at full price. Plus I'll be busy with Saints Row.
 
Spyxos

Spyxos

Member
It would be worth 40max for me if it would have this new last of us mp with it, but right now hard pass. And i really like this game.
 
tommib

tommib

Banned
Yes. It’s their price for new releases. This is a remake not a remaster. Why would they charge anything else than their standard price. Demon’s Souls was $70. Why would this be priced differently? It’s easy for Sony to standardise prices here. Your opinion if it’s worth it or not is irrelevant.
 
SF Kosmo

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
I won't be paying $70 for it. Because I have played the original before, and playing it again with better graphics isn't a high priority for me.

Now, does it look as good as other $70 games? Yeah, it does. Does it offer a comparable amount and quality of content of a lot of other games at that price point? Yeah, mostly, I guess. So it's not outrageous or anything.

The scope of the production is clearly smaller. This hasn't had nearly the amount of man hours put into it as Last of Us 2 did. They could "afford" to charge less for it, I reckon. But "full price" games have always included a wide range of production value and that's perfectly valid. Just because Persona 5 wasn't as expensive to make as Red Dead Redemption 2 doesn't mean it needs to cost less, for example.

The fact is, at any price, it probably isn't a day 1 purchase for me, so maybe my opinion doesn't really matter on launch price.
 
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