The Last of Us Part I PS5 4K 60FPS - Part 26 - Epilogue (Ending + Review)

Having played the original TLOU in 2013, the remaster in 2014 and now the remake in 2024, how does Part I hold up? Depends... Before I get into the review, TLOU pretty much went on to define the PS3 generation outside MGS4 and the fact that HBO picked it up to turn into a major TV show shows how influential this game was. This review is solely for TLOU Part I. With all that being said...I don't love this remake. Yes, the graphics look amazing, but they're not everything. Gameplay is equally important, and the longer I played Part I, the more I disliked this remake over the 2014 remaster. Let's get into it... (Positives) Major graphical overhaul Fidelity is incredible Draw distance is amazing Facial animations are top-notch Lighting is astounding (especially shadows/dark rooms) Sound design immaculate Work Bench animations Accessibility features (major plus from the original) (Negatives) Optional conversations not loading No Factions $70 price tag for "essentially" the same game as remastered with updated graphics/AI Work Bench animations become tiring after the first few viewings Muted photorealism over original color palette (Bill's Town in particular - absolutely loved the red sunset in the original/remaster which is now muted and this is one of many examples that I'm not a fan of regarding artistic choices) Vastly prefer the original character designs over Part I's (Tess in particular) Retconning the hospital scene with Ellie (go look up the PS3 vs PS5 shots regarding the hospital - paints a very different light in terms of story, which I really don't like) AI, AI, AI. This is the big one which I'm gonna delve further into below. There's no doubt that The Last of Us Part I pushes the boundaries of graphics and it's clear Naughty Dog really pushed what the PS5 could do. The facial animations are top-tier, right up there with Death Stranding and Ghosts of Tsushima. That being said, graphics aren't everything (at least to me), and as the game unfolds, the gameplay starts to fall apart - especially in the later half once you get to Ellie's sections in Winter. Where this becomes a major issue is the later half of the game regarding AI. Naughty Dog didn't just update graphics, but decided to beef up the AI from the original/remastered version and gave Part II's AI to Part I. Amazing right? No. The reason being is the levels in Part I were taken from the original and designed with the original AI in mind. Trying to shoe-horn in Part II's AI illustrates just how terrible that idea was, and it couldn't be more illuminating than during David's fight against Ellie - which is the climax or her story arc, I would argue. Not only that, but the pacing ends up being ruined as a result from the upgraded AI. Instead of getting from one point to the next, Ellie dies repeatedly and all the realism the developers spent working on goes out the window due to the updated mechanics. Not only that, but Joel moves slower this time around due to "realism", and again, the flow of gameplay starts to feel cumbersome. This really gets to the crux of why I think photorealism and realistic gameplay shouldn't ever be aspired in video games. I see what the developers were trying to do, but at the end of the day, I want the games to be fun. Yes, the original/remastered had issues with AI - it wasn't perfect, but upgrading the AI to Part II, yet the level design wasn't built around it shows just how bad of an idea that was. There were numerous times were enemies just swarm you, especially the Hospital section, or times when David would run all the way across the diner, never giving you a second to land a hit on him. This breaks the immersion and flow of gameplay. Not only that, but the "perfect" stage lighting during Ellie's breakdown takes away the sincerity of the scene compared to the original gritty art style. I think this title is a perfect example of Photorealism vs. Artistic Integrity. And as I played more of it, I kept feeling like this is a soulless recreation. Everything looks amazing/perfect, yet the world the characters inhabit is anything but. The developers did a phenomenal job (serious respect you guys), but I think this title illustrates that graphics aren't everything. Gameplay is central, and it seems like it took a backseat to just making everything feel "real". The Last of Us - 10/10 The Last of Us Part I - 7.5/10 The Last of Us Part I on PS5 - 9/10 (Rendering issues + some load times) I don't doubt for a second this game will sell well and Naughty Dog knows this, however, I'll continue to stick with The Last of Us Remastered going forward in future playthroughs. Gameplay over graphics guys. "I guess no matter how hard you try, you can't escape your past." - Joel The Last of Us Part I PS5 4K 60FPS [Playlist]:    • The Last of Us Part I PS5 4K 60FPS   Follow me: https://linktr.ee/richardbisso #thelastofuspart1 #ps5 #naughtydog