Is The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered worth buying on the PS5?

The Last of Us Part 2 is easily the most divisive Naughty Dog game to date, and so is the newly announced remastered version of the title, albeit for different reasons. The sequel to the original The Last of Us was released in 2020, almost three years ago. The developer is having a hard time justifying the existence of a remastered version for the sequel this early.

Naughty Dog and PlayStation faced a similar conundrum during the announcement and subsequent release of The Last of Us Part 1 for the PS5. Despite the original title being nearly a decade old, the game failed to fully justify its existence, mostly due to how good the PS3 original and the remastered PS4 version looked.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is coming exclusively to PlayStation 5 as a standalone $70 title. The game also features a smart upgrade plan for anyone who already owns the PS4 version of the sequel. However, does that make the remastered of this "not-so-old" title worth picking up for new or even returning players?

Note: This article is purely subjective and solely reflects the author's opinions.

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Is The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered for the PlayStation 5 worth picking up at full price?

Whether you like the kind of games/experiences Naughty Dog makes or not, you cannot deny the influence that their titles, especially the original The Last of Us, had on the industry at large. The release basically defined a whole generation of games, similar to titles like Gears of War, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario, or perhaps even Pong before it.

However, the same cannot be said for the sequel, which, in some ways, is a deeply flawed experience while also being quite revolutionary in other aspects.

While The Last of Us Part 2 got a massive visual overhaul, thanks to the improvements made to Naughty Dog's proprietary engine, the game failed to deliver a cohesive and exceptional narrative experience.

While the original The Last of Us focused entirely on Ellie and Joel's adventure through the harsh post-apocalyptic world, the sequel split its focus on multiple characters while also trying way too hard to stick to the "cycle of revenge" motif. The simplicity of the original game was its charm, but the sequel failed to capitalize on it.

The Last of Us Part 2 is still an amazing game, one that you should not miss out on if you're a fan of the original or single-player narrative-driven titles in general. However, it never truly reached the monumental heights that the original game did back in 2013. Now, PlayStation's decision to push for a remaster just a few years after its PS4 release feels awfully cheap.

The Last of Us is still considered the gold standard of narrative-driven action-adventure games and something most AAA developers still strive to achieve to various degrees of success. It's more or less a given that despite the backlash The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is receiving, it'll still sell millions of copies, perhaps even in mere weeks.

Now, it's time to answer the question of whether you should buy The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered on the PlayStation 5 or not. The answer is situational. If you're someone who liked the original game and has yet to give the sequel a shot, the remastered version is the best way to do so. This holds equally true for anyone who's new to the franchise.

However, if you've already played the sequel, the remaster barely has anything apart from the new rogue-like game mode, No Return, and a few traditional PS5 bells and whistles (DualSense haptics support, 3D Audio, etc.) to warrant a purchase. Having said that, if you already own the PS4 copy, you can choose to upgrade it to the remastered version for $10.

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The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is scheduled to be released on January 19, 2024, exclusively for the PlayStation 5.