The Last of Us Part II Remastered hits PlayStation 5 exclusively on Friday, January 19. I recently played through its story, my first of the remastered version but my third time overall. Or rather, I watched my wife, a first-time player unspoiled of its events, play through it – I interviewed her about it, and you can read those impressions here. But I experienced The Last of Us Part II’s story once more nonetheless. Big surprise: I really loved it, just like I did in 2020. I might like it even more now today, to be honest.
However, one of my biggest criticisms of the game in 2020 stands out even more in 2024: the Rattlers, specifically, those last two or three hours of the game. It's clear why this part of the game exists. Despite the «happy» ending Ellie seemingly achieved – with a great partner, a child to take care of (satisfying Ellie's Joel-like need to be the protector of something), and the dream house Joel always wanted for them – Ellie wasn't happy. She still had PTSD, playing back Joel's final moments in her head while knowing the person responsible is still alive.
It ate and ate at her, and when Tommy arrived with a clue about Abby's whereabouts, Ellie couldn't stop herself despite her best efforts and those of Dina, who pleaded that she stay. So, she trekked to California to track down Joel's killer. Meanwhile, Abby and Lev, chipper and excited about their new life, are busy following whispers of a group of Fireflies in the state. Abby, despite the trauma of her dad dying and what killing Joel did to her psyche, has seemingly achieved the kind of happiness we all want Ellie to find, too. By this point in the game, you've come full circle on Abby, better understanding why she killed the beloved protagonist of The Last of Us Part I and what she did to atone for it. You're rooting for her and Lev and their journey to find some Fireflies while begging Ellie not to give chase.
I'm entirely on board with this narrative setup, even though it's another two to three hours of game on top of an already exhausting journey. But then The Last of Us Part II introduces the Rattlers, another survivor group who does…things? I don't know; I think they capture people and torture them and also do some weird stuff with the infected. The Rattlers are barebones and feel thrown in to give players enemies to shoot at. In a game where survivor groups are set up to be significant players in the story, be it Fireflies or Seraphites or WLF, tossing the Rattlers in right as the game's ending and ultimately doing little with them feels like a waste.
There are some interesting ideas about the Rattlers, specifically how they treat and use infected. They're different from the other survivor groups, leaning more into a
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The next upcoming set for had been previously revealed as, and now, can exclusively reveal seven new cards. The popular trading card game from Ravensburger has made big waves since its debut last year, and will be the third set, following and. With new cards being steadily unveiled leading up to launch, hype surrounding the latest expansion is understandably high.
The Last Of Us Season 2 is set to begin filming over the next few days, and in preparation, the entire cast of the show and the show's production crew all recently met up in Canada. It seems as though to potentially celebrate the start of filming and to properly introduce the new faces playing characters such as Dina and Jesse, the crew went out to dinner, and took a lovely group picture to bookmark the occasion.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered arrived last week, and if the cutscene commentary from the game's director, writer and key actors wasn't enough for you, Naughty Dog has another behind the scenes piece coming. Grounded II: Making The Last Of Us Part II, a documentary on the game's creation, will arrive on February 2 at 12PM ET on YouTube as well as in the game itself. There's a trailer in the remastered game currently, and the full documentary will be added via a downloadable patch. That patch will also have some new skins for Ellie and Abby in the main game.
Rewards from new boss encounters, hero skins, and game-changing mods are all available in when you complete different challenges in the roguelike No Return mode. The survival missions your chosen character can attempt in a run could unlock additional features. It may take time to meet every goal, but each challenge offers an exciting opportunity.
Avatar: The Last Airbender fans have every reason to be skeptical of Netflix’s new show. Even if they hadn’t been legendarily burned by a live-action production before, there’s the departure of the original series’ creators for their own sandbox of upcoming animated Avatar efforts.
Good news Suits fans, more details about the anticipated Californian-based spin-off have been revealed, confirming the show will follow a young female Harvard law alum, rather reminiscent of a past original character.
Building upon ’s structure with one big change would herald a new era for the franchise. Every new Generation has built upon its predecessors with both mechanical improvements and brand-new features, and Gen 9’s are no different. However, even disregarding the newest games’ infamous glitches, they arguably fall short of their full potential in some respects.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is a strange blend. On one hand, it’s a good excuse to revisit Digital Trends’ 2020 Game of the Year selection. On the other, it’s a bizarre package filled with tone-deaf bonus modes that water down the base game’s own message on cyclical violence. Considering that it’s not as much of a “remaster” as its title implies, I wouldn’t blame most players for skipping it.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the now-confirmed name of the adventure game in the works at Wolfenstein studio MachineGames under the watchful eye of Bethesda and executive producer Todd Howard, is set between the plots of the first and third films.