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Naughty Dog confirms The Last of Us Part II Remastered following leak

Naughty Dog officially announced and released the first trailer for a remaster of 2020’s critically acclaimed The Last of Us Part II. The developer was forced to announce The Last of Us Remastered Part II Remastered a bit early after it leaked Friday afternoon. Thankfully, the wait for the remaster won’t be long, as it’s coming to the PlayStation 5 in two months.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered - Announce Trailer | PS5 Games

The Last of Us Part II Remastered overhauls the beautiful PS4 game for the PS5 with visual enhancements and new content. That includes a 4K Fidelity mode, a Performance Mode that upscales to 40, an Unlocked Framerate mode for VRR TVs, improved loading times, and more. Regarding new content, its offerings already seem much more thorough than The Last of Us Part I’s.

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There’s a roguelike survival mode called No Return, where players can choose a character to play and then attempt to survive encounter after increasingly difficult encounter. A blog post from Naughty Dog teases that players can customize runs, unlock characters and costumes, and compete for the top spot on a Daily Run global leaderboard in this mode.

For those more interested in the game development side of things, Lost Levels gives us a look at three levels that were cut from the final game, and new developer commentary enables the developers to explain the thought and development behind certain moments. Outside of that, there are new accessibility features like speech-to-vibrations, added character and weapon skins, and Guitar Free Play and Speedrun modes that support what their titles suggest.

Key art for The Last of Us Part II Remastered
Sony Interactive Entertainment

The Last of Us Part II Remastered will be one of the first AAA launches of 2024, as it comes to PS5 on January 19. A PC port does not appear to be in the cards at this time. Those who already own The Last of Us Part II on PS5 can upgrade to the game for just $10.

Tomas Franzese
As a Gaming Staff Writer at Digital Trends, Tomas Franzese reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
How to access Lost Levels in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered
Lev draws a bow in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered officially brings the popular Naughty Dog game to PlayStation 5 with a number of enhancements, including visual upgrades, a new roguelike mode, and a variety of fresh features that returning players may be interested in checking out. Among these new features are Lost Levels, which showcase early versions of areas that were ultimately cut from the game. There are three of these unique levels you can explore, including Jackson Dance, Seattle Sewers, and The Hunt — and they're all accessible right away, meaning you won't need to beat the main game to explore them. When you're ready to dive into The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered's Lost Levels, we'll tell you where to find them below.
How to access Lost Levels

The Lost Levels can be selected by booting up the game and loading up the main menu. At the bottom of the list of options will be a section titled Making Of. Click this to reveal the Lost Levels on the following page. From here, you can choose between the following bonus levels:

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The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered: No Return tips and tricks for beginners
Tommy in The Last of Us 2 Remastered

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered's campaign mostly just features visual upgrades over the PlayStation 4 original, but its new No Return mode provides players with a roguelike experience within the same world. This tense and challenging experience requires equal parts patience, strategy, and quick reflexes if you want to survive till the very end. In this guide, we'll share some things you'll want to keep in mind while tackling No Return.
Pick the right character for you
No Return features various characters from The Last of Us Part 2, each sporting unique initial loadouts, upgrade paths, and traits that can make a massive difference in your run. Picking one that suits the way you like to approach combat is extremely important, as certain characters will excel at some encounter types more than others.

For instance, Abby gets instant access to the Melee Upgrade Recipe and heals after killing an enemy with a melee attack, whereas Ellie gains extra supplements and gets immediate access to the Molotov Recipe for burning foes alive. Later, you can even unlock Yara, who will always bring along Lev as a sidekick to help you kill enemies in every encounter, though she sacrifices any other particularly unique extras as a result. As you can see, there's a character for every player, and a bit of trial and error should reveal which one works best for you.
Plan out your runs ahead of time

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The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered turns the original game into a cruel punch line
Lev draws a bow in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered.

It was a sunny spring day in 2020, amid the social isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, when I beat The Last of Us Part 2. As its long credits rolled, I paced around my small apartment living room, unpacking what had transpired. I adored the sequel’s first two acts and its multifaceted discussion of cyclical violence, but I found myself critical of its California-set finale. It seemed to backtrack on all the nuance of Ellie and Abby’s struggle by introducing a definitively evil faction that I wouldn’t feel bad about shooting with a machine gun. It was a discordant note at the end of a symphony, but I was determined to dig below my surface reading and try to understand what Naughty Dog was going for. It had earned that.

That’s when I was hit by the one moment of the game I’ll never forget. As I was deep in reflection, the credits wrapped up, and a final bit of text splashed on the screen. As a reward for finishing the brutal story, I had unlocked New Game+ mode, which would encourage me to replay it again with all my upgraded guns. The benefit of the doubt I’d given Naughty Dog went out the window; did the studio even understand its own game?

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