The unofficial official word on the street is that The Last of Us is making the move to next-gen. People in the know at Sony are saying The Last of Us will be on the PS4 this summer, a store listing for The Last of Us: Complete Edition has appeared, and it’s practically guaranteed. People even seem excited. The problem is, it’s an absolutely horrible idea.
Now, I’m not saying The Last of Us doesn’t deserve more attention. It’s one of Naughty Dog’s finest games, and a shining example of everything the PS3 is capable of. It was one of the first “zombie” games in a long time that didn’t feel like just another lookalike on the bandwagon. It’s an absolutely incredible game. But, the fact that it was so good doesn’t mean it had to be a PS4 game too.
I can understand where Sony would be coming from with the release of a The Last of Us: Complete Edition . It was a huge success with over six million copies so far. It’s getting a movie adaptation. People keep talking about it. Of course the company would want to put a proven product on their newest system, but it’s unnecessary.
Yes, it might look better on the PS4. The Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition certainly did. Then again, The PS3 version of Last of Us already looked almost as good as the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition . It was an absolutely gorgeous game. A little extra effort would be appreciated, perhaps a higher frame rate and improved textures, but it’s not entirely necessary.
Especially since there’s PlayStation Now to consider. At CES 2014, Sony used The Last of Us in its PlayStation Now demonstations. It was even streaming to Vitas at the event. Which means it will also be part of the PS4 PlayStation Now library. It’s redundant to release an expensive, upgraded version of a game that people will be able to stream via Sony’s official service.
In fact, I’d say it’s counterintuitive as well. If the point of luring people to PlayStation Now is to provide access to a backlog of amazing games, why take away one of the reasons people should use it? Likewise, why would someone pay to play The Last of Us: Complete Edition when a version of it will be available via PlayStation Now for what will undoubtedly be a cheaper price?
I suppose what really concerns me about the inevitable The Last of Us PS4 edition is the concern that Sony will decide to send a wave of ports. Though there have been some updated rereleases, so far the console hasn’t been inundated with a lot of slightly better games we’ve already enjoyed before. I just worry that companies will decide to capitalize on new console owners who don’t realize that PlayStation Now, with a library of amazing PS3 games, could be months away.