The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered will be coming out relatively soon, on January 19th, 2024. The game is currently available for pre-order, though players who already have the 2020 original game will be able to upgrade to the remaster digitally for just $10.
You will still be able to upgrade if you have a physical copy of The Last of Us Part 2 for the PlayStation 4, but only if you have a disc drive on your PlayStation 5. If this is how you want to upgrade your version of the game, make sure that you keep hold of the PlayStation 4 disc, as you will need to insert it and use it to play the upgraded version.Â
That said, there is another version of the remaster available for pre-order that is sure to interest die-hard fans of the series and collectors of video game memorabilia: the WLF Edition. The name of this collector’s edition refers to the bad guys from The Last of Us Part 2, also known as the Washington Liberation Front (or WLF).
With this in mind, we are going to be looking at what exactly you will get if you opt for the WLF Edition of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, as well as how much it will cost, how to pre-order it, and what new features are included in the remastered version of the game.Â
What do you get with the WLF Edition of The Last of Us Remastered Part 2?
You get a fair amount of cool items included in the WLF Edition of The Last Of Us Part 2 Remastered, so let’s take a closer look.
- A PlayStation 5 disc version of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered.
- A Steelbook case: The case features some fantastic black and white artwork of Ellie exploring a desolate city.
- Additional digital content for the PlayStation 5 console: The additional content includes lost levels and a brand new roguelike survival mode, though we will go into them in more detail later.
- A Washington Liberation Front patch: The patch features the vicious wolf logo that the members of WLF use in the game.
- A set of four enamel pins: The pin designs include a mixtape, a hammer, a skull and snake tattoo-like design, and an icon with a blue and white bullseye.
- 47 Total Society of Champions Trading Cards: I personally think this is the coolest addition to the WLF Edition of the remaster. The Society of Champions Trading Cards are collectibles in the second game, similar in style to the comic book collectibles from the first game. They each have a different hero design on them, imitating the likes of Marvel and DC comic characters. You get eight limited edition holographic cards along with the physical versions of the 47 Society of Champion trading cards from The Last of Us Part 2.
The price of the WLF Edition of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered
As you have probably already guessed, the WLF Edition will set you back more money in comparison to the digital upgrade or the physical copy of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered.
The WLF Edition costs $99.99, though this isn’t much of a surprise considering how many extra goodies you get. You can also grab the standard disc version of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered for the PlayStation 5 for $49.99. If you pre-order this standard edition, you will also receive an ammo capacity upgrade and a crafting training manual early in the game.Â
How to pre-order the WLF Edition of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered
The WLF Edition of the game is available exclusively on direct.playstation.com, and it is currently available for pre-order. However, at the time of writing, this edition is sold out. You can keep checking the PlayStation website at the link here if you want to keep an eye out for restocks. You can also head over to the pre-order FAQ section of the website here to find out more about the pre-order process for the game.Â
What is new in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered?
That’s everything that you need to know about the WLF Edition of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, but what is new to this revamped version of the 2020 sequel? Let’s take a quick look at the new features you can experience in the remaster.
No Return
No Return is the most significant addition to The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. The roguelike survival mode allows players to take on the roles of either Joel or Ellie once more, but you can also unlock other characters that appeared in The Last of Us Part Two as well, such as Dina, Tommy, Lev, Yara, and Jesse, to name a few. These characters can be unlocked by completing challenges, with each one having its own distinctive play style. Skins for these characters can also be unlocked as you play.Â
The gameplay itself revolves around randomly generated fights with enemies in a range of locations seen throughout The Last of Us Part 2. Players can compete for a position on the leaderboard if they are feeling competitive. You can also change various factors of No Return and complete your own custom run.
Shiny new visuals
The Last of Us Part 2 was already impressive in terms of visuals, but the remaster amps this visual polish up to 100. The game features native 4K in Fidelity Mode as well as a 4K upscaled from 1440p in Performance Mode. If you have a television that supports VVR, you will also have an Unlocked Framerate option. Not only that, but there are also improvements in shadow quality, texture resolution, animation sampling rates, and increased Level-of-Detail distances, to name just a few upgrades.
Unseen levels
You will be able to explore the early development of three cut levels from The Last of Us Part Two with the remastered version. According to a listing on the PlayStation store, these lost levels are named Jackson Party, Sewers, and Boar Hunt. These levels are not fully fleshed out, but it will still be interesting to have the opportunity to explore what could have been.Â
To be honest, I’m kind of glad they cut a sewer level from the game. It seems that every game to ever exist feels the need to include a sewer level these days, especially horror games. Not only is it a super gross setting, the potential for jump scares and instant death in the narrow tunnels and murky sewer waters would have given me heart palpitations, especially since the Clickers and Infected in The Last of Us are some of the most horrifying video game monsters out there.Â
Game modes
There are also some new game modes to be found in The Last of Us Part Two Remastered. The game is bringing back the Speedrun Mode that was last seen in The Last of Us Part 1, but it is also introducing Guitar Free Play Mode and Photo Mode.
According to Naughty Dog on the PlayStation blog, the playable guitar feature in The Last of Us Part Two was such a popular fan favorite that they decided to create this mode that allows players to use new unlockable instruments to strum strings but also to use audio FX pedals so that you can modulate your performance. You also have the chance to play as different characters, customize the set, and play in different locations.
I loved the guitar segments of the game. It was oddly peaceful to sit amongst the ruins of civilization, quietly strumming my six-string. I’m definitely looking forward to playing it and seeing what other players create.Â
The new Photo Mode is similar to that seen in The Last of Us Part 1. There are tons of options to take some stellar in-game pictures with the Photo Mode, such as Frame Forward choices, dynamic lighting, and options for Gaze Direction.
Director’s commentary
Those who are interested in the behind-the-scenes elements of The Last of Us Part 2 are sure to want to check out the director’s commentary included in the remastered version of the game.
It’s not just the director that you will hear from, even though director Neil Druckmann is one of the major players involved. You’ll also get to hear from actors Troy Baker, who plays Joel, Ashley Johnson, who plays Ellie, and Laura Bailey, who plays the controversial new character Abby. Narrative lead Halley Gross is also part of the director’s commentary, and it will be interesting to hear from her, seeing as the narrative of the second game was another controversial aspect.Â
PlayStation 5 specifics
The new remaster will also take full advantage of the PlayStation 5 and its functions, such as by incorporating the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback in the DualSense wireless PlayStation 5 controller. There are also improved loading times, which is always an appreciated feature.
So there you have everything that you need to know about the WLF Edition of the game and the new features included in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. Whether you opt for the WLF Edition or the regular version of the game, you won’t have much longer to wait before you can jump back into the world of The Last of Us once more.
Published: Dec 15, 2023 01:08 pm