When The Last of Us Part II's gameplay trailer was revealed at E3 2018, fans were shown a small glimpse of what the future product had in store for them - crisp graphics, improved gameplay, immersion, lighting, and a whole lot more. However, once The Last of Us Part II released last week, it was a slightly different game from what fans initially saw two years ago.
In a video published by ElAnalistaDeBits, a YouTube channel that primarily focuses on comparing video games and their remastered/remade versions as well as console versions, viewers can see how different The Last of Us Part II looks when compared to footage from E3 2018. Although the video outlines some improvements that were made to the final version of the game, it also highlights noticeable downgrades from a graphical perspective as well as gameplay perspective.
For example, one very distinguishable difference deals with volumetric light. In the E3 2018 footage, Ellie, NPCs, and various environmental objects cast a shadow when next to a light source. In the final game, none of them do any of that. Another downgrade players may notice is in regards to character models and some of the animations. Some of the enemy NPCs look really detailed and life-like when they are up close to the camera (as seen in the video's thumbnail), but in the actual game they look somewhat washed out and not as detailed. One other downgrade pertains to enemies' attacks and the environment. In the gameplay trailer, when the enemy missed after swinging his weapon, it got stuck in an object. However, when the same scenario was replicated in the game, no environmental effect was produced.
The analytical video does not necessarily bash the game nor try to make it look bad. Instead, it simply analyzes what players were initially shown and what was put into the game at the end. For the most part, both versions look the same and it will be difficult to spot any of the differences. Nonetheless, it's clear from the video that The Last of Us Part II does have a number of downgrades.
Downgrades in video games aren't anything new. For years, development studios and publishers showcased games at big events like E3 in order to hype them and get players excited. Once the games release, though, they do not look the same as they did during those events. Some of the players found the practice to be annoying because the final product greatly differed from the showcased version, and they felt like they were lied to.
Source: YouTube