Uncharted 4 - A Thief's |Reviews Thread| Nateness Awaits

Status
Not open for further replies.
Colin also tends to think that series shouldn't evolve or add elements to them. He is constantly saying things like, "it doesn't feel like _______ because it has _______ " the IGN review seems to be saying the exact opposite. They wanted uncharted to be RPGified like so many other games these days
Oh yeah, I do like that aspect of Tomb Raider where I'm learning abilities, even if they are pretty useless end game or it feels like this is stuff I should have been able to do at the start like "roll twice lol" but once you buy in, it's a nice reward for players I guess. Nothing wrong with liking that aspect about TR better. For me though, once I buy in to Uncharted, that goes away as well and I'm just having a great time picking up and playing each chapter. The progression in uncharted is the amazing storytelling, that's my reward. I feel TR needs those RPG lite elements because the story and acting isn't as strong. It works in that game, maybe it could work in UC4 as well, but so far I haven't missed it. Speaking of, I have to go back and finish the first one, I got to like 66% done with the game and I had a save bug that brought me all the way back to the beginning!!! I' was 100% levels and everything and then bam!!! I've never forgiving the devs and now it just sits and looks at me from the digital game library like "you know you want this platinum" -_-
 
If this game is more like Left Behind than I can almost guarantee right now it is not topping UC2 for me because I did not like Left Behind that much. I tend to like games that excite me via its level design, encounter design and mechanics. I generally do not like lots of walking and talking segments ( particularly in a non open world game).

I do not agree with Neil's view here of reducing the action content to make every sequence more meaningful. Uncharted is not 'No Country for Old Men'. There is nothing wrong with having a lot of set pieces. Uncharted 2 had insane amount of over the top set pieces. Did that undermine any of the action? I would prefer a large no of action sequences with brief walk and talk segments in between rather than the opposite. I am hoping the early reports are just me misunderstanding what the posters are saying but if it is more like Left Behind than what a disappointment it would be for me.

Especially disappointing given the quality of the mechanics which is one of the best ever.

I'm kind of worried about this as well. Left Behind disappointed me for the most part. I don't need a lot of action to be satisfied, but if a big chunk of U4 is simply being forced to walk slowly and listen to characters talk, it's going to disappoint me. Hopefully that's not the case. If we're talking less combat but more exploration and puzzle-solving, I'm totally ok with that.
 
Yea.. thats a good way to put it.

Its funny, cuz i like to look at the headlines, but overall,i don't read reviews until after the fact.

Yeah, we live in times where everybody can be well informed about a game without reading reviews. I don't know what the last game was I bought or didn't bought because of the reviews.
 
Yea, that's what I was considering as well. Eh, I don't think people will be too dissaponted with the setpiece. Unless they are expecting UC3.

What would you consider UC3s setpieces?

Chataeu
Plane
Convoy

edit: Can't believe I forgot the Cruise Ship and I just finished the game on Wed.
 
I'm looking forward to the DF article. Unless I missed something, I'm sure the analysis on negatives will be on:

- The AA method, which sometimes creates annoying artifacts
- The motion blur, which imo is just not that good
- The shadowing method and sometimes strange blur around characters in cutscenes that I assume is a result of the AA
- FPS being largely consistent, though dipping during explosions and in the final chapter during certain moments
- Explosions and smoke effects not being particularly impressive looking

The good stuff... pretty much everything else.
Really? The latest demo had amazing looking smoke effects I thought.
 
Yeah, we live in times where everybody can be well informed about a game without reading reviews. I don't know what the last game was I bought or didn't bought because of the reviews.

But it seems like we are at a time where reviews dictate our decision of buying the game or not. I know a lot of people buying games based on metacitric.
 
I'm kind of worried about this as well. Left Behind disappointed me for the most part. I don't need a lot of action to be satisfied, but if a big chunk of U4 is simply being forced to walk slowly and listen to characters talk, it's going to disappoint me. Hopefully that's not the case. If we're talking less combat but more exploration and puzzle-solving, I'm totally ok with that.

Especially infuriating while doing a speedrun. The first game where I really notice how annoying this kind of crap is was probably Modern Warfare 2.
 
Wow, those are some nice scores. Congrats to the Naughty Dog team.

Now if they offer up a $299 1TB black friday bundle with UC4, Drake Collection, TLOU and an extra controller I might find that really hard to resist.
 
I'm almost done with the game and it sounds like you're gonna be one of the disappointed ones. Combat is spread in between large, long segments of exploration, and the set pieces are rare and humble in comparison to most things in U2 and U3.

What an absolute disappointment. It totally misunderstands the uniqueness of Uncharted versus a TLOU. I will still play it because I love these characters but man that is such a bummer. I hope I still enjoy it given the sublime mechanics but urgh....
 
What an absolute disappointment. It totally misunderstands the uniqueness of Uncharted versus a TLOU. I will still play it because I love these characters but man that is such a bummer. I hope I still enjoy it given the sublime mechanics but urgh....

I also heard that it has the best set piece in the whole series. Read the Giantbomb review to put your mind at rest, it seriously got me hyped.
 
For me the best Uncharted 2 set piece is the "Cat and Mouse" chapter (surviving the tank), and someone here said that Uncharted 4 has a lot action like it so that got me quite hyped!
 
Speaking of which, the game is straight up fun. Nathan Drake still plays like Nathan Drake. He’s half human, half spider monkey, and has the strongest upper body this side of the Mississippi. If you’ve never played an Uncharted game (I’d recommend you do, or else a lot of this review makes no sense to you), it plays a lot like Tomb Raider. Drake climbs stuff, jumps from high ledges to other high ledges, shoots stuff, takes cover and things occasionally explode. It feels like this time around, there was a lot more emphasis on stealth than previous entries in the series. Drake can mark targets from afar while in sneak mode to give players a constant reminder of where enemies are at any given time. AI also have alert levels that, if triggered, cause an all out firefight. For the most part though, players can take out most of their adversaries silently, which is a nice change of pace and a more realistic take on how these situations would go down. That’s not to say the series’ own brand of crazy action is gone; there are still huge firefights to look forward to. The improved stealth just gives players another route to take.
On top of that, Naughty Dog added a new sliding mechanic where players are actually encouraged to go down rocky hills to either evade enemies or progress through mountainous terrain. Also, there’s a grappling hook, to swing from harder to reach areas. Oftentimes, the new additions are used in succession to make for really fun moments. The controls can be a little slippery at times, but I chalk that up to a dedication to realism more than sloppy gameplay, even if it does make for some awkward deaths. Despite that minor gripe, the set pieces this time around are bigger than before, and the action is cranked to 11. This is the biggest spectacle since… well, Uncharted 2 when Drake climbed up a train falling down a cliff.
If I’m being totally honest, I did not think this series could top its second entry, and the follow-up Uncharted 3 solidified that for me. But here we are, seven years later and the series has taken another leap forward. This game is a technical masterpiece in every sense of the word, and it left an impression on me that few games are capable of. As an art form, gaming needs titles like Uncharted 4 to change the way we think, and play, as well as what we expect from the medium. From top to bottom, you won’t find a game that finally gets the formula right in making an interactive experience. If this is the last we see of Drake, it’s the perfect swansong.
http://www.cgmagonline.com/reviews/sony-naughty-dog-uncharted-4-thiefs-end-ps4-playstation-4-review/
 
What an absolute disappointment. It totally misunderstands the uniqueness of Uncharted versus a TLOU. I will still play it because I love these characters but man that is such a bummer. I hope I still enjoy it given the sublime mechanics but urgh....

If we're talking actual exploration and puzzle-solving, I'm personally fine with losing some combat.

If the "exploration" is akin to walking slowly through a mall, I'm going to be disappointed.
 
I also heard that it has the best set piece in the whole series. Read the Giantbomb review to put your mind at rest, it seriously got me hyped.

That is good to hear as long as it is not the E3 one with the extended demo because that would be even more infuriating given that there are fewer set pieces this time.

If we're talking actual exploration and puzzle-solving, I'm personally fine with losing some combat.

If the "exploration" is akin to walking slowly through a mall, I'm going to be disappointed.

Agreed. Puzzle - solving is perfectly fine. I also will not mind the lesser combat if there is actually robust platforming that is atleast fairly challenging this time around. Not sure what you mean by exploration though because to me exploration should also involve challenges ( combat, puzzles, platforming etc.. ) Just walking around in a pretty area for a majority of the game would be disappointing so I am unsure if we can separate exploration from puzzles, combat and platforming.
 
Have you played the game yet? Honest question.

It's the "no new mechanics" thing which is completely ridiculous.

I played the Beta and encountered two new mechanics.
Sliding and rope swinging.

And from the gameplay demos we know there are at least two new mechanics.
Piton and driving.

So from the beta she's immediately wrong and then from the videos she's wrong and people are on-record saying there's some more to the game later on, so based on multiple other perspectives, she's wrong.
 
Well reviews, impressions and the desire to play a pvp tps has got me to pre-order this and re sub to ps+. Roll on may 10th.

The overwatch beta has just added to the fact im just not into fps's that much anymore. And i remeber gopd impression of U4 multiplayer beta. Hopefully i like it and it has a lasting community. I know TLoU one lasted a long time.
 
What would you consider UC3s setpieces?

Chataeu
Plane
Convoy

edit: Can't believe I forgot the Cruise Ship and I just finished the game on Wed.

Yep, those ones. But those I felt had less control over Drake then the UC2 ones.

Really? The latest demo had amazing looking smoke effects I thought.

Eh, I wasn't too impressed with it. In a game with so many impressice graphical features, it stood out.
 
To be honest I think the problem facing reviewers is that really haven't got too much of substance to work with thanks to ND's ridiculously high proficiency in all areas. As such when they really aren't that invested in the franchise generally, they have to scratch around a lot to try and justify not gushing over it. Hence so many nit-packs that almost all games of a similar style are equally guilty of being overblown.

Delivering a near-perfect rendition of a song someone is bored with isn't going to make them love it all of sudden. That seems to me to be the nub of it.

Its a weird thing and really depends on what you expect the role of the reviewer to be; an impartial reporter serving the needs/tastes of their audience, or an honest commentator relaying their own subjective experience and reaction? Both aspects need not be mutually exclusive too.
 
Well reviews, impressions and the desire to play a pvp tps has got me to pre-order this and re sub to ps+. Roll on may 10th.

The overwatch beta has just added to the fact im just not into fps's that much anymore. And i remeber gopd impression of U4 multiplayer beta. Hopefully i like it and it has a lasting community. I know TLoU one lasted a long time.

As much as FPS is the origin of a lot of greatness, and there are countless FPS' I love, I honestly think TPS is where innovation has sat for the last 10 years, and I'm starting to think TPS has more inherently playable qualities to it than FPS.
 
I really dont know how it possible to say the game has no new mechanics.They have been talk about and detail several times up until release and are in reviews now.
 
It's the "no new mechanics" thing which is completely ridiculous.

I played the Beta and encountered two new mechanics.
Sliding and rope swinging.

And from the gameplay demos we know there are at least two new mechanics.
Piton and driving.

So from the beta she's immediately wrong and then from the videos she's wrong and people are on-record saying there's some more to the game later on, so based on multiple other perspectives, she's wrong.

Where does she say there aren't any new mechanics? She discusses them in her review.
 
I'm sorry, but this is kind of pathetic.

It's weird to me how frustrated some people get over a review score they disagree with. There's a good chance I will also disagree with IGN's score and the contents of the actual review once I get my hands on the game.

Who cares.

It's not the score that bothers me (why should it, it's not a bad score) it's the 'reasons' for that score. I'm sure most people in this thread are bothered for the same reason I am.
 
As much as FPS is the origin of a lot of greatness, and there are countless FPS' I love, I honestly think TPS is where innovation has sat for the last 10 years, and I'm starting to think TPS has more inherently playable qualities to it than FPS.

Yup i agree. Its why i have started to prefere them over the years. The increased awareness also changes how you play dramatically.
 
I must have not seen it yet. Makes sense if they would throw the best at the end.

Hmm, I haven't played 4 yet, but I have completed the first three. I think the sequence shown in the E3 2015 footage definitely tops anything in the first three in terms of spectacle.

I personally am excited that they are trying to do more stuff without shooting. If videogames want to elevate as an art form, they need to get include more interesting stuff to do other than just killing...This is an action adventure...of course adventure should be a bit element.
 
The rope swing alone is a whole new mechanic for Uncharted.

And according to people who have played it on here, it changes the game up quite a bit

And this is specifically mentioned in her review as a new gameplay element. It obviously didn't wow her as much as others, but she's not being dishonest.

Like I said in my post earlier, this is factually wrong that the game has no new mechanics. It's not just her though. I've seen other reviewers being wrong about details in their review or just not elaborate at all on important things like gun play. Seriously you're a reviewer... why wouldn't you talk more about this.

I'm not understanding where this is coming from. Lucy never claims there are no new mechanics in the game.
 
I really dont know how it possible to say the game has no new mechanics.They have been talk about and detail several times up until release and are in reviews now.

Like I said in my post earlier, this is factually wrong that the game has no new mechanics. It's not just her though. I've seen other reviewers being wrong about details in their review or just not elaborate at all on important things like gun play. Seriously you're a reviewer... why wouldn't you talk more about this.

Where does she say there aren't any new mechanics? She discusses them in her review.

EDIT: So does that mean Gamerman was wrong? http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=202804649&postcount=4544

I thought he gave a summary of her review. I'm not going to read the actually IGN review because I want to avoid spoilers.
 
Like I said in my post earlier, this is factually wrong that the game has no new mechanics. It's not just her though. I've seen other reviewers being wrong about details in their review or just not elaborate at all on important things like gun play. Seriously you're a reviewer... why wouldn't you talk more about this.



EDIT: So does that mean Gamerman was wrong?

I thought he gave a summary of her review. I'm not going to read the actually IGN review because I want to avoid spoilers.

I thought he was giving a summary of the video impressions with the Beyond guys..... Confused now.
 
And this is specifically mentioned in her review as a new gameplay element.

DId she also include in her review the New design philosophy in levels? There lots that you can do. If you have the jeep you can ram people, certain structures. You can actually use stealth outside of just being in cover or hanging from a ledge, and enemies have indicators that they never had in any uncharted letting you know how alert they are.

There's a lot of dynamics added to the base of uncharted which is melee, shooting, blind fire, behind cover takedowns.
 
And this is specifically mentioned in her review as a new gameplay element. It obviously didn't wow her as much as others, but she's not being dishonest.



I'm not understanding where this is coming from. Lucy never claims there are no new mechanics in the game.

I'm going by what gamerMan said about her reasoning. I didn't read the review myself, I'm trying to avoid everything I can about this game before I play it.
 
How many setpiece did UC2 have? I only recall like 2-3 big ones.

-5 minute train opening
-2 hours of museum and UC1 jungle adventures with Sully and Chloe
-30 seconds of running from a convoy opening in Nepal, then a lot of extended action sequences with Chloe until the big climax with the Helicopter(so that's 1)
-Outside one pre-requiste gunfight with six dudes, you then meat up with Elena and that's about 40 minutes of traversal and cutscenes and exploring that big temple place and then you fight your way out. You then go off with Elena and there's a lot of action mixed in with the required traversal bits.
-You get on the train...that counts as setpiece 2, about halfway through the game. Its a long hallway of combat that goes across multiple chapters. Then you crash, then there's even another fight out in the snow.
-Finally you get the village, and you actually get to mess around with Tenzin in the snow caves for a hour. Not a lot of combat, mostly traversal, environmental interactions, couple NPCs, that kind of thing.
-The village attack! Giant tank is there...I suppose this is #3 set piece about 8-9 hours into the game. Big action chapter, which leads right into Convoy, which I guess can be a separate #4.
-Monastery chapters with Elena. There's some traversal here, and even one pitiful attempt at a puzzle with the boxes and all that, but its mostly a parade of action sequences. Like you cant go five minutes without running into more bad guys.
-Finally get to the entrance and of course the bad guys are waiting for you there. There's some more traversal bits with Flynn, there's the spinning colunms puzzle, and that annoying fight with the gorilla/orge/monster people.
-Finally get to the end game place, and you get a cutscene or two and maybe you have to push a cart to reach a ledge, but most of the time is taken up fighting more of the same bad guys you've been fighting for half the game now, with the addition of newly annoying enemies who like to rush you and soak up damage.
-Then there's a mediocre final boss fight, so...set piece #5?

So yeah...not THAT many set pieces spread over 12 hours of gameplay. I mean there's the train which goes for a long time, but its really more like a new stage then any big scripted sequence like the ship sinking or the whole airplane thing in UC3.

People remember there being more set pieces because they are the big memorable moments in a sea of action. Seriously, there is sooo much combat in UC2. Its kinda funny when people praise its pacing when large sections feel like the equivalent of Horde mode, for all the puzzles or characterization or unique traversal or narrative elements you just don't get for large sections of time.
 
I'm going by what gamerMan said about her reasoning. I didn't read the review myself, I'm trying to avoid everything I can about this game before I play it.

His post is referencing Podcast Beyond's opinions of the game. They didn't review it for the site. Lucy never claims the game contains no new mechanics.

Her main issue with Uncharted 4 seems to be its pacing. That's something I really can't comment on until I've played the game from start to finish.
 
If this game is more like Left Behind than I can almost guarantee right now it is not topping UC2 for me because I did not like Left Behind that much. I tend to like games that excite me via its level design, encounter design and mechanics. I generally do not like lots of walking and talking segments ( particularly in a non open world game).

I do not agree with Neil's view here of reducing the action content to make every sequence more meaningful. Uncharted is not 'No Country for Old Men'. There is nothing wrong with having a lot of set pieces. Uncharted 2 had insane amount of over the top set pieces. Did that undermine any of the action? I would prefer a large no of action sequences with brief walk and talk segments in between rather than the opposite. I am hoping the early reports are just me misunderstanding what the posters are saying but if it is more like Left Behind than what a disappointment it would be for me.

Especially disappointing given the quality of the mechanics which is one of the best ever.

Well, I'm glad you're not Creative Director at Naughty Dog, then.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom