Halfway through Uncharted 4. Does this game pick up at all?

OP, I admit I only had fun actually playing I think chapters 10 through 18 or something like that. The rest had a good enough story and great enough technical achievements (visual sights) to keep it fairly interesting, but I admit I was not having a lot of fun in the first 9 chapters or so and the back end of the game when the game was actually giving me control of Drake.

I like the game overall fine enough because I did personally enjoy the characters and story throughout the whole thing, and I do personally hail it as the finest technical achievement on the PS4 so far, but there were a lot of points where I would've much rather just been watching rather than playing, because the playing did feel very basic and it failed to engage me, with the exception of that middle stretch of the game. There was something about where the story had gone by that point that actually felt fun and rejuvinating to the experience, like it was the proper section of the story any other Uncharted game would've taken place in, but while I did find the actual events in the opening sections and the ending sections of the game interesting, they were pretty boring to actually be placed into as a player, I think.
 
Loved the presentation, but I really never bought the story, so all the mandatory slow moments just highlighted that shortcoming for me. The new mechanics were pretty good, but all the exposition just made gameplay seem secondary

It's the only UC game where I didn't immediately do a second playthrough.... and still haven't
 
Uncharted 4 has like four "first chapters", including the fairly pointless Sam escape, that could have been a cutscene or just 5 minutes long. While it eventually becomes a TPS, it often forget it's one and you have entire chapters where almost nothing happens encounter wise (or in any way, sometimes), maybe except for one or two neat puzzles or one of the few genuinely interesting platforming set pieces in the game (these also could have been cutscenes or 5 minutes long). Ideally, you would have the elements of the game mixed and paced together, and there are some impressive examples of that, but often enough I was trying to balance my sense of exploration against the utter boredom of nothing interesting happening, an hour at a time. In the final batch of chapters, it goes full schizo, where they literally every chapter is the polar opposite of the previous one: fight after fight of the craziest, most challenging combat is the series vs. a slow, 20 minute trek through an area that's either tedious or pointless (what was that penultimate chapter suppose to do for me?). Weirdest pacing.

EDIT: Rise of the Tomb Raider has much better exploration and traversal, but I can't take its combat seriously. Poison arrows literally kills everything.
 
Been meaning to really do an in-depth final analysis of the franchise and probably will once my shooting schedule wraps.

I really do love the pacing(thought it was fucking fantastic actually,) I just didn't jive with the story. But more on that later...

I think the reason why the pacing seems off to some people is simply based off of them not jelling with the storytelling technique that's being applied here. Going off of the two games Druckmann has directed I've noticed a huge utilization of environmental storytelling. I love that technique, specifically the way ND used it in TLoU, it's a great way to make you "feel" the world a little more. Using this method you(the player) provides the forward propulsion when the narrative doesn't. This is the only Uncharted to work that way though, the first three were nonstop romps. It's a case of this one feeling a little too different to people.

Also, I honestly don't think the locations and mythos surrounding the game lends themselves to playing like this as well. Pirate holdouts aren't anywhere near as interesting as Shambhala or Iram. I honestly think the game didn't feel as exotic as it should have.
 
Uncharted 4 has like four "first chapters", including the fairly pointless Sam escape, that could have been a cutscene or just 5 minutes long. While it eventually becomes a TPS, it often forget it's one and you have entire chapters where almost nothing happens encounter wise (or in any way, sometimes), maybe except for one or two neat puzzles or one of the few genuinely interesting platforming set pieces in the game (these also could have been cutscenes or 5 minutes long). Ideally, you would have the elements of the game mixed and paced together, and there are some impressive examples of that, but often enough I was trying to balance my sense of exploration against the utter boredom of nothing interesting happening, an hour at a time. In the final batch of chapters, it goes full schizo, where they literally every chapter is the polar opposite of the previous one: fight after fight of the craziest, most challenging combat is the series vs. a slow, 20 minute trek through an area that's either tedious or pointless (what was that penultimate chapter suppose to do for me?). Weirdest pacing.

Reflection.
 
People thought I was crazy when I told them pre release that Golden Abyss had a better story than UC4 and was a better Uncharted game.
 
I have no doubt that Naughty Dog designed Uncharted 4 as a "one and done" experience. As a game you'll play once it's very good (though not UC2 level), it's not until you look back on it that the flaws really seem apparent. The ultra slow beginning and is fine the first time around when it's all fresh, but it's nowhere near compelling enough to hold up on subsequent play throughs. Add the excessive platforming sections in and the game becomes a real slog.

It definitely hurts the game for me as someone who loves playing games more than once, but lets be honest - the vast majority of people don't even finish games, let alone play them multiple times.
 
I also hated that there weren't any supernatural enemies. Totally expected skeleton pirates.

Don't read the spoiler if you haven't beat the game yet.
 
Wasn't that the point of the
Elena chapters? Nathan's character development is basically settled at that point.

Not from a mechanical standpoint, no.

Consider it kind of like the 3D platformer sections in Super Mario Sunshine without the water pack.

That chapter is how Uncharted has played for the last 10 years, and that was the last time it would play like it again.

That chapter is kind of a reminder about what's come before and what will never come again.
 
I have no doubt that Naughty Dog designed Uncharted 4 as a "one and done" experience. As a game you'll play once it's very good (though not UC2 level), it's not until you look back on it that the flaws really seem apparent. The ultra slow beginning and is fine the first time around when it's all fresh, but it's nowhere near compelling enough to hold up on subsequent play throughs. Add the excessive platforming sections in and the game becomes a real slog.

It definitely hurts the game for me as someone who loves playing games more than once, but lets be honest - the vast majority of people don't even finish games, let alone play them multiple times.

That's not a negative though.

Shouldn't be seen as a negative or treated like a con.
 
People thought I was crazy when I told them pre release that Golden Abyss had a better story than UC4 and was a better Uncharted game.

You're still crazy. Golden Abyss's story is dog shit and its a worse game, Uncharted or otherwise lol.

I can understand people liking 2 or 3 better (2 is quite a bit better imo, and 4 is just a bit better than 3), but it is 110% better than Drake's Fortune and especially Golden Abyss.
 
That's not a negative though.

Shouldn't be seen as a negative or treated like a con.

That's what I'm saying to a degree. At the same time there's plenty of people who found the new formula and pacing insufferable on their first play through, so I think it's fair to say UC4 isn't a clear cut success in its execution. TLOU for example was also designed as a "one and done" experience but I played through it 3 or 4 times on PS3 (plus 2 more on PS4). No chance I'll do that with UC4.

Put it this way, it obviously would have been better if UC4 used the same formula but executed it in a way that made it repayable at the same time.
 
It is to me, I could replay the other 3 games and not get bored to death. Even TLOU I replayed a few times.

U4 just isn't Uncharted to me.

That's fine and all, but something's quality isn't determined on repeat values, it's initial impact. Hell, that was the whole point of the movie Groundhogs Day. That's the reason why games aren't re-reviewed every week.

This is a narrative first and focused franchise/experience. Sometimes you only need to hear a story onetime for it to stay with you. That's whats important. Focus on how you felt after completion of the first time, not the 1000th. Because after the initial impact it just becomes mechanical.


That's what I'm saying to a degree. At the same time there's plenty of people who found the new formula and pacing insufferable on their first play through, so I think it's fair to say UC4 isn't a clear cut success in its execution. TLOU for example was also designed as a "one and done" experience but I played through it 3 or 4 times on PS3 (plus 2 more on PS4). No chance I'll do that with UC4.

Put it this way, it obviously would have been better if UC4 used the same formula but executed it in a way that made it repayable at the same time.

That's fair. If it didn't jell with people on the first time I can see that being a much more legitimate response that actually holds weight. I just don't ever like people judging something because "it felt familiar the 10th time." Of course it does. after all you have been down that road before.
 
I second that. I found the previous three entries fun, but not as emotionally engaging. The 4th one nails all sections (story, presentation and gameplay mechanics) much better, imo.

110% agree. The previous games have moments of trying to tell a deep narrative, but not enough leaving me unsatisfied.

Uncharted 4 hits every note right, giving the perfect blend of a great action adventure game.
 
That's fine and all, but something's quality isn't determined on repeat values, it's initial impact. Hell, that was the whole point of the movie Groundhogs Day. That's the reason why games aren't re-reviewed every week.

This is a narrative first and focused franchise/experience. Sometimes you only need to hear a story onetime for it to stay with you. That's whats important. Focus on how you felt after completion of the first time, not the 1000th. Because after the initial impact it just becomes mechanical.

Is any media reviewed every week, though? I definitely think how often a person wants to go back to something and/or if they enjoyed it just as much (even a little less) than they did the first time is a testament to quality. initial impact is great when it sticks with you and the impact is so great that it isn't diminished by knowing how something starts and ends.

it's why you have things that are good/great for their time and classics. the former is a "you had to be there to experience it" type of experience and the latter is a "wow, this still holds up after x amount of time and playthroughs."

the best type of product meets both criteria. it may be a product of its time but still holds up and can be played again down the line.
 
Along with MGSV, probably the most disappointing game of the generation. They both had some great things about them but overall, just not a good sendoff for either series.
 
Is any media reviewed every week, though? I definitely think how often a person wants to go back to something and/or if they enjoyed it just as much (even a little less) than they did the first time is a testament to quality. initial impact is great when it sticks with you and the impact is so great that it isn't diminished by knowing how something starts and ends.

it's why you have things that are good/great for their time and classics. the former is a "you had to be there to experience it" type of experience and the latter is a "wow, this still holds up after x amount of time and playthroughs."

the best type of product meets both criteria. it may be a product of its time but still holds up and can be played again down the line.

Disagree completely about something's longevity being the only way to gauge quality.

There are amazing movies that I adore but have only been able to sit through once. Hell, "The Sound and the Fury" and "Heart of Darkness" are tied for my favorite novels of all time but I know I'll never read them again.

If something is powerful than that power needs to be present on the first outing.
 
I think the reason why the pacing seems off to some people is simply based off of them not jelling with the storytelling technique that's being applied here. Going off of the two games Druckmann has directed I've noticed a huge utilization of environmental storytelling. I love that technique, specifically the way ND used it in TLoU, it's a great way to make you "feel" the world a little more. Using this method you(the player) provides the forward propulsion when the narrative doesn't. This is the only Uncharted to work that way though, the first three were nonstop romps. It's a case of this one feeling a little too different to people.

Environmental storytelling isn't mutually exclusive to delivery and pacing of interactivity though. That is a part of coherent narrative in an interactive medium. I don't think anybody would seriously disagree with what you're saying; Naughty Dog's environmental storytelling is exceptional, particularly in their recent games (Uncharted 4) included. But where success may be found in conveying emotional themes and concepts through environment the actual delivery can still be wrought with repetition.

For me personally the most interesting games, including narrative heavy titles that draw from cinema, are those that strive to evoke their themes and emotional resonance through cohesion of presentation and play. This is where The Last of Us so magnificently succeeds more regularly than Uncharted 4 (opening acts, at least), the former title's underlining gameplay systems and paced interactivity more contextually relevant with the characters we see on the screen, their journey and development.

My issue with Uncharted 4's first half pacing is that while it absolutely has brilliant moments of combined environmental and interactive story telling (as said, I adore the Elena vs Drake game sequence, and the opening dive is brilliantly conceived), too much of the game regresses to an interactively unimaginative slog where environmental storytelling comes at a unnecessary concession of play. By franchise comparison, for me one of Uncharted 2's greatest accomplishments to orchestrate these tightly scripted set pieces that continually involve you in the ongoing sequence, telling the story through events you see in the environment while at the same time encouraging you to engage with them. The Last of Us does this exceptionally well too; those rudimentary gameplay systems like NPC co-op puzzling to flip switches and push bins thematically relevant to the developing bond between Ellie and Joel, and the simple savaging and crafting organic to the overall post apocalyptic survivalist premise.

Uncharted 4, on the other hand, has scenes like wrought QTE fist fights, spawn point wave encounters in unimaginative environments that neither encourage or highlight game mechanism, and tediously long paint-by-numbers climbing sequences (looking at you, Scotland) that are neither mechanically nor narratively stimulating and long overstay their welcome. In the same way that The Order has those dreadful werewolf fights, I honestly feel sometimes sequences in games are inherently misdirected in that they accentuate no particular strength (of environmental storytelling nor interactivity), and at worst lack a coherency of the two. Overly self indulgent on the idea of environment storytelling, and stretching particular sequences on for far too long, with limited engagement from the player.

Meanwhile Uncharted 2 can open with climbing a train wreckage hanging off a blizzard drenched mountain peek, and despite its mechanical simplicity the combined effort of interactivity and presentation immediately conveys through environment and play an emotional potency to set up the story. Uncharted 4 is, in my opinion, really lacking in this cohesive nuance that is unique to this medium, and is simply too excessive in other areas to no real gain.
 
I thought Uncharted 4 was pretty boring overall, which is a huge shame. Felt too close to TLOU which is not what I come for in a Uncharted game. The retcon of Frake's childhood was unnecessarily sappy and served only to retcon in a brother for Drake who, honesty, wasn't that great of a character to begin with. It lacked the pulpy spirit of adventure the last three games had, which I really enjoyed.
 
Uncharted 4 is basically an action film directed by a guy that doesn't understand action films. People told me it'd be okay they worked on Uncharted 2 they get it. Well honestly they did get it, but they didn't get it right. The pacing kills the game. Literally kills it. I mean it's okay to have a slow start, but the game is slow throughout. It never really gets going and anytime it does they kill the momentum with some "storytelling" or "emotion". The game has little to no replay value either. It was basically the summer blockbuster of video games, yet if it was a film it would've been underwhelming simply because no one would watch it again. Who would sit through a 3 hour film for 30 minutes of actual action? That's what Uncharted 4 is
 
I've been playing the game lately and while I really like it (though the slow plot is probably my biggest problem so far), the one chapter where Young Nate and Sam are poking around the mansion is probably my least favourite so far. Poking around a lot of samey-looking rooms in the dark clicking on everything. It really killed my vibe.

Hopefully the rest of the game gets me back in the groove.
 
- Layered animations Average animation.
- Contextual melee What melee?? All you do is hide.
- Gun play Boring and simple, less than 1 hr of gun play through out the game
- Sound design Music is alright, but must will agree that there are many other games with better sound design. ie FF and MGS, etc,
- Movements and control responsiveness Movement is so bad when in certain areas. Again, many other games offers better movements. ie DMC
- Art design / graphics Art design is alright, but I can give you the graphic. Seems like they spent too much time oh the graphics then making the game longer and enjoyable.
- AI contextual awareness (play on higher difficulty and this becomes more apparent) Playing this gameethe second time is just more boring. The content is just too little, besides finding all the treasures and thats it!
- Traversal gameplay (rope swinging in single player campaign and MP is amazing - if you know when it use it). Way too many rope swing

There's no other game on the market that I've has the same combination of everything I've listed above. There are somethings that MGS V does very well listed above, but factoring everything, UC4 comes on top. I enjoy the Gear series, but based on what I've seen UC4 still tops it almost every area. That series needs to figure out a way to expand it's gameplay in a more meaningful way that would still sit right with Gears fans.

MGSV is def a much better game and I am no fan boy of the MGS series.
 
I am at a point where Sam, Sully and I (Nate) are out of the jeep and fighting some bandits across a river... I stopped playing at that point.

I will pick it back up eventually, but it doesn't feel anywhere near as good as the other Uncharted games, so far.
 
UC4 is such a frustrating game. I never would have imagined an Uncharted game being boring, but here we are. It is the worst of the series,and probably has the worst pacing of any game that I can recall. Changing the entire formula on the final game of such a beloved series was such a dismal decision. I replayed all of the previous games multiple times,but have no desire to go through this slog again. I'm really looking forward to ROTR on PS4.

UC3 > UC2 > UC1 >>> UC4.
 
I was very, very disappointed with UC4 and it feels as if my resentment towards it increases every day, the more I think about it the more I actively dislike it.

Just a complete fumble by naughty dog, when I think of UC4 all I can picture in my brain is Nate hastily jump-climbing, I don't think of the setpieces, I don't think of the crap story, I think of mind numbing climbing for hours on end.

Props on them for trying something different though, but it completely and utterly failed for this uncharted fan.
 
UC4 is such a frustrating game. I never would have imagined an Uncharted game being boring, but here we are. It is the worst of the series,and probably has the worst pacing of any game that I can recall. Changing the entire formula on the final game of such a beloved series was such a dismal decision. I replayed all of the previous games multiple times,but have no desire to go through this slog again. I'm really looking forward to ROTR on PS4.

UC3 > UC2 > UC1 >>> UC4.

Uncharted 4 literally has the best pacing of any game I can think of through the last several years. It's brilliant. There was a slow bit towards the end on the
island
though.

UC4 > UC2 > UC3 >>> UC1.
 
Loved the presentation, but I really never bought the story, so all the mandatory slow moments just highlighted that shortcoming for me. The new mechanics were pretty good, but all the exposition just made gameplay seem secondary

It's the only UC game where I didn't immediately do a second playthrough.... and still haven't

I actually enjoyed it more on second playthrough. When you know what's left the pacing is easier to swallow

Wasn't that the point of the
Elena chapters? Nathan's character development is basically settled at that point.

Can't properly edit your previous post on mobile, but FYI the Sam escape chapter was anything but pointless. It A functions as an immersive combat tutorial and B makes Sam's
lie more believable because you play it. It's a red herring move.
 
Uncharted 4 literally has the best pacing of any game I can think of through the last several years. It's brilliant. There was a slow bit towards the end on the
island
though.

UC4 > UC2 > UC3 >>> UC1.

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Uncharted 4 literally has the best pacing of any game I can think of through the last several years. It's brilliant. There was a slow bit towards the end on the
island
though.

UC4 > UC2 > UC3 >>> UC1.

If we're talking about a game with less action, TLOU does a way better job than U4 with pacing. Same director too.

When I'm traversing and traversing for close to 20 minutes at times, I can't muster that to good pacing.
 
It's the worst Uncharted game IMO. U2 is a classic, 3 is a great game and while 1 hasn't aged as well, I still prefer it to 4. Honestly I don't know what's wrong with U4, it just didn't click with me.

Playing it was a chore to me. I liked the ending and that's that.

Kinda off topic but I felt the same way about Gears of War 2. I fucking loved Gears 1 but I had to muster all my strength to finish 2.

I'm only talking about the SP campaign obviously.
 
It's the worst Uncharted game IMO. U2 is a classic, 3 is a great game and while 1 hasn't aged as well, I still prefer it to 4. Honestly I don't know what's wrong with U4, it just didn't click with me.

Playing it was a chore to me. I liked the ending and that's that.

This, basically. At times. There's long stretches of tedium and repetition. The underwater segment, the heist/gala, Sam and Nate as kids running across 30,400 rooftops, Sam and Nate as kids exploring the dark manor the prison break stuff, etc. These aren't inherently bad sequences, they just drone on and on. With a better sense of pacing, they'd have been fine. They work story wise and that's about it.

I feel like where they think it's the last one that they had to throw in the kitchen sink, but all it did was weigh everything down. Fortunately, the game gets a lot better IMO during the second half and there's plenty of good gameplay scenarios-- but even some of those go on for too long, like the stuff in the caves after you solve the water wheel puzzle, the Madagascar driving, the unrealistically long stretches of climbing at times. There's just a lot of individual sections I can think of off the top of my head that with some editing and focus would have contributed greatly to a sense of better pacing and it wouldn't have felt as boring so often.

Good game, great even during portions, amazing presentation, but simply bogged down and overstuffed. If the story moved at a better clip it would have been astonishing. You don't need all that padding to get a point across.
 
It does get better but it never reaches tlou or uc2 level.

I enjoyed what i played but looking back a month or two later it really was a forgettable experience. TLOU stuck with me for a while and uncharted 2 was also a favourite of mine, but uc4 just seemed to stay safe and not really offer anything new besides improved graphics. It's a shame because i was hoping with neil druckman directing he might try to create a darker story line with some supernatural elements in there but instead he played it safe.
 
I wouldn't say it's forgettable, personally. The story is good, the characters are great, presentation is amazing, and there are a number of super well designed gameplay and combat scenarios. I actually loved the openness of the Madagascar chapter and most of the enemy encounter portions are ingeniously designed with the number of ways you can approach each, and pretty nicely done encounter environments. The ones that felt "sandboxy" sort of like MGSV were just a blast.

...and then you have shitloads of padding. It hurts the game, but doesn't kill it.
 
I'm replaying Rise of the Tomb Raider and game play wise this game is way better than UC4 and I'm actually finding it to be more like TLOU minus the Joel/Ellie component.

The areas are way more open, the weapons are more varied and offer more variety game play wise. The upgrade paths for weapons and skills adds depth missing from UC4. Basically they slowed down the Uncharted Action without adding depth.

The traversal in Tomb Raider has a puzzle element missing from UC4. It's not just push forward until it's done.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is a far superior game to Uncharted 4. Unlike UC4 I'd have a reason to go back and replay RotTR
 
I think Net_Wrecker nailed in the head.

It's strange. I fucking loved The Last of Us but I only managed to beat the game once.

I double dipped with the Remaster and just couldn't finish it once more. I dropped it about 1/3 into the game.

If anyone asks me what I think of TLOU I will say it is an amazing game, a classic and that everyone should try, but I just couldn't go through all the long story sequences again.

I really do believe U4 issues have a lot to do with TLOU as Net_Wrecker said. Really solid post man, I couldn't figure out what my issues with U4 were but I think I agree with you.

On the other hand I must have finished Uncharted 2 at least 4 times. I beat the game on crushing and got the platinum. The gameplay and story were perfectly mixed IMO. Even U3 got more replayability IMO, I beat it multiple times but didn't get the platinum. Replaying it on crushing was fun.

Maybe I should look out for a cheap copy of the PS4 trilogy, I felt like playing U2 again. It's been a long time.
 
Uncharted 4 literally has the best pacing of any game I can think of through the last several years. It's brilliant. There was a slow bit towards the end on the
island
though.

UC4 > UC2 > UC3 >>> UC1.
Wtf? I mean, not even counting the fact that both UC2 and TLOU are better paced than UC4, there are even open world games with better paced campaigns. It's not brilliant at all in that regard.
 
Chapters 10 and 11 (IIRC) in Madagascar are when the game is at it's best imo. For chapter 10 the jeep essentially replaces climbing as the primary method of traversal, and is just way more fun to mess with. Chapter 11 features a lot of climbing, but it's used well for the clocktower puzzle (figuring out how to reach the different switches, timing jumps between moving parts, etc). And then there's the convoy 3.0 sequence which is fantastic, as in previous games. But then you're thrown back into the loop of endless button mashing climbing punctuated by short bursts of combat.

I originally thought chapter 10 would be the turning point for the entire game, but then chapter 12 came around and slammed the breaks on any momentum the game built up to that point. So fucking disappointing.
 
I continue to think this game is awesome, but it's just a notch below the previous games in the series. It's a very noticeable notch though.
 
Uncharted 4 and to a lesser extent The Last of Us have proper denouements, which are incredibly rare in games (games mostly stop at the climax at the end of the second act). I wonder if this factors in to not wanting to immediately replay the game. Because the game has actual closure.
 
If we're talking about a game with less action, TLOU does a way better job than U4 with pacing. Same director too.

When I'm traversing and traversing for close to 20 minutes at times, I can't muster that to good pacing.

I don't understand what traversal has to do with anything. There's more to storytelling than "action > not-action > action >not-action".
 
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