• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End |OT| You're gonna miss this ass

sappyday

Member
I just beat chapter 16. God this game is amazing. It outdoes every Naughty Dog has done so far. Way better than The Last of Us imo. So far my GOTY and the only games that have a chance of beating it for me is FFXV or P5.
 

Harmen

Member
It is fair that people wish for more encounters, since UC as a whole is a third person shooter series. I wouldn't call this one that, as it really is more of an action adventure.

It has equal parts of exploration and being a "walking simulator". And I do not mean that as a negative. Though not perfect, I think it sets a new bar for cinematic action titles. Instead of building a game around encounters (such as UC3, which I loved as well), they build a game around an adventure (storywise). So if there is a chapter of finding something, with no reason for an enemy to be there, they go all the way and make a game around just that. And in almost all of those sections they introduce new bits of gameplay to still make it a fun game to play at it's core. Instead of having a cutscene, you perform almost every action yourself. An example would be the
diving
very early in the game, where it really is just a very brief bit but they went all the way and it works, looks, and feels really well when playing. In many other games it just would've been a brief introduction cutscene for what Drake's life is like now. Hell, the first UC
basically starts exactly like that.

In the end, I would've prefered a tad bit more encounters, in particular in the mid game. But overall I think the game delivers big time. It is more cinematic than any game ND has made, yet it is also a better game at it's core than any game ND has made. And because everything works so fluently and well, I don't think it is a chore to go trough the chapters again when I feel the urge for a replay. However, because it is less gamey, I think it will take longer for me to attempt a replay. That isn't a bad sign though, it just comes with the type of game it is.
 

nib95

Banned
The villains in this game are so well executed. Rafe is amazingly well acted, and Nadine is a straight bad ass. Loved the
second fight where she turns straight The Raid on your asses. The aggression and skill she fights with in that fight is crazy. Shows she was basically massively holding back in the first fight.
 

Wollan

Member
Just replayed the epilogue and
the music in the last 30 seconds before characters vanish and camera finishes on book
... it's wonderful.
 

Ogni-XR21

Member
You have to finish the game first.

Start new game, new save file. Make sure to pick crushing.

Complete the Prologue.

Quit out when chapter 1 starts.

Chapter select Epilogue overwrite the new save file.

Finish Epilogue.

Just tried this and it only gave me the speedrun trophy.

This works for crushing as well? I did this for the speedrun trophy and it worked but I didn't think it worked on crushing?

Confirming this. It only does the speedrun trophy.
 
I'm not even halfway through so I can't judge the overall package but the complaints about there not being enough combat must feel weird to ND after the amount of enemies Nate killed in previous games actually became a meme (which is completely stupid since the same happens in a ton of other games). Must feel like a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation, even if the people voicing this opinion aren't necessarily the same who are now complaining about the lack of gunfights. It definitely affected them when designing the game though, seems obvious to me, though I'm fine with what I played so far while I also admit that it might not be as fun to replay as the previous games.
I'll wait until I finish it but for now I still feel it has potential to be my favorite in the franchise and I love them all dearly.
 

Lightning

Banned
It is fair that people wish for more encounters, since UC as a whole is a third person shooter series. I wouldn't call this one that, as it really is more of an action adventure.

It has equal parts of exploration and being a "walking simulator". And I do not mean that as a negative. Though not perfect, I think it sets a new bar for cinematic action titles. Instead of building a game around encounters (such as UC3, which I loved as well), they build a game around an adventure (storywise). So if there is a chapter of finding something, with no reason for an enemy to be there, they go all the way and make a game around just that. And in almost all of those sections they introduce new bits of gameplay to still make it a fun game to play at it's core. Instead of having a cutscene, you perform almost every action yourself. An example would be the
diving
very early in the game, where it really is just a very brief bit but they went all the way and it works, looks, and feels really well when playing. In many other games it just would've been a brief introduction cutscene for what Drake's life is like now. Hell, the first UC
basically starts exactly like that.

In the end, I would've prefered a tad bit more encounters, in particular in the mid game. But overall I think the game delivers big time. It is more cinematic than any game ND has made, yet it is also a better game at it's core than any game ND has made. And because everything works so fluently and well, I don't think it is a chore to go trough the chapters again when I feel the urge for a replay. However, because it is less gamey, I think it will take longer for me to attempt a replay. That isn't a bad sign though, it just comes with the type of game it is.
This pretty much sums up.my feelings on this game except I liked UC3 slightly more than this game.

This game meet expectations from me and to be honest I'm glad they toned down the gun fights. I just don't feel they are overall necessary to have massive gun battles all the time. All the games needed to be more treasure hunting/puzzle solving/exploring rather than Drake being a treasure hunting Rambo with the healing capabilities of Wolverine. I understand the need for the gun battles to keep the action aspect but felt UC4 got that balance perfect with that.
 

Wollan

Member
Maybe they updated that cheese-bug with 1.03? I am about to confirm this one way or another in one minute now, watching credits.
 
A little bit of why Rafe is an awesome villan (design wise):

So much thought has been put into the design of his character.

He comes from a privelged background so obvs he would know swordfighting/fencing and would gloat like the rich little shit he is.

He doesnt tower over the brothers drake (is shorter than them) so it seems like he isnt physically imposing as villan but rather his strengths lie in him being a rich shit.

He doesnt have a shit eating grin, or does anything ridiculous over the top. Thank fuck for no supernatural twist around him. The fact he kills the prison warden so easily makes him very dangerous and volatile.

The way he relishes when he reveals sam's lie.

He actually seems like a smart guy but with issue related to pride, self worth and being damn relentless.

He is more of talker than the previous villains, so the dialogue he has is very well written. He seems more a dangerous person than any hulking physical imposing merc (like lazarvich).

His perfectly gelled hair coming undone in the final boss fight really shows the charcter has gone off rails

His fucked up hair reminds me of Ryan Gosling's character from Drive. I wouldn't want to be in an elevator with either of their unhinged ass selves. Really great villain.
 

SomTervo

Member
ENDING SPOILERS



It's not gonna be about his daughter, people. The epilogue was spent entirely trying to convey that Nate and Elena don't want to raise their daughter doing illegal treasure hunting and shooting like them. She's going to be a legal explorer, like she has been since she was a little girl.

If there are any future Uncharted games, it will likely be about Sam and Sully as they learn to get over their differences.

Nyehh. I'm not sure about that.

The fact that Nate and Elena made their fortune as legal treasure hunters doesn't mean they'd turn their daughter off doing it (well, they would but for her personal safety etc). The point is that the lure of adventure runs in the family. Granny Cassandra obviously had it, Nate/Sam obviously have it, and no doubt young Cassie will have it.

And they don't actually say to Cassie "we did bad things, this is all bad". In fact, the opposite. Nate seem actually fucking excited to tell her about all the crazy adventures he had.
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
Maybe they updated that cheese-bug with 1.03? I am about to confirm this one way or another in one minute now, watching credits.

They didn't fix it, but I don't think Crushing works with it. I did the speedrun and sharpshooter thing post 1.03 fine.
 

Wollan

Member
I didn't even get speed-run trophy.

edit: Maybe I shouldn't choose 'keep stats from current save file' when starting New Game? I chose Yes first time. Trying cheese one more time.
 
ENDING SPOILERS:
I think people seem to be looking at the ending way too literally. They're not going to keep making Uncharted games but with Cassie as the protagonist. The ending isn't 'leaving the door open' - it's saying that although Nate's story is over, the world won't stop turning. It's like looking at the ending of The Dark Knight Rises and saying 'that's the lead-in to the sequel with JGL as Batman' instead of a simple wink to later adventures we won't see.
 

wouwie

Member
I'm not even halfway through so I can't judge the overall package but the complaints about there not being enough combat must feel weird to ND after the amount of enemies Nate killed in previous games actually became a meme (which is completely stupid since the same happens in a ton of other games). Must feel like a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation, even if the people voicing this opinion aren't necessarily the same who are now complaining about the lack of gunfights. It definitely affected them when designing the game though, seems obvious to me, though I'm fine with what I played so far while I also admit that it might not be as fun to replay as the previous games.
I'll wait until I finish it but for now I still feel it has potential to be my favorite in the franchise and I love them all dearly.

I was wondering the same thing. They improved combat (the stealth options are great) but decided to include much less of it. It seems like a very clear choice they made and i'm thinking it might actually be because of the mass murderer thing (which was ridiculous). It would be interesting to hear from the developers why they made this choice.
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
I didn't even get speed-run trophy.

edit: Maybe I shouldn't choose 'keep stats from current save file' when starting New Game? I chose Yes first time. Trying cheese one more time.

I said yes to that and it was fine. It's important that you only have 1 save file though(the one you initially beat the game with), delete the rest.
 

dealer-

Member
I think people seem to be looking at the ending way too literally. They're not going to keep making Uncharted games but with Cassie as the protagonist. The ending isn't 'leaving the door open' - it's saying that although Nate's story is over, the world won't stop turning.

It's like looking at the ending of The Dark Knight Rises and saying 'that's the lead-in to the sequel with JGL as Batman' instead of a simple wink to later adventures we won't see.

Context for spoilers if it's about the ending.

Edit: Thanks, nearly got me there ;)
 

Wollan

Member
I said yes to that and it was fine. It's important that you only have 1 save file though(the one you initially beat the game with), delete the rest.
How is it possible to get the Chapter select screen if you only have one new save file?

edit: I overwrite my existing completed-game-save with a New Game save? I don't want to loose Chapter/Encounter select...
 

Tizoc

Member
This game really should've ditched the combat and become a straight up adventure game, with less platforming and cutting down on the padding (the last 1/4 of the game dragged like heck).
Overall...eh I'd give it a 3 out of 5 and that's being generous, nice visuals, some nice puzzles here and there, some decent platforming but has more than it needs.
Couldn't care less for the shooty banging which I felt should've been removed.

Honestly with the way the game paces itself I would give it 2 or 2.5 @_@
This game's like golf; a good walk spoiled.
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
How is it possible to get the Chapter select screen if you only have one new save file?

edit: I overwrite my existing completed-game-save with a New Game save? I don't want to loose Chapter/Encounter select...

No, don't overwrite, make a new one. But when you do this there needs to be only one file.

I guess it works by transferring all the data to the new game, when you only have one file you're already loaded into it and it should show you the whole list of chapters after you quit out of the prologue.
 

Tizoc

Member
Can someone tell me how many puzzles there are in the game, and do we see any grand puzzle designs like those in UC2 and 3?

I plan on replaying UC1-3 just to see these 'grand puzzle designs', cuz those puzzles would stick with me if they were that notable @_@
 
I plan on replaying UC1-3 just to see these 'grand puzzle designs', cuz those puzzles would stick with me if they were that notable @_@

UC3 has some very well designed puzzles, not very challenging because it's not a puzzle game and you don't want people that aren't particularly good at them stuck in a room for 2 hours, but just right.
Some of them are very creative with the way you manipulate the environment to progress while also looking pretty cool and nailing that "lost civilization contraption" vibe.
By far the best game in the franchise in that regard.
 

Tizoc

Member
UC3 has some very well designed puzzles, not very challenging because it's not a puzzle game and you don't want people that aren't particularly good at them stuck in a room for 2 hours, but just right.
wut.
Easy puzzles isn't not something to praise about @_@

I beat a PnC Adventure game today that was very light on the puzzles (as in they weren't very complex) but had a wonderful story and dialog. You won't find anyone praising the puzzles, but that's OK.

However to go and say that they are well designed because they are easy rather kills the concept of a puzzle.
Now Tomb Raider Ann., for example? THAT is good puzzles.
 
wut.
Easy puzzles isn't not something to praise about @_@

I beat a PnC Adventure game today that was very light on the puzzles (as in they weren't very complex) but had a wonderful story and dialog. You won't find anyone praising the puzzles, but that's OK. However to go and say that they are well designed because they are easy rather kills the concept of a puzzle.

Finding the right balance between not being too easy to the point where you can figure it out at a glance while also not making it hard to the point of breaking the flow of the game because it's too complex, isn't easy. You can do the latter in a puzzle game since that's the point of the game, not in an action game where the purpose of the puzzle is just to provide a small break in the action.
Well designed =/ difficulty.
 

Corpsepyre

Banned
I plan on replaying UC1-3 just to see these 'grand puzzle designs', cuz those puzzles would stick with me if they were that notable @_@

The two massive status puzzles in UC2 that combined platforming and puzzle solving along with the notable light ones in UC3's middle section, specifically.
 
Regarding cheese (from WarWolf post: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=203588799&postcount=6380 ) :

Yeah so the trick seems to be to quit *immediately* when you see kid Drake's face in Chapter 1 cutscene. Don't wait for gameplay to initiate. In doing so you still have the full Chapter Selection available to you in the main menu.

edit: Yup. Got the speedrun one.

So by doing this gets you the crushing trophy do you mean as well as the speedrun one?
 

Wollan

Member
Something that makes me laugh in the epilogue:
- She's old enough. She's ready to have the talk.
- Yeah, I'm totally ready for the talk! ... wait... which talk... :|
 

High Rise

Neo Member
So I've nearly finished my first playthrough and I love it, defiantly the best uncharted IMO! Love the stealth elements as I'm not good at shooter games so it makes it a bit easier for me!

However...I've found a few things that niggle me
1) you can't backtrack easily if you think you've missed something, the number of times I accidentally went into the next area while searching for treasures was numerous and annoying.
2) I found the set pieces to be a little lacking in comparison to UC2+3 maybe because i spoiled the car chase for myself by watching previews
3) no gold trophies! Lol!
4) unless Chloe pops up in the last couple of chapters I'll be sad!!
 

Sakujou

Banned
just played through the game on hard. wow sort of weird feeling afterwards :/
1. the ai of the enemies is certainly weird. sometimes there are tons of them attacked ng you sometimes ist just 6 and then its done. no more wave.
2. a lot of bugs. enemies falling through the floor, drake not moving or not recognizing button pushing.
3. the ai of your partner sometimes astonishes you. sometimes they stealth-kill your enemies, sometimes they shoot against the wall.
4.my last point: somehow i had the feeling that this game has become even more of a movie than a game. is this good? is this bad? well in my opinion this is bad.
5. the game has performance issues. sometimes i had really stuttering sequences even if there was not much going on on the screen.
i wonder why. (later parts of the game)
my positive thoughts=
1.dazzling graphics

somehow i do not feel overwhelmed or satisfies after the ending.
especially seeing drake being old and basically retired...
 

Harmen

Member
I thought some of the non-action sequences were really well done. I love games like Firewatch and Gone Home. Obviously UC4 is a totally different type of game as a whole, but it does have some sequences that gave me similar feelings.


Full story spoilers: In particular I found this to be very great writing:
exploring the museum-like house of Evelyn and later the house of family Drake
, which both offer a, to me, very powerful parralel in terms of character development. In both cases
you explore the house of ex-adventurers trough the eyes of a child, but the personal history of the owner(s) of the house you are exploring took a very different direction. One kept her obsession and sacrificed all her personal relationships, and died alone. The others chose for their relationship first and live a happy family life
.
 

leng jai

Member
There were some amazing moments in this game that weren't set pieces or even action oriented:

-
the scene where Nate is playing Crash Bandicoot while getting heckled by Elena.

-
the short jeep ride between Elena and Nate where everything else sounds muted aside from the amazing music.

-
the kiss on the ground between Elena and Nate mainly due to how elegantly it was executed.

-
the part in the caves where everything is pitch black while Elena lights a fire.

-
the camera panning to Cassie and Vicky for the first time in the Epilogue

They almost all involve the same people.
 

SomTervo

Member
Pretty big near-ending spoilers.

I know a lot of people are super high on the ending, but I thought it was kind of boring. The entire story revolved around
greed, obsession, and loss.
Except for some magical reason, everyone loses (with exception to Nadine on the villain side) except Drake and his merry band. Cassie is cool, but one of the main characters (probably Sam) should have died.
I want to make clear I don't think it's a bad ending, it's simply one I wouldn't have chose if I wrote it.

If
Sam had died, it would have been a heinous cop-out. It would have been what Hollywood has taught you to expect.

Hollywood's completely generic story layout:

First act: Emotional investment. Suggestion of romance. One character set up as the emotional scapegoat. Bad guys set up as bad guys.
Second act: Development. Romance turns bittersweet. Bad guys start winning. Get to know emotional scapegoat better.
Third act: Payoff. Romance 'is won' in the end. Bad guys lose unequivocally. Emotional scapegoat is killed off to catalyse the experience.

That scene
when Sam almost drowns and Nate saves him is my favourite scene in the game. I was thinking "Well, here we go, they're going to kill him off and do the generic thing." Then Nate's like "Wait a minute, no!" and saves him because he's Nathan Drake, Sam doesn't die because this isn't a hollywood movie.

It was so great.
 
Top Bottom