• 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

nib95

Banned
Some of the bigger areas that "encourage" stealth (via high grass) feel like there's no real purpose to be sneaky since if you get caught, you're stuck in the middle of a massive open area surrounded by dudes instead of just marching from one end to the other like a typical Nathan Drake death machine. I tried stealthing the second encounter in Chapter 13 and just gave up since it a) apparently was not meant to be completely bypassed since they straight up stop giving you high grass halfway through and b) is so much easier to just shoot everyone than risk stealth. I've enjoyed the stealth in smaller encounters like mini outpost areas in Madagascar, but otherwise it feels like it does more harm than good.

High grass isn't the only means to stealth, in fact on harder difficulties it is the less effective method of staying hidden whilst traversing a large area of a map. Rather, use your environmental surroundings, elevation differences, pillars, ledges, buildings, windows, walls, cover, hanging off or behind stuff etc just as much if not more than high grass. If you watch the video of how to get the ghost trophy in Scotland, this is further highlighted. Also, use water (underwater swimming) when you can as well.
 
This is the pace I wanted with 3. 2 was one of my favorite games of last gen, but the encounter numbers were too high. I really like that it's more about exploration than combat overall in this one. I'm curious if most encounters can totally be bypassed if you stealth it right. I'm assuming pure a ghost run is out of the question. I'm only on Chapter 15, right now, but I'm already thinking of trying to go for that in a second play through.

I reeeeaaaallllly appreciate that they can lose line of sight and stealth is back on the table after an encounter, btw.
There are a few encounters where you can completely avoid interacting with enemies.
 
Some of the bigger areas that "encourage" stealth (via high grass) feel like there's no real purpose to be sneaky since if you get caught, you're stuck in the middle of a massive open area surrounded by dudes instead of just marching from one end to the other like a typical Nathan Drake death machine. I tried stealthing the second encounter in Chapter 13 and just gave up since it a) apparently was not meant to be completely bypassed since they straight up stop giving you high grass halfway through and b) is so much easier to just shoot everyone than risk stealth. I've enjoyed the stealth in smaller encounters like mini outpost areas in Madagascar, but otherwise it feels like it does more harm than good.

um, I'm confused? That's the entire point of the stealth here?

If you got caught, you get caught so you need to fight/flee to survive? You can easily take out enough of the guys to make the ensuing firefight easier.

add: you can also do pulldowns + rope tackles
 
If you got caught, you get caught so you need to fight/flee to survive? You can easily take out enough of the guys to make the ensuing firefight easier.

Yeah, I get that, it just seems a little unclear on when you can ghost encounters and when they're kinda like "well, you can stealth kill a few dudes but this was supposed to be a firefight at some point." I've learned to give up on bypassing enemies and just focus on using stealth to kill as many as possible before shit goes down.
 
um, I'm confused? That's the entire point of the stealth here?

If you got caught, you get caught so you need to fight/flee to survive? You can easily take out enough of the guys to make the ensuing firefight easier.

add: you can also do pulldowns + rope tackles

By rope tackles do you mean jumping off rope and punching dude in the face?
 
Is it just me or did anyone else just lose all sense of direction in a lot of areas? I had no idea where I was supposed to go in most non-linear areas.

The one area I got confused in
Liberteria, you have to jump into the water far up and then catch the side (fighting the currents) and climb up to push the bookcase down for elena.

took me ages to work that out.
 

Anung

Un Rama
Nadine is the greatest!

Really enjoyed Rafe as a villain as well. His motivations, design and voice work really did it for me.

Up there as some of the series best and nice palate cleanser after Marlowe and Talbot. God they were crap.
 

davitpr

Member
Nadine is the greatest!

Really enjoyed Rafe as a villain as well. His motivations, design and voice work really did it for me.

Up there as some of the series best and nice palate cleanser after Marlowe and Talbot. God they were crap.

Haha I know. They were super generic too with those suit and glasses all the time. Rafe was a nice villain,
although I feel like it was kind of weak that he was just there from the beginning. I don't think Nate/Sam needed him to pull the job, it felt forced into the story as far as why he was with them. I mean, Nate and Sam were the ones who had all that research done by their super awesome historian mom. Rafe just needed a stronger reason to being with them that's all.
 
Haha I know. They were super generic too with those suit and glasses all the time. Rafe was a nice villain,
although I feel like it was kind of weak that he was just there from the beginning. I don't think Nate/Sam needed him to pull the job, it felt forced into the story as far as why he was with them. I mean, Nate and Sam were the ones who had all that research done by their super awesome historian mom. Rafe just needed a stronger reason to being with them that's all.
I believe he was helping fund the expedition
 
Nadine is the greatest!

Really enjoyed Rafe as a villain as well. His motivations, design and voice work really did it for me.

Up there as some of the series best and nice palate cleanser after Marlowe and Talbot. God they were crap.
The Uncharted villains aren't that excellent on their own but they're cool because they all add something new. Eddie was clumsy and charming, but still wanted to outdo Nate. Laz was a psychopathic brute that made every scene intense. Marlowe was more interested in playing mind games with Nate than really anything. Rafe
munraveled into a psychopath from fellow treasure hunter due to the obsession.

The stupid ones are the side villains: Navaro, Flynn, and Talbot. Never really cared for any of them. Nadine actually feels like she's there for a reason thematically.
 
Is it just me or did anyone else just lose all sense of direction in a lot of areas? I had no idea where I was supposed to go in most non-linear areas.

I thought the signposting in this game was remarkably clear and straightforward, probably a little too clear in some cases since the environments are bigger and they don't want people getting lost. Naughty Dog's always been good about that in their "cinematic" era.

It's funny though, I recall reading a small number of complaints where people would be having trouble in U1/2/3 finding their next ledge, or that the platforming wasn't clear enough and they'd be dying due to "blind" jumps. I always found that strange. I've never been lost or afraid of missing a jump in these games.
 

Randomizer

Member
Almost finished the game only 4 or 5 chapters left. First of all I have to say the game is too long, it has honestly outstayed its welcome and should have ended much sooner and had some filler removed. The pacing of the game is all over the place, especially when over half the game feels like all I'm doing is walking or climbing to my next destination. There are sections like this back to back with nothing inbetween but witty banter between the characters.

The design of the environments you traverse is extremely clever in that it leads you forwards in such a natural almost invisible way. I wasn't even aware of it most of the time. Even in the larger more open environments. I never felt lost and never felt like I needed a map, things just flowed perfectly and effortlessly. This obvious works wonders for such a linear story driven game and shows how Naughty Dog is perfect at designing these types of games.

One thing I have noticed is a significant drop in enemy encounters compared to previous games. Though I think they are much more engaging this time around. There are some obvious TLoU influences with the combat. The combat is quite different than it's predecessors; Stealth has been made more important and is pretty much encouraged as the main play method. For example enemies hit harder and if discovered you can be wiped out in seconds as every single enemy blows you away at once. I'm playing in normal and stealth just seems so over powered. The enemy AI is also very dumb, when you stand right in front of them they take at least 2-3 secs to fully react and go to alert status. By that point I have already ran up and snapped their necks lol. Shooting is the best in the series, very responsive with no aim assist I'm getting more headshots than bodyshots. The targeting system is so extremely basic to the point of me questioning its inclusion. This is especially surprising coming off the back of The Last of Us watch had a great system in place for detection. So overall combat is probably the best in the series but not as good as TLOU and certainly not something like MGSV.

Story wise it's good but not great. Best Uncharted story but that's not really saying much. Just like every sequel in the series it retreads similar ground but the added spin of the long lost brother really added to the fun. It was like you were showing him around and catching up on all his missed adventures. The characters are mostly great and feel much more fleshed out, Rafe is a very safe and predictable character though.

The presentation is obviously completely phenomenal with some of the best graphics and literally the best animation in the business. So many little animation touches that blow my mind. Minor jankiness here and there but when you have so many complex animations issues like this would be hard to eliminate entirely.

Overall I am still really liking the game but I don't see myself wanting to play through it again anytime soon. This is due to the sheer length and the issues with the pacing. So as it stands Uncharted 2 is still my favourite in the series and most of that comes down to the perfect pacing and perfect ratio of exploration/combat/puzzles etc.
 

Nyanmaruz

Member
Finished it last night, absolutely loved it to death.
I was totally hooked in the story and characters ever since a finished playing Uncharted 1-3 for the first time, couple weeks ago.
Life feels pretty empty now that it is all over...
I still can't believe that we didn't get to see Chloe one last time WTF Naughty Dog!
 
So I logged onto multiplayer before finishing the game last week and I was looking at older character models and the various skins and such when I came across
suited Tenzin and thought "Oh no, Tenzin shows up to someone's funeral dressed like that, doesn't he?!"
Turns out I was wrong but I do wish we could have seen more folks from the previous games.
 

KingK

Member
I really liked the game. I might start a crushing playthrough tonight. My biggest problem is that I wish there was either more combat, or the game was a bit shorter. The pacing in some areas just felt off, like it either needed to be trimmed or replaced with some action.

The combat that is there is the best in the series though, I think. And the story is by far my favorite in the series. I was hooked pretty early on, and it gets really fucking good once you get to Madagascar. The way the story and gameplay compliment each other rather than feeling disconnected is fantastic as well. It's been something ND always handles well, but I felt this was up there with TLoU in that aspect. Also, all of the bonus options and renders in the game are cool. I just miss Donut Drake.

Overall, I think I still have to give the edge to Uncharted 2 because of the near perfect pacing, but Uncharted 4 was a very satisfying conclusion to the series. Now bring on TLoU 2 or Savage Starlight!
 

Jeffrey

Member
no clue how y'all use swinging in combat that well. I got an swinging melee kill like once, every other time I land a few feet too short lol. Seems like enemies are positioned all over the map so its not like swinging around nets me any positive?

Maybe I should replay on lower difficulty.
 

Darknight

Member
I thought the signposting in this game was remarkably clear and straightforward, probably a little too clear in some cases since the environments are bigger and they don't want people getting lost. Naughty Dog's always been good about that in their "cinematic" era.

It's funny though, I recall reading a small number of complaints where people would be having trouble in U1/2/3 finding their next ledge, or that the platforming wasn't clear enough and they'd be dying due to "blind" jumps. I always found that strange. I've never been lost or afraid of missing a jump in these games.

I actually felt they hand hold you in areas too much with the ledges that have some highlights.

I think they should do that for the easier difficulties and remove it altogether from Hard+ modes. Its distracting and takes you a little out of the action. Instead of trying to find a path, ND are literally telling you "here use this path!". Like what am i, five? I can clearly see the ledge I need to climb, I dont need it highlighted.
 

Timeaisis

Member
Seeing these gifs, feel like I would've enjoyed the game a lot more if I played on easy. It was mostly not possible to pull off crazy manuevers even on normal.

Wouldn't alleviate the lack of combat and setpieces, but the ones that do exist would've been a lot more exciting for me. Oh well.
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
Played a few hours of the MP today after finishing the story yesterday. It's solid but I can't see it pulling me away from he other MP games in my rotation. Feels a bit much like a TPS CoD for me.
 

Randam

Member
Reached end of chapter 9.
Still not feeling it.

Setpieces aren't doing it for me yet. (the auction level was kinda nice though) platforming and exploration isn't fun yet.
Swinging is nothing special, sliding is dumb..

Idk.
Thinking about trying the old games to see if I still like them.
 

Draper

Member
Reached end of chapter 9.
Still not feeling it.

Setpieces aren't doing it for me yet. (the auction level was kinda nice though) platforming and exploration isn't fun yet.
Swinging is nothing special, sliding is dumb..

Idk.
Thinking about trying the old games to see if I still like them.

Alright, so I'm not the only weirdo with this view at the moment. That's good.
 

Gorillaz

Member
Reached end of chapter 9.
Still not feeling it.

Setpieces aren't doing it for me yet. (the auction level was kinda nice though) platforming and exploration isn't fun yet.
Swinging is nothing special, sliding is dumb..

Idk.
Thinking about trying the old games to see if I still like them.

that whole "area" after the auction was rough. I liked the environment in terms of art design and location but after awhile I was ready to move on. It did kill a little bit of the pace for me to the point I was just trying to get through it
 

JBwB

Member
Chapter 20 wasn't hard - it was just harder than the rest. It's still not a game where you'll need to try sections 6 or 7 times, aside from the daft final boss.

I disagree with you there.
Crushing was fine up until that point, from there it just felt like they hadn't spent enough time play testing this particular section
(those gas mask enemies can go to hell!)
.
I guess a bit of luck is involved to get through it. I ended up cheating weapons in because my patience was wearing thin after an hour of trying to beat it.

I still don't get what the fuss is all about with the final boss on crushing.
Rafe telegraphs his moves and gives you enough time to press the right button. There are also checkpoints during the fight that make it easier.
 

Jharp

Member
Man, some of the encounter design in the late game is straight fucking terrible. Struggling to get ammo, and can't run around because I die in a few fucking bursts. Was this designed exclusively for the easy difficulty?

Glad to hear there's a final boss, too. Because, man, Uncharted's always had great boss fights. Oh and the Daniel fight in Last of Us? Also fantastic!

Fucking hell. Way to spoil a good game, ND.
 
Man, some of the encounter design in the late game is straight fucking terrible. Struggling to get ammo, and can't run around because I die in a few fucking bursts. Was this designed exclusively for the easy difficulty?

Glad to hear there's a final boss, too. Because, man, Uncharted's <b>always</b> had great boss fights.

Fucking hell. Way to spoil a good game, ND.

What difficulty are you playing on?
 

NJShadow

Member
Uncharted 4 may quite possibly be the greatest game I have ever played. It at least meets, or exceeds the experience I had with The Last of Us, which is really saying a lot. Bravo, Naughty Dog! Masterful work!
 

LiK

Member
Completed Crushing mode and the
exploding mummies area where you had a blue flare
was the fucking WORST.
 

Tiktaalik

Member
Finished it. Fantastic game. I think my favourite in the series.

No post game unlock of any Featurettes tho? That's pretty disappointing because I loved the ones they included in all the other games.
 

Datwheezy

Unconfirmed Member
Just finished. Loved it.

Credits spoiler:
The screen thanking Amy Hennig was a total class act on Naughty Dogs part.
 
Finished it. Fantastic game. I think my favourite in the series.

No post game unlock of any Featurettes tho? That's pretty disappointing because I loved the ones they included in all the other games.

Bonus/Gameplay modifiers on main menu. Some pretty cool stuffs on it although the lack of costume/ NPC changing is disappointed, could make cutscenes more interesting when you replay it
 

Tiktaalik

Member
Bonus/Gameplay modifiers on main menu. Some pretty cool stuffs on it although the lack of costume/ NPC changing is disappointed, could make cutscenes more interesting when you replay it

I guess featurette is a bit the wrong word I meant like the documentry behind the scenes films they had in the previous games.
 

npa189

Member
Just finished it. A good all around game and franchise but I won't miss it. ND's puzzles and climbing sections can really make me feel like an idiot at times. Uncharted is great, but I think the next entry in The Last of Us is going to blow us all away.
 

cb1115

I Was There! Official L Receiver 2/12/2016
the whole Madagascar section of this game is absolute fucking fire brehs

driving the jeep through the wilderness, exploring enemy outposts and little abandoned structures, the drawbridge encounter, the clocktower, and capping it off with the jeep chase. whew.
 

Sande

Member
Sneaking gets pretty rough on crushing. No marking, no threat indicators and encounter design that ensures that there's an enemy in literally every direction mean that it's usually easier and safer to just pick a safe position and start shooting. Getting caught with your pants down while trying to sneak is a death sentence.

Uncharted overall feels like the opposite of TLOU when it comes to ideal difficulty level. TLOU is at it's best on survivor or grounded (although playing it as a regular 3rd person shooter is almost as fun), but Uncharted starts to suffer on hard. Spending most of a gun fight in cover with a gray screen isn't exactly something I'd call fun. The combat is definitely at its best when you can run around guns blazing, swinging around with the rope and punching fools.
 
the whole Madagascar section of this game is absolute fucking fire brehs

driving the jeep through the wilderness, exploring enemy outposts and little abandoned structures, the drawbridge encounter, the clocktower, and capping it off with the jeep chase. whew.

Some outposts are optional. I went to one of them and saw the guys posing and taking pictures, then I was like "I don't need to kill them" and I drove away.
 
Top Bottom