• 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

F

FelipeMGM

Member
Comrade Crunch said:
Apparently it does, kind of odd to me.
Click to expand...

Hmmm I see.

I am in doubt because I saw a lot of people saying their playtime without cutscenes in other threads. Still, 17+ hours is a lot, and it never felt too long

Heck, I finished with only ~60 treasures lol, there is a whole lot to explore still. Did find almost every journal entry, journal page and optional conversation tho, only a couple missing from each
 
R

RespectThySole

Member
Still early on(starting chapter 8), but I'm not really impressed so far. The graphics, animations and voice acting are great as expected, but the game definitely hasn't grabbed me like U2 yet.

Chapter 4 was cool though.
 
R

Rated-G

Member
antitrop said:
Ya, after Gustavo slaying in The Last of Us, it really feels like something is missing here.
Click to expand...

It's missing musical motifs to tie the game's score and themes together. It's at it's best when it uses Nate's Theme, but it doesn't have the through line that each of the other three games did. It's also lacking the location specific instruments. Greg Edmonson has always been so good at making use of exotic wood winds and horns, as well as vocalists to help keep his pieces from sounding like generic action fare.

Part of what made me enjoy the other games soundtracks was that it had the tone of a good action movie score, but cultural depth in the instruments that formed them. The erhu in 2 comes to mind, the Arabic scales used in the melodies of 3, along with the Asian and middle Eastern strings and winds. Hardly any of that is in Uncharted 4's score, and what IS there, is extremely understated. The percussion is also pretty weak, and the previous games made great use of their drums, also utilizing exotic sounds. This soundtrack is mostly comprised of conventional Hollywood strings and horns. It's serviceable, but fails to leave a lasting impression on me like almost every other aspect of this game has.

If Naughty Dog wanted to big Hollywood composer to do the soundtrack, I feel like Michael Giacchino would have done a better job of carrying on the intent of Greg Edmonson's work, and would have untilized some unique sounds as well. Henry Jackman is too inconsistent for me. I find his action scores for the Marvel movies to be pretty average, and often forgettable. I do like what he did with animated movies like Wreck-It Ralph and Big Hero 6, there were some memorable themes throughout and unique sounds, but still not as good as some other composers.

I wish Greg Edmonson had been able to score this game, I'd love to have seen what he'd have brought to it, having been with the main series since the first game.
 
J

JHoNNy1OoO

Member
Just finished and it was fantastic. No complaints other than some slow sections but they weren't that bad. Will be interesting to see what the DLC is about. Can't wait to dive into the MP, enjoyed the hell out of the Beta.
 
S

Slaythe

Member
e287c576afb863cc23a1cae333e40239.png


That sums it up pretty well.

I honestly think that if you want a pure shooter, just go play something else.

It's wasting ND's talents to drown their story an exploration with waves of shitty enemies over and over.

To me, UC4 is almost perfect, I can't praise the pacing enough. It tried to serve the narration as best as it could, feeling like one hell of an adventure. And not "go forward until next waves of enemies".

I'm sorry you guys didn't enjoy as much as I did, cause it was everything I hoped it could be.

One of the best games I've played in recent years. Period, even.
 
J

JPeeples83

Member
Beat it tonight after having it for review for a bit. AMAZING ending and exactly how things should have ended - it felt like Naughty Dog merged what they learned with LTAU with UC, and it was perfect. As I said in my review, it being a celebration of the past 20 years of the company is all the sweeter since it really is their crowning achievement that shows just what they've learned in that time.
 
L

Lingitiz

Member
Spinluck said:
Yeah, for all the shit 3 gets, it was perfect for setting up 4. First time any of the characters really showed any depth to me was UC3.
Click to expand...
UC3 had a bit more of a character focus, it just didn't come together as well as it should have.

UC4 goes all in on that. Brad said it best on the Bombcast that the story is character driven this time around whereas 1, 2, and 3 were driven by the treasure hunt. This time around the character moments are fleshed out so much AND the treasure hunt story is the best of them.
 
U

UnwrittenZero

Member
Finished the game today been poking around cleaning up the treasure I missed. Loved the game all the late game stuff with Nate and
his wife
is fucking incredible nearly brought me to tears. That epilogue so good.
 
ComputerBlue

ComputerBlue

Member
Rated-G said:
It's missing musical motifs to tie the game's score and themes together. It's at it's best when it uses Nate's Theme, but it doesn't have the through line that each of the other three games did. It's also lacking the location specific instruments. Greg Edmonson has always been so good at making use of exotic wood winds and horns, as well as vocalists to help keep his pieces from sounding like generic action fare.

Part of what made me enjoy the other games soundtracks was that it had the tone of a good action movie score, but cultural depth in the instruments that formed them. The erhu in 2 comes to mind, the Arabic scales used in the melodies of 3, along with the Asian and middle Eastern strings and winds. Hardly any of that is in Uncharted 4's score, and what IS there, is extremely understated. The percussion is also pretty weak, and the previous games made great use of their drums, also utilizing exotic sounds. This soundtrack is mostly comprised of conventional Hollywood strings and horns. It's serviceable, but fails to leave a lasting impression on me like almost every other aspect of this game has.

If Naughty Dog wanted to big Hollywood composer to do the soundtrack. Henry Jackman is too inconsistent for me. I find his action scores for the Marvel movies to be pretty average, and often forgettable.

I wish Greg Edmonson had been able to score this game, I'd love to have seen what he'd have brought to it, having been with the main series since the first game.
Click to expand...

Could not have said it any better.
 
Hawk269

Hawk269

Member
Slaythe said:
e287c576afb863cc23a1cae333e40239.png


That sums it up pretty well.

I honestly think that if you want a pure shooter, just go play something else.

It's wasting ND's talents to drown their story an exploration with waves of shitty enemies over and over.

To me, UC4 is almost perfect, I can't praise the pacing enough. It tried to serve the narration as best as it could, feeling like one hell of an adventure. And not "go forward until next waves of enemies".

I'm sorry you guys didn't enjoy as much as I did, cause it was everything I hoped it could be.

One of the best games I've played in recent years. Period, even.
Click to expand...

That is how I intend to play it. I just started chapter 5 and my game time says 4 hours 30 minutes. Been taking it slow and looking around. This is the type of game you like to take slow and not push to the next section too fast. I know some like to speed through these games, but for me this game is one of those sit back, relax and soak it in nice and slow.
 
K

Kevin Shields

Member
Slaythe said:
e287c576afb863cc23a1cae333e40239.png


That sums it up pretty well.

I honestly think that if you want a pure shooter, just go play something else.

It's wasting ND's talents to drown their story an exploration with waves of shitty enemies over and over.

To me, UC4 is almost perfect, I can't praise the pacing enough. It tried to serve the narration as best as it could, feeling like one hell of an adventure. And not "go forward until next waves of enemies".

I'm sorry you guys didn't enjoy as much as I did, cause it was everything I hoped it could be.

One of the best games I've played in recent years. Period, even.
Click to expand...

Substitute it for endless waves of mindless platforming for hours ;) just playing... Game is good so far up to chapte 10 but they could have improved gameplay pacing even if narration pacing is solid. Too many platforming sections right in a row.
 
N

Nappuccino

Member
Spinluck said:
Yeah, for all the shit 3 gets, it was perfect for setting up 4. First time any of the characters really showed any depth to me was UC3.
Click to expand...

Part of UC3's problem (and UC2's) is that it hides a bit too much from the player to really connect on the level the game demands. Throw in some poorly motivated sidequests ("Sorry, your Sully is in another castle"), and the game's story gets a bit wonky.

UC4 capitalized on UC3's story well . . . but I don't think that means UC3 did that great of a job either.
 
G

gundamkyoukai

Member
UnwrittenZero said:
Finished the game today been poking around cleaning up the treasure I missed. Loved the game all the late game stuff with Nate and
his wife
is fucking incredible nearly brought me to tears. That epilogue so good.
Click to expand...

Yes i really enjoy that part of the game .
If you were not on team elena before you should be now lol .
 
G

george_us

Member
Just finished it. On one hand, the combat mechanics are a pretty decent step up from previous Uncharted but the pacing is absolutely horrendous save for the last few chapters. I think my biggest problem with the downtime is that it's either filled with dull auto-platforming segments, uninteresting puzzles, or just segments where you're simply pressing forward while some sort of story event happens. I also wasn't all that impressed with the set pieces, as most of them just felt like retreads of the previous games save for the awesome
vertical fight with Elena and the car stuck in the elevator.
Nothing with the ingenuity of the train fight in U2 or the wow factor of Nepal, Tibet, or Shambala. If I had to rank them I'd go U2>U3=U4>U1.
 
R

RespectThySole

Member
Kevin Shields said:
Substitute it for endless waves of mindless platforming for hours ;) just playing... Game is good so far up to chapte 10 but they could have improved gameplay pacing even if narration pacing is solid. Too many platforming sections right in a row.
Click to expand...

Yeah the story bits are good, but the endless auto-platforming and brain dead puzzles are a bit much. I know Uncharted is known for simple puzzles, but these have to be the worst ones yet. I actually want more combat which is somewhat surprising after U3.
 
F

Fix The Scientist

Member
RespectThySole said:
Yeah the story bits are good, but the endless auto-platforming and brain dead puzzles are a bit much. I know Uncharted is known for simple puzzles, but these have to be the worst ones yet. I actually want more combat which is somewhat surprising after U3.
Click to expand...

The puzzles were ridiculously easy, and to think so much work went in to making them all look so good/interesting.
 
H

Hasphat'sAnts

Member
do folks have a dead zone issue with the camera inputs?

Everything about the gun play feels snappier but the aiming is horrendously sluggish, it's frustrating.
 
L

leng jai

Member
I'm okay with the emphasis on exploration and somewhat glacial pacing - it's basically the game telling you to take your time and admire the staggering care and detail Naughty Dog have managed to pack into the visuals. They've created one of the richest looking games of all time, and it's no coincidence that they're trying to make you notice as much as possible. It would have been silly to put this effort in the graphics just to have everyone race through it with non-stop action. Do I think the game meanders at times? Yes, but I can appreciate why.

Using headphones for most people is essential too in these sections in order to extract every last bit of detail and really immerse yourself. You really have to concentrate and take notice of every last detail both visually and sonically - everything is there for reason. If you just walk through everything without really paying attention then yes, the slower pacing just comes across as boring. The biggest issue I have is with the platforming sections - there's just way too many inconsistencies, too much time wasted looking for where jump next and all the new mechanics are more annoying as opposed to fun.
 
B

Blastoise

Banned
Just finish the game. This is the best experience I've had in gaming in a really really long time.

From top to bottom everything was fantastic and lovingly crafted.
 
I

Illucio

Banned
Got to the end.

Now please Naughty Dog, no more Uncharted games. It ended perfectly, any other game will just be milking it.

Mod abuse - some people may consider that a spoiler, some of them might even send me PMs about that :p -

(I wish they killed off Nathan though to prevent future games but the ending was too nice and sweet and well deserving.)
 
TissueBox

TissueBox

Member
Regarding Jackman's music, there is a really poignant bit that stands out in chapter
17
when
Nate and Elena finish going through yet another tense, contemplative back-and-forth over the 'ol woes of trust and you climb back onto the off-road and ascend the steep mountainside and suddenly the volume of the ambience and everything else is reduced to make room for a simple, somber piano piece while you just drive in silence up this gorgeous, color-smitten incline and I was pretty struck by it.
That was one of the few moments that I really, really felt, emotionally. It was simple but effective. Caught me off-guard and did leave me with a bit more to desire in the music department in general, I guess in a counteractive way, lol.

RespectThySole said:
Yeah the story bits are good, but the endless auto-platforming and brain dead puzzles are a bit much. I know Uncharted is known for simple puzzles, but these have to be the worst ones yet. I actually want more combat which is somewhat surprising after U3.
Click to expand...

Yeah, throughout the later parts of the first couple chapters the one thing I mulled over was if I would be able to play through these again as prolifically as I had the other games', and in the back of my head I couldn't help but feel a slight hesitance. UC4's the type of game that would appeal to a fan of either the long stretch of puzzles and platformer exploration, the second-to-second character-gameplay dynamic, or both in order for some healthy replay value, as that's where the meat of it lies. It's all on the personal affinities of the player.
 
K

Kaako

Felium Defensor
Just finished my first playthrough and god damn, kinda outta words...
Gonna let it digest a bit more before I try to put it into words lol.
ND :bow:
 
H

hughesta

Banned
I gotta say I feel like the slow start will make the game suffer massively on replays. It serves the story incredible well, so I won't hold it against the game. I was utterly enraptured for every second on my first playthrough, and only started to get the "get on with it" feeling towards the end. Can't understate how good this game is.
 
M

Mirrintu

Neo Member
The combat gameplay is so smooth and diverse I can't get enough of it. It certainly makes up for the slow pacing in the beginning. The interactions are unbelievable, especially the complexity of the climbing motions. Narrative wise I am not that impressed, as it is a little lacking compared to the previous games, but the overall experience is so surreal I can't hold that against it.

Also I am disappointed in Nate for lying to Elena. But that is a whole other thing.. Lol
 
T

Tubie

Member
Now that I've come off the high of finishing this game (3 hours ago), a few highlights for me (massive spoilers inside the tags):

Graphics:
Holy fucking shit. I still remember when I got on the jeep for the first time in Madagascar, I kept a massive grin all the way through, but little did I know that wasn't even close to the most impressive part. A highlight for me is when you are in the jeep crossing the river going to New Devon and also once inside New Devon... holy fucking shit. I own a 970 on PC and, at least in the games I have, I've not seen anything like that graphics wise.

Story:
Incredible, this is by far the best Uncharted story and character wise. Sam was very well done and the story developed perfectly. The Epilogue was just the final cherry on top. My favorite part of the story was when kid Nathan and kid Sam broke into the mansion and then the game turned into almost a "Gone Home" kind of mini game in there. I think I spent over an hour in that mansion. Second favorite part was how all the letters told you of the eventual descent into madness Avery went through, and then experiencing that yourself.

Gunplay:
It has it's ups and downs, I would put it tied with Uncharted 2's as the best in the series. While the AI keeps you on your toes, it sometimes punishes you more than it should. It's not harder, it's simply different. I did love all the tactical choices they let you make when choosing your handgun/big gun combo. The addition of a more elaborate stealth system also works really well and even adds replayability.
 
JTCx

JTCx

Member
Naughty Dog has outdone themselves again.

Everything is top notch from the gameplay, presentation, and my goodness the graphics! The facial animations is really something, i couldn't believe it most of the time.

I think someone was chopping onions near me during the ending sequence....so perfect

What a great sendoff to the series.
 
M

MegaSackman

Member
Finished chapter 16 and now to sleep and then work... :(

I already have a Top 10 of spectacular sequences.

My biggest complain is one that I think nobody has made yet:
They teased an erupting volcano in Madagascar but it never happened... Missed opportunity. -_-
 
C

Comrade Crunch

Member
MegaSackman said:
Finished chapter 16 and now to sleep and then work... :(

I already have a Top 10 of spectacular sequences.

My biggest complain is one that I think nobody has made yet:
They teased an erupting volcano in Madagascar but it never happened... Missed opportunity. -_-
Click to expand...

Sully said it was extinct, an extinct volcano doesn't just suddenly become active again.
 
E

EroticSushi

Member
Illucio said:
Got to the end.

Now please Naughty Dog, no more Uncharted games. It ended perfectly, any other game will just be milking it.

(I wish they killed off Nathan though to prevent future games but the ending was too nice and sweet and well deserving.)
Click to expand...
What the hell is the point of putting that last part in parentheses? Spoiler tag your stuff.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Forza Horizon 4 to be delisted on December 15th, currently on 80% sale on Steam, Xbox Sale Starts 7/16
2 3 4
153
12K
xrnzaaas replied
MultiVersus |OT| It's Alive!
|OT|
22
1K
rm082e replied
Modern Game Devs Suck at Community Support
2
60
2K
Reizo Ryuu replied
  • Locked
Coming to Game Pass: Neon White, Flock, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, and More
News
17
1K
Stafford replied
Coming to Game Pass: Neon White, Flock, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, and More
39
2K
Punished Miku replied
Top Bottom