Alright, so lets just put in a bit of perspective here so you all know where Im coming from for this post. Been a fan of cinematic gaming experiences all my life, ever since they started. Uncharted released and I absolutely loved it. Sure its dated now and had some questionable designs, but it was the first time I ever felt like I was playing in an Indiana Jones like adventure film. Sure Indiana Jones games had come prior to Uncharted, along with Tomb Raider, but nothing gave me that feel like the first time I played Uncharted 1. Then 2 comes out and just blows 1 away
followed by 3 releasing with some mixed reactions. As I feel on that 3rd game, I prefer the variation in set pieces and variety of locations more than 2, but 2s story/setting/and theme are much more solid and coherent. Since Uncharted has come, its apparent Tomb Raider has followed in its cinematic footsteps and bigger and better seems to be a theme with these titles. I loved the new Tomb Raiders (as action games) and rightly so, they are entertaining and fun as well. That said, my passions for this genre is high and I just cant get enough of these games. This brings us up to the release of Uncharted 4 and my ability to grab an early copy, but what did I think at the end of my adventure?
Uncharted 4 is a bold step in a more serious direction. Some people might be freaking out thinking that oh no, they turned Nate into a serious character, void of all humor no, no, no. While the story here gets more personally than ever before and is darker with more serious overtones, it still have the summer blockbuster cinematic flair and style that the other games did, along with the humor. I laughed consistently throughout the adventure, but at the same time there were moments I was genuinely concerned about the relationships Nate has. While some of you out there might think this is pertaining to people being in trouble, etc
no its not anything like that. The way these characters come together and some of the stuff going on in the background is what got me thinking, relating, and taking Drake more serious than ever before but also concerned. Its really hard to describe without going into spoiler territory but rest assured, one moment I laughed, then some moments later, I was hit with much more somber thoughts. Thats all Ill say about the story, aside from one aspect, the ending
and I thought it was the perfect way to finish the franchise. The rest I leave my lips sealed.
Gamplay here has been tweaked even more. Shooting feels extremely well and the feedback from enemies getting hit and the weight and sound of weapons feels good little details like the strap of a gun, flailing around when firing is a small detail but just thrilled me to see that in the game at all. The attention in the detail is great. The flow of shooting, to melee, to grappling with a hook all feel rather seamless and add to the intensity of fights. Especially as of now that there is much more verticality to the experience and with wider environments. The start of the game, in particular, feels much like the other Uncharted, more linear in nature, and plus a lot of character exposition and story building. Combat doesnt even kick into play right away. Its a gradual buildup. Id even go as far to say that chapter 1 through 7 are sort of a tutorial/buildup and more in vein with the original games in size and scope. When chapter 8 comes, the training wheels are thrown off and things just get bigger, better, and more robust. This is where Naughty Dog simply unleashes the real meat and potatoes of the game and how different these moments feel suited with the new gameplay mechanics. Huge fire fights, stealth gameplay, the grapple, all can come into play during some of these huge explosive moments. Which also never really feel like wave after wave of bad guys. At least not at the start or for the most of the game. They did a great balance of making the fights seem more naturally occurring and more set to each specific location. Also you can surely play this like a third person cover shooter, but doing so might provide you less of an experience then if you take true advantage of the combat mechanics at play. Its simply wonderful. The AI will try and flank you at times, or go straight towards you depending on if youre hiding, blind firing, etc. Nothing plain, but also not exactly super different then what most players expect these days. The bullet sponge effect that the other games had also feels mostly gone. Sure late you start running into enemies that are more protected, but even then, they can be taken down much quicker if you have the knowledge how or their weak point. Still this ties back into the player feedback with shooting and it just feels great to aim and shoot in this game. You can even do so while swinging on a grapple, or jumping off a ledge. What about vehicle control? Those are fairly solid as well. I cant really complain and I think they have some very cool ways of making it feel like players are actually using a jeep for off-roading and not just as a form of transportation. Lets also talk exploration. Uncharted prior always had little path ways to check but were pretty linear in nature or hall like even at moments, maybe small little action hubs even. Uncharted 4 blows those out of the water to reveal some truly awesome locations to explore and different ways to get to those locations in the process. It makes treasure hunting fun, but also intense and much harder than before. Some levels had me scouring everywhere I could before I eventually moved on in defeat. Ill be back for those for sure! Some I found were in tricky spots, others just sort of casually sitting there. Luckily chapter select shows how many treasures remain along with journal entries and optional dialog moments. I missed a bit of everything and surprisingly so as I felt pretty thorough. All this said, I couldnt really ask for more from a gameplay perspective. Some folks are worried that due to some comments about set pieces not being as bombastic as the other games means there is a lack of these moments and Im assuring you, there is no shortage of holy shit moments in this game, which a few had me screaming at my tv at what was happening on it display. So please dont worry on that. Also puzzles, they are back and more in depth or elaborate then 1 or 2. Think more on part 3 levels. They take a back seat towards the end of the game mostly aside from one moment or two, but very well done and really enjoyable, a great maturing of that element in their games.
Graphically the game looks amazing. The lighting can at times just make locations and character look photo realistic. Yes sometimes things dont look AS good as they do at other times but for the majority the game just is a site to behold. Cant tell you how many vistas Ive seen and moments I was breathless. Even enemies are highly detailed as Ive seen in photo mode shots, which is going to be a feature many people use. This could be called Photo mode, the game! Its hard to talk about this without spoiling things but just know, the amount of variety and depth in locations and exploring along with the insane visuals is just something to treasure. Sound wise I think the VA is great as usually and it really sells the more serious tones at times along with the humor. The sounds of guns and effects is what youd expect. The music, while I really like it, does feel a bit different due to different composers, but I still felt it was extremely appropriate for the setting and along with whats happening on screen. The main battle music I really enjoyed.
I got a whole heaping shit ton of praise for this game but Im going to wrap this up. Uncharted 4 A Thiefs end is not a perfect game. It has a few moments I took some issues with. The start of the game is fairly heavy handed in cut scenes and story. Along with the more limited grandeur of levels at first and their play times, could get people thinking what have you done to my Uncharted rest assured, make it to chapter 8 and your doubts will start to melt away. So while its great for story and setting the game up, some might feel its a bit too little early on. That said there is still exploration, action, and intrigue all over those first 7 chapters, fear not. I think another issues some will have is with *you knew I was going to say this* the final boss encounter. I was visually blown away by it but I think some wont care for the gameplay element at that point (will be interesting to hear others thoughts on that) A final note, the game runs smooth as hell looking as it does which is mighty impressive, but there was a few times I saw some framerate slowdown, sometimes due to battle, or sometimes simply for finding an area Im exploring and turning the camera and running just caused it to chug. A little distracting but ultimately something that didnt seem to rear its ugly head too often. . So hmm
let me think
. Yeah thats about all the qualms I have with Uncharted 4. I have to say, currently as Im typing this and letting the end results play over again in my head since finishing last night. This is definitely in my top 5 games of all time and my favorite third person shooter ever. Alan Wake, Quantum Break, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Vaquish, Binary Domain, Uncharted 1-3, The Evil Within, The Last of Us
all games Ive truly enjoyed and loved and had a great time with (in various manners of enjoyment)
but this just blows them all away for me personally. From graphics to gameplay, combat scenarios, set pieces, puzzles, and story
. Uncharted 4 is the first system seller of this new console generation! If I didnt have a PS4, Id have to buy one for this, and everyone that doesnt, I tell them they need to experience this game! I cant get over how much this games story elements hit me, how I related to it in some subtle ways, and just how it all came to a close. Bravo Naughty Dog, you are truly amazing at your craft and a pioneer in cinematic gaming. Ive yet to even get to experience the MP, but it could suck for all I know (it probably wont) and still
Id give this a 10 out of 10!
there is more then shows up in that quote though.
