cormack12
Gold Member
Disclaimer: I'm mainly concerned with Rise of the Tomb Raider and Uncharted 4. I've played through these games twice each now and thought it was interesting to just discuss where the points of emphasis are on both. I'm not trying to 'battle' them out, just give an overview of my thoughts having now finished both titles and offer a commentary on them both. Up for discussion as I feel both titles do individual things well. And maybe other things not so good. I think these are two top tier games made by teams that clearly have amazing talent in their ranks though. I know previously the Tomb Raider's got a bit of shit here but I have to say that they are really solid games in my opinion. I think I've been fair, and although it looks like ND may be finished with Uncharted, they still have the option for Chloe to carry the franchise forward and hopefully still find interest in the below.
Art
Let's start with the art as it's the easiest place. I think both games look fantastic, both have moments where they are breathtaking in fact. With RotTR you have the cohesive Soviet installations of WWII married with the cold Siberian heartlands. The consistency and detail on the historic and archaeological items is truly fantastic. The work on the animals (a small subset) like the bears and leopard are really well done. Especially the bear.
Uncharted 4 has a lot more diversity in its settings; as it traverses different locales. Plus the vegetation that Naughty Dog do is best of breed I think. I mean it distinguished itself in TLoU but considering the type of game UC4 is, the leaves, shrubs, grass and damp moss/algae is phenomenal at times. The character models just in play are superb, they feel like they have a bit more fidelity when I'm playing both games. At times Lara's face has a bit of 'pop' in the scene whereas in UC4 they generally look a bit a bit more natural. Some of the island and water scenes are also just fantastic. ND generally do NPC's and animals well in UC4, they might consider adding some threats in from non-humans in future titles I guess.
I feel CD's strength is in abandoned areas, they really paint a picture and history of the people and locales (Soviet Installation etc). Some of the ND environments look like paintings at times that's how good they are. But at times it does feel like I'm going from one 'scene' to another. In contrast I don't think the geothermal village in RotTR was well done at all. In terms of open environments Madagascar v Siberia is probably the closest you can compare. And the scale of ND here is much bigger and varied. Just a reminder of some of the great environmentals and characters on show in these games - do post some fo your own favourites as well!)
Uncharted screenshot thread
Rise of Tomb Raider screenshots - from gamepro.de
Traversal
Clearly UC4 was inspired a bit by the reboot of Tomb Raider, and utilised a rope/grappel and a piton. However, both were used sparingly and not really fully explored. It felt like there was very little player agency in the climbing and platforming in the game. There was also the moving of carts into positions to scale unreachable places, and occassional rope swinging. UC4 also had the jeep as a method of traversing the large open spaces. Which was a bonus because the one speed that Drake is capable of (on foot) is a little too slow. The rope I felt was more there for a couple of set pieces and to make a few combat arena's more interesting - I felt maybe this had more focus than being used in the platforming which showed.
When I contrast this to RotTR, the double jump mechanism to reach higher places rather than needing to push carts or trolleys, from a gameplay perspective, just felt more engaging to me. Like I would rather have that core mechanic than have to look round and push a boulder or something else against the wall, or fish a crate out the water to stand on. In RotTR, Lara is able to sprint in contrast to UC4 which makes covering the larger hub areas much less tedious, than say hunting collectibles as Drake.
Both employ a 'grab' feature on a missed ledge. I felt it was much more dynamic in RotTR, there were instances were I would attempt the same jump after a death and if I was a little earlier or at a slightly more acute angle, Lara would stumble and lose her handgrip, causing me to have to press square to not fall). There are a couple of times where an enemy needs shaking off in both games (sneaking round graveyard in Scotland/UC4, climbing the tower in RotTR). The UC4 version seems to rely on specific action against specific NPC. I think the RotTR version is scripted into the final ascension and unmissable, more like a QTE. AGain it seems like something that could have been used more in UC4 but wasn't.
At this stage I think RotTR really pulls away from UC4, The ice axe compared to the piton has much more utility. The piton is usually used to stop Drake falling off a wall he jumps too - I guess you could argue it mimics some of the double jump that Lara has as well? The ice axe is used for traversal across different surfaces, organically used to open closed boxes/doors/lockers etc. It's a melee weapon (as well as the knife) and also used to break through crumbling walls into new hidden areas. It just feels 'necessary' whereas the piton is used so sparingly and in such small doses it could have been left out. Considering a major criticism was the auto-climb nature of UC4 it's a bit disappointing they didn't utiltise it more. Later you can upgrade the axe to swing as well across chasms and grappel up out of place areas. Then you unlock broadhead arrows as another means of hopping round as well as the rope ascender.
At times I felt like the hand of the developers were more firmly on the player in UC4, like not being able to drive the jeep at a reckless speed, or the forced slowdown where lengthy exposition was given. I felt like I was on a leash for certain portions of the game, and some times the layout of levels hindered me even more (NPC's in the Madagascan market).
Collectibles
I don't really have an issue with collectibles. They're never usually too far out of reach in games like these (unlike Rockstars). I wish the ones in UC4 had a bit more use though. I really liked Lara's narration on the items she found (equivalent of 'treasures' in UC4). Especially as they came from the different era's that the story spanned.
I also liked the audio files, again from different perspectives. From the tribes people, from the Divinity soldiers and the disciples from years gone by. I can't help feel these would have more welcoem in Uncharted than the drawn out conversations. Obviously not replace them all, but they can be useful in supporting off screen exposition. For example, Sully's thoughts as they were going along. What he felt about Sam etc. Likewise Elena at home just getting on with stuff, how she became suspicious of Nate's motives.
The 'optional' conversations are a neat idea in UC4 and although the triggers have improved from TLoU, I'm still not a fan of this. Some of them are too easy to miss/quickly run past.
I also liked the idea of being able to trade the salvaged coins in for upgrades to the tribespepople. They actually had value to them for one, and the upgrades were valuable for Lara. However, UC4 doesn't have the upgrade system so it's unfair to probably dwell on that too much. On the flip side though I felt there was too much salvage in the game. Dialled back a bit so it's not abundant but more valuable would no doubt help. I played on the difficulty just below survivor so not sure if that radically changes. The maps and satchels were good 'optionals' if you were struggling in an area to highlight the treasures, but I think they were a bit excessive. I'd prefer them to be a toggle in the 'ping/detective mode'.
I loved the idea of the monoliths in RotTR and needing to find artifacts to bring your language levels up to translate them. That was a neat mechanic. It seems that everything was just connected and tied together really well. A lot of thought went into these kind of links. Which in my opinion really shows.
I think the ideal spot is somewhere in the middle. RotTR has more variance and interconnected systems, but CD need to reign in their indulgence a bit. ND seem to want to commit to some sort of system but are risk averse to having too much. They seem to want to tell their story vocally but as we saw with UC4 it's a very difficult thing to do in an action game and the introduction of too much downtime hurts replayability and the pacing.
Puzzles
There seems to be a common criticism when playing any of these types of games where people complain that they want
(a) more puzzles;
(b) harder puzzles;
But it's almost like a default statement. There's probably around 5 real puzzles in UC4. I don't count the cell tower one simply because it's so basic, almost a tutorial on how to use the journal. I would say there is progression. Being a linear game this makes sense. For example the water wheels are more difficult than the light alignments in Scotland. Of the ones given, I think the style and difficulty balance was well realised in 'Water Wheels', 'Pirate's paintings' and 'symbol balls'. I'd really have liked more themed puzzles, even something from the Goonies would have been done well:
Onto RotTR and there are around 8 challenge tombs I think (without DLC?). Again they are a bit hit and miss, mainly environmental puzzles. I would say most are high quality. Tombs like 'Ancient Cistern', 'The voice of God', 'The Red Mine' and 'Chamber of Exorcism' were highlights for me, whereas 'House of the Afflicted' and 'Catacombs of Sacred Waters' were not as intricate and slightly missed their mark.
When you complete a challenge tomb in RotTR you are granted an 'ability' which is basically a modifier. As they are optional they aren't game destroying things but additional benefits like the ability to detect traps. Again, it's an incentive for the players to do the tombs, but I would prefer some of these to be mandatory. You can play the entire game without being required to go into a tomb.....just seems a bit odd for something that is synonymous with the series. I would prefer some encounters were optional and some tombs were mandatory. Or even have a branching path. One way through a tomb or one way just shooting through the enemies. Give the player an organic reason to visit them.
Also the audio cue that tolls is sufficient, you dno't need the map marking and the screen text as well. Takes away the 'discovery' aspect. When you can hear the bells and then have to hunt for the entrance like by the Babu Yagu DLC is much better than having a dreamcatcher and a cave. SO if they are mandatory, have the cave as a branch, if they are optional hide their entrances better.
For UC4, it might be an idea if each puzzle complete unlocked the gameplay modifiers (usually unlocked by points). For example, complete the water wheel and you get a pirate hat modifier where all enemies where pirate hats. Means you don't have to wait till completion to activate either.
I think both need more urgency in their puzzles and better fail states though. I want to feel under pressure while I'm in the puzzle trying to figure everything out. I'm not saying I want something as frustrating as the music box from LoS, and I don't want it gated off if I get it wrong.
Challenges
I'm torn on challenges. In RotTR they offer a little distraction but it's one more thing to overwhelm the player and clutter up the interface. Again, they're actually not bad ideas. Destroy laptops, cut rabbits from snares. But overall do they offer a lot? There are already trophy systems that can offer extra challenges individually. Again, I do think there's a idea of throw everything into the mix and see what sticks kind of mentality for these.
UC4 doesn't really have challenges at all. Which is welcome I think. They don't distract me from the game and any extra challenges can be acquired by looking at the trophy list. Rope takedowns, kills with grenades etc.
They're not too intrusive in RotTR but they are a distraction when triggered. If they were tied to individual trophies and then had a tracker in the game that would be fine. It was sort of a nice little gimmick when it popped up at first but then quickly became another chore. I could live without them.
Combat
I won't talk about the upgrade or crafting too much in RotTR as it's not the same in UC, you can only measure to a certain extent. So just going to compare the core mechanics. So, applicable to both games, but moreso RotTR is the enemies knowing exactly where you are *once discovered*.
Once the alarm is triggered, that's it. Every enemy suddenly knows where you are, even ones off screen. I suspect this is a limit of AI. I think UC4 has a better in-encounter system for returning to stealth. Much more consistent than RotTR. Sometimes I wasn't sure if I had returned to being unseen in RotTR, which led to a few instances of running round for cover frantically. Both employ a warning/alert system for the NPC's which is done well but different. I think UC4 is more informational and helpful to the player in terms of UI presentation. That's not to say RotTR is bad just that it could be integrated better. Stealth attacks are in both. In terms of melee and airborne. Lara has a bow and arrow for range but surprisingly Nate doesn't have a silenced pistol. Lara has an assassins creed type of execution attack from the elevated positions and Nate has a swinging/elevated melee takedown.
Both seem to have eradicated the pop and stop play that plagued TPS's at one stage, and require the player to move round the aren'as and combat area's to avoid detection and being flanked. I think ND design their arena's better with more knowledge and insight of player's paths whereas CD give you many options but it's harder to string a sequence together or find 'the perfect execution' path. They are there, just not as intuitive. However, both games do have typical bullet sponge enemies esepcially on higher difficulties which is annoying. The special enemies are well done, with the exception of the heavily armoured chaingun guys in UC - they seem a bit out of place, like ironmen or something. I really like the recovering enemies in RotTR, where Lara can stun/down enemies and if she gets there quick enough can execute or they can recover if not.
I like the sticky cover personally. In RotTR they go for more dynamic - but I don't think it's quite there yet. I enjoy the definiteness of UC4's cover. I know when Nate will peep out whereas at times in RotTR I'd suddenly eject cover and find myself standing on the periphery of an encounter when I wanted to take someone out by stealth.
Story/Characters
This is a weird one to compare as it's just based on the last mainline output for both games. Starting with RotTR I think the heart of the story is actually ok. Lara's dad killed years ago, the Prophet with the secret of immortality, Ana terminally ill and the deception of Konstantin and his 'stigmata'. But then I think of all the extra character's being introduced like Jacob, Sonia and Elya - the ones referenced off screen who you never meet - the flashbacks etc. It's gets a bit convoluted. ALso, at this point I have to hark back to the original reboot where so many of the original cast were killed. Even in this game Jonah is almost killed and it takes a divine intervention to save him. It's not worth caring about anyone except the protagonist here as the cast is refreshing all the time. People like Elena, Nate, Sully are mainstays of the series in UC4. People you look forward to seeing again.
Then we switch to UC4, first off I know why they felt the need to introduce Sam. It would have taken something really special to get Nate to risk everything he had with Elena. We also have to take into consideration the troubled development/story arc rumours that came out the studio afterwards. I don't even really have much of a problem with Sam suddenly appearing. It's a videogame, some leeway can be afforded. I just think it was a bit unnecessary though. I felt as though Nate felt obligated to help Sam because he left him for dead. In my opinion the effect or justification they were going for could have been the same had they used Sully. Sully has been in every mainline game, really has a strong rapport and has selflessly support Nate through everything. Something coming back from his past or being in trouble would have evoked a stronger emotional sense (in me at least). As it is, Sam shows up and participates but at key moments he's often off screen or the two parties split up. As such, the strongest emotional impact of UC4 is the Nate/Elena part about trust and lying. It just felt so genuine and was rooted in the journey they'd be on. I think it was a big gamble that just didn't quite work out.
Overall I think CD would benefit from focusing more narrowly on what is 'needed' for their storyline, and decide whether Lara is a protagonist that needs a 'sidekick' or smaller supporting ensemble. ND are pretty much at the top of the tree in terms of storytelling, but when you have an established IP, use the strength of the existing bonds and don't try and imitate the sudden likeability/infatuation with protagonists from a new IP (Joel, Ellie) or gamble with the emotional impact that say, Sarah had as a new character.
*welp - longer than I thought*
Art
Let's start with the art as it's the easiest place. I think both games look fantastic, both have moments where they are breathtaking in fact. With RotTR you have the cohesive Soviet installations of WWII married with the cold Siberian heartlands. The consistency and detail on the historic and archaeological items is truly fantastic. The work on the animals (a small subset) like the bears and leopard are really well done. Especially the bear.
Uncharted 4 has a lot more diversity in its settings; as it traverses different locales. Plus the vegetation that Naughty Dog do is best of breed I think. I mean it distinguished itself in TLoU but considering the type of game UC4 is, the leaves, shrubs, grass and damp moss/algae is phenomenal at times. The character models just in play are superb, they feel like they have a bit more fidelity when I'm playing both games. At times Lara's face has a bit of 'pop' in the scene whereas in UC4 they generally look a bit a bit more natural. Some of the island and water scenes are also just fantastic. ND generally do NPC's and animals well in UC4, they might consider adding some threats in from non-humans in future titles I guess.
I feel CD's strength is in abandoned areas, they really paint a picture and history of the people and locales (Soviet Installation etc). Some of the ND environments look like paintings at times that's how good they are. But at times it does feel like I'm going from one 'scene' to another. In contrast I don't think the geothermal village in RotTR was well done at all. In terms of open environments Madagascar v Siberia is probably the closest you can compare. And the scale of ND here is much bigger and varied. Just a reminder of some of the great environmentals and characters on show in these games - do post some fo your own favourites as well!)
Uncharted screenshot thread
Rise of Tomb Raider screenshots - from gamepro.de
Traversal
Clearly UC4 was inspired a bit by the reboot of Tomb Raider, and utilised a rope/grappel and a piton. However, both were used sparingly and not really fully explored. It felt like there was very little player agency in the climbing and platforming in the game. There was also the moving of carts into positions to scale unreachable places, and occassional rope swinging. UC4 also had the jeep as a method of traversing the large open spaces. Which was a bonus because the one speed that Drake is capable of (on foot) is a little too slow. The rope I felt was more there for a couple of set pieces and to make a few combat arena's more interesting - I felt maybe this had more focus than being used in the platforming which showed.
When I contrast this to RotTR, the double jump mechanism to reach higher places rather than needing to push carts or trolleys, from a gameplay perspective, just felt more engaging to me. Like I would rather have that core mechanic than have to look round and push a boulder or something else against the wall, or fish a crate out the water to stand on. In RotTR, Lara is able to sprint in contrast to UC4 which makes covering the larger hub areas much less tedious, than say hunting collectibles as Drake.
Both employ a 'grab' feature on a missed ledge. I felt it was much more dynamic in RotTR, there were instances were I would attempt the same jump after a death and if I was a little earlier or at a slightly more acute angle, Lara would stumble and lose her handgrip, causing me to have to press square to not fall). There are a couple of times where an enemy needs shaking off in both games (sneaking round graveyard in Scotland/UC4, climbing the tower in RotTR). The UC4 version seems to rely on specific action against specific NPC. I think the RotTR version is scripted into the final ascension and unmissable, more like a QTE. AGain it seems like something that could have been used more in UC4 but wasn't.
At this stage I think RotTR really pulls away from UC4, The ice axe compared to the piton has much more utility. The piton is usually used to stop Drake falling off a wall he jumps too - I guess you could argue it mimics some of the double jump that Lara has as well? The ice axe is used for traversal across different surfaces, organically used to open closed boxes/doors/lockers etc. It's a melee weapon (as well as the knife) and also used to break through crumbling walls into new hidden areas. It just feels 'necessary' whereas the piton is used so sparingly and in such small doses it could have been left out. Considering a major criticism was the auto-climb nature of UC4 it's a bit disappointing they didn't utiltise it more. Later you can upgrade the axe to swing as well across chasms and grappel up out of place areas. Then you unlock broadhead arrows as another means of hopping round as well as the rope ascender.
At times I felt like the hand of the developers were more firmly on the player in UC4, like not being able to drive the jeep at a reckless speed, or the forced slowdown where lengthy exposition was given. I felt like I was on a leash for certain portions of the game, and some times the layout of levels hindered me even more (NPC's in the Madagascan market).
Collectibles
I don't really have an issue with collectibles. They're never usually too far out of reach in games like these (unlike Rockstars). I wish the ones in UC4 had a bit more use though. I really liked Lara's narration on the items she found (equivalent of 'treasures' in UC4). Especially as they came from the different era's that the story spanned.
I also liked the audio files, again from different perspectives. From the tribes people, from the Divinity soldiers and the disciples from years gone by. I can't help feel these would have more welcoem in Uncharted than the drawn out conversations. Obviously not replace them all, but they can be useful in supporting off screen exposition. For example, Sully's thoughts as they were going along. What he felt about Sam etc. Likewise Elena at home just getting on with stuff, how she became suspicious of Nate's motives.
The 'optional' conversations are a neat idea in UC4 and although the triggers have improved from TLoU, I'm still not a fan of this. Some of them are too easy to miss/quickly run past.
I also liked the idea of being able to trade the salvaged coins in for upgrades to the tribespepople. They actually had value to them for one, and the upgrades were valuable for Lara. However, UC4 doesn't have the upgrade system so it's unfair to probably dwell on that too much. On the flip side though I felt there was too much salvage in the game. Dialled back a bit so it's not abundant but more valuable would no doubt help. I played on the difficulty just below survivor so not sure if that radically changes. The maps and satchels were good 'optionals' if you were struggling in an area to highlight the treasures, but I think they were a bit excessive. I'd prefer them to be a toggle in the 'ping/detective mode'.
I loved the idea of the monoliths in RotTR and needing to find artifacts to bring your language levels up to translate them. That was a neat mechanic. It seems that everything was just connected and tied together really well. A lot of thought went into these kind of links. Which in my opinion really shows.
I think the ideal spot is somewhere in the middle. RotTR has more variance and interconnected systems, but CD need to reign in their indulgence a bit. ND seem to want to commit to some sort of system but are risk averse to having too much. They seem to want to tell their story vocally but as we saw with UC4 it's a very difficult thing to do in an action game and the introduction of too much downtime hurts replayability and the pacing.
Puzzles
There seems to be a common criticism when playing any of these types of games where people complain that they want
(a) more puzzles;
(b) harder puzzles;
But it's almost like a default statement. There's probably around 5 real puzzles in UC4. I don't count the cell tower one simply because it's so basic, almost a tutorial on how to use the journal. I would say there is progression. Being a linear game this makes sense. For example the water wheels are more difficult than the light alignments in Scotland. Of the ones given, I think the style and difficulty balance was well realised in 'Water Wheels', 'Pirate's paintings' and 'symbol balls'. I'd really have liked more themed puzzles, even something from the Goonies would have been done well:
Onto RotTR and there are around 8 challenge tombs I think (without DLC?). Again they are a bit hit and miss, mainly environmental puzzles. I would say most are high quality. Tombs like 'Ancient Cistern', 'The voice of God', 'The Red Mine' and 'Chamber of Exorcism' were highlights for me, whereas 'House of the Afflicted' and 'Catacombs of Sacred Waters' were not as intricate and slightly missed their mark.
When you complete a challenge tomb in RotTR you are granted an 'ability' which is basically a modifier. As they are optional they aren't game destroying things but additional benefits like the ability to detect traps. Again, it's an incentive for the players to do the tombs, but I would prefer some of these to be mandatory. You can play the entire game without being required to go into a tomb.....just seems a bit odd for something that is synonymous with the series. I would prefer some encounters were optional and some tombs were mandatory. Or even have a branching path. One way through a tomb or one way just shooting through the enemies. Give the player an organic reason to visit them.
Also the audio cue that tolls is sufficient, you dno't need the map marking and the screen text as well. Takes away the 'discovery' aspect. When you can hear the bells and then have to hunt for the entrance like by the Babu Yagu DLC is much better than having a dreamcatcher and a cave. SO if they are mandatory, have the cave as a branch, if they are optional hide their entrances better.
For UC4, it might be an idea if each puzzle complete unlocked the gameplay modifiers (usually unlocked by points). For example, complete the water wheel and you get a pirate hat modifier where all enemies where pirate hats. Means you don't have to wait till completion to activate either.
I think both need more urgency in their puzzles and better fail states though. I want to feel under pressure while I'm in the puzzle trying to figure everything out. I'm not saying I want something as frustrating as the music box from LoS, and I don't want it gated off if I get it wrong.
Challenges
I'm torn on challenges. In RotTR they offer a little distraction but it's one more thing to overwhelm the player and clutter up the interface. Again, they're actually not bad ideas. Destroy laptops, cut rabbits from snares. But overall do they offer a lot? There are already trophy systems that can offer extra challenges individually. Again, I do think there's a idea of throw everything into the mix and see what sticks kind of mentality for these.
UC4 doesn't really have challenges at all. Which is welcome I think. They don't distract me from the game and any extra challenges can be acquired by looking at the trophy list. Rope takedowns, kills with grenades etc.
They're not too intrusive in RotTR but they are a distraction when triggered. If they were tied to individual trophies and then had a tracker in the game that would be fine. It was sort of a nice little gimmick when it popped up at first but then quickly became another chore. I could live without them.
Combat
I won't talk about the upgrade or crafting too much in RotTR as it's not the same in UC, you can only measure to a certain extent. So just going to compare the core mechanics. So, applicable to both games, but moreso RotTR is the enemies knowing exactly where you are *once discovered*.
Once the alarm is triggered, that's it. Every enemy suddenly knows where you are, even ones off screen. I suspect this is a limit of AI. I think UC4 has a better in-encounter system for returning to stealth. Much more consistent than RotTR. Sometimes I wasn't sure if I had returned to being unseen in RotTR, which led to a few instances of running round for cover frantically. Both employ a warning/alert system for the NPC's which is done well but different. I think UC4 is more informational and helpful to the player in terms of UI presentation. That's not to say RotTR is bad just that it could be integrated better. Stealth attacks are in both. In terms of melee and airborne. Lara has a bow and arrow for range but surprisingly Nate doesn't have a silenced pistol. Lara has an assassins creed type of execution attack from the elevated positions and Nate has a swinging/elevated melee takedown.
Both seem to have eradicated the pop and stop play that plagued TPS's at one stage, and require the player to move round the aren'as and combat area's to avoid detection and being flanked. I think ND design their arena's better with more knowledge and insight of player's paths whereas CD give you many options but it's harder to string a sequence together or find 'the perfect execution' path. They are there, just not as intuitive. However, both games do have typical bullet sponge enemies esepcially on higher difficulties which is annoying. The special enemies are well done, with the exception of the heavily armoured chaingun guys in UC - they seem a bit out of place, like ironmen or something. I really like the recovering enemies in RotTR, where Lara can stun/down enemies and if she gets there quick enough can execute or they can recover if not.
I like the sticky cover personally. In RotTR they go for more dynamic - but I don't think it's quite there yet. I enjoy the definiteness of UC4's cover. I know when Nate will peep out whereas at times in RotTR I'd suddenly eject cover and find myself standing on the periphery of an encounter when I wanted to take someone out by stealth.
Story/Characters
This is a weird one to compare as it's just based on the last mainline output for both games. Starting with RotTR I think the heart of the story is actually ok. Lara's dad killed years ago, the Prophet with the secret of immortality, Ana terminally ill and the deception of Konstantin and his 'stigmata'. But then I think of all the extra character's being introduced like Jacob, Sonia and Elya - the ones referenced off screen who you never meet - the flashbacks etc. It's gets a bit convoluted. ALso, at this point I have to hark back to the original reboot where so many of the original cast were killed. Even in this game Jonah is almost killed and it takes a divine intervention to save him. It's not worth caring about anyone except the protagonist here as the cast is refreshing all the time. People like Elena, Nate, Sully are mainstays of the series in UC4. People you look forward to seeing again.
Then we switch to UC4, first off I know why they felt the need to introduce Sam. It would have taken something really special to get Nate to risk everything he had with Elena. We also have to take into consideration the troubled development/story arc rumours that came out the studio afterwards. I don't even really have much of a problem with Sam suddenly appearing. It's a videogame, some leeway can be afforded. I just think it was a bit unnecessary though. I felt as though Nate felt obligated to help Sam because he left him for dead. In my opinion the effect or justification they were going for could have been the same had they used Sully. Sully has been in every mainline game, really has a strong rapport and has selflessly support Nate through everything. Something coming back from his past or being in trouble would have evoked a stronger emotional sense (in me at least). As it is, Sam shows up and participates but at key moments he's often off screen or the two parties split up. As such, the strongest emotional impact of UC4 is the Nate/Elena part about trust and lying. It just felt so genuine and was rooted in the journey they'd be on. I think it was a big gamble that just didn't quite work out.
Overall I think CD would benefit from focusing more narrowly on what is 'needed' for their storyline, and decide whether Lara is a protagonist that needs a 'sidekick' or smaller supporting ensemble. ND are pretty much at the top of the tree in terms of storytelling, but when you have an established IP, use the strength of the existing bonds and don't try and imitate the sudden likeability/infatuation with protagonists from a new IP (Joel, Ellie) or gamble with the emotional impact that say, Sarah had as a new character.
*welp - longer than I thought*
