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[JJShadow]

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD

...and I feel a bit sad about it. Since I only played Uncharted 1 back in 2007, last month I decided to play the whole saga now that Uncharted 4 is already out.

I had a blast with the first three titles, and more specifically with Uncharted 2 and 3. I liked the platform and climbing stages, I liked the action, TPS and combat mechanics, I liked the story and characters, but what made me feel completely amazed and loved the saga instantly were those Hollywood-style, jaw-drooping moments such as the helicopter fight and train wreck from U2, or the cargo plane and sinking ship chapters in U3.

When I started Uncharted 4, I was really excited about finding and being able to live new unforgetable scenes like those present in the previous games. All the elements were there: amazing graphics, improved TPS and CQC mechanics and a really interesting plot from the very beginning. However, here I am, right after finishing the game, and I cannot help but feel dissapointed about it. Dont take me wrong: I think this fourth installment of the series is an amazing title, both in technical and playable terms, and one of the games of this generation so far, but I have the feeling that in the future, once I try to remember epic moments from this saga, only U2 and U3 will come into my mind.

There are some exciting moments, such as that car chase in Madagascar, but nothing to the level of those epic moments of U2 or U3 in my opinion. I also missed some of the action and non-stop, freneting shooting sections that were so well-executed in U2 and U3, and there were way too much focus in developing rhe story and characters, as well as in climbing and exploration.

I know that some people prefer this "slower" and story-focused approach to the game, but does anyone share my thoughts?

 

[Bubba77]

As a big uncharted fan I was slightly dissapointed as well. Though I seem to be dissapointed for different reasons than most. I did not enjoy the gunplay a ton. I just wanted to get through it and get to the story/platforming. I enjoyed Rise of Tomb Raider combat more.

But UC4 is still a very good game. I enjoyed it quite a bit and loved the ending.

 

[Gray Matter]

You're not the only. The only memorable thing for me where the fight scenes with Nadine, those were beautifully crafted.

 

[ciddative]

I can understand the shift in tone not being for everyone.

Personally I found some of the character-driven moments in UC4 more memorable than any of the previous games' action set pieces

 

[Elitist1945]

I was just disappointed with the tone shift. I still thought it was a 10/10 game, I'm just finding it hard to rank/compare to the others in the series since its really not similar except for 3 characters and the gameplay.

I find it more comparable to TLOU than UC1/2/3.

 

[Appollowexx]

The tower getting blown to pieces by rockets while Drake and Sam try to escape the destruction was pretty incredible. And also the car chase segment was very impressive.

But I do take your point.

 

[Mezoly]

I agree, the set pieces were disappointing and didn't reach the heights of the previous two games.
The best set piece imo was the one they showed at E3 which is unavoidable to see because it was shown during the press conference.
I liked the rest of the game though and thought it was better than the other games.

 

[Heckler456]

While more grounded, the game definitely had some moments that absolutely rivaled many of the large set pieces in the previous games for me. I'm thinking about

Spoiler

the clockwork tower, that other collapsing tower, the escape from Scotland, ...

I'm sure I'm missing some. On top of that, the moment to moment had its bar raised as well in terms of impressiveness and scale. Point being, my experience was not quite the same as yours.

 

[nhlducks35]

Game is terribly paced IMO, which is why I greatly prefer TLOU

 

[Diprosalic]

Was my first Uncharted and i hated it. The climbing is so damn boring, linear and easy. there's also way too much of it. It's incredibly repetitive too. for example: the same jump scare happens every 30 seconds. The game drags on forever and nothing really exciting happens, everything just feels meaningless. The plot was well done tho but in the end nothing special. The puzzles are a good damn joke too.

i really don't see the appeal of these games if 1-3 are similar.

 

[brandonh83]

Thought it could have used a lot of trimming and a great action setpiece near the end, but I loved it.

 

[Bare Grills]

I thought it was pretty boring

 

[Appollowexx]

Was my first Uncharted and i hated it. The climbing is so damn boring, linear and easy. there's also way too much of it. It's incredibly repetitive too. The game drags on forever and nothing really exciting happens, everything just feels meaningless. The plot was well done tho but in the end nothing special. The puzzles are a good damn joke.

i really don't see the appeal of these games if 1-3 are similar.

Uncharted 2-3 especially aren't that similar in composition. UC1 is basically just a shooting gallery. So you may well enjoy those far more than 4.

 

[GavinGT]

Was my first Uncharted and i hated it. The climbing is so damn boring, linear and easy. there's also way too much of it. It's incredibly repetitive too. The game drags on forever and nothing really exciting happens, everything just feels meaningless. The plot was well done tho but in the end nothing special. The puzzles are a good damn joke.

i really don't see the appeal of these games if 1-3 are similar.

Agreed. And I got suckered into playing 1 and 2 as well. I have only myself to blame.

 

[TheBowen]

i thought it was a great end to series in terms of story, especially the ending

But yeah the game didnt really have as many of those 'Wow' moments as the previous ones had, and when they did come i was only excited for them because they were after a boring 30-minute climbing section where drake and sam exchange a few comments and stare at boring scenery with nothing going on ( The graphics are great yes, but great graphics on a technical make me go Wow for about 13 minutes and then im just stuck with the game)

Again it had a more serious, walk and talk type style of last of us, which are just not the types of games i enjoy.
The change is tone was even highlighted by the fact the ending didnt have any super natural elements like previous ones or any huge twist at the end. It was 'Treasure sometimes isnt worth it' and then it ends.

 

[xviper]

i was disappointed of how much climbing and walking in the game

there is no way i'm replaying Uncharted 4, even though i love it but i'm not gonna climb again, if another studio is making Uncharted 5, please make it like U3, balanced between combat, climbing, and puzzles, i don't want another climbing simulator

 

[JayEH]

I agree OP. I can't believe they showed off their biggest (and really only) set piece at E3. Just was bored through most of the game. Horribly paced.

 

[Diprosalic]

Uncharted 2-3 especially aren't that similar in composition. UC1 is basically just a shooting gallery. So you may well enjoy those far more than 4.

is there as much climbing as there was in this one? i really don't get putting in hours and hours of climbing that requires zero skill to perform and is basically 100% linear. At times i just played it with my left hand to be able to text my friend and get it over with.

 

[Cloud Strife]

I really dug the more mature tone of the story. Elena and Nate's relationship problems really pulled me in, it was like a totally normal situation couples go through with the backdrop of a massively scaled adventure.

What is a "normal life" when you're Nathan Drake? It felt like a natural progression from the other games, from the beginnings of Drake's journey to the end, topped off with a really amazing ending.

I was kinda expecting some kind of supernatural twist but I'm okay it didn't happen.
The Avery storyline still sucked me in.

 

[Appollowexx]

is there as much climbing as there was in this one? i really don't get putting in hours and hours of climbing that requires zero skill to perform and is basically 100% linear. At times i just played it with my left hand to be able to text my friend and get it over with.

No where near as much. They're more focused on shooting and action set pieces than traversal. With a few puzzles and a bit of platforming sprinkled in between.

 

[LowRoller]

I agree OP. I can't believe they showed off their biggest (and really only) set piece at E3. Just was bored through most of the game. Horribly paced.

Pretty much this. Wish I hadn't seen the e3 demo, that was easily the best part of the game.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

the game is mediocre. It looks absolutely incredible though.

 

[Diprosalic]

No where near as much. They're more focused on shooting and action set pieces than traversal. With a few puzzles and a bit of platforming sprinkled in between.

that certainly sounds better but i heard they have much more shooting and it's even worse than it was in this one.

i might give it a try one day if the NDC is on sale for $5.

 

[Composer]

I agree with you OP. I think Uncharted 4 will mostly be a disappointing for the series die-hards. I've commented a couple of threads about why I feel that way, so I won't repeat myself. Its definitely the least playable as well. They made the game a bit too serious and slow. Uncharted 3 was as serious as the series should have gone. That game, even though I have massive issues with it, still understood the balance between the overall tone a Nathan Drake game should have and maturing his character/providing character development.

 

[Neiteio]

I think UC4 needed to do more to shake up the formula. The game left me feeling hollow and underwhelmed.

I noted before how I found watching the new Zelda footage more enjoyable than my entire playthrough of UC4. I still enjoyed UC4, mind you, but the difference between the two games is one takes many chances and the other doesn't. By breaking its conventions, Zelda has me excited in a way I haven't felt for a 3D Zelda game since Wind Waker. But UC4 stuck to its formula... and watered it down. The more story-driven focus came at the expense of proper pacing and innovations in the gameplay space. New additions like the rope and sliding quickly become a repetitive means to an end, and the refinements in combat go sorely underutilized since enemy encounters are few and far between.

UC4 felt like a flat line with two spikes —

Spoiler

the Italian heist in Ch. 6, and Madagascar/King's Bay in Ch. 10-11

. UC2, by contrast, was near-constant escalation (Nepal through the train sequence to the mountains with Tenzin), with a bit of downtime for contrast (Tenzin's village) before ramping back up (the monastery, lost world). UC3 also fared better, with less cohesive set-pieces (the ship, lol) but enough hills and valleys to provide dramatic contrast. UC4 sacrificed much of this for... walking and talking... automated jumping and climbing... "we need a crate..." "boost me up..." "help me lift this..." and many, many crumbling cliffs and rickety old structures collapsing with perfect predictability.

It's funny how I was eagerly anticipating UC4 and not even following DOOM, but in the end, DOOM put UC4 on hiatus for two weeks in the middle of its playthrough.

 

[mitch1971]

When I was first shown the set piece of the car chase, I thought, wow, if that is just to tease us, what have they got hiding under their sleeves. After playing it, turns out nothing much. Tone was all wrong, pacing was down right awful, wide linear just didn't work and slowed the game down even more - TLOU went to their head when doing UC4. Pretty much ripped the fun, popcorn flavour from the series. Would gladly play the other 3 again, this maybe years from now when I know I'll have forgotten it. And don't get me started on the 'we need a box' bits. Those were downright embarrassing.

 

[akidnamededdy]

I imagine they had the same attitude towards bombastic action setpieces and other fun gameplay moments that they did towards Donut Drake: "We've grown out of that." The writing is fine and the graphics are pretty but the game is terribly paced and just not as fun as the last two. I'm starting to grow weary of games taking themselves so seriously.

the game is mediocre. It looks absolutely incredible though.

Yup.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

I really enjoyed the game while playing it, but it's definitely not an experience that stuck with me like Uncharted 2 did. I don't really have any desire to revisit it.

 

[brawly]

Now that the shootouts are finally fun to play they decided to pad the game with fluff and downtime. Pacing is just bad.

 

[Appollowexx]

that certainly sounds better but i heard they have much more shooting and it's even worse than it was in this one.

i might give it a try one day if the NDC is on sale for $5.

I really liked the gunplay in 4, thought it was excellent. But the gunplay in the first three games especially 3 is a bit iffy. And yes, there's a lot more action in them than the 4th instalment. Still they have a very different, (more comical, light hearted) tone than the fairly serious latest entry so you may find you really enjoy them.

 

[StewboaT_]

Game bored me to death. The pacing was absolutey atrocious.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

I really enjoyed the game while playing through it, but I don't know if I have any desire to go back to it. The pacing is probably going to kill repeat playthroughs for me.

I'm very, very happy Naughty Dog is moving on from this IP.

Now that the shootouts are finally fun to play they decided to pad the game with fluff and downtime. Pacing is just bad.

This is my main problem with the game. They finally gave us great combat mechanics but instead of capitalizing on it, they created a game with less action than any other entry in the series. I'll never understand why they did this. It's the complete opposite problem from the first game, which had awful combat and far too much of it to boot.

 

[Neiteio]

Now that the shootouts are finally fun to play they decided to pad the game with fluff and downtime. Pacing is just bad.

Yeah, it's ironic. :-\

Also, to be clear, I don't necessarily want more shootouts (though if any Uncharted should have a lot of combat, it's this one since the combat is actually good).

Rather, I just want the stuff between combat to not be so boring. Give us skillful/interactive platforming, with multiple points of approach, some momentum and air control, etc. Don't lean so heavily on the brain-dead loop of jump/climb/slide/swing. Don't have us walking for 10+ minutes at a time. Mix it up more. Everything seems lopsided and top-heavy in favor of following linear pathways up cliff-faces and walking, walking, walking.

 

[Alo0oy]

Uncharted 4 is a perfect example of great gameplay = / = great game.

It was by far the worst game in the series (and the least fun), despite the godly mechanics.

Biggest disappointment of the generation for me, I hated how the game metaphorically berated me for finding the previous games fun.

 

[Harmen]

I think it is a milestone in gaming in many ways (the line between scripted action sequences and freeform gameplay becomes more and more blurred), but not quite as consistent in terms of pacing/quality as TLOU/UC2, but very few games are.

Still, they really went in a different direction in many ways and at certain points UC4 resembles games like Gone Home/Firewatch more than a shooter, so I totally understand why people prefer the balance of previous installments. To me, however, every chapter has purpose and they didn't shoehorn in any encounters. They designed the gameplay around the setting/premise of the given chapter. Also, during replays, the quiet sections are actually quite brief if you know what you are doing.

I understand why people prefer more action and a quicker pacing, but I really don't understand why people think there aren't any big setpieces or enthralling action sequences. For me, the game is full of it.

 

[Mezoly]

Also I didn't feel there was any new enemy types in the game.

 

[Jawmuncher]

As I said before I felt Uncharted 4 really dragged its feet. It's not a bad game per se, but it's so much slower compared to the rest of the series. Yeah it's nice to see the series wrapped up, but I wish it would have been a more entertaining play. I really noted the action moments but there was too few of them. If you ask me the main things I remember about Uncharted 4, it's people talking along with exploring.

 

[Alo0oy]

I think it is a milestone in gaming in many ways (the line between scripted action sequences and freeform gameplay becomes more and more blurred), but not quite as consistent in terms of pacing/quality as TLOU/UC2, but very few games are.

Still, they really went in a different direction in many ways and at certain points UC4 resembles games like Gone Home/Firewatch more than a shooter, so I totally understand why people prefer the balance of previous installments. To me, however, every chapter has purpose and they didn't shoehorn in any encounters. They designed the gameplay around the setting/premise of the given chapter. Also, during replays, the quiet sections are actually quite brief if you know what you are doing.

I understand why people prefer more action and a quicker pacing, but I really don't understand why people think there aren't any big setpieces or enthralling action sequences. For me, the game is full of it.

The entire character of Sam had no purpose, his only purpose was to rob actually interesting characters of meaningful screen time.

 

[wanderingprostheyltite]

Was underwhelmed by the combat encounters and at a certain point just put it on easy to get to the platforming/exploring/story sections. Gorgeous game, decent plotting but not as satisfying as UC2's pacing, overall a satisfying experience but more for the world building and characters.

 

[Neoleo2143]

What sucks is the climbing, there's no tension nor incentive to move quickly besides a scripted sequence killing you. When Wander hangs on for dear life in SOTC or Link in BOTW makes a jump up to the cliff edge with just enough stamina to spare, it is much more satisfying because you're reading the state of the cliffside to make the right moves or using your grip properly. You the player are much more connected via the mechanics granting tension and the level design not making the right moves so blatantly obvious.

 

[Shredderi]

I agree. Loved all the story and character stuff but man did the set pieces disappoint. I was excited to see them exceed the setpieces of previous games with new hardware that would enable them do more epic ones. Instead they scaled them back hard. That was a mistake I feel. I liked the shift in tone but the setpieces were supposed to be bigger and better, not smaller and more grounded. Glad they're doing other things now. I kind of just wanted to get UC4 out of the way. I anticipated it, was excited for it and liked it, but in my mind it was always the boring, predictable thing to have that I just wanted out of the way so that the devs could do something new and inevitably more interesting/impactful.

 

[brandonh83]

The entire character of Sam had no purpose, his only purpose was to rob actually interesting characters of meaningful screen time.

Nathan and Elena were apparently leading pretty boring lives after marriage and deep down were not satisfied; Elena didn't want Nathan doing anymore crazy shit and Sam propels him back into it, which ultimately led to both of them figuring out that it's not something that they want to give up. His character isn't meaningless whatsoever and is integral to Nathan and Elena's character arcs.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

The pacing for the first couple of hours is like a narcoleptic snail, consisting primarily of fan service, story table setting and traversal. It improves later on, but still features too much traversal+custcenes+walking around and looking at stuff, and not nearly enough combat.

The story is ok, it tries to strike out and be different by bucking the trend of the supernatural third act twist, but what replaces it isn't especially interesting. The characters are fine, the plot is fine, none if it is lighting the world on fire. The epilogue's emotional impact will depend entirely on how in love with this series you are, for me it did nothing and was just kind of an annoying exercise in looking at the same artifacts we looked at in the beginning of the game's fan service nostalgia shit.

 

[BassForever]

I liked that the set pieces were scaled back from 3 where I felt they got a bit too grandiose. I dunno which was worse the sequence where you escape a sinking ship or the whole plane sequence.

 

[Garrett Hawke]

Yeah, my two biggest issues with UC4 were Sam and the lack of set pieces. The puzzles were excellent and I know they said they didn't want to try and out-shock the set pieces from 2 and 3 but the game desperately could've done with one or two more big ones.

And Sam was meh because he is a huge retcon that fudges up a lot of Uncharted 3, and he's honestly just not that interesting. The fact that the game expects you to care about him when you've literally just met him and he doesn't seem like a very nice person didn't help. When he runs off at the end, risking both his own life and Nate's, I honestly wanted Nate to just walk away with Sully and Elena - his REAL family.

 

[kamineko]

I would have felt better about the pacing if I liked the story

I mean, the writing was great on a line-by-line basis, but the plot really got in the way.

I felt pretty good about the game when I beat it, but the more thought I give it, the less it works for me.

 

[JBwB]

I personally loved it but I can understand that those who wanted more action would be disappointed.

 

[SOR5]

I really liked the pacing

 

[R3TRODYCE]

I made it to chapter 13 then sold it back to GS because it was boring. I finished all the other Uncharted games multiple times but this one...Ugh

 

[Vidpixel]

Game is terribly paced IMO, which is why I greatly prefer TLOU

I love both Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us, but I'd argue and say The Last of Us doesn't exactly have great pacing either, minus the incredible winter chapter. Both games are what I would classify as fantastic experiences that I have little desire to replay anytime soon.