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Uncharted: Golden Abyss |OT| Drake arrives at a smaller screen near you!

My main complain is that some of the gaps that Drake is able to jump are so huge that I don't have the impression that he's gonna make it, so I discard them as possible paths.

I've never had this impression in PS3 games. It was quite clear if a jump was duable or not. Here, for example, in the level after the second river,
with Sully
, you are going through a cliff, and your partner is in the other side of the cliff. The gap between your side and the other side is huge, bigger than any other gap that you jumped before. And, still, after you realise that there is no other way, you are able to jump it.
 

Yoshi

Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
So, a lot of complaints because Uncharted is a video game that plays like a video game?

Drake can make these impossible jumps without breaking a sweat because he's a fictional character.
And the path the game has you take is the path you take because thats the path the developers made for you to take.
Uncharted is not a free roaming open world sand box. Uncharted is not a platformer. So, why are you disappointed in Uncharted for being Uncharted and not what you think it should be?

No, that's not exactly my problem, I don't want to be physically challenged because Drake is doing incredible stuff. I'm also perfectly fine with him being able to do all that stuff, I'm just not OK with it being nearly automated. For example: I could never jump as far or precisely as Mario or Rayman can, but I'm OK with them being able to do so, because if it's a difficult sequence of jumps, it's also difficult for me to perform them on the control pad, whereas in Uncharted, I can really be unconcentrated, press in the wrong direction and still land at the perfectly right spot.

I neither want Uncharted to be a platformer (or not in a traditional sense, something like PoP seems fine though), nor do I want it to be an open world sandbox game (I don't even like sandbox games), I just want it to offer a real gameplay challenge in its traversal and not to decide on Drake's abilities and the game's physics on the fly, while accepting anything that remotely goes in the right direction. I am disappointed with Uncharted for being Uncharted (if Golden Abyss is a good example for what it means to be Uncharted), because I didn't feel like I really matter in this game.
 

Xiaoki

Member
No, that's not exactly my problem, I don't want to be physically challenged because Drake is doing incredible stuff. I'm also perfectly fine with him being able to do all that stuff, I'm just not OK with it being nearly automated. For example: I could never jump as far or precisely as Mario or Rayman can, but I'm OK with them being able to do so, because if it's a difficult sequence of jumps, it's also difficult for me to perform them on the control pad, whereas in Uncharted, I can really be unconcentrated, press in the wrong direction and still land at the perfectly right spot.

I neither want Uncharted to be a platformer (or not in a traditional sense, something like PoP seems fine though), nor do I want it to be an open world sandbox game (I don't even like sandbox games), I just want it to offer a real gameplay challenge in its traversal and not to decide on Drake's abilities and the game's physics on the fly, while accepting anything that remotely goes in the right direction. I am disappointed with Uncharted for being Uncharted (if Golden Abyss is a good example for what it means to be Uncharted), because I didn't feel like I really matter in this game.

It still sounds like you are disappointed in Uncharted for not being a platformer, which Uncharted has never been about.

Also, some statements in this post contradict your other statements in the same post and contradict statements you made in your previous post.

In this post you unfavorably compare Uncharted's jumping to Mario and Rayman, which are plaformers.

But then you go on to say "I neither want Uncharted to be a platformer". If you don't want Uncharted to be a platformer then why did you compare it to Mario and Rayman?

It's fine if you don't like Uncharted's style of gameplay, but just say so. Don't say it's not because it's not a platformer when your own words clearly say otherwise.
 

Yoshi

Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
It still sounds like you are disappointed in Uncharted for not being a platformer, which Uncharted has never been about.

Also, some statements in this post contradict your other statements in the same post and contradict statements you made in your previous post.

In this post you unfavorably compare Uncharted's jumping to Mario and Rayman, which are plaformers.

But then you go on to say "I neither want Uncharted to be a platformer". If you don't want Uncharted to be a platformer then why did you compare it to Mario and Rayman?

It's fine if you don't like Uncharted's style of gameplay, but just say so. Don't say it's not because it's not a platformer when your own words clearly say otherwise.

My words don't clearly say I want Uncharted to be a platformer, I just chose platformer characters as examples for characters who can do difficult movements I can't do (and even to a degree that I think noone can), I could've said the same about fighting games: The more spectacular the character's moves are, the more difficult is it to trigger them. Or let's take F-Zero/WipEout for example. I would never be able to control a pod at this speed, nor would I be able to survive the powers of accelleration working on my body. But there is no disconnect between what's happening on screen and what I'm doing. If I steer wrong, I fail in the game, the better I am at steering, the better the pods drive / glide. Not so with Uncharted, as stated above.

I could go on and on with all kinds of different examples, but I don't want to start a list war. Choosing platformers as an example maybe was a bad decision. I just chose platformers, because they are really pure in their gameplay, so I thought it'd be easier to get my point, considering English is not my native language and thus I've restrained from explaining it in a more complicated way as to reduce room for error.
 
My main complain is that some of the gaps that Drake is able to jump are so huge that I don't have the impression that he's gonna make it, so I discard them as possible paths.

I've never had this impression in PS3 games. It was quite clear if a jump was duable or not. Here, for example, in the level after the second river,
with Sully
, you are going through a cliff, and your partner is in the other side of the cliff. The gap between your side and the other side is huge, bigger than any other gap that you jumped before. And, still, after you realise that there is no other way, you are able to jump it.

I think that the game is pretty good with giving you hints where to go. I never had that problem. But I do agree that some of those distances look kind of crazy :)
 
Talbot has more competency in one finger than what Flynn has in his entire life.

Yeah, so? Doesn't mean he's a better character, or better written. Flynn wasn't suppose to be a mastermind magician or whatever Talbot was. My point was that he isn't fleshed out, and he's presented poorly. This comes from the writers creating scenes and then writing a story around it. I'm sure this COULD work, but in this case not so much. In the behind the scenes they point out the
chase scene with Talbot
as one of the scenes they made before having characters or a story to go along with it. This scene doesn't match his character, and this sort of inconsistancy is consistant through out the game, with his run ending ubruptly with no closure to the things we were bearly introduced to in the first place.
 
My main complain is that some of the gaps that Drake is able to jump are so huge that I don't have the impression that he's gonna make it, so I discard them as possible paths

Totally agree. You can tell that some of the jumps are semi scripted, in the sense that Drake will actually fly further and faster depending on how you jumped so that you make it. You wouldn't be able to make these jumps in normal gameplay, but it allows you to in these cases, maybe as a way to keep you from backtracking.
 

mauaus

Member
If i lend the game to a friend and he formats the cartridge to earn trophies... Well i lose my progress and collectibles?
 

Zee-Row

Banned
I wish there was a way to turn off the touch screen stuff , its fucking annoying. Everytime I try to aim with the right stick my thumb gently taps the touchscreen and screws up my shots.
 

Bebpo

Banned
The Uncharted series' scripted nature is not for everyone. You'd best avoid the mainline series as well, Yoshi.

Yeah, Uncharted is a very scripted interactive movie version of tomb raider/indiana jones with gears of war cover shooting. Some people really enjoy that, just like people really enjoy heavy rain. Other people don't.

Yoshi, it sounds like you are in the latter category, which is fine. But Uncharted is well received and liked because there are a lot of people in the former.
 

daoster

Member
Just beat Uncharted....and really, it may not be as polished as Uncharted console...but I loved it all the same.

Biggest disappointed though? Eddy Raja, where you at? This would have been a perfect game to see you again! :(
 
Just beat Uncharted....and really, it may not be as polished as Uncharted console...but I loved it all the same.

Biggest disappointed though? Eddy Raja, where you at? This would have been a perfect game to see you again! :(

Damn straight. I thought
Sully
showing up made the game for me, but that would have been just as awesome, if not more.

I guess you'll just need to stick with the Fort Co-op DLC from Uncharted 3 that has Eddy, Flynn, and Lazaravic teaming up...for some reason. I didn't beat it, but Eddy has a few good lines.
 

Carl

Member
Fuck the treasure maps DLC is fucking useless isn't it. I have no idea where it's telling me the treasures are.
 

Fuzzy

I would bang a hot farmer!
Fuck the treasure maps DLC is fucking useless isn't it. I have no idea where it's telling me the treasures are.
I figured if I really couldn't find something then I'd break down and watch a video of exactly where it is instead of buying that shit.
 

Wario64

works for Gamestop (lol)
IGN's collectibles FAQ is probably better than that $1 rip off (I don't care if it's only a buck)
 

Grisby

Member
So I finished Golden Abyss the other night. I'd like to give it an 8, maybe even a 9 because the game something special on the Vita. Bend did an impressive job of bringing the Uncharted experience to such a tiny screen.

However, there are way too many touch mechanics in the game that completely ruin the pace. When you you stop me and I have to spend a good couple of minutes putting together a puzzle you ruin the general flow of the game. I don't mind charcoal rubbing's if I don't have to do 80 million of them per level. It's neat that you can do some of these things but have dedicated chapters to them (all of them) like in the middle chapters. It's my biggest complaint about the game.

Other then that everything else hit a pretty good note. I actually think I enjoyed the game as much and even more-so in spots than Uncharted 3. The story is much simpler but I found the characters to have more time to shine, like Chase. I felt there was more exploration involved and it was a longer experience. The combat scenarios aren't anything new or inventive but that also doesn't lead to many frustrating encounters either. I was glad there was a healthy reduction in shotgun guys and that they took less bullets to defeat then GA's big game counterparts.

On a last note having Drake talk about the treasures was great. It feels like something that should have already been implemented into the series. Also, there are some pretty funny lines in the game. I laughed out loud way more then I did with 3 and Nolan North feels so comfortable here in Drakes shoes. Just great presentation stuff all the way around.

As it stand the game is a high 7 for me. The lack of extras hurts the replay value immensely so that was another ding I had to add to it. Still, the game is a great achievement and I feel the sequel is going to blow people away, kind of like Uncharted 2 did for the PS3.

Man, the Golden Abyss score is possibly the best in the series thus far...
It gets really close at times. Definitely some nice tunes in the game.
 
So I finished Golden Abyss the other night. I'd like to give it an 8, maybe even a 9 because the game something special on the Vita. Bend did an impressive job of bringing the Uncharted experience to such a tiny screen.

However, there are way too many touch mechanics in the game that completely ruin the pace. When you you stop me and I have to spend a good couple of minutes putting together a puzzle you ruin the general flow of the game. I don't mind charcoal rubbing's if I don't have to do 80 million of them per level. It's neat that you can do some of these things but have dedicated chapters to them (all of them) like in the middle chapters. It's my biggest complaint about the game.

Other then that everything else hit a pretty good note. I actually think I enjoyed the game as much and even more-so in spots than Uncharted 3. The story is much simpler but I found the characters to have more time to shine, like Chase. I felt there was more exploration involved and it was a longer experience. The combat scenarios aren't anything new or inventive but that also doesn't lead to many frustrating encounters either. I was glad there was a healthy reduction in shotgun guys and that they took less bullets to defeat then GA's big game counterparts.

On a last note having Drake talk about the treasures was great. It feels like something that should have already been implemented into the series. Also, there are some pretty funny lines in the game. I laughed out loud way more then I did with 3 and Nolan North feels so comfortable here in Drakes shoes. Just great presentation stuff all the way around.

As it stand the game is a high 7 for me. The lack of extras hurts the replay value immensely so that was another ding I had to add to it. Still, the game is a great achievement and I feel the sequel is going to blow people away, kind of like Uncharted 2 did for the PS3.

I agree with pretty much everything, but still would have given this game a 9 :) I really enjoyed the whole experience and the parts that were off did not bother me that much. I've been replaying random chapters looking for treasures and getting additional kills towards trophies and it was a lot of fun.
 

Sorc3r3r

Member
Man, the Golden Abyss score is possibly the best in the series thus far...

Just finished, and this is the Uncharted i enjoyed the most.
It has all the classic Uncharted gameplay with some nice touch solutions, so is not that, that made it as the best for me.
Is the story and setting.
The whole game is less about set pieces and more about clever pace variation and cohesive scenery.

Great start for this IP on the vita,and great work by Bend.
But now i want more of this.....^^



 

Carl

Member
IGN's collectibles FAQ is probably better than that $1 rip off (I don't care if it's only a buck)

Definitely. You have NO IDEA where you are relative to that map. They may as well have just made it in the shape of a giant turd for all the use it would have been
 
Damn, seems like the GAU-19 trophy is bugged for me. I've replayed the same scene at least 30 times with a GAU-19, killing 8 each time before I restart the checkpoint, and it hasn't popped. :(

Fortunately, restoring the system will reset that for me (which is what got me to this point in the first place - if I never restored I'd have gotten it long ago) but.. yeah. Lame. Another 200 kills to go...

I've also developed a real dislike towards the bounties system. When I first got the game I thought "a drop system - that's pretty cool!", but a month and change later, they take like 500 kills to drop and the Black Market hasn't helped much at all (1 rare bounty in a week's time... yay?). Bah! I should've had this platinum ages ago.
 
Finished the game.

The story was ok. A little deceived for the lack
of any supernatural twist
.

I think that the story should have been better if instead of Chase, the girl of the game was a non-experienced Chloe, showing how Drake and her met and how, after the adventure, she decided to be also a "tomb raider".
 
All of the forced puzzle and touch stuff makes the game annoying to replay. They tried to make it more interactive with all the rubbing and stuff, but it's just a hassle the second time around. Oh, I've got to go search around for 4 statues so I can click a check mark because I already have the rubbings for them saved, just to activate a door that I need to click a check mark for because I already have the correct combination saved.

Other stuff like "OMG Drake, you need to cut that bamboo, because you need to learn how to cut stuff" "OMG, do you see that treasure? you need to get it before you can advance" is so annoying the second time around. This sort of stuff was seamless in the other games.
 
I think that the story should have been better if instead of Chase, the girl of the game was a non-experienced Chloe, showing how Drake and her met and how, after the adventure, she decided to be also a "tomb raider".

The final
kiss
is empty feeling because you've already seen him do that multiple times with other girls in the future. I can't get into their relationship because we know they don't go anywhere.
 

UberTag

Member
Damn, seems like the GAU-19 trophy is bugged for me. I've replayed the same scene at least 30 times with a GAU-19, killing 8 each time before I restart the checkpoint, and it hasn't popped. :(
There's a bit of an issue with most of the weapon trophies where if you kill everyone, soft reset and reload... your kill count doesn't build.

You need to LET yourself get killed or jump off a cliff. If you do that, your kill meter won't artificially reset and you'll unlock the trophy without issue.
 

VariantX04

Loser slave of the system :(
Man, the Golden Abyss score is possibly the best in the series thus far...

I'm pretty sure they reused some of the tracks from the mainline series. You can tell because in some places, the score sounds very MIDI and tacked on while in other parts of the game, sounds like Greg Edmonson's work. I was disappointed when I heard some of the songs sounded like they were done on a basic DAW software rather than a full-on orchestra.

Have there been any rumblings about a sequel or anything? I figured since it just came out that's a long ways off.

I predict we'll see it in action come E3 2013. I'm obviously pulling this info out of my ass but it seems logical given the investment in the property from Bend and last-gen trends.
 

TripOpt55

Member
I remembered Bend saying something about changing the text on the Strange Relic, so once I got it I decided to translate it, but they just made the bottom to say Bend Studio. Was hoping for a DLC hint or something like that.
 
Finished this tonight, I was really dissapointed with the first few stages and actually put the game away for a while but holy shit, second best in the series right after U2.
 
30% of the way through and am loving this game. Just got to the "hold the vita up to light" game mechanic, that was awesome.

Yeah, that was pretty cool. I actually like most of the touch screen mechanics so far. Finishing moves during fistfights are satisfying for me. Makes more sense than the fighting in UC2 to me, anyway.
 

VanWinkle

Member
Finished the game. I don't know if it quite holds up to the console Uncharted games overall, but it was fantastic. Some aspects I thought were better than Uncharted 1, and some things I didn't like as much. I don't think it compares to Uncharted 2 or 3, though. I will say, however, that I think the soundtrack might be the best I've heard yet in the series. I was constantly thinking, "Wow".
 

alterno69

Banned
I think im 2/3 into the game just got to chapter 19 i think..
The river with sully
and i have to say i'm enjoying this way more than Uncharted 3 so far, less bullshit set pieces thank jebus, U3 feels like it was built around the next big hollywood action scene in mind, over and over again, it gets old fast. This feels more down to earth, more grounded in reality. Also the balance between exploration and combat is much better here than in the last two games, feels more like the first game without snipers, bazookas and shotguns in EVERY fucking encounter.

I have to say despite the jaggies the graphics are pretty amazing even by console standards, 80% of the games on consoles don't look as good as this game.

So far i'd give it a 9, considering this is a handheld game it does little wrong, like many said the biggest issue is the overuse of thouch stuff even from the main menu, why can't i just use the buttons to navigate the menu?
 

darkside31337

Tomodachi wa Mahou
Finished the game last night. I hated pretty much the entire first third, a lot of the dumb mechanics that were totally forced in there by some suit at Sony. But I loved the game as it progressed, it definitely got much more enjoyable and the last bits of the game I totally just ignored the treasure collecting just to finish it all up. It's a really good effort by the B-Team and I was worried it'd be pretty meh after my early impressions of the game.

But that $1 DLC was a total ripoff. Utterly useless. I want my buck back :(

I wish every shooter had gyroscope control. Wasn't a fan of it at first but put it on inverted and it suddenly worked magic with me. I wish every shooter on the Vita had gyroscope controls built in, it's really, really fantastic.

And Chase is awesome.
 

Goldrusher

Member
However, there are way too many touch mechanics in the game that completely ruin the pace. When you you stop me and I have to spend a good couple of minutes putting together a puzzle you ruin the general flow of the game.
Virtually everyone had the same complaints after Drake's Fortune: too much shooting, not enough exploring.
Now here you have a game with lots of exploring, puzzle-solving and all kinds of interactivity... and you say it ruins the pace. :(

I disagree.
 
Virtually everyone had the same complaints after Drake's Fortune: too much shooting, not enough exploring.
Now here you have a game with lots of exploring, puzzle-solving and all kinds of interactivity... and you say it ruins the pace. :(

I disagree.

just finished my 'treasure' replay, &, yeah, i'm still not seeing what's so wrong/boring about the first half of the game. the whole thing felt really well-paced to me the first time, & felt just as good the second. i guess i just see the the uncharted series as being adventures first, & shooters second? :) ...
 

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
Virtually everyone had the same complaints after Drake's Fortune: too much shooting, not enough exploring.
Now here you have a game with lots of exploring, puzzle-solving and all kinds of interactivity... and you say it ruins the pace. :(

To be fair, he's referring to the touch-based minigames, and not exploration or puzzle-solving in general. When people asked for more variety in Uncharted, I don't think they had anything like charcoal rubbing or the sliding puzzles in mind. The problem with both (particularly the rubbing) is that they're completely mindless. There is nothing fun or rewarding about completing them, it's a just tedious and time consuming chore. I honestly don't understand how someone could enjoy rubbing virtual dust off of an old helmet.

I wouldn't mind them so much if they were only used with optional treasures, but when I'm engaged in the plot they're a total buzzkill. They bring the pacing to a halt.

I do like the game a lot (almost done!), but the touchscreen minigames and prompts are definitely the worst part of it, in my opinion. Shit's tacked on, yo.
 

Eterniti

Member
Just finished this game a couple of days ago and I have to say that some of the gesture based gameplay didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Overall it very much feels like the first Uncharted and shows the promise of what future Uncharted games can be on the platform. I did have to turn on auto aim and later learned how to clean up my aiming by using the motion controls.
 

Auto_aim1

MeisaMcCaffrey
I do like the game a lot (almost done!), but the touchscreen minigames and prompts are definitely the worst part of it, in my opinion.
Yep, agree. I'm on chapter 24 right now, and I felt these touch-based minigames were completely unnecessary; it totally breaks the pacing. Great game though.
 
God dammit I think I just screwed myself. I beat the game, and then started it right back up on the Hard difficulty. It asked me where to start my save file and I just chose the only save file I had.

I'm in the first chapter and I'm getting the feeling it might have just written over all my gun stats, etc, towards trophies. Am I wrong?
 

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
I'm in the first chapter and I'm getting the feeling it might have just written over all my gun stats, etc, towards trophies. Am I wrong?

Hmmmm...can you check your journal? If you're on NG+, your collected treasures should have carried over.
 
Hmmmm...can you check your journal? If you're on NG+, your collected treasures should have carried over.

That's why I thought something was wrong. I was prompted to take a picture in the first chapter, and I knew I had already taken it.

This is ridiculous. I've always done the same thing when restarting all the previous Uncharted games, but this one decided to start everything over on me.

Can someone tell me how you're supposed to go about starting a new game without completely starting over? This sucks.
 

Raine

Member
That's why I thought something was wrong. I was prompted to take a picture in the first chapter, and I knew I had already taken it.

This is ridiculous. I've always done the same thing when restarting all the previous Uncharted games, but this one decided to start everything over on me.

Can someone tell me how you're supposed to go about starting a new game without completely starting over? This sucks.
Just go to the first chapter and choose whatever difficulty you want. It'll go off the previous save
 

aro52

Member
Holy shit, I just came across an in-game blooper / easter egg in my Crushing playthrough while trying to mop up every collectible. I'm not sure if it's the Crushing run that did it, but VERY late in the game, on Chapter
31 when you find the Golden Throne, the cutscene plays out a bit differently...
The best part is that it was rendered in-game so I didn't see it coming at all. Awesome, and hilarious!

Edit: Went ahead and recorded + uploaded it to youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG6kcKNjFbw
Spoilers, obviously.
Edit2: Edited the description of the video out, so the surprise isn't ruined.

That's awesome!
I was actually expecting that to actually happen in that scene. I figured it was about to be the start of Uncharted's typical supernatural section towards the end of games.
 

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
Done. It was pretty good.

It looked impressive for a handheld, but the sub-native rez and the aliasing are very unfortunate. It wowed me in certain areas, but I couldn't help but dwell on how much better it could look with decent IQ. On top of that, the frame rate was really bad at times (like 20FPS or less), particularly towards the end when shit goes down.

Compared to the other Uncharted games, I have mixed feelings. The new characters weren't very memorable, and unlike Sully, Tenzin, Chloe, Cutter and Elena, I never grew attached to them. I felt apathetic towards almost everything that happened plot-wise. It's no surprise that the part with
Drake and Sully together
is one of my favorites, at least it had some fun banter. It doesn't have many big set-piece moments, but I'm fine with that since UC3 was a little too crazy at times. It still felt like Uncharted, though, the production values are high and it captured that over the top, adventurous spirit.

Vita functionality is hit or miss. The touchscreen minigames were superfluous, and I hated the touchscreen gestures in brawls and QTE moments. The system does a fine job of recognizing my inputs, but I'd much rather tap a button then rub my finger across the screen just to knock a dude out. At the very least, we should have the option to toggle that stuff. This is at it's worst in [END GAME SPOILER]
the "boss" fights against Dante and Guerro....the big, climatic fights are a series of touchscreen QTE's? Really, Bend? Not only were the segments too long, but they were completely unsatisfying. Uncharted has never had good boss fights, but that shit was just lazy.

....but on the plus side, gyro aiming is fantastic. Once I got the hang of it, I popped melons like it was my fuckin' job. It really won me over during the first sniping segment, it felt as accurate as mouse aiming. This bodes well for the future of shooter's on the system.

I probably won't replay it anytime soon. The treasure hunting has been fleshed out a bit, but like UC3 there are no cool unlockables. Because of this, I don't feel very motivated to play it again. I miss infinite ammo and awesome skins. :(

I don't think I could rank it over any of Naughty Dog's Uncharted games, but it's a a solid take on the formula. I'd like to see Bend give it another shot. Maybe they could go further back and do a young Sully game set in the 70's, I'd buy that for fifty dollars.
 

george_us

Member
Call me crazy but I really liked the touched mechanics...for some strange reason. I normally hate gimmicky touch/motion controls but I really enjoyed them here.

Still not done with it but if it keeps up this one will be my favorite behind Uncharted 2.
 
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