I just tried this and damnit Jett your right. I think ND clarified why its a issue for some people. The enemies move faster and the guns actually have varying degrees of accuracy. Combine that with guys that are bum rushing you constantly and it all of sudden feels completely different.
It has nothing to do with shooting, so 'recoil' and 'accuracy' are no factors here.
It's this simple:
Hold L1 > aim up, down, left, right = moves at 100% speed.
Hold L1 > aim in any diagonal direction = moves at a speed significantly slower than 100%. Closer to 50%
These varying speeds do not exist in U1, U2 SP/MP, or U3 MP.
Whoever ends up going to Naughty Dog should demand that we get our motion blur back!
Well yeah the difference between UC1 and UC2 is huge. Not just shooting but the movement is a lot better as well, cover is more responsive, etc. UC2 is just has fantastic feeling gameplay.
To be completely honest now that I'm putting some good time into UC2 the aiming is definitely smoother and feels better there than in UC3, despite having the same underlying mechanics. Aiming is definitely too stiff in UC3. Actually the entire feel in controls between both games is very different, not just the aiming.
If ND manages to get to the root of the problem it'll be for the best. "Feel" is such a nebulous concept. If they don't change the controls, well whatever. I still stand behind my option that it's not something that affects the game much, or that it makes the game harder to play. UC3 is the easiest Uncharted game yet.
I think part of it might depend on the gun you use too. I mean, some of the guns in UC3 the aiming does feel kinda stiff, but aiming with the G-MAL feels as silky smooth as anything in UC2 to me.
RyanardoDaVinci said:
It has nothing to do with shooting, so 'recoil' and 'accuracy' are no factors here.
It's this simple:
Hold L1 > aim up, down, left, right = moves at 100% speed.
Hold L1 > aim in any diagonal direction = moves at a speed significantly slower than 100%. Closer to 50%
These varying speeds do not exist in U1, U2 SP/MP, or U3 MP.
It has nothing to do with shooting, so 'recoil' and 'accuracy' are no factors here.
It's this simple:
Hold L1 > aim up, down, left, right = moves at 100% speed.
Hold L1 > aim in any diagonal direction = moves at a speed significantly slower than 100%. Closer to 50%
These varying speeds do not exist in U1, U2 SP/MP, or U3 MP.
Finished first playthrough just now and honestly I think it's an incredible game.
But not as incredible as Uncharted 2.
Some set pieces are far too similar and the stealth seems rigged to be ridiculously hard at times. With that said the set pieces it does have are absolutely amazing, and definitely match and sometimes outdo those in U2. Some of the chase sequences are equally incredible, though I agree with those that aren't fans of the running towards the camera sections.
One thing I kept feeling during this game is that I love the combat situations the game puts you in. There are a number of viable ways to approach most situations and almost every combat area seems varied from the last so it never seems boring. I played my first playthrough on Hard, so some of the sections did get frustrating as it was, well, hard. I died quite a number of times in some areas. I also loved the hand to hand combat, not quite as fluid as Batman or AC, however Drake is not an assassin or crimefighter, so it does kind of fit there. It's also not the main thrust of the game, so I enjoyed it for what it was. Much more so than the previous games.
When it comes to the story, writing, and overall cinematic production, the game is frankly unmatched in video games. The voice acting is top notch, the writing is very good, and sometimes also top notch. The story, while silly overall, fits with the universe, and did enough to keep me interested throughout it's entirety. I never felt, story wise that there was a dull moment. Not enough Chloe for my liking mind. Also: Elena WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR FACE?!
The graphics, as we all expected, are astonishing. The forest and sand sections of the game, as well as the final level all impress visually in a way very few games can come close to. The only thing letting the game down in this regard are the ever annoying aliasing issues. It's far from something which destroys the overall look of the game, indeed it's only noticeable some of the time. The PS3 is certainly getting on a bit, and I don't think at this point it would even be possible to get this level of detail, at this resolution and solid frame rate without aliasing issues. Drakes face as a whole is absolutely incredibly well done, the others look amazing also, but it's obvious a hell of a lot of work went into making Drake just right. It's honestly competing with top-end PC games at this level of fidelity (though as a PC gamer I have to include the disclaimer that I am merely talking about visual fidelity here, excluding aliasing, resolution and framerate of course.).
I noticed some people also complain about the sound design, something I never had a problem with. Not being much of an audio nut anyway it wasn't something I noticed, other than that everything was fine. The music was nice and set the tone appropriately, guns have appropriate audio feedback etc.
One improvement I feel ND could make to the franchise, should they wish to continue it (lol) is less constricting platforming. The combat allows many paths to complete the combat sections, but the platforming is as linear as linear can get for the majority of the time. I can definitely see where the frustrations of the Eurogamer reviewer and some others have come from when I jumped to a ledge which if it were coded to, Drake could have easily grabbed, only instead he fell to his death. To ease this, the checkpoint system is incredibly generous, never forcing you to replay any significant portion of the game. An excellent choice for such a narrative driven game in my opinion.
Regarding the aiming issue, I did notice it felt a bit off at first but also felt that I adjusted fairly quickly to it. I still missed a lot but in the end I finished on Hard in about 9 hours, and I'm not one to head for the finish line, I did my fair share of gawking and exploring.
I don't know why I wrote this spoiler free, but I guess it would be annoying and time consuming to go into detail regarding any individual part, and I guess this is good for those who haven't finished yet!
Hope you enjoyed the read, I didn't even set out to right a review, and I'm sure I've forgotten to comment on some important things, but it sort of is a now. Hell let's give it a score:
I'm enjoying the game, but not a fan of rolling and grabbing being the same button when I need to fight off shotgun dudes while trying to dodge snipers.
also fighting on stairs is fucked up.
Maleficence said:
No way I'm letting this sit at the bottom of the last page.
They're definitely not identical, I'm just saying that I haven't noticed the difference to be very big. After 10 minutes with the game, I didn't even notice it anymore and I had no problems with the aiming for the rest of the game.
it is beautiful. Seemed they wanted to top "Where am I" in that level, and they did.
One improvement I feel ND could make to the franchise, should they wish to continue it (lol) is less constricting platforming. The combat allows many paths to complete the combat sections, but the platforming is as linear as linear can get for the majority of the time. I can definitely see where the frustrations of the Eurogamer reviewer and some others have come from when I jumped to a ledge which if it were coded to, Drake could have easily grabbed, only instead he fell to his death. To ease this, the checkpoint system is incredibly generous, never forcing you to replay any significant portion of the game. An excellent choice for such a narrative driven game in my opinion.
I'm enjoying the game, but not a fan of rolling and grabbing being the same button when I need to fight off shotgun dudes while trying to dodge snipers.
The graphics, as we all expected, are astonishing. The forest and sand sections of the game, as well as the final level all impress visually in a way very few games can come close to. The only thing letting the game down in this regard are the ever annoying aliasing issues. It's far from something which destroys the overall look of the game, indeed it's only noticeable some of the time. The PS3 is certainly getting on a bit, and I don't think at this point it would even be possible to get this level of detail, at this resolution and solid frame rate without aliasing issues. Drakes face as a whole is absolutely incredibly well done, the others look amazing also, but it's obvious a hell of a lot of work went into making Drake just right. It's honestly competing with top-end PC games at this level of fidelity (though as a PC gamer I have to include the disclaimer that I am merely talking about visual fidelity here, excluding aliasing, resolution and framerate of course.).
The details in the in-game Drake model is simply INSANE, the lighting is just mind-blowing, in low lighting situation and in shadows U3 simply dominates, they got the in-game Drake facial animations just right, those fucking eyes, the in-game stuff is better than the cutscenes in 100% of games out there.
Oh wow replaying right now UC2 and it's not just motion blur that's missing from UC3, depth of field is use ALL THE TIME in UC2(to great effect), it's been greatly reduced in UC3. Just what the hell happened to post processing effects in this game?
Yep. And it should be X. Circle button should be rolling always, even on melee. There is no way to leave fast the melee when you are in a uncover position and all people is shooting you. And X will be never necessary in any melee context.
Oh wow replaying right now UC2 and it's not just motion blur that's missing from UC3, depth of field is use ALL THE TIME in UC2(to great effect), it's been greatly reduced in UC3. Just what the hell happened to post processing effects in this game?
I think they changed priorities. To me it seems that UC3 looks overall more detailed and less "blocky", more realistisc. Also the lighting seems to be upgraded. Some parts just look insane. I don't think that the engine is pushign less this time. Think about chapter 12. And that water...
The details in the in-game Drake model is simply INSANE, the lighting is just mind-blowing, in low lighting situation and in shadows U3 simply dominates, they got the in-game Drake facial animations just right, those fucking eyes, the in-game stuff is better than the cutscenes in 100% of games out there.
Oh wow replaying right now UC2 and it's not just motion blur that's missing from UC3, depth of field is use ALL THE TIME in UC2(to great effect), it's been greatly reduced in UC3. Just what the hell happened to post processing effects in this game?
Exactly. It's strange that some graphical effects are missing from UC3, it makes the whole presentation somewhat uneven (for multiplayer too). Some things look amazing (character models, certain textures etc.) and others look worse than UC2 -- which is quite strange.
I seriously wonder if their push for 3D-capability compromised the graphics. By the looks of it corners had to be cut.
$40 for the AUS fortune hunter club pack? To be put this in context, I think our currency is slightly more robust than the us dollar. You are fucking taking the piss naughty dog.
Wow. I am pretty unimpressed with naughty dog and a lot of the uc3 things im experiencing.
$40 for the AUS fortune hunter club pack? To be put this in context, I think our currency is slightly more robust than the us dollar. You are fucking taking the piss naughty dog.
Wow. I am pretty unimpressed with naughty dog and a lot of the uc3 things im experiencing.
I'm not sure if ND is responsible for regional pricing, but yeah 40AUD is absurd.
I might consider getting it from the UK Store (if it's compatible) and *GASP* DLC-share it with someone (never done any sharing before so I guess this shows how unhappy I am with the situation)
Exactly. It's strange that some graphical effects are missing from UC3, it makes the whole presentation somewhat uneven (for multiplayer too). Some things look amazing (character models, certain textures etc.) and others look worse than UC2 -- which is quite strange.
I seriously wonder if their push for 3D-capability compromised the graphics. By the looks of it corners had to be cut.
Even if it were the fault of 3D, I wouldn't mind too much because it was 3D that allowed them to put in split-screen. Split-screen is way more valuable to me than motion blur. Both would be best, but if it wasn't possible to put it motion blur without sacrificing performance, I'm at least happy that they've been able to add the split-screen.
I just finished the game. Fantastic experience that is right up there with Uncharted 2.
No curscene viewer annoys me, but I guess I am the only one who is annoyed by it not being there so meh!, but I don't understand for a game driven by story and cutscenes that it wasn't included when it was included in the previous games. I also don't like the fact that when I am shooting enemies they don't slow down when being shot, that just doesn't make sense to me and why does shooting a lock (which you are forced to do) and shooting a treasure down have a negative effect on your statistics? It's recorded as a missed shot which is annoying.
Other than those very minor gripes I enjoyed the game totally. I also thought the story was fine. You can poke holes in it, but meh, you can poke holes in anything when you want to nitpik enough.
I liked the ending
Elena and Drake embracing one another and wearing their rings again was great to see. Alsom Drake not wanting Elena to come with him because he couldn't bear anything happening to her. Loved that a lot.
the character models in the cinemas are great. but ingame; they don't look as good - sometimes it just looks bad.
As mentioned; in chapter 6
the forest/france
- um, drake looked kind of stupid if you pan the camera around to look at his face - eyes are too deep set and he looks weird with that weird stubble.
when people post the screens of drakes face and it look amazing - its usually a cutscene render. I sometimes wonder if the model for drake in game is the same all the way through - I'm guessing not as his clothes change but
Oh wow replaying right now UC2 and it's not just motion blur that's missing from UC3, depth of field is use ALL THE TIME in UC2(to great effect), it's been greatly reduced in UC3. Just what the hell happened to post processing effects in this game?
the hardware cant push any more than what UC2 does, so for UC3 they toned down motion blur & DoF but revamped the lighting engine and animations, this is 2005 hardware after all.
When that happened I laughed and was totally surprised, so awesome. Does that happen for everyone?
Also, as I and others have already stated, what they did to Elena was totally unnecessary. ND give us back the old Elena she was perfect the way she was!
Okay, I've finished the campaign, and I'm absolutely baffled by it. It's a gorgeous mess that's nowhere near as good UC2's, and the design decisions here make it even less engaging than UC1's at times. I feel like an utter fool for going on blackout and blindly purchasing this game based on the previous ones for the single-player alone.
Pacing: It's off for the first several chapters of the game. Maybe it's to ease new players into the formula, but it's not rocket science. UC2 did
the flashback tutorial
far better. I'll get to the brawling sections in a bit. The rest of the game eventually settles into the standard Uncharted formula, so the problem here is basically a horrible first impression. That is, of course, only if you don't find the overly cinematic segments to be time-wasting filler that could've been edited down while still keeping their impact without dragging on for too long
(a few chases/escapes, lost in desert section, etc.)
. It's one thing to offer a reprieve from cutscenes and combat, but it's another to be needlessly padded out. I won't even bother listing my story gripes.
Shooting/Aiming: This has been extensively discussed so there's no need to go into it. I don't remember having this issue in the previous campaigns but if it was there before that still doesn't make it any better. By the end of the game you get a little more used to it, but it shouldn't be an issue in the first place. The awkwardness of the aiming is only exacerbated by the aggressive enemies who shrug off bullets like they're flower petals most of the time. You seriously should at least flinch if you get shot in the face a few times. EDIT: I still have yet to replay UC3 after the aim patch.
Melee: It is not improved in any way. What the heck happened? I have no idea where to start. The forced brawling scenarios that show up several times during the first half of the game are atrocious. I'm sorry--this is not the strength of Uncharted and, from the looks of it, never will be. I wasn't expecting another combat system found in mainstream AAA titles that could actually be worse than the ridiculously praised ones in the Batman or Assassin's Creed games but, abracadabra, here you go. This button-mashing, quicktime event crap is horrible. If you aren't going to flesh it out a la proper character action games like DMC, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden, don't even bother. It's filler content that people won't enjoy. It's ridiculous and absolutely laughable. And that's not even the worst part. It spills over into regular encounters because now there is a largely useless grab button that takes priority over rolling. So when you want to roll away from nearby enemies, you enter a convoluted melee sequence with them that locks you into it and makes you a giant target for bullets. And heaven forbid you want to exit this without finishing the deed--the suicidal enemies will have swarmed you by now, making escape even harder. A game previously renowned for its traversal during combat is gimped by this stupid, shallow melee minigame addition.
Enemy Types: The "forced-melee-sequence-big-guy" clones you encounter throughout the first half are nightmares that cannot be killed with bullets before they reach you. And they summon every ounce of their strength to kick you if you try to roll away from them (or worse, you grab them or some other nearby enemy). Armored enemies are everywhere, too. Why? The bullet sponge enemies in UC1 weren't very well-received. UC2 remedied a lot of this, but UC3 goes back to it? And armored enemies are far worse because now they must be shot in the head, repeatedly, while they're fearlessly advancing toward you. That's way more annoying! The high points of the combat in Uncharted campaigns are the exciting encounters with unique sets of challenges and enemies that playfully interact with multidimensional terrain. Incorporating the stronger ones into so many fights just makes the process all feel tedious. Thankfully, there are still Uncharted 2-esque combat sequences sprinkled in every now and then. I'm sure many people are listing those as the high points of the game.
Encounter Design: I feel like there was a dip in quality of combat scenario level design compared to UC2 and even UC1 at times. Why did so many places seem filled with wave after wave of enemies? This was something of an issue in UC1 and was almost completely remedied in UC2. What happened? Coupled with the insistence on overusing stronger enemy types, you have to add in Dragon Age 2-style waves, too? Really? Sure, many of the waves were probably caused by breaking stealth, but does that make it any better? At least UC1 had the decency to telegraph when new enemies were arriving. When characters in the game repeatedly comment that they've had enough of all the enemies, and when the player heartily agrees with them, there's a problem. It also doesn't help that many of these combat arenas are often huge multiplayer-esque expanses filled with downright psychic enemies in some instances. Honestly, it seems like many of those encounters actually encouraged Drake to cut a fairly predetermined path through them. I don't recall this being an issue in UC2--I remember retrying failed encounters in completely different ways, not endlessly reattempting a suicidal sprint toward "the rocket launcher over there" before I died from enemies instantly overwhelming me because it's the only thing I felt like I could've done.
Contextual Prompts/Scripting: The game is heavily scripted--it's Uncharted. The linearity of the game's progression is fine with me as long as it doesn't affect the nonlinearity of combat scenarios. Unfortunately, there were quite a few times I encountered unclear or confusing methods to progress the game. Sometimes NPCs would take forever to trigger what they were supposed to or just stand there, silently staring, while they waited for the player to figure it out. Some pathways (doors, windows, ledges, etc.) are obscured for whatever reason and break the flow of the game when players run around lost, looking for them. A couple puzzles were nice (the
torch panel puzzle
is my favorite), but some were hindered by these pathfinding issues. Not only that, but in combat there are more than a few times I had difficulty replicating context-sensitive things like running off the shield of riot enemies. And I can't count how many times I've picked up a weapon instead of throwing back an enemy grenade. I already touched upon the insanely generous distance Drake has for grabbing enemies or sticking to a wall when you are only trying to roll away to safety.
Animation/Visuals: Why must Drake compulsively touch every wall he comes in contact with? And why do Chloe and Elena look so strange? There are too many times when canned animations repeat (hint: melee) and look rather unseemly, defeating the entire point of all the witchcraft animation blending algorithm crap the series is known for.
Single-Player Extras: Gone. Hope you enjoy finding the pointless treasures simply for the sake of collecting them now. It's already been silly to have something like them in a series emphasizing forward momentum, not exploration, but now they lack the added incentive of zany bonuses to make successive playthroughs more exciting.
Yeah, I'm disappointed in the campaign to say the least. At least the game's pretty, right? Hopefully the multiplayer isn't bad, but I don't really care about that. As much as I wanted--expected--to be in the crowd that's calling this the greatest thing ever, I'm not.
Tell you what man, I am so fucking sick of buggy PS3 games. First game of MP and the game freezes at the load screen after match is over. Shut PS3 off for the night, don't have time for this shit
Tell you what man, I am so fucking sick of buggy PS3 games. First game of MP and the game freezes at the load screen after match is over. Shut PS3 off for the night, don't have time for this shit
I think they changed priorities. To me it seems that UC3 looks overall more detailed and less "blocky", more realistisc. Also the lighting seems to be upgraded. Some parts just look insane. I don't think that the engine is pushign less this time. Think about chapter 12. And that water...
The lighitng and shadowing are definitely more realistic in UC3, and they're definitely doing more stuff under the hood, but it has come at too great an expense. All of the motion blur and depth of field effects look really freaking sweet in UC2, it actually makes UC3 look less "cinematic" in comparison.
BTW the water for me is a "wash", lol. Sometimes it looks amazing, and other times it looks strange. Visual interaction between the boats and the ocean is null, looks unfinished.
I hope that they lose the fear of having only Drake as main character, it should be amazing if they let us control Chloe, Elena or Sully in a few levels, to make a longer story and also give us different views of the game.
When they splitted and Drake went to France and Chloe to Syria, I hoped that we could be able to control Chloe.
She's prettier in UC2 though. I think UC2 has a slight more cartoonish look to the characters than UC3. But yeah everyone got a new pair of eyeballs in the sequel.
Meh...not really impressed by the game up until now. It's been mostly fun, but the fights have all been terrible. They don't feel fluid and dynamic like they did in the first or second game. To make it worse, they're already rolling out the bullet sponges a few hours into the game. Stealth has often been rendered useless since half the enemies I choke from behind fire off their weapons in their death animation.
Meh...not really impressed by the game up until now. It's been mostly fun, but the fights have all been terrible. They don't feel fluid and dynamic like they did in the first or second game. To make it worse, they're already rolling out the bullet sponges a few hours into the game. Stealth has often been rendered useless since half the enemies I choke from behind fire off their weapons in their death animation.
