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[Razzer]

It seemed like there were lots of places where you could take multiple paths around enemies, which is great. Additionally, the cliff setting made for some verticality in the level design, which for a game where a primary mechanic is climbing was sorely missing from a lot of the previous trilogy. You've always had moments where you can sneak past in Uncharted so it's good that continues, hopefully it's even more common now. The hiding in grass and sliding were both great ways to let the player interact with the environment itself as combat tools, so if that creativity is present throughout then I could see the combat sections being a lot more fun this time.

Overall, it's hard to take too much as demos are often played in a manner that makes it seem like you had more choice than you really do. However, I saw enough that I'm cautiously optimistic. Up till now, I've played (and loved) Uncharted for the set pieces and likable characters, with combat being inoffensive downtime to help the pacing. This demo makes me thing the combat could now be an enjoyable thing in it's own right. Maybe. We'll see.

 

[StuBurns]

didn't see a lot of tlou in there. sneaking has always been in uncharted.

they have also done the stealth-or-rambo in uncharted 3. syria is one example of it. you can either stealthily kill the guards in the castle or go rambo and face reinforcements.

Sneaking has been possible, but the stealth here is from TLoU, it has breaking line of sight to disengage enemies, it has a position indicator for maintaining stealth, the level is much wider, like TLoU levels were, and the enemies were much more dynamic in their movements, like TLoU.

As Straley so aptly put it, it's TLoU if Joel could jump.

 

[benny_a]

I'm blown away by how seamlessly ND incorporates the melee scripting. The way Drake jumps off, hooks the branch with his rope, suplexes the fuck outta that dude, grabs his gun in mid air and starts shooting is mind blowing. Truly another level.

Yeah I wonder how much that exact scenario is scripted. In TLoU they've shown that they have lasers that shoot out and determine what kind of animation plays and interacts with what objects.

If you translate that to this game, it's just weird because presumably if you jumped at a different angle that animation shouldn't play.

I need to get my hands on this game. :-D

 

[Shrike_Priest]

Repost from the other thread:

https://twitter.com/bruce_straley/status/541385319224844289

This is pretty much the best case scenario for the combat design in UC4. To have Straley say it that clearly has me super hyped.

TLOU combat was godly, and the UC formula could definitely benefit from it.

I would love a real time crafting system, which would fit the premise of UC, but I think they won't go that far as A. they'd be accused of rehashing an old mechanic and B. TLOU2 would feel less unique.

 

[fuzzyreactor]

Honestly that level design is the best I've seen in the series. If there is more like then this game will be the best uncharted

 

[Loofy]

I hope they cut down on melee bosses. Like that one guy you kept fighting in UC3.

Less melee bosses, more bosses in tanks and helicopters.

 

[Gbraga]

It was honestly the best encounter I've seen in a TPS, maybe that's just the hype talking, but it's how I feel right now.

Incredible.

The new additions are very welcome and look really fun, but the most important thing to me is how well they implemented platforming, stealth and direct combat in one single encounter, in a very organic way.

It's something I've been wanting since Uncharted 2, something many people have been saying the series need, especially after The Last of Us did so well, but I don't think anyone expected it to be that good. I was seriously mindblown.

I hope most levels are as good as this, and this isn't just an exception. I already feel sad knowing this is the last one. At least they'll end on top.

Yeah I wonder how much that exact scenario is scripted. In TLoU they've shown that they have lasers that shoot out and determine what kind of animation plays and interacts with what objects.

If you translate that to this game, it's just weird because presumably if you jumped at a different angle that animation shouldn't play.

I need to get my hands on this game. :-D

Maybe that particular jump will always lead to that platform, it only recognized an enemy there and played the BIONIC AAAAAAAAAAAARM animation.

The rope jump at the end when he moved on ignoring the rest of the enemies sure didn't look like it was manual.

 

[Uncle Rupee]

I would like more really bad weather moments. The downpour during the shootout / escape section in 2 (with the injured journalist) had amazing atmosphere. Since these are fairly linear games, it would also be cool if there was some sort of randomized weather / time of day (or customizable in new game plus) so that you can play through the same sections but with a very different look and feel going on.

 

[omonimo]

My big hope it's they refined the combat system. I don't talk of something of revolutionary but something like Batman AA. I know it's a tps but I will appreciate to face the enemies with a decent combat system. The previous games remind too much to the shitty QTE system used in AC. Bleah.

 

[Azdoune]

I don't mind the open ended stuff but I still want there to be some of those classic Uncharted linear moments

I think we will. Maybe they will show something more spectacular/linear on the E3..

 

[NickatNite]

Judging from the gameplay its the Uncharted game I've been waiting for.

Whats already been said in this thread is how I feel. Open areas, different path ways, stealth, verticality, more interaction between enemies.

 

[AngryMoth]

I'm really disappointed they don't seem to have done much to change up the platforming, I was hoping they would try to introduce more challenge and non-linearity to it. As it stands I still looks very pedestrian.

Combat though looks fantastic, particularly the open level design in that area.

 

[bananafactory]

I think we will. Maybe they will show something more spectacular/linear on the E3..

Yeah they'll definitely be in there.

Naughty Dog and Bruce/Neil know exactly what their franchise is and why people love it.

 

[RoboPlato]

I don't mind the open ended stuff but I still want there to be some of those classic Uncharted linear moments

I'm sure there will be tons of big setpiece moments and several quiet, UC3 desert like, moments as well but I'm glad they showed this instead. They spoiled far too much of Uncharted 3 before launch and this lays out exactly what they're improving aside from visuals in the next game. Like with TLoU it was a clear and focused demo that illustrated their goals for the game clearly.

 

[XxRampage07xX]

Some combat sequences GIF

Credit to GavinUK86 and ElTorro.

 

[I Want Your Cat]

I like how open it was. You could go flank and hide and all that jazz.
I see some praise for the melee scripting, but I won't like it if its going to be like that for everyone I melee. I rather not melee.

 

[pupcoffee]

My opinion from the other thread:

I really like how large that gunfight area was.

In the previous games the gunfight areas often aren't anywhere near that big, and so you often have enemies sort of compiling together which is why you often find yourself popping in and out of the same piece of cover for a while trying to kill the "clogged" group.

But this game seems, possibly, inspired more by Uncharted's online multiplayer or something because, here, you seem to face one or two guards at a time. They're all spread out more. And so you're moving around quicker, and more often, and engaging with more individual micro-areas during a firefight because there's no blockage of enemies keeping you in one or two areas, bringing significantly more gameplay variety to the firefights and making them feel more like their own levels.

 

[Game4life]

Loved it Loved it a lot. The kind of combat arenas they showed mixed with awesome set pieces and story and you have a shot at topping UC2 and TLOU. I am hoping the same level of verticality and options is available indoors as it is outdoors.

 

[unholyrevenger72]

L1/R1 aim/shoot option or no buy...

 

[benny_a]

I'm sure there will be tons of big setpiece moments and several quiet, UC3 desert like, moments as well but I'm glad they showed this instead. They spoiled far too much of Uncharted 3 before launch and this lays out exactly what they're improving aside from visuals in the next game. Like with TLoU it was a clear and focused demo that illustrated their goals for the game clearly.

I hope they are willing to have more puzzles that might stump people a bit more. Maybe use the triangle option to ask for help where either Sully assists or Drake thinks a loud.

For example if you take the desert scene in Uncharted 3 where I think many people anticipating to guide their path based on the stars, which I must believe was the idea going in but didn't end up in the final game.

 

[bananafactory]

L1/R1 aim/shoot option or no buy...

Ewww noooo triggers!

Kidding, sort of. More options for people is always better

 

[Pathos]

hopes: good multiplayer

 

[bombshell]

didn't see a lot of tlou in there. sneaking has always been in uncharted.

they have also done the stealth-or-rambo in uncharted 3. syria is one example of it. you can either stealthily kill the guards in the castle or go rambo and face reinforcements.

Problem was that if you were spotted in those sections, the enemies could not lose track of you.

 

[Azdoune]

hopes: good multiplayer

Hopes : Multiplayer more U2 than U3

 

[Ricky_R]

I don't mind the open ended stuff but I still want there to be some of those classic Uncharted linear moments

Exactly. Aside from my wish of having a couple of tight, nicely confined areas, I hope they keep moments like that which are a staple of the franchise.

 

[Gbraga]

Those gifs... HGGGN

I honestly didn't think Uncharted 4 had a chance of being my personal GOTY, I mean, I was expecting to love it, but it is the same year as Bloodborne and Persona 5, after all, from the teams that made my previous two game of the generations, but this video... hggggn

My opinion from the other thread:

I also got the vibe that The Last of Us and Uncharted's multiplayer were the biggest inspirations.

Platforming and combat are a lot more integrated in multiplayer than single player. And there are a lot more mechanics that go unused in single player because of boring encounters, but this is just superb.

 

[Raist]

I postd this bit about the story in the PSX thread, but it got instantly lost in the "LOLZ DOWNGRADEZ" and "Here's 28 screens of 7 other games" from the usual suspects, so I guess it'll be a better fit here:

So anyway, if anyone is interested in a bit of lore, the pirate mentioned in Drake's journal is Thomas Tew, who was one of the richest pirates ever, and pioneered a plundering route between South Africa and Madagascar. He was soon followed by other pirates, like Henry Every, who's mentioned both here and in the reveal trailer. He died during a joint attack (with Every amongst others) on a Mughal ship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Tew

So I guess the game might (partly) take place somewhere in the Indian Ocean.
The look of the island in the demo is a bit reminiscent of the island of La Réunion (near Madagascar):

 

[Dictator93]

I hoe it remains as apparently dynamic as the preview showed. The seriously already never interested me aon a gameplay level before, but I thought yesterday it looked competent in terms of gameplay. Of course, assuming that wsnt scriptd stuff and can be carried out in a variety of satisfying ways.

I am not sure if the melee combat looked interesting though. Kinda looked like a QTE moment.

 

[Gaffi]

I like how the AI definitely takes a page from TLoU. It looked like they have a buddy system where they check in with each other every so often. You probably can't drag/hide bodies like in MGS but I'm interested if you take them out silently in the tall grass if the enemy is much less likely to find or encounter them and alert them to a problem.

 

[Elitist1945]

I postd this bit about the story in the PSX thread, but it got instantly lost in the "LOLZ DOWNGRADEZ" and "Here's 28 screens of 7 other games" from the usual suspects, so I guess it'll be a better fit here:

So anyway, if anyone is interested in a bit of lore, the pirate mentioned in Drake's journal is Thomas Tew, who was one of the richest pirates ever, and pioneered a plundering route between South Africa and Madagascar. He was soon followed by other pirates, like Henry Every, who's mentioned both here and in the reveal trailer. He died during a joint attack (with Every amongst others) on a Mughal ship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Tew

So I guess the game might (partly) take place somewhere in the Indian Ocean.
The look of the island in the demo is a bit reminiscent of the island of La Réunion (near Madagascar):

The date in the journal was 1800s, though - and both of these guys died in the 1600s...unless I read the date wrong?

 

[benny_a]

So anyway, if anyone is interested in a bit of lore, the pirate mentioned in Drake's journal is Thomas Tew, who was one of the richest pirates ever, and pioneered a plundering route between South Africa and Madagascar. He was soon followed by other pirates, like Henry Every, who's mentioned both here and in the reveal trailer. He died during a joint attack (with Every amongst others) on a Mughal ship.

I remember people called out South African accents from the enemies. And that was on the initial viewing.

 

[EmptySpace]

Sneaking has been possible, but the stealth here is from TLoU, it has breaking line of sight to disengage enemies, it has a position indicator for maintaining stealth, the level is much wider, like TLoU levels were, and the enemies were much more dynamic in their movements, like TLoU.

As Straley so aptly put it, it's TLoU if Joel could jump.

uncharted had bigger arenas, as far i know.

i felt like the stealth was a natural progression for uncharted anyway, regardless of tlou, seeing that they've employed stealth in earlier uncharted games and have continued to improve it every iteration.

so while tlou exposed nd to a stealth gameplay that they haven't with uncharted, i don't feel like this type of stuff would only come about solely because of tlou.

or if i were to guess the hardware can now support the ai complexity of tlou and the animations and environment interactivity of uncharted.

still, i wouldn't want this to be tlou and have a lot of stealth elements. i want the big fights and crazy use of environments to deal with enemies.

 

[AngryMoth]

hopes: good multiplayer

This so much. 2 had my favourite mp from last gen, if they come close to those heights again I'll be extatic. Hope you're listening ND; make it like 2, not 3!

 

[Net_Wrecker]

I hope what we saw is a sign of things to come rather than a one off sequence. Encounter design was extremely strong without resorting to waves of enemies or overuse of those awful brute variants. It felt natural, like everyone you faced off against was already in that area and bouncing around the map the same way you were. It's less like the overwhelming arcadey arenas in Uncharted 3 where you're pushing some imaginary line back towards the enemy, but instead more nuanced like Uncharted 2, reminiscent of early 2000 shooters where encounters felt deliberate and well paced.

The hit reactions are nice to see because Uncharted 3 completely dropped the ball in this area. It's such an important thing to get right when a shooter uses pistols a lot, especially combined with climbing. The player has to reliably be able to stagger enemies to buy some time to get to cover and make adjustments on the fly. The rope takedown looks great, and I really hope that's not a scripted moment. I also hope they make use of it in multiplayer.

The stealth pulling from TLOU where the hunter vs. hunted dynamic feels fluid can only mean good things for the rest of the game. Hopefully they recognize that and design the environments to take full use of it. Again, it's a good way to get some variety out of the core moment-to-moment gameplay without resorting to spongey mini-bosses that wreck pacing and remove strategy.

Weapon sounds are stronger and have more low end punch which gives combat more impact. This is a big deal considering how weak I thought the weapons in the previous games felt. I'd still like some more audio flair post-gunshot to give the environments a sense of space, but it's a step in the right direction at least. I also appreciate the more intricate details in reloading, and moving gun parts in general.

Honestly, it was the best Uncharted demo they've ever done. It might not be as flashy as the Uncharted 2 building set piece or whatever they did for UC3, but this has much bigger implications on what the meat of the game will be rather than some huge, highly controlled moment that will play out the same way every time. I'm looking forward to this.

 

[slavesnyder]

As long as there are no ice yetis i will be happy.

 

[StuBurns]

uncharted had bigger arenas, as far i know.

i felt like the stealth was a natural progression for uncharted anyway, regardless of tlou, seeing that they've employed stealth in earlier uncharted games and have continued to improve it every iteration.

so while tlou exposed nd to a stealth gameplay that they haven't with uncharted, i don't feel like this type of stuff would only come about solely because of tlou.

or if i were to guess the hardware can now support the ai complexity of tlou and the animations and environment interactivity of uncharted.

still, i wouldn't want this to be tlou and have a lot of stealth elements. i want the big fights and crazy use of environments to deal with enemies.

I don't see your point at all.

TLoU felt strongly like it was iterating on the design of UC2, and this is iterating from that. So yeah, if for example, Druckley were making UC4 while Hennig was making UC3, and Druckley's UC4 shipped last year, it might have already had these things, without TLoU having existed. But that doesn't mean those things aren't from TLoU in this instance.

And it also doesn't mean you can't just slaughter everyone. Clearly you could have in this level, you can in TLoU almost all the time too.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

I really liked it. Its pretty much exactly what I hoped was gonna happen with Bruce Straley and Druckmann and Naughty Dog building on what they learned from The Last of Us(which builds on Uncharted 2 naturally) for Uncharted 4. The AI seems to have been improved, moving to more advantageous positions, checking on their teammates, meleeing you from vertical positions, etc. Reminded me very much of the "alerted" stage of the Last of Us Hunters, which is usually when the best combat happens. The transisitions between shooting, melee, and jumping is smoother than its ever been, with none of the kinda weird clunkiness UC3 had.

One thing I really enjoyed was how you can still reset the situation to stealth by hiding in the growth. In Uncharted 3, you either killed everybody by stealth, or suddenly enemy waves pour in from everywhere and its armored shotgun dudes and snipers and RPG and fuck. You can do a mix of both now, its not just one or the other. That's something you could do in the Last of Us, which led to a more dynamic, exciting combat arenas I think.

Love a lot of the verticalality of the area, of course. Being able to shoot, melee, and maneuver from various ledges makes all the ledge grabbing more like a complimentary part of the sandbox and not just that thing you do in-between the combat sections. That's something its always had over The Last of Us, and they really showcased that yesterday. Obviously, not every area will be or even needs to be that kind of size or arena, but it was a good showcase.

The weapons sound heavier. Still the same PG-13 kinda gore or whatever, but enemies react well to shots and the heavier sound gives them a nice punch. My favorite new detail tho, is again straight out of the Last of Us, the way the reticule will flare up a bit with the rays around the circle to confirm a pistol kill. Its really satisfying when that happens, and a quick visual indicator to the player that the enemy is dead, good job.

In less exciting but necessary news, I like the idea of the pick Nate finds. Seems more like a Tomb Raider 2013 influence, although I know that's not a popular statement, lol. The platforming/ledge grabbing stuff always just kinda is what it is, but I think the pick could add a bit more interactivity or agency in choosing how to climb these walls. Like, I saw multiple different ledge paths, not just one you could pick. Not a HUGE change, but eh.

So yeah, that was a good showcase. Keep in mind this is all accomplished by Naughty Dog's level of polish and technical knowledge, so you got really smooth controls and fantastic animations and wonderful looking cutscenes with hand-animated faces and natural sounding vocal performances and just across the board industry standard production values.

The only concern I had was it was 30fps, which after The Last of Us Remastered, I was really hoping this would be 60fps as well. Pre-alpha code and all that, so we'll see.

But besides that...yeah. Looks great. Got a good feeling it could be the best Uncharted yet.

 

[Elitist1945]

As long as there are no ice yetis i will be happy.

Yeah fuck those guys they were scary (even though I found the mutants in Fortune scarier). The fire demons in 3 were just annoying and boring.

 

[Magic Mushroom]

Uncharted always had some of the most dynamic combat in gaming, but this looks even better than the previous games. I hope the game has many of those combat bowls.

And no need to worry about the set-pieces, of course those will be there as well.

I thought it was a really strong demo.

 

[Boombloxer]

didn't see a lot of tlou in there. sneaking has always been in uncharted.

they have also done the stealth-or-rambo in uncharted 3. syria is one example of it. you can either stealthily kill the guards in the castle or go rambo and face reinforcements.

Rambo all the way.

 

[EmptySpace]

I would like more really bad weather moments. The downpour during the shootout / escape section in 2 (with the injured journalist) had amazing atmosphere. Since these are fairly linear games, it would also be cool if there was some sort of randomized weather / time of day (or customizable in new game plus) so that you can play through the same sections but with a very different look and feel going on.

i felt like the demo had a dynamic global illumination akin to infamous.

demo started out cloudy but by the time of the enemy encounter the lighting looked brighter.

 

[Mikey Jr.]

1. Shooting looks MUCH better. It has a real punch to it.

2. Stealth mechanics. Looks like you don't HAVE to kill everyone like you would in Uncharted 1-3. In those games, more often than not, you would have to kill everyone to proceed.

3. Love that its back in a jungle.

4. The combat area looked much more vertical and open. More places to go and ways to tackle enemies.

5. Fucking grappling hook was just plain awesome.

 

[Acquiescence]

The TLoU influence is definitely felt, which is great. Less enemy waves thrown at the player with more nuanced and strategic combat elements to replace it. Added stealth emphasis, multi-tiered environments and more dynamic melee encounters really do a lot to enhance the combat scenarios. And yet it still feels like quintessential Uncharted.

 

[Naughty_Doge]

I've always thought the UC games were stale in terms of gameplay. What always carried me was the story and the overall "spectacle" (collapsing building, plane crash...) but everything about this demo looked so fresh from a gameplay perspective.

Looks like ND is really innovating the series with new elements and that's what I need to go back to the series. I particularly liked the openess in the level design and the apparent seamless transition between gunfights and stealth.

Also, can't wait for the spectacle

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Oh, and the grappling hook! Can't believe I forgot to mention that, that was fucking awesome, lol. An Indiana Jones esque move for both getting around the environment and tackling enemies. I've always wanted them to integrate something like that into the game, and not just at certain set-piece moments like God of War 2/3's swinging(which is still cool as hell, but ya know). Lot of fun potential for that.

and yeah, the dynamic melee stuff they've been working on since Uncharted 3 and improved on with The Last of Us, seems to have made a great transition back to UC4. Love the environmental interaction, the lack of buttons on screen, the lack of cuts(this is REALLY JARRING in The Order, for comparison), and the little things like the water splashing off dude who got wet by the fountain or booting the guy down the hill and he scrambles to grab onto something as he slides to his death.

 

[EmptySpace]

I don't see your point at all.

TLoU felt strongly like it was iterating on the design of UC2, and this is iterating from that. So yeah, if for example, Druckley were making UC4 while Hennig was making UC3, and Druckley's UC4 shipped last year, it might have already had these things, without TLoU having existed. But that doesn't mean those things aren't from TLoU in this instance.

And it also doesn't mean you can't just slaughter everyone. Clearly you could have in this level, you can in TLoU almost all the time too.

we still don't know if all fights will be open-ended.

we, tlou didn't also employ that all the time.

i think for encounters like this you can bypass them but for bigger, more story-driven fights i would guess you have to kill enemies.

 

[Kaversmed]

I love that the enemies seem a lot less generic in this game. I mean their appearance and the way they interact with each other really gives them weight in the world. I guess it's much like TLoU.

 

[RoboPlato]

The TLoU influence is definitely felt, which is great. Less enemy waves thrown at the player with more nuanced and strategic combat elements to replace it. Added stealth emphasis, multi-tiered environments and more dynamic melee encounters really do a lot to enhance the combat scenarios. And yet it still feels like quintessential Uncharted.

That's what I loved about this as well. They took the mechanics that worked well in TLoU but customized them to fit the tone of Uncharted and Drake's skillset so they don't feel out of place, just a natural evolution for the series.

 

[TimeEffect]

-I'd like more thoughtful puzzles that don't feel like a cookbook task (following instructions from Drake's handy notebook).

-I'd also like good boss battles. Do something different with UC4 and make well designed boss fights. The yeti thing, and final boss in UC2 consisted of literally running in a circle and blindfiring. I feel like boss battles are something that UC could add to make for some incredible moments, as most of UC memories to me are the setpieces/action. They are great, but I just want great boss battles.

-Good A.I. Personally, it feels a little cliche at this point to go into a stealth section where the enemies wander off alone, and then I take one of them out, and then the other guy says "hey? Where'd you go?" Then they all notice me. Then I somehow get into cover and escape, and the bad guys resume their lonesome patrols like nothing happened. I want that common stealth scenario improved.

-I think I'd also really like non-lethal takedowns. Sleeper holds, maybe even a tranquilizer. The context could be that Drake carries it to take down dangerous animals maybe? Truth is, I've been a little bothered with GAF talking about how much of a maniac Drake is. Hearing Drake say "See ya " when he pushes an enemy to his death sort of creeps me out now lol


THE MULTIPLAYER


-Please, PLEASE make it more like UC2

-PLEASE make everyone start off with the same weapon, and litter pick ups all around the map. This improves gun balance and takes away the headache and pain of class loadouts that cheapen and water down the gameplay.

-Gameplay should be about map control and picking up weapons around the map, including power weapons. This makes the game competitive.

-Get rid of the horrible "MP is only played for rewards, so let's litter unlocks to keep players around".

I pray that they get rid of loadouts and bring back the unique feel of a tight set of weapons and from UC2

-I don't mind the boosters, but please don't make them upgradeable like UC2.

-Get rid of kickbacks, or at least tighten them up. Quick Boom was a pain in the ass in UC3. If you're going to make these inclusions, support both the UC2 style and UC3 style, but please get rid of loadouts.

-I don't mind a casual TDM mode with power plays and kickbacks, but I hope they don't make it a focus because the UC2 styled gameplay was much more balanced and fun

I feel like ND did a fantastic job with Last of Us MP. I've heard a good 3 times (one last night) where an Xbox guy said "wow this MP is absolutely amazing, I am so surprised". It always makes me happy because LoU MP truly was unique and the reason for this was carefully balanced gameplay and map control. UC3 was so over the top and unbalanced, sort of like MW2 where they just added a bunch of crap and made it unbalanced.

I hope they remember some of that for UC MP. Make a bunch of microtransactions for taunts and custom attires, but please don't make us pay for boosters, weapon mods, and kickbacks. UC3 felt like they were experimenting with this, especially when it went F2P, which is why I am thinking they will try their best to make the game around microtransaction opportunities.

I hope they pull a Halo 5 and get rid of loadouts and all the other junk that takes away from a game of equal footing and map control.

 

[Gbraga]

I hope what we saw is a sign of things to come rather than a one off sequence. Encounter design was extremely strong without resorting to waves of enemies or overuse of those awful brute variants. It felt natural, like everyone you faced off against was already in that area and bouncing around the map the same way you were. It's less like the overwhelming arcadey arenas in Uncharted 3 where you're pushing some imaginary line back towards the enemy, but instead more nuanced like Uncharted 2, reminiscent of early 2000 shooters where encounters felt deliberate and well paced.

The hit reactions are nice to see because Uncharted 3 completely dropped the ball in this area. It's such an important thing to get right when a shooter uses pistols a lot, especially combined with climbing. The player has to reliably be able to stagger enemies to buy some time to get to cover and make adjustments on the fly. The rope takedown looks great, and I really hope that's not a scripted moment. I also hope they make use of it in multiplayer.

The stealth pulling from TLOU where the hunter vs. hunted dynamic feels fluid can only mean good things for the rest of the game. Hopefully they recognize that and design the environments to take full use of it. Again, it's a good way to get some variety out of the core moment-to-moment gameplay without resorting to spongey mini-bosses that wreck pacing and remove strategy.

Honestly, it was the best Uncharted demo they've ever done. It might not be as flashy as the Uncharted 2 building set piece or whatever they did for UC3, but this has much bigger implications on what the meat of the game will be rather than some huge, highly controlled moment that will play out the same way every time. I'm looking forward to this.

Nicely put, completely agree with you.