I played this today at EGX and as smooth as Bluepoint have been able to make the game run it's aged poorly. They smartly revisited Uncharted 2, Chapter 5 which is the very same demo I played back in 2009 at Gamescom. I don't remember my initial GOTY feeling like this, with poor aiming mechanics (outdated) and poor character models/geometry. The frame rate is probably the best part about this but underlines the simplistic nature of the aforementioned models in motion. Everything is so fluid that you notice the flaws and flat textures that much more. The jeep in particular in like comparing the simple build of models in Return to Castle Wolfenstein at the start of the 00's with last years Wolfie. The differences in what's changed over the past five years in ND/console development is that much more pronounced though, and when we get to see more of Uncharted 4 I'm pretty darned sure that's going to be the case like Wolfenstein.
Circling back to the controls. It's been a long time since I played an Uncharted game, I think 2012 might have been the last time - maybe 2013 but it was a replay of the first Uncharted because I loved the character beats in that game. Also, the game is something that sold me on the second one as gunplay felt fresh, exciting and rewarding but God did it always feel this loose? It feels like it's now harder to aim, and there's also a bit of retraining to use the DS4 over the ds3 so maybe they'll let you adjust aiming in the final game. I pulled off very few head shots today, so when I remember the feeling of risk/reward being something that I'd cherish in the original I felt more than a little embarrassed when the dude handling the kiosk asked me if I needed help.
Dude, I know how to play Uncharted but since then games like The Phantom Pain, or even The Last of Us do aiming and gunplay so much better.
One last thing. Textures. They suck, and I expected so much more, but I guess Bluepoint could only do so much to improve what's already there, rather than completely change the look of the game.
The demo ended with
and then just cut out back to the menu. I'd much have preferred to see a whole chapter, but it's easier if they remove the big bad from the equation and protect new players from the story.
Minor beef:
In remembering what I remember uncharted looking like I kinda preferred not being able to make out specific details which I feel are too crisp now and grab my attention in unnecessary, uninspired and dare I say, egotistical ways. As I said these small things to me which might not seem a great deal to you, like seeing NDi on the holster buckle on Drakes back in crisp text. Noticing that the truck has the number plate ND (and as always grenades have the same designation ND1). It makes me feel like maybe Naughty Dog should hold off on having NDi everywhere in the game, because it's not useful to world building and when I get to using ice-picks and playing Avatar later in the game I'm wondering what other braNDing I'm going to see. I hope it's minimal, but I'll always be noticing those elements now.
I don't think I'll get the Uncharted Collection at launch, maybe for the holidays when someone insists on getting me a gift and I have no ideas. I do think that some people are not going to be as convinced as they are right now with how they expect it to look. It's one of those things that I just assumed would be a no brainier but as it stands with about 20 mins the above isn't giving me hope for the full release. I could probably have asked to record some footage with my portable cap device and analysed the data like DF, but I prefer to see with my eyes and not data points like frame rate monitors and pixel counting.
Based upon my experiences and changing perceptions of games over the years this remaster ain't up to the ND seal of quality, and that's fine. We've got Uncharted 4 coming and that's going to be aces.