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Eurogamer: Is Uncharted more 'walking simulator' than action game?

theecakee

Member
Am I the only one who fails jumps/traversal challenges in UC4? Everyone else see's the exact right route forward every time, and executes every move perfectly?

I don't think I'm completely useless at gaming (I breezed through NG++ in DS3) and I've died reasonably frequently despite the slickness of the overall execution of UC4.

These comments implying that UC4's gameplay doesn't require any skill or thought are making me doubt myself a bit!

Nah. The one when in chapter 9
you're inside the cave under the cathedral
I kept failing to grapple the box you had to push down and grapple to. I failed like 4 times.
 
If you don't like it cuz you don't like (trust me, I've got my complaints about it too), that's one thing. But it's a crippling disease when we judge games in the vein of, "It should be more like........"

People (like myself) who wish the game had more combat and less walking and talking aren't saying it should be more like some other series though... We are saying we wish it were more like the previous ND Uncharted games. ND and Sony advertised U4 the same way they did with past entries. They only hinted at a bigger focus on certain story aspects during interviews. All the gameplay we'd been shown promised an experience just like the previous installments.

I still love a lot about this game but it's hard not to feel a bit let down.
 

Sanke__

Member
I think you could maybe call it an action adventure game with equal parts action and adventure which you know should be expected since it's an action adventure game.

But I guess anything that doesn't involve firing a gun constantly for the entire duration is a walking simulator now.
 

zoukka

Member
I think you could maybe call it an action adventure game with equal parts action and adventure which you know should be expected since it's an action adventure game.

But I guess anything that doesn't involve firing a gun constantly for the entire duration is a walking simulator now.

In video games adventure means different things, but none of them apply to Uncharted really. The theme of the story is action/adventure/Indiana Jones, but the gameplay consists of cover shooting and story exposition where you either walk/run around listening to the storytelling or do very light/linear platforming.

The most defining game play element surely is the shooting and very far behind it comes the extremely light platforming.
 

xviper

Member
Fanbyos never change, 80% of the game or more is just walking and chatting with partners, if it was a game from EA of Ubisoft it would have been trashed and called walking(climbing) simulator, Uncharted 4 is filled with repetitive sequence like you boost your partner and he magically finds the exact same crate to drop it for you for like 60 times in the game, the puzzles are way too easy, what made me like uncharted 4 more than any uncharted game is the fact that uncharted 4 finally have a really great gunplay and hand to hand combat is awesome but not as good as TLOU, the exploration is useless, the story is predictable just like every naughty dog game with no plot twists or at least any surprising events, i don't understand why when they finally made the gunplay awesome in uncharted they decided to turn down the action sections by a lot compared to the previous games
 

Superflat

Member
Fanbyos never change, 80% of the game or more is just walking and chatting with partners, if it was a game from EA of Ubisoft it would have been trashed and called walking(climbing) simulator, Uncharted 4 is filled with repetitive sequence like you boost your partner and he magically finds the exact same crate to drop it for you for like 60 times in the game, the puzzles are way too easy, what made me like uncharted 4 more than any uncharted game is the fact that uncharted 4 finally have a really great gunplay and hand to hand combat is awesome but not as good as TLOU, the exploration is useless, the story is predictable just like every naughty dog game with no plot twists or at least any surprising events, i don't understand why when they finally made the gunplay awesome in uncharted they decided to turn down the action sections by a lot compared to the previous games

This reads like a bot-compiled summary of critiques from various website comment sections.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Tall grass is even worse since it's pushing you to use the horrible stealth stuff in this game.

No it isn't, it's just giving you the option. Nothing stopping you going in guns blazing. First time through in chapter 10, I parked my car behind a rock and stealthed as much as I could. Second time through I drove the car right into the middle and tried to run as many people over as I could before shooting the place up. Both approaches are fine.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
People (like myself) who wish the game had more combat and less walking and talking aren't saying it should be more like some other series though... We are saying we wish it were more like the previous ND Uncharted games. ND and Sony advertised U4 the same way they did with past entries. They only hinted at a bigger focus on certain story aspects during interviews. All the gameplay we'd been shown promised an experience just like the previous installments.

I still love a lot about this game but it's hard not to feel a bit let down.

Is there really at much less combat, or have they just added some slower areas to allow the story and conversations to play out? If you open fire as soon as you enter one of the 'open' encounters, turning the stealth into a shootout, you probably have a similar number of firefights as previous games.
 
As an interactive movie, it did live up to the hype. As a GAME, it didn't.

giphy.gif
 
Is there really at much less combat, or have they just added some slower areas to allow the story and conversations to play out? If you open fire as soon as you enter one of the 'open' encounters, turning the stealth into a shootout, you probably have a similar number of firefights as previous games.

I'm almost 100% sure there are less firefights in UC4 than in the previous games, period.
 
Is there really at much less combat, or have they just added some slower areas to allow the story and conversations to play out? If you open fire as soon as you enter one of the 'open' encounters, turning the stealth into a shootout, you probably have a similar number of firefights as previous games.

No, I've gone through it in my mind (and I remember the PS3 trilogy like the back of my hand) and there is far less gunplay in U4. That, combined with how much longer this game is than previous entries, and the amount of time just mindlessly going through the "platforming" motions is absurd. It's great on a first playthrough but even on just a second run of the game, the game drags itself a lot.

I still replay Uncharted 2 once or so a year and the only parts I don't really find fun to replay are the two back to back puzzles in Chapters 8 and 9, and the ices caves with Tenzin in Chapters 17 and 18. There's nearly twice as many chapters I'm not really looking forward to replaying in Uncharted 4 and I'm only just finishing up my second playthrough.
 

Behlel

Member
I'm almost 100% sure there are less firefights in UC4 than in the previous games, period.
Not at all, is a way more longer game and he gave the impression of less firefights but at the end of the game i've killed 798 enemies, but the game is 16 to 20 hours long at hard so ii's pretty well balanced.
 

Mechazawa

Member
Is there really at much less combat, or have they just added some slower areas to allow the story and conversations to play out? If you open fire as soon as you enter one of the 'open' encounters, turning the stealth into a shootout, you probably have a similar number of firefights as previous games.

I think most people would recognize the stealth encounters as combat portions given that they were optional. In fact, doing full stealth in a particular area/outpost/whatever probably took me, and I imagine most others, far longer than if I actually triggered a shootout.

But all those enemy encounters added up still felt like they were heavily outweighed by the climbing/walking-to-stuff portions of the game. Even if Uncharted 4 technically has a similar amount of shootouts as in U2/U3(which I'd like to see the receipts on), the ultimate underlying issue is that the game doesn't feel like it balances the amount of those encounters appropriately relative to the other aspects of the game.

Which is fucked, because all that traversal and climbing still feels as rote as it's ever been, but the combat in UC4 is leaps and bounds better and outshines the hell out of anything in the previous entries.

(Speaking of which, maybe I should boot up that multiplayer...)
 

WaterAstro

Member
I think the walking, exploring, puzzle part was a tad too long than I'd like.

I really liked those moments in TLOU where you're discovering what happen to the world, but it was a bit different in Uncharted. Maybe I just really like Uncharted 2 too much where it's almost all action.
 
Gameplay-wise, the combat shines the most. It's fantastic. I compare it to Resi 4's village spread out over an entire game, as it has an open level desing that turns a location into a true combat sandbox in which you make the most of your abilities and have these wonderful little cat and mouse games with the AI.
 
As an interactive movie, it did live up to the hype. As a GAME, it didn't.

UC4 has the best gameplay in the series.

You can argue the gameplay doesn't suit your taste, who am I to counter that, but don't come here and throw around pompous statements like ''interactive movie'', it's comes off as foolish and ignorant.
 

skypunch

Banned
Uncharted & The Last of Us have always been pretty dumb, braindead experiences, imo. The equivalent to a big dumb blockbuster movie. Never was a fan, although there's nothing wrong with watching a big dumb blockbuster movie now & then.

The only games I can say I liked from Naughty Dog are the Crash games & Jak & Daxter.
 

Audioboxer

Member
As an interactive movie, it did live up to the hype. As a GAME, it didn't.

Don't ever play a David Cage game.

Completed UC4 yesterday and happy to accept now there is a lot more walking around, but it opened up more character interaction and some jaw dropping at the graphics.
 

zoukka

Member
Uncharted & The Last of Us have always been pretty dumb, braindead experiences, imo. The equivalent to a big dumb blockbuster movie. Never was a fan, although there's nothing wrong with watching a big dumb blockbuster movie now & then.

The only games I can say I liked from Naughty Dog are the Crash games & Jak & Daxter.

TloU was very different from Uncharted, I was never a fan of UC, but TloU was very enjoyable purely from the gameplay point of view. You can't really clump these both together.
 

skypunch

Banned
TloU was very different from Uncharted, I was never a fan of UC, but TloU was very enjoyable purely from the gameplay point of view. You can't really clump these both together.

From the outset it looked very similar. I guess it's why I never was too interested in it or why I bothered looking into it any further. Even the main character looked similar to Nathan Drake.

What is the difference between the two?
 

mekes

Member
The pacing is definitely different in this game compared to the others in the series. I've completed the game and definitely enjoyed it, but there was some conflict there in regards to feeling like I hadn't quite had that Uncharted experience. I think I'll need a little time more than anything to see where this game sits along side the previous entries.

Is it worth playing tho? Absolutely. A whole ton of love went into this game and that shows from start to finish. It just has adjustments to the pacing compared to other games in the series.
 

Audioboxer

Member
From the outset it looked very similar. I guess it's why I never was too interested in it or why I bothered looking into it any further. Even the main character looked similar to Nathan Drake.

What is the difference between the two?

TLoU allowed ND to get a bit darker. More death, violence and despair.

UC has always been a bit pulpy stereotypical action of good guys versus bad.

It's still my favourite ND game (TLoU), but UC4 brought the UC series closer to it for me. I frickin love pirates though and pirate themes so that is right up my alley.
 
Uncharted & The Last of Us have always been pretty dumb, braindead experiences, imo. The equivalent to a big dumb blockbuster movie. Never was a fan, although there's nothing wrong with watching a big dumb blockbuster movie now & then.

The only games I can say I liked from Naughty Dog are the Crash games & Jak & Daxter.

That's completely false for TLoU, especially at higher difficulties. I could understand how you would come up with that opinion in regards to Uncharted, but TLoU doesn't play as as a blockbuster movie, nor is it presented as such. CoD campaigns are the meaning of 'big dumb blockbuster' movie games imo.

From the outset it looked very similar. I guess it's why I never was too interested in it or why I bothered looking into it any further. Even the main character looked similar to Nathan Drake.

What is the difference between the two?

That explains it. Lol.
 

skypunch

Banned
TLoU allowed ND to get a bit darker. More death, violence and despair.

UC has always been a bit pulpy stereotypical action of good guys versus bad.

Lol. Not any substantial difference between the two then. Honestly, both series look pretty interchangeable to me.
 

Audioboxer

Member
Lol. Not any substantial difference between the two then. Honestly, both series look pretty interchangeable to me.

Have you actually played and completed TLoU? If not I'd urge you to. I can assure you Joel is not Drake.

Gameplay is interchangeable, story is not.

And even on the gameplay, TLoU revolved a lot more around stealth and item management than UC. Even with UC4 bringing more stealth into the mix.
 

zoukka

Member
From the outset it looked very similar. I guess it's why I never was too interested in it or why I bothered looking into it any further. Even the main character looked similar to Nathan Drake.

What is the difference between the two?

One has satisfying combat and stealth (TloU). Also nice meta layer with upgrades and scarce resources.

Lol. Not any substantial difference between the two then. Honestly, both series look pretty interchangeable to me.

Dude, until you play the game you have a very poor position here.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Thinking about it, the non-combat sections are reminiscent of 'walking simulators'. The climbing is so relatively simplistic it is basically walking, just vertically. A lot of the time it is used as a mechanism for slowing the pace down or showing you lovely views - like a walking simulator would. I don't think the climbing has ever really been a mechanic designed to challenge people - surely most people would have been used to that by now? We do get a lot more of it in this game though.

It is sad (but understandable) how many people find it tedious though. But then I love my walking simulators and just absorbing the environments as I wander around. And I don't mind lacking replayability as long as the first time has punch.
 

mjp2417

Banned
Lol. Not any substantial difference between the two then. Honestly, both series look pretty interchangeable to me.

I haven't played UC4 yet, but the differences between UC 1-3 and TLOU are pretty substantial both narratively and mechanically. TLOU is closer to the action end of survival horror (i.e. Resident Evil 4 and onwards) tending to prioritize resource management in particular. Uncharted is a traditional encounter-to-encounter TPS. Narratively, Nathan Drake and Joel are also very, very different. Joel is gruff, grim, and haunted. The abiding tone of the game is melancholia for a vanished world. Drake, by contrast, is part-Indiana Jones, part-Cary Grant from some vaulted screwball comedy. It's a weird mixture of light-hearted banter with a high body count. There are some tangential similarities because they are obviously developed by the same studio, but saying they are both the same is pretty reductive.
 

lazygecko

Member
I mean, this was pretty clear from the very first game. I don't know why you would expect anything else from the series at this point.

2007 was kind of a watershed year for me with regards to both Uncharted 1 and Modern Warfare popularizing a direction for video games which I have absolutely zero interest in. Both of these games came to to represent archetypes in how much they revel in watering down or removing agency from the player, and it was particularly alienating for me to see just how much the gaming audience celebrated this shift.
 
Lol. Not any substantial difference between the two then. Honestly, both series look pretty interchangeable to me.
When I started playing through the Last of Us I was shocked at how much it wasn't Uncharted with a post-apocalyptic skin. Gun play is completely different in that it's weightier, ammo scarcity is a thing, stealthing is necessary sometimes, less set-pieces and more dirty, personal encounters. The enemies in TLOU feel more like real people you're murdering than just goons to have fun shooting like in Uncharted IMO.
 

Audioboxer

Member
When I started playing through the Last of Us I was shocked at how much it wasn't Uncharted with a post-apocalyptic skin. Gun play is completely different in that it's weightier, ammo scarcity is a thing, stealthing is necessary sometimes, less set-pieces and more dirty, personal encounters. The enemies in TLOU feel more like real people you're murdering than just goons to have fun shooting like in Uncharted IMO.

Pretty much! Neil and Bruce couldn't bring all of this back to UC given it's roots, but they brought some over (mostly just stealth). TLoU is far more brutal and unforgiving though, and not just through enemy sponges (resource management can be a bitch, although... OP bricks).
 

BouncyFrag

Member
If anything, I usually seem to find myself looking for that one ledge or handhold to climb up on even though there are others relatively close to it but can't use.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
I would say there's a lot more platforming in U4
 

pixelbox

Member
No it isn't, it's just giving you the option. Nothing stopping you going in guns blazing. First time through in chapter 10, I parked my car behind a rock and stealthed as much as I could. Second time through I drove the car right into the middle and tried to run as many people over as I could before shooting the place up. Both approaches are fine.
They make you feel bad about not being stealthy.
 
I feel like opposite man, I loved the slow start, the walking around, the looking at stuff, the banter, the story. Once the combat got in to full gear it starts to feel samey again, especially when the usual dude in armour and a helmet shows up and takes more bullets to kill.

The combat is better in this game than it ever has been but the shooting gallery bits for me are the least fun part of the game so far.
 

NIGHT-

Member
Article is on point. Naughty dog is all about that interactive cinematic experience lately. Which is fine, if you care more about story than gameplay.
 
Article is on point. Naughty dog is all about that interactive cinematic experience lately. Which is fine, if you care more about story than gameplay.

Except the gameplay is great. :)

But I'm sure this circle has been travelled countless times in this thread already...
 

NIGHT-

Member
Except the gameplay is great. :)

But I'm sure this circle has been travelled countless times in this thread already...


The gunplay/combat is the weakest part of the series, almost seems like an after thought. You don't have to share that opinion though, I'm sure a lot of people haven't played games like Gears of war 3 and Vanquish, which both have a bigger focus on the combat.
 
Lol. Not any substantial difference between the two then. Honestly, both series look pretty interchangeable to me.


I'm kind of surprised people haven't described the differences between TLOU gameplay and UC gameplay in more detail, because they have little in common. The following comparison is between the two games on hard difficulty.

Uncharted has regenrating health, TLOU does not. In Uncharted ammo is very rarely an issue, in TLOU you have to manage your ammo carefully and search areas and optional paths to find more. In Uncharted you generally get to use two weapons that enemies drop in any given area. In TLOU you keep any weapons you find and can use them all at any time. Uncharted does not have weapon upgrades, TLOU does. Uncharted does not have ability upgrades, TLOU does and you have to explore areas to get these upgrades.

TLOU has item crafting, Unchrated does not. TLOU enemy AI is better and more realistic than UC AI. The gunplay of TLOU is far more weighted an enemies go down and stagger in far less hits. The melee of TLOU is more important, and you have access to many different tools such as smoke bombs, mines and molotovs for which you get the resources by exploring and looting. Then there is the entire infected thing, they behave more predictably than humans but have abilities humans don't.

I could go on, but in summary gameplay wise Uncharted and TLOU have almost nothing in common expect that they loosely share the same genre, a 3rd person shooter.
 

Demo85

Banned
No it isn't, it's just giving you the option. Nothing stopping you going in guns blazing. First time through in chapter 10, I parked my car behind a rock and stealthed as much as I could. Second time through I drove the car right into the middle and tried to run as many people over as I could before shooting the place up. Both approaches are fine.

Gun blazing is also not fun at all plus some parts of the game are clearly balanced for stealth.
 

zsynqx

Member
I don't get why this article is making people angry.

Ofc Uncharted (and TLOU) have elements that are walking simulator esque; this is by no means a negative. It is one of the only big AAA franchises that can pull it off. In fact, the article was very positive about this fact.
 
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