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[Net_Wrecker]

*Tags in Net_Wrecker*

Nah, I'm good. UC3 and UC4 being such disappointments to me (for different reasons) has killed my urge to engage in heated UC discussion.

If The Lost Legacy doesn't do anything for me, I don't even know how I'll be able to get excited for TLOU2.

 

[semiconscious]

Now I did appreciate a lot of the things about the game, but measuring it against my hype levels and my love for the series, it was a major dissapointment for me. My reasoning you have probably heard before...

It starts so damn slow...
The pacing is god-awful...
Why am I freaking climbing so much...?
Where are my set pieces?
Where is the action?
Is this MGS4 level of cutscenes?
Another crate? Are you kidding me?

On and on and on I thought this was way worse than 2 and 3 and maybe even worse than the first one (which has a myriad of its own problems).

After finishing my replay of the game an hour ago, and collecting my thoughts, I think I was way off base...

no, i think you were right, actually. it does start slow, &, most importantly, the pacing is god-awful. while the story was somewhat interesting, sam is a seriously unlikable character, & the re-jiggering of the series' canon to fit him in (including their parents' history) was clunky, unnecessary, & really worked against nate as a character...

i played thru the game twice, & enjoyed it, but it still remains a disappointment ...

 

[lvl99 Pixel]

The Nathan Drake genocide memes must've resonated with ND. They make their best combat engine yet and its featured less than in any other game. Still a masterpiece, though.

A trophy for 1K kills is called Ludonarrative Dissonance
They know, they just dont care too much because its obviously not meant to be taken too seriously.

 

[pixellated_man]

My favorite PS4 game, period.

yup.
also one of the best games I've played on any system, period.

Thanks op for your well thought out write up.

 

[Gorillaz]

It honestly hurts that this is the first uncharted where the gameplay felt smooth and we barely got big action moments

I don't hate it but nd was showing too much restraint for a action adventure blockbuster.

 

[lvl99 Pixel]

It honestly hurts that this is the first uncharted where the gameplay felt smooth and we barely got big action moments

I don't hate it but nd was showing too much restraint for a action adventure blockbuster.

The multiplayer was more than enough shooting for me personally.

 

[CHC]

I absolutely loved the game but I'm with you on the pacing. It's a bit too fragmented. Would have been better even if they skipped the boat chase in the beginning.

 

[nhlducks35]

Hyperbole abound in here, what is it about certain games that bring such ire?

Hyperbole can work both ways

 

[Gorillaz]

The multiplayer was more than enough shooting for me personally.

That's mp tho.


For the last big one they should have done more then that Madagascar setpiece. That whole TLOU influence was on there sleeve completely.


The entire ship graveyard was one of their best gameplay segments.

 

[ronaldthump]

Uncharted 4 was definitely weak - ruined by its slow moments which were real low points. That said, I found the highs to be superior to 3 - 2 remains unrivalled.

loved:
elena/drake jeep moment
ships graveyard
attic
elena/drake house
finale

young drake = meh , too much pointless climbing = meh not enough combat sequences. If they tweaked the game for a directors cut and add in 1-2 more combat areas and made the young drake sequence less annoyingly slow; the game would be great.

It's not a common thing that happens in games; developers going back to "tweak a game" but would love it if ND did.

 

[Unknown One]

It's a shooter with not much shooting, that held it back in my opinion.

 

[GravityInsanity]

Uncharted 4 is probably weirdest game ever when it comes to its reception. A game where critics and fans praise the hell out of it and wins so many GOTY awards even on Gaf, but you would've thought it was the worst game ever created because some people just didn't like the changes compared to the first 3 games which is understandable.

If there's anything I didn't like about Uncharted 4 was the pacing and the game was too long. Other than that it was an amazing ride and I can't wait for Chloe's journey to end the series.

 

[darkwing-buck]

By far my favorite UC game.

 

[Skux]

It just goes to show how much you can care about characters when a game actually slows down from all the shooting and actually develops them. TLoU and UC4 both did this marvelously.

 

[ReBurn]

I hate it. Only uncharted game i could finish only once.

I got to exactly 50% and I just lost interest. Put it down and never went back.

 

[Conflict NZ]

Combat is the worst and most boring parts of Uncharted 4. I wish they could find a way to cut out the majority of it.

 

[sems4arsenal]

By far my favorite UC game.

.

 

[TitusTroy]

first impressions are always right...UC4 was a good but not great game...most disappointing game of 2016...making it more story-centric was fine but don't take away a big part of the series- the big action set pieces...seems like they wanted to make Last of Us 2 using the Uncharted characters

 

[Nokagi]

My least favorite Uncharted game. The story was good but the gameplay was so boring.

 

[TimeEffect]

Agreed, and I really hated the LoU-forced seriousness of it.

Couldn't buy Drake and Elena's relationship and fighting, didn't care for them at all because this is Uncharted, and they always win, so the tension and slowness was just awfully hamfisted. Leave that to Last of Us, which gets it right.

That flashback to the old lady was horrid, cheesy, and boring.


But I will say, I thought it had the best treasure story-- full of genuinely creepy mystery and a beautiful lost world. I enjoyed the boss fight, which was hell of a lot better thematically and dramatically than Lazaravich and whatever UC3 was. The ending was also nice because it did feel like a goodbye.

It lacked the set pieces, and I think the demo they showed with the car chase was probably ruined by having it demoed at E3 and not experienced first hand.

 

[The Xtortionist]

One of my biggest gaming disappointments ever. Cut out half the climbing/forced walk and add some smaller enemy encounters to better pace gameplay and UC4 could have been one of the greats.

There were moments in the game where I was in sheer disbelief at what was happening. The amount of climbing just isn't fun because of how one-note it is. Doubling down on such a simple interaction is still baffling to me. And the lack of any smaller enemy encounters outside a few moments in Scotland leaves the pacing flailing between zero and ten. Like, what?

 

[lvl99 Pixel]

That's mp tho.


For the last big one they should have done more then that Madagascar setpiece. That whole TLOU influence was on there sleeve completely.


The entire ship graveyard was one of their best gameplay segments.

Yeah it was, and playing on hard for first playthrough that part kicked my ass.

What do people think of the Jeep sections? I really enjoyed them but im wondering if people group them in with the non-gameplay walking sections

By far my favorite UC game.

Yep
As much as I loved UC2, playing it again in the Drake Collection its been surpassed in almost every way

 

[Jigorath]

It is way too fucking long.

 

[Curufinwe]

Combat is the worst and most boring parts of Uncharted 4. I wish they could find a way to cut out the majority of it.

Have you heard of YouTube? You can do that yourself.

 

[Curufinwe]

Uncharted 4 is a masterclass in pacing. It's unbelievably good in that regard. When people look back in 15 years they'll see.

4 > 2 > 3 > 1

It doesn't even require looking back, it won GotYs from all over the place. The complainers just happen to be particularly over dramatic. Tech demo, lol.

 

[ZeoVGM]

Amazing game on pretty much every level. The best game in the series, one of the best games this generation, potentially one of the all-time great games in general.

Can't wait for The Lost Legacy.

Combat is the worst and most boring parts of Uncharted 4. I wish they could find a way to cut out the majority of it.

Turn on the auto-aim in the options. It makes the combat a lot easier and more cinematic, which might be what you're looking for.

 

[JuanLatino]

the improved gameplay alone makes it the best Uncharted Game

how can people overlook that and be happy with those stupid and tiring enemy waves...it was so refreshing to have those open areas where you could aproach the enemys on different ways

 

[cheezcake]

I played every game for the first time in quick succession and UC4 seemed to be easily the best. That said UC2 may have been better in the time period it was released.

They don't seem like they age well in general though.

 

[R_thanatos]

ever since U3 , ND had made the encounter less scripted. This make a replay of those game much more enjoyable. I do think the pacing could be improved in the starting chapters but i don't think it's that bad.
It's also why the game starts with the boat in the storm , because there is a need for the "quiet life" of drake to be felt by the player so that the drama in act 3 & 4 could work.

If that's the price to pay for that , then i don't mind.

Also in UC4 , you can handle the combat encounters the way you want with the weapon you want , it's the perfect evolution of the shipward in UC3 .. Simply perfect

 

[lvl99 Pixel]

I played every game for the first time in quick succession and UC4 seemed to be easily the best. That said UC2 may have been better in the time period it was released.

They don't seem like they age well in general though.

the jump from UC1 to UC2 is still the biggest by far.

 

[Rathorial]

The game has some pacing issues, and the increased traversal presents problems because the series has never had deep in-depth movement mechanics. Combat and story beats are where the game's strengths are, but the best story moments I remember from the series are in Set-pieces meshing with the gameplay.

4 didn't do much for me on a petty simple issue. Not enough changed. Other than the rope, no big new mechanic or system was added to the game, and made the experience feel more iterative. I like that they added bigger levels and more stealth, but when it's so simplistic you can't even hide bodies without contextually doing the takedown in grass (but enemies can detect them) I lost interest.

I hope Naughty Dog does something more unique in the future, because their style is getting repetitive to me, similar to Telltale but with way better presentation.

 

[Terrorblot]

GAF sure does hate U4.

Spoiler

It's the best one.

 

[Reset]

I hate it. Only uncharted game i could finish only once.

Pretty much same for me. It's easily my least favorite game of the series.

 

[RecRoulette]

Uncharted 4 is a masterclass in pacing. It's unbelievably good in that regard. When people look back in 15 years they'll see.

4 > 2 > 3 > 1

Laughing at this. The pacing near the end of the game is ridiculous.

Spoiler

The placement of the second kid flashback is absolutely terrible. Oh, story's picking up? Here's this bullshit again.

 

[lvl99 Pixel]

The game has some pacing issues, and the increased traversal presents problems because the series has never had deep in-depth movement mechanics. Combat and story beats are where the game's strengths are, but the best story moments I remember from the series are in Set-pieces meshing with the gameplay.

4 didn't do much for me on a petty simple issue. Not enough changed. Other than the rope, no big new mechanic or system was added to the game, and made the experience feel more iterative. I like that they added bigger levels and more stealth, but when it's so simplistic you can't even hide bodies without contextually doing the takedown in grass (but enemies can detect them) I lost interest.

I hope Naughty Dog does something more unique in the future, because their style is getting repetitive to me, similar to Telltale but with way better presentation.

I don't remember the expansive style jeep sections from previous games, nor do I remember the sliding mechanic, the climbing pick taken from tomb raider or the animation details where the environment changes how something plays out when you're fighting someone dynamically (they had a little bit of this with the fist fights in UC3).

A lot of the changes are subtle yeah, but I fucking noticed.

 

[The Xtortionist]

*Tags in Net_Wrecker*

Word is he's crouched in the rafters, waiting to re-reveal himself when Lost Legacy drops.

 

[Certinty]

Damn amazing game. Had no issues with the pacing, loved how it started slow, really made it feel like Nate had retired.

By far the best gameplay and story in the series too. Still the best looking game I've ever played as well. What an absolute masterpiece.

 

[hwy_61]

Cut out all the tedious combat sections and it's perfect.

That's uncharted in a nutshell. For me anyway.

 

[Exodust]

I still really, really liked it. But don't get the obsessive love with it. Which is funny, since I'm one of those guys who's really into Uncharted 2, which I still think was the better game

 

[TissueBox]

I felt this after UC3 -- the most disappointed I'd been in a ND game as of then -- growing to love it, imperfections and all.

I unfortunately do not see this happening for UC4 as well. But at least a lot of other people seem to enjoy it.

Laughing at this. The pacing near the end of the game is ridiculous.

Spoiler

The placement of the second kid flashback is absolutely terrible. Oh, story's picking up? Here's this bullshit again.

It was also weird when

Spoiler

Evelyn just fell dead from a heart attack mid-climax too, lol...

I admired what they were kinda going for, just wish it was executed a little better.

 

[The Xtortionist]

Cut out all the tedious combat sections and it's perfect.

Suppose this was the case. The traversal absolutely cannot stand on its own. It's a simple and mindless interaction best used in combination with other facets of gameplay such as combat, stealth, or puzzle solving, or by itself in brief bursts as a pacing tool. Uncharted without combat would be boring as fuck unless the traversal was significantly overhauled to require more input from the player.

 

[Cornbread78]

I thought the game was incredible with gameplay, story, and visuals.

I had a ton of fun playing it until the end.

Tgat epilogue was great as well.

 

[Mechazawa]

A masterclass example of widely overhauling your combat for the better, and then completely and utterly blowing it with excessive amounts of poorly paced exposition and boring tertiary mechanics.

I hope UC4 isn't indicative of what we're getting in The Last of Us 2. TLoU actually balanced everything appropriately.

 

[hwy_61]

Suppose this was the case. The traversal absolutely cannot stand on its own. It's a simple and mindless interaction best used in combination with other facets of gameplay such as combat, stealth, or puzzle solving, or by itself in brief bursts as a pacing tool. Uncharted without combat would be boring as fuck unless the traversal was significantly overhauled to require more input from the player.

I dreaded every time I saw a combat area. "Aw fuck here we go with this shit" is what I said every time I'd have to get into a battle.

 

[The Xtortionist]

I dreaded every time I saw a combat area. "Aw fuck here we go with this shit" is what I said every time I'd have to get into a battle.

Funny, that's what I thought whenever I saw yet another giant cliff wall to climb.

The difference is that combat requires more than mashing X.

 

[NewGame]

Scales fall from your eyes OP, welcome to the warm light of reality.

 

[hwy_61]

Funny, that's what I thought whenever I saw yet another giant cliff wall to climb.

Different strokes!

*shrug*

 

[Griss]

OP nailed pretty much all of the major points. It's a really really good game, but too flawed to be a great game.

To those people who say 'gameplay uber alles' then sure, this has by far the best combat in the series, and dipping into a combat scene and turning on bullet-time cheat codes or what have you is the most fun you can ever have in any uncharted game.

But the story issues are major (sorry, but chapter 16 is a disaster both in pacing and in terms of plot / backstory) and there is a lack of the set-pieces you'd expect. The tone of the game is too serious but then that doesn't pay off with any kind of meaningful ending. Many of the themes are simply rehashed from Uncharted 3.

And the biggest issue of all for me is that they still haven't figured out a way to make climbing gameplay interesting. I was sure that that was the part of the game that would get the biggest focus in the transition to next-gen but it didn't. No real way to fail, no real branching paths, no... gameplay. If the series is to continue I'm convinced that they absolutely have to find a way of making the climbing sections more meaningful and introducing some kind of risk / reward to them.

It's frustrating to see a story that I didn't really like executed to the highest level possible. I was like "This is so amazingly done, I just wish I liked what it is that they're doing here."

I was glad I played it and the highs are incredibly high but it bored and frustrated me in spots too.

 

[Gorillaz]

Rather do a gun fight then that chapter of nothing but climbing in Ireland.

Almost quit the game. Tedious for no reason.

 

[lvl99 Pixel]

I dont get the lack of set pieces critique
there are less huge scripted sequences yes, but the game had so many small to medium events that were memorable enough on their own