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[Zojirushi]

Weird, I don't even see how 4 is that different from the rest of the series except that they tried to up the exploration at least a little which is a good thing.
Otherwise they're like basically all the same game. You guys are reading way too much The Last of Us into that game.

 

[HeelPower]

I started out liking it,then disliked it for a while.

But, thinking on it more, I now think its a valiant attempt at telling a mature story with some of the most powerful acting and visually arresting cutscenes/art direction.

I mean just compare what ND had done compared to the average game.Its a rather significant achievement.

In terms of gameplay, its technicality the most polished in the entire series ,and MP was fantastic.

 

[ZeoVGM]

I'd rather watch an Uncharted movie than play another game in the series. The gameplay and pacing are just so bad, imo. Naughty Dog should get out of gaming and start writing for TV or movies.

I'm sure they'll take your advice and ignore the critical acclaim their games continue to get.

 

[MontyBrown]

The pacing was so good.

First Uncharted game I didn't feel combat fatigue with.

2 is still the best, even with combat fatigue, though.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

I think UC4 is the best one and it's one of the best games of this generation

 

[DLaicH]

The slow parts are my favorite part of Uncharted, and therefore UC4 is my favorite Uncharted.

 

[Dangansona]

I don't trust anyone who calls Uncharted 3 the worst game in the series.

 

[SOR5]

To me uncharted 4 was a bold step away from the constant cacophony of set piece after set piece of the U3.

Pacing is about different rhythms and flow of action and storytelling. While 2 does this flawlessly, the novelty wore thin in U3. What they did in four was the right direction.

Good post

UC4 is mature and fun as hell

 

[Hibiki Kurosawa]

Sorry, but after I started reading your post, OP, I was hoping to find out what you thought of A Moon Shaped Pool.

 

[Kevin Shields]

Sorry, but after I started reading your post, OP, I was hoping to find out what you thought of A Moon Shaped Pool.

Great album. Also struggles with a little pacing but mostly stellar

 

[kyser73]

Best of the series, mainly because it eschews the supernatural stuff and replaces it with 3 really strong personal stories and an engaging meta-narrative that ties into all three.

Scotland should have been shorter, and the camerawork when climbing the skull mountain (and climbing in general in fact) should have been more dramatic and wide angled.

 

[dead souls]

Good post

UC4 is mature and fun as hell

It's only mature if by mature you mean boring.

 

[Servbot24]

It's only mature if by mature you mean boring.

Hey-ooooohhh

 

[foolishoptimist]

It doesn't flow as well as 2 or 3, and I'm not fond of the late invention of a long lost brother.

But I loved this game.

ND just did a really great job finishing off the series & characters lives IMO. I was extremely satisfied when the credits rolled.

 

[ronaldthump]

I don't trust anyone who calls Uncharted 3 the worst game in the series.

Uncharted 3 was a big drop in quality after 2.

the weird keyframing/hand thing for nathan
the aiming bug
the unsatisying bit once you get to the final area (where you don't even get to explore it - you get there, you fight the boss, you escape and its over) feels like there's a missing chapter or two here


Both UC3 and 4 feels like they could do with a directors cut wherelse I wouldn't say that about 1 or 2.

3: fix the above
4: speed up young drake sections/make it less shit, somehow make the climbing bits less dull and long, add more combat.

Then both games would be amazing.

 

[Jaguar Victory]

I love this game. Best game I've played on my pro.

 

[atpbx]

It's a very good game, a very, very good game in fact.

It's only problem is it isn't Uncharted 2.

 

[KaoteK]

I thought it was terrible. I mean gorgeous, sure, but thoroughly dull.

My friends told me it was because I hadn't played the other 3, and that I had no connection to the characters. Well I've played 1 and 2, and have started 3, but I can't see my opinion changing. I'll probably grab it again when it's super cheap (20 bucks in the recent sale was still a bit pricey for my taste) but I doubt I'll think differently the second time.

I thought Rise of the Tomb Raider was a far superior game of that type.

 

[Shaanyboi]

It's the first Uncharted I actually gave a shit about. The story was great.

 

[ActWan]

I don't trust anyone who calls Uncharted 3 the worst game in the series.

Uncharted 3 is somehow my favorite in the franchise - the set pieces are a huge deal for me.

 

[I-hate-u]

It needed a second epic set piece moment. Nothing in that game rivaled the sinking ship from 3, or the train sequence from 2. Furthermore, that game needed another gameplay mechanic to keep the player engaged because while the world was pretty and open, there was nothing to do really besides random treasure collecting during the quiet moments.

 

[ScaryShark]

Uncharted 3 is somehow my favorite in the franchise - the set pieces are a huge deal for me.

Yeah, 3 easily has my favorite set pieces.

It also has my favorite soundtrack.

 

[foolishoptimist]

I don't trust anyone who calls Uncharted 3 the worst game in the series.

I definitely love parts of it.
But the aiming was off when I first played it - so that impacts my first impressions.
But mostly, it just doesn't make sense.

I replayed the collection before 4 came out and I found that I'd completely forgotten a bunch of things that happened, and I asked myself "How does this get explained again?" Turns out, they don't. It's like they forgot to put it a level/cut scene where stuff gets explained.

Clearly something went really wrong during production, and they weren't able to completely salvage it. If those elements were tied in, and paid off properly, with the fixed aiming, it could be my favourite.

 

[Breakfast at Noon]

Crushing play through is easy, just activate all the cheats.

Yes trophies still pop with cheats enabled.

 

[brickarts295]

Uncharted 3 is somehow my favorite in the franchise - the set pieces are a huge deal for me.

Right there with you. I think UC4 is the better game in franchise but Uncharted 3 is the best Uncharted game, mainly because of the set pieces, music and the character development. UC2 is on a league of its own.

 

[ronaldthump]

I thought it was terrible. I mean gorgeous, sure, but thoroughly dull.

My friends told me it was because I hadn't played the other 3, and that I had no connection to the characters. Well I've played 1 and 2, and have started 3, but I can't see my opinion changing. I'll probably grab it again when it's super cheap (20 bucks in the recent sale was still a bit pricey for my taste) but I doubt I'll think differently the second time.

I thought Rise of the Tomb Raider was a far superior game of that type.

You can't play 4 then go back and play the rest without losing a big part of what makes 4 great. Gamers who've played 1-3 before 4 will love 4 more. That attic sequence was perfect

 

[SimonM7]

I think diminishing returns on motif and schtick is the only thing holding Uncharted 4 back. Letting off on the scripted spectacle and letting your own creativity make for dynamic spectacle instead makes it feel like an alternate history follow-up to the first Uncharted. It may not be as fanservicy and may not provide the same pre-packaged beats to rave about because of it, but from the perspective of moment-to-moment gameplay and teeth grittingly intense situations that feel earned and yours, it's just no contest.

I was a bit Nathan Draked and Boost me upped out when I played Uncharted 4, but for my money it is by far the best one out of all of them.

 

[MCD250]

Yeah, 3 is my favorite as well, though I recognize that 2 holds together better in terms of overall structure and design. 2 is my second favorite (it's such a well-made game), then 4, then 1. Originally I didn't like 3 as much as 2, but my view on it has changed a lot after revisiting it a couple times, years after the fact.

It's funny, I actually feel like I've seen a lot of folks come around on 3 in recent years, especially after the release of the collection.

 

[ScaryShark]

I think diminishing returns on motif and schtick is the only thing holding Uncharted 4 back. Letting off on the scripted spectacle and letting your own creativity make for dynamic spectacle instead makes it feel like an alternate history follow-up to the first Uncharted. It may not be as fanservicy and may not provide the same pre-packaged beats to rave about because of it, but from the perspective of moment-to-moment gameplay and teeth grittingly intense situations that feel earned and yours, it's just no contest.

I was a bit Nathan Draked and Boost me upped out when I played Uncharted 4, but for my money it is by far the best one out of all of them.

I love this post.

 

[Trace]

It's the first Uncharted I actually gave a shit about. The story was great.

Same. I played through 1-3 in the collection before playing 4, I didn't think too much of them and really found them to probably be the worst games Naughty Dog has made since the PS1. Then 4 came out and crushed just about every aspect of what I disliked about 1-3, it's an utterly fantastic game.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

I got the Platinum but the pacing still killed it for me. Plus the constant slow walk/talk.

 

[345triangle]

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

totally agree with this except that i liked 1 way more than 3 at the time(s).

uncharted 4 is the first game in the series to really get the mix right for me — that's to say it's the only game where i didn't feel like there was too much combat. it's also the best from a storytelling perspective by a billion miles.

others can say they wanted more combat, and that's fine, but the main point for me is that at no point was i bored or fatigued or frustrated in 4, which feels like the right pacing for such a breezy series. i think it's the way more games ought to go in the future.

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

It's "good" game, but worst Uncharted.

 

[JimmyRustler]

I loved the fact that it got less action than the previous ones. I'm just replaying Uncharted 2 and the shootouts are really tiresome, especially towards the end and when you're playing on Crushing difficulty.

Uncharted 4 is the best Uncharted game. Not only because it has less action and more exploration but also because it's the only one without the supernatural nonsense.

 

[bosseye]

It's the best uncharted for me. I played 1-3 again as a refresher and they all have their high points, but what they seem to lack is restraint; it's often too much action, too much set piece after set piece after drama drama drama. 4 has vastly better pacing for me with less shooting, more exploration and this restraint really allows the themes and the characters to breathe. Early Madagascar in the Jeep as you roam around exploring while the characters talk and interact really worked for me.

GAF often seems really down on walk and talk sections, but if done well as they were in 4 they're a powerful part of the experience.

 

[ForsakenLotus]

I get that some players love immediacy and aren't into the slow buildup of Uncharted 4, but I love it. It gets me emotionally invested and it eases me into the gameplay loops, and I love the slower moments after action sequences once the game has properly got going.

It's like the scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron when the gang just takes a break at Hawkeye's cabin. That chance to take a breather really helps round out the whole experience (though I understand starting with slow pacing is different than the middle of a movie).

Other examples are many of the great horror movies, in which they often start slowly and slowly buildup to the actual "horror" sometimes an hour into the film.

Still, I don't begrudge people who just don't like how long it takes to get going or people who in general don't like long stretches of cutscenes or semi-walking simulators.

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

I loved the fact that it got less action than the previous ones. I'm just replaying Uncharted 2 and the shootouts are really tiresome, especially towards the end and when you're playing on Crushing difficulty.

Uncharted 4 is the best Uncharted game. Not only because it has less action and more exploration but also because it's the only one without the supernatural nonsense.

Exploration was 100% pointless in the game and that was one of the biggest problems. They attached the TLOU formular without adding something value to the gameplay (parts, sparse ammunition, plants) or the world (letters, meaningful background information).

Uncharted 1-3 are mainly action-games. They are more third-person-shooter than "adventure"-games. And that's what made them awesome in the first place. They are the perfect blend between Indiana Jones and Die Hard. Uncharted was maybe 30% of that and 70% of talking, climbing, talking, climbing and some really shitty "young nathan & brother"-sections and marriage problems between Nathan and Elena. The story wasn't even good.

 

[abrack08]

Had no idea so many people felt negatively about the game. It's my favorite in the series personally.

OP wanting more combat and less exploration and story in an Uncharted game is totally foreign to me... I've always though the combat was the weakest part of the series.

 

[-tetsuo-]

I dont know how anyone could playthrough this game twice. The pacing is borderline awful.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Exploration was 100% pointless in the game and that was one of the biggest problems. They attached the TLOU formular without adding something value to the gameplay (parts, sparse ammunition, plants) or the world (letters, meaningful background information).

Uncharted 1-3 are mainly action-games. They are more third-person-shooter than "adventure"-games. And that's what made them awesome in the first place. They are the perfect blend between Indiana Jones and Die Hard. Uncharted was maybe 30% of that and 70% of talking, climbing, talking, climbing and some really shitty "young nathan & brother"-sections and marriage problems between Nathan and Elena. The story wasn't even good.

Pointless for you perhaps. I don't mind if I don't find some rare items when I explore environment but just a diary perhaps that adds an additional layer to the background story - and you did find those in U4.

 

[ScaryShark]

The series of historic letters you find late in the game and the mini story it told was a small highlight of the game for me. I'm definitely glad I went out of my way to find those. Very fulfilling. Reminded me of Ish in TLOU.

 

[Steve.1981]

I thought it was a fantastic game. I loved the story and characters, it was visually stunning, gunplay was tight and fun, cool settings and exploration... Plus it has what is maybe the single greatest set-piece ever conceived and executed in any game. You all know the one I mean.

 

[Vanadium]

I have a feeling Lost Legacy will be the superior release since they had so much more time and experience to build on mistakes. I never liked 4. Rebooted, and rushed into a forgettable package. Tons of stuff never worked for me.

 

[Roufianos]

Game was a real struggle to finish. So boring. Hopefully Chloe's game brings back the sense of an epic adventure.

 

[Kevin Shields]

I dont know how anyone could playthrough this game twice. The pacing is borderline awful.

I felt like you my first playthrough but for my second I could barely put the controller down. It was weird phenomenon. I noticed how pacing could be better but I was still hooked whereas a game like Horizon I really like but I'm finding it hard to finish. Could be me playing too many open world games....

 

[grandwizard]

It was one of the worst paced games I've ever played and for that reason I have no desire to ever replay it. 2 is the masterpiece of that franchise, 3 was worse and 4 is just something else and feels inferior in everything except graphics.

 

[krae_man]

Best of the series, mainly because it eschews the supernatural stuff and replaces it with 3 really strong personal stories and an engaging meta-narrative that ties into all three.

Scotland should have been shorter, and the camerawork when climbing the skull mountain (and climbing in general in fact) should have been more dramatic and wide angled.

I think it's the worst because of that. If you're not stopping the bad guy from using the magic treasure to take over the world, why are you even doing anything?

The last two games ending with "eh changed my mind, I don't want the treasure anymore" after murdering thousands was just laughable.

Not to mention the Elena storyline was ruined to tell shoehorned in backstory that breaks the pre existing cannon, so what they replaced the stop the bad guy and Elena stories with isn't any good either.

Like the poster above said, it's half uncharted, half the last of us anf as a result bad at both.

I did enjoy the stealth combat alot though. But the story? Oh man hot garbage.

 

[Kevin Shields]

I think it's the worst because of that. If you're not stopping the bad guy from using the magic treasure to take over the world, why are you even doing anything?

The last two games ending with "eh changed my mind, I don't want the treasure anymore" after murdering thousands was just laughable.

Not to mention the Elena storyline was ruined to tell shoehorned in backstory that breaks the pre existing cannon, so what they replaced the stop the bad guy and Elena stories with isn't any good either.

Like the poster above said, it's half uncharted, half the last of us anf as a result bad at both.

I did enjoy the stealth combat alot though. But the story? Oh man hot garbage.

People are saying this a lot but did Sam contradict backstory made in the other games or was it just the fact that he was added?

I thought the lack of supernatural was awesome. I mean I didn't dislike it in the three games but that's just it, we've had it for 3 games. It was nice to see a new angle. Like I said in OP. The pirate story was best yet in Uncharted and they really paralleled it well with Nate. I was impressed, especially reading the pirate letters where they missed their loved ones but they were getting the treasure "for them" to make their family better. It plays into Nate quoting "pirates will be pirates" like 10 times throughout the game and we are wondering if Nate will always be the same.

 

[AudioEppa]

I'd rather watch an Uncharted movie than play another game in the series. The gameplay and pacing are just so bad, imo. Naughty Dog should get out of gaming and start writing for TV or movies.

 

[Theslammer]

UC4 has some of my favorite set pieces:

The boat chase
The collapsing cave
The jeep chase
The attack on the clock tower
Escaping the exploding mummies
Jeep getting swept up by the river
The "Crash Bandicoot" chase

Great stuff. It's filled with them; it's just in a much longer game.