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It's been more than 5 years: Just replayed through Uncharted 4. Didn't age badly at all!

So it's been more than 5 years since Uncharted 4 came out. I had some gaming time to spare and I've decided to revisit Uncharted 4. Last time I played the game was back in June of 2016 (according to my last save files). I remember really liking the game, but I didn't really had any time left back then to replay through it on harder difficulties like I did with Uncharted 2 or 3. Prior to starting a new game a week ago, my recollections of it was that the story was great, the graphics were amazing, the gameplay and combat improved upon previous entries and that it was an all-around great game. I remember that game did not however had the same impact on me as Uncharted 2 did. Maybe it was just Uncharted fatigue back then since I had recently played the Nathan Drake Collection few months before, maybe it was because deep down I thought it wasn't as great.

Now that I just finished my replay though, wow. Boy does this hold up very well graphically speaking for a 5 years old game. The graphics are frankly still amazing. Lots of details no matter the environments, amazing lighting, especially during interior sections, great animation all around, fantastic real-time cutscenes, etc. I honestly could go one talking about all the little details that make this such a spectacle to play/watch.

Uncharted always was a bit "monotone" in its shooting, but there has been improvement over the time. Uncharted 2 got some nice sections with more verticality near the end of the game. Uncharted 3 doubled down on that aspect, providing more options during gunfights. Uncharted 4 then followed Uncharted 3's path with even more verticality, more environments providing more options. The gunplay still feels a bit monotone but I guess I can see how they tried to improved it over the releases and it shows, though still far from perfect.

Something I noted this time around is that the climbing sections have been greatly improved in Uncharted 4. You can't just hold the stick to a direction and wait for the character to move to said direction until it's over. In U4, you need to actually point Nathan's hand on which spot you want him to reach and get to. This provides more interactivity in those sections, which to me felt very welcome, especially since U4, like every Uncharted games, has lots of those sections.

Nathan always has been the luckiest/unluckiest (depending on how you see it) guy in the world when it comes to climbing stuff; No matter what he touches / climbs on, it seems it will always get destroyed the second he passes through. This is typical of Uncharted. That said, I found it rather funny that in Uncharted 4, there are many moments you expect things to break but nothing actually happens; even the characters themselves are surprised about it!

Gotta say that I really loved the chemistry between all the characters, especially between Nate and Sam, more than the first time I played the game.

Still, I'm just as shocked as I was back then that Nate never actually said anything about his brother to his wife during all these years. This feels like a tackled-on story to me. At least Helena actually reacts to this situation in a proper way, what you'd expect someone to say after such a revelation ("I don't know you, who the fuck are you").

All in all, I simply loved replaying this game in 2021. There were many sections that I remembered being very impressive in my memories but reliving those sections actually made them even more impressive than what I recollected before.

Truly a great spectacle. I prefer it to TLOU 1 & 2.

Edit: One thing I wanted to say. I replayed on a PS5 coupled with a LG CX OLED TV with HDR enabled. I suspect that means it was running at 1440p like it would on a PS4 Pro. Back then I played on a 1080p Panasonic Plasma tv on a regular, old PS4. I don't know if it's me, but it seems like back then the performance were rock solid, like an unbreakable 30 fps. This time around, it felt like I got quite a bit of moments where I thought it wasn't quite hitting a proper 30 fps. I would notice this most of time while panning the camera. Backward compatibility issue perhaps? Never actually played the game on my PS4 Pro so I can't really compare.
 
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Jaxx_377

Neo Member
Been out of work o few weeks and had some time to kill and by coincidence I started playing through this again a few days ago and I couldn't agree more with everything you said, I really hope this isnt the end of the franchise!
 
Uncharted 4 is great and still looks better than 90% of all games, including "next-gen".

I agree. It's still a marvel to look at. There are games nowadays that look quite better but if U4 came out today on PS5, it would look better than most games form the competition.

Been out of work o few weeks and had some time to kill and by coincidence I started playing through this again a few days ago and I couldn't agree more with everything you said, I really hope this isnt the end of the franchise!

So do I. I wish they're planning to make a fifth opus. It could very well be with Nate and Helena's daughter.

I was kind of done with Uncharted after I finally played 3 which really ended the series perfectly. im sort of ready to finally jump in, cant wait for that high frame and Ultra wide experience on PC of course.

Yeah the PC version is going to be a real stunner, no doubt about it.
 

FunkMiller

Gold Member
It’s an absolutely wonderful game that evokes the same thrill of adventure that Indiana Jones movies did when I was a kid. I frickin’ love the whole series, think Nathan Drake is a brilliant character, and am very disappointed they’re not making more games with him as main character, and that the movie is likely to be a pile of shit.
 

Krappadizzle

Gold Member
I disagree. I replayed it last year with my wife and I couldn't wait for it to end. It becomes such a slog about half way through and it feels too long.

I actually liked it substantially less the second time I played it. Lost Legacy is much better and even it being a more "open" experience feels much tighter and more focused. UC4 as a game has aged terribly.

It's graphics absolutely hold up though, it's production values in general are very high and the evolution of their tech since TLoU is commendable. But that's about all the nice I can say about it.

I hope the series stays dead. It has nothing interesting left to offer and I'd rather see ND get another crack at J&D or do something original altogether.
 
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Javthusiast

Banned
much like all naughty dog games (other than uncharted 2) pacing sucks, hope they figure that shit out soon.

42 hours for my first tlou2 playthrough cause I took my time.

I wanted it to be even longer.

Dance GIF
 

Maxwell Jacob Friedman

leads to fear. Fear leads to xbox.
Keep crying and waiting...
....whose crying....I'm hoping they fix an issue that plagues their games.....
42 hours for my first tlou2 playthrough cause I took my time.

I wanted it to be even longer.

Dance GIF
Mad at what.....their games have pacing problems, the disjointed timeline which spans from present to past with no links what so ever, playing as Ellie and then throwing Abby at you to start ALL over again with a character that has zero progression where you have to farm abilities for again etc is examples of a poorly paced game, now if the stories were played parallel together is in Day 1 Ellie, Day 1 Abby etc then that would have been a better fit, compared to starting from scratch with a new character.
 
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I stopped playing after the heist at the auction, does it get better after that? The gunplay didn’t really feel as satisfying as I would have liked.
 

Javthusiast

Banned
....whose crying....I'm hoping they fix an issue that plagues their games.....

Mad at what.....their games have pacing problems, the disjointed timeline which spans from present to past with no links what so ever, playing as Ellie and then throwing Abby at you to start ALL over again with a character that has zero progression where you have to farm abilities for again etc is examples of a poorly paced game, now if the stories were played parallel together is in Day 1 Ellie, Day 1 Abby etc then that would have been a better fit, compared to starting from scratch with a new character.
Naturi Naughton Lol GIF by Power
 

Pejo

Member
I tried a replay a few months ago, the pacing remains the worst out of all of the Uncharted games, and I still hate that they took out all of the supernatural elements. I know a lot of people hated them, but it gave it the distinct "playing an Indiana Jones movie" vibe that made me love the first 3. The pirate ship part was cool, but everything else was too boring as a setting, and Goonies did the pirate ship part better.
 

SafeOrAlone

Banned
I really enjoyed parts of it but the pacing can be a drag.

The combat has really fun level design and the encounters are interesting, but I wish the shooting had a little more "oomph". Sort of feels/sounds like shooting a "Pez" dispenser.

Set-piece moments were spectacular. Last time I played the jeep sequence, it blew my mind all over again.

Lastly, the platforming would have been way better served if there was a sense of consequence or at least wasn't so scripted when it came to the path you climb.
 
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Kokoloko85

Member
Amazing game.
Not many studios if any at all can make action scenes like Uncharted. + amazing graphics, voice acting, animation and attention to detail.

When I read pacing issues I wonder if these people have ever played a RPG lol
 

LectureMaster

Gold Member
UC4 was the first game that really gave me "wow this is true next gen" feeling. The graphics were just unparalleled at the time.

Still my favorite Naughty dog game, Sam is so charming and I genuinely hope the next uncharted will feature him as protagonist.


Edit: I remember taking so many screenshots for the game, I need to find them and post.

Loads of pictures incoming :

h6RLgdD.jpg


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wKTyNy1.jpg


v4Z1VTM.jpg


JctQ1AN.jpg


ExpE9RF.jpg


dNQmwQq.jpg


NERTZnq.jpg


And my shinning platinum :
plgfYvh.jpg
 
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Fbh

Member
Visually I still think it holds up incredibly well. It's a really nice looking game.

But the gameplay has the same issues as it had at launch: Horrible pacing, big open areas with nothing to do, too much walking and talking and crate "puzzles", braindead "platforming", no supernatural elements and only one cool setpiece moment.
 
I enjoyed it when I played it but don't want to play it again. I still replay encounters though. TLOU2 on the other hand I can replay all the time and plan on doing so when I get my PS5.
Wait for an actual PS5 version of it. It still has texture streaming issues and lots of low res textures in general.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
It's this 60fps on PS5? No, I think? That would give me a good reason to replay it, for some reason this is the only Uncharted game I've only played through once. Maybe because it's twice as long as the others.
 

RJMacready73

Simps for Amouranth
Waiting on the PS5 patch before replaying it for a 3rd time, I utterly love the Uncharted Games and only discovered them with the PS4 Uncharted collection (didn't own a PS3) they are everything I love in a videogame, incredible graphics, insane set pieces, varied locales and a rip roaring Saturday matinee type adventure with a brilliant cast.

I really really want one final send off exclusively on PS5, my mind can't comprehend what the Wizards at ND could wring out of the PS5 seeing what they did with PS4
 
It's this 60fps on PS5? No, I think? That would give me a good reason to replay it, for some reason this is the only Uncharted game I've only played through once. Maybe because it's twice as long as the others.
It's still 30fps, but I don't see why they wouldn't patch it since it's the same engine as TLOU2. Anyways, I miss the older games where they were only 10 hours or so instead of 18.

Now that I think about it, Uncharted 2 had the train set piece, Uncharted 3 had the boat and plane/desert set pieces, but I can't really think of the major set piece in Uncharted 4. Maybe dragging behind the truck? The clock tower? Nothing really sticks out as much as the 2 and 3.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
It's still 30fps, but I don't see why they wouldn't patch it since it's the same engine as TLOU2. Anyways, I miss the older games where they were only 10 hours or so instead of 18.

Now that I think about it, Uncharted 2 had the train set piece, Uncharted 3 had the boat and plane/desert set pieces, but I can't really think of the major set piece in Uncharted 4. Maybe dragging behind the truck? The clock tower? Nothing really sticks out as much as the 2 and 3.

Yeah, 4 is less of an action blockbuster with crazy setpieces for sure, there are very few specific moments I remember from that game.
 
Wheels were starting to come off in terms of the fart sniffing script department here with some really protracted melodrama around the relationships, especially between what would become the Drake family. I completely checked out of the epilogue.

Lost Legacy felt like a proper throwback Uncharted game to me, I would prefer more of that than Uncharted 4’s focus on down time
 
UC4 and TLL just scream for 60 fps patches.

Would make the so much more better handling while swinging with the rope.

I have finished UC games multible times but I just don't like them at crushing difficult setting. That has stopped me at aiming for the platinum trophy.
 
S

Shodan09

Unconfirmed Member
It looks beautiful still. It's a shame there's so many dialogue sequences and walking forward while characters deliver exposition as they really drag second time round.
 
The game feature too much exposition early on (however the second time it seems to go by much faster)... Once you get the PS5 it's main flaw is the lack of a 60fps mode, I refuse to replay it at 30, if third party companies can go back and patch their old games, why can't a Sony studio do it? Especially given that ND claimed it would be a 60fps game to begin with.
 

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
I think I have 8 playthroughs altogether of Uncharted 4. I have it #1 in my GOAT list

1. Uncharted 4
2. TLOU
3. Shenmue
4. Nier Automata
5. Spider-man PS4
6. Final Fantasy 7 PS1

It's the perfect game IMO 10/10
 

MrS

Banned
style over substance and one of the few PS exclusives over the last two gens that I loathed my time with. Persona 5 equally dogshit.

I think I have 8 playthroughs altogether of Uncharted 4. I have it #1 in my GOAT list

1. Uncharted 4
2. TLOU
3. Shenmue
4. Nier Automata
5. Spider-man PS4
6. Final Fantasy 7 PS1
Man this list cracked me up. Jesus wept. Play more games FFS.
 
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Zeroing

Banned
I’m also replaying uncharted 4. The graphics hold well so does the gameplay, I still have issues with the sudden appearance of Nate‘s brother and how casual it all seems to everyone.
I still prefer the lost legacy, it’s what I typically see what uncharted is.

Uncharted 2 is still the game with the best pacing between all the uncharted games.
 
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Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
style over substance and one of the few PS exclusives over the last two gens that I loathed my time with. Persona 5 equally dogshit.


Man this list cracked me up. Jesus wept. Play more games FFS.
You're talking to someone who owned a NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Dreamcast, PS1, XB1, Xbox 360, Xbox One and played a few games on all the other consoles too besides the Switch
 
  • LOL
Reactions: MrS

DonF

Gold Member
The most beautiful bad time I've had with a game. Terrible pacing, boring and so ...gamey. I hated the fact that you entered a room and this room looks like an arena. You know shit is about to go down. And boom, shootout. Then climbing section then walking section, setpiece and walking section, shootout ... Semi free roam (wtf) walking and exposition... Setpiece... Epilogue, the end.
 

Dick Jones

Gold Member
Rafe is such an asshole. Best villain of the series by a mile. That ship graveyard section can go fuck itself.
 
One of my all time favourite games when it comes to visuals and often gets over looked for other lack luster games.

I wasn't a fan of some of the plot points because they where either corny or cliche, Nate also doesn't seem to have that "charm" or "wit" he did in the previous games which was disappointing but I'm about to go off on a tangent so I'll stop on that lol

Back to the visuals, I think the game's scenery and environment are breathtaking, the only game in my opinion which rivals it in visuals is Red Dead Redemption 2. If a sequel is any improvement over what we got with UC4 then I'm confident that Naughty Dog can acheive of photo-realistic visuals if they were to design it xclusively on the PS5 hardware.
 

Allandor

Member
I'm just giving uncharted another chance to impress me. Didn't work on the PS3. On the ps4 it is better. Started playing through all 4 parts a few days ago.
So far uncharted 1 at around 70%. It is really a repetitive game. So many enemies ... And always in waves and the same ...
But what really buggles me most, why the hell are there enemies in secret parts they haven't found yet.
It really makes no sense.
I hope the other 3 parts have a better mix of exploration instead of mass shootings.
 
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