Porting games like Uncharted 4 is not an easy task, to say the least. Especially in a relatively short time, and especially if bundled with titles such as The Lost Legacy.
However, i find fascinating how
nobody spotted the huge number of little downgrades the games got in the Legacy of Thieves release, in conjunction with its improvements (which are many more Comparisons online were able to find).
So even if most of the game the game looks virtually identical/improved compared to its original Release, every kind of downgrade is featured here; from missing VFX, missing shadows, missing reflections, worse effects at times such as AO and some shaders, simplified and toned down bounce lighting from the dynamic GI (via Software RT), visual glitches and so on.
I spent these last few days comparing the whole game, and was able to grab a total of almost 800 screenshots (half from the OG, half from the Remaster) showcasing these kind of issues.
And since users like
@rofif ,
Shmunter
or
drotahorror
asked me to share these findings, so here some examples of missing VFX (PS4 Top, PS5 Bottom, open pictures in new tab to switch back and forth):
What's weird is that the same scene in the Prologue, while still missing a few layers of mist, looks significantly closer to the original compared to what's shown above (end of Chapter 12). Still, even in the Prologue is clear how this Remaster features an issue with lightnings, as they never appear as clear and bright as they did before, and stay on screen for just a fraction of the time. As always, PS4 top, PS5 bottom.
Another example of occasional missing VFX include dust particles from bullet impact, like in this scene for example:
Or absent light sources:
Or a downgraded version of Nadine's hair, which is missing the special layer between skin and hair (along with worse shaders on her silk dress):
Or water bubbles absent from the end of Chapter 2, and many others.
Here some instances of missing reflections:
Or missing shadows:
Or worse Ambient Occlusion:
And a few examples of the toned down GI (which was the most astounding technical aspect of the game):
Here some examples of the kind of visual glitches (the lamp in the first picture):
And among the almost 800 shots, there are also instances like this:
Which at first glance may appear as an artistic choice, however closer inspection reveals how the background is simply missing multiple layers compared to the original, as if it was sourced from an incomplete build.
Or this:
Which however i think
is an artistic choice, as the coast being there in the original contradics the previous shot.
As i said, these are just a tiny fraction of the "issues" i've found. The reason i kept getting screenshots is that i hope to see each and every one of those fixed, because:
1) The number of improvements in this Remaster is incredible.
2) This is the version that will be ported in the future, and as we have seen with countless other titles over the years, once the first port is missing some visual features, they are gone forever.
Ideally, this Thread will be seen by some other fans of this game, leading to some discussion, leading hopefully to someone from ND acknowledging these issues. Wishful thinking, but worth a try.
P.S. I'm more than willing to send the full screenshots folder to whoever is interested.
Good eye
