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Replaying Jak 2, it's apparent Naughty Dog simply got lucky with Uncharted

elfinke

Member
Tim Rogers disagrees.

Tim Rogers at Kotaku link said:
It's got guns and cars and hover-bikes and a hovering skateboard that can grind up rails. It's got a massive, living, breathing city. It's got alternate French, German, Italian, Korean, and Japanese voice tracks. It's got hours upon hours of voice acting. It's got wacky writing. It's got a huge plot. The hover skateboard feels amazing—like Tony Hawk shaking hands with Sonic the Hedgehog before hugging Super Mario. One can't overestimate the involvement of Hirokazu Yasuhara, game and level designer of the original Sonic The Hedgehog games.

Despite that, R&C >>>>...etc> Jak games.
 
1>3>>>>>2

The city design and congestion in the city is unbearable. Suicidal crimson guards ramming into you in the too many missions based in the city streets and just too many horrible design decisions that I refuse to believe they actually play-tested a great deal of it.

I actually like Uncharted 1 better than Uncharted 2, but I have yet to play Uncharted 3 because by the end of the second one it was pretty obvious there wasn't much new there that didn't involve set pieces that didn't change the core mechanic very much. I just couldn't muster the interest to play through more of the same for a third time.

However, my musing is more in the hypothetical. Since ND has changed up their generational IP's gameplay every console generation will they do the same this go around, or are they comfortable with the formula they've found? Finally, given the history of their past endeavors, my optimism for them delivering actual solid gameplay in a different vein (if they do change up their formula next-gen) is not exactly high.

With your words you nary liked any of them, so don't go posting about how you find one better than the other. But no please continue posting, i need a laugh.
 
You call it copying but it's really just an entry into a tried-and-true genre. Give them a little fucking credit. I'll admit, I strongly disliked both Jak 2 and 3 but I'm not going to belittle the developer because Naughty Dog is an incredibly competent studio.
 

ohlawd

Member
Retarded post is retarded.

Nice job.
I wouldn't mind if you were just bashing a game, but it's a little much to slag off such a talented and passionate studio like that, for no particular reason. Should be banned.

that's messed up.

I don't think ND are a one trick pony but I do think they haven't made a decent game since CTR.

holy crap I'm gonna get banned aren't I? >_<
 

entremet

Member
I liked Crash. Hated the Jak series. Loved uncharted. But I would say got lucky and stumbling on the uncharted series doesn't give them credit.
 
Some people think Naughty Dog sucks. People don't get banned for opinions.

Me personally, I like UC2 and UC3, but I hardly think they're masterpieces.

I guess it's just the way it's worded in such a hateful and venomous way. Seems like a pointless thread. If you hate a studio so much just ignore them.

I didn't like Jak 2 either for the record, thought it was an overly difficult, hard to navigate, glitchy mess of a sequel - to a great original game.
 

Dueck

Banned
I never liked the Jak series or Crash Bandicoot games. Uncharted's only Achilles' heel for me was the developer. I think the Uncharted games are a lot of fun, and I enjoy them. I also think The Last of Us looks really awesome.
 

libregkd

Member
Pretty much the reason I'm not excited about The Last of Us. I've been playing enough pretty games on PC to no longer be smitten with how a game looks. I don't see anything in TLoU that actually looks fun -- just another game where it looks cool if you play it just so.
Except they've already shown that that is not the case.
 

PaulLFC

Member
You've never played Crash Bandicoot or CTR, have you OP? If you had, you wouldn't be stating ridiculous stuff like "Naughty Dog are only competent at making one type of game".
 

injurai

Banned
Pretty much the reason I'm not excited about The Last of Us. I've been playing enough pretty games on PC to no longer be smitten with how a game looks. I don't see anything in TLoU that actually looks fun -- just another game where it looks cool if you play it just so.

Honestly the item system of physically having to get things out of a bag and prepare engagements is enough to interest me. But I don't think I will be day for it.
 
I think Naughty Dog has been on a continuous downward trend since Crash 3, to be honest.

Uncharted is a graphics-first game, and games like that never age well.
 

meta4

Junior Member
Pretty much the reason I'm not excited about The Last of Us. I've been playing enough pretty games on PC to no longer be smitten with how a game looks. I don't see anything in TLoU that actually looks fun -- just another game where it looks cool if you play it just so.

So you think TLOU impresses ppl because of its looks and not the seemingly brilliant AI and palpable tension and the MGS inspired cat and mouse gameplay?
 

i-Lo

Member
Having played the Uncharted games, it feels like Naughty Dog do just enough(not saying they have an obvious potential for more) with the mechanics to serve as a vehicle for stuff they actually want to focus on. Things like graphics, the look and feel of a movie and the pacing that goes along with that. Accessibility and God forbid the player feels inadequate for a moment.

My point is, I don't get the impression that their fans care much about the gameplay, so they're probably not worried.

True, otherwise why would numerous buyers complain about the cumbersome control scheme which was patched by ND in game that has the look and feel of a movie?
 

teiresias

Member
My only major complaint is that I hated travelling through Haven City, so so so much, but loved everything else about the game. If they were to re-release Jak II without needing to travel between missions, it'd be one of my favorite games ever. The non-Haven City environments and gameplay are wonderful and a joy to mess around with, too.

So I disagree.

I'm not sure we actually disagree so much as I let Haven City weigh the game down much more in my mind then you do. I agree that the zones and missions outside the city overworld are fun and some even have some decent platforming (relative to the rest of the game). However, the Haven City overworld is just so omnipresent and there's so much content required to finish within it that it absolutely ruins the rest of the game for me.
 

guek

Banned
All this thread does is remind me of how horribly irrelevant an original game like Jak and Daxter or Ratchet and Clank or even Sly Cooper would be in the current market. How sad :-(
 

IHaveIce

Banned
Retarded post is retarded.

Nice job.
I wouldn't mind if you were just bashing a game, but it's a little much to slag off such a talented and passionate studio like that, for no particular reason. Should be banned.

Nice, calling stuff "retarded" is better right?

It shouldn't be banned.


On topic I liked Jak 2 but I see what people mean with the GTA comparisons and yeah I disliked this stuff too.

And Uncharted are nice games, I mean nice to look at and you can have fun, but they are nothing special, have a boring story, boring characters and weren't the best in the world like some people pretend.
 
Your forgetting about all the games they made before Jak 2 as well - suggesting Uncharted was the first good game they made.

Crash Bandicoot says 'hi'.
 

test_account

XP-39C²
To say that Naughty Dog copied platforming gameplay is like saying that Nintendo copied when they made Super Mario Bros (it is not the first side scrolling platform) or that Bungie copied when they made Halo. Are Nintendo etc. also a one trick pony? Definitelly not, in my opinion.

What would you like Naughty Dog to do that hasnt been done before? I'm honestly wondering.
 

mclem

Member
Yes it does, through and through. The weapons, vehicles, overworld, mission design, and tone are very much in line with GTA.

I really didn't get that feeling out of it. Wonder if it's affected by what you're looking for in the game?
 
Nice, calling stuff "retarded" is better right?

It shouldn't be banned.


On topic I liked Jak 2 but I see what people mean with the GTA comparisons and yeah I disliked this stuff too.

And Uncharted are nice games, I mean nice to look at and you can have fun, but they are nothing special, have a boring story, boring characters and weren't the best in the world like some people pretend.

Opinions.......
 

Majmun

Member
Did the OP just call ND a one-trick pony??

Crash, Jak, and Uncharted are three diverse and high quality franchises.

Just because you don't like one or two of their games doesn't mean you have to act all silly.
 
Yeah, Jak 2 is pretty terrible and it's even more annoying to play nowadays. I really don't get a lot of the design decisions that were made with that game.
 

KAL2006

Banned
But Naughty Dog also made Crash Bandicoot, that is proof enough for me they are not a one trick pony


Being back Crash :(
 

Jarmel

Banned
I really didn't get that feeling out of it. Wonder if it's affected by what you're looking for in the game?

Quite frankly, when I played it a few weeks back, I had no clue what to expect from the game. It really does slap you in the face though due to how stark the difference is between Jak 1 and 2. I kept asking so many times through, why was this done?

Only in the sense that the hub is a city and that you can steal cars. The actual mission design in Jak 2 represents the zenith of 3D action platforming.

The mission design is fine when it focuses on platforming without the horrid vehicle controls or the pisspoor shooting. Too bad the later two are a good chunk of the game. Then we have the awful missions that are races in the crappy hubworld or the protection missions.
 

TTG

Member
True, otherwise why would numerous buyers complain about the cumbersome control scheme which was patched by ND in game that has the look and feel of a movie?

First, I wasn't aware of that patch, I played it a while after the release date. Second, I don't mean that if the basic functionality was broken, that nobody would notice or care. What falls under gameplay is pretty vague, I admit, but the concern you mention does fall under what I meant by the "they do just enough" comment.
 

teiresias

Member
I guess it's just the way it's worded in such a hateful and venomous way. Seems like a pointless thread. If you hate a studio so much just ignore them.

I didn't like Jak 2 either for the record, thought it was an overly difficult, hard to navigate, glitchy mess of a sequel - to a great original game.

It's actually very frustrating that I find ND actual gameplay hit or miss and/or uninspiring once you see past the glitzy set pieces. It's obvious the studio puts a good deal of design work and though into building their worlds, looks, and crafting the presentation. It's just unfortunate that I'm getting the impression that we may end up with a gameplay stinker next-gen from them.
 

batbeg

Member
People who dismiss 2 as a gta ripoff are somehow only the seeing the superficial hub interacting as means between levels and the mission structure. The gameplay is clearly still primarily in the platforming genre, with an emphasis on gunplay ala Ratchet & Clank (but even then, not as deep).
 

Neiteio

Member
To say that Naughty Dog copied platforming gameplay is like saying that Nintendo copied when they made Super Mario Bros (it is not the first side scrolling platform) or that Bungie copied when they made Halo.
ND didn't copy platforming, but then that never was people's concern with it. It's more the fact that the platforming involves no skill or tension since you're just triggering one automated context-senstive climbing animation after another. If you don't do it -just so-, you fail, yet when you get it right, the game practically plays itself. Bah.
 
I love 3D platformers and was so excited to play the original Jak and Daxter in the HD collection. I beat the first one quickly but once I hit the second one I started to get sad. The gameplay had changed up a lot and it was more so GTA than the platformer style I like.

Uncharted 2 is fucking delicious though. It's still the best one in the series.
 

JJD

Member
Retarded post is retarded.

Nice job.
I wouldn't mind if you were just bashing a game, but it's a little much to slag off such a talented and passionate studio like that, for no particular reason. Should be banned.

I think users asking for others users to be banned should be banned!





Wait...
 
Pretty much the reason I'm not excited about The Last of Us. I've been playing enough pretty games on PC to no longer be smitten with how a game looks. I don't see anything in TLoU that actually looks fun -- just another game where it looks cool if you play it just so.

unbelievable....
 
N

NinjaFridge

Unconfirmed Member
All this thread does is remind me of how horribly irrelevant an original game like Jak and Daxter or Ratchet and Clank or even Sly Cooper would be in the current market. How sad :-(

I played through the Sly HD collection a few weeks ago and thought it was great. 3 was the weakest but still alright.
 

test_account

XP-39C²
ND didn't copy platforming, but then that never was people's concern with it. It's more the fact that the platforming involves no skill or tension since you're just triggering one automated context-senstive climbing animation after another. If you don't do it -just so-, you fail, yet when you get it right, the game practically plays itself. Bah.
That is not what the OP is saying though. He talks about style of gameplay, and then says that it is copied. The style of gameplay in Uncharted is platforming, shooting and taking cover.

Personally i've died numerous of times in the Uncharted games due to failed platforming. You're right that it isnt exactly super hard, but personally i enjoy it the way it is. I dont feel that i really need millimeter precision jumps etc. in the game. The mix of fighting/shooting, exploring and platforming (even if that part isnt super hard) is just fine in my opinion :)
 
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