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[Zocano]

I actually disagree that the gameplay brings "nothing new to the table". I actually really like Uncharted combat and although it might be "simple", I find it very enjoyable and fun. The key factor is just how fluid, quick, and reactionary the combat is. Drake is very mobile for being in a third person shooter and the game although having similar 'sticky' cover like Gears of War, is much less restrictive (I feel). You can move and navigate a battlefield very quickly and the level designs often encourage you to do so, to climb and use height and mobility against the onslaught of enemies.

These mechanics, I feel, are improved upon even more in Uncharted 3 and the level design (in my opinion) got even better in that game which is why I like Uncharted 3 more than 2 (which around here is apparently a sin or something).

 

[Kangi]

More like they would be pretty to explore if you weren't limited to one path.

Well, they're pretty to... control the camera with? I'm trying to justify cinematic games' existence, okay? Stop making it more difficult!

 

[CitizenCope]

It was ok. Not good enough to make me try UC3

 

[Chuck Norris]

Uncharted 2 did a ton of things right at a time where there really wasn't anything like it. Set pieces weren't really a thing yet. Games like Gears and others were just flat out shoot until you get to the end, maybe with a wonky vehicle section thrown in. Uncharted 2 came in and changed the rules, it broke up the gameplay between shooting, platforming and puzzles in a way that always kept the experience fresh and moving. And it interspersed those with a style of cinematic set pieces that were actually being done IN GAMEPLAY. That's what really made Uncharted 2 amazing. In the past if we had a train crash or a building collapse, a city falling apart - that would have been a cool cutscene. What Uncharted did was make that a part of the game, while you're still in control.

Its arguable now that a lot of teams do it wrong, but UC2 got it all right

The shooting, or platforming aren't the top of the genre but they are still very good an entertaining. The whole package was on another level from everything released around 2009 - hence the astronomical scores. It also left a ton of influence in its wake, people have backlashed against cinematic games now - but it was definitely Uncharted 2's influence that set off that chain reaction of copy cats.

 

[faridmon]

Yet you love Skyward freakin Sword?

To each there own.

That says more about you more than anything else.

 

[Yawnier]

This game was fucking mindblowing back at launch in 2009/2010, there was literally no game like it in terms of it's production value and cinematics at the time (Mass Effect 2 came close though, maybe a few of the COD games?). It is probably one of my favorite games of all time, I've yet to play a game since U2 that had as good pacing as this game (TLOU has pretty good pacing from what I've played though).

Going through it now for the first time in 2013 when more and more games are being released that are clearly influenced by the Uncharted series (Tomb Raider comes to mind), yeah I could definitely see why it would be not be that impressive. It would sort of be like waiting until 2000 or 2001 to play a game like Super Mario 64 for the first time after already playing so many games that already followed it's pattern.

To give another familiar example that reminds me of this, its how the audiologs in Bioshock (2007) were so damn practically unheard of at the time it released and liked by people including myself in how it helped tell the story of Andrew Ryan and Rapture, but now that so many games after that have that same feature it seems diminished in value and a bit repetitive now; not as impressive now in the present.

 

[Riposte]

I swear, one the worst things I read on GAF is when people try to separate "game" from "experience". What a silly concept (if not nefarious in intent). Playing a game, any game is an experience. You can't "not have an experience" when playing a videogame. There is no separating the two. It is like for people to understand videogames they need to dumb this stuff all the way down and reaffirm their most basic understanding of reality.

Context is everything. If you had played this game right when it came out you would've understood.

Not really. It is very possible to resist the zeitgeist of the hour. I've always thought it was a decent game with amazing visuals and cinematic set pieces (which are kind of like elaborate QTE-like moments, so I wasn't shitting myself at the time). Not "Naughty Gods!!!" good.

Multiplayer was neat for what I played, but they fuck it up with dumb things. With Uncharted 3 they weren't even trying.

 

[AcceptableGhost]

Every time I hear the word "bullet sponge" in an Uncharted topic I have to cringe a little bit. All of the normal enemies die in one hit to the head. The normal enemies will also be torn to shreds if you hip fire while near them with Drake (the game auto-aims close range hip-fire heavily). If an enemy is within close range of Drake - he is already dead. Drake is actually at his weakest at far range (without a sniper rifle or scoped weapon), which is why sniping from a mile away with a pistol is generally a bad idea unless it is an emergency. Get in mid range and get head shots or go for melee range and just hip-fire (and maybe finish them off with a melee "steel fist"). It is best to always be looking for the most advantageous route to get closer to enemies (unless they are heavies of course, who you really need to stay at mid range with).

Also, Uncharted 1 is the secret best Uncharted game. I think Uncharted 1 and 2 are pretty decent maybe great games (currently replaying the trilogy) but man Uncharted 3 is some foul shit.

 

[sn00zer]

I think Uncharted 3 was much more fun, and had better puzzles (some puzzles were harder than your average game which I appreciated)

 

[Duxxy3]

Only good thing about this situation is that 5 years from now, nobody is gonna give two shits about Uncharted 2. While an actually well-made game like RE4 will still be fondly remembered.

I wonder which Bioshock people will remember 5 years from now. The original, the one in the sky or (imo) the one with the best gameplay.

 

[alr1ght]

I really wish we had recorded some of our old gaf multiplayer matches for you people to watch.

 

[MYE]

To me, Uncharted 2 is a 7 game with a 10 production value by this gens standard most of the time, it won't hold up like games that actually have amazing gameplay (Mario Galaxy). People talk of 2 like it's just as good, but I doubt that will be the feeling 5 years from now.

Exactly. Thats why I said I'd give it an 8, with that extra point being there mainly because of presentation.

 

[McLovin]

Mp is great in 2, kind of lost its magic in 3

 

[bender]

Also, Uncharted 1 is the secret best Uncharted game.

Nah, when Drake looks down his iron-sites something just feels off, like he's not really looking at what the cursor is pointed at. Plus the screen tearing is pretty awful. Give me U2 and the ending dialog.

 

[BIONIC-ARRRMMM!!]

Yeah, thats where I was getting at basically.

Its a good play-it-once game, but thats about it.

If you value good gunplay, you'll love Vanquish. It's on the short-side though, but it never gets repetitive, so it's a nice trade-off. Very replayable.

 

[dancingphlower]

Uncharted's mechanics are bad, though 2 is better than 1 and 3 in terms of shooting. People seem to appreciate the production values way too much I think.

 

[RedSwirl]

Disagree on the gameplay. The most impressive part of UC2 to me was the level design.

 

[flintstryker]

I agree with you. I've always found Uncharted very generic in terms of plot, characters, gameplay...the presentation is its selling point. I would rather watch someone else play Uncharted than play it myself. Loads of my friends love the series to death so I never say anything, cause what's the point tearing down something someone loves? But yeah, Uncharted is definitely not my thing.

This is absolutely how I feel about the series at large they are fun to look at but playing them reveal to me average shooter gameplay at best.

 

[Satchel]

Every time I hear the word "bullet sponge" in an Uncharted topic I have to cringe a little bit. All of the normal enemies die in one hit to the head. The normal enemies will also be torn to shreds if you hip fire while near them with Drake (the game auto-aims close range hip-fire heavily). If an enemy is within close range of Drake - he is already dead. Drake is actually at his weakest at far range (without a sniper rifle), which is why sniping from a mile away with a pistol is generally a bad idea unless it is an emergency. Get in mid range and get head shots or go for melee range and just hip-fire (and maybe finish them off with a melee "steel fist"). It is best to always be looking for the most advantageous route to get closer to enemies (unless they are heavies of course, who you really need to stay at mid range with).

Also, Uncharted 1 is the secret best Uncharted game. I think Uncharted 1 and 2 are pretty decent games (currently replaying the trilogy) but man Uncharted 3 is some foul shit.

Its not a secret really. Its just not a popular opinion. The first game is a flawed masterpiece.

The other two are just flawed enjoyable games that didn't fix the issued that made the first game flawed.

 

[Qblivion]

Yeah, I never even finished 2. Some of the set pieces are great, but as a game I just got bored of it after a while.

 

[DeBurgo]

I felt kinda the same way about it, and it's why I'm waiting on Last of Us.

I mean, I loved the dialogue between the characters, and some of the parts of the game were certainly... neat, and it had great graphics. Playing it wasn't that fun overall, though.

Actually that's not totally true, I liked doing things stealthy for as long as possible, but inevitably shit just devolves into a firefight. Also, the end, with those blue guys?? UGH. A lot of the shooting and stuff was just an exercise in frustration and boredom. To be fair, though, I honestly can't remember the last game that had shooting in a 3d environment as the main component that I actually thought was fun.

I think a lot of shooting games try to build their shooting mechanics around halo's "30 seconds of fun" model or whatever, but then leave out the fun (including many later halo games, in fact).

 

[Represent.]

Should have played it in 2009.

 

[jon bones]

one of the finest gaming experiences ever conceived... no idea how anyone could be underwhelmed by it

 

[Blackthorn]

Wow, a lot of people have a bone to pick.

I'd really like to see an example of a game that does what Uncharted 2 does better. Not trying to be confrontational, I genuinely can't think of one.

 

[The Gaming Zen]

Fair enough, the presentation is really what makes this game stand out. I can play a game like this and have a great experience, even more so than a game with great gameplay but sub par presentation. Yes, I'm a graphics whore....and proud of it!

 

[BIONIC-ARRRMMM!!]

I think Uncharted 3 was much more fun, and had better puzzles (some puzzles were harder than your average game which I appreciated)

Pixel-Hunts are hard, yo.

 

[Chuck Norris]

Wow, a lot of people have a bone to pick.

I'd really like to see an example of a game that does what Uncharted 2 does better. Not trying to be confrontational, I genuinely can't think of one.

The Last of Us

 

[KaiserBecks]

Wow, a lot of people have a bone to pick.

I'd really like to see an example of a game that does what Uncharted 2 does better. Not trying to be confrontational, I genuinely can't think of one.

Max Payne 3 (PC).

 

[MYE]

Should have played it in 2009.

I would have the same opinion. Believe me

 

[bobbytkc]

I think Uncharted 3 was much more fun, and had better puzzles (some puzzles were harder than your average game which I appreciated)

Uncharted 3 definitely has the best puzzles in the series. Some of them were ingenious.

 

[AcceptableGhost]

I wonder which Bioshock people will remember 5 years from now. The original, the one in the sky or (imo) the one with the best gameplay.

the one in space imo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DswRbPkHTHg

 

[Blackthorn]

The Last of Us

Very, very different. Better! Definitely better, but different.

Max Payne 3 (PC).

I forgot about this one. Very close, not a favourite for me (I prefer the tone of Uncharted) but I can see why it'd be preferred.

 

[Cronox]

Uncharted 2 was full of memorable experiences. An amazing game to play through for the first time. Best train level in a game.

 

[flippedb]

Exactly how I feel. Boring game, repetitive, it didn't feel new. Of course it is beautiful, but I really wouldn't consider the series as a masterpiece. Uncharted 3 was basically the same thing.

I just hope TLoU is better.

 

[Red Blaster]

Max Payne 3 (PC).

not with all those unskippable cutscenes to "hide" loading

 

[Chuck Norris]

I would have the same opinion. Believe me

Unless you haven't played a single game since 2009, I find that hard to believe

 

[MYE]

Wow, a lot of people have a bone to pick.

I'd really like to see an example of a game that does what Uncharted 2 does better. Not trying to be confrontational, I genuinely can't think of one.

Resident Evil 4 has been brought up multiple times, and rightfully so.

 

[shakin_haitian]

ND makes pretty movies.

 

[Admiral Bone to Pick]

I'm glad that there's actually a diversity of opinion in this thread rather than the typical bandwagoning bashing of "yeah, that game wasn't that great after all, BOOOO!"

 

[Magicpaint]

Exactly how I feel. Boring game, repetitive, it didn't feel new. Of course it is beautiful, but I really wouldn't consider the series as a masterpiece. Uncharted 3 was basically the same thing.

I just hope TLoU is better.

I would definitely say I liked TLOU a lot more - the visuals aren't as polished as Uncharted 2's but everything else was much better done.

 

[Kacho]

I enjoyed the game when I played through it years ago, but it's not a game I'll ever want to revisit. Nice presentation but everything else is forgettable.

 

[MvmntInGrn]

It is a very pretty game with stellar production values and solid if less than innovative mechanics that plays like a long action movie with likable characters. I'd even say it has decent replay value for just being so entertaining.

The gameplay is far from remarkable but it is solid. It relies more on its production to be entertaining and that is fine but most games with this philosophy flop with core gamers.

What I'm trying to say is. It is a great game for reasons unlike most great games (not exactly the gameplay) :lol

The production is definitely the highlight of the experience.

 

[BIONIC-ARRRMMM!!]

I wonder which Bioshock people will remember 5 years from now. The original, the one in the sky or (imo) the one with the best gameplay.

I actually haven't played Bio2 SP yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

I played 1 and Infinite back to back last month for the first time (1 first). And the original shits over Infinite from great height.

 

[SoraanTribal]

I think you got screwed by the hype.

I think this is at least partially to blame. It's happened to me before, too. I played the first Bioshock like 2 years after it was released, and there was no way it could live up to the hype on forums. So when I finally beat it, I just had a feeling of "That's it?" as well. *shrug* I still enjoyed the game, but I didn't think it was nearly as good as it had been built up online.

As far as Uncharted 2 goes, I went into it (and Drake's Fortune) completely blind. Well, a friend suggested I picked them up when I bought my PS3, so I did. I was blown away by Uncharted 2, and it had absolutely no hype to live up to for me.

 

[Duxxy3]

the one in space imo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DswRbPkHTHg

Graphically it doesn't hold up.

 

[MYE]

You should be sentenced for calling skyward sword polished and good. .

Thats an argument for another thread.

 

[Satchel]

Hadn't thought about how those games will age.

Have to agree they will most likely age horribly.

 

[Blackthorn]

Resident Evil 4 has been brought up multiple times, and rightfully so.

I don't consider that the same kind of thing as Uncharted. You're not nearly as manoeuvrable and the combat has a slower, more methodical pace.

 

[Jigolo]

lol

 

[Rickenslacker]

Graphically it doesn't hold up.

Graphics lose their luster, design is forever.