As many of you know, Uncharted 4 was released this week.
Developer Naughty Dog has insisted that it'll be the final instalment of Nathan Drake's adventures, and hope to put a cap on the series in grand style.
But have they managed it?
Here are my spoiler-filled impressions of the first few hours... throughout which a number of needlessly aggressive monkeys will be shouting the C-word at you.
Can you tolerate their unnecessary abuse and make it all the way to the end?
Developer Naughty Dog has insisted that it'll be the final instalment of Nathan Drake's adventures, and hope to put a cap on the series in grand style.
But have they managed it?
Here are my spoiler-filled impressions of the first few hours... throughout which a number of needlessly aggressive monkeys will be shouting the C-word at you.
Can you tolerate their unnecessary abuse and make it all the way to the end?
This opening action sequence, in which you're driving a boat, isn't very good. It's a bit last-gen, it doesn't really show off the graphics, and the controls feel like... well... like driving a boat in rough seas while other boats slam into you.
Ah. A cut-scene flashback. The Youngest Drake we ever did see, and he's being reprimanded by a nun. Did you ever see Master Chief being reprimanded by a nun? No - and that's what makes Uncharted different. And what's that? Mention of a brother we never knew about?
And then we're out of the unplayable cutscene, and the Naughty Dog in-game storytelling kicks in - with a level that's simultaneously about character, while doubling-up as a way of getting you used to the basic controls. Clever.
The graphics, as Young Drake clambers around rooftops are nice - but nothing jaw-dropping. Not yet anyway. And what's this? A new move/gadget: a grappling hook. Probably the most obvious new move/gadget the series could've added, but that's ok. It feels nice and heavy when throwing it.
And then, after meeting Drake's tearaway brother, we jump forward into what appears to be another flashback... given that Drake looks a bit older than he just did, but still younger than we're familiar with. And he's in prison. In the middle of a fist-fight with some real bad Latino prisoners.
The combat in the sequence feels entirely out of the player's hands: one of the drawbacks of this story-led gameplay. You're never really going to be able to do anything that pulls against the story. It's not a patch on the pub fight in Uncharted 3.
Ah... Drake and his brother arranged to pose as prisoners because a thing they're looking for can only be found in the prison.
Thus... more climbing, and the first proper looking for treasure, the first puzzle... and then: prison break! And - shocker! - Drakes brother dies.
Or does he...?
Thus... more climbing, and the first proper looking for treasure, the first puzzle... and then: prison break! And - shocker! - Drakes brother dies.
Or does he...?
Roll titles. And then we find Drake 15 years later... underwater, scuba diving... presumably on the hunt for treasure, like he always does.
But then the game pulls the rug out from underneath us: it's nothing so glamorous. He's working for a salvage team in a dirty, urban, river. He's settled down, domesticated, married to Elena from the previous games.
We head home with him, and there's a lovely little touch in his attic where he finds old relics from past adventures - and has some fun with a toy gun. Again, subtly introducing us to the play mechanics, while keeping it rooted in character.
But then the game pulls the rug out from underneath us: it's nothing so glamorous. He's working for a salvage team in a dirty, urban, river. He's settled down, domesticated, married to Elena from the previous games.
We head home with him, and there's a lovely little touch in his attic where he finds old relics from past adventures - and has some fun with a toy gun. Again, subtly introducing us to the play mechanics, while keeping it rooted in character.
The domesticated Drake challenges Elena to a game of... Crash Bandicoot?! Would Naughty Dog dare to be that self-referential? Yes they would. And it's great.
Again... all about character and story, a clever counterpoint to Drake's real adventures - so they get away with it.
Again... all about character and story, a clever counterpoint to Drake's real adventures - so they get away with it.
Nathan's doing paperwork, and then we discover... <GASP!> Sam's not dead. And he's in trouble. And he needs Nathan's help looking for the thing they were looking for in the earlier prison flashback.
Oddly, Sam's reappearance lacks any sort of emotional weight. Nathan doesn't seem that surprised to see him, which is a bit odd given that he's been mourning him for 15 years.
Oddly, Sam's reappearance lacks any sort of emotional weight. Nathan doesn't seem that surprised to see him, which is a bit odd given that he's been mourning him for 15 years.
Another flashback, this time to how Sam got out of prison. And you play as him for the first time. Sam sort of looks a bit like John Cusack.
Off to Italy, to break into a high-class auction... and be reacquainted with Sully. Who's looking a lot older than he did in the previous games. To the degree that you might question his health.
We also meet some Bad People, who are also looking for the thing that the Drakes are looking for.
There's some lovely art design in this level. There's also an escape sequence towards the end, which introduces a new, Metal Gear-ish, stealth element. And feels more open world-y than Uncharted ever has done.
Alas, there's another barely interactive fist fight, which feels entirely arbitrary, and out of the player's hands.
We also meet some Bad People, who are also looking for the thing that the Drakes are looking for.
There's some lovely art design in this level. There's also an escape sequence towards the end, which introduces a new, Metal Gear-ish, stealth element. And feels more open world-y than Uncharted ever has done.
Alas, there's another barely interactive fist fight, which feels entirely arbitrary, and out of the player's hands.
Then we're off to Scotland. Which doesn't much look like Scotland, but never mind. Trees, rocks, and snow. Scotland has those, right?
The graphics succeed in the character animations more than anything. The landscapes are nice, but nothing so far has really stunned. It's clearly a step-up visually from the earlier games, but also somehow slightly disappointing.
Was that a conscious choice, because they wanted it to feel visually part of the same series? Well, it worked.
The graphics succeed in the character animations more than anything. The landscapes are nice, but nothing so far has really stunned. It's clearly a step-up visually from the earlier games, but also somehow slightly disappointing.
Was that a conscious choice, because they wanted it to feel visually part of the same series? Well, it worked.
And that's it thus far. Early verdict... it feels like an Uncharted game. Nothing revolutionary, but the focus of the series is more on story than ever. This is a game that is, for once, entirely about the characters.
Naughty Dog remain the masters of making even the gameplay about the character's motivations. A couple of times, it felt like the cutscenes were longer than they had been in the past, but maybe not.
Overall... we want to see where the story is heading. And that's surely a mark of success.
Could do with a bit less of that whole Drake-grabs-onto-something-and-it-gives-way, though. Now it happens so often we've just come to expect it.
Naughty Dog remain the masters of making even the gameplay about the character's motivations. A couple of times, it felt like the cutscenes were longer than they had been in the past, but maybe not.
Overall... we want to see where the story is heading. And that's surely a mark of success.
Could do with a bit less of that whole Drake-grabs-onto-something-and-it-gives-way, though. Now it happens so often we've just come to expect it.
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