DIGITISER
  • MAIN PAGE
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Game Reviews
  • FAQ

CAN YOU MAKE IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THIS REVIEW-IN-PROGRESS OF UNCHARTED 4 WHILE THESE MONKEYS SHOUT THE C-WORD AT YOU?

11/5/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
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?

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.
Picture
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?
Picture
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.
Picture
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.
Picture
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.
Picture
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.
Picture
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...?
Picture
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.
Picture
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.
Picture
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.

Picture
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.
Picture
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.
Picture
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.
Picture
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.

Picture
FROM THE ARCHIVE:
  • HAVE A LOOK AT THESE SHITTING BABIES WHILE WE TELL YOU EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT CALL OF DUTY: INFINITE WARFARE
  • HAVE A LOOK AT THESE SHITTING BABIES WHILE I TELL YOU WHAT I THINK OF THE PS4 VERSION OF 'TOM CLANCY'S THE DIVISION' THUS FAR
  • THESE 10 GENUINE FACTS ABOUT SHIGERU MIYAMOTO ARE SO BORING THAT NOT EVEN THESE KIDS CAN STAY AWAKE


1 Comment
Clive Peppard
11/5/2016 12:27:02 pm

I never made it to the end, the monkeys triggered me.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    This section will not be visible in live published website. Below are your current settings:


    Current Number Of Columns are = 2

    Expand Posts Area =

    Gap/Space Between Posts = 12px

    Blog Post Style = card

    Use of custom card colors instead of default colors = 1

    Blog Post Card Background Color = current color

    Blog Post Card Shadow Color = current color

    Blog Post Card Border Color = current color

    Publish the website and visit your blog page to see the results

    Picture
    Support Me on Ko-fi
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    RSS Feed Widget
    Picture

    Picture
    Tweets by @mrbiffo
    Picture
    Follow us on The Facebook

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2022
    May 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014


    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • MAIN PAGE
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Game Reviews
  • FAQ