Uncharted

[toblix]

Also, that wasn't so hard. In fact, once you get the zombie killing technique, it's a breeze. So, now I'm in front of the library being fired at from all directions, and it's awesome.

[Cigol]

A somewhat accurate depiction of Toblix's mood throughout the game?

[toblix]

... and back into the church. This has to be the most awesome location for me, combat-wise. There's the soldiers making their careful way towards me, covering behind pews and columns, covered from above by snipers. Then there's me, doing the same. I can't camp in the rear, because I need the ammo of the guys I kill, so I have to balance how close I let them come and how fast I'm willing to move forward. And peeking out from cover, the sniper's lasers immediately start to circle in. The enemy sniper mechanic is awesome. So simple and predictable, but it adds just enough tension.

[miffy495]

You're getting pretty near the end, as I recall. If you go back and read the spoiler tags in the comments I started the thread with, you'll see I had the exact same reaction to the zombies as you. I believe the exact words were WTFZOMBIES????

EDIT: Actually, that reaction was in a different Uncharted thread. Here. No spoiler tags, either. Whups.

[toblix]

Okay, just finished it. Great game, but one thing stood out: the ending.

Let me tell you a little about the ending (without spoiling the story): Uncharted had what is probably the best action game ending structure I've ever experienced. Instead of placing some crazy-ass difficult challenge right at the end, like GTA IV did, they pulled back a bit on the difficulty and stuffed the end-game full of checkpoints. This made the sequence of events throughout the ending chapter flow nicely, without frustrating repetitions and rage quits. I was totally surprised by how the ending played out, and it really brought out the cinematicness that the game is all about and ended the game on a super-high note, leaving me wanting more immediately.

Apparently Uncharted 2 will be out next year.

[Scrobbs]

Right, I'm going to have to borrow this again I think.

[Jayel]

I finally finished Uncharted: Drake's Fortune today. (I was late to the party)

It's a short game - my save file says I spent 8 hours - but it feels like I've been playing it forever. Looking back on it, I can't recall any good parts. All I can remember are negative parts. Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe I'm just jaded. or maybe I simply don't have good taste in gaming anymore. Who knows. In any case, I feel like venting:

Puzzles are ridiculously easy. It's like solving a 2-piece jigsaw puzzle, every damn time. I'm not saying they should be frustrating, but damn, the designers must think we're idiots or something!

Speaking of easy, the platforming parts are crazy easy too. The series of jumps you have to make are strictly linear, and you can't make any wrong turns or have to figure out where to go next. There's absolutely no sense of urgency or excitement. I had my brains turned off during all platforming bits - it's just plain boring.

You die a lot (or rather, I died a lot). unlike puzzles and platforms, gunplay bits are tough. I'd say the game is about 8% platforming, 2% puzzles/adventure bits, and 90% combat. Combat is where the meat is, so you'd figure they put the most effort in getting it right, right? Guess what the best weapon in the game is: a frigging pistol. The pistol you start with is more powerful and more accurate than the most powerful machine gun they give you. And how about that nightmarish grenade controls?

Traveling upstream on your jetski: it's easily the worst part of the game. Not because it's frustrating, but because it's patently ridiculous! Who the hell is throwing explosive barrels into the rapids every 10 seconds, and how the hell does he/she know that you're downstream? Donkey Kong makes more sense than this nonsense.

you kill 1000's of people by the end of the game despite the fact that you're supposed to be just an ordinary guy. There are bad guys EVERYWHERE. You solve a puzzle that opens up a hidden passageway and you think it would be unexplored and devoid of bad guys... noooo, you'd be wrong. It's full of bad guys.

Zombies: I won't say zombies are completely out of place, but damn, way to totally change up the gameplay when you're at 90% completion mark! Instead of making you apply the skills you learned throughout the game in novel/interesting ways as the end nears (like a good game should) the designers threw their hands up in the air and said "fuck it! let's make all the learned skills useless!"

Remember the very first (or second) chapter where you learn to balance on tightrope using six-axis? Never used again afterwards. I sure don't miss it, but if I ever had to give evidence to how hastly the gameplay is put together, this is it.

But the biggest problem? I wasn't immersed in the game at all! The graphics are nice and some of the environment look amazing, but the game as a whole didn't feel like an organic, narrative experience. It's very hard to suspend disbelief with all the ridiculous bits constantly taking me out of the game. If the gameplay isn't interesting and you aren't immersed in the world, then what's keeping you from quitting?

I sure am glad that's done and over with. Now, on to inFamous...

[Erkki]

you kill 1000's of people by the end of the game despite the fact that you're supposed to be just an ordinary guy. There are bad guys EVERYWHERE. You solve a puzzle that opens up a hidden passageway and you think it would be unexplored and devoid of bad guys... noooo, you'd be wrong. It's full of bad guys.

Yeah, that is fucking stupid. Where are all these random people coming from? Or the cars that you can even see spawning right in the middle of a jungle.

I just started playing it, says 4 hours and 48%. Combat is too hard and too present for my taste with the normal difficulty.

Overall I like parts of it so far, and it's probably better than most games in its genre, but it also seems stupid in many ways and perhaps not my favourite type of game.

Please tell me that Uncharted 2 gets better than this! That was the game that really brought attention to the series, I think. How is the mix of combat / other stuff in U2? And combat difficulty?

Oh, and thanks to Toblix for sending me this game (and Uncharted 2) ages ago.

[Thyroid]

The sequel improves on the original in many vital ways, combat included. At the beginning, I thought it was going to be a retread of the first but it changes-up quickly.

The first is pretty good, though. I recommend sticking with it. It makes the second a tiny bit better, too.

I'm excited to play the third one at some point in the distant future.

[Cigol]

Uncharted 2 is just as difficult. I remember the last couple of levels were a challenge for me especially, almost to the extent I was prepared to throw my controller across the room. I'm not sure it's better either, it's just more of the same, done better, so if you don't like the first I doubt you'd like the sequel, or the sequels sequel.

I personally enjoy the story and its characters enough that I can look past the formulaic combat and 'puzzles that solve themselves', and some of the set pieces, particularly in the sequel(s?), are amazing.

[Erkki]

Switched to easy difficulty but not noticing much difference. The upriver part was especially hard, trying to dodge those barrels, keep the jetski straight and shoot the guys before they shoot me (and only seemed to take two or three shots for them to kill me near the end of that part).

[syntheticgerbil]

I find the first one to be pretty hit or miss, but 2 really made me fall in love with the series. Part of it could be that 2 seemed more platform heavy and the stealth kills were done in a way you could clear whole sections out of enemies and not deal with the monotonous gunfighting.

I disagree with Cigol somewhat on the end part of 2 where it's more of the same. A lot of killing on that part is strangely teetered on making sure you only use the crossbow. Not sure why, as other weapons seem like they'd be more effective. Once you figure that out, I did not find any of the later parts anywhere as annoying as any of the frustrating shootouts in the first Uncharted.

[Gwardinen]

I disagree with Cigol somewhat on the end part of 2 where it's more of the same. A lot of killing on that part is strangely teetered on making sure you only use the crossbow. Not sure why, as other weapons seem like they'd be more effective. Once you figure that out, I did not find any of the later parts anywhere as annoying as any of the frustrating shootouts in the first Uncharted.

Yeah, the end of the second game is stupid, but it's stupid in a very specific way. Once I got the "trick" (which basically boils down to getting the crossbow and learning to use it effectively) I didn't find it any harder than any other part of the game, it's just sort of bizarre.

[Thrik]

The difference is quality between Uncharted 1 and 2 is quite remarkable. It goes from being a fairly lovable Beyond Good and Evil-esque little gem — which is exactly what it was before the popularity of UC2 I recall — to a game which is almost flawless in every regard, delivering a pitch-perfect action experience.

So while UC1 is a great game and I thoroughly enjoyed its Indiana Jones-riffing plot from beginning to end (increasingly so as it continues), there are definitely design choices made that are borderline insane. Whereas in UC2 I actually got excited about every single battle because they were so finely crafted, in UC1 it was more of a "Oh for fucks sake..." reaction every time I saw a fresh band of pirates appear around every corner.

The superior combat mechanics — including full-blown stealth options that let you play the whole game like Metal Gear Solid with alert modes and all — certainly make UC2's action more fun, but it's down to simple level design too I think. UC1 feels more like an experiment whereas UC2 is just plain fuckin' execution. Also UC1 lacks much in the way of awesome set pieces, whereas UC2 has them pouring out its arse.

Fortunately UC2 is designed in such a way that you really don't need any knowledge of UC1 to understand the story, much like the Indy films. The only thing you'll benefit from is recognising a couple of characters, which is nice but not vital. So if UC1 is really fucking you off and you're not seeing the glow of the Uncharted series, just skip it and get UC2.

[Nappi]

I'm still unsure whether I should buy Uncharted 3 or not. I loved many parts of the second game, but the three hour firefight that was the endgame, left a really bad taste in my mouth. Sure, the fighting was loads better than in the first game, but I still didn't enjoy it too much.

Some reviews seem to suggest that the enemies can withstand less bullets in Uncharted 3 than in the previous games. I hope this is indeed the case, because the amount of damage some of the enemies could absorb in the second game was just ridiculous.

I'm also afraid that nothing can compare to Kathmandu of Uncharted 2 in terms of visual splendor.

[Thrik]

Reviews so far seem to indicate that it actually leaps considerably beyond UC2 with regards to combat and set pieces, which is something that kind of blows my mind because they were already at a level that takes the piss.

If there's one thing to take from Naughty Dog it's that they learn. Clearly every last issue with UC1 was analysed and sorted out, and it sounds like the same has happened again. The final boss in UC2 was a widely criticised pain in the arse so I really doubt that'll happen again.

Other than that nothing really bothered me in UC2 gameplay-wise. It was all extremely enjoyable to play, whereas the last boss had me shouting and swearing in a way I haven't done at a boss since Beyond Good and Evil's control-reversing clusterfuck.

[Nappi]

If there's one thing to take from Naughty Dog it's that they learn. Clearly every last issue with UC1 was analysed and sorted out, and it sounds like the same has happened again. The final boss in UC2 was a widely criticised pain in the arse so I really doubt that'll happen again.

I think I only died 3 to 5 times in the final boss. My biggest complaint was the 3 or so last hours of the game altogether. Amazingly the

yetis

weren't the worst of it. I don't know if the endless waves of enemies bothered others as much as they did me, so I'm not sure if Naughty Dog even considers that something they should improve upon.

[Erkki]

I'm more than 2/3rds through the first game so I'll just soldier on until the end. Looking forward to playing the second one.

If I found the combat in the first one too hard for my taste in Normal mode, should I go Easy in the second game?

[Thrik]

I personally think UC2 is easier than UC1 a lot of the time because it doesn't spam you with enemies like the original did, and also you have much more options for taking them out. I guess it depends how much exactly you find UC1's difficult, but I personally found cranking it right up to hard provided me with the most fun UC2 experience (due to it making stealth a more enticing option, something that you'll very quickly find out is emphasised in UC2).

[Erkki]

The only real problem was when enemies were coming from multiple directions or otherwise where you couldn't use cover.

Because one scene from the beginning of the game (it was in the demo too) was like this, I never was sure if bad guys wouldn't come from behind and therefore was afraid to make my way forward from cover to cover where I would possibly be surrounded. So I usually stay back and run out of ammo, and when I HAD TO move forward to get ammo, that often did trigger some new guys appearing, sometimes from behind or side.

In summary, what made it hard for me was that I couldn't figure out where I could stay in cover for the duration of the fight and was too pussy to keep pressing on.

[Erkki]

Ok, charted it.

I think I'll go Easy in the second game anyway, since what I expected from this series (perhaps falsely) was not a challenge but to watch a longish action/adventure movie where I occasionally push a button or aim at bad guys.