For example, the UC3 cruiser ship prototype was built by ND programmer in his downtime before UC3 development had begun.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End [PS4]
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For example, the UC3 cruiser ship prototype was built by ND programmer in his downtime before UC3 development had begun.
News just broke. Neil Druckman and Bruce Straley have also forced out Jack Tretton from the position of SCEA CEO.
Wait, are they also responsible for my current unemployment?!?! Those Dastards!
Bosses of Naughty Dog have released the statement in which they called out IGN for their "unprofessionally misreported" article. They said they were only ones responsible for studio affairs, that Druckman and Straley were NOT involved, that and that this official response was released because reputation of their two employees is being damaged without cause.
http://www.naughtydog.com/site/post/statement_from_the_co_presidents1/
Ouch IGN. You frakked up, again.
http://www.naughtydog.com/site/post/statement_from_the_co_presidents1/
Ouch IGN. You frakked up, again.
Uncharted 3 was on PS+ recently. I suffered through it and then immediately deleted it.
-The plot was stupid, but, thankfully, not quite so stupid as UC2. It was kind of silly how the Ancient Order of Very Bad People were going to such great lengths to get their hands on LSD when you can buy it in seedy sections of any major city, but not as stupid as magical blue tree sap that makes you rather strong, but not so strong that a pluck young man can't kill you on his own.
-I felt like even less of the interactive part could reasonably be called a game. Look, the way to fix an unskippable cutscene is not to make me walk forward to cause it to progress. The way is to put a "Press X to Skip" icon in the lower-right of the screen.
-Can we just get this out of the way? Cities with such critical design flaws that they collapse into the Earth because an explosion went off in just the right spot are not going to survive untended for thousands of years. I've had quite enough of collapsing cities, thank you.
-The combat seemed less bad. It felt like it didn't take quite so many bullets to kill someone. There were some pretty cheap areas, though.
-They should hire some level designers from Sands of Time to teach them how to make platforming more than just "push forward to win." Like, at least put some timing or other cleverness in. This is the third game in the series, and the platform is *still* devoid of any challenge or demands on the player.
-I appreciated how puzzles were no longer "The solution is in the book," and now it's a clue that takes a second or two to figure out.
7/10, won't pay money for the next one.
-The plot was stupid, but, thankfully, not quite so stupid as UC2. It was kind of silly how the Ancient Order of Very Bad People were going to such great lengths to get their hands on LSD when you can buy it in seedy sections of any major city, but not as stupid as magical blue tree sap that makes you rather strong, but not so strong that a pluck young man can't kill you on his own.
-I felt like even less of the interactive part could reasonably be called a game. Look, the way to fix an unskippable cutscene is not to make me walk forward to cause it to progress. The way is to put a "Press X to Skip" icon in the lower-right of the screen.
-Can we just get this out of the way? Cities with such critical design flaws that they collapse into the Earth because an explosion went off in just the right spot are not going to survive untended for thousands of years. I've had quite enough of collapsing cities, thank you.
-The combat seemed less bad. It felt like it didn't take quite so many bullets to kill someone. There were some pretty cheap areas, though.
-They should hire some level designers from Sands of Time to teach them how to make platforming more than just "push forward to win." Like, at least put some timing or other cleverness in. This is the third game in the series, and the platform is *still* devoid of any challenge or demands on the player.
-I appreciated how puzzles were no longer "The solution is in the book," and now it's a clue that takes a second or two to figure out.
7/10, won't pay money for the next one.
Well, I thought the gameplay was quite good. I'd still rate U2 as my favorite one of the series. I agree that the LSD stuff in U3 was a bit farfetched and I also didn't like the ending that much. IMO, U2 was great in that sense - the end boss might not have been the most realistic setting, but completing him at least gave you the sense of achievement. That's a whole lot better than finishing a game without it (KZ3 for instance).
I also don't quite have that much of a problem with collapsing cities. If I had the choice between a fun game with incoherent script and unrealistic setting or a boring game, with coherent and realistic setting, I'd easily take the fun game. And in that sense, I think U2 and U3 are very good games. They offer varying gameplay, challenging 3rd person shooting, a half-serious entertaining story and they're very solid technically.
I also don't quite have that much of a problem with collapsing cities. If I had the choice between a fun game with incoherent script and unrealistic setting or a boring game, with coherent and realistic setting, I'd easily take the fun game. And in that sense, I think U2 and U3 are very good games. They offer varying gameplay, challenging 3rd person shooting, a half-serious entertaining story and they're very solid technically.
For me Uncharted rocked when it came out, mainly because it was Tomb Raider done right. UC2 was a stocking action packed Saturday matinee and was so well put together that it just flowed from set piece to set piece. UC3 was just ND showing off it's graphics chops (preparing us for the Last of Us) and was using up story content from the cutting room floor of UC1 and UC2. But fun to play which is the whole reason for owning the game in the first place!
I have played many fun games where the end did not feature a city collapsing in on itself. Also, the collapsing city was the least fun part of UC2 for me, since they had you running into the camera for much of it. UC3 wasn't as bad, but one of the jumps was cheap, and most of the rest of it was "push forward to win."
Obviously, a lot of people find pushing "forward" as cutscenes explode around you just as much fun as playing a game, or the series wouldn't be successful. Great game for the casual gamer who feels a sense of accomplishment just for successfully walking through a passage.
The fact that you said nothing about actually playing the game is precisely what I think is so weak about this series. No one who loves this series ever says that there is anything actually fun about playing. They love the cutscenes, the story, the graphics, the music, the theme, the setting, etc.BoardBonobo said:
I've never heard someone say, "The combat in Uncharted is really gripping. Great controls, great weapons, solid AI, meaty challenge." This is because it is passable, and everyone knows it.
Nor have I ever heard, "The platforming sections are a great mix of timing and precision." This is because it is "press forward to win," and everyone knows it.
Nor have I have I ever heard, "The puzzles are good brain-teasers without being punishing." This is because they are insipid, and everyone knows it.
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No, I agree that the collapsing stuff is usually the least fun part. You are right, I found it quite annoying too. Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me, but I thought the collapsing city sequence was rather a small part of an otherwise lenghty and varied game. It also seemed to me as if it's some of the sequences where Naughty Dog was showing off its engine - just like the collapsing building, the train sequence and the collapsing platform / city in U2 as well. U3 just went one further I think with the plane sequence and various other parts like the collapsing city on a bigger scale. It may be one of the annoying bits for some, but on the other hand, it also just gave the game a bit of variation and a bit of a WOW-moment.
I still rate U2 higher. The collapsing building or the train sequence is still one of the most memorable parts in gaming on the PS3 for me. U3's stand out was probably the plane level for me. I find both games a lot better than U1, which felt too much like sandbox -> adventuring -> sandbox sequences. U2 and U3 felt a lot more smooth and fluid, which made it a lot more fun IMO.
I still rate U2 higher. The collapsing building or the train sequence is still one of the most memorable parts in gaming on the PS3 for me. U3's stand out was probably the plane level for me. I find both games a lot better than U1, which felt too much like sandbox -> adventuring -> sandbox sequences. U2 and U3 felt a lot more smooth and fluid, which made it a lot more fun IMO.
I dont know guys. I enjoyed every bit of U2. For me it was the most polished game I played last gen. U3 was also great. It had some spectacular moments although it was less polished. U3 was the only game in the series where some of the platforming didnt make sense. I too rate U2 above 3.
It's funny because I think now the tide has turned.
I played UC2 and UC3, good/great games but found it too linear and no more exploration, stuff to do/collect and no XP to gain. And I played UC3 before UC2, In my mind both games deserve the same 8/10.
But I am currently playing with Tomb Raider and for me it's really so much better than UC, on all aspects, (even graphics, TR is a so much more living world than UC). I really didn't expect that. Tomb Raider is like a great mix between UC and TLOU, strange considering TLOU released after, did Naughty Dog borrow some ideas from Tomb Raider?
Tomb Raider (2013) is really how Uncharted 3 should have been and how UC4 should be.
I thought the 'fun to play' sentiment was implicit in the But fun to play which is the whole reason for owning the game in the first place! statement. But since you seem to be more focused on the mechanics and not the fun part, The controls are tight, the AI is more than good enough to put up a challenge. The set pieces are amazing and blend in with the story and gameplay better than most. Simple things like being able to swap stance during combat are missing from other more shooting focused games, but present in UC.
It's fine to not like the game based on your own prejudice, but throwing a blanket over it and saying it's rubbish because you don't like that kind of gameplay is a little over exaggerated.
The reboot is very, very good! That's why I bought the PS4 flavour as well. Apart from the lack of actual tombs (or not enough) the whole game play is on par with UC. The crafting and skill set is a much more rounded approach to deepening the game. But I don't really see it as being a UC mechanic.
djskribbles
Legend
IMO, UC2 > Tomb Raider > UC3 (which is still good IMO).
My thought on the Uncharted games?
I thought the combat in Uncharted is really gripping. Great controls, great weapons, solid AI, meaty challenge. I also thought the platforming sections are a great mix of timing and precision. And the puzzles are good brain-teasers without being punishing.
Personally if I dislike a game series I tend to not bother finishing the first one let alone play all the series and then take a swipe at anyone that enjoyed playing them. You know, it's called 'each to their own' and what a boring world we'd live in if we all liked the same thing.
OT - I can't wait to see what ND can do with PS4!
There is a lot of truth on what you said.
I loved all UCs, and 3 more than 2. After seeing how I was mostly on the minority on that one, I made a carefull observation of both games, and of what the actual gameplay consisted on both games and what was engaging me on them.
Both do have solid (not exellent, but still above avarege) 3person shooting mechanics, with a great emphasis on verticality and traversal (which is something I like a lot personaly) mixed with serviceble platforming and traversal sections for the sake of variety and pacing.
Yet, a great deal of my enjoyment of those games (maybe more than 50%, as if you could put a numer to it like that) actually do come for the things you -dismissingly- pointed out.
I love the graphics, the presentation, and the technical showoffiness. Creative and well executed environments do enhance my enjoyment of exploring and playing on them, and there is nothing wrong on having fun with that.
Sequences with restricted gameplay options focused mostly on spectacle are not intrinsically bad if the spectacle is good enough to hook you. Flying off the plane and having to steer my way toward its cargo (even though that meant pushing foward) 'felt' really exciting, because I wasn't breaking the game design appart, but just experiencing a very thrilling adventure.
My favorite part was actualy the drugged Drake sequence. There was no gameplay there, but god what an awsome sequence. The music was AMAZINGLY good IMO, the mood was crazy, and the whole 3d distortion of the scene was so unexpected and technically ambitious it gave me goosebumps. Felt like a Demo-scene level in the midle of a AAA game with AAA assets and productions values, and supported by some context (the games silly plot) -GTA V's Michael's Acid Trip was equally refreshing to me.
This might be more enjoyable to some then to others, but there is no shame in enjoying it. I do agree that, without MP and the extra coop missions, such a linear experience does not grant a full price, but there is a mood and a mindset you can be on to find enjoyment on the campaing.
Dogged Determination: Insights Into the Development Process and Key Technologies Used by Naughty Dog
[hiring process, workflows and technology]
http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/03...ares-the-studios-secrets-in-a-hour-long-talk/
[hiring process, workflows and technology]
http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/03...ares-the-studios-secrets-in-a-hour-long-talk/
RenegadeRocks
Legend
^ I love the combat of UC2 and puzzles of UC3. Combat was broken in UC3, in my perception. I do like the characters and graphics but what made me a fan was the fast fluid Third person combat in UC1 which I much preferred over Gears, and then it was vastly improved in UC2, making it the best in the series and then the combat totally went wrong in UC3.
I like Uncharted because its the best TPS around and the fact that its the only game which makes me smile while playing and not portray me as an overtly out of control hunk with anger issues. My love for UC is not because of the cutscenes at all. Same for LOU its the best tense survival gameplay around, with the best in-game storytelling, the cut scenes are just extras, something I forget pretty soon.
All said and done, I would have been mroe excited if they made something new instead of another Uncharted. We had one too many on the ps3. I hope this one is a complete reboot instead of a sequel. Atleast that will be something new on my new hardware.
I like Uncharted because its the best TPS around and the fact that its the only game which makes me smile while playing and not portray me as an overtly out of control hunk with anger issues. My love for UC is not because of the cutscenes at all. Same for LOU its the best tense survival gameplay around, with the best in-game storytelling, the cut scenes are just extras, something I forget pretty soon.
All said and done, I would have been mroe excited if they made something new instead of another Uncharted. We had one too many on the ps3. I hope this one is a complete reboot instead of a sequel. Atleast that will be something new on my new hardware.
The thing that killed the combat for me in U3 was the double functionality of the circle, its used both for evading and some close quarters combat stuff if you happen to be near an enemy (was it grabbing?). Which usually meant I hugged a sweaty guy instead of dodging from bullets.
That and the enemy reactions to gunfire is missing - in U2 the bad guys dont apathetically just stay there if the bullets zip by.
And the "interactive" cutscenes just make sure I will never do a second play through.
I wrote a much larger post when U3 was released and I rather felt I was the only one that considered it some steps back from U2 in most regards. (All those 10/10 scores from magazines that rated U2 somewhat like 8/10 dint help either)
That and the enemy reactions to gunfire is missing - in U2 the bad guys dont apathetically just stay there if the bullets zip by.
And the "interactive" cutscenes just make sure I will never do a second play through.
I wrote a much larger post when U3 was released and I rather felt I was the only one that considered it some steps back from U2 in most regards. (All those 10/10 scores from magazines that rated U2 somewhat like 8/10 dint help either)
RenegadeRocks
Legend
But there was one thing that made UC3 the most played game in my household: THe SPlit screen co-op ! It was damn fantastic ! We still play it during holidays. Uncharted1,2 and co op of 3 are my most played games, not because of the gfx, but because they are a blast to play and replay ! I completed UC1 thrice, ResistanceFOM 2.5 times, UC2 twice (Played Nepal infinite number of times with the No gravity mod ON ) and played UC3 co op infinitely !
No, none of those were due to gfx or cutscenes, but because of fun gunplay and a bit open ended level design of each encounter. Same for Last of Us which I played 2.5 times too.
! We still play it during holidays. Uncharted1,2 and co op of 3 are my most played games, not because of the gfx, but because they are a blast to play and replay ! I completed UC1 thrice, ResistanceFOM 2.5 times, UC2 twice (Played Nepal infinite number of times with the No gravity mod ON ) and played UC3 co op infinitely ! No, none of those were due to gfx or cutscenes, but because of fun gunplay and a bit open ended level design of each encounter. Same for Last of Us which I played 2.5 times too.
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