Uncharted : Drake's Fortune*

[Phil]

how is it that COD4 scores a 10 for graphics and Uncharted only a 9?

Most casual people or reviews don't have that understanding of what is technically demanding in a game (and therefore impressive) and what isn't. On firrst glance, COD4 looks very good with its aim for as much realism as possible, the attention to detail, the lighting, smoke effects etc. It's all very well done. Then you have R&C that's also very beautiful game, because it does what it tries (a cartoony platformer) very well. Then you have Uncharted - a great looking game, but has neither a cartoony style, nor a very realistic one. It's in between, which probably comes across as less impressive from a casual reviewers point of few. I have no doubt though that on a technical level, Uncharted is one of the most impressive games out at the moment.

AC while good looking, but be fighting with lower graphics score due to the tearing and framerate issues. I don't know about you, but even if a game had the most unbelievable graphics, if it couldn't play them at a smooth framerate, I wouldn't be talking of much an achievement. Tried isn't equal to achieved.

 

[DJ12]

FPS's will be the death of gaming in my opinion.

Carmack has a lot to answer for

 

[dskneo]

so halo3 graphics = uncharted? they which

 

[Daozang]

It seems they detract too much for things like "flickering textures" or pop in and tearing, missing the forest for the trees. Uncharted and AC are clearly two of the best looking games yet released, yet get only 9.0 and 8.5 for graphics? Makes no sense.

Well, textures pop up in Crysis too. I'm sure it won't get a 9 for graphics.
I think that if the game is compared with pc games like Crysis for example, then a 9 is great. But on consoles, it is up there with the best, and by best I don't mean Halo 3.

 

[Arwin]

Glowing review from Eurogamer:

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=87533&page=3 9/10

 

[pipo]

Very good!

Looking forward to this one...

Edit - Freakin' hell. Just checked the release date over here (it's december 7th btw), but the retail price is 80€!?!

Damn.

 

[macabre]

Very good!

Looking forward to this one...

Edit - Freakin' hell. Just checked the release date over here (it's december 7th btw), but the retail price is 80€!?!

Damn.

65 in my area.
I will import for 46 I hope the dollar stays low like that

 

[Arwin]

Very good!

Looking forward to this one...

Edit - Freakin' hell. Just checked the release date over here (it's december 7th btw), but the retail price is 80€!?!

Damn.

51,49 euro from play.com ... free delivery.

EDIT and from the comments of the Eurogamer review, the reviewer (krudster) mentioned this when asked about IGN's comments on the graphics:

Tearing? TV dependent I guess. Didn't notice it on my screen, maybe it's visible on some makes and models and not others.

Popup? That's the biggest non-issue ever. It's easily one of the most beautiful games ever.

 

[pipo]

51,49 euro from play.com ... free delivery.

Thanks for the the tip. There's no way I would have bought it at that price anyway.

It's still an insane RRP though. Most stores will sell it at that price too (FRS / BOL.COM / Dixons / etc).

I thought Sony said their titles would be cheaper?

 

[Arwin]

Thanks for the the tip. There's no way I would have bought it at that price anyway.

It's still an insane RRP though. Most stores will sell it at that price too (FRS / BOL.COM / Dixons / etc).

I thought Sony said their titles would be cheaper?

They are! But all those stores are putting the change into their own pocket instead of ours. In store prices here are typically around 65 euro. That's a 12 euro markup that the shop keeps for itself. I'm inclined to mention it to a consumer organisation to be honest.

 

[pipo]

They are! But all those stores are putting the change into their own pocket instead of ours. In store prices here are typically around 65 euro. That's a 12 euro markup that the shop keeps for itself.

Are you sure? I think they're following the RRP. But I thought PS3 software prices were lower than the 360's?

E.g. have a look at BOL. They usually charge RRP too. Still 360 games are a lot cheaper than PS3 games (e.g. Mass Effect = 63€).

Anyways, I normally shop at Media Markt (I've got 4 of them within a 30 minute drive). They had e.g. Halo 3 for 45€.

/OT

 

[DJ12]

51,49 euro from play.com ... free delivery.

EDIT and from the comments of the Eurogamer review, the reviewer (krudster) mentioned this when asked about IGN's comments on the graphics:

He also said "in it's 1080p glory".

 

[Arwin]

Are you sure? I think they're following the RRP. But I thought PS3 software prices were lower than the 360's?

Sony titles should normally all be something like the 51,49 you see above. Other titles vary depending on the publisher.

E.g. have a look at BOL. They usually charge RRP too. Still 360 games are a lot cheaper than PS3 games (e.g. Mass Effect = 63€).

There seems to be generally 2 euro difference between the same PS3 and 360 titles at Bol. But Bol.com has never been cheap anyway, in my experience, though some titles go up to 69.99 in some stores. 64,50 is what a lot of games cost in stores also, so it's a bad price for an online store to be honest.

Anyways, I normally shop at Media Markt (I've got 4 of them within a 30 minute drive). They had e.g. Halo 3 for 45€.

I've been really unlucky in that respect. The Media Markt where I live does the same thing as all the other stores, and I've yet to see a decently priced game there.

/OT

EDIT: I ordered Ratchet & Clank and Uncharted together from Amazon for 68 pound .... together with delivery that comes to 75 pound, which is currently 105.6 euro, so that's 52,30 per game.

 

[Arwin]

He also said "in it's 1080p glory".

I assume his TV is 1080p ... ? I don't know what native support the game has for upscaling to 1080p or whether his TV did it. I could go ask.

 

[DJ12]

Well, even if his TV is 1080p, the game isn't.

I wouldn't expect a seasoned game reviewer to make that mistake.

At any rate, I'm glad he thinks the IGN "issues" are nothing to worry about.

I really do not like the shooting sections (not because they are bad, just because I don't like shooting games that much. Well, there has to at least be some sort of auto aim feature like R&C has), but the platform type sections make this a must by game for me.

 

[Scott_Arm]

For graphics, I think reviewers are evaluating what they see on screen and not what the machine is doing under the hood. So style and artwork mean a lot, which can both be very subjective. A game like Uncharted may be a technical powerhouse, but most reviewers aren't going to care unless they enjoy the final image displayed to the screen. That said, 9/10 is a great score. If you think it should be a 9.3 or a 9.7, you're worrying a little too much.

 

[deepbrown]

For graphics, I think reviewers are evaluating what they see on screen and not what the machine is doing under the hood. So style and artwork mean a lot, which can both be very subjective. A game like Uncharted may be a technical powerhouse, but most reviewers aren't going to care unless they enjoy the final image displayed to the screen. That said, 9/10 is a great score. If you think it should be a 9.3 or a 9.7, you're worrying a little too much.

Really what Eurogamer says in their article about the graphics is enough.

In a game where the split between combat and platforming is about 50-50,

YESSSS!

In Uncharted, it's not just superior to Gears in terms of out and out detail, but brings a feel-good factor with the sheer level of environmental variety on offer.

The dusty, crumbling ruins, the dense, tropical forests, and even the water effects - they're above and beyond anything committed to a gaming canvas to date.

Oh and as far as the EGm scores...they were expecting difficult puzzles like in Soul Reaver, just because Amy Henning was working on the game (they said so in their 1up show)_

 

[betan]

Ignoring gfx for a second:

The fact that Uncharted: Drake's Fortune has ended up so good has come as a real surprise, given that there was never any real 'buzz' around it leading up to its release. But, thinking about it, when has Naughty Dog ever let us down?

That's how I felt after the demo.

BTW, I'm very curious about the "180-degree gameplay turn" IGN mentions.

 

[DJ12]

I wish they hadn't said anything.

I think it's fairly obvious what it will be from what they said.

My money is on it turning from a sneaky cover based shooter to a full frontal assault just running and blasting everything.

 

[Arwin]

krudster@Eurogamer:

"The TV I've just splashed out on is a 50" Samsung 1080p jobbie, ps50p96fd
Best value, highest spec 50" true HD 1080p out there - about £700 cheaper than the current flavour of the month, the Pioneer Kuro, and about £4-500 cheaper than Panasonic's top 50". "

so at least he played it on a 1080p TV ...