Charting already charted waters
Uncharted Drakes Fortune ah memories...... Of blinding rage. Ok exaggeration but out of the three games the first is the most forgettable and frustrating. You know something's off when you get stuck at the exact same points you did years ago when first playing a game. I'm not even really talking about dying over and over again, the bigger issue was always figuring out where on earth you were supposed to run, jump, climb or drop next. It's a problem that's instantly remedied when starting up the second game but to call the way-pointing in the first game sketchy is putting it mildly. One thing (among others) that all three Uncharted games get wrong is the ending, adhering to the gaming tactic of ramping up difficulty by throwing swarms of bullet sponge enemies at you. Which results in the game arriving at the ending with all the enthusiasm of a teenager doing well.... Anything.
Story holds up as well as can be though, biggest strengths being dialogue and characters. The actual plot isn't exactly a Shakespeare drama (take that as a insult), with about all the subtlety of a bomb going off in a church during silent prayer. Someone dies but they don't really, someone's double crossed you, now they haven't, treasure is cursed and it goes on, this structure can actual be applied to all three games to varying degrees. Nate is still charming and never fails to quip about slaughtering an entire nation of people but that's what's endearing, it doesn't take itself too seriously. The acting and writing still shows up most modern released games, it's what NaughtyDog excel at most and it's only got better with time. Elena and Victor 'goddamn' Sullivan are a joy to be around as characters, every scene being uplifted by their presence. The sense of real back and forth and what would be considered as on stage chemistry is what makes the trio the most standout achievement across all the Uncharted games, I've no doubt the same will be said about A thief's end next year. Play it for the story but the real gold in terms of pacing and cinematic set pieces lie in the two follow up sequels.
Some interesting words there! Welcome to the opinion club!
ReplyDeleteNot sure which Uncharted I’ve got. Think it’s Among Thieves. The vibrant, colourful sense of fun is what keeps me going back to it, unlike Naughty Dog’s own TLoU, which always bums me out (I know it’s meant to… but it does).
I’ll most likely check out the other ones available on PS3. If only all modern TPS/FPS games were as chilled as these!
Thanks for the kind words, I used to write for some sites, thought I'd take things up on my own blog. Among thieves is the second game, also the highest regarded one. I'd definitely say it's worth checking out the third one aswell.
DeleteI used to write for forums and stuff before thinking "hey, why don't I just start writing for my own site?" Keep it up, it's lots of fun! :)
DeleteShall check out Uncharted 3!