Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

[Jacob Singer]

Lovely new trailer here. (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1067028#post1067046)

This is the first PS3 release that I'm actually interested in. It's either 'upgrade the pc' or 'purchase PS3' this holiday season for me.

[gravedigger]

Yeah, I'm excited for the demo next week. It gets said every year but, seriously, this holiday season is ridiculously loaded with interesting games.

[Bruce Wayne]

Same here. That trailer looks good. This is the game I look forward to most this year. The 3rd person action/adventure genre is my favorite. Hopefully they throw this trailer up on the Playstation Store today.

[Overlord]

It gets said every year but, seriously, this holiday season is ridiculously loaded with interesting 360 and Wii games, and multi-platform titles half-heartedly being released on the PS3. Also, the PS3 gets the awesome looking Drake's Uncharted.

Fixed.

[Rich Straceski]

Overlord's wrath knows no bounds... Ha!

That said I'm very curious to see how Uncharted turns out. I'm looking forward to the demo, and if I am lucky I will find the time to play it, and if I am luckier than that it will be very good. Time will tell.

[Bruce Wayne]

Originally Posted by gravedigger
It gets said every year but, seriously, this holiday season is ridiculously loaded with interesting 360 and Wii games, and multi-platform titles half-heartedly being released on the PS3. Also, the PS3 gets the awesome looking Drake's Uncharted.

Fixed.

Less wrath, same great taste.

[Overlord]

Less wrath, same great taste.

I am nothing if not fair and balanced.

[Vincent Grayson]

I'm looking forward to this.

Really though, what Wii titles are there to get excited about other than Mario? Smash Bros got delayed, and I'm having a hard time thinking of anything else big.

[Justin Clark]

I'm looking forward to this.

Really though, what Wii titles are there to get excited about other than Mario? Smash Bros got delayed, and I'm having a hard time thinking of anything else big.

Geometry Wars: Galaxies, Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, Soul Calibur Legends, the new Trauma Center, and Nights all hold promise.

[gravedigger]

Oh shits, I forgot about Umbrella Chronicles. And the Zapper/Link's Crossbow training package!

[FreeRobotSex]

Frat Boy In the Jungle: This season's hottest game for the PLAYSTATION 3®

[otisthecat]

Geometry Wars: Galaxies, Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, Soul Calibur Legends, the new Trauma Center, and Nights all hold promise.I would like to play none of those.

The new GameInformer has a list of what to look forward to this holiday season for all three systems. The PS3 list was like 5 1st party games, 3 of which have no official release date and will probably not be out until next Christmas. PS3 rules!

[Russ Fischer]

I've played a few builds of this game; not thrilled at all early on, but I've become more pleased with it as Naughty Dog has refined the gameplay. There's really zero new ideas here, but the last build I played -- which was a few months ago -- finally showed some real promise for good, basic and fun gameplay. The AI and gunplay systems still needed a lot of work, but I no longer felt as if I had no chance at all in a firefight, which was a glaring weakness a year ago.

[Mr.Crowley]

I got to play this last week.
Basically, it's "Tomb Raider" starring some guy.
The graphics look weirdly "grainy" at times.

[Bruce Wayne]

Played the demo, and it's a gorgeous game. The platforming reminded me a little of Prince of Persia (not a bad thing). I just recently beat Syphon Filter Logan's Shadow on PSP a couple weeks ago and the aiming felt similar. Reminded me of Resident Evil 4's shooting system as well. The animation in the game is great. There is a lot of variety in his movements. Didn't really like the grenade throwing mechanics but I may just need to use it a little more. It uses the sixaxxis for the arc of the throw. Overall, I'm pleased with the game.

[wadew1]

I thought it was pretty fun. It would nice if you could aim when you're not in over the shoulder mode, though.

[thalasi]

It looked great and I had a good time with the platforming stuff, but the endless stream of pirates seemed a little rediculous. Also, it seems to take an inordinate amount of bullets to kill people, even with headshots.

I really liked in the beginning when he jumped out of the plane and counts to five all in one word, it just struck me as funnier than it was probably supposed to be for some reason.

[McIrish]

It looked great and I had a good time with the platforming stuff, but the endless stream of pirates seemed a little rediculous. Also, it seems to take an inordinate amount of bullets to kill people, even with headshots.

Exactly how I felt,

I loved how they tried to flank you and didn't just stand there and shoot. It certainly looks gorgeous. Loved the body movements and the clothes getting (and staying) wet.

I was disapointed though, I was expecting more adventure elements, a puzzle or a big reveal would have been nice. Right now this only qualifies as a rental.

[McIrish]

I was disapointed though, I was expecting more adventure elements, a puzzle or a big reveal would have been nice. Right now this only qualifies as a rental.

Now that I've played the demo through a few more times and knew what to expect, I've changed my mind; this is a great demo. The last time I played on hard and loved it, I was forced to use cover better (my playing style has been referred to as "run and gun" on crack) and move around more. Definitely looking froward to the full game.

[gravedigger]

On my limited impression, the enemy AI seems pretty great, and not above the occasional error. I was trying to take one guy out and as he was running behind cover he actually tripped and fell down. I thought that a nice touch.

[wadew1]

This is getting good reviews so far. The length of the game seems to be the main problem.

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/uncharteddrakesfortune

[Bruce Wayne]

So did anyone pick this game up yet? I got it today. I've played for almost 2 hours and damn is this game gorgeous. CoD4 impressed me, but this one maybe a little more, if only for the animation of Nathan Drake. I'm on the 5th or 6th chapter so far and the game is a good mix of action and Prince of Persia like platforming. The cover system works well and Elena can hold her own in a firefight, so far at least.

I started the game on hard and I think that might be a good setting to start at. There is a higher difficulty but that has to be unlocked. So far I'm not regretting this purchase. First day I haven't played CoD4 since I got it. That won't last long since I love online, but it may be a few days till I go back.

[jmub]

Played the demo on the weekend. Great Looking game. hard as hell when it comes to combat, but in a good way.

Will buy it after I'm done with assassins creed.

[jmub]

Well I bought uncharted before I finished Assassins creed, and ended up finishing uncharted first..

Very cool game. Nothing really new about any of the elements that make this game.. but all the elements are really done well. and I enjoyed the storyline alot. Games a bit on the short side but I'm probably gonna play thru the game on hard cuz I liked the combat alot (I know its Killswitch/gears of war knock off but still). Still got a quite few cheats and modes to unlock as well.. Will finish Assassins creed now and then have a bash at this later.

[Nick Hexum]

One thing I noticed about this game is how good the voice acting and dialogue is. The characters are witty and Nate is a great protagonist.

Not as earth-shatteringly awesome as CoD4 but it's still a damn fun game.

[wadew1]

Yeah it has some of the best cutscenes and voice acting I've seen/heard in a video game. The Actual game is pretty good (and pretty), but it gets a little repetetive. I haven't played it since I beat it.

[otisthecat]

It's fun. Nothing earth shattering, but fun. Tomb Raider, less tits, better other stuff.

[Spike Marshall]

This game actually made my PS3 worthwhile for the first time in three months, just a great, great, game. It really reminded me of the old 1940s serials the Indiana Jones films were based off in its plotting and I loved how action packed the action was. I love slide tackling shotgun wielding thugs to death.

[Syd]

Uncharted is what the National Treasure movies wished they were.

[dontEATnachos]

I didn't realize this thread existed. I love this game. It's probably one the PS3 game I've enjoyed the most so far. I played through it once back at Thanksgiving but haven't had a chance to play through it again.

I loved the story and while playing it at my grandparents my father and grandfather both sat there and watched me play for a while because they got caught up in it. I've never really had that happen before.

Like everyone has said above, the acting and writing in this game was top notch. It was genuinely funny at times and I look forward to playing through it again. I'm sure there's a bunch of stuff I said about this game that is MIA from the PS3 thread though.

[Egg]

Half-tuck is the New Mullet by Tim Schafer. (http://www.doublefine.com/news.php/site/comments/half_tuck_is_the_new_mullett/)

Regarding Drake's shirt: "It is draped in a purgatory state, half in, half out, never completely free. It’s like an unfinished symphony."

[Rob]

I read that article last night. God I love Tim Schafer.

[BTSMGL]

My mom gave me a PS3 for Epiphany (or Three Kings Day, choose your favorite) and even though I'm a Nintendork (I miss that website) it's really my fault since while we were in NYC I kinda fawned over the idea of having a PS3 at my apartment to counter-program the Wii and GameCube.

So, I searched IGN PS3 to see what games I could buy for the console and seeing how Uncharted: Drake's Fortune swept almost all of the awards from their "Best of 2007", I picked it up.

What an AWESOME game. The story is genuinely engrossing, the voice acting and facial animations are GREAT and the game itself is addictive as hell. It's the first time in a long time I've been away from a console and felt the itch to hurry up and go back and keep playing.

I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I think my next PS3 game will be either Ninja Gaiden, since I've heard good stuff about that too, or Call of Duty (but I kinda prefer playing those kinda games on the PC).

I played Drake's on "Normal", so I'm guessing that "Hard" means no crosshairs and even more baddies, right?

[David L. C.]

I would wait on Ninja Gaiden. I read somewhere that sony is starting their greatest hits line again and Ninja Gaiden was one of the games. I've been wanting to pick this game up too but I'm just gonna wait till it happens.

[YellowHare]

Yahtzee pwns Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/2980-Zero-Punctuation-Uncharted-Drake-s-Fortune

[Rob]

I just beat this game last night and I had a blast with it. Bring on the sequels!

[Dan]

Sorry for the bump but I finally rented it and played it through.

It's outstandingly well made. The combat isn't awful like the demo lead me to suggest and is actually very nicely tuned. The visuals are excellent. The story's fairly poor but surprisingly well carried.

The quicktime events are shit and, as ZP stated - completely out of nowhere.

Something few people seem to mention is the sheer number of unlockables - there's bloody millions of them and there are a fair assortment of Goldeneye-style ones, including some more ridiculous ones.

Final note: For those who played the demo and whinged about the enemies taking too much to kill (like me), yeah that's kinda still present, but obviously the improving weapons over the game take the edge off - with one-shot kill revolver and a Dragunov, grenade launcher etc - plus there's an unlockable one-hit kill mode.

[YellowHare]

Does the game have much replay value? I threw this on my to-rent list, rather than to-buy, because most action/adventure games are usually worthy about one playthrough before you're completely done with it.

[Rob]

I went through the game a few times just messing around. It's one of those games that I have a hankering to play every once in awhile, so I've kept it around.

[Dan]

Does the game have much replay value? I threw this on my to-rent list, rather than to-buy, because most action/adventure games are usually worthy about one playthrough before you're completely done with it.

Serious amount of unlockables, but I borrowed the game from a friend - it's the same as Ratchet - no matter how many unlockables there are and things to go back and find, it's still a single player linear experience at the end of the day.

Rental.

[YellowHare]

So, I've been playing this over the last 3 days.

I'm surprised at how well written/acted it is, considering it's not particularly a very deep experience. I remember people making remarks about this when it came out, but I brushed it off as that "new game feeling causing temporary delusion". It's been a nice discovery to get an actual feel of playing a virtual movie.

The gameplay has been fun, and it's exactly what everyone said it was: Tomb Raider's exploration combined with Gears of Wars' cover system. I've enjoyed it, even if it got repetitive fairly quickly, and doesn't really offer anything outside of what I've already experienced. I think Yahtzee's review stated it perfectly when he deemed the title "safe".

Visually, I've been extremely impressed. The game is overly lush and I love the design and look of everything. In fact, it's finally done what I've wanted a Tomb Raider game to do for a long time, and that's create an environment that can be traversed without being overtly obvious on where to go. For the longest time it has irked me to play a game and the developers make it a point to practically put a sign saying "CLIMB HERE" with crudely-shaped and obviously-colored cliffs.

And I see it's really on the short side, as my last save was just a few minutes over 5 hours and it's already at 75% completed. I guess that's a good thing, though, because the longer the experience drags on the more monotonous it'd become (and I'm one of the few who doesn't mind a game being 6-8 hours, instead of 15).

[YellowHare]

Beat the game last night. Only took a grand total of 7 hours 35 minutes to beat (on Normal). Got 44/60 medals and quite a few of the "achievements" without really trying. Overall, a fun experience. Exactly what I was needing.

[Dan]

I'm on a second playthrough on hard, just to unlock some of the rewards (which is odd, because I don't normally do that) and it's still brilliant the second time through. In fact, I found myself watching the documentary unlockables, which again, is something I don't normally do. Naughty Dog are a great team.

[Rob]

I really enjoyed the documentary stuff. Especially the mo-cap work stuff. I love this game. I really hope they do a sequel.

[Bruce Wayne]

Beat the game last night. Only took a grand total of 7 hours 35 minutes to beat (on Normal). Got 44/60 medals and quite a few of the "achievements" without really trying. Overall, a fun experience. Exactly what I was needing.

Not bad. I started out on Hard my first play through and I finished it in just under 9 hours, 8 hours 58 minutes to be exact. I then went back and played on Crushing mode to unlock the rest of the stuff and that added a couple hours. Very fun game. I hope they do some sort of co-op in the sequel with Elena as a playable character.

[thalasi]

I really enjoyed the documentary stuff. Especially the mo-cap work stuff. I love this game. I really hope they do a sequel.

I havent seen any hard figures but its still about the best ps3 game out so it should have done well enough to easily warrant a sequel right?

[gravedigger]

LATE GAME SPOILERS

So someone at Naughty Dog is a fan of The Descent, huh? When I got to the room where that cutscene happens I was asking myself, "Why are all these guns laying around? And what's with these pits?" Pretty good scare.

But now dealing with the bad guys AND the mutant freaks might get a bit annoying. I tend to pray and spray when encountering the monsters.

[dontEATnachos]

Yeah, those crappy old WWII German machine guns are so frustrating when compared to the nice assault rifles the other guys drop though. And the lighting effects used in the underground stuff really help make it an intense experience.

I just started replaying the game myself and I'm enjoying it all over again.

[gravedigger]

Oh yeah, I was doing the "turn the generator on" bit at two in the morning in complete darkness. Extra spooky. The good thing about the old German machine gun is that it holds a lot of ammo. It's not too bad in short burst. The game really is a lot of fun.

[Kriegaffe]

The price for this dropped by 60% recently so I picked it up. With no expectations, this is quite fun. I don't mind the guys taking a lot to kill. I prefer the slower pace and enjoy the challenge of trying to safely execute a brutal combo.

I'm only up to the Library bit in the monestary which I think is around half way.

My main complaint is the silliness of no matter where you go the enemy is always ahead of you. Makes sense in videogame logic where you always need someone to fight, but hardly helps support the idea you are discovering some long-forgotten hidden chamber.

[jmub]

y'know whats funny? Uncharted has a much more enjoyable plot than the new Indiana Jones film.

I look forward to a sequel.

[dontEATnachos]

y'know whats funny? Uncharted has a much more enjoyable plot than the new Indiana Jones film.

I thought the same thing when I saw INDY IV. I was like, Uncharted just did this only more entertainingly. They even managed to get the Nazis, the Spanish, and early South American people involved.

[jmub]

Its a bit fucked in the head when a video game borrowing from Indiana jones, does Indiana jones better than Indiana fucking Jones. Coulda fit Indiana Jones in there one more time but that would have been silly.

I hear a sequel (which is odd because uncharted didn't sell that well on initial release.. maybe things have picked up?) and a movie is in development. They should keep the writers of the game involved with the movie script, but they won't. Shame cuz the game writers really "got" what makes a good adventure game (story).

[Bruce Wayne]

The Trophy patch for Uncharted is out now.

[Alan "Nordling" Cerny]

I finished this last Saturday. I agree that this was a better adventure story than CRYSTAL SKULL. That said, that last guy was a motherfucker to beat.

[dontEATnachos]

I finished this last Saturday.

Can't wait to replay it to get the trophies though, right?

And yeah, the end guy is a bitch. The fact that all of your cover in the later section is destructible makes it even more annoying. But overall, I still love the game.

[Martianman]

Once the glint of NCAA 09 wears off, I'm going to find a used copy of Uncharted and start in on it.

[Rob]

Weird, I had no problem with the last guy. Must have gotten lucky. Still hate the fact the trophies aren't retroactive. May have to rent this for a weekend to get some.

[Rene (Mr.Eko)]

Picked this up during the last days of Circuit City for $35, and just started playing it on Monday, after I finished playing F.E.A.R.

It's a friggin' beautiful game, and is almost like playing through a living movie. I'm really liking it a lot so far, and I'm looking forward to the sequel that's going to come out. This has really shot up on the list of favorite PS3 games for me. It's certainly the best looking one I've seen next to RE5.

[Rob]

I love that game so much.

[Rene (Mr.Eko)]

It's just plain fun. Love the dialogue that they give Nate Drake too. I just got to the 4th chapter, and right after he falls out of the parachute, his line about what a great start he's got after losing everything cracked me up.

[Rob]

Exactly. The cinematics are phenomenal as well. I have got to pick this up again.

[Alex Riviello]

I love this game. Only played through it about a week ago myself, easily my favorite PS3 exclusive. Easily. It's gaming in its purest form, there's no fat to it at all. Also, it puts Tomb Raider to fucking shame.

[dontEATnachos]

Yeah, this is probably my favorite PS3 game as well. I'm definitely looking forward to playing through it again before Uncharted 2 comes out in the fall.

[Dan]

Absolutely cracking game. I nearly missed it entirely though, since the demo never gave you enough time to get used to the combat mechanics.

Beautiful too. The repetition of enemies was only masked by the superb level design. I even liked the inevitable "unique" enemies near the end.

[Rene (Mr.Eko)]

Yeah, as far as PS3 exclusives go, this has set the bar really high. I haven't yet played Resistance, but I think it's hard to beat Uncharted. The design really shines throughout. the jungles and temples and every damn thing in the game is gorgeous.

[dontEATnachos]

The only way in which Resistance is a better product than Uncharted is that is has good multiplayer (R2's co-op specifically). But that just makes it a different game, not better. At the end of the day I spent more time playing R2 but would easily recommend Uncharted as the better experience.

[Alex Riviello]

Fuck Resistance. Completely overhyped... it's decent, but it's hardly the system seller everyone made it out to be. (Although yeah, R2's multiplayer is another story...)

The thing that surprised me so much about Uncharted as well was how great the story was. The voice acting is top notch, the characters incredibly likeable. I haven't gotten engrossed in cutscenes like this in a long, long time.

I'm so excited for Uncharted 2 now.

[Doc Happenin]

The best recommendation I can say for Uncharted is that my old room-mate, who NEVER PLAYED VIDEO GAMES, one day picked it up and refused to put it down. He was out of the house a lot, but whenever he was around, he was playing Uncharted.

[Rene (Mr.Eko)]

The thing that surprised me so much about Uncharted as well was how great the story was. The voice acting is top notch, the characters incredibly likeable. I haven't gotten engrossed in cutscenes like this in a long, long time.

I'm so excited for Uncharted 2 now.


My thought's exactly, Alex. The guy who voices Nate as some scruff young cynical guy does it so great, that some of the lines almost come off as adlibbed. I'd go as far as saying that he's reminiscent of Bruce Willis if McClane got stuck out in a jungle.

Can't wait to get back later and play the game some more.

[Dan]

I want to go back and play it now. Bastards.

[Jason Pollock]

My PS3 is a month old, now - and this is the first game I bought (got it for six bucks). I absolutely loved it. I beat the game and IMMEDIATELY started plaing through it again to find things and unlock stuff - and I never do that. I loved that Elena looked like a real girl...that people's interactions rang true...that the landscapes felt so real...

Hollywood's always on the lookout for video game properties to turn into movies, and this was such a fun story - you could shoot it as a film without amending the script.

Did anyone get a vibe from Drake like he was David Boreanaz and Nathan Fillion smooshed into one human? It's like they gave Fillion the spikey Angel hair and called it a day. The whole thing plays like Joss Whedon wrote an Indiana Jones-style adventure.

I'm sure that I'll change my mind once I pick up Metal Gear Solid 4 - but this is my favorite thing for the PS3 so far...

[Dan]

Metal Gear Solid 4 never really engages you the same way. It has moments of greatness (which are equally matched with awful ones), but nothing this consistantly great.

[Rob]

As much as I loved MGS4, this beats that game easily in the fun department.

[Miyazaki]

I want to go back and play it now. Bastards.

No shit.

My only complaint about this game is that it was too short. Or maybe I just couldn't put it down and it felt too short. I bought it used and was able to return it in the same week for a refund. But damn if you guys aren't making me want to go back out and buy it again.

[Dan]

It wasn't very short at all - but I do need to borrow a copy. Perhaps play on a harder difficulty. I have such fond memories. Especially when you first stumble across the underground "puzzle" room.

[Alan "Nordling" Cerny]

I've said this before in this thread, but this was the movie Indy 4 should have been, even down to the monsters towards the end. Just a blast, I might have to play this again now that I've got a fairly nice TV to play it on.

[dontEATnachos]

Yeah, this one definitely benefits from being on a nice TV.

I am kind of disappointed that they'll be doing away with the SIXAXIS grenade aiming in the sequel though, I enjoyed that in the first (not the SIXAXIS beam balancing though ... that is annoying and can be removed). Of course, it's because they're adding a dedicated grenade button which means I may actually throw them more so perhaps it's all for the best.

[Rene (Mr.Eko)]

A nice tv definitely makes a HUGE difference. My Samsung 32" HDTV has been worth every penny I paid for it. I'd heard about HDTV's really helping out with the quality of next gen games, but I didn't really see it until I played RE5 and Uncharted. All the other games I've played have looked good, but these are GREAT.

[El Santo]

Such a great game, definitely my favorite on the PS3 besides Valkyria Chronicles.

I played it last week for the third time. I've played it in French and Spanish and the dubs are great as well. It may be a little weird for latin american people like me (it's spanish from Spain accent) but damn if Sully doesn't sound great, just like the guys in similar old adventure movies I saw as a kid.

By the way have you guys tried the black and white filter?, I played my last playthrough with it from beginning to end and it gives the game an old serial feel. The filter does not just turn off the color, It accentuates the shadows to make it feel more noirish i think the developers put a bit of thought in this. The arrival to the monastery looks particularly impressive.

[Nabster]

Wow lets not get carried away, Uncharted was an awesome game, but MGS4 is on another level. MGS4s story may have been a little overblown, but in comparison the story for Uncharted was leaner and surprisingly good for a videogame, but still fairly generic.

[mediumdave]

Hey, let's not carried away into the other camp. Yeah, MGS4's story may not be the pulpy "sameness" of Uncharted (yeah, you call it generic, I say it's serial fun), MGS4 goes in the other direction and becomes bullshit philosophizing and terrible, drawn out, horrible, bad, ruined and not really good at all ending(s). And, quite honestly, it's generic, too. Generic anime.

I would rather have a fun, light, witty story with memorable characters that has fantastic voice actors than and overblown, heavy handed self-referential story with characters who haven't grown in 4 games and half their lines are translated so badly/written so gnarly in the original language that not even a good voice actor can make it sound convincing.


Uncharted rocks is what I meant to say.

[Domingo]

A nice tv definitely makes a HUGE difference. My Samsung 32" HDTV has been worth every penny I paid for it. I'd heard about HDTV's really helping out with the quality of next gen games, but I didn't really see it until I played RE5 and Uncharted. All the other games I've played have looked good, but these are GREAT.

Dude I'm right there with ya. We might even have the same TV.

Dude, I hate to break it to the video game world, but Metal Gear Solid 4, not actually so good. Maybe even bad in some ways.

Uncharted = Indiana Jones
Metal Gear = Anime, aka japanese storytelling asthetic, aka need I say more?

[mongycore]

Hey, let's not carried away into the other camp. Yeah, MGS4's story may not be the pulpy "sameness" of Uncharted (yeah, you call it generic, I say it's serial fun), MGS4 goes in the other direction and becomes bullshit philosophizing and terrible, drawn out, horrible, bad, ruined and not really good at all ending(s). And, quite honestly, it's generic, too. Generic anime.

I would rather have a fun, light, witty story with memorable characters that has fantastic voice actors than and overblown, heavy handed self-referential story with characters who haven't grown in 4 games and half their lines are translated so badly/written so gnarly in the original language that not even a good voice actor can make it sound convincing.


Uncharted rocks is what I meant to say.

Hey, let's not carried away into the other camp. Yeah, MGS4's story may not be the pulpy "sameness" of Uncharted (yeah, you call it generic, I say it's serial fun), MGS4 goes in the other direction and becomes bullshit philosophizing and terrible, drawn out, horrible, bad, ruined and not really good at all ending(s). And, quite honestly, it's generic, too. Generic anime.

I would rather have a fun, light, witty story with memorable characters that has fantastic voice actors than and overblown, heavy handed self-referential story with characters who haven't grown in 4 games and half their lines are translated so badly/written so gnarly in the original language that not even a good voice actor can make it sound convincing.


Uncharted rocks is what I meant to say.



Quoted twice cos this is the motherfucking truth...

[Nabster]

Hey, let's not carried away into the other camp. Yeah, MGS4's story may not be the pulpy "sameness" of Uncharted (yeah, you call it generic, I say it's serial fun), MGS4 goes in the other direction and becomes bullshit philosophizing and terrible, drawn out, horrible, bad, ruined and not really good at all ending(s). And, quite honestly, it's generic, too. Generic anime.

I would rather have a fun, light, witty story with memorable characters that has fantastic voice actors than and overblown, heavy handed self-referential story with characters who haven't grown in 4 games and half their lines are translated so badly/written so gnarly in the original language that not even a good voice actor can make it sound convincing.


Uncharted rocks is what I meant to say.

I agree with most of your criticisms of MGS4, there is a lot of BS philosophizing, but its still involving for a videogame, and very immersive, and they make you care about the central character. An aging warrior going on his one last mission, thats an awesome premise for a game I thought. The sheer quality of the cut scenes, and how they seamlessly blended into the gameplay was perfect. But I agree there was a lot of generic anime in MGS4. The story in Uncharted may have been fun and light, but the actual gameplay and missions don't compare to MGS4 imo, there are so many jaw dropping parts in MGS4. I loved Uncharted, I just rank MGS4 a little higher, but I do think MGS4 is one of the most impressive games I've ever played, so its no slight to Uncharted.

[Domingo]

Really? When did you jaw drop?

[Nabster]

The Motorcycle chase scene, the one where you have a broad comandeering the cycle while you blast enemies, probably the most impressive set peice in a videogame i've witnessed.

The many times the tentacled dude shows up, and the boss battle with said tentacled man.

The last fist fight was awesome too. There were other moments, been a while since I played the game. Domingo I assume you didn't like the game?

[mediumdave]

Let me preface this by saying I'm not trying to be a dick to you, Nabster. It's just that the "MGS4 is the best game that will ever be created" shit really turned me off of anything I even liked to begin with and I have lots of built up rage.


Really? Most impressive? Like the fact that it's just a pretty rail shooter? Look, man, I'm not saying it's not solid, it's just...that. Solid. Unremarkable. I thought the sneaking through street level gunfights between factions was far more impressive.

And the last fight. It started out cool. Silly, but cool. But then I lost. And I didn't lose because I suck, it's because the controls suck. And what you have to do sucks. And because it goes on for god damned ever. And when I came back from my save, it wasn't nearly as cool. And they completely fucked up the ending. Fucked it up, out, in and every other direction.

Yes, it's the story of an old man fighting his last war. I guess that's cool. I mean, he's not really that old, it's just the nanites making him old. He's like 37 or some shit. It's more like a young man who looks and acts old fighting his final war, even though he's only done it like 1 and a half times before but you know, never mind about that. The more the game goes on, the less and less it becomes about Snake. Except for the shining star of story and character in that game, crawling through the microwaves frying him inch by inch, it's more about PMC bullshit than him.

And then the ending, which could have made it good, made it right, at least some of it. But no. Pussed out and took away a scene that would've have been a simple, neat, quite, reflective ending and instead had to explain every goddamn thing in the goddamn world.

No, you can have your overwritten, overacted, underplayed video games. I'll take something with hair on it's balls, wind in it's hair and a treasure map in it's hand.

[Rich Straceski]

I really need to get my copy of Uncharted back so I can finally finish it for myself. I've lent it to a couple different people and they've all played it multiple times, so it's been getting put to good use. Never finished it yet myself, but it's one of the most 'pure fun' games I've played in recent years. it's very well put together and it all clicks. Whenever I go back to it I always start at the beginning, so I've played the opening few hours multiple times, and it never gets old. So much fun.

This was one of those games where the demo left me cold. The demo IS the game, but it didn't work for me in that form. For whatever reason though the game just clicked and worked and makes me smile. My experience with Heavenly sword was similar. It's why I don't put too much faith in demos. Apparently I'd miss out on lots of awesome stuff if I let my initial demo impressions take hold.

I'll leave off with saying I'll never get tired of stumbling upon that submarine in the jungle in this one. Such a cool visual, that also makes you scratch your head a little.

[Rene (Mr.Eko)]

The submarine reveal was great. Really reminded me of the reveal on Lost of the slave ship.

Didn't get to play it until late last night, but I really got into it, especially when you have to blow up the jeep to cross, then having to do some Cliffhanger jumping around on the monastery. The ledges that give way were awesome. I just can't get enough of this game. I was so into it that I played well until midnight, then I had to force myself to stop playing.

[V.T.]

When this game came out, I wrote it off as 'Dude Raider' and had no interest in it....

Saw a demo of the latest Tomb Raider, suddenly got in the mood for a similar experience, and decided to give Uncharted a chance. Glad I did. Its my favorite title on the PS3....love the characters...kinda like Indiana Jones meets Romancing the Stone meets Tomb Raider...

Can't wait for the next one!

[Nabster]

Really? Most impressive? Like the fact that it's just a pretty rail shooter? Look, man, I'm not saying it's not solid, it's just...that. Solid. Unremarkable. I thought the sneaking through street level gunfights between factions was far more impressive.

And the last fight. It started out cool. Silly, but cool. But then I lost. And I didn't lose because I suck, it's because the controls suck. And what you have to do sucks. And because it goes on for god damned ever. And when I came back from my save, it wasn't nearly as cool. And they completely fucked up the ending. Fucked it up, out, in and every other direction.

No, you can have your overwritten, overacted, underplayed video games. I'll take something with hair on it's balls, wind in it's hair and a treasure map in it's hand.

Yea that segment was basically a pretty rail shooter, but my oh my it was damned pretty, thus why I found it so impressive.

Look I agree, most of the actual story sucked, it was definetly overwritten and overly sentimental, but I don't think it was underplayed, the gameplay was deep and lasted fairly long. I just think the the production quality of the game, and the seamless blend of cinematics, the experimental fusion of cinematics in the gameplay, such as the the various split screen fights, the motorcyle chase scene and even the final boss battle was unparalleled in how cinematic it was. I know thats a little vague. Even though the actual story felt like generic anime, I still think its an important game in that it shows us how a potentially cool story and a game can blend perfectly.

[Domingo]

To be honest man I thought MSG4 was okay, but it did itself no favours. The only time I really got into it was the motorcycle scene, and unfortunately it never was able to get that good for me again. The story is just plain old retarded, and even though I can respect that it ties things up within its own rules, it's so heavy handed and takes forever to go from one story point to another. When the first super woman was killed, I thought to myself "Even though this Dreben thing is incredibly cheesy and melodramatic, it kind of works." Then they pull the SAME TRICK for every other woman... The game does itself no favours.

Game designers could learn an awful lot from the story of Uncharted. It doesn't drown you in useless story, it gives you just enough between the big action and platforming to keep you going, and you never dread a cutscene because you like these people. The cutscene where Nathan gets sprung from jail which turns into the big guns blazing jungle chase? Awesome.

[Alan "Nordling" Cerny]

Yeah, it's the cutscenes that push UNCHARTED into greatness. Most of them I just push through or sigh and wait, but not these. You genuinely like these characters and root for them to win.

I'd argue that this was more interactive cinema than a game, and thus can actually be art.

[Jacob Singer]

I'd argue that this was more interactive cinema than a game, and thus can actually be art.

"EVERYBODY DOWN!"

<Singer throws himself on Cerny's grenade>

[Alan "Nordling" Cerny]

I will not rest until every thread, from Gossip to Sex to Regional, is arguing over this issue.

[Dan]

Portable ops was far more entertaining than MGS4. Heh heh.

[neoolong]

LATE GAME SPOILERS

So someone at Naughty Dog is a fan of The Descent, huh? When I got to the room where that cutscene happens I was asking myself, "Why are all these guns laying around? And what's with these pits?" Pretty good scare.

But now dealing with the bad guys AND the mutant freaks might get a bit annoying. I tend to pray and spray when encountering the monsters.

Yeah, it's better to try short controlled bursts. Although, the bad guys and the mutants will fight each other at times, so you can use them to widdle themselves down before you step in.

[Rene (Mr.Eko)]

These mutants sound pretty freaky. Looking forward to encountering them and then blowing them away.

[gravedigger]

Man, this game is great. Definitely my favorite PS3-exclusive game. I might have to fire it up again and try a higher difficulty.

[Rene (Mr.Eko)]

Right after I finished the jeep chase (which is damn friggin' spectacular), I had a huge belly laugh when the jeep is teetering off the cliff and then Nate says "Eddie, hey!" Seeing him in the dirty messed up jeep and saying that just made me laugh so hard.

This game just keeps getting better and better. I've been playing it for several hours, and I can attest that it is pretty short, I'm already on chapter 14. Although it being short doesn't matter. If anything it adds to the replay value.

[neoolong]

This would make a better movie than Tomb Raider did.

That's not saying much though.

[dontEATnachos]

I would say watching someone play this game is a better movie than Tomb Raider is.

[Rene (Mr.Eko)]

Finished up the game last night, and it was a great ending to a damn near perfect game. I liked the explanation for the "creatures", and that was definitely a Indy-like touch, and as has been said already, this would have made for a great Indy 4 even though I really liked the one that came out. Since the game's already been licensed to a movie company I hope they don't change a thing.

Can't wait till the sequel comes out. I'm going to pre order that one.

[Domingo]

I'm so so sorry I have to say this, but I do...

Uncharted "got" Indy more than Indy 4 did, as far as the humour, and the almost cartoonish setup and payoffs to the action and mystery and adventure. There are people in this world doing Indy better than Spielberg, and that saddens me...

[Rene (Mr.Eko)]

I really liked Indy 4 a lot, but Uncharted really had a great plot and MacGuffin that would have worked perfectly as an Indy movie. When they make the Uncharted movie, it's a given that they'll be saying this should have been Indy 4 instead.

[Kriegaffe]

I really enjoyed this one too. Some of the puzzles annnoyed me a bit, but otherwise pure entertainment.

It's not perfect though. Discovering secret tombs, not touched by human-kind in 1000 years... and the bag guys got in there 30 minutes earlier to cause you trouble. In that sense it's very videogamey (with constant challenges) and less movie like.

Also, I liked Resistance 1. It was a solid shooter. Maybe not a system seller, but lots of fun.

[Jacob Singer]

Okay, the ridiculous mutant-guarded generator room can bite my ballsack.

I don't mind being inundated with deadly enemies, especially when more than adequate ammo is provided, but FUCK GODDAMN CHECKPOINTS THAT MAKE YOU REPEAT STUFF OVER AND FUCKING OVER. Checkpoints? I hate all you people that played the old consoles instead of good computer games. Checkpoints are archaic, childish, and fucking stupid.

Kill 10 mutants in the generator room to unlock door to switch A. Pull switch A, door to switch B opens. Kill a dozen or more mutants to get to switch B, pull it to open door to exit C. Kill another dozen mutants or so to try to get to said exit.

Die AT ANY TIME FROM RANDOM INSTANT KILL MUTANTS and start all over from the fucking beginning. That's not fun, that's work. This scenario alone is screwing my love for this game. If you think checkpoints add "tension" or "drama" to a modern game then please go into a corner and quietly fuck yourself.

[Jacob Singer]

Mind you, it's not the mutants themselves that I have a problem with, or even their ability to instantly kill at close range. I liked their introduction and Drake's WHAT THE FUCK?? reactions, and I think they're a cool, scary, unpredictable addition to the mix. It's the checkpoints that make you repeat details that you've already accomplished successfully that are fucking retarded.

[Rene (Mr.Eko)]

Check points can be a pain in the ass but that's what we've got to live with with most games. The ones I hated were the ones in Ghostbusters. At least most games tell you when you've reached a check point, Ghostbusters didn't.

[gravedigger]

If it makes you feel better, Jacob, that's really the only shitty checkpoint section in the game. Also, once you hit the second switch, you just need to run and gun to get out of that area. It took me a few tries to realize they never stop coming once you get back to that big room that joins the two switch rooms.

[Jacob Singer]

If it makes you feel better, Jacob, that's really the only shitty checkpoint section in the game.

Yeah, I'm a long way into the game and it seems a little petty to complain at this point, because I've had no reservations otherwise, but Christ I still loathe checkpoints.

[gravedigger]

So how do you suggest progress be saved in narrative games? These games aren't like Galaga or Pac-Man, where it's easy to pick up where you left off. I guess BioShock is the game that comes closest to that old school method of restarts and people bitched to high heaven about that too.

[Dan]

I agree that they're fucking annoying. But it's by far the only really bad one - I got stuck there for ages too.

[dontEATnachos]

The weird thing is that I don't remember that being an issue at all. The room I had had far more trouble with was the one where it's about knee-deep in water and pillars everywhere and guys shooting you from everywhere that happened way earlier (although when I started playing through a second time I had no trouble at all).

I do hate those mutant things though, so annoying.

[Jcassady]

Just finished it and enjoyed the experience. Very solid game. There are some camera issues and enemies apparently are wearing some sort of invisible body armor that resists bullets (seriously, five punches kills a guy, but five bullets only staggers him), but the game starts fast and only gets better.

I thought it was going to be monster plants, but when the mutants showed up I was pleasantly scared.

Very excited to see what they do with the sequel.

[Jacob Singer]

After a long break I took on the dreaded zombies again, and got past them on the 2nd try. Overlord, I'll be finished with this soon and I'll send it on to ya.

Can't wait for Uncharted 2. Damn.

[Parker]

I picked this up because Uncharted 2 looks amazing and I figured I better get on and play the first one first.

But I'm having trouble with the game. Somewhere around chapter 5 my game keeps freezing in the same place. It doesn't do this with any other game or Blu Ray. My system has plenty of hard drive space and memory, and it gets plenty of ventilation and air and its clean and dust free.

So...is it the game or (gulp) my PS3? Did anyone else have trouble with this? Do you think I should just return the game and get a replacement copy? See what happens?

[Jake]

Yeah, I bitched about this endlessly a few months ago. Did you download the latest firmware update?

[dontEATnachos]

I've heard the latest firmware causes freezing issues for some people. There is an (optional I think) update that may fix the issue for you.

I think Jake had a similar problem.

ETA: Apparently he did.

[Parker]

Is the latest 3.01? Because I just checked and it doesn't look like I've DL'd that yet. Is that what I want to do or want to avoid?

[Jake]

I downloaded it and the game worked.

[Parker]

I'll give it a shot. Thanks guys.

ETA: That seemed to do the trick. Thanks again.