This is a blog of my replay of the Uncharted series. I'll give my thoughts for each game as I go through them.
Apart from Uncharted 1 which I played a few years ago. I haven't replayed the others since they first came out so this'll be interesting
This entry gets a lot of hate and I can see why. The story is simple but decent and the game has good dialogue and solid Voice acting. The gameplay and controls however are a problem.
Aiming can be a pain, movement isn't as tight as you would want and climbing can be finicky. Now these weren't too much of a problem back in 2007 but they stick out like a sore thumb in 2022. Adding to those problems is the insane amount of combat encounters and you're left with a game that is very frustrating and annoying to play.
That being said. Combat was somehow still fun so it's not too bad I guess but I think I have a higher tolerance for these things.
Music was great, the game has nice sound design, the old PS3 era vibe is still there (I miss that) and the visuals are still really nice.
So even though the game annoyed me to a degree. I still enjoyed myself and I definitely wouldn't consider this a bad game. It's just old and dated.
This honestly should've gotten a remake instead of TLOU. It would've seriously benefited from it.
What can I say? Huh? What can I say?
This game is among my top 10 greatest video games of all time for a reason!
Top to bottom, from beginning to end. This game was insane all the way through. A god damn roller coaster ride!
My only complaint that this game is SO good that 13 years later, I STILL remember most of it. So the chance of re-experiencing those epic moments for the first time again just couldn't happen unfortunately.
Also had play on easy for final boss coz it was annoying but IDGAF
Regardless. This game is just as amazing as I remember and 60fps just elevates it further. Felt like it never left, man.
Story, characters, dialogue, voice acting, gameplay, level design, visuals, combat and set pieces.
I don't care if it has flaws. I love it all!
So I was never a big fan of this entry but this time is a bit different.
I enjoyed this a lot more than I did back on PS3. The first half didn't leave a great impression but it got better once you reach Yemmen and then it was fantastic from the Shipyard onwards. I absolutely loved the 2nd half and it pretty much saved the game for me.
That being said. I do have some problems with it. Particularly in the first half though some of those do show up in the 2nd half. It just isn't as noticeable.
-The way the levels are laid out
-Enemy placement
-How the guns feel
-Stealth feels very restrictive
-Hate the crosshair
-The A.I.
-The vibe
-Unfair Difficulty
It all just felt off and I wasn't feeling a lot of it.
Even things like Drakes animations which aren't always accurate to the present situation.
For example. Drakes running animation during combat or chase sequences are too relaxed and slow looking or during stealth he isn't exactly moving as stealthy. He's almost walking casually. Its like he does some of his actions half assed.
The other big problem was the difficulty. Look I'm all for a game wanting to challenge me and even make me feel overwhelmed as that can heighten the tension and make things more exciting which UC3 does but man do they go overboard with it.
Uncharted 1 & 2 had a system. The enemies were in front of you, others would creep on the side trying to flank you and then a new wave would come from behind. You were always behind cover and were able to defend yourself while they tried different tactics to lure you out. It was simple and effective.
Uncharted 3 said fuck all that. Lets have everyone come at you from all sides, then ramp up the difficulty to artificial levels by throwing 3 snipers, 3-4 armoured shotgunners, 2 unarmoured shotgunners, an rpg guy, a missle projectile guy, 3 fucking tanks and barely any cover. Call it a skill issue, I don't care. That shit is straight up unfair. A lot of times I felt like I got through that shit from just pure luck.
If they had just cut it down a LITTLE bit and gave me a bit of breathing room then I wouldn't be complaining as much.
With all that in mind though. I kinda liked it. Managing to take out huge waves of powerful enemies while being put in such an unfair situation is quite satisfying. It really makes you feel like a badass.
It works for the plot too. Drake being way in over his head is shown through gameplay and adds to the narrative so thats pretty cool.
Now onto the positives.
-Visuals are beautiful
-Set pieces are awesome
-Hand to hand combat is great
-Dialogue is still great
-Funniest entry so far
-Charlie is a great edition though you don't see him after the first quarter and he only appears in this entry so thats a bummer
-Music is good
-Puzzles were really good
Another thing I loved was all the subtle details to make the world feel more alive.
Drake put his hand on the wall while walking, parts of the environment would react to Drake's touch and that shit would vary in many ways. Granted they only happen once but it's still cool.
That 2nd half was just amazing and it really made me think more positively about this entry. I think when I first played it back on PS3, I was just so gutted by the negatives that I couldn't see the positives.
Is it UC2 level? No but its kinda close.
Good game!
I gotta admit. I really enjoyed this one. I wasn't a big fan of this entry back when it first came out. Had a lot of problems with it like the vibe, aspects of the story, no Chloe or Charlie and even things like gunplay and difficulty. Now Im not so sure why I wasn't feeling it.
The game is great. Controls are fantastic, and responsive, guns feel really good, level design is brilliant and parkour (as basic as it is) is really fun. Oh and the stealth is great. I'm so happy they fixed it. Uncharted 3 was so restrictive. Its like they looked at Uncharted 2 and thought "lets do this but better". Now you can actually stealth through many sections and not be forced into a gunfight. The areas are so well designed too so you have a ton of options to take em out.
Love it!
Now for the story. I really like the darker and more mature vibe they went with. Drake's decisions have actual consequences so its not your typical action hero story this time around and thats good. I personally wouldn't mind it if it was but its good that its different.
They put a bigger focus on the characters too and provided them with more depth than in past entries. Made them feel more down to earth rather than movie action heroes and I like that. It's good stuff.
I really like Sam too and I think he's a great edition to the cast. Rafe is also a really good villain and the best written out of the bunch. I still prefer Lazarevic from Uncharted 2 by miles.
Now as for problems? I don't have much tbh. I wish Chloe was in this but I can't see how they could've included her in so I get it.
I miss the supernatural aspect but I guess that would've worked against the more grounded take they went for here so it's fine I guess
I also hate that I couldn't get at least one hit on Nadine. I just wanted one good satisfying punch but nope. She walks away unscathed. I mean dude. You can't just have her kick me about like that and not give me the opportunity to enact some revenge. I want some payback god damnit!
Small spoiler but I wasn't really liking the whole destiny thing they were going for during one of the flashbacks. The whole "it runs in the family" thing kinda bothers me
It's not a big deal of course and it does make sense why Drake and Sam are so into history but still.
Anyway. That's about it with the negatives. There really isn't anything to complain about. Naughty Dog provided a solid and nicely paced ride that delivers on (almost) all fronts.
It's a fun action packed adventure with good puzzles, fantastic set pieces, gorgeous visuals and a really good story accompanied by some of the best performances in the gaming industry. Its the perfect send off for Nathan Drake and I had an absolute blast replaying it.
