What's up, readers and true believers? Here I am, just in time to review the new Uncharted game...
Okay, so... maybe not just in time.
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Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is the latest and final chapter in the resoundingly successful Uncharted franchise. As someone who played the two last games on release, you can imagine I was eager to experience for myself the send off of this beloved franchise. It's taken us three console games, a handheld game and a few delays to get us here, but now we're there. And if the 93 Metacritic score was anything go off by, it's that it would be worth the wait.
But when I put my console down, I wanted to call this: Unplayable, Unsalvageable, Unrefined, Unfinished.
But I can't use any of that.
Because the game's turned out be... rather good.
I hope you're bloody happy with yourself Neil Druckmann.
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Although the game hits a few snags along the way and is fairly bloated... it's still something I'd recommend. In a sea of dishonest publishers, beloved franchise's being milked like cows, and downloadable content like punch lines (goddamn you and your Modern Warfare remastered bullshit, EA) this is an honest game from one of the most consistent game developers.
It's a fun, cinematic and ultimately rewarding experience that's restrained from reaching phenomenal status by a few significant flaws. If you are an Uncharted fan and already played this, you'll know what I mean when I say this is easily one of the best video game sendoffs around.
I mean, say what you will about Metal Gear Solid V but that ending was balls.
The highest point of this game is the final mission. For fear of not spoiling the game: the final hour of this game is some of the most emotional I've ever gotten in a video game and some of the most nail biting action I've had the pleasure of experiences. Add to that, I dug up all the twists in the narrative. All of which were earned.
All of which were earned.
Take some hints, Hideo Kojima.
Taking a basic concept of "Nate Drake comes back into the life of thieving 'one last time' to help a brother, his brother, out" Naughty Dog has told a story of love, sacrifice, determination, obsession and consequence. They haven't just told a good story, and a send off to the series... they've want as far as to take a dunk of 90% of video game narratives around.
Because let's face it, most of them are shite. Video game developers these days sigh couldn't tell a good story if their life depended on it.
That said, the game has it's fair share of flaws. When it's good, it's damned good. It's just a shame there were flaws that held this back from being something incredible.
Joel and Ellie shared such immeasurable chemistry on screen in Druckmann's best game, The Last of Us. Then again, that game is, IMO, the second greatest game ever made, therefore it's a tad bit too demanding to hold this game up that standard. I was expecting something like that in this game. Shamefully, I felt like the brother's Drake (that is, Nate and Sam) shared some chemistry...
... But not enough.
Don't get me wrong, Nolan North and Troy Baker are both equally stellar in this game, but there wasn't anything interesting in their chemistry. Nothing unique about their interactions. Watching them banter was similair to watching Nate and Sally banter. They didn't do much to set it apart from the rest. Yeah, there is some fun dialogue. But honestly? Even that felt generic.
That said, one of my favourite exchanges between the two is when, very minor spoilers, Sam tells his brother they should "leave before Rafe & Nadine start making out."
God, I love Troy Baker.
My biggest issue with the game is the repetitive nature of the plot. I dunno how many times they did this, all I know is that I can't count it on 1 hand: Drake believes he's found the Treasure > he's surprised to the enemies are there before him > he finds a lead to somewhere else, rinse and repeat. Frankly, I'm surprised Nate himself was so awestruck every time it happened, 'cause I could predict it coming from a long-way away every time it happened.
And it happens waytoo many times.
The plot contrivances in the game. I can't remember all of them but there are two that stood out. In case you haven't played the game, I might as well spoiler block them:
Perhaps I missed something. If I did, please explain away in the comments.
Going into this game I expected an emphasis on the dynamic between Nate Drake and Sam Drake from beginning to end. A consistent form of storytelling. Keeping spoilers to a minimum - the relationship between Sam and Nate is what I wanted to see. I mean, I didn't eat up the chemistry between the two but it was what I bought the game for after all.
But instead sidelining Sam Drake and focusing instead on two other characters?
Eh, it's okay.
The set pieces are far and few in between when compared to the rest of Naughty Dog's catalogue, which proved itself to be an shameful let-down. With the exception of the game's final mission, there wasn't anything that touched the sheer intensity of the plane sequence of UC2 & the poetic beauty of the Desert Sequence in Uncharted 3.
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That's enough cynicism for me. Bringing this review full circle and back to the earlier parts of this entry, suffice to say that the set pieces that are present are outrageous. The guys at Naughty Dog are still the best at providing cinematic gameplay. The puzzles are the best we've seen in the franchise as of far. They're intellectual, balancing, frustrating, but rightfully so, as completing them provides reward and catharsis.
Graphics have stopped impressing me at this point but there's still some... really impressive scenery in this game. I mean it. They've struck just the right balance between realism and cartoonish, and created something often beautiful out of it.
The final 20 minutes of the game will inevitably go down as one of my favourite stretches of a game. Don't quote my on it, don't assume you'll experience the same intensity that I did. But I'd be lying if I said that I didn't experience it. That's how you send off a game. That's how you send off a franchise. That's how you send a message. That's how you tell a story.
That's how you create beautiful imagery that's beautiful because you care.
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Hell, the villain was strong. The villain was fleshed out. You understood his motivations. And it has nothing to do with the fact they shamefully stole Jake Gyllenhall's likeliness. Even though they did.
I mean...
Ho-ly shit.
Oh, and fun fact for you comic book movie fans. The dude who voices the villain in this game is the guy that played Galaga in the Avengers.
- TAS
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