Uncharted 4: A Thief's Thiefing Thief

[TheFlyingGerbil]

Apart from the prettier graphics (but the waterfalls still look bad) that could basically be a trailer for any of the the other games in the series. The reluctant 'hero' on his definitely-the-last-this-time international murder and theft spree which never seem to have any consequences even for his own conscience except as a minute long break from the action to try and make him relatable, except he totally walls into all these situations himself wide eyed and dragging his innocent friends along with him which he pretends to feel sorry about but does anyway. Id rather him just be like FUCK YEAH I GET HIGH ON DANGER. Kind of over this series now

[Mister Jack]

Well I'm not.  GIVE ME THAT 60 FPS TREASURE HUNTING.

[TCP]

Well I'm not.  GIVE ME THAT 60 FPS TREASURE HUNTING.

 

 

IT WILL BE GLORIOUS!!!

[Thursday Next]

So, they took the vid down due to using reference artwork from Ass:Flag. Whoops. New version here.

 

[TheFlyingGerbil]

For all the flack AC gets, people sure like to steal stuff from it.

 

Also looking this info up seems like a common occurrence for naughty dog, so hard to brush off as a mistake

[Hot Heart]

Apparently, they stole the concept for the Uncharted games from some films a while back. Indy Jones or something? Can anyone confirm this?

 

Seriously, though, have they done that with other stuff too?

[danielpholt]

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/03/01/new-release-date-for-uncharted-4-a-thiefs-end/

 

 

Hmm.

[TheMightyEthan]

For people too lazy to click the link: U4: A Thief's Thiefing Thief has been delayed 2 weeks to May 10, 2016.  It will launch worldwide on that date.

[TCP]

Perfect, that'll give me more time to get through UC2 and UC3, trying to do a playthrough where I find all the treasures, but that all got put on hold thanks to Far Cry Primal.

Edited March 2, 2016 by The Cowboy Poet

[Mister Jack]

Guess it'll make a birthday present for me, then.

[Hot Heart]

Multiplayer open beta is this weekend. Gooooo.

[TheMightyEthan]

Playing Uncharted for the combat is like reading Playboy for the articles.

[TheFlyingGerbil]

Just like the revamped PlayBoy, that's all that's available now.

[Mister Jack]

I've never actually read Playboy but I've heard they really do have pretty interesting articles from time to time.

[TheMightyEthan]

It was a joke, GAH!

[TCP]

You're a shit comedian, Ethan. 

[Hot Heart]

As far as I'm aware, Ethan's main criticism of Uncharted combat is the bullet sponges. Uncharted competitive multiplayer does not have that issue.

 

My impression's so far are that it feels like the Uncharted multiplayer of old but with even more of the Call of Duty-inspired kill-streak bonus things, except it's with regards to cash that you earn for kills, assists, grabbing gems on the map, etc. Before, I think you just had a couple of boosters, but now you can throw out freaking cursed relics (that are really just cluster-seeker bombs) or spawn temporary allies (like bullet sponges or snipers).

 

There's some extra manoeuvrability in terms of being able to swing on ropes, but the couple of maps I've seen so far don't seem to integrate the verticality like in the previous ones. It used to be fun finding a vantage point or being able to flank from all sorts of directions, which I haven't seen so far.

[SomTervo]

As far as I'm aware, Ethan's main criticism of Uncharted combat is the bullet sponges. Uncharted competitive multiplayer does not have that issue.

 

Heck, none of the Uncharted games have that issue.

 

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

Yeah, I loved the multiplayer beta, but I can't deny that the maps are disappointingly flat. They're still well designed and generally great maps, but where are the Highrises? Where are the Museum's?

 

However, I don't agree at all re your reading of the CoD-style killstreak stuff. Uncharted 3 was ruined by that. Utterly ruined. Weapon upgrades, perks, kickback boosters, boosters, specials... It was a total clusterfuck of unnecessary AAA-feature-creep mechanics. I love how Uncharted 4's approach has simplified it to a handful of 'tools' you can deploy at any given time based on how much 'money' you earn during a match. That's simple and elegant, unlike UC3's five different perks/tools at any given time with constant on-screen updates and audio reminders.

Edited March 11, 2016 by SomTervo

[Hot Heart]

To be honest, I don't really remember much of U3's competitive multiplayer so maybe it is very different. I thought we played it a bit as the forum, but maybe that was just 2? It actually reminded me more of Halo 4's MP which was actually p good.

 

Problem is, cash doesn't seem to suggest a great performance. I could rake in loads of cash but still have a pretty abysmal Down/KO-to-KOed ratio.

 

Having played some more after that though, I hate the melee thing. It's garbage. Hold L1 to charge it up, otherwise it takes 3 hits? It's worse than the old system. Also, was that revive thing like that in competitive U3? I hate that as well. Reminds me of Destiny's Trials of Osiris.

[deanb]

Yeah we played a fair bit of UK, was fun.I quite enjoyed the shooting and multilayered maps in that. Didn't get a chance with the UK beta though (unless it's still running?)

[deanb]

So it's a slight spoiler for UC4(nothing that impacts story but you might find more joy in experiencing first hand), and I imagine it works a shit ton better in motion but for those interested here's a bit of a incorrectly labelled "Easter Egg" in UC4:

http://imgur.com/a/FmNWJ

 

I've a feeling this'll get referenced later on in the game in some way.

[Strangelove]

All multiplayer content is going to be free. Theyre going to keep updating the game with modes, skins and maps til next year. All free. I like that.

 

For some reason I thought this was coming out in 2 weeks, but its actually next week. Damn. Time flies.

[TCP]

All multiplayer content is going to be free. Theyre going to keep updating the game with modes, skins and maps til next year. All free. I like that.

 

For some reason I thought this was coming out in 2 weeks, but its actually next week. Damn. Time flies.

Game of the year?

 

So it's a slight spoiler for UC4(nothing that impacts story but you might find more joy in experiencing first hand), and I imagine it works a shit ton better in motion but for those interested here's a bit of a incorrectly labelled "Easter Egg" in UC4:

http://imgur.com/a/FmNWJ

 

I've a feeling this'll get referenced later on in the game in some way.

GAME OF THE YEAR!

[SomTervo]

As status suggests: finished this gem up last night.

 

It's a very special game. A real treat.

 

In terms of 'wowing' experiences, Uncharted 2 and The Last of Us are probably bigger leaps in terms of quality, so Uncharted 4 isn't quite as purely special. It's also very long, with a touch of odd pacing.

 

It's a masterwork though. A love letter to Uncharteds 1-3, a love letter to adventuring - a love letter to probably the last happy-go-lucky game Naughty Dog will ever make.

 

The graphics and gameplay are absolutely staggering. Visually, there are moments that look like high-end digital concept art come to life. It looks better than a rich, detailed painting. Then you push an analog stick and it moves, and you're walking/traversing through these places that are frame-by-frame fucking art. It's crazy.

 

The gameplay is massively improved. Combat is energetic and faster than before. Lots more verticality, more options, enemis react far more easily and immediately to your shots. Your AI teammates are actually helpful - killing enemies, grabbing them for you to get a punch in, saving your ass with ambushes or grenades, etc. The majority of the gunfights feel more like wild, sandboxey skirmishes than the 'pop n stop' gunfights of Uncharted 1-3. I only played on 'Moderate' difficulty and I had to keep moving.

 

The following is going to sound ridiculous: But there are two or three parts which are the most amazing things I've experienced in a videogame. Literally. It's like playable Mad Max or James Bond stunt stuff. And when I say "playable" I mean playable - you're in control practically the entire time and things can even pan out differently. It's insane.

 

The pacing is odd. There's a lot of Last of Us DNA in here, to mark out the changes in Drake's life and the themes/tone of the whole thing.

 

Probably 70+% of your time is spent exploring and platforming. It's really nice and padded out - but there are times when you're gagging for intensity or action, you really want a gunfight to break out. However, it shows real integrity that they didn't do that. Unlike Bioshock Infinite or The Last of Us or Uncharted 3, Naughty Dog stuck to their guns and only included gunfights where it felt natural. There are fewer gunfights than ever before and they occur in places that make complete sense. This does feel disappointing sometimes - but I guess multiplayer is there to give you wall-to-wall action when you want it.

 

Re level design, which is amazeballs, there are multiple routes even when doing the 'climbey' bits - so it never feels like "mash X to continue" like it did in Uncharted 1-3. You will mash X for a bit then reach a 2-4 split route up a cliff and think "which way will I go?" One might lead around to a cliff, one might include a daring rope-swing out into a chasm, one might just be a crumbling ledge to creep along. The adventure feels like yours.

 

Plus treasures and secrets are now far harder to find. They seem to have followed a rule that they will only place Treasures where it makes sense for a treasure to be. As a result, some of them are fucking well hidden. There are even little secrets and puzzles and combat encounters hidden away in the larger playspaces.

 

The story is really good, though there are a few odd decisions, and it definitely doesn't have the impact of TLoU or the conciseness of UC2. Still a few fucking stand-out moments that are special and push the lore/backstory in really interesting ways. (Sam Drake is bloody great.)

 

Anyway. It's a real treat. A special game, even if it has some very strange quirks.

Edited May 9, 2016 by SomTervo

[TheMightyEthan]

Probably 70+% of your time is spent exploring and platforming. It's really nice and padded out - but there are times when you're gagging for intensity or action, you really want a gunfight to break out. However, it shows real integrity that they didn't do that. Unlike Bioshock Infinite or The Last of Us or Uncharted 3, Naughty Dog stuck to their guns and only included gunfights where it felt natural. There are fewer gunfights than ever before and they occur in places that make complete sense. This does feel disappointing sometimes - but I guess multiplayer is there to give you wall-to-wall action when you want it.

This paragraph is the best argument in favor of this game that I've heard so far.  Uncharted has always had twice as many combat encounters as it needed, and each encounter slogged on for four times as long as it should have.