Uncharted series - first impressions

Turkey · June 03, 2016, 10:13:06 AM

So I'm making my way through the Nathan Drake collection to build up to Uncharted 4, and I figured I'd share some first impressions. Not a full review or a narrated playthrough like Verb's doing.

I'm only on Uncharted 1 right now, and I'm really hoping the series gets better from here.
Good:
-Great voice acting, animation, and writing (even if it's unoriginal)
-Solid pacing (the 'tutorial' stage transitions seamlessly into the normal game)
-Doesn't include unnecessary origin stuff or backstory info

Bad:
-The game is frustratingly linear
-The climbing is superior to the first Assassin Creed (released around the same time) but is linear and the camera is often locked in awkward places
-The shooting elements are mediocre and don't add anything to the game except to provide filler between puzzles
-Puzzles are...kind of stupid.
-The camera and lighting make it difficult to solve puzzles or figure out where to go

Overall it's a fun game but I'm just trying to blow through it in the hopes that the later games improve on these issues.

Gatortag · June 03, 2016, 10:24:07 AM

Uncharted 2, and even 3 are vastly superior games. I'm sure you'll enjoy them more. As for being linear. Well, it's linear. Nothing can be done about that really. Though the other ones are a bit more open, especially Uncharted 4. The shooting always felt weird to me in Uncharted 1. Like it was off somehow. 2 was great though. 3 and 4 are also completely fine.

Jono · June 03, 2016, 10:27:03 AM

Uncharted 1 is clunky as hell but its okay I guess. I wouldn't say it aged well but the Nathan Drake Collection fixed some stuff even though it still feels sluggish.

Uncharted 2 is much better gameplay wise and the character's personalities and relationships are fleshed out much more. This is my favorite Uncharted game and the ending is fantastic.

Uncharted 3 focuses more on Nathan Drake and his history than previous games and the overall story is a little lackluster when you compare this one to Uncharted 2.

Turkey · June 03, 2016, 10:32:13 AM

Quote from: Jono on June 03, 2016, 10:27:03 AM

Uncharted 1 is clunky as hell but its okay I guess. I wouldn't say it aged well but the Nathan Drake Collection fixed some stuff even though it still feels sluggish.

What're your thoughts on just watching the remaining cutscenes on YouTube and just skipping ahead to Uncharted 2?

Jono · June 03, 2016, 10:35:12 AM

Quote from: yekruTluftruH on June 03, 2016, 10:32:13 AM

Quote from: Jono on June 03, 2016, 10:27:03 AM
Uncharted 1 is clunky as hell but its okay I guess. I wouldn't say it aged well but the Nathan Drake Collection fixed some stuff even though it still feels sluggish.

What're your thoughts on just watching the remaining cutscenes on YouTube and just skipping ahead to Uncharted 2?

I wouldn't do that tbh, there's some stuff you'll miss out on with the character interactions during gameplay if you do that.

Uncharted 1 isn't that long either so you might as well just finish it.