Uncharted 4 is coming up, and I'm both looking forward to it whilst kinda dreading it. On one hand; games these days are so focused on either sandboxes or multiplayer that it's rare to see a linear story that doesn't require an internet connection. Naughty Dog are one of the few Triple A developers who actually seem committed to furthering narrative art (see: The Last Of Us) rather than merely trying to turn a profit in an increasingly volatile industry. On the other hand: aside from Resident Evil 4 I can't think of a fourth instalment in any franchise that wasn't terrible. Plus the Uncharted series does have some serious inherent problems which I'll get into.
So with a copy of the PS4 remaster timely falling into my possession, now would be the perfect moment for me to plough through the original trilogy before tackling the big sequel. I feel perhaps I was a bit unfair in my The Last Of Us review where I claimed the flaws of Uncharted were present in that game also considering that I've never played through a whole Uncharted game by myself. I've played bits of them with friends, but I didn't own a PS3 because it was expensive and I was a jobless kid content to work through a back-catalogue of PS2 games and old PC games. Only now that I've finished university and actually have money have I acquired a PS4 and am trying hopelessly to catch up with an entire generation.
From the creators of Crash Bandicoot came Uncharted. The whole selling point of the entire franchise is that you're playing a summer blockbuster, which is something I can get behind. Part of the reason why I enjoy many games is because it feels as though I'm in a movie. Of course, there's a difference between playing a movie and being in a movie...but we'll get to that in a minute.
You play as Nathan Drake, who likes nothing more than discovering fascinating relics of ancient history...which he keeps for himself. He also really enjoys murdering everyone he meets along the way. He's accompanied by obvious-love-interest-137 Elena Fisher, a journalist who is the only person trying to do some public good...even though she's only in this to further her career and completely drops her journalism mission later on. There's also Nate's long-time friend Sully, who owes a massive debt to the most stereotypical antagonist in history. The game begins mostly in-medias-res, but rather than subsequently flashing back establishes everyone's relationship through quick interactions. It's impressive since most games of this type would cut such things; and this is all a prototype for The Last Of Us's much better yet equally flawed characters.
So it's a treasure hunt, but not really in the fun Indiana Jones sense. The developers clearly want this to be a romp, at at times it achieves this. When you're in combat, rather than corpses keel over with blood leaking out, enemies are sent flying in a deliberate over the top manner that supposed to evoke the classic adventure movies where it's clear a person who's been shot hasn't actually been shot. But the sheer amount of shooting you do dulls the whole thing. Who am I killing? Do they deserve it? Why are there so many of them? Is this really all worth it just for a bit of gold?
Drake is an awful human being. I like how he's characterised as a flawed rogue. Little touches such as his small yelps and big screams he makes whilst climbing emasculate him and paint him as more than just a ruffian. But he just kills so many people, and for what? Unlike Indy, he's not a teacher trying to unlock the worlds secrets. He's not doing this to further our understanding of the ancient world and it's unseen spiritual forces. He's doing it for both the wealth and kicks...which is problematic since these 'kicks' involve killing hundreds in cold blood. This man is a villain. A despicable character who we're supposed to like because he's American and occasionally spouts wisecracks.
Now is probably a good time to mention that the combat isn't very good, which is a shame because there's not much else aside from the combat. At times the game clearly wants you to take a stealthy approach, but there's no stealth elements. You can't creep, there's no indication of how visible you are, and if you're spotted then you can't run back into cover. And when the shooting begins it's a mess of trying to get back into cover, getting shot by people you can't see, not being able to tell if the fight's over, and being one-shotted by people behind you. Plus there's no sprint button, so in a fight to the death you can only lightly jog around.
There are several sections of the game that I never want to play again. There's one part that's nothing but a mindless slog through combat arena after combat arena, there's a freaking zombie section that comes right out of nowhere and doesn't fit at all with the overall tone of the game, and then there's the final boss who inexplicably has laser-sights on a shotgun that can one-hit you. Oh, and the entire jet-ski section can go die. It stands as one of the worst vehicle sections in gaming history, which is impressive considering almost every vehicle section in every game ever is awful. Looking back at the experience, there's very little to enjoy in this game.
Yet I kept playing. I think it was because of the rare yet welcome climbing/exploration sections. I was pleasantly reminded of the Prince Of Persia games as you lazily jump from wall to wall, swinging and climbing an ancient structure with only the sound of birdsong to accompany you. The same feeling of relaxation washed over me as I played these sections. There's something so satisfying about third person parkour-platforming, as you smoothly hop around exploring a beautifully designed environment. Yet these sections are only present at the start of the game, and by the third act it's more or less all gunfights all the time.
Of course, any game that evokes Prince Of Persia is going to be lesser, since in PoP you could use the sands of time to quickly reverse those embarrassing deaths where you jumped to what you thought was a climbable ledge only to sail past it and splat on the pavement. There's also that problem where you're somehow able to get across gaps, but when you try crossing another gap later you fall short for absolutely no reason other than 'the game doesn't want you to go that way.' I remember PS1 platformers like Spyro The Dragon and Croc where you could occasionally forge your own path; taking shortcuts and feeling like you were playing a game rather than the game playing you.
The first time I saw an Uncharted game, it was when it just came out round a friends house. At the time, the visuals blew my mind. Today, whilst the PS4 remaster does a fairly good job spit-shining the textures and lighting, the graphics obviously aren't cutting-edge. But they still look great, and they look great because of it's design rather than how many polygons they have. The character animation is smooth, the models proportioned accurately, and the environments are a testament to gaming design. You run around ruined temples, ruined forts, ruined cathedrals, ruined crypts...OK, it's all ruins, but the ruins are laid out in a very appealing way. The game avoids the temptation to clutter everything up with fancy props, yet it provides enough detail to make the areas feel like a location instead of a pre-made environment. In short: it's the Pirates Of The Caribbean ride - not your local funfair's haunted house.
Oh, and there are also collectibles. Scattered around in random locations are 'relics' which if you pick up...do nothing. They don't tell you anything or level you up. They're just there for achievement hunters to get 100% completion. You don't even need to break down doors or find hidden areas to pick these up, you just need to wander in a circle for a few mins. Personally; I'm more into gaming for the art, the experience, and the catharsis. I don't really want to run around an admittedly well-rendered environment litter-picking.
It's interesting that this game more or less inspired 'cinematic' gaming. Games that try so desperately to be movies by relying on cut-scenes, linear hallways, quick-time events, the works. Whilst Uncharted does bear some of these fateful traits, it also manages to rise above it. I felt comforted being carried along by a linear story, and felt at ease knowing how much money had been poured into this game. The one thing that lets this down is the 'hint' system. It completely intrudes, as often the hint shows up when I'd already figured out what to do and was in the process of doing it. Sometimes the hint showed up before I was even given a chance to figure things out. The worst times where when I was genuinely stuck, and impatiently started hammering the up arrow to get a hint - but no.
Overall, Uncharted can hardly be called a great game. It just isn't fun, and 'fun' is the only thing that might've excused it's flaws. Yet it's worth at least looking at as a landmark in gaming. This was the first PS3 title to show just how cinematic gaming could become...whether for better or worse.
