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Eurogamer: Is Uncharted more 'walking simulator' than action game?
- Thread starter Raylan
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Kotetsu534
Member
There's been down time in games for as long as I can remember playing them. Ocarina of Time isn't exactly a relentless onslaught of combat and dungeons. Chrono Trigger wasn't either. Nor, certainly, FFVII, or most other RPGs. Naughty Dog might have been drawing on 'walking simulators' when they designed Uncharted and The Last of Us... or they might have been looking at any number of seminal single player titles.
Herbspiceguy
Member
I feel like (an extremely well done) 'theme park ride' is more fitting than 'walking simulator'.
I have played all the three PS3 Uncharted-games, and while I dont quite agree with this article - there is certainly gameplay in the series its just that its not the focal point, challenging or even interesting - i do think there are valid points here when considering the plattforming and puzzle-elements. Most of the gameplay is, as the article acknowledges, in the third-person action-sequences, but nobody I know play the games for these, or even find them particularly exiting or fun - its all about getting to the next spectacular set piece, which is, most of the time, played out like a walking simulator. Meaning that the appeal of the game is more the ability to feel like the main character in a hollywood blockbuster than anything else. So yeah, I think the criticism, while slightly overblown, is pretty fair. A lot of modern AAA-games work like this though, not only Uncharted. And there is of course nothing wrong with a game being like this, or people liking it for it.
gundamkyoukai
Member
In UC4 you have more player agency when it comes to the platforming but it still rather easy .
Truth is other than making it harder don't think they can get more player agency.
Tomeru
Member
It's a bad shower-thought piece imho. It states a fact and doesn't ask anything. It is what it is. Could've been a % piece on awesome stats of how many guys you kill and how many jumps you jump, and its' point would be the same. You can switch out uncharted for a huge number of games and it would stay the same piece. I am dead serious.
Is what I think too.
Excuse me? Cutscenes length same as metal gear?
You're having a laugh there mate, it's nowhere near that intense.
I'm glad for the slower paced moments too, I don't want to be shooting the entire game.
pixellated_man
Member
I don't know man. Seem's to me the OP is really guilty of cherry picking a quote from the article (which is overall a positive one) out of context and therefore people are understandably reacting in a negative way.
I really recommend people READ the article. It really is not meant as an attack on the game like the OP tries to sell in his little quip under the link.
I really recommend people READ the article. It really is not meant as an attack on the game like the OP tries to sell in his little quip under the link.
The autoplatforming is perfect for the fast-paced multiplayer but mind numbing in the campaign. They could design it to be more envolving than tapping a button or tilting a stick.
There is almost no action in the first few hours that isn't an automated sequence. Your first encounter with Nadine? What was that?OléGunner;203484363 said:
Anyway, I didn't say cutscene length. Slowly walking through a scripted scene or that 'fight' with Nadine just aren't interactive enough.
OléGunner;203483745 said:
Yeah who needs story, laying up the foundations and the grounds of your script, or character development, right? Just give people something to shoot at. Games dont need story. Just a typical "Tom Clancy" excuse to fill up bad guys with lead is enough...
There's only a few times you can get away with a first post like this, and I think this article is one of them.
blastprocessor
The Amiga Brotherhood
Doesn't that mean we have a mix of walking and running simulators? Is that what the Eurogamer folk think TPS games are now.
Interesting.
Wonder if the wider press are going to be embracing this new genre.
Interesting.
Wonder if the wider press are going to be embracing this new genre.
Gamer @ Heart
Member
This is my biggest issue with the series. The only evolution they seem to have done with the auto platforming is adding even more breaking/tumbling grips to make you speed up in every game.
Considering its a good 52% of what you do in the game, it's a shame. But on the other hand, it looks so fucking pretty!
texhnolyze
Banned
Lol what. What a click bait article.
There are more jumping and climbing than walking in UC4. Not to mention the gunfight scenes.
There are more jumping and climbing than walking in UC4. Not to mention the gunfight scenes.
Casual gamers are the main lovers of these games Imo.
Why is it ridiculous for employees to have weekends? And what does that have to do with the article?
And only 5 year olds enjoy Pixar.
First encounter with Nadine was awesome and quite unique imo.
Also now I have no idea what your MGS cut scene analogy means if you aren't talking about cut scene length.
I swear the need for constant shooting makes me think people expect COD style encounters throughout Uncharted.
Thankfully, ND care about all the things you outlined!
Teletraan1
Banned
I liked the exploration bits more than the merc/waist walls set pieces by far. On a replay that might be the case but I spent my time exploring the shit out of those areas and the epilogue. The attention to detail in every scene was more interesting to me than the usual shoot bang shit we have seen 10000000x quite frankly. Nothing wrong with enjoying the scenery and I hate reducing it down to some snide phrase like "walking simulator".
gundamkyoukai
Member
They did , you now have multiple routes you can take .
You have you pick ( which was under used IMO) , sliding , the rope .
Still not matter what they add they are going to make it easy since UC is not about hard platforming .
pixellated_man
Member
They are not criticising the games for it though. In fact it is the opposite:
'Of course, what was revolutionary for 2009 isn't so groundbreaking now. Uncharted 4 pulls all the same tricks with even greater craftsmanship. In many ways it's gone even further in this experimental direction with roughly only a third of its opening eight hours dedicated to anything that could even remotely resemble an action game (though its first few minutes are appropriately rousing). And yet it's never boring. The jokes land. The story beats are appropriately moving. The dialogue sings. And it all looks glorious thanks to some of the best art direction and tech wizardry in the business.
In a world that's already seen the likes of Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, 30 Flights of Loving and Dear Esther, such bold pacing practices aren't quite as shocking as they were back in 2009. Yet Uncharted 4, for all its bombast, often feels more akin to those games than any of its big budget contemporaries. And maybe the widespread popularity of more sedate games can be in some part attributed to the brilliant Uncharted 2 - a game that proved blockbusters could be played at a very different tempo.'
How the heck did the thread creator twist the article as a negative one? I swear people are so reactionary on the internet.
Gameplay length. What else. MGS can kind of get away with its issues because it had the gameplay to back it up. MGS4 and Uncharted 3 messed this up imo. For the 7 hours I've played U4 I feel most of it was cutscenes, scripted events and autoplatforming. Did you also think it was awesome for you to be forced to try to steal a keycard 5 times and fail?OléGunner;203484837 said:
Strangelove77
Member
Well, I guess I'm not reading anything from Eurogamer anymore.
While better than the title suggests, I still don't think the basis of this holds up; actually having pacing doesn't mean most of the game is a "walking simulator".
Basically, and even "fast" older shooters like Doom had you spend a lot of time exploring and interacting in ways that aren't combat. The idea that a 3D action game is nothing but murdering things all the time between narrative sequences is a (mostly) bad cliche that's only come into popularity relatively recently (if developers taking all the wrong lessons from COD 4 in 2007 counts as "recent"). Nevermind that Uncharted still has that issues with that at various points.
Basically, and even "fast" older shooters like Doom had you spend a lot of time exploring and interacting in ways that aren't combat. The idea that a 3D action game is nothing but murdering things all the time between narrative sequences is a (mostly) bad cliche that's only come into popularity relatively recently (if developers taking all the wrong lessons from COD 4 in 2007 counts as "recent"). Nevermind that Uncharted still has that issues with that at various points.
Jack The Nipper
Banned
It's what infrared always, too many cut scenes and such. I haven't played it but I know what to expect. I don't mind on rails but the scenes of have seen, keep flip etc won't make an easy replay always watching stuff.
Walking around isn't even that bad, but no take out the cut scenes please. Uc2 is so hard to play again.
Walking around isn't even that bad, but no take out the cut scenes please. Uc2 is so hard to play again.
It added to the tension of the game for me so yeah it was awesome.
And was cool to have Sam make fun of Nate as he was rusty at pick pocketing and eventually had to help him out.
Anyways, I guess I just like this aspect of UC4 which you don't and that's alright.
I Reclaim3mer 117
Neo Member
Why is it every time there's an article about a Sony exclusive that's not gushing. It's ridicule as non sense you may not like some of points in the article but they're not inherently wrong.
Reaching argument IMHO. The games have sensible quiet periods purely for pacing reasons and the roots of that is from cinema and literature and not "walking simulators" nor did U2 inspire them either IMO.
Kinda dumb in a harmless missing the context kind of way.
Guess visits/clicks must be low for them.
Kinda dumb in a harmless missing the context kind of way.
Guess visits/clicks must be low for them.
Ah, my bad, guess I agree with Eurogamer then!
the designer even says in the article that he was inspired by a game that fits in the walking simulator list.
I honestly feel the tension vanishes when a 'boss' encounter can only go one way, or that a stealth event is not even beatable. It feels like it puts its narrative/story pacing above everything else. And I think they only get away with it here because they are great with the story stuff.OléGunner;203485269 said:
i'm thiking this too
Air Zombie Meat
Member
Seems like everything you guys don't like is "clickbait" It's getting old.
GeordieMark
Member
Doesn't look like you even read this article. Get a grip buddy.
it has gameplay. it just happens it also includes cutscenes and areas where you only explore.
matrix-cat
Member
I definitely wish there was more skill required to the traversal. Uncharted 4 feels like old Tomb Raider at certain points, when it just dumps you into an enormous area and leaves you to figure out where you need to be going and what you need to be doing, but the difference is that there's zero skill involved in actually doing it. Nate is out on those cliffs risking his life, but you the player are sitting calmly and just pointing your analogue stick around. There's no real danger, no challenge, no opportunity to play skilfully. And that style of gameplay makes up a much larger portion of Uncharted 4 than it did any of the earlier games.
The only part of Uncharted games that actually requires skill and coordination and stuff is the combat, and there's far less of it in U4 than ever before. From my personal experience, I finished Uncharted 2 in 10 hours with something like 700 kills; U4 was 14 and a half hours with only 370ish kills. I'm not saying I was impatient during all that exploring time, waiting for some fighting to break out, but I was ultimately disappointed in how little combat there actually was. Not because the game didn't hit some arbitrary manshooting-to-walking-simulator ratio, but because the combat was fucking amazing and I came away from the game unsatisfied by how little there was.
One specific section where I really felt the pacing fell flat was (late game spoilers)
The only part of Uncharted games that actually requires skill and coordination and stuff is the combat, and there's far less of it in U4 than ever before. From my personal experience, I finished Uncharted 2 in 10 hours with something like 700 kills; U4 was 14 and a half hours with only 370ish kills. I'm not saying I was impatient during all that exploring time, waiting for some fighting to break out, but I was ultimately disappointed in how little combat there actually was. Not because the game didn't hit some arbitrary manshooting-to-walking-simulator ratio, but because the combat was fucking amazing and I came away from the game unsatisfied by how little there was.
One specific section where I really felt the pacing fell flat was (late game spoilers)
having to follow Sam under the big scary mountain at the very end. You're finally at the point where you're having huge battles with all the enemy types, your adrenaline's pumping, everything's exploding, you're being chased by another armoured machine gun truck, and... another protracted climbing around section. I just don't see what purpose that served; it let all the air out. I feel like an old Tomb Raider game would have had a really difficult platforming section at that point, and that would have been amazing, but Uncharted's mechanics don't allow for that, so it's just another straightforward climb on some more ledges. It wasn't poignant in any way, it didn't make me reflect on anything, it just felt like a waste of twenty minutes, right at the climax of the game.
I get where you are coming from yeah.
But again, ND are masters of story telling like you say so it almost always works.
I also honestly don't need 10 ways to beat a boss, plus my sandbox gameplay in UC4 comes from encounters in the wide open combat spaces so I feel like they achieve a good balance of everything.