Wednesday 22 March 2017

Uncharted 4 - An End Worth Waiting For
Introduction
Following the release of the Ps4 at the end of 2013, Sony knew they would need big titles on the console and fast to beat the Xbox One in the so called console war. They once again turned to Naughty Dog to help them achieve this feat, and what better way to promote a console than a fitting end to one of Sony's best franchises - Uncharted. I can remember watching E3 back in 2015 with one of my friends, and just going mental watching the gameplay trailer for the first time. It really set an example for what was to follow next. The game would be officially released on May 10th 2016. Safe to say I had placed a pre order months before that.

Mechanics (How the Game Plays Out)
The game can be described as a third person shooter (If you want to describe it in the plainest terms possible). It makes great use of the cover mechanic where you hide behind objects and peek out to shoot the numerous enemies when the opportunity arises. Running from cover to cover and picking them off makes up most of the game but you will also have to jump from ledge to ledge and time your grappling hook manoeuvres to perfection as even on medium difficulty the game can prove quite challenging. The grappling hook also allows for clever puzzles to be placed in the game which have always been a staple of the series but this new addition allows for more variety

New to the Uncharted series there is now car sections where you  have time to get to a new location and explore part of the surroundings at your leisure while driving in a jeep. But there is also a chase section where you must drive away from an armoured vehicle. All adding variety to a very unique entry in the franchise. There are also sections where you play as Young Drake where you must sneak around the environment and stay out of sight of anything that poses a risk including guards and even nuns. This also allows the game to give a bit of backstory to Nathan Drake's childhood which the series had barely touched on in the past

The Story (Minor Spoilers Ahead)
The game takes place around 5 years after Drake's Deception. Drake himself has retired from his days of exploring and now works for Jameson Marine, a deep sea salvage plant. He now lives peacefully with his wife Elena but still longs to return to his former life of adventure. Then one day his brother Sam (Who Nate had presumed long dead) returns to tell him of a grim predicament he currently finds himself in with a notorious drug dealer where if he does find the treasure of Henry Avery he will be hunted down and killed. Nate sneaks off to help Sam and lies to Elena about where he is going.

The game continues on to a wild adventure as the series is regarded for. Old faces such as Sully return to give much needed help as the boys look for clues on how to find Libertalia. New Villains including Rafe Adler a former employer of the two Drakes and his new partner mercenary boss Nadine Ross means everything is more of a challenge than originally intended to be. The three men encounter various different stunning landscapes including Italy, Scotland and Madagascar without trying to give away too much. Lies and deception as always play a major part in the plot and the ending while viewed as rather controversial by the mainstream media, sends a fitting farewell to one of the best series in modern gaming.



Final Thoughts
What can I say that hasn't been said already. The game is brilliant I think that's safe to say but I feel like it's lacking something. While I like the villains I think they just didn't stand up to those in earlier games. The game is also lacking the usual mystical element that every other entry had included like who can forget the yetis in Uncharted 2 or those horror like creatures in Drake's Fortune. Other than that it's a very good game, but I do fall victim in hoping for a more adventurous ending.

Final Rating: 9/10