How a Cover System Spoiled Uncharted

Last week Shacknews finally bit the bullet and purchased a PlayStation 3 along with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. That game is undoubtedly the prettiest belle at the ball and quite a joy in the gameplay department, so much so that they are actually finding themself drinking Sony's Kool-Aid, waving a banner for the HD revolution and preaching about set-top boxes and such.

But there's one problem: cover systems. Shacknews don't disagree with cover systems ideologically, because in many ways they bring action titles a bit closer to functional reality, in which players and characters alike take advantage of terrain and behave as though they're actually being shot at. But what's discouraging about the cover system, or more precisely the implementation of the cover system, is the ways in which it informs design choices across the board and cheapens action.

[Da360sucks]

[email protected] Shacknews the is great so shut the [email protected] up

[Breakfast]

I agree...im no big fan of the cover system in this game. But i think pros in this game far out way the one con in this game.

[HowarthsNJ]

This author doesn't like any of them.

Uncharted doesn't force you into cover unlike other games. You can run & gun (and die) if it pleases you :-)

[InMyOpinion]

I prefer the cover systems found in RB6: Vegas and Gears Of War.

[Gamer luv]

@ HowarthsNJ

Thats hes point, you can run n gun but not if you actualy want to get anywhere.

Its doing the exact thing you say it doesnt, force u into cover ......... or die.

[games4fun]

actually if you play on easy you rarely really need to take that much cover and it is half run/gun and half cover sometimes

but when you play on crushing run for cover and expect a tough time even taking a step, one or two bullets will kill you like in real life, in real life i would take cover or i'd be dead why should they do anything less?

you wanna survive a battle get your fing head down anyone who doesnt should stay home, the author should be commending how on crushing its as if you really are in a gunbattle because of how one or two bullets will kill you and dont even get me started on those [email protected] carrying shotguns can kill you on crushing

[Genesis5]

Well I liked to see him shoot his way out of some of those swarms without some kind of cover.Considering you don't have med packs.

[EZCheez]

Yes. When you play on crushing you spend almost the entire time with your back to the wall waiting to poke your head out to get one or two shots off before they blow you away.

I thought the cover system worked great, and I think it works just as well as the cover system in Gears(Believe it or not I was playing both at the same time). And as far as cover systems, I can't really pin down the big differences, but I think RB6V had the worst feeling cover system of all of these games. There's something weird about going from first person to third while in cover that kind of messes up the gameplay (in my opinion).

[games4fun]

exactly the one part where you jump down and there is water on the ground you can die so easily i had to kill five people in quick succession (5 headshots :) ) followed by some more killing and to top it off 2-3 badguys will jump down all carrying shotguns which will kill you with one fire and they take 3-5 bullets each

[kosha]

i thought it was one of the best bits (apart from the graphics of course they were amazing) and it gave alot of depth to the battles

[harpua]

isn't this the same cover system as Gears?

[HowarthsNJ]

Uncharted's cover is activated by a button press near objects.

[Hatchetforce]

It is a similar system yet works about a hundred times better. You don't have the accidental stick or hesitation when jumping an object. Uncharted perfected the system Gears from Killswitch.

[hamsterfist]

@HowarthsNJ

And how is that different from Gears? Last I checked you needed to use a button to stick to cover in Gears as well. Let me restate, you needed to push a button to initiate cover anyways.

[HowarthsNJ]

@hamsterfist

I typed fast and replied too quickly.

Gears uses the cover button to crouch/run as well - you stick to cover when you don't want to sometimes.

I wanted to say "uncharted uses an exclusive cover button near objects", but that didn't sound right either.

[DJ]

Had the entire game been a run-and-gun shooter, it would have lost a lot of the strategy and overall fun factor. And it's actually because of the cover system that the latter segment of the game becomes so treacherous and liberating.

[ianp622]

I liked the cover system, but I think the game could've been better if there was both more platforming and more of a mingling of platforming with gunfights. For example, have enemies shoot at you while trying to navigate different obstacles (like the waterfall and jeep part).

I have a feeling this author didn't play the game on Crushing, because then cover isn't so much of a safe retreat place as it is a temporary reload spot. There were some parts that were really difficult because enemies came in from all around you, and you had to change to different pieces of cover.

[games4fun]

after beating it on crushing there is no doubt in my mind that a cover system is required what are you going to do magically dodge bullets when it only takes on or two to take you down without cover?

[EZCheez]

Ones that actually required a brain. That, to me, is the only thing that Tomb Raider does better than this game.

[games4fun]

i cant stop agreeing with you apparently :) it was the only thing missing to really destroy the tomb raider series, it still beat it but the next one should get some more complex puzzles

[jmare]

It's not that the puzzles weren't hard, it's that instead of giving hints, the diary gave the answers. I'm sure the puzzles would've been tougher without the diary.

[ianp622]

I agree, the puzzles weren't really good. I also think that it would've been better if the journal gave hints instead of solutions, but regardless, all of the puzzles were simply matching symbols, which isn't really puzzle solving.

Some interesting variants of symbol matching would be if rotating certain statues caused others to move as well, or if opening one door closed another, etc.

I appreciate the change in pace from the puzzles, but I think the platforming is just as easy going and welcome after intense gunfights.

[fenderputty]

Well ... at least they started the article off right? lol

I, as well, liked the cover system. Especially with all the animations. I've never played a game that people like to watch while I play. That is until I played Uncharted. The cover system added a lot of reality to the title.

To each their own I guess.

[The Closing]

What a dumb article. Cover systems not only allow you to gather your head, and come up with a game plan, but if done right they only add to the intensity of the action. It's as if everyone is closing in on you, and you're just waiting for the moment to unload, on your enemies. This is definitely the case for this title. Also it's definitely good to have a semi realistic feeling to a game with just your everyman type hero, and this makes a cover system mandatory. In this game it was just done so stylishly I don't know how you couldn't help but like it regardless.

I'll take a game with cover systems any-day over mindless frag fests. Any good shooter game has a cover system imo.

[games4fun]

the cover system is a huge part of what made this game great, its not rambo running along shooting some bad guys. Its a guy marooned on an island trying to get by, until this guy has finished crushing difficulty like i have he has no room to talk

i have to disagree completely with this guy a 3rd person view requires cover system in my book or you have to have huge open areas for people to see which isn't that fun when drake needs to go in a small building,inside of plane, or the cramped submarine.

[DJ]

Even in the demo, staying behind the same piece of cover (or even the wrong kind) was basically a death sentence, so it became a hybrid of two strategies: layout progression, and enemy rank.

[Kleptic]

"every combat sequence is arranged in a long corridor"...

ha...no it isn't...most are completely open, leaving you in a situation where you will very often have guys flanking you from both sides...

imo...uncharted has some of the best action of a cover based gameplay mechanic yet...where it struggles a little is the puzzles and platforming...that stuff is retardly easy compared to the gun play stuff...

its definitely one of the best games of 2007...regardless of what crap websites like shaknews or whatever say...

[Tron]

The cover system works great. If you don't like it, change it up. My second time through the game I did a lot more run and gun to keep things fresh. That worked until Crushing. Then i sucked again.

[Bloodshedder]

i love this game the cover system graphics game play all of it, this guy should play killswitch it has a cover system that you can really can complain about

[Superiorrior]

Sorry but the cover system does what it's suppose to do, the author is off his rocker.

[poopsack]

He never had a rocker

[Alcohog]

I ****ing love this game.

[MrSwede]

That damn clever AI forces you to take cover. I loved every part of the game though I could've done without them aliens in the end.

[poeo]

way to go with the SPOILER. and they weren't aliens anyway.