Naughty Dog Can Do Many Things, Stealth Is Not One Of Them

Pixelgate writes:

''Naughty Dog are praised for a number of things. Their ability to tell stories, craft character we grow to love and care about. Praise for how intense their games can be, how the action is rewarding. One element of their games rarely gets highlighted, even though it has played a fairly large role in their recent releases.''

[windblowsagain]

Stealth isn't perfect, but There isn't a game that is perfect in that way.

Played enough MGS, Crysis, Farcry etc. Sometimes they work well enough, other times It's just pure fail.

[Erik7357]

Man, I remember fighting in the jungles in crysis 1, I was blown away and still am at how well it holds up to todays games.

[bloop]

I'm nearly finished my second playthrough of Uncharted 4 on crushing and you HAVE to use stealth to take out as many guys as you can or you'll just get your ass handed to you. I've cleared out entire areas without being detected so the stealth route seems to be working for me anyway. Although it's not as fun as going in guns blazing!!

[TRS_Gear]

@bloop

I can see stealth being an absolute necessity on 'Crushing' difficulty. But how in the heck did you handle parts like the ambush in Avery's mansion? That part is hard enough on 'normal' difficulty.

[bloop]

@TRS_Gear: Yeah, there are areas in the game that you can't use stealth at all as enemies are aware of you from the off. Averys mansion was tough. The biggest problem on Crushing is the lack of ammo. You can't dig in somewhere and just pick everyone off as you'll run dry after taking out a couple of guys and have to move out to get ammo. The area before that I took everyone out stealth so there was lots of ammo around and I had a fully stocked grenade launcher and 6 rounds in that hand cannon pistol (can't rem the name of it). I got as far as the pirate ship graveyard before I turned it off which is another encounter that you can't use stealth. I had no ammo at all going into that and there were a LOT of retries, hair pulling and controller throwing moments. I was close to throwing in the towel over that encounter. Just make sure you have fully stocked power weapons before you leave an area and take out the toughest guys first.

[nX]

^Can't you just use the infinite ammo modifier if you're having trouble? I mean it's possible without, but it's better than throwing your controller around.

I for one will definitely start my crushing playthrough with bullet time.

[nveenio]

I enjoyed stealth in U4 more than I enjoyed it in U3. I found myself approaching every encounter with stealth first, and sometimes going completely around the encounter altogether.

[bloop]

@ nX: Man, I never even thought of the modifiers!! Yep, that would've saved me a lot of heartache and I'd probably have more hair now!!! I can't remember exactly but I think all I have left to do now is just one encounter and then the last fight so I think I'll suffer out the rest of the game without them now.

[rainslacker]

I'm trying to do it without modifiers myself. I'm almost up to the mansion shoot out, and have a feeling it's not going to be fun. But will do my best.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the stealth in Uncharted 4. However, I play Uncharted like a n Indiana Jones movie. I take couple of them stealthy, then go gunblazzing and kill them with style

It is not a stealth game. The stealth is just there to give us options

[Genuine-User]

Are you me? Lol

[Aenea]

Same here, tho at times I wanted to do stealth and thought I was in cover to only notice later on that the wall behind me was not there or there was a hole in the roof with an enemy... That just meant a shootout ensued anyways :)

[nix]

That's exactly how i played too. Those i could kill stealthy i did. Rest of them were too far away for me to spend that much time not being seen. UC series has pretty much been run and gun types always. It's not like TLOU where ammunition is scarce and you have to depend on stealth. There's abundance of ammunition just lying around.

This is like saying "ND is not good at driving games" because it's not a driving game.

[game4funz]

Have you been playing in crushing... Crushing turns the game into a broken stealth game.

[Chevalier]

I try to clear the whole section and usually fail then fight for my life with guns blazing. Although I did finish one section yesterday without guns so there is that.

[rainslacker]

I agree that it's not meant to be the main objective, like with say MGS5, hence why I don't down rate the game for it. Would be nice if more stealth approaches were available, but ultimately, it does serve the purpose of the game, and does give some more options on how to approach combat, which was nice. I wouldn't have minded seeing a bit more variety and options to the stealth available, but that's my only qualm.

[affrogamer]

Stealth in TLOU is as good as any other top-notch stealthy game out there.

[intellegent]

Too bad there is only one stealth-kill animation when you come up behind enemies. That made it less enjoyable for me.

[Gol3m]

That's actually incorrect about there being only one animation. I've knocked out people and had the guN land in my hands only to end up back in the bushes in stealth mode. I've snuck up behind people and choked them out. I've pulled them over short walls and knocked them out. Seriously am beginning to wonder if almost all the people spreading misinformation have even played the game

[CernaML]

@Gol3m
He's talking about The Last of Us.

[sullynathan]

no the hell it isn't. Only in N4G will you see a comment like this. Stealth in TLOU is not as good as Splinter Cell, Thief or Hitman.

[bloop]

Agreed Chillstep. TLOU is probably my favourite game of all time but having the same animation for every stealth kill really bugs me.

[andrew171994]

Its more of a run and gun game if u want stealth then thats the last of us

[Erik7357]

I personal liked Last of Us AI more because they were a lot more up close and melee parts too it. And you had to engage them and pick up objects like bricks,glass,etc.

[rainslacker]

My only problem with the stealth is the levels and enemies weren't layed out to be able to use it as effectively as some other games do. You could use it to take care of some of the enemies, like on the edges of an encounter area, but it was either extremely time consuming, or down right impossible to use stealth to get through a whole section....although it was possible to get through many sections using stealth with no kills.

I think the stealth played a better role in drawing enemies away from one another, so you could take care of more using the outlayers that hung back from looking at your previous position, but ultimately, especially on crushing, this was mostly ineffective given how quickly you could be spotted.

OTOH, maybe I just didn't give it enough time to learn it a bit better, so my qualms with it are more down to not taking more time on it.

[DigitalRaptor]

I felt stealth was one of the best parts of the game, built to take advantage of just how open the environments are.

The only complaint I have is with partner AI not being spotted even if they move in direct line of sight of the enemies. But we all know that this is purposeful because the alternative is partner AI ruining a carefully planned stealth progression, if they're spotted. It's more of a case of the lesser of two evils, until AI is improved across the board.

This is something that wouldn't happen if there was no partner AI accompanying you on the journey. It's a testament to their ambition of having partner AI that actually helps you in so many great ways throughout the game. Still, the best levels to make use of stealth is when Nate is alone.

[Playable_Gamez]

Yeah but if you compare the stealth mechanics to other games, it's pretty average and meh. I found it more fun, easier and less time consuming to just take the enemies head on. Honestly if they would have made the stealth mechanics too robust, you would have ended up with Uncharted 4: The Phantom Pain.

[Genuine-User]

It's not a stealth game but it does give you the option to clear some areas discretely. What's here works well for an action adventure game.

That said, gunplay and physical combat are are absolutely outstanding.

[Bathyj]

But thats a testament to the game that you can play it to your own style. You took them on, but Ive been stealthing everywhere. A good game is one that lets you adapt.

[Vegamyster]

So basically this lol: https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[rainslacker]

I did like that your partners were at least effective in stealth take downs. Even came in handy at times when dealing with two enemies. Couldn't command them to do something specific, but at least it's a start. I understand the AI reasoning, so just let it go.

[phoenix_dusk]

It works imo but atleast it's not as bad as TLOU party AI.

I feel like this game is harder to stealth than TLOU too. Once you break your cover, all hell breaks loose. Lol

[Yui_Suzumiya]

The Last of Us disagrees

[5p4c3d]

kept scrolling down looking for this comment

[Skankinruby]

Uhm The Last Of Us was built entirely around stealth and they executed it perfectly. Journalists are getting stupider by the day I swear.

[BEASELY]

Except Uncharted 4's stealth doesn't even come close to Last Of Us. I think that's the driving point of the article.

[LP-Eleven]

We're talking about Naughty Dog, as a whole, not Uncharted 4 in a bubble. In this case, I think their stealth game is fine.

[BEASELY]

Oh, I'm very aware of what we are talking about here, I'm just speaking specifically about a key title within the topic.

[Yui_Suzumiya]

They should've specified Uncharted 4 then. I'm finishing Doom before I start Uncharted 4 so I can't judge yet.

[PixelGateUk]

The last of us was not built entirely around stealth. Upgrade that shotgun so it fits in with the super stealthy gameplay right?

[BEASELY]

My first playthrough of Last of Us (on hard) was nothing but stealth takedowns for both humans and infected. Best way to play. You're rewarded with tons of extra ammo during the combat sequences and it overall just adds a gritty layer of realism to the world and how you'd actually approach a real-world situation.

Try shotgunning your way through Grounded.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Yes it wasn't a full blown stealth game but you would be lying if you tried to deny it wasnt predominately about stealth especially on the higher difficulties like grounded where stealth was absolutely essential to you beating the game. Regardless the stealth in both games works pretty well especially on crushing where the a.i is ruthless which is why most reviews praised it and not crap on it.

[sullynathan]

TLOU did not execute stealth perfectly.

[DragonDDark]

Nothing is perfect

[sullynathan]

@DragonDDark never made the claim. You should address op.

[Playable_Gamez]

Yeah the stealth mechanics are not that good in Uncharted 4 but Uncharted is not suppose to be a stealth game for the most part. My theory is that ND wanted to give the player a more optional approach to a situation which requires the enemy to not automatically be aware to your presents.

[Wallstreet37]

Wtf is this moron talking about? Tlou had some of the best stealth tactics implemented in a game smh.

[PixelGateUk]

Which stealth games have you been playing :? I can send you the EXE files for the Thief series if you'd like? legit offer

[Wallstreet37]

Ive played everything from Metal Gear, to dishonored, to Hitman, to other stealth games and the hyperbole in your post is ridiculous. Id put Tlou stealth up there with those mentioned and it holds its own. Uncharted stealth isnt perfect but its good imo

[BEASELY]

To be honest this was one of my only real downers throughout the entirety of uncharted 4, especially coming off of the heels of Last of Us. I was expecting the stealth in this game to actually be viable. Truth be told it was pretty tricky avoiding detection within a few takedowns. Perhaps enemies have heightened senses in hard mode? I guess all they needed was some luring whistles and more cover. Very small downside, though, as I play Uncharted as an action game anywho. It's at least nice having the option to dispatch a few enemies and thin the pack before a firefight, but it's a bit of a shame that for Nate's last game, they couldn't improve the stealth a little more. Especially after touting it as a major improvement years ago around the time of the gameplay reveal.

But overall it is an extremely menial problem to have in the grand scheme of this masterpiece

[PixelGateUk]

For sure it's a not a huge factor in the grand scheme of things, but as a big Uncharted fan it still kinda sucks they didn't improve one consistent weakness the franchise had. They've improved aiming, melee combat and general movement, but stealth has remained largely the same

[BEASELY]

Something about Uncharted 4's aiming still throws me off a bit. I feel as though when you pop out of cover, your reticle is an inch or two above where you think it'd be when lining up a shot. Did you feel that in any way?

[Dark_Knightmare2]

What lol the stealth in 4 is nothing like it was in the previous 3 it's greatly improved

[jb227]

To be honest, I didn't have the same experience it seems you had. I was able to move through basically any area entirely in stealth. You have to obviously have patience & time your movements to the enemy animations, but I don't think it's impossible to go through the entire game with stealth, aside from maybe the last chapter or two when they throw a lot of enemies at you. As far as the ledge stuff, I mean, how would guys see you when you are on the ledge? It's not like they are expecting a guy to be dangling precariously above a 200 foot drop, so it makes sense that they aren't constantly checking ledges.

Also, like many others have pointed out, this isn't meant to be MGS, stealth is an option meant to be slid into & out of at will, and on that note it accomplishes it pitch perfect in my book. I think you are holding it to the standard that if it includes any form of stealth, it needs to be integrated in some insanely meticulous manner, when the whole point was that this isn't a "stealth" game, it's a game where a player has a stealth option from time to time if they so choose. Trying to integrate a full on stealth system with hard fail states in this game would have effectively killed this installment entirely. As it stands it was already borderline sever penalties for breaking stealth, as enemies dealt far more damage & most cover was entirely destructible. To me it hit a perfect balance.

Gotta keep in mind this ain't Solid Drake though, nor should it be.

[PixelGateUk]

I get what you mean but i never felt like it was hindering me or feeling obtrusive.

[opinionated]

I didn't play stealthily at all, I'm Nathan drake not a ninja. However, because of that I found out the AI was a lot better. If you sit in one spot you will get flanked quick. There is nade cheesing on a COD level but if you keep moving its not a huge problem. There was way too much tlou influence, I see now why they started the game from scratch. To add useless fist fights and stealth level design.

[PixelGateUk]

To be fair to ND, the melee combat has been pretty decent since Uncharted 3. I quite like how they react to the environment around them

[opinionated]

I was referring to both times you fight the chick and are forced to lose. Some of the fights are so scripted it's annoying. Running around jumping on fools with a superman punch is fine.

[Pozzle]

Yeah, I wasn't too bothered by the stealth because I've never been under the impression that Drake was a stealthy or quiet guy to begin with. It's nice to have the option of taking some enemies down stealthily, but obviously an Uncharted game isn't going to allow you to take down every single enemy with no trouble like you're Batman.

[BEASELY]

So you're inferring that these fights would have been better off as just straight up pre-rendered cut scenes? I just cannot agree with you there, especially in terms of the watch tower fight that had a dash of platforming thrown in. Even just a tad of player agency goes a long way for me in these portions and makes it more exctiting/engaging.

[opinionated]

Yes those fights should have been a quick cutscene. Being able to wobble around while you get your ass kicked didn't add any level of immersion in my view. I thought it was dumb design.

They tried to save it with drakes smartass remarks but again, it would have been better as a quick cutscene. It's not a short fight either lol. You fight an unbeatable enemy for a good five minutes. I guess so the strong black female minority gets her shots in? I have no idea why they added that, politics seems like the only reasonable answer.

[DanteVFenris666]

@stonewall not sure if joking or just incredible insecure that a girl beat you even if it was in a video game.

Winning every fight is boring, Nathan already has a ridicoulous amount of victories against all odds

[opinionated]

@dante

No, dingleberry. I wouldn't have liked a scripted ass kicking from a male character either lol.

You know what's more boring than winning fights? Being forced to lose them. It's a game..

[TheTony316]

Uncharted is not supposed to be a stealth game. I bet Naughty Dog could make a proper stealth game like MGS or Splinter Cell, if they wanted to. They sure as hell are talented enough.

[PixelGateUk]

And yet there it is, in the full release. No one is claiming Uncharted is a stealth game, but the fact is there's a stealth system in there. A system that isn't all that great. It doesn't mean the game is bad.

[DanteVFenris666]

The system is pretty great imo, exactly the increase it needed from the other games. You can with moderate difficulty stealth the entire game albeit the sections you have no choice. The other uncharted it wasn't like that at all.

[amnalehu]

I don't think UC4 was mean to be a stealth game. However I did enjoy the challenge of taking down enemies without guns blazing. I think they did a pretty good job with stealth in TLOU and UC4.

[WeAreLegion]

Yes, it is. Excellent stealth gameplay in The Last of Us and Uncharted 4. Pretty good in Uncharted 2, also. You're forgetting the part where they have to make it both interesting AND fun. Most teams can't accomplish both. ND does.

[PixelGateUk]

'You're forgetting the part where they have to make it both interesting AND fun'

You could apply that statement to a whole host of things, in fact you could straight up refer to Bioware's marketing of Dragon Age 2 and 'press a button to make awesome happen'.

They've not improved the stealth in any way with Uncharted, they've went backwards from The Last of Us, that's the problem. Like i say in the post a number of times, the overall Uncharted series is fantastic, it's just a shame they never nailed stealth, or least came close to it.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Lol how the heck can you say the stealth isn't improved from say uc 1 to 4 like that's a bold face lie

[81BX]

Personally dont see an issue with uncharteds stealth. 10 game all around minus some pop in shadows.

[PixelOmen]

I thought the stealth in Uncharted4 was decent, at least as good as the shooting anyway. I appreciated how the open environments, combined with the platforming/climbing elements, allowed you to get above/below/around enemies and remain in stealth while taking them out one by one.

[P_Bomb]

I don't have a problem with naughty dog stealth. Never did. TLOU was the best survival horror/stealth hybrid i've played in ages. Sorry pixelgate.

[ufo8mycat]

Stealth works surprinsgly beautifully in this game. A lot of the battle areas are designed very well for stealth. Lots of multi-levels etc. Just takes a lot of patience. You can actually bypass enemies completely using stealth in quite a few of the areas and it's very rewarding but tough.

Using cover, grass, climbing, multi-level areas to sneak around enemies, using the grappling rope, using the water to dive, using terrain to slide down bypassing enemies. These are lots of gameplay elements, when combined, work very well for stealth. You just have to be creative, patient, study the area and find the easiest way around.

I was able to bypass enemy areas completely using the above gameplay elements.

It's tough doing it stealthy, as you can get spotted easily, but Uncharted 4 has poor stealth? It has better stealth then a lot of other games and Uncharted 4 isn't even a stealth game.

[Bathyj]

I love stealth gaming (Tenchu anyone?) and I always go the stealth route when I can, even if its not a stealth game. The stealth in UC4 isnt perfect but it is a viable option a lot of the time. UC3's stealth was much improved over UC2 so I wasnt surprised at all when Naughty Dog did The Last of Us.

My issues are
Give me a crouch button for godsake. Every game with stealth should have a crouch button just like every 3rd Person shooter should have shoulder swap. I dont like contextual crouch. Its like, be stealthy here because theres long grass, but dont be stealthy here because we havent given you a low wall to lean against. You need crouch, and games with stealth should even have prone as well.

Same with you should be able to drag bodies. Youre less likely to take someone out quietly if it means you are going to leave a mess for everyone to see.

Id love to be able to tap the wall or whistle, or even throw poison rice. Something. Distraction is a major part of stealth.

I just finished Madagascar and stealthed my way through practically the whole thing where I could. But it felt a bit easy. Im on Hard, I hope Crushing ups the challenge a bit.

All in all its pretty good though. The verticality and mobility of Drake means you can out maneuver you enemies and get in good positions and its great fun. Loving it so far.

But did I mention the crouch?

[xetiro]

For me, Uncharted is like GT. Super amazing photorealistic graphics, good physics simulation but alot of gameplay elements are a balanced like semi-arcade gameplay. So I think stealth in Uncharted 4 is just there to work good enough for some approaches, but the all point of game is to be Indiana Jones style :P

[fluxmulder]

Can't argue with that.

[PaleMoonDeath]

The Last of Us, moving on.

[-Ikon-]

another clown knowing nothing about TLoU keep up the good work TC

[thejigisup]

Can't wait until ND announces the next game being a fully fleshed out stealth game that reinvents the genre.

[SynestheticRoar]

What happen. When did all these opinion articles take over. Where is the actual news.Why do we put up with garbage.

[Gol3m]

I'm not sure what everyone is whinging about. I was super stoked when I cleared an area in Madagascar without being detected. All stealth even did a nice rope aerial smash for the final takedown. He never saw it coming

[goldwyncq]

Uncharted 4 has better stealth than all of the Assassin's Creed games, which is supposedly a stealth series.

[sullynathan]

Ass Creed is an action adventure series and has always been

[dogmanx23]

The Last Of Us says differently.

[sullynathan]

Naughty dog did not handle stealth properly in TLOU and that is their most stealth heavy game. Why it is still problematic here is beyond me.
I saw this coming from a mile away with TLOU less than stellar stealth mechanics.
Anyone that has played a good stealth game won't be impressed by naughty dogs offerings.

[Deltaguy]

MGS didn't get it right either and that game is based on stealth..

[Flewid638]

The Last of Us highly disagrees with the subject line of this article.

[MagicBeanz]

Don't remember anyone saying this was a stealth based game or that it had heavy emphasis on stealth but I get it we have to find something to bitch about.

[Aaroncls7]

TLOU = stealth & survival horror

[gamer7804]

I'd have to agree, i've not really enjoyed any of the stealth section in any of the uncharted's. That said still a great series though.

[Smokingunz]

I agree with the stealth aspect of this game, it didn't belong and it almost ruined the game for me, especially when the enemit's spot you its a rap, they just appear anywhere popping up behind and all angles where they weren't before that made me upset, I prefer the run n gun style and just a tad stealth like it was in Uc 1 & 2.

[Relientk77]

What are you even talking about lol the stealth is great in Uncharted 4

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

Question: Did the author actually play Uncharted 4 or did he watch someone else play it?
https://theotherhubby.files...

[PixelGateUk]

No, i watched the advert and clearly based my view from there

[GribbleGrunger]

The best stealth game I ever played was TLOU.

[Dyldog69]

Stealth was fine. Quit nitpicking

[assdan]

false