How Does Naughty Dog Continue To Outshine All Other Studios?

Somehow, this development team always remains the class of the development world. How have they managed to do this for so many years?

[gamertk421]

Blizzard says hi

[BiggerBoss]

Over watch, or Uncharted 4

Hmmmm real tough decision /s

[ONESHOTV2]

that's not the only game they made check there history naughty dog can not match their talent .

since i'm getting so many disagrees let me say this ND has a good team but they have not create anything original since crash the writers at ND should get most of the credits and the animation team that i can give them credit for but everything else is bland and boring to me the world at least in uncharted is just dead with nothing moving how can you play a game like that it feels like a bland movie you watch one time for the action and never look at it again. if ND wants to be on my list of good devs with balance gameplay and story they will have to work on their games better. i'm no fanboy i'm just saying what i see wrong with some of ND games. i give every dev respect for the games they create but some are just over hyped by blind fan. i think i broke the record with this many dislikes this is what happens when you try to talk to the fanboys but they put their hand over their eye and fingers in their ears. you guys are a one of kind

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

Both!

[Inzo]

@ONESHOTV2
Not oly has ND matched them they have surpassed them.

[nX]

Not even WoW, Diablo or Warcraft can match the quality of the last few Naughty Dog titles, these guys are simply on another level.

[Lennoxb63]

Not really a good comparison. 1 is a single player focused game. The other is multiplayer only.

[WellyUK]

Sorry but WoW's quality is massive, People don't play a game for 10 years if it's crap... Especially that many people.

[kevnb]

if i could only have 1 I would take overwatch, but I must admit that I dont even usually care for the type of games naughty dog makes but I love their games.

[blitz0623]

It's actually really simple and literally rocket science. Naughty Dog are aliens

[Big_Game_Hunters]

MP or SP...
Wow

[remixx116]

ONE SHOT

that was the dumbest comment I've ever read on this website. You entitled to your opinion but damn dude if your gonna vomit that Ecolab thenot keep it to yourself.

[P_Bomb]

[quote] the world in uncharted is dead with nothing moving[/unquote]

And with that, we've officially crossed over into stupid.

Have an opinion all day and all night, but the moment you start lying (UC4 is actually brimming with moving grass twigs leaves vines flowers wind hair clothes rain pots pans chairs ropes clouds water rocks flies goats smoke flags lights mud flames mist etc), then the conversation is over.

[SUCKxITxEZ]

I have never played a ND game for more than 40 hours, and i have never played a blizzard game for less than 40 hours, so ya the answer is easy. Its one word btw, Overwatch.

[indyman7777]

Both please......but ...wait! Lets have a dream about their next project.

What if Naughty Dog made a Final Fantasy killing franchise? Sorry Squares suicide by trying to change the series gameplay does not count as REDRUM :)

[Count_Bakula]

Ha, just another recycled FPS that wasn't even part of their plan in the first place (remnants of their failed Project Titan). Blizzard is a joke now that can't even alter their art style from game to game.

[leoms]

huh?

[MyOpinionIsRight]

Naughty Dog are a bunch of really talented people thats how. Only Rockstar is on their level.

[nX]

Well Rockstars best game yet was RDR, GTA however has been kind of disappointing since San Andreas. Rockstar probably could make a game on the quality level of Uncharted though so I'd agree.

[Deltaguy]

La Noire and Gta4 are blemishes imo

[DragonDDark]

LA Noir was only published by R*

[kneon]

RDR is the only Rockstar game I've ever liked, and it was a cliché filled bug fest. And not just amusing graphical bugs, but game breaking bugs as well.

[wars1986]

Rockstar are above Naughty dog

[Notellin]

In the business of making video games which is a very young business, I think management is what differs between the great and good studios. After reading the development hell from games like Destiny and BioShock, I would love to read about the other side of the story at Naughty Dog.

[Inzo]

The guys at ND just had a good old giggle

[WelkinCole]

Blizzard yes but the problem is like with Rockstar they take forever to put out a game.

In a space of 9 years for example ND managed to put out 5 critically acclaimed and polished games. Two of which (U2, TLOU) change gaming and are right up there with GTA 5 as the game of last gen.

[andrewsquall]

Rockstar aren't too bad when they get going though. If memory serves me:
GTA IV early 2008
Midnight Club LA late 2008
Nothing in 2009 because of DLC crap for the worse GTA game ever made.
Red Dead 2010
LA Noire 2011
Max Payne 3 2012
GTA V 2013
Nothing since because crappy updates for GTA Online that I've never touched ever.
@WelkinCole Maybe when people mention Rockstar they are referring to the Rockstar North developers, if so, say that then.

If anything its Remedy you can point the finger at for slowly getting games out. In the time Alan Wake came out Naughty Dog put out:
Uncharted 3
helped with Uncharted Golden Abyss
The Last of Us
critically acclaimed DLC "Left Behind" for The Last of Us
PS4 remaster of The Last of Us.
more than likely helped out Bluepoint Games with the Uncharted Drake Collection
Uncharted 4 (just released a month after Quantum Break but could have beat it if it weren't delayed)

In that time before QB, Remedy released:
Alan Wake American Nightmare

It took 6 years to make Quantum Break and it simply was not worth the time it took.

[WelkinCole]

@andrew. Yes but LA Noir Team Bondi did that one.

Of the games on the list only GTA V and Red Dead really stood out.

GTA V was done by North and Red Dead by San Diego

[Hold_It]

CD Project Red says "Hello".

[WelkinCole]

How many games of the year has CD Project done in the last 9 years?. How many critically acclaim IP's/franchises?

You do know ND made Crash, Jak, Uncharted and TOLU for which are all highly acclaim PS franchise right?.

CD is great but they have only done one franchise sofar. ND has done many and win too many awards to count for a reason.

[Hold_It]

@WelkinCole

That's all cool, and what not, but CDPR still makes great games regardless of whether its the same series or not. I'm not saying that ND isn't a great Dev, which they are a great dev. I think calling them the greatest of all time is a bit much though. For me awards and sales don't measure how great a game is/was, it's how many times I can actually want to go back and play it again, and the replay is just/almost as satisfying as my first playthrough. Besides The Witcher 3, there hasn't been a game I've played this gen that hasn't feel like a rehash of what I played last gen.

We also live in a day and age where GOTY and awards for video games don't mean anything more than an advertising label that means all DLC is included, or it was one of the most mainstream/overhyped game of [insert year here]. Once again, I'm not trying to throw shade at ND or Uncharted, I'm just saying I don't think they are the greatest of all time or anything. I don't really think any dev, or studio or publisher is deserving of that title tbh.

[P_Bomb]

Not there yet. Got witcher2 free on Xbox and never felt the need to play past act 1. Too much time dropping inventory and micro managing encumbrance within layers of convoluted menus and a weird map to really enjoy myself. But hey, at least my guy got lucky.

[johndoe11211]

Is your comment satire? I don't get it......

[masterfox]

lol blizzard light years behind ND.

[WelkinCole]

Diablo, Warcraft and Starcraft are highly acclaimed franchises. Blizzard however take forever to make one. U2 for example only took ND 18 months to release after U1.

Unlike ND though. Blizzard games nowdays don't set the bar like they use to. ND games do. After TOLU set a new bar. ND again has set a new standard with U4.

[Fin_The_Human]

ND are awesome... Sony are lucky that they found these guys who are passionate aboit video games and committed.

With reputation and fanbase that ND have they could have left and started there own studio but they respect and love Sony that they will forever have a great team.

[senorfartcushion]

True, Blizzard are also perfectionists but this is N4G, a very Playstation-centric website.

Remedy
Rockstar
Naughty Dog
Blizzard
Inifinity Ward (2007)

[BlackTar187]

Lol okay remedy is great but they are not up there. Blizzard I'll say it's a push for me. Infinity ward 2007? No way. Just cause mw no. They made some cod before but there were other games that we're just as good at the time.

[senorfartcushion]

You seem to be confusing game design with single player only. In terms of how to build and maintain an mmo, Blizzard. Mp, Infinity Ward and Respawn have made incredibly polished shooters. Rockstar are Rockstar and Remedy are Microsoft's Naughty Dog; their storytelling is unmatched.

[_-EDMIX-_]

? Buddy, I love Max Payne 2 and I'll tell you Remedy doesn't belong there. They are a great team, don't get me wrong, but they are NO WHERE NEAR the caliber of a Rockstar or Naughty Dog or Blizzard Please dear god don't be so silly lol They are not a bad team, but pleas...they got like 2 good games to their names, imho.

Max Payne 1 and 2, didn't care for Alan Wake as much as I liked the MP series and already read some of the bad QD reviews. I haven't cared much for that teams work for almost a decade now bud......

[senorfartcushion]

Remedy have made more games than just Max Payne 2, in fact, MP2 is their weakest game.

[r2oB]

@ senorfartcushion

The retail games remedy has made are Max Payne 1&2, Alan Wake, and Quantum Break. Why people consider them "Microsoft's Naughty Dog" is beyond me. Within the last 9 years Naughty Dog has released 5 amazing games (Uncharted 1-4 and TLoU). Remedy are not on the same level as Naughty Dog, simple.

EDIT: Not to mention Microsoft doesnt even own Remdey. Other than partner, they arent Microsofts anything, they are independently owned.

[otherZinc]

That's the thing, Naughty Dog doesn't outshine anything. Naughty Dog is extremely overrated. Overrated by the media.

What did Uncharted 4 do differently? Nothing, absolutely nothing.

[Hold_It]

@otherZinc

Didn't even conclude the series either. They just retconned a bunch of shit from 1,2 and 3, so they can play it safe it and set up a bunch of sequels for more $$$$.

[BlackTar187]

Lol the thought that you have to do something new to define greatness is not true. Warcraft wasn't the first rts wow wasn't the first mmo.

[P_Bomb]

Blizzard's never made a penny off me. World of Warcraft's only piqued my interest as a South Park satire, and a trailer for a B movie I'll never see.

[Trez1234]

If you gonna hate on a game, play it first.
What other uncharted has big open spaces like uncharted 4 ?

[kneon]

You don't need to do anything new to be a great developer, you just need to do it better than anyone else.

Innovation is pointless if the implementation is crap.

[jznrpg]

Diablo and Warcraft are the only games I ever really liked from Blizzard. WoW was just a crappy copy made too easy for mainstream version of Everquest

[Realms]

Time Splitters say's why did you rip me off over watch, LOL there is nothing necessarily new it's a good game that has a game play hook but it's nothing we haven't seen before. Blizzard is good at polishing existing ideas but not so good at setting the bar. Their biggest games WOW, Diablo, Heart stone gameplay wise their games are good but if we are talking about pushing video games forward ND is definitely has out class them.

[SilentXCaspa]

HAHAHAHAHAHA what a joke. Blizzard? LOL

[_-EDMIX-_]

lol smh.

You mean TF2 clone?

[NovaCorps]

Lol get the hell out of here

[nub_cakes101]

Blizzard is garbage now, they can't even balance wow

[Saijahn]

CD Projekt Red says hello as well.

[Wallstreet37]

And naughty dog says "take lessons" cant believe ppl are saying blizzard is in the same level 😂 too funny lol

[zackdollars]

EA, Activision, CD Project Red, and even Square Enix say hi.

[goathouse774]

Oneshot, did you hurt yourself, there? While reading that monster pile of dumb, I was reminded of an ancient steampunk machine boiling over and exploding.

You are a definitive idiot.

[trooper_]

LOOOOL.

No.

[DemonChicken]

Besides comparing apples and oranges - both develops develops different genres

Let's not forget that ND develops for PS consoles only and U4 is visually excellent on a 'console' where hardware is limited, a achievement that not many has pulled.

[Clunkyd]

@Gamertk421
Blizzard? LOL X'D

[Muzikguy]

They probably do say hi. While they do that though, ND is hard at work on their next game. I used to think Blizzard was awesome back in Diablo 2 days. Haven't been impressed with much since. I will say that I thought Overwatch was fun. Won't be getting it though

[uth11]

I'd argue they don't, they aren't all they are cracked up to be. Visually yes. Gameplay no

[rivaldoo777]

Character yes, story-wise yes,

[vickers500]

If your favorite characters and stories are action movies, yes. If you want something thought provoking, deep and emotional, no.

My bad, as I was making this comment, I forgot this is about Naughty Dog as a whole, not about Uncharted. The Last of Us definitely has some pretty good characters and stories. Uncharted? Not so much story wise. Every attempt at a joke in Uncharted 4 was so freaking cringeworthy it hurt. Easily the worst out of the Uncharted series I have played, horrible ratio of gunplay/climbing (waaaayyy too much climbing). And the entire story/game of Uncharted 4 except the epilogue, felt so tacked on and unnecessary, for me it was obvious they pulled this "long lost brother" story out of their ass and had no real long term story plan for him, Sony just wanted another Uncharted for the ps4, so they came up with this. Everything except the epilogue felt entirely pointless (in terms of story).

Uncharted 1, 2 and 3 were way better than 4. I actually breathed a sigh of relief after finishing U4, because if future Uncharted games are like 4, I won't be buying them at launch. U4 left a bad taste in my mouth for the series as you can tell, it reminded me of the order 1886 several times whilst playing, little gunplay, cutscenes with little meaning.

Well, enough of my rant, which will attract the rabid legions of Uncharted diehard fans hateful comments. And no, I'm not an xbox/pc/nintendo fanboy. My favorite exclusive of this gen on ANY console, is Ratchet and Clank.

I will say what few action sequences u4 had were brilliant, my favorite either being the bridge collapse/RPG section or the car chase scene.

[nix]

Vicker,

"cringeworthy"?

Wow. You really must be desperate to find a fault. There are emotional moments in UC4 - when they take the second lift in the jungle Elena and Nate talk about what he should have done and how relationship work. After that you drive for two minutes without any rambling, jumping. The music is also sad. The driving is equally smooth. I just fell deeper as i drove further. I didn't want the sequence to get over. It was just beautiful and felt so peaceful yet sad.

[Utalkin2me]

@vickers500

You're entitled to your opinion. I dont agree with it as most dont agree with it.

What i do find odd is that you say you're "ranting", then you get defensive before you even finish writing. This is not a proper approach on trying to validate your opinion. This just concludes the first thing i said. You know you're in the minority and hence why you made those comments.

[FullmetalRoyale]

I love TLoU. I love basically everything about it. When I think back about the game, though, I think of how thrilling it was to PLAY. I love everything everyone else loves about it, but I hardly ever see anyone talking about the gameplay. My favorite part of that game was the human fight hotel sequence. Fighting it out on multiple floors, running away, hiding, scavenging, crafting, was just so intense. TLoU has some of my absolute favorite gameplay in it. Weird that nobody seems to share that opinion, at least vocally.

[vickers500]

"What i do find odd is that you say you're "ranting", then you get defensive before you even finish writing"

I find that it saves time. Had I not "gotten defensive", I'd have been accused of being an Xbox fanboy. I know how these "conversations" go here at n4g. Someone says something critical about their beloved game, and the response 99% of the time is "you're just a fanboy, your opinion doesn't matter", or something much less elegant, along those lines. I mean I mentioned the order and uncharted in the same comment, both sony exclusives, I was bound to be called a fanboy at some point.

I just avoided the unnecessary back and forth of someone saying that to me, and then me responding that I am indeed not an xbox fanboy.

This was a rant mostly, and yeah I know I'm in the minority, clearly. Doesn't mean I'm wrong (doesn't mean I'm right either). But I needed to rant. Uncharted 4 was just so utterly disappointing to me, I mean I've always thought it was a pretty good franchise (though way overpraised imo) but at least I could understand the love for the first 3. Uncharted 4 however? I truly cannot understand why people can even compare this mediocre title to the likes of Uncharted 2. It's not even better than Uncharted 1. My guess is they're either still riding the excitement/hype train from its release (you know, like when a highly anticipated game comes out that's inferior to its predecessors, but because of the excitement of it being out, people love the crap out of it, yet later when people have had some time to let the hype die down, they start judging it more objectively, like fallout 4 for example) OR they simply haven't been exposed to very good stories in their lives, so they think Uncharted stories are somehow great, when in reality, they're pretty par for the course of what's out there tv/movie wise.

@nix

I was saying the jokes were cringeworthy, not the "emotional moments". The "emotional moments" in Uncharted 4 were just boring, as it's just a "been there done that" in terms of conflict/dialogue.

But yeah, this is a rant. I'm just so disappointed with it. The story felt tacked on to the franchise (cept the epilogue), there was far too much climbing, not enough gunplay, the vibrant and colorful art style from the first 3 games is missing from half of Uncharted 4, the jokes were horrible and annoying. I am dumbfounded that people can say U4 is the best out of the Uncharted games when for me, it's such a glaring and obvious disappointment of a sequel and easily the worst Uncharted I've played (haven't played GA).

And yeah, I may be a bit overly critical, who knows. If I am, it's because people overrate the series to high heavens. It's good, but it's not as good as the Uncharted/Naughty Dog religious fans would have you believe. It's just a good franchise, it's not the second coming of christ.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

Visually yes, gameplay yes, everything else yes. Maybe MP is where they stumble, but TLoU MP was amazing nonetheless. U4 mp is ok.

If they aren't at all they are cracked up to be, the why they are so successful in the first place? They have done enough to earn the respect.

As for the article. Outshine other studios is a strong thing to say. I'd say they have got the spotlight since TLoU overwhelming success, and U4 success just add more to their talent.

[game4funz]

I'd say many other studios are just as successful if not more so.

Nothing special here. Just because a studio is successful with a series doesn't mean it outshines anything else. If anything it just adds more sunshine.

[galmi]

"If they aren't at all they are cracked up to be, the why they are so successful in the first place? "

I could counter this statement with call of duty you know, but i see your point.

Personally, NDs best project to me is TLOU, not for gameplay or graphics, mainly for story, left me rather confused when it all ended cuz i was expecting more. Truly a masterpiece, story might not be original but it was done rather well and i think thats what NDs quite good at.

[Utalkin2me]

@game4funz

Hate to burst your bubble....

Better yet lets use average of lifetime scores.

Rockstar
http://www.metacritic.com/c...
81

Bethesda
http://www.metacritic.com/c...
76

Naughty Dog
http://www.metacritic.com/c...
88

CDPR
http://www.metacritic.com/c...
82

It's obvious who the standout is.

[Genuine-User]

"Gameplay no"

You lot need to stop repeating this debunked point.

UC4 combat:

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

http://i.imgur.com/VS6YBkx....
http://imgur.com/AiCy6Tm
http://imgur.com/ta42DdH

Semi stealth approach:

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

I'm playing in both of those videos and the gifs are from Gaf.

[Scatpants]

I'd go as far as saying UC4s combat is right up there with Gears of War. The multiplayer is a blast.

[OB1Biker]

Awesome stuff man. Thanks for sharing.

[nowitzki2004]

Yeah anyone that says Uncharted does not have good gameplay imo is a complete idiot. The gameplay just flows so perfectly in UC4. Its some of the most fun i have had in an online game. Gameplay is so quick but you have total control and I feel like there is a rhythm to the matches because of the perfectly designed maps and the gameplay that goes with it.

The thing that surprised me the most about Uncharted was the amazing gameplay in UC 1. And it has improved since then a whole lot lol.

And really nice gameplay vids btw.

[Ratty]

I disagree. The game has great visuals but that's not even it's strongest feature. To me, gameplay and story are. The amazing graphics are just a bonus that help to immerse the players or have them go "shiiiiiit what a great view!" once in a while.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

Never mind. The uncharted haters only think the games are just graphics.

Keep watching youtubers guys!

[WellyUK]

The story in 4 was weak to me, it wasn't impactful enough for a finale in anyway. But that car scene though, probably the best action sequence in a game ever.

[rainslacker]

Maybe one day they'll get a chance to actually play them and stop being so bitter.

[Xavy]

U clearly have not played there latest games if the only thing u could come up with is visuals. So your comment is invalid.

[ONESHOTV2]

that's true man but the fans here dont want to hear that

[_-EDMIX-_]

smh. Its like this man is collecting disagrees.

[nowitzki2004]

Describe whats wrong with the gameplay... Can you?

[The 10th Rider]

Eh, they do make some fantastic, incredibly polished games. The reason I would hesitate to label them the hands-down best would be because they're kind of a one-trick dog. They haven't really branched out much in the past decade, sticking exclusively to the same type of game. They're the best at what they do, but we haven't seen much else. If they came out with a totally different game with the same level of quality and polish, that would be a different story.

[Muzikguy]

Visually, gameplay, story, character development, emotion.... ND does it all.

I'd argue the continue to do this because they're doing what they love and enjoy it. They actually WANT to learn about hardware and push it to its limits instead of other companies that do minimal amounts of work and want to get COD type of returns.

[mezati99]

Lol at the salty comments already

ND are in a league of their own, best gaming developer on the planet for me, feel sorry for anybody who don't get to play their games

[WellyUK]

sorry but this is just pure fanboy...

Naughty Dog are fantastic, but saying they are in a league of their own is just plain wrong, especially when you take Rockstar who have had nothing but huge success over the past 2 gens and aren't focused into one platform. Then there is CD Projekt Red who have been making great games for years now and people have now seen how good they are with Witcher 3, a game with 200+ hours of that quality of content can't be dismissed.

Naughty Dog are stellar but they are not in a league of their own, maybe in a group of devs that are at the top of their game but I wouldn't say they are in a league of their own.

[InTheLab]

Rockstar...yes. CD does not have the accolades. Tally up the goty nominations for UC2,Uc4, and the Last of Us. No other studio comes close aside from Rockstar...

[WellyUK]

Witcher 3 has the most amount of awards of any game... Does not have the accolades, what a load of horse sh*te.

That one game has shown how good they are for their first real go in the console market it's nothing but a great accomplishment.

Blizzard and From software are also easily up there with Naughty Dog.

[Vegamyster]

@InTheLab

They may not have as many accolades combined but they currently have the most awarded game.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum...

[DragonDDark]

@welly and @vega

@intheLab is saying if you combine these rewards, you'll have a much greater number.

TLOU alone won lots of rewards in 2013 against a big game like GTA5. It's a new IP, not a sequel too. Witcher 3 is a sequel so its fans are surely buying it... it's hard to get people into a new IP but ND managed to do that.
Plus, Witcher 3 is a multiplatform game so sites like "Xboxforever.com" can't give a Playstation exclusive a reward. And witcher 3 did get rewards from these sites.

What Naughty Dog did is a very rare thing. And exclusive getting these rewards is phenomenal imo.

You see what I mean?

[Vegamyster]

@DragonDDark

"TLOU alone won lots of rewards in 2013 against a big game like GTA5."

Witcher 3 also went up against big ones like MGSV, Fallout 4, Bloodbourne ect so while it was on more systems it also had a bunch of other hyped games to go up against.

"Witcher 3 is a sequel so its fans are surely buying it."

On PC yes but the only game that came to consoles was the The Witcher 2 on 360 which came out a year afterwards.

"it's hard to get people into a new IP but ND managed to do that."

A lot of it has to do with advertising when it comes to new ip's, there is plenty of new ip's that did very well score/sales wise ranging from Dishonored to Splatoon, i saw TLOU commercials nonstop for about a month and they were very well done.

[kevnb]

blizzard and nintendo completely embarrass naughty dog overall. square does as well, even if they kind of fell of last gen. 3 fantastic games doesnt make them the best developer ever, nintendo, square and blizzard defined genres.

[Germany7]

Here it comes The Witcher fans, the most insecure fanboys ever, CD Projekt is nothing special, Bioware developed way better games/rpgs than this new studio.

[rainslacker]

What I see is a lot of fine studios being listed, and they all make different kinds of games. Some make games closer to others in terms of comparison, but ultimately, they're all great studios.

I don't know if ND being in a league of their own is appropriate, because when you get to the best of the best, they all kind of sit at the top, and it's hard to qualify which one will top the other.

[Vegamyster]

@Ratchet8

Pot calling the kettal black lol.

[DragonDDark]

You can't really compare these games to GTA5 that still in the top 10 NPD Charts to this day.
@Vega

[Vegamyster]

@DragonDDark

Most of the people who've bought GTA haven't played TLOU based on sales, reviewers/people at these gaming sites who hand out the awards have. If i had to chose between GTA & TLOU I'd easily say TLOU, much fresher experience compared to GTA.

[nix]

Welly,

I don't think you've been playing great games and you don't know the repercussions of playing games. Please play Bloodborne and after that play Witcher 3. Please play UC4/TLOU and after that play Tomb Raider.

First thing that happens is that you don't want to even play any other games because you know they're never going to be matched.

Maybe you're used to glitch ridden games with easy combat systems with fair amount of stories. Then that's your choice. That's what you think is great. Then there's nothing we can do to convince that other games are better.

I hope that your pride doesn't come in the way to experiencing these games. That would be a huge loss on your side because you like playing games.

[WellyUK]

@nix

I have played Bloodborne and Witcher 3, Witcher 3 is a better game it is only beaten by Bloodborne in terms of gameplay and only by a little everything else The Witcher 3 is far better than bloodborne at hence why it won so many awards.

You all seem to think I'm hating on Naughty Dog....

I'm not they are fantastic and make brilliant games, my issue is with people saying they are in a "league of their own" when they clearly aren't, there are devs with just as many highly rated games and devs with just as many accolades who are being dismissed just because of pure fan boys won't here anything other than Naughty Dog are the best.

I have played pretty much every Naughty Dog game and UC2 and TLOU are easily their best games and are easily 2 of the very best games ever made.

You just seem to not like any form of slight negativity towards naughty dog aka a fanboy.

@Utalkin2me

Ye but Naughty dog are just a dev, Rockstar are a publisher and a dev and have made way more games, I mean rockstar has over 6+ pages of games on metacritic, ND has 1... You can't go off averages.

[Utalkin2me]

Better yet lets use average of lifetime scores.

Rockstar
http://www.metacritic.com/c...
81

Bethesda
http://www.metacritic.com/c...
76

Naughty Dog
http://www.metacritic.com/c...
88

CDPR
http://www.metacritic.com/c...

It's obvious who the standout is.

[Vegamyster]

@Utalkin2me

Those numbers are misleading if you go through those links. Nearly all of Bethesda's DLC has ratings while none of ND's are, Rockstar has tons of games that run across lots platforms from handhelds, phones & home consoles. CDPR has two $2 games that drag down their score & Saints Row 2 is on there when Volition made that game, take those out and average the highest version (not all 3 copies for TW3) then they average 89 without the highly rated expansion.

Way too many variables to make a proper comparison.

[moegooner88]

Last game I played that impressed me so much was TLOU, so yeah have to agree. They really are in a league of their own.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

@vegamyster yeah that's true they just barely beat the last of us record but what competition did Witcher 3 have like seriously fallout 4 lol while tlou did it in a year with gta 5 and bioshock infinite which is imo more impressive.

[Jburr94]

I am a huge fan of ND and Uncharted but they can be great developers along with Rockstar and other boundary pushing developers. They all are great and have their own strengths.

[game4funz]

Common sense.... I don't think it belongs in the forums.

@Dragon
As opposed to what you just said. Good job.

[DragonDDark]

@game
Say something useful, font troll.

[rainslacker]

It's like trying to say what Italian supercar is the best. In the end, they're all still Italian super cars.

[game4funz]

Don't waste time feeling sorry.... That makes me feel sorry for you. Lol

[jcnba28]

Yet it's your comment that sounds salty lol

[Gatsu]

You're a blinded Fanboy if think they are the best. You should play more games and genres :).

[Majin-vegeta]

Its cuz they seem to be one of the only devs who have a passion for developing games.If they were under any other companies control they would have either been closed down by now or made to crank out yearly junk.

[game4funz]

Nice assumption. It made me laugh

I must edit for the intellectually challenged. Your comment speaks about a possibility that doesn't exist, hasn't existed and don't know if it ever will. Therefore it's an assumption.

If you said that naughty dog under Sony has been able to put their passion into their games... That's fact. Not an assumption. I would not have laughed at it.

I see you kids still need to grow up. Blind fanboyism is not compatible with intelligent comments. I was actually expecting some sort of interesting response.

[Majin-vegeta]

Not assumption kid.....

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Your comments full of trolling and fanboy hate make people laugh so thank you.

[CaitSith]

"Nothin' personnel... Kid."
- Coldsteel the Hedgeheg, Make Sanic Great Again

[jcnba28]

They may outshine other devs but there are devs who already outshine them.

[Majin-vegeta]

Like??

[Skate-AK]

Don't feed the trolls. I found these gems in his recent comment history.

"Nah I think Sony should start making games for Nintendo."

"Sony has a much bigger chance of going third party than Nintendo LOL."

[objdadon]

And what other devs would these be???? I'm waiting......

[kevnb]

the easiest and non arguable one is nintendo.

[jcnba28]

Kevnb beat me to it.

Nintendo have been making quality games since the dawn of time. Compare their library of games to ND's... see the difference???? I'm waiting......

[nowitzki2004]

Lets say Nntendo is better... Who else? If ND is 2nd then thats pretty great lol. And ND makes games the adult me wants to play where when I was a kid then I was more interested in Nintendo games see? Now my kids enjoy Nintendo games and they are great but me personally Ill take something more mature like UC4 or TLOU.

So do you only play Nintendo games?

[moegooner88]

Passion has to be it. I mean developing good games is something, but that ridiculous attention to details and polish is something that sets them apart from the others.

[NotanotherReboot]

because they created the best video game character of all time: Daxter

[Movefasta1993]

Why do people get buttthurt over another person's opinion?If he thinks naughty dog are the best then so be it.There are millions of gamers with different tastes.Me personally,i think fromsoft are the best.They made 3 games that are in my all time top 10 list in Demon,Dark 1 and Bloodborne.And i still haven't played dark 3.

[sorane]

They don't. Simple as that. There's far far better developers out there that give us much more innovative and better games. Naughty Dog just does the same old games over and over. Nothing but short linear cinematic tps with average and dumbed down gameplay.

Edit: Hahaha looks like the truth hurts. Inzo I know there history they haven't made anything but short linear cinematic tps with average and dumbed down gameplay for over a decade now. Facts are facts unlike what you're droning on about. Sinkingsage all you have to do is look at the comment right above you to see one of the many developers that are better.

@ratchet8

LOL look how butthurt you are. If you didn't troll like a 12 year old people might think Sony was paying you to spread all your misinformation. At least it leaves you with a lot of time to do what you do best which is troll badly, make petitions to take legit reviews down from metacritic, and beg for ports of games on other platforms. You really seem to get all bent out of shape from people exposing faults with your preferred platform. I just hope no small animals suffer because of it. I know the truth hurts.

Edit to ratchets edt:

"The only truth here that you have only one platform and looks like you don't have any games to play, because you are always trolling on PS4 articles."

You really wanna compare who is on here posting because they don't have any games to play? An easy look at comment history solves that one pretty easily. I won't post the numbers because that would just make you look really really bad and I pity you. You should really have your parents review your post beforehand because it seems you don't put a lot of thought into them before posting.

"What's the matter, are you tired of playing mobas and IOS ports?"

I'd say you're just tired of playing the same old short linear cinbematic tps that Sony releases once every 6 months, but they don't even have enough tired old gameplay to last past the day you gobble them up for $60. LOL

"Keep begging for Bloodborne" Why would anyone do that when I can just play the exponentially better DS3 that has actual replay ability. The only people I see begging for a PC version of Bloodborne are actual ps4 players since the game is a technical disaster on there console. Which goes with the good port comment also because not even ps4 exclusives have good ports on that system. Everything from Dark Souls Kiddy Edition(aka Bloodborne) to Until dawn is an absolute mess with massive framerate issues, bad frame pacing, missing even basic effects like afx16, ect, etc, etc. Can't tell you the last time a PC game fps went as low as the highest targeted console game fps for the same game. You should make a petition about that if you haven't already. Or maybe make a petition to take down all the reviews that talk about technical issues in ps4 games. So many though that it'd probably take decades. I'm sure your next post will just be name calling and your usual bad trolling, but as you see I comeback firing straight facts.

Oh look what just popped up. http://n4g.com/news/1908667...

Just another in a long long list of bad ports on ps4........

[Inzo]

You know its people like you that give actually gamers a bad name. Might I suggest you look up ND history before spewing crap like them doing the same thing over and over again, ever heard of Crash Bandicoot or Jak and Daxter or TLOU. Before you state your opinion as fact , you might want to do a little research first. ND has its 4th game in a row in the mid 90s on metacritic, U1 itself standing on 88, two of their last three games are GOTY, U4 will make it GOTY no. 4. Fact is they are absolutely in their own league, simple as that.

[WellyUK]

Rockstar have just as many 90+ rated games and have LA Noire on a 89 and Max payne 3 on 85. Plus GTAV, Red Dead and GTA IV were all GOTY winners in their years and even all those gta games before have probably been winners. 5 GTA games are rated over 90. And when Red dead Redemption 2 eventually shows up we all know that will be highly rated and sell like hot cakes. You could argue that Rockstar are better due to GTA IV and V being so highly rated.

Naughty Dog and Rockstar are in a league of their own both just as good as each other, both pushing gaming forward.

[DragonDDark]

LA Noir wasn't developed by R*
Neither was max payne 3

[Gatsu]

Woah no need to get so nasty because of someones opinion lol. There are a lots of games in the past with high metascores and just because ND's games rank high, doesn't mean ND is the best. You should make your search range more wide too if missed other games.

But anyway what studio is best is opinion that's different for all, so relax.

[Germany7]

Exactly, only someone that never played ND games would say that The Last of Us and Uncharted have the same mechanics, now imagine to compare these games with Jak and Daxter, lol.
He doesn't even has a PS4, just another jealous troll.

[SinkingSage]

Like who?

[Ninver]

Retarted non factual comments like yours should not exist. At no point in your rant did you make any sense and I pray the lord has mercy on your soul.

[Germany7]

Look at the pc beggar trolling again, now that's really sad, you don't even have a PS4 and never played any game created by ND, it's just like a fish trying to talk about a bicycle, completely irrelevant.
Now go sign another petition begging for another console exclusive like a little kid crying and stop being jealous, it's really pathetic.

Edit : a pc beggar talking about others making petitions, now that's hilarious. Keep begging for Bloodborne, good ports, exclusive games for consoles and crying about everything, you are delusional and trolling on every PS4 article here, another one with serious issues. The only truth here that you have only one platform and looks like you don't have any games to play, because you are always trolling on PS4 articles. What's the matter, are you tired of playing mobas and IOS ports?
Seek help.

[nix]

Slow down Ratchet, it's not nice to kick a blind kid.

[OB1Biker]

Wtf did I just read?
'They don't. Simple as that.'
' the truth hurts.'
'Facts are facts'
'how butthurt you are.'
'Sony was paying you to spread all your misinformation'
'people exposing faults '
'I know the truth hurts.'

Do you realize you sound like some sort of fanatic who thinks they are having a conversation endeavor?
Where are the 'I think', 'IMO', etc?
Oh I get it, you OWN the truth.
'they haven't made anything but short linear cinematic tps with average and dumbed down gameplay for over a decade' Look, open your eyes and realize most of the real world disagree (that is a real fact) or stay in your fantasy world.

[BossBattle]

Rockstar says hi and bye

[NotanotherReboot]

Rockstar haven't made a game in 3 years. They're irrelevant now

[Imalwaysright]

The last game that Rockstar made outsold all Uncharted games combined.

http://www.ign.com/articles...

This is how relevant Rockstar is. If Sony could, I have absolutely no doubt that they would trade Rockstar with ND... in a blink of an eye!

OT

To the person that wrote this article and for those that agree with that person.

Edit

@ Inzo

You know I'm talking about Uncharted 1/2/3 and eventually Uncharted 4, right? But if you want specific sales just for the PS3...

Uncharted1 4.93 millions
Uncharted2 6.70 millions
Uncharted3 6.81 millions
Total = 18.44 millions

GTA V: 21.30 millions

GTA V on the PS3 outsold all 3 Uncharted games available for it. Also, thanks for the suggestion but I've been using this username for 9 years and I see no point in changing it now.

2nd edit

@ Bruce

Are you trying to imply that Rockstar games don't have quality? Is that a joke?

Presentation wise Rockstar is on a completely another level compared to ND and any other dev. The polish and detail that their open world games have put any other game to shame. When and if ND makes an open world game let us see if they can keep up with Rockstar in that departmant.

Storytelling wise to me ND only has one game that is worthwile: TloU.

Uncharted to me has a shalllow story fitting of a summer blockbuster with extremelly cliche characters that are borderline psychopaths. RDR in that aspect is far superior to me compared to any Uncharted.

Acording to critics? Ok I'll bite...

http://www.metacritic.com/g...

http://www.metacritic.com/g...

Oh and Witcher 3 has surpassed TloU has the game with most GOTY awards.

Also this discussion is not about my purchasing decisions, but who is more relevant in this industry. Not only is Rockstar more relevant sales wise but they also changed and revolutionized gaming forever which is something that ND has yet to do so please don't compare the relevance that Rockstar has compared to ND. It's not a fair contest to ND or pretty much every other dev.

[BossBattle]

Not when the same game keeps selling. GTA 5 has a world record 65 million sold and still counting. It actually has a decent multiplayer too. Rockstar has the most variety of games also. Manhunt, Bully, GTA series, Red Dead series,etc. No other developers are touching them. That's fact.

[Inzo]

@Imalwaysright

You do know that GTA is multiplat right? Selling on 4 platforms. Maybe you should change your name to "Imalwayswrong"

[BossBattle]

@bruce755 GTA high sales are a reflection of their great reputation of having games that are enjoyable.

[aquaticDonut]

I wouldnt say all other studios. CDPR is lookin pretty good right about now.

[BlakHavoc]

Personally I think ND and R* are pretty close. Id give a slight edge to ND.

[game4funz]

I don't think so. How many party games has ND developed that can match Nintendo smash or Mario kart... How many strategy games. It's a good studio but only weird super super fans would put them above all other studios. Their current games have good narrative but that's it.

[SinkingSage]

Did you just compare Naughty Dog's Legacy with the likes of Smash and Mario kart? aka Nintendo rehashing the same franchises over and over again, like EA, Activision and Ubisoft... Not that they are of bad quality, but Nintendo's innovative experiences really shine on the Wii U's sales numbers. hah

[Gatsu]

I think he means more other genres you know, which ND hasn't tried much yet. He is right too, ND can't be really better than every other studio before they do this.

[Ark_]

They are great developers. But "outshine all other studios"? There are many other great developers out there that would disagree (espescially considering other genres). They "continue to shine", they are "allways playing in the top league" ... wouldn't that suffice as a headline?
No - they have to outshine everyone else. It's just not true - can't be true.
It's like saying Usain Bolt is the greates Sportsman of all time - it's just not true as well. He outshines all others only in his special disciplin (sprinting). That maybe true for ND as well - although success as a game developer is harder to measure.

[DragonDDark]

Well, it's true to the writer's eyes. It's a thing called opinion.

[nix]

Ark,

Probably because ND really does good job at what they do. Be it a big or a small game. I suggest you go through some of the videos that talk about the technical aspects of UC4. Most of them feel it is the best made game. So they're good technically and story wise too.

That's why perhaps they're allowed to be called the best.

[Eiyuuou]

In their genre? Sure thing.

[Sy_Wolf]

I thought they were wizards from another dimension who came to earth to make dank ass video games or something.

[Themba76]

for real all they need to do is announce last of us 2 and it's a wrap they will be the undisputed champions of game development.

[Saito]

Damn that downplay tho

[Ninver]

When another developer is able to win the most awarded GOTY in gaming history, then and only then will they be respectfully placed in the same league as ND. Until then keep trying and let the big boys (ND) handle business.

[DragonDDark]

Witcher 3 won that actually lol
Buuut it's a multiplatform game so I'll bite.

[DragonPaw]

The multiplat is actually a plus in a theoretical world where it could have been optimized specifically for the ps4 without any worries of parity. Witcher 3 is a giant, awesome game in which the narrative does not outweigh the world.

I wish Sony would get CD Projekt Red as an exclusive developer. It is nonsense to compare multiplats to exclusives, because multiplats require so much more work. CD Projekt Red has worked hard to keep their game top notch so far after launch and I have major respect for them.

[Gatsu]

Actually The Witcher 3 is the most awarded game with GOTYs at the moment...so yeah. It surpassed TLOU lol :).
@Ratchet8 I'm not trolling and you sound negative/hateful with your every comment, how about you relax buddy. It's not my fault ND didn't realize to release TLOU as multiplat. It still lost to TW3 now. Both are amazing games though.

[Sunny_D]

By 2 lol. Not to mention, it's multi platform and TLOU STILL has a higher meta critic than Witcher 3. But both games are amazing either way.

[Germany7]

Only by two awards and it's a multiplatform, now check how many awards TLOU and Uncharted 2 have won.
What about now, troll.

[WellyUK]

ye but making a game on multiple platforms is harder than making a game on one, especially a game that is 200+ hours long and has that size map, it's harder to do that well on more platforms.

I mean look at Bungie they were masters of FPS with halo and behind XBOX, now look at them they couldn't handle the load of multiplatform and Destiny suffered because of it.

[PrinceOfAnger]

well said.

[kevnb]

do you think last of us stands up to something like ocarina of time, super mario 3, final fantasy vii, street fighter 2?

[DragonPaw]

Super Mario 3 was awesome.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

I actually made 17 gaming websites just now and gave goty award to COD 2015 on each of them. How many more GOTY awards does it need to beat TLOU?

[jts1891]

That's a matter of opinion. When it comes to graphics and creating well-developed characters, they are certainly at the top. But when it comes to actual gameplay, they aren't that amazing.

[BLKxSEPTEMBER]

R* makes better games imo

[jznrpg]

Only R* game I ever loved was Red Dead, but thats just me. ND is one of the best, but so is From Software, CDProjekt , Bethesda , R* and some Japanese developers . I am sure someone elses list is different. They all offer different things and there is no need to say 1 is the best really, because I dont want to play only one type of game or one studios games.

[StormLegend]

Other than GTA I never cared for any of the other games.

[Lennoxb63]

ND is one of the best developers out, but they do not outshine others. Their graphics, cinematics, and story telling are top notch.

[WellyUK]

they are the best at what they do, third person story driven adventure games.

[Skate-AK]

Becuase Sony knows that putting out a sub-par release damages the studio and franchise. With the way the internet is, you only have to mess up once to feel the pain. They have the flexibility to allow delays knowing that gamers have an acute sense of a game being polished or just put out to patch a later dates at the expense of the consumer.

[PistolsAtDawn]

Perspective of some. ND is a FANTASTIC studio, but many people just blindly think they are the best without contest. Those people make me wonder what else they have played. ND = great...not untouchable. Seems more that , that kind of talk is more aimed to legitimize bias. If ND went multiplat, immediately more than half their "diehard" fans would abandon them and/or say they lost their touch. Just how I see it

[DafunkyRebel]

I recommend everyone watch the Last of US Grounded behind the scenes documentary, it shows how amazing Naughty Dog is and how much work and dedication they put into their games. You can't appreciated how good these games are until you watch that documentary

[Kallisti]

Yes you can, it's called playing the game.

[opinionated]

By having a legion of devoted cultists.

[DragonDDark]

With time and money. Sony gives them both.

[Germaximus]

Nice article. Although, I think the comparison to Squaresoft is a bit off. Square has made far more games than Naughty Dog by a long shot. Plus, games that weren't a huge improvement over previous ones doesn't make them any less awesome. =)

I would give a huge nod towards Quantic Dream.

Add a Facebook or Disqus comment section to the site?

[Imalwaysright]

Squaresoft are legendary... FF, Final Fantasy tactics, Vagrant Story, Kingdom Hearts, Parasite Eve, Xenogears, Chrono Trigger and Einhander. I'll forever miss them.

[GrimmyReaper]

Eejjjjjj, not all other ones IMO
Don't get me wrong, I love Naughty Dog!
But I also love Rockstar, Atlas and CD Project Red.

I would add you Bethesda if only you stopped rushing your games and having your fans fix the game faster and better than you (on pc) >_>

[fluxmulder]

Can ND make a great strategy game like Firaxis can? No. Can they do an RPG like CD Projekt Red? No. Can they do open world like Rockstar? No. So how exactly are they "outshining" other studios? Each do what they do brilliantly.

[Gatsu]

This is the best comment. I wonder if any ND fan here can answer that. I also don't think they can outshine others, unless ND prove they can be successful in more other genres.

[nix]

Or can these studios make a platformer as good as Uncharted series or TLOU?

It's not only about the genre. If you see the tech reviews of UC4, it clearly shows that it's the best one out there. Not my words but those guys words.

[WelkinCole]

And yet only ND is setting a new bar for gaming with their games apart from Rockstar North that takes forever to release a game.

[objdadon]

Lol, i would put my money on naughty dog to do whatever they want and be better at it than everyone else.

[Germany7]

And what about these studios, they can make a great action game or a 3D platformer like Naughty Dog?
What a stupid comment, sounds really desperate.

[jznrpg]

I bet they could and hope they do, just because they havent doesnt mean they can not, the blue print is out their and has been for a long time

[Lord_of_Cinder]

Naughty Dog is a legendary studio on a league of their own. They are definitely 1 of the top console developers in the industry. They raise the bar everytime they release a new game.

Is really amazing what an army of amazing first party developers PlayStation has. This is why they always have the best console exclusives on each generation.

[franwex]

Well, most of their games are awesome; plus add the Sony fanboys from this site and all you see is love.

[Bobafret]

....At third person adventure games. Fixed.

[jwillj2k4]

should be a question of why, not how. Focusing on an engaging story has always allowed the little gameplay irks to be overlooked. Hopefully Devs see this and take notes.

[Gatsu]

When ND shows how well they manage to do successful games in more different genres, then we can say they outshine other studios. I like ND and I'm a long time fan of PlayStation, but the ND fanboyism is overwhelming here.

[Captain_TomAN94]

Better management, quality control, and standards they refuse to compromise on. Simple as that.

[lipton101]

Quality over quantity

[nix]

I think they're good in terms of quantity too. 5 quality games in 9 years. That's like 1 game every 18+/- months.

[jcnba28]

All ND makes are third person adventure games lol

[objdadon]

And your point is???? Lol

[Moe-Gunz]

It's come to a point where other developers will tell you themselves that ND is on another level.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

I love ND, But ND fandrones are the worst and honestly make me embarrassed to like ND. Current ND only nake one genre anyway sohow can they "outshine" all other studios.

[Skankinruby]

Because they make the best quality games......what genre it is doesn't matter

[PygmelionHunter]

This comments section reminds me of the first 2 PS3 games I ever bought, which were Uncharted 2 and MGS4.

By then I was already a regular reader here in N4G, though I think I still hadn't created an account.

The hype sorrounding Uncharted 2 shortly after release was not unlike what is seen here today with the fourth entry, and I bought all the hype comments like how revolutionary and magical the game was and how nothing that awesome had ever before graced us gamers.

What I found was a bit different. I found beautiful sceneries, great narrative and story pacing, and tight TPS controls... And then I played MGS4, a completely different game, and somehow liked it more.

Whether I found myself more into Snake's finale or maybe just liked better the type of game it turned out to be, I cannot really say.

But hear this. Every single time ND releases a new game, it gets treated like the second coming of Jesus. And even though I really enjoy their games since U2, I feel disoriented everytime I see a gamer making statements like that of the title.

While no one can deny ND's games are great, its fanbase here goes the extra mile to try and make every other game and developer seem bad in comparison, and it's always sickening to see. We all have different opinions regarding games, but that doesn't mean you have to force it into everyone else's throats.

[nix]

You mean nobody talked when Halo or gears or Forza or QB came out? You mean to say it was not blown out of proportion? It was not treated like "second coming of jesus"?

It runs both ways. And if you were here since UC2 days then you probably saw how rabid Xbox fans were and how every article was trolled and let's not forget those "PS3 is doomed" articles that would come out every week.

[PygmelionHunter]

@nix

I don't know just how blown out of proportions those exclusives were back then, since the Xbox news section was not of my interest, but I do remember the "PS3 is doomed" articles, and the bots trolling in those.

So I agree it runs both ways, as I never claimed otherwise, which you made up. But, does that mean it's fair to discriminate every other developer now that the "fanboy tables" have turned? We're back in the same spot.

[kevnb]

people keep talking about goty awards, what about best game of all time awards? nintendo is king.

[Hard8times]

Rockstar is unmatched GTA V just passed 65mil sold and R* does open world games remember that

[shinrock]

?

[led1090]

Oh come on. Valve! They don't make games anymore. But Valve definitely are right up there in comparison. Half Life 2 is still better than most shooters out there; 12 f#$$ing years after release!

[led1090]

Disagrees, but no proper counter opinion :( But yes as a supporting argument, Half Life, Half Life 2, the episodes, Left for Dead 1 and 2, Counter Strike 1 + Global Offensive, Team Fortress 2, and both the Portal games. How many more classics do i need to mention to get a proper counter argument :P

[Majister-Ludi]

Along with rockstar, bioware, cd project red, and with many others that go for more depth. Uncharted is fun but this idea that ND games are as good as it gets is silly. They are cinematic beautiful games but they lack depth and the gameplay itself is just kind of a ride your along the way for.

[shinrock]

What has ND done that's makes it stand out from other developers? Yes , they make a quality game but no more so then most major devs. The way I see it is that Nathan is only popular with in the Sony crowd, he hasn't established himself like most other gaming icons. I'm not trying to diss ND or Uncharted, but I just want to know what has made it special? And yes I have played UC before but I didn't make it past part 1. I just didn't get into any of the characters, and if I don't care about the characters or what their trying to accomplish, then I'm not motivated To go on.

PS: I AM ONLY TALKING FOR MYSELF! MY OPINION IS JUST THAT, MINE!

[jznrpg]

Many good developers out their , but ND does release great games with few bugs so they are at the top of the game. I want them to make an RPG really bad, open or more linear I don't care!!

[DanteVFenris666]

I don't know why everyone on this site likes rockstar so much. I wouldn't even put them in my top 10.

[jaycptza]

I know personally I cannot get into GTA, it just feels like a chore IMO

[StormLegend]

(IMO) No one is better than ND, only the developers of the Zelda series and Rockstar are similar.

[vegnadragon]

The thing that sets apart ND from others developers is that all their games fells like a polished game and that is due because Sony just give them time to polish the game. Remember Uncharted 4 was supposed to be released last year, the game was done, however they wanted to polish it. I doubt that any other publisher would allow it to happen but Sony, so the results shows. Of course I believe only ND has that privilege in Sony studios because they have a great track record, so their earn it.

[ramtah]

sony----..

[galmi]

Lets start a petition against opinions /s

I hope I did the sarcasm thing right hehehe

[Angel911]

Outshines my ass...Gears, GTA V, RDR, Porta 2, Bloodborne, Witcher 3, AK, Overwatch are far better game in terms of gameplay. Games like Witcher and RDR are better in story than UC and other are better in gameplay..

UC games are summer blockbuster movies which are fun to watch but boring to play...UC4 has pacing issues and overly long and unnecessary driving and platforming sections...Move this box and climb this wall and then something will break, then Drake will climb again lol...Then we will throw bunch of armored enemies at you followed by a emotoinal cutscene or set piece sequence....Apart from visuals set pieces and good characters..UC games are quite boring to play.

TLOU is far better game in both gameplay and story..

ROTR may be weak in story department buy gameplay is way more fun and pacing is also better..

Blind ND/PS fans will disagree but if you are sensible and smart gamer then you will definitely agree with me.

[jaycptza]

Personally I just cant get into GTA, as much as I have tried also you are damn wrong about the ROTR pacing in my opnion. Also stories are only better in opinion

[cyber_daemonx]

@gamertk421, agreed. Also Fromsoft says wtf?

[Angel911]

Only PS fans consider them as greatest...Others don't give a fuck..My cousin owns PS4 but he couldn't complete UC4 as he was bored of constant platforming and loose shooting mechanics...He went back to Destiny again coz gameplay is more fun in Destiny..

They make good fun game but their games are not unique or innovative...Don't put them on fucking pedestal lol

[jaycptza]

and Destiny is?

[MainstreamGamer]

That Grindfest? Most overhype game of 2014 winner? Tell him to keep at it, maybe he'll finally get that legendary weapon he always wanted, so later on Bungie can nerf it some more.

[ninjahunter]

Probably the best dev at presentation, period. Don't think they are even on the radar when it comes to gameplay though. When there is gameplay in their games its usually pretty good, but there are a very large amount of games that are better than "Usually pretty good."

[SynestheticRoar]

Hey does anyone remember a basketball player by the name micheal jordan. They are still selling his sneakers, and he's retired. At the top of his game there was nobody better. A constant professional. Also a boxer by the name of Ricardo Lopez undefeated. With a record of 51,1, 0. His passion was like no other, and he took on all comers. Bruce lee who will still be in magazines after were all dead. Who never lost a fight. Well one when he was 13 years old, but he got jumped. So it's doesn't count. His skill is what made him great. Professionalism, passion, and skill. Are all the qualities that made Naughty Dog great developers. Their at the top of the game right now. Let's all just enjoy the ride.

[jaycptza]

I think this guy is referring to Naughty Dogs technical ability and presentation. Those attributes are second to non. in my opinion. Also there story and characters and character development are on point

[Picnic]

ND got the graphics. ND got the conversation. But character relationship wise, Druckman and Draley don't seem to have ever had a lot of time for Sully. That was left to Drake's Fortune and UC3. Sully must have a driving force so why, 4 games later, don't I know what it is other than 'bad relationship with father, surrogate kind of father to Nate'? How can a supposed ladies man never be seen in the arms of one? I wouldn't be surprised if Sully's got confidence / self esteem issues from bad schooling.

[Segata]

I disagree. Not discounting anyone who enjoys their games. I find many studios better as a whole. I will not list them because no matter who I list will being on the flames from angry people who are just looking for an excuse to flame. I also do not feel they have developed enough genres to get that title. ND has worked hard to earn it's success but some studios have touched about every traditional genre and had nothing but quality series/games. Certain studios are fantastic at a certain genre or type of game or a couple of both but if they have not done much beyond that I can't put them as the best overall.

[Artemidorus]

Decent story decent graphics.

[Picnic]

What I want to know is what have Druckman and Draley got against Sully who was barely in UC2 and whilst he was in UC4 it was hardly a deep character relationship.

[wars1986]

Naughty dog are up there but for me Rockstar make the best SP games.

[NeoGamer232]

There are many high quality studios.

Blizzard, Rockstar (Several studios), Remedy, Nintendo (Several studios), Platinum, 343 Industries, Bioware, CD Projekt, DICE, etc.

Naughty Dog has been given a genre of games (action adventure) and they have done them well since Uncharted and TLOU. But they are also given a blank check, are not required to deliver their games on specific intervals, and have only really worked one genre for over 10 years now allowing them to perfect it. They have done well, but their success is just as much to do with the environment they given to work within (allowing them the cash, time, and effort/space to make really great games).

Studios are often financially constrained, required to deliver on intervals, maintain game engines for other studios, and are asked to make different types of games. Studios should not be only rated by their product but the constraints on which they deliver their gaming experiences. Naughty Dog, like Rockstar does not have any real constraints. The output of both studios are extremely high because of it.

[KurtRussell]

UC fanboys are the same kids that think superhero movies and jj abrams flicks are masterpieces. HAHAHA
Damn, i miss the Church of Kojima fanboys, less nauseating i gotta say.

[Vasto]

Blizzard is hands down #1

Everything they make just turns to gold.

Diablo, Starcraft, Heroes OF The Storm, Heartstone, Overwatch

[feraldrgn]

They just put the effort in.
They're also given freedom by their publisher so they can polish up.
They embarrase the devs who say they can't do something every generation & it just shows how lazy other devs are (not all of them, but you get the jist).

[latinlegend81]

There is only two companies in my book that you will always get your money worth and always make legendary games. Rockstar & Naughty Dog. All others are mediocre.

[Picnic]

I wouldn't say Bethesda are mediocre. Or that Irrational / 2K were.

[OhMyGandhi]

I really do believe it's because the people who work at Naughty Dog reek of professionalism. They don't say stupid things, nor do they give bad interviews. Everyone there feels integral to the development of the project. People need to watch Grounded: Making of the Last of Us to get a better idea of what I am talking about. I myself fell in love with Naughty Dog when Jak and Daxter came out (never did play much of the Crash games on PS1, had an N64 at the time) and could tell that there was something different about them. The best part about their games is the attention to detail. For the same reasons we'd watch and study every frame of a Kubrick movie for added details within the shot, I love tooling around Naughty Dog's environments because, like Kubrick, there is no such thing as random. Everything has a purpose, there is an inner logic to why things behave the way they do, and look the way they look. People who aren't even fans of the developer cannot deny that Naughty Dog's bench is filled to the brim with people who are perfectionists, and put their heart and soul into the game that they are making, often because they believe and wish to realize the lead game designer's ideas and want to match that person's ambition step for step.

And guess what? That could all be false. But from everything I've seen and heard, in print, video, and what-have-you, THAT is the image their company wishes to instill, and THAT is the reason why they are so well loved.

[Keregan]

As fun as UC4 is, it doesn't come close to the entertainment value you"ll with the Witcher 3 for example.

[ShadowKnight]

I love World of Warcraft and Starcraft! If you check out my Header I even say I'm a big fan of the game. Blizzard has always been my favorite developer. Naughty Dog is definitely in my top 5 though. For multiplayer games I'll give the edge to Blizzard. For single player games Naughty Dog. But TBH I like them both. I also like Rock*

[bumsick]

Cd projekt red..... naughty dog are very talented, but cdpr edge them out overall, partly because they treat their fans so well.

[MCTJim]

I really don't think they outshine all studios. I think Tomb Raider was done rather well if not equal to Uncharted. I think they are a great studio and among the best, but outshine all others..no they don't.

[fllysurfer]

I wonder what they will do next?... after TLOU2, that is.

[andrewsquall]

Raw talent? Born with it?

[veicht]

*sigh* Going to get down-voted to hell for this but I have to stand for it anyway.

I resent this notion and I resent the people in here that are so fervently down-voting dissenters while giving Naughty Dog inane amounts of un-due praise.

Naughty Dog is a talented developer, on a technical level. They manage to put out visually impressive and systematically complicated titles regularly with relatively solid launch states. Beyond that I just don't think that their titles are that impressive. For me, Uncharted 4 was the first Uncharted game that was even worthy of a "great" rating and was comparably enjoyable to rise of the tomb raider for me. Uncharted 1-3 were just "good" experiences for me. The actual gameplay of these games annoy me as much as they don't. Even the much refined Uncharted 4 still has some janky annoying combat despite its smooth implementation. In 1-3 they made use of way too much of its annoying combat had had far too little exploration (something they have remedied in my eyes in 4) to the point where it just felt like an answer to microsofts exclusive gears of war (which imo had much better combat segments).

Naughty Dog does not deserve to be credited ABOVE other studios purely or even mostly because their games are so clean and smooth. This is largely directed to the comments regarding bethesda games in here (not necessarily agreeing with the bethesda fans either) where it seems the argument is that bethesda games are buggy and therefore naughty dog is better? That seems insane to me. What makes a game great is what it does, the experience it gives. You can have the most bug-free, polished game ever made and it can still be a boring and bad game while at the same time have the most fun you have ever had on a buggy game. Naughty Dog isn't making bad games persay, but it isn't making games that impress me and it most certainly is not making games that are more fun than other greats in video games.

[Picnic]

Uncharted 2 actually has brilliantly choreographed gunplay. Certainly 'not enough Sully' for Sully fans but an otherwise great game with the best 'rollercoaster action' flow of all Uncharted games, aided by the constant menace of the most brutal looking villain and the persistent threat from helicopter and tank in some seriously detailed urban meets holiday locale settings giving it a bona fide hardcore shooter feel as a game (even though it's actually the easiest overall).

[OhMyGandhi]

(part 2)
Now, I look back at a game like Uncharted and of course, there are always things I may not have completely agreed with, but I had a damned good run of the first three games, and it was a bonafide system seller, and remember, this was a game that thrived without having a multiplayer (Uncharted 1) and people were not saying that the first iteration was flawless, but rather that its sequel improved on so many fronts, improving graphical fidelity and getting the handle on the Cell chip before others knew what they were doing.

My PS3 died right before the Last of Us was released. I ended up fixing it by reapplying thermal paste every two weeks until it finally wanted to work. Grabbed the game, played through half, and had to take pause. this game had already been out for nearly a year, the critics were loving it, and I wasn't so convinced. I was pissed at my older brother for even recommending it as much as he did, so I kept playing. I ended up in tears by the time the final credits came rolling down the screen. You can sure as hell thank the story more then anything else. But it wasn't that. It was the characters, the visuals, the excitement around stealth, and general core gameplay loop that kept me going. Combat was hugely improved compared to Uncharted, and yet again, the sense of world building was incredible.

I don't know. Everyone has their own opinions, and while I hate when anyone says something is the "best ever in the history of the world" it annoys me (as the title of this article implies). But I do not refute the claim that they are indeed among the best. It's of course, subjective. I don't question Blizzard's steely resolve and skills as a developer or why people love them, because I'm not into their genre of games, but I can surely believe it.

You finishing off your post by saying that Naughty Dog doesn't make games impress you makes me wonder, what games do you like that have the same level of polish, particularly in story and characters that you'd put on your own list? Because I myself am looking for other great games, and in my opinion, that is quite a high bar to clear.

[OhMyGandhi]

(part 1)

I think it's important for people like you to voice your opinion. It's healthy to have a dissenting opinion every now and then, and I personally thank you for going into more detail about why you like/dislike something, rather then JUST stating it. However, your post has me sort of confounded on several concepts.
Your reasoning behind why you don't care for Naughty Dog sounds more like you don't think they deserve critical acclaim, rather then having an issue with the games themselves.

I will first concede that Naughty Dog is not the only good develop developer out there, and I don't know if I'd consider them "the best" just because they don't have a MASSIVE library of games to choose from. But I will state that the quality (quality being rather subjective in this sense) has been consistent throughout their games.

I find it funny that you don't think they should be commended for pushing out technically superior games that have few bugs or other hiccups, because that should absolutely be one of the biggest necessities of determining "quality" from the get go. I pay 60 bucks for a game that should work. I am really not in the mood to give breaks to companies that rake in millions for poor craftsmanship, even if the ambition is there. I can say "a for effort" but that won't change my mind. I enjoyed Fallout 3 (didn't get into 4 for some reason) because it had a massive amount of detail, in that every book could be read, every item could be picked up or examined in some way, and general world building was at the forefront of it's most exciting feature: exploration. However, it was insanely buggy, and if it wasn't for my own insane determination to see it through to the end, and give it yet another chance after crashing my computer for the nth time, that was really out of getting my money's worth, and not feeling cheated. Adding insult to injury is that Bethesda are not some mom and pop shop scraping pennies together to get a game up on the app store to pay for medical bills. They are a massive, massive company. They need to stop acting like they can't do better, and that inherent lack of technical prowess sours an otherwise impressive, and memorable experience.

If you played Uncharted expecting an open world experience, you will be dissapointed, every time. I personally consider Uncharted 2 to be one of the finest gaming experiences to date, and that's primarily because I've never truly felt like I was part of an actual adventure until that game. I knew it was going to be a heavily scripted, cinematic experience with gorgeous visuals, tight controls, a fun atmosphere that would speed up and slow down, but never bore, and I thought it lived up to those ideals entirely. Gun play was decent, and I thought felt different then other third person cover based shooters. I knew Uncharted was going to continue the trend of having beautifully interactive water, and something as simply as drake's shirt getting wet, and him reacting to having wet clothes after getting out of said water was entirely unique, and made the whole thing more engrossing as a result.

The set pieces themselves were pitch perfect. I knew there would be numerous QTE's, because that was the thing to have in your game back in 2009, and the on-rails aspect of it all allowed me to live my own Indiana Jones fantasy that I've had and couldn't fulfill until these games came around. I also think of the timing of the franchise in general. A game that took place in exotic locations, and didn't cater to your traditional military shooter tropes felt refreshing back then. A game that was meant to be like "David Cage meets Tomb Raider". A more cerebral experience with deliberate pacing.

[hardcorehenry]

Linear narrative driven games. Lol. Weak game play padded out with cuts scenes and endless scripting. I'll take Elite Dangerous over any ND game.

[SpinalRemains138]

Passion and hard work pay off. They're not the only ones, but they are one of the few.

[ufo8mycat]

A lot has to do because of Sony. They allow Naughty Dogs creativity flow be used to full potential. Other publishers have more constrictions on how much time developers have, thus limiting their vision & creativity.

[sander9702]

Naughty Dog and Rockstar are the best game devs no doubt.

[3-4-5]

* Good leadership....They don't lead ALL studios, but they are in the top 5 of the best developers. They also focus on the small details rather than only a few 3-4 big ideas, so a lot of other AAA developers.

[Ulf]

Naughty Dog is a few minutes drive from Hollywood.

They hire professional actors, screenwriters, mo-cap folks, etc.

And then, they make games that are, quite frankly... not really games, like an open world game is a game, more "interactive experiences". In other words, they design to their strengths.

It's not a surprise they make the great games that they're known for. As a counter-example, Jak & Daxter was not as good a platformer as Ratchet & Clank was. Not even close -- anyone who tells you otherwise hasn't played both. Yes, Uncharted, Last of Us are very good cinematic experiences, but I would argue that the platforming in games like Tomb Raider is superior.

People, especially critics, want to be led by the hand though, more than they like open world freedom -- think about it, as a reviewer, would you rather spend 15-20 hours reviewing a linear cinematic experience, Like Uncharted, and then reviewing 4 more games and getting the money for 5x as many reviews, say $2500 total, or spend 100+ hours reviewing the next Elder Scrolls game, and get $500?

Reviewers like short and sweet. ND plays right to that, plain and simple. The open world titles, like GTA, Witcher, Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age.. they sell more, with lower review scores. Which is honestly the better game? I think the sales numbers speak for themselves.

[Picnic]

And Ratchet and Clank is like a reskinned Sonic Adventure 2 that's not as good as Banjo Kazooie, certainly for platform game purists. So it's like comparing two pretenders anyway. Banjo Kazooie did sufficiently different from Mario 64 to feel like a different kind of game whilst not losing its purity as a platformer. The only mandatory shooting in BK is in a very few sections with eggs / fruit and it sticks to classic platformer themes instead of pseudo scifi.

[Bass_fisherman]

The gameplay had a few new mechanics like driving, sliding and jumping/climbing on ropes but nothing groundbreaking in action/stealth gameplay. Overrall Uncharted 4 is a kickass game but i sure miss those crazy setpieces with tons of action from previous games which was the whole point why people liked Uncharted in the 1st place.