*NOTE: MAJOR SPOILERS of Uncharted 2 and 3 will be brought up.*
With the mainline Uncharted Quadrilogy set to cap off this month with A Thief’s End, I figured now would be a good time to revisit what’s most likely the 7th gen’s most-awarded action-adventure series. As I’ve made known in the past, the only one I’d consider to be close to deserving all of its unremitting praise would be Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. But it wasn’t always like that. Even in my Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception review (1) I was open about how much I enjoyed it years earlier. The melding of creative set pieces and high production values just engulfed me in this stupor, I guess. But it seems like the more I think about the storytelling flaws in UC3 the more I’m left wondering if my moderately respectable score was still being too nice to it—a feeling that also extends to the first Uncharted from time to time. While it still polished up the template in respect to game design and co-op multiplayer, I wanted to focus on why I think UC3’s story lacks the punch of its predecessor beyond a surface-level ‘wow factor’ for its time.
One integral quality linear titles like Uncharted need to nail is the pacing. While a globe-trotting adventure provides ample opportunity for different gameplay scenarios, the writing has to make sure these heavily-constructed action moments feel as though they’re naturally unfolding for the player lest they lose their immersion. Half-Life 2 would be a good example of meshing narrative and level design in a cohesive way that kept up this disguise throughout. And Naughty Dog’s been pretty adamant to admit they think of their set pieces first then tailor the story AROUND the experience (2). And while they did a good job of masking it in the first two Uncharted games, Drake’s Deception is a much sloppier attempt.
One of the worst signs of this—unfortunately—comes from its own ambition: having this globe-trotting adventure cut to so many different settings at a dizzying rate. While I admire that enthusiastic storytelling, it’s tough to deny just how jarring it felt to the story’s flow. Start off in a bar fight in England, now let’s jump twenty years in the past, then to some jungle chateau in France, afterwards to a nighttime mission in Syria, and on and on and on. It felt like Naughty Dog lapping up the praise of UC2’s setpieces and having the writing excuse away these abrupt setting-jumps. Uncharted 1 and 2 only made a couple of such jumps during the opening hours. Once Drake got on the island in Drake’s Fortune and Nepal in Among Thieves, from then on we’re experiencing everything that our protagonist was until the end. Compare that kind of natural buildup to the drastic change in atmosphere during the ship graveyard and cruise ship sections which took up about one-and-a-half hours of time yet did absolutely nothing to move the plot forward; that’s not to mention the preposterous deus ex machina of Drake winding right back onto Yemen’s shoreline and eventually into Chloe’s hotel room to get the main plot going again.
Or what about when Drake’s fighting for his very survival in the desert? After being on the teetering edge of death whilst stuck in the middle of the Rub' al Khali, Drake happens upon a ghost town in which Marlowe’s gang is also located. What does Drake do after barely making it out of these gunfights alive? Just get some quick R&R for the night and then we’re back in the thick of it. UC2 handled this much better. After barely surviving the frozen tundra, the cutscenes and game make it quite clear that Drake’s still beat up from the events that occurred a few days ago; the resulting gameplay after the destroyed train segment has the player exploring a safe environment for a while and then we’re acclimatized back into the action with an entire level that's just easygoing platforming, puzzling, and one brief combat scenario. It was an effective way of reinforcing Drake’s debilitation through gameplay following the intense events that nearly got him killed.
UC3’s also one of those few times I’ve pondered whether it’s possible for a series to plagiarize its own material. And while I do my best to avoid considering such a severe accusation outright, there’s legitimate grounds to at least present that kind of a question here. I’ll list some plot points and scenarios and you tell me if this sounds familiar:
-Flashback prompted after the first mission
-Trip to a jungle location which reveals some clues of x/y MacGuffin, shortly thereafter being cornered by the bad guys and forced to make a desperate escape
-Bonus: previous party member(s) decide to just up and leave with a lazy reason thrown in
-Nathan & Co. make their way to the next clue somewhere underground in the middle of a big city; on their way back out they’re cornered by the antagonist’s henchmen
-Nathan and Elena sneak into a depot which results in Nate leaping from a Jeep onto an accelerating vehicle that’s about to get away
-Fighting ensues on this moving vehicle which eventually results in Nate barely escaping from the destruction of said vehicle
-He’s then forced to fight against both the natural elements and some henchmen before a native/natives of the area come to his aid
-After getting his bearings, Nathan’s then forced to jump between a convoy of trucks that’ll eventually lead him to The Lost City
-Within the heart of The Lost City lies the truth about x/y MacGuffin which led to the demise of its own people, and one which the main villain(s) wish to utilize to their own evil ends
-Our heroes thwart the villain’s/villains’ plans and have to escape while ancient ruins are crumbling all around them.
Of course, this isn’t a point-for-point rehashing of EVERYTHING in UC2; however, there comes a point where one can’t help but feel this was a team resting on their laurels.
My last focal point rests against the antagonists here, primary and secondary. The easiest to take down would be the random pirate boss in the middle of the game. I mean…what purpose is served in lying about having Sully only to turn around and try to ditch Drake back at the ship graveyard? Not the best method of baiting your best hope into finding the fabled Iram of the Pillars. And there's nothing lazier than having your character excuse his stupid, movie-gag ruse as little more than "Eh...I'm a pirate!" This sort of inconsistent behavior also extends to Marlowe and Talbot, the two key villains.
A part of me respects where the writing staff were trying to go with this duo. Before release, ND personified Marlowe as more of a “cerebral” villain (3). They wanted to branch beyond the more standard, clichéd archetypes of previous Uncharted games; however, the result for both is a lack of clear vision. With Marlowe: she never stood on firm ground as to whether or not she wanted to be a more direct or indirect threat. She has her henchman that are more than willing to kill Drake in gameplay yet she got angry at Cutter giving the believable appearance of killing him and Sully in cold blood. She’ll also sit down and talk with Drake in order to intimidate him for one moment, then simply leave him for the pirate boss to handle despite stating he’s “no longer part of the equation” after capturing his necklace. Now compare that to Lazarevic. Within each face-to-face meeting with him, Drake knows this guy’s willing to kill innocents in order to attain his goal. Simplistic moustache-twirling done really effectively. The guy means business but he’s also not above theatrics to mess with our protagonist’s head like when he wanted Drake to choose which of his flames would live or die.
Talbot is another can of worms altogether. In the moment, he seems like a cool second-in-command type of guy. Yet when you start to think more about him, there’s really no explanation given as to how he’s able to magically know Drake’s exact whereabouts so often and teleport in and out of said locations. Judging by the plethora of confused players which Amy Henning had to directly address (4) it seems I’m not alone. And while some credit can be given to her providing perspective, we shouldn’t ignore this dictum: you’ve failed as a writer (in this instance) if such simple stuff couldn’t be communicated through the game. It feels similar to the cut content of Heavy Rain shown on YouTube back in the day. It provided more dimension to Ethan’s mental state but I had to research beyond the game itself just to get some kind of an answer. Now back to UC3. When considering Talbot’s disappearing acts, the brainwashing dart, the sort of cult he was a part of, and the Tarot Cards in the background having some kind of symbolism, I was legitimately curious as to whether or not he’d be revealed as some supernatural enemy at the end. The final hour could’ve been centered on him and utilized in a more creative way rather than being just another fist-fight and shooting bit. And notice the plot hole at the end with him previously getting shot in the arm yet is able to lift a big rock clear above his head when he’s trying to crush Sully.
Once again, let’s compare that rushed final boss to Lazarevic. Now I’m not the biggest fan of the execution with UC2’s final fight, namely because the shooting mechanics don’t congeal with a run-n-gun mindset very well; despite that, it’s clear some thought went into it from an on-paper perspective. After becoming used to stop-n-pop third-person shooting for most of the game, Drake’s in a more desperate role of having to stay on his toes at all times while shooting explosive blue resin to chip away at Lazarevic’s health. This gameplay framework meshes perfectly with the themes of the overarching story as Drake’s now in a more submissive position pitted against a tyrannical warlord who just imbibed some mystical elixir before the fight. It’s a wits vs. brawn fight that’s contextualized through gameplay.
Talbot’s inconsistency is also highlighted by one of the game’s big setpieces. Within the first half of the game it’s been established that he’s a skilled marksman, a solid tactician, and knows the art of deception. Despite previously shown as being fearless, even in the midst of killer spiders, there comes a moment where he’s being chased by an unarmed Drake. I mean…what? Drake simply flipping over a table and running at him is his ultimate fear or something? It makes no sense for his character to let Drake give chase to him but to also run AWAY from his own team who would’ve helped him. What could possibly account for this erratic change in behavior, you ask? In one of Uncharted 3’s own documentary videos, one of the developers talked about having this chase scene for about a year without knowing whom Drake would be chasing; so the writer’s just put Talbot in there because they HAD to have the level (5). This is the kind of mindset that worms its way into many setpieces here: compromising character motivations and plot in obsequious service to the action.
Does this mean I totally hate the game now? No. These are just some extended thoughts I’ve had on the game since reviewing it. While my score reflected it as being akin to a three-star blockbuster movie, the more I consider its narrative the more I’ve wondered if perhaps it’s closer to two-star quality by that standard. Now there’s obviously some great aspects about the script I’ve mentioned before and still stand by, but there’s something about these flaws that’ve gnawed at me for a while. It’s probably not helped when I see some of its past accolades such as Best Video Game Writing for 2011 from The Writer’s Guild of America (6).
It’d be fair to bring up the terrible vetting process this writer’s guild seems to have, especially when the likes of Brink can even get nominated that same year, but this kind of praise didn’t just stop here. It received other story awards and the storytelling was constantly mentioned as a reason that it won Game of the Year from various outlets (7). That bothers me. I feel like fans and critics alike can have a nasty habit of just letting these kinds of handouts slide only because of who’s behind the game rather than assessing its inherent quality. It’s a cycle where certain developers can just pay lip service to how meaningful their stories are and hype gets the better of everyone—myself included. It’d be nice for us be a better kind of fan to these developers: the type that doesn’t pull any punches instead of showering them with constant adoration for whatever they decide to ship.
Links:
1. http://n4g.com/channel/unch...
2. https://www.youtube.com/wat...
3. http://www.naughtydog.com/s...
4. http://community.us.playsta...
5. https://www.youtube.com/wat...
6. http://nextgengamingblog.co...
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...
Neon Giant will use Unreal Engine 5 for the next game, as they call their in-developoment project "a very ambitious step up" from The Ascent.
Here is a look at the new Cosmic Realm for the game.
"The Paris-based (France) indie games publisher and developer COVEN, are today super thrilled and happy to announce that their surreal hand-drawn 2D physics-based adventure/puzzle game "Micromega", is soon coming to PC via Steam." - Jonas Ek, TGG.
Hope everyone enjoyed the blog! Please feel free to leave your questions, comments, criticisms, etc. down below. :D
Despite these issues gnawing at me for quite some time, I'm still incredibly excited for Uncharted 4 and can't wait to start playing it tomorrow. And I hope the single-player DLC is just as awesome as TLOU: Left Behind.
"It received both other story awards and its narrative was constantly mentioned as a reason that it won Game of the Year from various outlets (7). That bothers me. I feel like fans and critics alike can have a nasty habit of just letting these kinds of handouts slide only because of who’s behind the game rather than assessing its inherent quality. It’s a cycle where certain developers can just pay lip service to how meaningful their stories are and hype gets the better of everyone—myself included. It’d be nice for us be a better kind of fan to these developers: the type that doesn’t pull any punches instead of showering them with constant adoration for whatever they decide to ship."
U3 was ND as their lowest due to different directors and it was rushed, and the game was still great. A solid 9 from me all the way.
Sorry but I had fun with the game due to the setpieces and multiplayer (until it was ruined going F2P) You are upset others praised it and liked it, but you didn't?
Too bad
Can't please everyone
im catching up right now just got to chapter 9 and chapter 8 holy crap couldnt see a damn thing... for me the pace is slow too many puzzles in the way of the flow of the story its getting better though so far
They kinda lost themselves with u3 I think. Story was very weak and not very interesting. They swapped out a train disaster for a plane disaster. Gameplay wise it was fine and it once again set the bar for graphics and what was possible on consoles at the time. It just fell flat for me.
@coolbeans. Good blog. I personally found UC3 more satisfying than UC2. I just liked the story a hell of a lot more