The day Uncharted 2 released, the hype was at its peak. Reviews over the internet had showered the game with praise that fell just slightly below GTA IV and on par with Mario Galaxy 2. Uncharted 2 went on to win dozens of Game of the Year awards from nearly every single website known to man. At first after I finished the game myself, I was convinced that it was worthy of every lauded word spoken about it was justified but after some time passed, I now question the praise given to it. The following rant is not about how I think Uncharted 2 is terrible but more about the flaws in reviews and modern games.
Uncharted is what I like to call a roller coaster video game. The first time on is a blast but the second time around is not as fun. Being that Uncharted is a story driven game, the purpose of the game is to progress through the levels and watch the story unfold to see the incredible twist and ending. This idea made Uncharted 2 a freaking incredible ride the first time around. The great story, incredible cinematic cutscenes, and lush graphics sucked me into the game until I beat it two days later with little to no breaks. The second time through was on crushing to snag the last few trophies I needed. I realized then that I did not have nearly as much fun as I had the first time. All of the surprises in the story mode were gone an I was left with shooting bad guys and solving tedious puzzles over and over until I had beaten the game on crushing. Once I had done this, I put the game down and haven't touched it since. In short, Uncharted 2 hit every bulls-eye except the most important one. Replay value.
This is one detail reviews completely leave out. Its not their fault though because the big time gaming websites are expected to review video game too fast, so its nearly impossible to judge a game based on replay value when you have only played a game for a short amount of time. If you had asked me to review Uncharted 2 immediately after I had beaten it I would probably give it a perfect score. But that isn't the best way to really judge a game because the true test of a video game is its longevity. Game of the year contenders of 2009 such as Demons Souls and Modern Warfare 2 have proven to have much more replay value than Uncharted 2 did and while all of these games enjoyed great sales, Uncharted 2 took most of the reviewer and gamer community praise.
So that begs a question. What is more important in a video game? A one time roller coaster extravaganza or a game that can keep you coming back for more with addictive gameplay such as leveling up, scoring points or multiplayer? When I spend 60 dollars on a game, I expect it to last more than one or two playthroughs. Unfortunately, many games such as God of war 3 and Metal Gear Solid 4 are putting first impressions ahead of replay value. What we are left with is a lot of hyped up reviews for games that end up gathering dust.
This makes me think back to the retro games era. These games were generally made to last. You may think you are tired of Tetris but then you pick it up again and remember why it has endured all of these years. Games back then didn't have the luxuries of cinematics, shiny graphics, or huge budgets so developers had to focus on the gameplay itself to get gamers hooked. In the modern era, ask any gamer what is important in a game and he/she will tell you the storyline is the core of the game. I think that is what is ruining games. Once you have seen the story and the ending then there is no reason to play the game again. Not to mention we get those cheap Assassins Creed style cliffhanger endings for the sake of an easy cash in for the sequel. In the meantime, innovations in gameplay have declined.
So that brings us back to Uncharted 2. Being a story driven game made it a great game the first time around but it lacked the gameplay needed to keep you coming back. By comparison, I could say Peggle fulfills its purpose as a video game better than Uncharted 2 does and it costs 1/6th of what Uncharted 2 cost me. Peggle is very much like a retro game because it was made by a small time company no budget and everything riding one game. They couldn't make anything fancy so they made a game that took the best of breakout and pinball and merged them to create Peggle. But Peggle is never referenced as a good game because it has no story or "characters you can relate you". But do you need a story in a game? I don't think a story is necessary when it comes to gaming. If I wanted a good storyline with interesting characters, I would watch a movie or read a book. If I wanted a good game, I would play Peggle or Demons Souls.
I guess ill wrap up this long rant by summarizing everything for the tl;dr types. Todays method of story-before-gameplay video games are great for brief fun but are horrible for replay value. That is where Uncharted 2 fell short and why it now collects dust on my shelf. If gaming is to evolve further then it will have to look to the past to see why gaming has come this far. Gameplay is what defines a game, not its storyline.
Just some food for thought.
TheXboxHub writes - "Akatsuki: Lord of the Dawn isn’t a bad game, however it is lacking the magical X factor that will ensure you miss it when you’re not playing."
"The London-based (the UK) indie games publisher Curve Games and Brighton-based (the UK) indie games developer Runner Duck, are today very happy and excited to announce that their roguelite sim “Badlands Crew” (which is the third installment in the popular Crew games franchise), is now available for PC via Steam" - Jonas Ek, TGG.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor launched on April 28, 2023. Two years later, it's still celebrated as the best Star Wars game ever, with a Grammy and a sequel incoming.
Absolutely not the best Star Wars game. That's Star Wars galaxys. Survivor isn't even that good
Not sure I agree about Galaxies, but I definitely think the Jedi series is not the best.
@Sonic I was meaning the Jedi Fallen Order and Survivor games. Not the greatest.
If you're wanting to know what's the best series with Jedi in it? I mean KOTOR, Jedi Knight, Jedi Academy, Force Unleashed off the top of my head. Even the Episode 3 tie in game was pretty decent.
I loved the game but hated the issues. I waited over a year to play it and it still had major issues. I would have went for the platinum but with all the save bugs and other issues I didn’t even think about it
I’ve played both Fallen Order and Jedi Survivor. I think the games are good not great.
Good blog.
That's the problem with today's set piece heavy games, once you've seen it the thrill is gone. I remember the first UC being a solid game throughout that was fun to toss in and play through. What I remember about UC2 is the giant dagger, the train and the tank. I honestly don't remember the rest of the game or if I even had fun and I beat the game twice. Same goes for GoW 3, I played through that once, saw everything it had to offer and that was enough. I couldn't muster any enthusiasm for a second go.
The problem with games today is that devs spend too much time on a nifty set piece or 2 while the other 95% of gameplay is mind-bogglingly average. My favorite games of past gens had solid, fun gameplay throughout the game. I honestly can't say that about anything I've played this gen.
I disagree with the replay value because it was a good game and that made me want to play the best levels again and do it on a harder difficulty.... Unlike god of war which you play through once loved it but couldnt go through it again( probs down to the fact no chapter selection)
Replay value is subjective.
Personally I have played God of War 3 three times already. Gow 1 and 2 about 6 times each, MGS 4 about 18 times. MGS3 approx 25, MGS2 about 20 and MGS1 about 50.
I have also played The original 2 MG games over 10 times each.
Uncharted 1 over a dozen times, and Uncharted 2 5 times (So far).
When you say replay value do you actually mean having the same experience? Because in that case no game has replay value as it never has the same impact.
" If I wanted a good storyline with interesting characters, I would watch a movie or read a book. If I wanted a good game, I would play Peggle or Demons Souls."
And if I wanted it all? Why do you feel we have to settle for less?
If I wanted it all then it's some of the very games you have criticised that slide into my disc drive.
this whole thing makes absolutely no sense....
"So that begs a question. What is more important in a video game? A one time roller coaster extravaganza or a game that can keep you coming back for more with addictive gameplay such as leveling up, scoring points or multiplayer?"
uhhhh... you do realize that UC2 had multiplayer, both co-op and competetive. Had a ranking system, had leveling up, had perks to be earned, had fun themes implemented by developers (halloween, thanksgiving, christmas, world cup). Did you, the OP, even play multiplayer?