Uncharted 4 is a near perfect end to the series. The three games before it all led to this, and its a very satisfying conclusion. The story is great and it is very fun to play, there's not really much more you could ask from a game.

Firstly I really love the story in this. There are a lot of parallels between Nate, his brother Sam and the antagonist Rafe as well as the story of Libertalia - a long lost pirate utopia - and how obsession and greed can cause you to lose sight of what's really important. Uncharted has never been known for great villains, but I think Rafe is undeniably the most compelling one, even if in the end he's a bit underused. Nadine is also quite the badass, and I look forward to seeing more of her again when I replay Lost Legacy. Sully makes yet another return, and while I wish he was in the games more than he is, he's still one of the most lovable old bastards in gaming. The addition of Sam is great, it does lead to a few inconsistencies from previous games but him and Nate play off of each other very well. But what really sells this game for me is the relationship between Nate and Elena. Its been a budding on again off again thing across the series, but now they're married and attempting to lead a simple life. The interactions between them are fantastic, and the exploration of who they are, through their highs and lows is what makes this game so good for me as well as such a fitting conclusion especially with its wholesome ending. This is all brought together because of the really incredible performances by the entire cast across the board. The attention to detail and facial expressions add so much. The graphics are beautiful and help bring each character to life, while still sticking to the charm of the older games. Naughty dog is always great at writing banter and I think the dialogue in this is their best work yet, even moreso than The Last of Us, but some times when characters don't say a thing at all is when they say the most, which again is just another testament to the quality and care put in by everyone involved. Impressive all around, zero complaints in this department.

The gameplay is a big improvement too. I never had any problems with the shooting in this series but most can agree its a step up from the original trilogy. The melee combat in this compared to what they tried to introduce in 3 is like comparing getting fucked in the ass to getting fucked in the ass with lube. Its a night and day difference, and even if its not always viable it just feels so much better. They also do what every good sequel should do, and add in a grappling hook which adds both to standard traversal and combat. There's also a lot less linearity in this game that the others. There's a lot to explore, and quite a few open ended levels that are a good change of pace. There's also the return of the outright fantastic set-pieces the series is known for, and In my opinion the entirety of Chapter 12 is the absolute best part of the series. It showcases all of Uncharted's strengths and is a joy to play the whole way through, even ending with a fantastic story beat contrasting all the fun you just had. Anyone wants to know what this series is all about, show them that sequence.

Alas, as every game goes, it is not perfect. There are a few things that drag this game down. The climbing is fun for the most part, but there are a few chapters, namely the one taking place in Scotland that just go on way too fucking long. There's always great banter between characters, and the long segments are usually rewarded with a fun action set piece, but there is at least 3 or 4 sections in this game where you do nothing but climbing or puzzling for entirely too long, and instead of helping the pacing like it should it destroys it. I don't know why these sections are so long, it's one of the only things that stops this game from being perfect in my eyes. Adding onto this is just the sheer abundance of collectibles. If you like getting trophies like I do, I implore you to not bother looking at the trophy list until you've finished your first playthrough. This game has a legitimately absurd amount of collectibles that if you go out of your way for will make the slow moments of this feel like an eternity.

Despite a few complaints, I hope this review gives a good idea bout the overall quality of everything about this. No game is without its flaws, but Uncharted 4 more than makes up for that.

Playthrough Time - 12 hours 4 minutes
Nancymeter - 95/100
Game Completion #101 of 2022
August completion #21

It's truly a wonderful thing when a game knows exactly what it is. Like, the Fast and the Furious movies, Devil May Cry takes the most insane of action tropes and just runs with them full throttle - mechanical arms, an engine-powered sword, torrents of blood, crumbling cities, and fireball blasting demons - yeah, that's just the prologue.

Back in the Blockbuster rental days, I played through Devil May Cry 3, so it (and it's ridiculous pizza scene) prepared me for what the newest installment of the series might bring. The combat unfolds at breakneck speed and plays more like a fighting game than anything else. Combos are the name of the game, and DMC5 provides ample opportunity to chain your attacks through the varied skill system. It's refreshing to see a game shy away from uninspired skills that have become so commonplace - things like '% damage increase,' or '% crit chance increase' - and focus on providing more options for your fighter through actual different abilities and moves. It's exciting to gain new skills and try them out, because it actually feels like your character is growing in skill and potential.

Playing as three different fighters throughout the game certainly adds to the variation as well, as each comes with their own skill set, strengths, and styles. It also serves to switch-up the player's comfort level after getting used to using one specific fighter for so many missions. This is a wider reflection of the game's combo system that emphasizes switching things up to earn style points, and never being satisfied. Though DMC 5 may play like a fighting game, it discourages spamming moves.

Splitting the game between three characters does somewhat function as a double-edged sword, however. Nero has the most button-input combos which feel satisfying and exciting to pull off, as well as a large number of aerial moves that increase his mobility through the field as he bounces from one enemy to the other, though his versatility still pales in comparison to Dante. Boasting eight different weapons and four different styles, Dante, in my mind, is clearly the most engaging and complete fighter in the game. Obviously, they had many other games to work on Dante's move-set, but I wish they were able to flesh out Nero in a similar fashion. This might have been a possibility, except instead they created a third character, V, who plays completely different than either Nero or Dante. V's combat is visually interesting but ultimately unsatisfying, as many of his encounters seem like spam-to-win. He does have unlockable combos for his familiars, but they don't chain together very well, and it can be difficult to pull off some of the aerials, since you aren't in control of whether Shadow jumps or not. In fact, I felt like I had the least control over V, but I seemed to regularly achieve S-rank with him, which was incredibly disappointing. V's design, character, and place in the story are all fantastic, but I wish he would have just stayed as an NPC - it would've helped keep him mysterious as the story unfolds, and more effort could have been focused on making Nero more versatile with new weapons, items, or a better system when using the Devil Breakers (seriously, why can't I just switch between them? Why do I have to break one to switch?).

The story itself is engaging enough with the interactions between Dante, Nero, V, and the side-characters, as well as the fantastically silly and well-done cutscenes and cinematics. The title sequence in particular sets the tone for the rest of the game with its over the top, yet badass, choreography and humor. The animation is fluid and easily brings the characters to life. It is disappointing that in such a good-looking game, the environments are so drab and repetitive. The majority of the story takes place within a "tree," which means you will have to get used to seeing the same tile-set and color palette throughout most of the missions. Incorporating more city pieces or different types of environment would have gone a long way into spicing things up, especially for a game that celebrates variety.

Ultimately, Devil May Cry 5 is a fantastic game characterized by satisfying, indulgent action and compelling characters. It does have its flaws, but the gameplay edges them out - can I really complain about a game that lets me fight demons with dual-wield bazookas and a motorcycle as a chainsaw? Nah, instead I say, "Jackpot."

holy everloving moly shitshow this game rocks. it is non-stop high intensity fun. i would honestly kind of put it in the same category as Metal Gear Rising in terms of tone and combat.

i've never played a DMC game before this but i was able to grasp the story of this installment pretty well. it helped that there was a little movie explaining the previous games but my dumbass only watched that after beating it. this game's story wasn't really the most amazing thing ever but it was compelling enough. i think for fans of the series it'll be pretty mind-blowing, since even i was surprised at times.

where this game really shines though, is the combat. there are so. many. options. you have 3 (or well technically 4) characters at your disposal, all of them have loads of abilities for you to unlock. every PC also has multiple abilities, like Dante having 8 different weapons and multiple styles of combat to switch through with the press of a button. it's honestly a lot, and it took me a few levels to get into and learn about some of the tools at my disposal, but once i did i was able to do some pretty sick combos. this game really just makes you feel like a badass by also mixing in crazy over the top animations and cutscenes, and a heavy soundtrack that hypes you up all throughout.

absolutely fantastic game. will definitely play the rest of the series as well!

The combat and stealth are both alright. Competent enough that I don't mind them, but I certainly wouldn't bother playing if you were in it for the gameplay alone.

Really, its the story you should care about here. The story itself is decent, but the amazing storytelling elevates it to a far greater level. One of the few titles where the 'good on paper, but poor in execution' story structure is flipped on its head.

I have my issues with a few scenes that feel either unnecessary or needlessly ham-fisted, as well as some complaints about pacing early on in the story, but they can be overlooked on behalf of the high quality the rest of the game achieves.