cowboyjosh
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Log Status
Completed
Playing
Backlog
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Rating
Time Played
11h 0m
Days in Journal
6 days
Last played
October 28, 2023
First played
August 6, 2023
Platforms Played
Library Ownership
I struggle mightily with the PS3 controller. I'm not actually even certain the one I have isn't counterfeit or something; I only got a PS3 about a year ago. It's probably just decades of Xbox controller muscle memory, but I can't hit jack shit with the sticks on this DualShock. The stick height, width, position, deadzone and tension all feel wrong and it's like trying to game with mittens on. Basically this is all my way of saying I played on Easy because I was completely incapable of hitting anything. And I'm glad I did too because Uncharted is a real romp.
No one can accuse the folks at Naughty Dog of not giving a shit, that's for sure. Everything about this game demonstrates a AAA studio firing on all cylinders. The acting was engaging, the levels were super detailed and (mostly) well paced. I ended up liking it better than the Last of Us due to the wider variety of activities and emotional texture. Good checkpointing (with a couple rage-inducing exceptions) kept the action moving forward at a good pace.
Of course, the cost of this level of polish is in player freedom; as gorgeous as it can be, the game is still ultimately a tunnel down which the player is consistently pushed. Every step, every handhold is as pre-ordained as hopscotch; while it can be fun to follow a narrow path and not have to worry about going the wrong way, it can also start to feel like Guitar Hero after a while. The prompts are different, but you're just pushing the button they want you to in the order they want you to push it. Even the climactic final fight is a QTE for maximum cinematic flair (and minimum player agency).
The main reason I'm giving it kind of a bad score though is that I felt like it took too long to get good, and most of the climbing was super annoying. There was no freedom to it, you could only climb on the paths they laid out and most of the action amounted to trial and error: "Is that a handhold? I'll try jumping--well now I'm dead. How about that... is that a handhold?" Sometimes your boy would fall 15 feet and be fine, other times he'd fall 5 feet and die instantly.
I was also kinda grossed out by the demographics of the characters. Especially with Nathan Drake being so obviously inspired by Lara Croft, it felt bad playing this chinny white man protecting his white girlfriend and their white dad from endless waves of bloodthirsty brown-skinned people. The whole time I was thinking "at least it's less racist than Resident Evil 5" but then Drake's final quip is "Adios, asshole" right before he blasts the last Hispanic person off the face of this island and his whole Caucasian contingent laughs and watches the sun come up on a new, whiter, day. I think calling this "dated" would be undeservedly generous.
Regardless, I had a good time; I'm going to try the second one next since it seems to be the fan favorite; now that my thumbs are warmed up a bit maybe I can even try it on Normal.
No one can accuse the folks at Naughty Dog of not giving a shit, that's for sure. Everything about this game demonstrates a AAA studio firing on all cylinders. The acting was engaging, the levels were super detailed and (mostly) well paced. I ended up liking it better than the Last of Us due to the wider variety of activities and emotional texture. Good checkpointing (with a couple rage-inducing exceptions) kept the action moving forward at a good pace.
Of course, the cost of this level of polish is in player freedom; as gorgeous as it can be, the game is still ultimately a tunnel down which the player is consistently pushed. Every step, every handhold is as pre-ordained as hopscotch; while it can be fun to follow a narrow path and not have to worry about going the wrong way, it can also start to feel like Guitar Hero after a while. The prompts are different, but you're just pushing the button they want you to in the order they want you to push it. Even the climactic final fight is a QTE for maximum cinematic flair (and minimum player agency).
The main reason I'm giving it kind of a bad score though is that I felt like it took too long to get good, and most of the climbing was super annoying. There was no freedom to it, you could only climb on the paths they laid out and most of the action amounted to trial and error: "Is that a handhold? I'll try jumping--well now I'm dead. How about that... is that a handhold?" Sometimes your boy would fall 15 feet and be fine, other times he'd fall 5 feet and die instantly.
I was also kinda grossed out by the demographics of the characters. Especially with Nathan Drake being so obviously inspired by Lara Croft, it felt bad playing this chinny white man protecting his white girlfriend and their white dad from endless waves of bloodthirsty brown-skinned people. The whole time I was thinking "at least it's less racist than Resident Evil 5" but then Drake's final quip is "Adios, asshole" right before he blasts the last Hispanic person off the face of this island and his whole Caucasian contingent laughs and watches the sun come up on a new, whiter, day. I think calling this "dated" would be undeservedly generous.
Regardless, I had a good time; I'm going to try the second one next since it seems to be the fan favorite; now that my thumbs are warmed up a bit maybe I can even try it on Normal.