Uncharted 2

[Aurgelmir]

I agree that the basis of the plot in Uncharted 2 is a tad on the blood thirsty side, since the start of the game is you snapping the neck of poor Turkish museum guards.

Uncharted 1 started with you being attacked, at least giving you the right to preform Pirate Genocide for the rest of the game? (Also how is Drake a racist for killing those pirates? Not his fault no whites were good enough to join the Pirate crew)

Uncharted 1 also gave us the feeling that we, the player, was joining Drake on his quest to follow in his ancestors journey... so in a sense Drake in the first game had a greater motive to pilfer and loot, than the Nate in the second game...

All psycho analysis of the game aside, I loved Uncharted 2. I like the game play, I like the graphics and was entertained.

PS: Would also like to add that the little sneaking you got to do in Uncharted 2 was waaay better than the sneaking in Metal Gear Solid 4. Go figure that an action adventure can give you better sneaking and stealth abilities than a game that is supposedly all about the stealth...

 

[Pocotron]

But wait! Drake didn't kill those people! In a new "interesting twist," it was really Jeff killing all those Russians!

But seriously, I don't know if Yahtzee actually did his homework. Sounds like he just watched a bunch of commercials and got distracted by the trilogy that is Indiana Jones.

Nerd-alert but Drake didn't kill Lazarevic, the Guardians did Fact of the day there kids!

 

[A Weary Exile]

What? No mention of BioShock in "Games with unique stories."? Yes they stole the narrative style from System Shock 2 (Stop reminding me PC gamers, it's getting old) but the story was well-written, well-voiced, and very original; hence my unhealthy obsession with it.

OP: I do enjoy a good story in a game, but I love certain games that have little to no story at all as well, Far Cry 2 is a prime example. Why didn't they use The Jackal more in that game? He was a really interesting character and they just shoved him to the back so I could go around blowing shit up, that's fine and dandy, but I would've liked to see more of him.

 

[Elf Defiler Korgan]

Really disliked the first game. Was actually paid to play it (unusual situation but I'm at a uni, so hey) and the question chappy couldn't stop gushing. Oh the acting, oh the movement, oh the visuals, oh the lines hohohohohohohohohoh. Drake's character is made to please the masses, easy humour, vaguely charismatic, shithead.

Anyway, watching all the vids prior to release and it looked really action packed. Dare I say innovative? No I'll pass on that one. I did laugh when the white shirted chick walked up to a gate, and a rocket was shot. And I expected a death scene spoiler, because the Russians were closing in. But no, she gets up unblodied and walks on. The power of reporter HP? Evasion?

Drake is now associated with stuff-questors. I hate him.

 

[V'icternus]

Yahtzee should really play a PS3 Ratchet and Clank Game (Either one). It has a great story, interesting characters, great gameplay, satisfying guns, etc. Sounds like a great game for Yahtzee!

...I'm sure you mean a PS2 Ratchet and Clank game.

The second or third, I'd reccomend.

I mean, sure, play the first one to get into the groove of the story, and find out who they are and what's going on, but if you like gameplay, it's vastly improved in the second and third installments.

The first PS3 Ratchet and Clank was an early PS3 release, and many of them were bad because they tried to use the motion-sensor capabilities of the PS3 remote, which is just annoying. Luckily, you can turn it off. It's an interesting game, but the PS2 games are still better.

I am yet to play the second PS3 title, as I prefer my Ratchet and Clank games to feature Ratchet and Clank, together. Them being seperate changes gameplay enough that I don't think I could get into it...

Anyway, onto the actual topic, "Game that's cool now but will be forgotten next year".

...I think that sums up my views on it. It's got nothing to make you say "Oh yeah, I'll play that again!" or "Man, I wish I could play that some more", or even "Hmm, maybe I shouldn't drop this game in a volcano, pretending that doing so will destroy Nathan Drake forever..."

It's "awesome", with it's "awesome" visuals, "awesome" killing and guns and blood and all those other things that in real life would be so mentally disturbing that you'd spend your life in a padded cell just to witness...
But soon, the next "awesome" game will come out, and this one will be forgotten. Especially if said next game is Assassin's Creed II, which, with all the hype, must have been thrown up by a surprisingly sneaky and violent Jesus.

Now, I'm not a fan of "awesome" games, they have no lasting appeal. But, I will say that I'm looking forward to Assassin's Creed II, if only because I'll be able to swim.

...And kill people. Can't forget that.

Wow, this comment's getting a bit wordy... I'll just stop now by saying that Uncharted II is not worth the same amount as a game with replayability, or one with an open world. There may be one too many open world games around, but they are/were a good idea. More for the players to do, and that generally means more entertainment, for the same general price as a game with a linear plot with buckets of "awesome" thrown in.

...Then again, being a gamer in Australia means I can't comment on fair pricing and getting your money's worth... I wont be able to walk for a month after buying Assassin's Creed II, thanks to the blood loss.

 

[Flunk]

I don't think Americans eat Cornish pasties.

 

[atomictoast]

Any PS3 Fanboy and Uncharted player knows that nothing in Uncharted 2 is actually unique, other than its amazing graphics.

Even though it literally steals everything it does from something else, it does this so well I can't help but admire it regardless.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[Ziltoid]

I don't get it did everyone forget that

Spoiler

Drake put his life on the line at the end in a selfless act of trying to "save the world?" He wasn't getting any sort of treasure out of it, and he could have easily left with his companions, but instead he went back to face the villian and stop him from wreaking havoc upon the world.

I mean sure Nathan Drake started as a criminal, but at the end he sure seemed to make the type of decision that any "hero" worth admiring would make. Seriously does everyone want the same "do no wrong" type hero in every game they play? The fact that you were playing as a criminal/hero made it more interesting. I think it is also funny because at least he's not out killing innocent people like say, Niko Bellic, Alex Mercer, your character from Fallout 3, or any of those other games that let you make moral choices for your character.

 

[SatansBestBuddy]

*sigh*

I feel for your cause, Yahtzee.

More game writers need to get a grip on what makes a character likable vs unlikable.

Schafer's got the right idea, as did the Sands of Time and Beyond Good and Evil and a host of other games I can think of.

If any of game writers read and, maybe, just maybe, understand what the second to last paragraph is asking of them, then the gaming world would be a better place, if only a little bit.

 

[kuolonen]

Not to justify Uncharted 2, which was stupid, but not much originality in games this year, even among what you named

Borderlands: Wasteland space planet and lost treasure- not original
Modern Warfare 2: Creatively executed, but pretty much ripped off of Tom Clancy's works, I felt like I was playing Splinter Cell: Bullet Hose edition
Brooetal Legend: Rips off of pretty much everything in heavy metal
Batman: Arkham Asylum: Hasn't this thing been done in the comics, movies, and tv shows a million times already?
Darkest of Days: You got me, this was pretty original
Overlord 2: Same as the first game, so not really original
Infamous: Ripped off Prototype
Prototype: Ripped off Infamous
Bionic Commando: The name speaks for itself
Velvet Assassin: Kind of original, but loses points for being based on a real person
Madworld: Deathmatch tv show. I think Manhunt did something like this.

have no fear, the nitpick train is here!

Borderlands: Wasteland space planet and lost treasure- not original
-for the life of me, i cant recall the last game where you were searching for lost treasure on inhospitaple wasteland planet...

Modern Warfare 2: Creatively executed, but pretty much ripped off of Tom Clancy's works, I felt like I was playing Splinter Cell: Bullet Hose edition
- Dont have that much knowledge on Clancy's works but I'd hazard to guess that the general atmosphere is around in evry wargame... difficult to say

Brooetal Legend: Rips off of pretty much everything in heavy metal
-ahh my friend, but he was refering to its originality in GAMES, not in general world (on side note wtf would classify as original nowdays anyway EVRYthings been done with something, just not WITH evrything)

Batman: Arkham Asylum: Hasn't this thing been done in the comics, movies, and tv shows a million times already?
-once more youre list does not include games, name last game where you assumed the role of a crimefighter who infiltrates asylum taken over by its inhabitants.

Darkest of Days: You got me, this was pretty original
- no arguments here

Infamous: Ripped off Prototype
Prototype: Ripped off Infamous
-true enough, but when its two games amids hundreds of others I think we can call the story original. Also the stories arent exactly identical...

Bionic Commando: The name speaks for itself
-true enough

Velvet Assassin: Kind of original, but loses points for being based on a real person
-eeh so how does that change the fact that its original in GAMES..?

Madworld: Deathmatch tv show. I think Manhunt did something like this.
-Agreed but once again its two games amids hundreds

 

[Superior Mind]

I think the main problem perhaps isn't the character but how he's delivered. Nathan Drake is a mass-murdering egotistical materialistic dickhole yet the way he's delivered is as this ultra-cool swashbuckling adventurer that is universally loved by everyone. We're obviously mean to think about him in the latter but his general attitude as the former makes this near impossible.

 

[TundraWolf]

Not to justify Uncharted 2, which was stupid, but not much originality in games this year, even among what you named

Borderlands: Wasteland space planet and lost treasure- not original

Not original how? Generic wasteland planet and similarities to the Vaults in Fallout not withstanding, I can't remember a single game that has had a story like this.

Modern Warfare 2: Creatively executed, but pretty much ripped off of Tom Clancy's works, I felt like I was playing Splinter Cell: Bullet Hose edition

Can't entirely disagree with this one, but what story regarding modern-day international conflicts doesn't rip off Tom Clancy? Besides, it's not like he has a copyright on the premise. That sort of idiocy is reserved for Tim Langdell.

Brooetal Legend: Rips off of pretty much everything in heavy metal

I'm sorry, but what does that have to do with the story? With concept art, aesthetics, environment, and the like, you bet it's the same. That was the point. But that really doesn't have anything to do with story.

Batman: Arkham Asylum: Hasn't this thing been done in the comics, movies, and tv shows a million times already?

Yeah, the graphic novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth basically spawned the entire concept of the game, with other ideas taken from the other facets of the series. But I've never played a game like this before. Can you name one?

Darkest of Days: You got me, this was pretty original

Agreed.

Overlord 2: Same as the first game, so not really original

Okay, but how about the first game? That one was pretty original.

Infamous: Ripped off Prototype
Prototype: Ripped off Infamous

Considering they both came out at the same time, that just doesn't make sense. Regardless, just because they have the same basic concept on the vaguest level (guy with super-powers in city trying to discover how he got powers) doesn't necessarily mean that the intricacies of the plot are the same. For instance, [Prototype] just gives the story as an excuse to kill as many people as you want/can. At least inFamous tries to give a deeper storyline. It might not succeed entirely, but it tries.

I also realize that this is not a very well-worded argument to defend the originality of these games. I think I just get frustrated when people put [Prototype] and inFamous in the same basket when one is a slaughter-sim and the other actually tries to formulate a story out of the premise. (Can you guess which one I enjoyed more?)

Bionic Commando: The name speaks for itself

Agreed.

Velvet Assassin: Kind of original, but loses points for being based on a real person

I can't defend Velvet Assassin too much, as I haven't actually played it or experienced the story first-hand, but saying it's not an original concept because it was based on a real person is just ludicrous. I don't know if I agree with the milking of a real person's life for profit, but it's an original story if I've ever heard one, whether it's fictional or not.

Madworld: Deathmatch tv show. I think Manhunt did something like this.

There are differences between the two, but I get the point. Still, can you name any other games like those? Just because it's happened once doesn't make it unoriginal. It's stuff that has happened twenty times over or more that gets old (space marine fighting alien hordes, for instance).

All in all, though, a games basic premise does not immediately define its story. If anyone is truly a proponent of original stories in games, they simply wouldn't try to confine every game into Premise A, B or C. Defining a story in such broad terms doesn't help convince developers to make more original games; it just makes them lose hope because their work, no matter how original, will immediately fall into a category with a bunch of other games. I will admit, there are some games out there that have far better stories than others, and they stand above the rest. But take some time to actually experience the nuances of each story and you will realize that most games have very original stories, even despite some similarities it may have with other games.

Also remember that some games with other attributes that are less than stellar may have original story ideas. I hated Haze with the very core of my being because of it's redundant gameplay, it's horrible voice acting and sub-par graphics, but, for the life of me, I can't think of another game that had the same sort of storyline. Same goes with Turok (though that's just kind of the space marine thing with dinosaurs added). Just some food for thought.

OT: I loved both Uncharted games specifically because of the voice acting, the motion-capture acting, the characters and the setpieces. The story is standard tomb-raiding fare taken directly from Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider, but the characters are what really sell it for me. Nathan Drake is basically Harrison Ford (as people have mentioned earlier, he's kind of like a combination of Han Solo and Indiana Jones), though I do agree that I would like to see more about his past. I'd especially be interested in seeing how he and Sully met, considering Sully seems to help get him into and out of trouble most of the time.

Of course, this is just my opinion, so take it all with a grain of salt. Still, I love those games, so, while I can see some of Yahtzee's points, I can't say that I agree with the article as a whole.

 

[Kermi]

I said he was a smug unlikeable tosser and I hate him. He might make an effective villain

Hell yes.

We now need a game where the villain is a cocky tomb-raiding thief who can shrug off hundreds of bullets... and is always a step behind you, the protagonist, nevertheless constantly finding ways to steal your shit with a band of plucky sidekicks.

 

[jboking]

All pretty valid criticisms. Shame the game was too good(and produced by Naughty Dog) for me to hate.

Oh, and yeah, Drake is an unlikeable ****. Oddly, I don't care, because I'm more concerned with having fun. Yeah, that mindset doesn't help advance gaming as an art medium, but I started playing games to do something fun in my free time. Is a game with an amazing story and interesting characters fun? Possibly. Are those things necessary for a game to be thoroughly enjoyable? no.

 

[Eagle Est1986]

While I think Yahtzee's hatred of Nathan Drake is a little harsh, I must admit that he's not the most likeable player character. Most of the time this doesn't bother me though, when you're actually playing, it's the supporting cast that make the game what it is, and they're all excellent.

 

[sumanoskae]

So, I have to wonder if Yahtzee hates Han Solo as much as Drake. Same smug attitude. Same money-driven motivation. Same willingness to kill whomever he "needs" to kill.

Han Solo is but a humble space pilot trying to eke out an existence that allows him freedom and security. He may seem self-serving and egocentric, but he prefers to make deals over exploitation and thievery. Additionally the films prove that he cares for his friends and their struggles because he knows they are righteous. Classic case of the little guy standing up to the man by living on his own terms.
Nathan Drake on the other hand commits single-handed genocide and endangers public safety solely for some phat loot. They may seem similar, but one of them has honor and integrity while the other just dicks around for his own jollies.

I don't want to squash your little love story with Han Solo there, but I think you might be talking of a different character... or you only saw the Return of the Jedi. Han Solo IS self-serving and egocentric for the most part of the first movie, he shoots people without hardly any provocation, would work for anyone providing that they pay, and its a smuggler that wouldn't care less about anyone else but himself.
I actually think Han Solo is a better comparition to Drake than Indiana Jones. Sure, it got the whole adventuring thing, but other than that he is a witty bandit that doesn't care who only cames to do the right thing because he end up on the other side of far worst men and both he and the woman he likes are too much into shit to turn back.

Yes, that's true. But Han Solo is also very well characterized(I can't compare him to Nathan Drake because I haven't played Uncharted 1 or 2). Yes, Han is a selfish bastard who in general doesn't give a shit who he hurts, but we see as he goes through relationships and conflict with the other characters that he has the ability to feel for others which makes him likable, so his flaws then serve to make him human(I'm not knocking Drake, as I said I haven't played Uncharted so as far as I know Nathan Drake could be the same way, I'm just pointing out differences that I see between the Han Solo and who Yhatzee describes as Nathan Drake)

 

[TheGreenManalishi]

What kind of humanity do yoo want from Drake? The Rambo screwed-over-by-those-to-whom-you-were-loyal humanity or the Darth Vader 'I miss my mommy' humanity?