You maybe surprised to learn that I’ve been playing “Uncharted:The Lost Legacy”. As if a connoisseur of this franchise wouldn’t be engaged in another exhilarating exhibition of wilful genocide?! The provocateur of many dangerous expeditions, demolisher of precariously constructed structures, eradicator of rare mythological antiquities and hoarder of every Uncharted Platinum. It’s good to be back! Espousing the wretched deeds of a man with the sheer tenacity and fortuity to destroy every last archeological city/ruin/ship he’s ever discovered. Despite this concentrated level of callous destruction Nathan Drake remains an endearing, if accident prone rogue with all the charismatic distinction that made Nate him such an affable protagonist. Sadly with the retirement of Drake into matrimonial domesticity the Uncharted franchise has pandered to the aspirations of feminist vocation, further diminishing the influence of modern masculinity by replacing Nathan Drake with Chloe Frazer. A women. The inferior gender with none of the rugged strength, intelligence or flatulence that makes man a much more viable option for heroism. And it’s glorious!
I’ll miss Drake, of course I will but Chloe isn’t merely a replacement but a necessity. She has always been one of my favourite supporting players so to see her in a more prominent role is deeply gratifying. Her omission in “A Thief’s End” may have been necessary, but it was a glaring absence that betrayed her more illustrious presence in Uncharted 2. Here she’s as sharp as she is wryly. Focused and unyielding yet compassionate and vulnerable. The abrasive dynamic between Chloe and Nadine infuses their tentative relationship with a fluctuant chemistry never explored in the series before. They argue and bicker yet support one another to achieve their mutually independent goals. I’ve yet to finish Lost Legacy, so I’m reserving further analysis until then. But for my money, not that I have any, this could be the start of something new. Nathan Drakes tenure as Uncharted’s chief architect is over, his personal fortune found. But Uncharted itself may have discovered a whole new legacy to commence.
uncharted
Rather than disclose a protracted article concerning Uncharted 4’s multi-player beta I felt compelled to simply distribute a video instead. Thus giving me more time to compose a suitably considerate riposte, expertly detailing the specific divergences from the previous instalment as well as customary advances implemented in this up coming title, which as ever will be evaluated with concise thoroughness and will be as diversified as it is impartial. All right fine, my opinions are going to be as reliable as a Greek bank manager called Louis Van Gaal! Whatever arbitrary post I submit in the future is an issue for another day, for now check out one of my more successful matches in Uncharted 4. Enjoy.
Have you played Uncharted 4 Multi-player Beta yet? If so what did you think. Let me know in the comments below. Cheers.
I “was” formerly conducting an existential dissertation on the jutted abstraction of formulating light and dark in a more centralised and contemporary setting in gaming. I had also begun preparations on the systemic intuition that fly’s, amongst other insects derive so much pleasure from sitting on the television screen when a game is commencing, as well as the pragmatic approach you should take to prevent such an intrusive spectator. Then I decided that none of that made any sense at all and instead sought to eradicate militarised minorities in a jungle with some much needed frivolity. In Uncharted of course. I’m not a vengeful dictator…..yet? And so plots my week ahead too as well obtaining further rewards in the Nathan Drake Collection.
So check out just how awesome (and humble) I am as I complete the final chapter on Drakes Fortune on its Crushing difficulty.
If history has taught me anything is that Brussels Sprouts are evil, drinking on an empty stomach is like juggling with knives, that my feet could be used to pasteurize Stilton and that ignorance is a far more appreciative endearment than the paternal inflections of opinion. While consuming German cuisine at a Bavarian themed festival last Saturday, as well as large flagons of malted liquids that may as well have been inseminated through dialysis rather than orally, little did a striking, devilishly handsome man of considerable repute know (elaborate dramatization may have been embellished for self repletion) that information regarding a certain treasure hunter, that isn’t Indiana Jones or that Albino fellow in Guardians of the galaxy were being demonstrated. Though I had coveted any professions regarding Uncharted 4 with earnest anticipation, connectivity was limited to jarring commentators on social media, with voluminous hyperbolic penchant. “The shooting is exactly the same!” expressed one tweeter. “It doesn’t look any different from the previous games” reflected another equally ruffled observer. From my observatory perspective scrolling through the documented revisions, the immediate antipathy that resonated through gamers expressions further incited the procedural, accusatory fan backlash, that thereby decreed Uncharted 4 a charlatan! “They’ve gone a messed it up” I renounced, as I reverted to the less suggestible state of plaintive foreboding. But fans, by definition are fanatical……..or a rotational series of blades designed to cool ambient humidity, but the prominent connotation is the former. So by association fans are also mad! By which I mean crazy. The contradiction that wants something new, yet exactly the same?
“Come….on…..almost……there!”
And I for one would like to congratulate their blanched, rasping retaliations and express deep personal appreciation for your subordinate deviations from rational sentiment, because with my previously effusive expectation greatly diminished by your damnable rhetoric, and having now watched the offending footage, my reticent curiosity was emphatically sated. My inquisitive presumptions were vetoed by the regaling nostalgia of watching Drake grapple vertical cliffs that look a less assured certainty than in previous games. As Drake procures additional scaling utilities to assist him in his ascension, thrusting a piton into the course surface for added purchase and cantering perilously on the uneven terrain. Supplementing his usually gregarious encounters for subverted consultations, Nate nimbly submerges into the verdant foliage. Even swinging through the densely prodigious environment like some form of humanoid arachnid (Spider-Drake) elicited a meek swoon of anticipation. But where would we be if Drake wasn’t bashing nameless thugs into walls, tossing goons into chasms and a generally unrepentant proclivity for deliberately shooting aggressors in the crutch. Or is that just me?
“Though Nate is looking a little old, he still looks better than me. Crap!”
Most importantly for me was Nate adhering to humorous abstractions that make you guffaw, despite whatever morose impediment his facing, like certain death for instance. The entire compilation gave recompense to any lingering resentment I may have retained from the perilous insinuations of others, as well as my own ambiguity that the series would eagerly borrow from the suggestible melancholy portrayed in “The Last Of Us”. The textures, however beautifully rendered did possess a darker palette than I would like and it was a trailer that was notably subdued. Deliberately so, I think? I don’t need reassurance from vehicular mishaps that has become a trademark of the series. Nor arresting harmonics, rousing orchestral respite or speculative cinematic’s where streams of lava pierce the sedimentary rocks, as volcanic embers skitter across the forests declining fertility, engulfing the leaves as they fall. It was a trailer thankfully bereft of obligatory speeches that are a little too on nose, as fans speculate the intricate details of a plot and devise separate premises. None of this was present, just a simple monogamous template that should be adopted by every games trailer, game-play or otherwise. Just the rudimentary unfurling of the concept, a lenient delineation of the overarching story, a demonstration how furtive negotiation through large quantities of enemies is as efficient as bludgeoning adversaries skulls in, and revealing an older sibling that was never mentioned before? They kind of gloss over that part.
“That’s going to hurt?!”
Uncharted 4 was laden with as much expectancy as a new Star Wars movie, and earlier reports that its impeccable cogency had been substituted for banal heresy proved, in my opinion to be a largely fabricated grievance. It has seemingly preserved its heritage, bound by the inheritance of greatness we’ve seen before. Of course if you aren’t beguiled by Nates considerable masculinity, intellectual yet humorous aphorisms, ruggedly handsome features that remind me of my own……..time playing the games, then its likely that you’ll find nothing compilable here. Its expansive scenic breadth has always been regulated to vestigial aesthetics which are deceptively exposed, yet linear which irks many. Though in fairness you can’t alter the complexion of a game like Uncharted without compromising the concept, any more than you can criticise FIFA for promoting football. And yes the previous couple of games have ended in identical fashion and the supporting cast such as Elena, Sully and Chloe are exceptionally important foils for Nate’s charismatic troupes, and with both the former and the latter currently absent from any footage you do have to worry, just a little, that Naughty Dog may rely on *gulp* new characters to interact with him. I maybe reaching on that point, but I’m finding it difficult not justify purchase.
“Goons R Us are seemingly back in commission.”
The game-play, the environments and of course a weary, weather-beaten Drake only ratifies my bias and vindicates the pre-order I placed almost 8 months ago. Now Naughty Dog, if you could just, you know, RELEASE IT! PLEASE.
What did you think of the game-play trailer?
“This image will forever haunt my nightmares!”
Uncharted is arguably the PlayStation’s most influential commodity, receiving both lucrative prosperity and vast critical acclaim, largely attributed to widely revered, highly resilient protagonist, Nathan Drake. He’s heroic, death-defying antics, possession of adept dexterity, impressive versatile ascendancy of almost any vertical surface, and the upper body strength proportionate to any inhabitant of Skull island. All of this and more besides has allowed Nate to occupy the hearts and minds of many swooning females, who begin ovulating inexplicably at the mere sight of the rugged, charismatic archaeologist, with the male contingent retaining a far more dignified respect, and yes perhaps a minor curiosity, though for me its purely a platonic admiration, honest. My man crush aside, the adrenaline fuelled narcotics afforded by its cinematic decadence, the resonating exchanges between the digitalized cast, as well as the destructive potency of Drakes retaliation to every potentially, combustible architecture are all significant positives that makes Drakes search for rare, often mythological antiquities all the more compelling. But without a convincing antagonist to parry Nates relentless witticisms and tarnish he’s miraculous defying escapades, the series would be a hollow, albeit fun distraction.
“What beautiful, simulated babies Nate and Elena could conceive.”
As a villain, Katherine Marlowe is more than just an effective antagonist, she’s convincing. She’s not the conventional, tangible intimidating presence, to the alternative, transparent brutish façade offered by Lazarevic in the previous outing, but more of a cognitive assailant, infiltrating and coercing Drake with the disorientation of his perceived reality. She conveys an unnerving auditory restraint of supremacy, adopting a peripheral vision of superiority like a satisfied deity surveying their creation, with an attentive disposition to her cause, stoic and meticulous in her work with unwavering aspirations to succeed at any cost. Though the ravages of time are distinguishable, betraying the predatory abomination that fester’s beneath the shallow, superficial deterioration–accentuated by Marlowe’s outwardly docile vulnerability and her uncanny resemblance to actress Helen Mirren, underneath this, is a seething manifestation of a conniving manipulator, fuelled by power, discrimination and a puppeteer of marionettes from some secret, hermetic society, willing to fulfill any ambition she desires with the simplest of gestures. It’s these, annotations and deplorable constitutions, that transform her into a far more potent adversary than previous enemies.
“Lazarevic is an undeniable, bald bad-ass!”
There’s a benevolent, eloquent air of finality to her actions, adhering to a more sophisticated means of personal torture to intimidate Drake. For instance, reiterating the tormenting revelation of his parents demise, clarifying and thus revealing a secret long-established, though concealed by Drake, and succumbing to far more brutal, emotive lacerations that supersedes any physical affliction that Nate has sustained prior. Marlowe is fiendish in the way that she can somehow advocate a balance of crassness with delicate eloquence, obscuring her deceptive masochism behind a veil of infirmity. Even the stoutest of minds would crumble under the crushing brutality of her verbal jostling, relishing in the prolonging sentiment that exacerbates Nathan’s sorrow, and further ratify the antipathy of mutual disdain between the two. Though Lazarevic mechanical petulance was complimented seamlessly, with the comedic antics from conspirator and mockery to the British intelligence–if there is such a notion?–Harry Flynn, that added necessary diversity to the interactions with Nate, but a similar, idyllic presence wasn’t never really felt with Katherine’s associate. Talbot was an all too ambiguous presence, collateral addition, starved of any discernible relevance to the escalating narrative, that you begin to interpret his inclusion with vague sophistry, verbally questioning his purpose and placement; is he a possible relation to Marlowe? Perhaps just a simple, unaffiliated impartial affiliate? Or even a sexual partner? There was never a clear, decisive reason for his association with her, other than the arbitrary physical occupancy, to engage in more dynamic altercations with Drake, ill afforded by Marlowe’s less domineering physique.
So evil, manipulative, psychopath, a privileged entrepreneur, seeking power and the extended longevity of her existence; the perfect characteristics for a devious female villainess, ironically adopted by my ex girlfriend. But I’ve veered off to another one of my tangents that bewilder rather than enlighten. Lazarevic had he’s resources and even Eddie Raja provided much comical merriment, Marlowe retains the metaphorical crown as being Drakes most fiendish adversities. Well, at least until Uncharted 4 anyway!
Which was your favourite villain? And do you prefer physical, or cognitive manipulating villains? Let me know your thoughts. Cheers.
Game, Complain, Repeat 