My Favourite Uncharted 4 Character.

As far as I was concerned, I was done with the Uncharted franchise. With Drake retired, now settled into a life of domestic and legalised archaeology with Elena. Their story of anarchic excavation and subsequent destruction of mythical cities/colonies/cursed statues, resulted in a conclusion that satisfied the heart of any Uncharted fan. We got closure. Which for any established, as well as profitable franchise, is a difficult thing to achieve. Now I didn’t not want to play Uncharted because my compulsions were sated, or that once concluded these games provide no replay value. To me it just felt like tasting a satisfying meal, that I’d already eaten. So I surprised myself, despite my affection for the series, when I downloaded Uncharted 4 for the PS5.

What occurred to me almost instinctively was how great the antagonistic was. I’m not referring to the narcissistic Rafe or even the hired mercenary Nadine, both of whom provide their own entertainment, but the ominous mountain that protrudes from the veiled pirate colony of Libertalia. This natural elevation is like a perennial devil on your shoulder. Emerging over the deteriorated settlement of the once bustling criminal paradise. A leering, steadfast presence, whose dubious geographical positioning appears to move around the island, accentuating it’s pervasive scrutiny of your exploits. Its a striking occupant of the island, like a demonic terrapin breaching the surface of the earth. But what’s most disconcerting about its malevolent visage, is an overwhelming perception of knowing prescience. As if this malformed distension of rock, has cognitive autonomy.

I’m not sure if a mountain could ever be described as enigmatic, but the mountain depicted here certainly exudes a furtive concern. With a gnarled curvature embedded in the crevice of the mountain, giving the appearance of a mouth. The jagged stalactite clinging to the palate like teeth. And the deep depressions on the mountainside, giving the impression of eyes would be almost comical. Like a Bond villains lair. If not for how unsettling its grotesque facade is. Its like a dormant creature, waiting for some elaborate set of circumstances to rouse it from the decadent verdure that has ensnared it.

As you navigate the ruins of Libertalia, surviving the most precarious of situations, against a heavily armed militia, marshalled by a sneering megalomaniac with the most punch-able of faces, as you jostle for supremacy over a fabled stolen treasure, smuggled on famed pirate Henry Averys galleon, you realise that a seemingly snarling mountain, passively observing your exploits isn’t really that absurd. And probably the first inanimate object in a game that inspires fear. Besides the loading screens on a PS3.

Uncharted 4: Survival Review.

Uncharted’s multiplayer has always been flaunted as a rather enigmatic expansion to the series more provocative singular presentation. A curiosity promoted to distract rather than attract. I was always more concerned with delving into the main campaigns story first and maintaining a consistency within its confines that would help me complete the game on it’s more challenging settings. I’d engage in an occasional flourish in team death-match, but nothing more than a periodic flutter. Only once I’d concluded Drakes story could I dedicate all my attention on maintaining a reasonable kill/death ratio in deathmatch, shouting and hollowing like a banshee that had stubbed their toe on a table leg every time someone got the better of me, which was a lot – with impunity. Chiefly though I prioritized Co op as I gained far more satisfaction from downing hordes of enemies when part of a small contingent. I relished exerting dominance over the artificial subordinates by collaborating with a formidable group that endeavoured to preserve the integrity of our assembled party. Whether it was healing downed confederates or providing covering fire to assist an infiltration of enemy resistance, I just couldn’t get enough. No two games were ever the same, especially if you yielded to the lottery of randomized partners. You had to gauge the temperament of your allotted team and either harness the awesome power of fidelity to ensnare the advances of opposing forces, or consolidate your position to prevent the less than proficient teammates from perishing. It was a delicate harmony that either endured or faltered, and I loved it. So you can imagine my disappointment when Uncharted 4 failed to incorporate a co-operative mode into its multiplayer…..until now.

It’s exclusion had been a lingering blight since its release so to finally play it felt a little daunting. You realise very quickly that this is a very different interpretation than what we’ve seen and played before. Primarily focused on wave based enemies – at least for the time being – the transition from Uncharted 3 to this are subtle, yet refined. Wave based Co operative play has always had its limitations in creative iteration, with many horde based multiplayer variations largely composed of similar, sometimes exact formulas. It’s not necessarily a criticism especially if you enjoy competing in progressively complicated duels, and it’s great that NaughtyDog has seen fit to at least engineer something slightly different from familiar mechanics. But it’s like favouring a stove to boil water as opposed to a kettle; in either case they both do the same thing. And even though Uncharted Co op veers off to separate tangent it ultimately leads to the same destination in the end.

The goal is simple; survive a varied range of tasks over the course of 5 waves, on 10 different maps, with increasing difficulty in the quickest time possible. You’ll be rewarded with a star rating ranging from zero (slow) to 3 (perfect) which you’ll need if you want to progress to the more difficult settings. You’ll also gain experience that will help improve gun and mystic efficiency as well as increase defensive capabilities. The waves themselves consist of a variety of tasks, most notably survival; killing a specified number of targets within a time limit. Siege; whereby a set number of enemy deaths will only register if you reside in a designated area on the map. As well as less exposed modes like treasure hunt; collect 100 treasures while also avoiding the deluge of aggressors spawned to prevent you. Marked Man, which is self-explanatory really; kill the marked man. Some arbitrary tasks are spiced up by applying specific regulatory compliances, such as only being able to use pistols or melee to vanquish foes. But by far the most exciting as well as challenging features is the boss battles. For me, this is the highlight.

“The Boss battles can get quite intense, so you’d best be prepared!”

They are intense and easily the most fitting boss battles the series has ever had. It’s strange that despite the series conceptual prowess and scripted cinematic fluency it has always struggled to incorporate boss battles that don’t feel forced. Perhaps it’s the contemporary setting and the way in which conventual villains are dispatched with succinct ease that makes a traditional boss battle feel out-of-place (much like the bullet sponge militant you come across on the train in Uncharted 2), yet here it fits perfectly. Watching the health bar appear, subsequently dominating the top of the screen and slowly diminish as you fire round after round into them gives the player an indication of the severity of the situation, creating an intense frenetic encounter that engages the participants to actively work together to overcome the skeletal remains of Uncharted’s most prestigious pirate colonists, and the duplicitous founding originators of libertalia. Though I should mention that not every level concludes with a boss battle which does detract from the overall challenge of some of the stages. Even so each individual must rely of aggression and evasion as well as skill and inventory to succeed, the latter of which can be altered at select caches across the 10 distinct maps. Ammunition is scarce so you have to choose your ballistics carefully, adapting weaponry to deal with the increasing severity of enemies.

The medium setting, which is the lowest viable setting you can have if you want to team up with other players comes courtesy with automatic aim assist, which helps isolate targets with expedient efficiency. Potential targets will be automatically highlighted when you aim, and as long as the camera is pointed in a vague direction you should easily despatch the hordes of enemies rallying against you. The problem now though is that your ability to effectively neutralise enemies with headshots will be greatly diminished as you now have to forcibly manoeuvre the reticule with sustained firing to stand any chance of successfully puncturing their temples. You can turn the auto aim function off – and on more difficult settings it’s required – but you become less effective as a result. It’s a vexing anomaly that irritates rather than ruin, but still an irritation that would’ve been easily avoided. The pursuit for 3 stars can be an exercise in futility too. It only takes one error, one misplaced jump, targeting the wrong adversary and your quick time is compromised. You have to make split second decisions that could increase or expedite the time. Say for instance you’ve run out of bullets for your preferred gun; do you circle round to the nearest convenient cache and restock, wasting valuable seconds. Or take whatever gun is available in your immediate vicinity but sacrifice the comfort you’d have from retaining your preferred weapon? It’s a difficult choice to make, and one that could inhibit that near perfect score you so desperately crave.

Most games would rest on their laurels, snuggle with them like a comfort blanket and just pass out, proud of their glowing achievement. NaughtyDog however seem motivated to reward the loyalty of its community and provide free updates that benefit them. You could argue that the Survival Co op should have been a day one inclusion rather than a later addition, and if it had come at a cost I’d probably agree. The lack of local Co op may irk some, but considering that I don’t actually have any friends (is that a violin I hear?) kinda negates its inclusion. Overall Uncharted 4’s Co op is a sturdy, if at times repetitive addition. It differs greatly from what I was anticipating, which on balance is probably a good thing. It may not necessarily be what I wanted, but it may very well what we needed.

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Uncharted 4’s “Survival” mode is available now as a free update.

What do you make of the new Co-op mode? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers.

Another Uncharted 4 Trailer Released…..Just To Torture Me!

*AhhGuhhrarr!* I was almost ready to drop a completely different article tonight. It was set, constructed, vaguely legible account and then this sexy beast comes rasping at my door, begging me to acknowledge it’s beautifully rendered vista’s, broad verdant pastures replete with hidden dangers and Drake’s vascular physique and grizzled features again confusing my stringent heterosexual orientations! But damn it if you aren’t one handsome devil Nate! I don’t care how long it takes, how much time off my newly acquired parental duties I’ll require to play this. I don’t even care if consent for the hours I’ll inevitably dedicate to Uncharted 4 is forthcoming from my disgruntled partner; I’m playing, exploring and generally “charting” my way to completion! Nothing is going to stop me. Unless, oh god! Unless NaughtyDog delay it again?!

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Stop teasing me NaughtyDog and just hook it to my veins!!!!

Nathan Drake And Elena Fisher: The Ross And Rachel Of Gaming.

Having thoroughly exhausted the Nathan Drake Collection, earning 3 platinum trophies in the process (that’s not sad. It’s not. No you shut up!) I do what I always do once a void like this has generated such a chasm in my nocturnal proclivities: conduct a protracted article concerning various fleets of conjectural pandering and motivate some articulate relevance from fictitious events so absurd that it may as well be written in Klingon! But rather than discuss the events perpetrated in a series most are already well versed in, I thought I’d concentrate my convoluted abstractions on the considerably tumultuous union of Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher. Amongst all the theorised mythology and jutted architectures that no normal human being is dexterous in strength to ascend, belies two characters united by severely compromising conditions. Now let’s first establish that their relationship isn’t one of banal convention, but one based of intense emotional circumstances. Your more likely to see these two exchanging gunfire in some desecrated city than chocolates or flowers. They epitomise the contrasting similarities of traditional character relations, stymied in this instance by their respective desires. They really are the Ross and Rachel of gaming, emphasising the conflicting parabolic depiction of yin and yang, just a little less platonic. Their together, their not together; honestly the perennially shifting attempts at marital reconciliation is a little jarring, especially considering there’s little to no context that explains their subsequent division throughout the series. Their relationship is potentially volatile, exacerbated by the continual abstinence from each other, but the facile levity these two exchange in dialogue is seldom obstructed, even by the increasingly precarious circumstances they endure.

It’s a relationship that from the casual observer has been intermittent at best, structured around combustible circumstances and a rather dangerous liaison of two clashing enigmatic individual’s. You first encounter these two on a ship excavating a submerged crypt, with Elena documenting the empty burial casket from the Panamanian brine-waters they aren’t permitted to be in. You soon discover just what exhilarating affiliation these two have with each other. Everything they do is wielded with such intuition that’s it’s difficult to tell whether their actions are impulsive or suicidal! Which is only further complicated by the discordant correlation between them. Both are seemingly apprehensive of the other, yet they soon coordinate a naturally complicit alliance that punctually develops into something more substantial. The bond of their companionship has never been clarified beyond the suggested alienation between games, interrupted smooches, affectionate glances and tender gestures but that’s all the clarification you need really. The acrimonious departure that transpired in the interim and the emblematic band of a wedding ring entangling Elena’s finger are suggestive of something significant occurring between them, particularly considering the strangely absent jewellery on Drakes respective finger. The specific particulars of their confusing relationship is often dismissed as developments we are already aware of, despite its purported absence. Your continually apprised of their separation through expository dialogue but only witness the stunted attempts at marital reconciliation. Despite our adherence that we know these two, the surreptitious contraction ascribed to their congressional union remains a succinct mystery, with thinly veiled distinctions that adorn the tumultuous problems they face. But considering the multiple questionable motivation’s of Drake its small wonder that a woman of such reputed decisiveness is still attempting to distance herself from Drakes increasingly destructive personality. His multiple altercations with pugnacious minorities in some far-flung pocket of the world is nothing in comparison to his dereliction of matrimonial decency and nothing more exacting than his curious incredulity deserves. The dangerous sabbatical’s that invariably lead to such liaisons merely compounds the scrutiny, especially as he seems to attract hostility like Katie Hopkins on a trip to, well, anywhere!

“Though fractious, Nate and Elena’s love for each other is at times touching.”

Drake relishes plundering some palatial fortification, prioritising the accumulation of some gilded statue, studded in runes and ancient biblical curses rather than bracing his own marriage. His incorrigible adventurous nature is fun for us, but is interjected with a melancholic irreverence as if blindly ignoring the issue. Because of his wilful abandonment of his betrothed obligations, his immobilized empathy reflects a man stunted by emotional trauma to almost narcissistic levels. Drakes sociopathic tendencies seem rooted in his morose childhood. During one of the more poised moments in Uncharted 3, Katherine Marlow, the cantankerous antagonistic grants confidential insight into Drakes mysterious past. Absent, presumed dead parents, an assumed name are likely triggers, with absolutely no mention of a brother listed in Marlow’s resume of Drakes existence, making this reclusive sibling a baffling precursor to very interesting explanation in “A Thief’s End” (well hopefully). Considering his very Dickensian upbringing it’s no wonder that he has developed an associative disorder and lack of empathy, instead generating keen industry when dealing with assailants, such as discharging witty, often crass one liners after plunging a guy to his grizzly demise. So deftly does he supply inventive vocal humour that you could understand why he treats marriage with such elusive conviction. Yet his seemingly improvised provocations belies a man studiously loyal to his friends and dedicated to his historical causes. They say inactivity breeds complacency, well I guess the opposite applies to Drake. Yet Elena is probably the most important steward of Drakes humanity, exemplifying his own nuptial resistance with a more grounded perspective. Elena is endowed with all the nuanced knowledge that Drake simply doesn’t possess, reading situations with attuned nutrition and acting accordingly. She is also tough and assured when engaged, even surviving the adjunctive explosion of a grenade! In many respects she posses many of Drakes beneficial characteristics without many of his impetuous flaunts and obsessive predilections. She isn’t merely a complicit foil to Drakes reckless endeavours, but someone who can determine the outcomes with explicit provision, with a tenacious pragmatism that is both cogent and practical to almost every variable. With a sophistry that promotes tolerant representation of femininity without the expressed necessity to show off some cleavage or apply make-up, not only is Elena the perfect love interest, but probably the most fair representation of an independent woman, without having to literate it.

There’s an organic legitimacy to their fluctuating propinquity, punctuated by the maturity of Elena who seeks refuge from Drakes destructiveness. Of course their on off relationship provided ample fodder to exchange humorous observations of each others lives, but this is merely the conduit expounded by two individual’s that care very much for each other, even if it isn’t expressed with succinct sensitivity. Whenever the subject of their split is broached in conversation however it’s quickly lanced by Drakes defensive neurosis, further highlighting his permissive attitude towards relationships. It’s evident from his basic lack of empathy that their relationship will continue to deteriorate further, listlessly dwindling into inert spousal abuse. How they sustain any kind of relationship under such frenetic circumstances is beyond me, yet somehow this erratic instability, coiled and stoic as it is almost symbolic of the monogamous ambiguity their lives project. Whether the intended severance of normality is congenial to the combustible rigidity of their dubious companionship, or alternatively curtailed by the uniquely farcical circumstances they sustain, Drake and Elena will endure. If not, there is always the wizened intervention of Victor Sullivan. I can almost hear him, the surrogate paternal tutor attempting to amend Drakes marital complacency, bristling with stout ruminations in the shadows and bleating “kid, just remarry the damn broad will ya?!”

Who is your favourite gaming couple? Let me know in the comments. Cheers.

Uncharted 4: Extended E3 Trailer.

Well that certainly escalated quickly, which can only be good for us! Today Naughty Dog streamed the extended version of their E3 demo for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End on their Twitch channel exclusively (as far as I’m concerned) for me. Having endured the barren PS4 exclusivity its reassuring that Nate “the one man militia” Drake is certainly back in combustible form. His excessive predilections for municipal destruction, the sweeping environmental ambiance as he strides out of a dilapidated tomb of sorts and reckless endangerment of his welfare are in salubrious consignment. There was also confirmation during the following Q&A session that Uncharted has been variably optimised for the PS4 with the frame-rate locked at 30fps *sigh*. Ah well, who cares really? This is the trailer I’ve been waiting for. No promotional CGI draped in the false depiction of the games quality, but a fully rendered level that revels in the frenetic solemnity of the Uncharted franchise and now the ability to diverge from the the perceived limitations introduced in the driving section, because (Oh crap!) it isn’t scripted! (Just hope I can navigate my way through as many short cuts). March can not come soon enough. Check out the extended game footage below and let me know your thoughts. Cheers.