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 On 04/16/2013 at 09:36 AM by TheMart22 See More From This User » |
So I finished Uncharted 2 late last week and figured I’d give my two cents here as I know you were all eagerly awaiting my reaction.
Firstly, I’d like to say that I really enjoyed the game but it just didn’t mesmerize me like I thought it would. I think that seeing as I played it immediately after the first Uncharted, it felt like just more of the same just boosted. Maybe I should have waiting before jumping back in but dammit I did so that’s how I feel. I don’t really know what I was expected as obviously being a sequel it would be more of the same, but I just wanted more. I think the dynamic of climbing, running for cover, shooting, puzzle solving and repeat just grew somewhat old for me. Not boring per se but just not as exciting as I experienced with the first. Even the introduction of a new enemy type towards the end of the game to add a different flavor to combat was almost expected after playing the original.
I do feel that the game mechanics were tightened up greatly. For example, it was no longer an effort to awkwardly position Mr. Drake so you could go down a ladder. The shooting mechanics also felt much improved with the shot tracking feeling more accurate. Sometimes in the original Uncharted, I felt like it was hit or miss (pardon the pun) whether it picked up that I had achieved a headshot but Uncharted 2 was much more responsive.
Get on the damn ladder Drake!
Again, I did really enjoy the game even just being more of the same. The characters are really likable and the end boss was just hard enough (playing on normal) to make me feel like I really had achieved something when I defeated him. I may have even thrown a closed fist in the air as a means of showing my thrill at winning.
On another note, next on my playlist is Yakuza 4. I managed to get in about 4 or 5 hours of this over the weekend and am really enjoying it so far.
Much like the growth from Uncharted 1 to 2, Yakuza 4 feels like an improvement over Yakuza 3. I’m glad I get to revisit the streets of Kamurocho to lay down the law of the land. You get to play as four separate characters, each with their own particular skillset. So far, I’ve only played as Shun Akiyama, a good guy loan shark of sorts, and am really digging the character and his story. There is no option to swap between characters or anything. The game is split into different chapters and you take control of the other characters as you progress. I think I’m on chapter 3 now and am still controlling Akiyama. As expected in a Yakuza game, the story is filled with intrigue with rival factions fighting for dominance.
Shun Akiyama - the small mans loan shark
I really like the overall atmosphere of the game. Unlike Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4 is complete per the Japanese release. None of the mini-games and additional content have been removed so that means you can visit hostess bars. From what I can tell, the goal of a hostess bar is to impress the hostesses as much as possible so that they fall in love with you. I really don’t know what this accomplishes gameplay wise but I guess better to keep it in than kick it out. I’m not sure how much I’ll bother with this but if there is trophies to be won I may entertain the idea. Something about the thought of it though feels weird to me….
Anyway, thanks for reading my ramblings fellow PixlBytes!
Later
I played Uncharted right after getting a PS3...a year and a half ago?...and really enjoyed it, despite the eventual monotomy of combat, and I've been meaning to play the other two ever since. I just haven't gotten around to it.
I started playing Demon's Souls last week but I haven't had much spend on it yet. I'm not sure I'll have the patience for it though lol. I've always been intrigued by the Yakuza games, so I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the fourth installment as you go.
I'll try post a blog about my impressions as I get further. I plan on being pretty completionist with it so I should be playing it for a while.
Funny you mention Demon Souls, after watching the gameplay preview from the new Dark Souls, i'm heavily considering buying Demon Souls sometime in the next few months.
I'd been thinking about getting it for a while but then it became a free game on PlayStation Plus so I figured it was a sign 
I'm yet to get PS+ for whatever reason but I really need to just do it. I have a vita also so it's double the value to me.
I think it pays for itself pretty quickly, especially if you have a Vita too. I've been stockpiling the free Vita games in hopes that I'll have a system to play them on eventually.
Actually, my only concern with getting PS+ is i'd have to invest in another memory card for the Vita and they're really expensive. I only have the 4gb that came with the system. I'm kinda stuck wanting PS+ for the free games buts not wanting to pay for the memory i'd require. I guess one kinda pays for the other
I swear, Sony would make more money if they weren't so stuck on using their own proprietary tech. Having such expensive memory cards only hurts game sales (case in point).
100% agree. The money they'd make on the backend with game sales surely would make up for any money "lost"
Dammit.. Everyone keeps saying how great these games are and I have yet to play them. I suppose that is one of the consequences of not getting a PS3 until last year though. I definitely want to take the time and play them though. It'll be a goal for me while I wait for the PS4 price to drop I suppose!
Yeah i've a bunch of games I want to catch up on too. I figure i've 3 years anyway to play games I missed while I wait for the next gen price drop
I don't have the means to experience Uncharted 1 and Uncharted 2 (Though there might be a psp handheld spin off of it I "can" get.) but I'm pretty excited about the new Tomb-raider!
I agree that there are so many shooters lately that they've lost a little bit of their luster for me. Uncharted 2 does seem to be a 3rd person shooter at its' heart though I'm sure it also has some puzzles and platforming.
Yeah and for the most part the puzzles are not very challenging. Some of the platforming is awesome though. May be my favorite aspect of the series.
I went back and restarted from the beginning with the first one. Never got far on Uncharted 2 so it will be a fresh start. I love the characters and storyline the most. Yakuza is a series that I haven't tried before. The first game is pretty easy to find here so next payday I may pick that up. Always been fascinated by the code that Yakuza live by.
Apparently the Tokyo world the game represents is pretty authentic. I'm not sure how true that is but it's pretty interesting. I haven't played the original Yakuza on ps2 so can't speak for that but 3 was good and 4 has been great so far
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