We reviewed Uncharted 4 and wow

Driftwood
Thursday, May 5, 2016 | 12:00 PM
55 comments

GSY Review PS4

After a few frustrating delays for owners of the PS4, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End finally made its way to our console. The holy grail of PS4 exclusives lands in gamers’ hands next week and we have finished our review just in time to be able to tell you about it when the NDA agreement was lifted. Playing the game was an emotional journey and it is amidst these emotions that we take our pen in order to let you know if Drake’s last adventure offers a fitting conclusion to a series that started 9 years ago on PS3.
Note: We are currently forbidden from posting any captures (videos/screenshots) until next Monday at 3pm (French Time).
Note 2: Kudos to Alimokrane for the quick translation of the verdict and +/- section.

Verdict

There are so many things to talk and share about our experience with Uncharted 4, but that will certainly spoil and reveal too many surprises which await you and this is something we simply cannot do. What we can tell you is this: after 5 days spent playing Nathan Drake’s last adventure, we have definitely been given the conclusion the series deserves. This is an end of an era for a hero we have followed in immersive stories, have grown to adore and sadly now have to say goodbye to. The game is clearly a well crafted love letter to fans which, despite small issues inherent in the series in general, will remain a benchmark for future generations. The game is an unforgettable and emotional adventure which will be yours to experience in the next few days, and we can't wait to hear what you think.

On the upside
Visually stunning
An adventure with a big A
Perfect rhythm
A worthy heir of Uncharted 2
The final boss
Naughty Dog's tongue-in- cheek references
The length of the game
The photo mode
Too many other positives to list them all

On the downside
Homing enemy grenades
Blind enemies when in stealth, unrealistically sharp shooters in combat
Companion AI is not very helpful during gunfights
Saying goodbye to Drake, Elena and the others

AndreasZ94

Commented on 2016-05-05 12:45:56

The game sounds awesome! Its a shame the Ai in stealth is very slow but do the enemies react better on higher difficulties? And, I obviously haven't played the game yet but the companions are not very helpful comment seems a little weird. From the footage we saw it seemed the Ai was actually very useful.

In reply to

Driftwood

Commented on 2016-05-05 12:57:39 In reply to AndreasZ94

We completed the game in hard mode in 20 hours and 45 minutes and they didn't seem to be a lot more reactive than during the preview event in normal.

As for the companions, other than sometimes grab the enemies, they are not really efficient. More than once I was flanked and killed with one ally standing next to me who hadn't done anything to prevent that from happening.

Also, it's always odd to see that the enemy soldiers don't see your allies when they are in stealth, even when they perfectly visible in the open. It's exactly as in TLOU in that respect.

viHuGi

Commented on 2016-05-05 13:00:33

so Game of the Year and Generation.

Commented on 2016-05-05 13:01:25 In reply to Driftwood

Thanks for the answer. Also, 20 hours?! How many screenshots did you take?!

Commented on 2016-05-05 13:01:33 In reply to viHuGi

Posted by viHuGi

I don't believe UC4 needs any kind of label to prove its worth, but whatever works for people on the Internet.

Commented on 2016-05-05 13:03:29 In reply to AndreasZ94

Posted by AndreasZ94

Thanks for the answer. Also, 20 hours?! How many screenshots did you take!

Not that much (though I have a few to share it's true) and I'm not sure if the time spent standing still is taken into account when in photo mode. Even if it were to be the case, it's still way more than 15 hours of gameplay with more than 30 hidden collectibles left to find. I have edited my first answer by the way, in case you need more info.

Commented on 2016-05-05 13:05:54

Its so awesome to hear that the series ended on a strong note. Rarely franchises manage to pull off a satisfying conclusion.

Nathaniel_Wu

Commented on 2016-05-05 13:41:57

5 short days become so long after all the media started to post reviews…

mehmetalper

Commented on 2016-05-05 14:15:46

wooow :) Thanks for review :) and Thanks to Naughty Dog for Masterpiece again.

This message and account have been deleted at the user's request

Commented on 2016-05-05 16:19:05

It's the last game with these characters, so I might as well have said farewell actually. No spoilers, as it was announced by the devs themselves. ;)

bubble2020

Commented on 2016-05-05 16:39:55

If you had to give it a rating on a scale of 0 to 10, what would you give it? And have you had a chance to play the multiplayer of the finished product?

Commented on 2016-05-05 16:46:49 In reply to bubble2020

Nope, I only completed the single player campaign yesterday. There was supposed to be a multiplayer session yesterday evening, but it never worked on my side.

As for rating, I do that almost everyday for a living, so I'm not going to do it on Gamersyde. Scores seem so irrelevant when it comes to video games. Sorry. :)

Commented on 2016-05-05 16:55:54

I watched a Naughty Dog mp livestream yesterday and they definetly put a lot of effort into the multiplayer as well. I hope more people get into the multiplayer now that all dlc maps,modes etc will be free.

Sdarts

Commented on 2016-05-05 16:55:55 In reply to Driftwood

It's a 10 then. Thanks for the confirmation.

=)

PS. I'm literally kicking myself to NOT buy a PS4 with the Uncharted Collection, Uncharted 4, The Last of Us, Bloodborne, Ratchet & Clank, etc right now. Must... resist... till... E3! HELP!!!!!

catfish

Commented on 2016-05-05 17:10:59

Happy you guys liked it. This is the second massive game for me this gen (first was Witcher 3).

gonzax

Commented on 2016-05-05 17:19:47

I very much doubt it will be better than TLOU but I can't wait until my preorder arrives next tuesday.

amerakindesi

Commented on 2016-05-05 17:40:08 In reply to Sdarts

Posted by Sdarts

You're not alone...hang in there buddy. This is the first gen Im planning to double dip consoles thanks to the PS4K rumor. Thanks for the review gamersyde, I'm looking forward to trying this in the future...

MikeManiac61

Commented on 2016-05-05 20:58:57

I like how Drift puts "and wow" for the review lol. This game must've been remarkable for you put that. Can't wait :)

FPS__Dawg

Commented on 2016-05-05 21:45:50 In reply to viHuGi

I really enjoy uncharted series, but it's just a great interactive movie with relatively good gameplay (to other interactive movies).

ChrisB

Commented on 2016-05-05 23:45:39 In reply to Driftwood

Spoken like a true Veteran of Video Games. I Agree, but you can't blame this generation of "Gamer's" for those types of questions. Naughty Dog isn't the type of company that has to prove anything, they did it along time ago and they are the select few who have always looked for and found ways to effectively push the Hardware of the PlayStation, and not be known for 10 patches and updates to get the game running correctly.

Commented on 2016-05-05 23:48:16 In reply to Driftwood

BTW true Uncharted/Naughty Dog fans who are mature and understand certain teams philosophy's don't mind when a game is reasonably delayed especially when its basically done and the reason is for optimization and to actually give the gamer more/better. It's not like it was delayed 6 months or 1 year.