#sometimes i remember how important ellie and tlou were to me before ......

[spacedlexi]

so theres these 2 zombie apocalypse daughters and im a disappointed parent who plays favorites

[bestaction-ps4games]

How The Uncharted Games and Naughty Dog Have Influenced My Gaming

I'm eagerly awaiting the final chapter of Uncharted "A Thief's end" to arrive in the post, knowing full well I'm not actually going to play until sometime tonight... As my son chews on my PS4 controller while I put this together (I've stopped 3 times on this paragraph already to protect my right trigger from his ever growing collection teeth!). But this whole thing has me in a reflective mood as I realised Uncharted games have had such a positive influence on my gaming in the previous generation, and so have Naughty Dog with their astounding ability to create action adventure games that, for me, are the best you can play.

You may think this is just another PlayStation gamer gushing over an exclusive game, but my journey with Uncharted actually started as an Xbox 360 gamer, who was playing happily away on the Gears of War series (that I love and will be playing number 4 asap too) plus other great games when my girlfriend at the time - now mother of said control pad chewing son and his big sister - proved she was the woman of my dreams when she bought me a PS3 for my Birthday (an age I'd happily trade my next Birthday for!).

So what was the game I put in first? Well, I picked up Metal Gear Solid 4 and Uncharted knowing both were exclusives I'd missed being on the Xbox. Next thing I'm flipping a coin to decide my fate and Uncharted won out... I barely looked up from the screen for the next few days. Get More Info best action-PS4 games

It blew me away with everything it did, it was the full package of everything I enjoyed in gaming, I continued to play through all the Uncharted games as soon as possible and I've not looked back since.

Uncharted Territory

The original title did so many things well, even the remastered version, which we reviewed still stands out as a great title. There were stunning visuals and environments that had you using platforming mechanics, executed in a way that really makes every jump feel a real grasp for survival. Action that rivals Gears of War that I'd enjoyed so much, but best of all; a real sense of action movie adrenaline with characters and story that made the game the full package for me.

And this was only the first game; the sequels - which I'll move onto soon - took this to the next level. But like any great film series or books, games that have great sequels start from ambitious originals that may not be perfect, but they really push the genre to the next level in what they try to do. The original Uncharted did that for me and I'll always remember it fondly.

An introduction to both Nathan Drake and Nolan North's ability as a voice actor for gaming also came with the first game. Perhaps something we take more for granted the series days, but the voice acting of the characters in the Uncharted games is just as important as the other elements of Naughty Dog's creation. Nolan has made a number of characters awesome, one of my other favourites being the lead in Spec Ops The Line as Captain Walker, an amazing game that everyone fond of the third-person shooter should play.

But Nate is his best performance (although my daughter may say he's pretty good in Blaze and The Monster Machines too) and he's made the character one of the best in gaming, why?

Well because you like him but he's a bit of an idiot most of the time. He's not a typical hero and while he's not exactly an anti-hero like Joel from The Last of Us - which I will get to later on in the article - he just makes some stupid decisions, and gets himself in a right mess most of the time. But this makes him identifiable as a character and only makes his story stronger for me, especially as the series progresses.

But what also does it for me is the supporting cast with Sully, played so perfectly by Richard McGonagle, hits the supporting role perfectly alongside Nate along with some well created female characters too played by Emily Rose and Claudia Black. This just gets better as the sequels come in and more of Drake's past becomes clearer.

That can also be said for the action, visuals and action-movie feel to the game as the series goes on too. Like most gamers I would say that second game, Among Thieves is the best of the Uncharted games. I'm not going to have a big fight with anyone who says 3 was the best because it was amazing, the airplane sequence followed by the desert scene being one of my favourite moments in gaming. But for me, the action, platforming and overall feel of Drake's story in the second game is the best so far.

But then, I haven't played 4 as I write this (day one patch is currently downloading as I ready this article!) and I have a feeling this is going to blow me away. I avoid spoilers and reviews generally when I want to play something as much as this game, but the words "Naughty Dog's best game" has been said and that is one hell of a statement.

Good Dog

Even though they are apparently naughty, the Uncharted games are only part of my affection for these developers that really need letting out of the dog house now and given a nice tasty treat.

Before the obvious I'll say this about my first love with Naughty Dog's work; Jak and Daxter is amazing and a series I just couldn't stop playing. Having just finished Ratchet and Clank (and doping my best with typing up the review), which in summary was awesome, I really hope these two make it to PS4 as well.

But we get to my current favourite Naughty Dog game, The Last of Us. Now without pouring my heart out about it, and I could easily do another 1k words on just how good it is, TLOU changed gaming for me. It brought emotion out of me that a game never really has before. I was really saddened at the start and I went up and down throughout, especially the David scene with Ellie.

None of it good for a man with a daughter to experience.

But without the Uncharted games this could never be, and adversely, the new Uncharted is certainly going to close Nate's adventure off with a lot of lessons learned from TLOU. Getting that emotion into the game is what I'm looking forward to most.

The Uncharted games have had a massive influence on my gaming and Naughty Dog too; I certainly can't wait to experience more of it this week. So, as an end to this I will say, should I be lucky enough for someone to check this out from the studio, thank you Naughty Dog for what you've made so far and I'm thrilled to be experiencing Nathan Drake's final chapter.

And that is about to start! Looks like I've typed for so long that all is downloaded and ready to go! Now, if I can just find a place to stash my Son I'll be fine...

Game On

Rossco loves gaming and writes regularly about gaming, covering a number of different articles like this one on Uncharted, reviews and more.

[maxthommusic]

TLOU 2 Halfway Spoiler Post

*DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED THE GAME. SPOILERS AHEAD.*

TLOU2 is a generation-defining game. It’s from the top dog developer, not only within Playstation, but in the industry; full stop. It’s a complete masterclass in environmental design, storytelling, and it’s weaving a narrative that is essential for our #MeToo, BlackLivesMatter, COVID society.

A little context though: I grew up in a culturally understanding household. We never talked negatively about other races, beliefs, or ideals. I’ve really never had a hard time grasping the LGBTQ community, rejecting racism or being good to my fellow humans, whomever that may be. Yeah, it’s a little confusing comprehending all the rules sometimes; misappropriation is a thing and not everyone can be super chill if you accidentally slip-up. But the thing here that’s relevant to TLOU is that discovering someone’s sexuality shouldn’t change your views upon them. And as I see people with posts like “how can a lesbian take down all these zombies?” it becomes apparent that TLOU2 is so much more important than just a sequel.

There are two ways, from my perspective, that I came to appreciate TLOU2. The first would be the characterization of Ellie. When I started TLOU2, Ellie being gay meant little to nothing for me. It’s irrelevant. The same way Joel being straight is completely useless information too. But as the game progressed and I became more comfortable viewing more TLOU2 articles and user-posts, I started seeing the vehemence with which people spoke about Ellie’s sexuality. While I was initially confounded why anyone would be hazing the game and its creators, I began to peer back the veil and confront the source. When I recognized this, I literally became more motivated to press onwards in Ellie’s vengeance quest. I began jumping into sessions wanting Ellie to kick so much ass and just murder tf out of these Wolves. Every time I laid a trap to blow away some pursuing soldiers, I was more satisfied knowing that “this lesbian” had obliterated her assailants. Every time I stabbed a zombie in the back of the head, I was elated that “this lesbian” was running the gauntlet. Knowing that players are getting heated about a gay character taking control of her fate in such a violent, proficient fashion only upped the stakes. In this way, I find TLOU2 to be essential gaming.

Maybe the message isn’t for you. And it’s certainly not for me. But when it occurred to me that this kind of representation was offending people, I realized it’s way more than a game; it’s a statement. TLOU2 is a big middle-finger in the air to everyone who wants to cast shame upon the characters, creators and devs who made it possible. Which I completely support. Because the real clincher is that TLOU2 is a great game. The environments are stunning, the performances are mostly excelsior and the presentation is magnificent. I find the combat to leave a lot to be desired and there are ways in which TLOU2 definitely could be a better game. But for now, the point remains, by most metrics, TLOU2 is usually stunning. People who can’t get over someone’s sexual orientation are missing out.

And I hope they continue to miss out. I hope those people continue to feel like their world is shrinking. Because it’s 2020 and you’ve had your chance to get educated and get on board. TLOU2 by no means is actually that progressive. Ellie’s sexuality hardly comes up and the romantic scenes are really quite mild by TV standards. That it’s progressive for the games industry proves how far behind we are. But because it’s causing such a stir only shows that a major AAA offering like this was so long overdue.

The second way I’ve come to appreciate TLOU2 is the twist in the middle of the game. Playing as Abby is everything. Because here I was, not feeling so great about the characters, or the world, or their motivations. As mentioned, the gameplay itself isn’t even that great; the loop is a bit less than compelling... But then we get a glimpse into Abby’s side of the story and that little glimpse already has elevated TLOU’s purpose ten-fold.

Such a twist made me re-contextualize the entire previous twelve hours in an instant and transformed TLOU2 from good to great. The reason this is important is because the middling feelings I had towards the game have officially become part of the game. My ten minutes with Abby feels infinitely better than the first ten minutes with Ellie and Co., informing all of the storytelling that’s been done so far. My dislike for Jackson, my distrust of Dina, my skepticism towards Ellie; all of that just made Abby the real hero of this story. And while I haven’t seen everything yet, this is how I feel now, and I’m more ecstatic to see the ending than I was for the past twelve hours.

I’ve also heard people are feeling jilted that Joel got done in and Ellie has suffered by effect. Which again, is another crazy thought. Naughty Dog is trying to tell two sides of the same story with very different moral consequences and people are getting downright offended that their beliefs are being challenged. Players are being morally tested and they ain’t having it; let me tell you what game absolutely needed to exist.

And what’s incredible, too, is that you could only achieve this in a sequel.

The stage needs to be set. The characters and your attachment to them needs to be established. The hype, the anticipation, the desire: it was all there to say something really bold and daring, and it looks like Naughty Dog friggin went for it. 

It was always a little bit in question if we needed a sequel to TLOU. That story definitely could have ended right there at St. Mary’s hospital. But now that I’m in the sequel and I’m seeing it unfold righteously, I really, really hope the desire to continue this tale mostly stemmed from the meta story that could be told. I hope the creators and powers-that-be sat in a room and said, “What if we made a game that really challenged the status quo?”

As I said, I’m not done with it yet. But I love the idea that TLOU2 exists not because Naughty Dog said, “we need to make another game,” but because they said, “we have something that needs to be told.”

And as more and more articles get released about TLOU2 and the creators share their insights, I frequently hear the quote, “These stories needed to be told.” With more context from the game, I understand what they were getting at so much better. And they have my full support. A game like this can only be understood and fully appreciated from beginning to end. Which some may scoff at that remark: we all remember Final Fantasy XIII, right? The argument, “It gets good 40 hours in!” has become a meme, essentially. But sometimes great art takes time; you need to let the story unfold. Now I don’t wanna play games like this all the time. Yet when the narrative is in such caring, successful hands like the team at Naughty Dog, I definitely feel the need to listen and give them a chance. Timing is everything. TLOU2 could not necessarily exist as a brand new IP or an entry from a new studio. TLOU2 is the result of everything before it. Love it or hate it, for that reason alone, it demands your attention. But even cooler than that, it’s a statement that needs to be heard.