Topic: The PlayStation Fan Thread

@RR529 Better controllers. Maybe have those controllers like Oculus has (or is it Vive, or both?). Those circular controllers, in between the Move controllers and a regular controller. They need to be a pack in though. I don't like how half the VR titles require the move controllers, which weren't even part of the VR package.

So I came out of my 5-year Uncharted hiatus to finally finish Uncharted 4.

I first played the Uncharted series in 2016 with the Nathan Drake Collection and absolutely loved it, playing through the first three games in quick succession.

I then came back to the series on a whim a few weeks ago, deciding to finally complete Uncharted 4. The story, characters and gameplay all had me gripped - so much so that, when I finished, I moved immediately onto The Lost Legacy. And I loved that just as much.

With The Lost Legacy completed, I thought it would be nice to relive the original trilogy. So I booted up the Nathan Drake Collection again and...my god. I don't think I've been so shocked by a game I remember enjoying as recently as this. In my mind the game was much closer to Uncharted 4 than it actually was. The character models and animations have aged very poorly, the controls feel stiff and clunky, and the environments are generally a lot more bland that what we've been spoiled with in later titles.

It did make me wonder - many games recently (especially Sony exclusives) have impressed me with their cinematography and spectacle - but how long will this last? Will I go back to Uncharted 4 in a few years and think the game is ugly as sin, while happily playing games like Super Mario World which have been around for 30 years?

Anyone been back to these games in recent years? What were your thoughts?

@timleon

Uncharted 1 is pretty damn rough, and quite an average game. Uncharted 2 and 3 have both aged pretty damn well though in my opinion.

@Dezzy Honestly, I've been hearing this for a while and brushed it off because, as my first in the series, I managed to really enjoy Uncharted 1 in 2016. But now I totally see why many say to give it a miss.

That said, looking again at 2 and 3 the cutscenes and character models, while improves, still feel uncanny after playing 4.

It just feels very strange after being so impressed by these games just 5 years ago.

@timleon

Well some parts have aged badly compared to the new games. Character models for sure.

But other parts, especially in 2 and 3, have aged pretty damn well. The environments in those games are still incredibly impressive. Also the set piece action scenes are still incredible. I think Uncharted 3 has more impressive set piece action scenes than Uncharted 4 does.

@timleon I wonder if UC4 will look the same to us 10 years from now. I expect it'll age a lot better, because of diminishing returns.

Anyway. Jedi Fallen Order is a lot better than I expected. Brilliant way to start of 2021. I got it in a sale along with Squadrons, and I've heard good things about Squadron as well.

@Octane

Diminishing returns were pretty much already reached in terms of polygon count for individual models, as far as I can tell!

And I know some people disagree, but I really can't notice much difference in resolution for anything over 4K. And the improvement between 1080p and 4K is already no way near the equivalent of 480p to 1080p (not technically doubling I know, but 480 was a lot more common than 540)

@Dezzy Yeah, I think UC4 will age a lot better than the first games.

Finished Jedi Fallen Order. Brilliant game! Probably one of the best things to come out of EA in a long while (though it's mostly Respawn). Game reminds me a lot of Tomb Raider and God of War in terms of structure. I'm genuinely more excited for Metroid Prime now. Let's hope it's just as good!

@Octane

Did you start playing that like a week before they did the PS5 update?

@Dezzy Two days before I think. So good timing. But I haven't really noticed any big changes. I was already playing on performance mode, so it was a solid 60fps either way. Maybe the visuals were turned up a notch, but I'd have to compare it side by side to tell.

A week later and...I already take this back.

Maybe it was a mistake playing Uncharted 1 straight after 4 and Lost Legacy, but the game became a lot more bearable after giving myself a few days break. 1 is still aged in many ways, but it's a nice compact experience that doesn't outlive its welcome (I've finished it already - think it took me about 5 hours?)

Now back on Uncharted 2, and while I still think that the character models have aged quite poorly for such a cinematic game, this game has otherwise aged beautifully. In many ways it feels a lot closer to 4 than it does to 1. Definitely where the series hit its stride.

@timleon

Yeah Uncharted 2 is where it really got its identity. The huge detailed environments and massive action set pieces really started there, and became the kind of signature of what the series is about.

@Dezzy Exactly. The first game is a bit more limited when it comes to set pieces, feeling more like a number of transitions between enemy encounters (occasionally platforming and very occasionally, puzzles) and a lot more "gamey". I did wonder how I'd manage 22 chapters of it again, but the chapters are also relatively short - some it felt lasted barely ten minutes.

Beyond the general structure of the games, however, is just the general clunkiness of the original - in the animation, combat and platforming. For the latter in particular, it somehow simultaneously felt too stiff and all too easy for Drake to jump to his death for no apparent reason. In the later games I generally find it a lot more difficult to die from platforming.

Still had great fun with 1 though - it's very easy to tolerate a game's problems when it only takes an evening to complete!

So, Thursday's PlayStation Resident Evil Showcase.

After Village, would you rather see confirmation of RE 4 Remake or Revelations 3?

If REmake 4 is a thing, it will be a LONG time before we hear anything about it. Maybe they'll have a worded confirmation like "Yes we are making a remake of Resident Evil 4" like how they announced the Resident Evil 2 remake, but nothing actually concrete or substantial. Basically like how Metroid Prime 4 and BotW 2 were unveiled

Revelations 3 is a pretty big possibility. I don't expect it to be Switch-only though considering Revelations 1 went multiplatform pretty quickly and 2 was multiplatform from the start.

The correct option is a Code Veronica remake. It is also very unlikely.

Revelations 3. RE4 is perhaps the top of my list of "old games that don't need remakes". Remake would add very little to it, but could potentially ruin parts of it.

@Dezzy Not sure... My Wii U isn't set up right now (I'm moving), so I can't check what settings I ended up settling on. I do remember it was most notable in cell shaded games though.

As for Resident Evil, I think there's been enough remakes of late. Last time there was a new spin-off title was... Revelations 2 I think? Like 5 years ago? So Rev 3. ...plus I only play the Revelation games anyways.

@link3710

I posted that in the wrong thread. I reposted it in the Switch thread!