Ben's Week In Review: October 18
View Large ImageIt has been a good week...all because of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. But I'll get to my editorial dedicated to that game next weekend; for now:
Exclusives just rule the school
I've had a growing respect for Naughty Dog over the past few weeks, and it's not all because they produced one of the most satisfying games in history, IMO. It's also because every team member seems to conduct themselves quite professionally and with a great deal of humility, which isn't as common as it should be in the world of development studios. I especially respect what co-founder Evan Wells said about the continual platform debate; we often lose sight of the fact that it's not all about the hardware. While the PS3 technically has more potential, it's meaningless if they don't have the right group of people to effectively tap into that potential. And this rings true time and time again, as one can easily see how exclusive titles on both systems are often head-and-shoulders above even the best multiplatform productions. For instance, while Grand Theft Auto IV is awesome (and I will always maintain that), I do believe that both MGS4 and Uncharted 2 surpass it in certain areas.
And as for the 360, the only reason I have that system is for the exclusives; Gears of War, Halo, Left 4 Dead, and, while they're not good examples here, some of the RPGs like Lost Odyssey and Fable III. But the point is this, and Wells is absolutely right: if you give a talented team that is dedicated to uncovering as much of the platform's potential as possible - rather than working to keep two different versions basically the same on both - you will get something very, very special.
Let's have that inFamous 2 announcement, Sucker Punch
While I do believe that Killzone 2 is the superior overall game, I admit to having even more fun with inFamous, which surprised the hell out of me. I never stopped having a blast with Sucker Punch's excellent action/adventure GTA-esque title, and this unofficial confirmation from a voice actor came as great news. I figure it's only a matter of time before they clarify the rumor, and when that day comes, I'll be grinning from ear to ear. I never got into their Sly Cooper games and for the most part, I really don't like "superhero adventures," but inFamous was a different breed in my eyes. I think the key to my entertainment was the fact that while we had an expansive, sweeping environment, the designers knew enough to make the main character fast and agile. Furthermore, because you were almost always battling invaders, the size did not cause the gameplay to slow to a crawl, which is always the danger of wide open environments.
I just hope they keep the same formula and format. The game became a giant success for a reason; please don't get it into your heads that you need to "innovate" in order to keep the elitists happy. Sure, we need a new story and a whole new city, along with new skills and new types of missions, but the core gameplay had best remain intact.
Personal gaming update
So I beat Uncharted 2 today and I won't get into it too much here because of that aforementioned editorial I'm planning, but let's just say the game had a definite impact on me. I will absolutely play it through again after I'm done with Brutal Legend, and I might just play it through again after that. And again. And again. It's just one of those games that comes along every once in a great while that really grabs me, even though I know I've got reviews to do and a few other titles this year I want to try (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Halo 3: ODST, Dragon Age: Origins, etc.). I'm a few hours into Brutal Legend by the way, and although I'm not the biggest fan of the sandbox-style in this particular game, it's still great for the metalheads out there. You can't play that game for more than fifteen minutes without smiling (at least, I haven't done so yet).
Nothing else to report, really. I know we had a ridiculous amount of people who participated in our Treasure Hunt for the Fortune Hunter Edition of U2; thanks again for that. :) And maybe it's just because I remain gf-less, but I have to admit, Chloe's ass should be bronzed and mounted in a museum somewhere. And she's just my type the whole way 'round; I believe the first thing I said when I saw her was, "holy sh**, give me some of THAT." Yes, yes, I'm 31 and well aware she's just a drawing but hey, I believe I'm a still a guy. ;)
10/17/2009 Ben Dutka
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Comments (Beta)
johnld
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 1:51:43 AM
5 up, 1 down
Lazytrappin
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 2:09:42 PM
3 up, 0 down
HeXeN
Saturday, October 17, 2009 @ 10:30:39 PM
Reply
0 up, 1 down
Jawknee
Saturday, October 17, 2009 @ 10:38:30 PM
Reply
7 up, 0 down
johnld
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 12:59:41 AM
3 up, 0 down
Dub LoC
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 1:59:55 PM
0 up, 0 down
johnld
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 3:42:05 PM
0 up, 0 down
mackid1993
Saturday, October 17, 2009 @ 10:45:18 PM
Reply
Ben, just for that I will forget about the recession thing. That was epic. lol
1 up, 2 down
mackid1993
Saturday, October 17, 2009 @ 11:01:05 PM
Last edited by mackid1993 on 10/17/2009 11:01:13 PM
1 up, 3 down
Troy Powers
Monday, October 19, 2009 @ 11:42:24 AM
lol...you freak.
0 up, 0 down
fatelementality
Saturday, October 17, 2009 @ 11:18:11 PM
Reply
Last edited by fatelementality on 10/17/2009 11:27:06 PM
10 up, 2 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 12:03:16 AM
And Vice City is my favorite, too. But I liked the realistic GTAIV; the "unforgiving" driving physics were just more authentic and for someone who loves driving simulators like me, I appreciated that. I liked the overall feel of GTAIV and while the '80s themes will always appeal to me more, I know in my heart that GTAIV was just far more advanced.
4 up, 1 down
Jed
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 12:55:10 AM
I really need to start Uncharted 2.
1 up, 1 down
johnld
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 1:04:05 AM
4 up, 0 down
Lotusflow3r
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 9:42:12 AM
The Mob story is just its outer shell. There's so much to delve into from there, it touches upon many issues and it leaves the show almost at the door step to the Arthouse.
It was Americas last, great, well thought out TV show.
But, yeah, Vice City was the best BUT, i also agree on Bens GTAIV statements.
Last edited by Lotusflow3r on 10/18/2009 9:45:08 AM
0 up, 1 down
Aftab
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 10:03:58 AM
0 up, 0 down
Dub LoC
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 2:06:08 PM
0 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 7:20:43 PM
1 up, 0 down
___________
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 12:33:22 AM
Reply
just next time, add more powers, and mayb some melee based attacks.
the gigawatt blades were cool, but kinda boring.
as for uncharted 3 theres only 7 things i would change or add.
1 the climbing mechanics are crap.
99.99999999999999% of the times ive died in u2 is because ive jumped somewhere i think i can.
they should use the climbing system infamous had, that was absolutely fu***ng incredible!
2 instead of the hints coming up after your running around in circles for half a hour, make them come up when ever the player hits a certain button.
3 CHANGE THE COVER BUTTON!
i lost count the amount of times i have died because i went to roll away from fire or a grenade only to take cover right into it.
who ever thought of having those 2 actions on the same button was a friggin idiot!
4 you take forever to recover your health.
1mm from death on uncharted take cover and very quickly your back to normal on U2 it takes forever.
also if your 1mm away from death, take cover and rebuild your health back to 1mm away from full health than get shot your back down to 1mm away from death.
i know they were trying to make this harder than uncharted but was that really necessary?
uncharted on crushing is the second hardest game ive ever played.
this........ THIS is going to be a bitch!
5 no matter where you are theres 1 million enemies that can shoot you.
in uncharted you normally entered a battle and a door shut, so enemies can only shoot you from front left and right.
not to hard to cover.
uncharted 2 on the other hand they can shoot you from front behind left right all diagonals and any other direction you can think of.
ive lost count the ammount of times ive left cover for another bit of cover only to be shot there, so i move again and i can be shot there, so i move again and i can be shot again.
GOD! is there 1 micro speck of land where i can stand where i cant be shot?
hey that rhymes.
6 the stealth moves are the best addition to this game, but they rarely work.
i take cover theres a enemy with his back to me 2 cm to my left, i dont want to stand up because the enemy in front of him will see me.
so i stay behind cover tilt the stick towards him hit square and drake swings at thin air.
than they see me and gun me down.
the stealth moves need more work, there brilliant when they work, sadly that aint to often.
7 some parts in the game require a certain weapon but sometimes said weapon is unavailable.
tank battle for instance there was 2 enemies i killed, i went to where they were killed no RPG.
i search the area as best i could, while the tank was blowing me to bits and i could not find any RPG.
i died like 20 times just because i could not find a friggin RPG.
the weapons should auto spawn where ever there suppose to be, not run your luck, role the dice and hope for a 7.
Last edited by ___________ on 10/18/2009 12:45:09 AM
1 up, 9 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 12:44:26 AM
Not once did I experience any of the problems you are stating, which would be severe and crippling issues. But no critic that I can find has noticed any such thing, either. If the climbing mechanics were "crap," that would basically mean every last reviewer on the planet is wrong. Might I suggest you're just not taking your time?
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 10/18/2009 12:45:02 AM
9 up, 0 down
johnld
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 1:43:41 AM
1. Climbing mechanics is crap - again, this is not infamous. drake is human and cole has superhuman powers. It should've been clear when cole can survive a fall from the building and drake dies off a 3 story drop. This is where i get the idea that you are just rushing things. In infamous you can tilt the stick up and just keep mashing the jump button because if you make a mistake, its no big deal. That wont work in uncharted 2.
2. Hints - I prefer finding my way around by myself. its part of the game, to make you think. Might as well buy a strategy guide and do it by the book. That is what the game is, an action game with puzzles to solve. Having a certain button available to give you hints is just...easy.
3. cover button - its fine the way it is. Again, it seems like your just trying to rush through things. I dont think you know what you are doing. You dont have to get that far away from the grenade. I know i just switch cover away from grenades and im fine. You dont have to run away and ask to be shot. I guess the AI naughty dog put in works fine for you because thats what they wanted to do. Hell they even yell out "flush him out" before they throw the grenade. Just face it, the games AI got you pegged.
4. health regeneration - i have no problem with it. Thats what cover and blindfire is for. Again, you're trying to rush the game. If theres a big fire fight, you're supposed to go from cover to cover and not run around like an idiot and kill everyone. You can actually be in one cover spot and roll into a cover spot and automatically hide, you dont need to run to the next spot, you can dodge the bullets instead.
5. enemies - why do you want your games to be easy? The point of that scenario is not to focus on one enemy and move strategically because they are going to try to flank you. Depending on enemy position, there are cover spots where you are safe. take your time to figure out where the enemies are and move accordingly. Once you figure this out, crushing wont be as crushing. I did hard mode in both uncharted 1 and 2. Now i dont find crushing mode difficult at all, for both 1 and 2. You just gotta know what you're doing.
6. stealth moves - I dont know what you're talking about but it sounds like you dont know what you're doing. I killed a lot of enemies using stealth kills no problem. I dont think you have to point the stick towards the enemy. all you need to be is close enough and be behind cover...well for those who arent in the open. i think it also has to do with timing. Hes something i noticed. when you're standing behind cover and the enemy is coming towards you, watch drake's hands. I seen it when i had my ak out behind cover. His hand will move signaling that he can do a stealth kill behind cover. try watching drake's movements.
7. weapons - weapons are always there when you're supposed to use it. The rpg in your situation might have fallen off the roof when you stealth killed or shot the guy when hes close to the edge. You can look all over the roof all you want but if the rpg fell, then you cant find it on the roof. I know which level you are talking about. At the end of the level, theres a zipline and after that line theres more than enough rpgs to take out the tank just sitting there.
My advice to you is to know what you are doing, take your time, and most of all play the game how it was meant to be played. Playing uncharted the way you play call of duty games by rushing in guns blazing could only get yourself killed. If you keep this in mind when playing, you would have less complaints and have a better time. like i said earlier, im playing uncharted 2 on crushing now and i have no problems...well that could change when i play against lazarevic. Guy has a damn long range shotgun, although it may just seem that way because im always running away from him.
4 up, 0 down
HeXeN
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 1:55:52 AM
0 up, 0 down
___________
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 8:53:51 AM
i was really pissed, i had 73 kills without dieing once, i vaulted over a wall i was not suppose to and died.
and since then i have not been able to get that far.
if they fixed that, if it was obvious where you can and cant jump i would of had that trophy along with many others ages ago.
how is the cover button fine if your trying to get away from snipers or a RPG and you take cover right in there line of sight.
its just poor organization, the controls are suppose to help you not make things harder.
as for stealth kills almost every time i try to use it drake swings at thin air.
ill be on one side of a table the enemy will be on the other, i go to do a stealth kill and he swings at thin air.
another example, the part just after the car chase your climbing a cliff theres someone at the edge, i go to pull him down and again swing at thin air and he shoots me.
no just before the zip line that rooftop i looked down the bottom which is a narrow pathway blown into the walls, it was not there, it was not in front of the building it was not on the rooftop.
how am i suppose to go searching for a RPG with a tank blowing me up.
might as well ask me to go trotting in a minefield.
i found the last battle the easiest part of the game, by far.
i died the most on the train scene because theres no where you can take cover.
go on top and you have obstacles to worry about.
go down in the carriages and you have enemies behind and in front shooting you.
O and im not playing this like COD, if anything im using cover to much.
you need to keep moving but thats pretty hard when every time i pop my head up it gets blown off.
if the stealth moves worked how they should i would not have a problem, but they dont.
0 up, 3 down
___________
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 8:56:27 AM
stop putting words in my mouth.
i said ill be disappointed because the media has been hyping this game to high heaven.
just like they did with KZ2 and every other sony exclusive.
this is the first game that has met my expectations in years.
0 up, 4 down
LightShow
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 9:28:02 AM
all of your other issues kinda sound like a lack of skill. have you tried to play through the lower difficulties? multiplayer? both will let you improve your overall skill level so that you can play through harder stuff while knowing what your doing.
if your playing a hard difficulty and complaining that its too hard, then i might just have to laugh at you and call it a day.
0 up, 0 down
tes37
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 10:58:49 AM
When I get frustrated with a game, sometimes I take a break for 5 minutes or more and it usually pays off. Things that seemed tough to me at first go pretty smooth. I loved the train level and had no enemies sneak me from behind except for in the city.
Last edited by tes37 on 10/18/2009 10:59:16 AM
0 up, 0 down
Jiggy
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 11:57:53 AM
6 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 1:44:14 PM
Last edited by Jawknee on 10/18/2009 1:49:06 PM
0 up, 0 down
johnld
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 4:06:04 PM
about the cover thing, thats just poor planning on your part. If you hold the stick towards another cover then press the circle, you will just move from cover to the closest cover. you are supposed to roll back then just sprint to the cover. The snipers and rpg guys wont shoot you for some time. there will be a time where they will be taking aim before firing.
Stealth kills only work when you are in the right place and timing. again, try keeping an eye on drake. I know what level you are talking about and i never had a problem with stealth kills there. i even stealth kill all 5 guards all the time. Again, you have to be right behind or if you are hanging, right in front of them before you press square.
I was talking about after using the zipline. If you're on the rooftop with the zipline in the village, look across to the broken building to where the zipline ends. Again, at the end of the level. You should see 3 guys and the rpgs are on the right corner of the broken house, you cant miss them. I dont know how you can because they stick out so much.
Im sorry but, the whole damn train was a big cover. you can stay below and hide everywhere. you can use the side of the train to cover. theres vents on top of the train you can use for cover. hanging outside the train works really well. you can move along the roof of the train while hanging the whole time. You dont have to stand on the roof to move forward. Oh and its pretty much common sense that you should clear each carriage before moving forward so that you dont get flanked.
Trust me, if you are using cover the right way, you wont have any problems with the game. i just beat crushing without a problem and found it easier when i beat the game on hard mode. I suggest prioritize your kills. long range guys first like snipers, then the guys in black, then shotgun guys, then regular guys. Heavily armed/armored guys are best killed close range with blindfire. as for the chaingun guy, best way is a high powered gun or rifle and aim for head shots. he'll fire then stop. then its you're chance. Like i said before, if you want to survive the game, take you're time. it helps a lot. And i suggest to not go after all the trophies before you even beat the game. Once you beat the game, you'll unlock all the guns and infinite ammo. Then you can trophy hunt on very easy if you wanted to. i already got the platinum trophy so i know how to get trophies for this game.
0 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 7:23:51 PM
I repeat my suggestion to be more patient.
1 up, 0 down
___________
Monday, October 19, 2009 @ 6:31:29 AM
as i said its not how far he can jump, i vaulted over a wall and fell like 20cm and died.
ive fallen much much further without any problems.
its really weird i started it on medium and the enemies seemed like bullet sponges, now playing on hard there dieing allot easier.
getting grenades thrown at me every 2 milliseconds is still a problem though.
im still waiting for a game that has your enemies run out of supplies.
why are you always the one who runs out of ammo and has to look for some, or the one who always runs out of grenades.
im up to the part just before the train bit and honestly sitting there for 2 minutes i had 50 grenades thrown at me.
theres a grenade factory near by is there?
0 up, 0 down
bigrailer19
Monday, October 19, 2009 @ 4:13:26 PM
it is very clear where you can and cant climb, it is also very clear to the player which direction you should roll rather than just hitting the cover button expecting it to do what you want. the game gives you that control for a reason its not unorganized at all. if your trying to roll left with another wall to your left what do you think is going to happen?
im not gonna continue on this, but it does sound like ur just not good, again no offense! your way outnumbered in trying to argue the fact that there is not the flaw your complaining about! everyone else who has commented to you has done fine and had no problems while your the lone player who probably just gets to button mashing happy, and you start climbing til there is no where to go and you fall or, a grenades flying and you just repeatedly hit circle without using your anolog stick to guide u cus your in a panic!
now your trying to move on to other complanits cus ur against the wall... btw you owe everyone 50 bucks still for saying ud be dissapointed in the game, and in a reply a few days ago you had said your loving it!
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 10/19/2009 4:15:43 PM
0 up, 0 down
Who_KilledMe
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 @ 4:11:31 AM
0 up, 0 down
Jed
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 12:51:43 AM
Reply
I've been watching some Naughty Dog videos and they seem like a really cool talented group of people. And their mascot looks a lot like my Boston Terrier.
At least you wont have to spend much time playing ODST. There was some good Halo stuff in there, but I believe that it should have been sold as an expansion.
I'm gonna go start Uncharted 2 now, (I know, shame on me for not starting it yet.) I had to get through the freaky ass ending to Uncharted 1.
See you guys monday.
Last edited by Jed on 10/18/2009 12:57:15 AM
0 up, 0 down
johnld
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 1:48:06 AM
0 up, 0 down
Scarecrow
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 1:16:10 AM
Reply
Cheers!
Uncharted 2 is a masterpiece all the way!
Happy to own me a ps3!
1 up, 1 down
Antu
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 1:22:52 AM
Reply
0 up, 1 down
Ultimate_Balla
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 2:19:17 AM
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0 up, 2 down
King James
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 3:01:01 AM
Reply
I'm with ya Ben on the Chloe thing. I remember noticing how well she was "drawn" at the E3 demo. Then, I instantly knew we had a serious GOTY contender on our hands ;)
Last edited by King James on 10/18/2009 3:02:01 AM
2 up, 1 down
LowKey
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 11:24:16 AM
0 up, 3 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 7:29:03 PM
0 up, 0 down
LimitedVertigo
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 5:42:25 AM
Reply
Last edited by LimitedVertigo on 10/18/2009 5:42:41 AM
5 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 7:26:12 PM
0 up, 0 down
Zorigo
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 6:37:14 AM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
Dridion
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 8:00:15 AM
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LOL this is why we love you and the psx Ben. You're our type of guy.
3 up, 0 down
furbiesmustdie
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 9:56:27 AM
Reply
1 up, 0 down
tlpn99
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 10:24:17 AM
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0 up, 0 down
Aftab
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 11:01:45 AM
Reply
It seems to be changed in the same way R2 was changed from R1: Larger polygon count, larger scale, more on-screen assets, brighter colors, but lower texture-resolution giving a more cartoony look, though not as cartoony as R2. This becomes obvious when you walk in close to a wall, zoom in to an enemy, or when you see Drake's back when you aim. I think this was done for online performance.
However, although the game isn't as texture rich as, say, Uncharted 1 or even Gears 2, the polygon count is noticeably higher, than both aforementioned games. This becomes obvious when you see Drake's face close up, and you can see new subtle features such as his crows-feet and slight wrinkles that are discernible from his eyelids, or from the sheer number of on-screen assets such as the foliage, trees, or details in the buildings or streets. Also, since the game is slightly less texture-heavy, there are far less graphical glitches, with no screen-tearing that I've noticed so far, and no late texture loading.
2 up, 1 down
Aftab
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 @ 3:09:24 AM
0 up, 0 down
SerendipityDeus
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 1:29:59 PM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
sha4dowknight05
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 5:00:00 PM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 7:27:33 PM
Reply
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 10/18/2009 7:27:43 PM
4 up, 0 down
Snaaaake
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 7:47:08 PM
There's more.......
But why not, Chloe's ass is one of the best we've seen so far.
Last edited by Snaaaake on 10/18/2009 7:47:34 PM
1 up, 0 down
Troy Powers
Monday, October 19, 2009 @ 9:03:31 AM
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 10/19/2009 10:14:39 AM
1 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, October 19, 2009 @ 10:15:10 AM
1 up, 0 down
Qubex
Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 9:07:16 PM
Reply
Q!
"i am home"
0 up, 0 down
Alienange
Reply
Saturday, October 17, 2009 @ 10:11:14 PM
Oh, and GTAIV was awesome, it just wasn't as awesome as MGS4.