UnCharted:Golden Abyss(Wind's Review)

[Hakudamashi]

Well, since I still haven't read a response on whether we're getting a Review Section or not, I decided to put my reviews for the games I've been playing here. Please let me know ASAP if this is ok or not, cause let me warn you, I've played quite a few games recently...

Let me open this review by saying I had the lowest possible expectations for this game. Cause you see, when Naughty Dog tend to outsource their franchises, they always tend to suck... majorly. From the Crash Bandicoots, to Jak the Lost Frontier has been epic dissapointment after epic dissapointment, so of course I expected this game to be no different. And the fact that it's a launch title for a handheld of all things? Surely this HAS to be a massive trainwreck I told myself, but is it?

The story?I don't f*cking know... Whether it's a prequel or a spin-off is beyond me. But the story on it's own, I enjoyed alot. I found the new characters to be distinct, memorable, and most importantly, likeable, except for one dude, but then again you're supposed to hate him. Nathan Drake is still Nathan Drake, and Victor Sullivan is still Victor Goddamn Sullivan. I found the story to be well paced and well written, and it really fit the UnCharted tone. The dialogue still knows when to be funny and when to be serious, properly setting the mood for each scene, and the voice acting is very well done.
And most importantly, the ending doesn't suck.

And where would UnCharted be without sh*t to collect EVERYWHERE, and I mean EEEEEEEEVERYWHEEEEERE. So much sh*t to find, that not only will you NOT find all of it ion your blind run, I recommend you don't even think about finding them till your second playthrough, it's way more fun that way I find.

Touch screen controls... aren't bad to be honest... They give alot of leeway, don't make you do uncomfortable gestures, and they don't pop up often enough for you to say "FUCK THIS GAME".
But I will warn you that the developers, in all of their wisdom, decided to implement touch screen QTEs..., not regular button QTEs like normal people, nope, QTEs where you have swipe the f*cking screen... WTF?

The gameplay feels like UnCharted. Not a worse Uncharted, not a downscaled Uncharted, it feels like regualr, good 'ol Uncharted, now mobile.  If you've played and Uncharted game before, you'll have no problem playing this is what I'm saying.
But I do have to mention that the enemy placement in this game have been toned down significantly, y'know, cause who wants to be stressed while playing on a train amirite?
If you're one of those "try hards" that need to feel challenged, then I recommend starting out on Hard mode.

Graphics are fucking great, crisp and clean and everything's beautiful to look at, and it runs at a high, consistent framerate, I feel it runs a tad better that the console UnCharteds.
The soundtrack is atmospheric and a joy to listen to, and each music piece properly sets the tone for each locale and situation.

So if you didn't catch that, yes, I ended up being shocked at how much I actually enjoyed playing a Naughty Dog franchise, not done by Naughty Dog. I guess there is a first time for everything...

So the final verdict is, if you like Uncharted, you'll definitely enjoy this game. If you're not into Uncharted, but like action adventure games with decent stories, then this is an easy recommendation, or it's at least worth a look. If you don't like UnCharted, you're not going to like this, cause it's just UnCharted on a handheld.