Some spoilers for near-the-end fighting/puzzles in Uncharted 2
Butch:
So here I am….on a busy gameless weekend….turning on my PS4 NOT to complete a game that I’m still on 85% of no, not that….turning it on to shush my kids with Bindi’s Boot Camp…and when I do, what to my wondering eyes should appear but a bigassed picture of Nathan Drake with the caption “Mr. O’ played Uncharted 4 for the first time.”
Cold, man. Cold.
But I told you he’d get it.
Feminina:
Oh yeah, actually I got that for him for our anniversary a couple of weeks ago. It’s just impressive he waited that long to start, but he’s been busy at work because the accreditation review team was there and stuff.
But yes, it’s in our house. I’ll play it eventually.
Butch:
Well, it’s a little known but established fact that the 15th anniversary is the “video game anniversary.” It’s why 15th anniversaries were so hard to celebrate in the 19th century. True.
Played. Puzzles this time. Heavy things in front of animals, daggers, big blue ball, Chloe, that whole “pick one to save” bit (like that’s even a choice, dude), and now I’m back in the deep roads with Alistair.
Glad to be back to a couple of puzzles, and glad to be out of snowiness. I won’t say I was feeling slog there, but it was getting close.
90% done. I can see the end.
How’s 3?
Feminina:
See, I heard 15 was the crystal anniversary! I was all worried about where I was going to score some meth, but then I thought of the game instead. Glad to know it’s traditional.
Puzzles are good. Animals, dagger, etc. You’re getting there! The deep roads! Did you see all the notes from game 1 in the notebook? Some funny ones, I thought.
3 is decent. Just got through the set-up/tutorial bit to the “OK, this is the main quest” bit. Lots of climbing and shooting. The usual ancient hidden secret I have to go out and poke through jungles to find. Good stuff.
Butch:
I did. Nice touch. Made him look more human. I like the idea of the butch hero doodling. Faces on Sully, that sort of thing. The Scary Meter? Sully/slippery naked guy/angry yeti demon? Funny.
Aw, and here’s me thinking 3 would be an abstract exploration of the human experience. Ah well. Climby shooty jungle secrets will have to do. Is there Chloe?
Feminina:
I loved the Scary Meter. It was also interesting to see that he had these notes about previous weird/supernatural stuff, even if he didn’t specifically reference it here with a comment about how the last time really weird scary things showed up it was because of an ancient cursed statue, or whatever.
There may be some Chloe in 3.
Butch:
Or the “scary Eddie” statute going “I’ll Keeeeel you Drake!”
Oh Drake, you silly.
So I played more and I think I got to where Malcolm was born, as I am 95% complete, and, once again, did the “I’m SO close but I’m SO tired and I SO suck” thing I did with the last one. Two in a damn row.
Let’s see……
Got to yetis, they got unmasked, what are they? Got to Shambala, pretty. Ran like hell, which was good action, the part where the thing breaks and you’re sliding with the bad guys was neat. THEN…hit the wall. That fight….with the yetis that aren’t yetis because they’re….what are they? But that…..took…..forever.
I mean, each time:
Morrigan: What do we do?
Drake: Don’t let them get near you….
This would be followed by a thing being, you know, near me.
Mostly it went: shoot shoot oh shit run around in circles hoping maybe Chloe would kill it die.
Forever.
But I prevailed, but, at this point, I was pooped. So the next thing was shooting the resin, getting the vines to part. I should have known that, when the first time I did this I blew myself up that maybe I was tired, but no. This got me to a climby place and I couldn’t figure it out. I died so often. It took me back to the first place you shoot the vines and Morrigan said “A little warning next time” each time, and I’ve never been so close to wanting Morrigan to not talk as I was after the twelve billionth time. I just couldn’t remember that I can shoot while hanging, and you had to shoot that resin by the swingy bar while hanging.
Took. Forever.
So I did that then stopped cuz there was a fight next and I knew I didn’t have it.
So I stopped at 95%. Without the excuse of childbirth. Which is, really, a pretty good excuse.
What I will say is I like the endgame in this more than the last one. The last one, I mean, that was really getting chased by zombies. And, while I like being chased by zombies as much as the next guy, this does a better job of late game puzzles, mixing up the enemies, running, fighting, climbing, keeping the variety. And more late game cutscenes, which some people don’t like, but I do. Keeps the narrative flow going.
You?
PS:
Here’s a neat potential palate cleanser when we’re finished Uncharting:
Seems Gone Home, the indie game that was supposed to be a bit of a revolution in game storytelling, and one that I’ve been meaning to play, is free on PS+ this month. It should be on our list.
Feminina:
You are so close! That “don’t let them get near you” bit was precisely where I had to call it quits and go have a baby. I’d been doing OK with the stuff before that, just pausing between contractions, but those damn not-yetis always being near me were too much.
It was still annoying when I got back to it later, but by running around like a terrified rabbit, pausing occasionally to shoot wildly at things, I eventually prevailed. I think probably it was as much a matter of surviving while Elena and Chloe picked away at the things, as it was of my success.
I agree, I liked this endgame. A good mix of action: shooting, running, climbing, puzzling.
Good news about Gone Home–I did hear that was worth playing.
Butch:
HA! “This fight sucks so bad I’d rather be in labor.” I can see that.
I finally cracked when I finally, somehow, not sure how, killed one and it dropped a crossbow, which I then grabbed. That fixed shit right up. STILL don’t know HOW I killed it, but hey. It’s all good.
I’ve been hoping/expecting that Gone Home would end up a PS+ game for a while now. Sorta surprised it hasn’t been yet. But better late than never!
Feminina:
Enh, more like “this labor sucks so bad I CANNOT be expected to deal with not-yeti at the same damn time. There are limits.”
Yes! The crossbow was extremely helpful once you could get one. It must have been +50 vs. not-yeti, because that thing TOOK CARE of them. But how you kill the first one, I don’t know. Some combination of running, shooting, and swearing, maybe.
Butch:
Dammit, woman, in this world, this tough world of ours, what have we come to when our womenfolk can’t deal with labor and non-yetis at the same time?
NEW SENTENCE!
Running, shooting and swearing work on so many things.
T SHIRT! SAME EMAIL!
I do love me some crossbow.
Feminina:
We were tougher in the olden days, it’s true. My great-grandmother probably fought off not-yeti with a crossbow in one hand while catching her own baby with the other. While walking barefoot to school through six feet of snow.
Man, I hope she did…that would be badass.
Butch:
I’m sure she did. We have wimped out in the 21st century. I blame millennials.
Feminina:
Everyone does.
Play First. Talk Later. 
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