Uncharted 4: A Thief's End: Farewell Nathan Drake!

Familial bonds. I am true believer of that term. Family makes us whole and complete. But there are times where one is faced with an impossible situation where one is asked 'How far will you go for your family?'. For our beloved hero Nathan Drake?....quite far it seems. So far as to put everything on the line and take that leap of faith of a sheer cliff.....on to that just out of reach ledge, rope or a helping hand. In Uncharted 4 its Nate and his family against the world of pirates and their intricate games. The game is not only Naughty's Dog best game of the series but also the concluding chapter to this venerable franchise. A hat's off to the directors Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley who have kept the sense of adventure alive while instilling family drama into the mix which elevates this white knuckle, hair raising, heart racing and adrenaline pumping action game into more than just your average run of the mill. Its when Lethal Weapon meets What's Eating Gilbert Grapes!!

Uncharted 4 plays exactly like the Uncharted we have come to know and love for almost a decade now. So tons of platforming and cover based shooting. Naughty Dog has added a couple of game play features like a grappling hook for traversal exploration and in some cases during combat. There are also a couple of instances of driving flighty vehicles in some decently open areas which helps with the pacing of the game.

One of the aspect of the game play that I really liked is how expansive the game feels during exploration platforming. Many of the areas are linear but the perception they give off is as if the game world huge. What that did is during some of the most exciting set pieces the action had a robust 'oomph' to it. Basically Naughty Dog didn't fix anything that wasn't broken, they just upped the ante quite a bit, which was quite clever considering this is basically the last Uncharted game the company is making. So power to the player then?

For to me the most fun moment I had during the game is when I was left to my devices in Nathan Drake home early on in the game. I just loved that feeling of normalcy in an outrageous action game. I went in each and every room and marveled at how meticulously Naughty Dog has observed the mundane. The visuals were able to convey that...homeliness...amazingly. The best I have ever felt in any game of any sort. I know I know many people will love some of the amazing set pieces and I know I did too but it was these small mundane moments which resonated with me.

Like with all Uncharted games the visuals are splendid. The motion and facial capture technology that Naughty Dog employs is still one of the best in the business. All the nuanced movement of the facial muscles and the exoskeleton are eerily real. As the plot is more deep than the previous games the visuals are able to telegraph all the expression of the face and body language during cut-scene which kinda got unnerving after a while but made for a wonderfully looking game.

For me the biggest 'wow' factors throughout the game was scenery. Beautiful environments which made me stop for seconds on end to take in the splendor and grandeur and to of course takes pictures. As I might have mentioned earlier in one of my articles the current generation of gaming will have some of the best skies and Uncharted 4 just did not disappoint. Many a times my siblings or my parents would watch me play and they would always comment on the horizons and vistas. 

There were just 3 instances during game play which had frame rate snags for maybe a couple of seconds but let the record state that I have finished the game without installing ANY of the update files.

The plot was pretty good this time round. Uncharted games never had riveting stories but they had hooks to get the players on their way but in Uncharted 4 the story is quite personal as it deals with Nathan's brother and how each decision that Nate make has a direct impact on all the loved ones around him. That in itself makes of decently heavy drama. Nothing too crazy but deep enough to make you care. There were quite a few occasions where I would be almost yelling at the characters! Yes there are plot holes here and there but in the end I didn't really care as I was enveloped in one hell of an adventure.

As the story was about family once again the game didn't disappoint at showing off the complex relationship in such a real manner. While the game focus was on the Drake Brothers, the marital relationship of Nate and Elena was as real as they come esp in a medium which has historically struggled at showing relationship of this sort. Wherever you look Naughty Dog has done a spectacular job in this game!!

All the story and characters were of course made alive by motion capture acting and voice work which was of the highest quality. Nolan North, Troy Baker, Emily Rose, Richard McGonagle, Laura Bailey and the new comer Warren Kole must be commended on their sterling performances. Not just in this game but in the entire series. No one was hamming, over acting or....under...acting, all the pitches were spot on and it just created this very Hollywood-esque feel which was fantastic. My voice actor of the year award though will go to Laura Bailey with her amazing performance boasting a really well done Afrikaans accent. We don't usually hear Afrikaans accents in games so this performance by Bailey was a head turner. 

Personally though the banter between North and Baker was once the main draw for sure which Naughty Dog and Sony marketed smartly. Here we have argubly two of the biggest voice actors going around putting on a grand show and no one coming off second best! Such chemistry is very hard to show in games but in Uncharted 4 really goes the extra mile in that department. The rest of the cast was great too with a nod to the newbie Warren Kole with a very fine performance. 

So as I start to conclude this piece I just have to mention the beautiful epilogue of the game. Don't worry I wont spoil anything but the way Naughty Dog elegantly concluded the entire Uncharted series tells us a lot about how attached the guys and gals inside Naughty Dog HQ were to the series for having created that epilogue. Suffice to say I was misty eyed with great deal of restraint in an effort to not cry. I wont call myself a die hard fan of the series but still consider myself a fan and I totally was enamored by the end. So here's me raising a glass of a chilled Coke on a hot and sultry Karachi night to Nathan Drake and his band of merry men and women. Thank you for the memories!

Game time: 17 hours 14 mins.

Game rating: 9.5 out of 10

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: A witcher's life is a life for me!

Finished The Witcher 3; Wild Hunt! Easily the best WRPG I have ever played and now stands as one of my favorite game of all time. The morally grey plot line, the low fantasy setting with all of its warts and glory was a great place to interact with and some stunning character development! The main plot was quite involving and made for awesome twists and turns but some of the side quests and how they played into the main quest were astounding to say the least. Perhaps the best side quests system in any RPG, for me at least.

If any thing the game has one hell of a main character! Geralt is what you get if Solid Snake and Batman had a love child! I loved the dry humor he exhibited which accentuated his "no nonsense" attitude which was quite refreshing as usually such characters end up being utterly sour. Now Geralt is a witcher, a mutant whose specialty is killing monsters and what that does is it gives him an air of invincibility among the normal denizens and that pays off as I felt like a bad ass almost all the time throughout the game!

Ciri was also a really well envisioned character as a chosen one who want nothing but to lead her own life and not be part of someone else's plan. But for me it was the relationship Geralt and Ciri which was really heartfelt. Most of the game Geralt was trying to find her but once he did the whole 'father-daughter' relationship comes to the fore. You could tell Geralt adored Ciri and would fight the entire world for her. While Ciri could be herself around Geralt knowing that here was a man who loved her without any ulterior motive! I kind of welled up once the epilogue played out! The entire ensemble was very well rounded and personable which kept the game ground even though the game was fantasy in nature! And as far as romance goes, yours truly went after Triss Merigold!

The game play i.e the battle system was fun, simple and sometimes very satisfying. Yes the action segments weren't as intuitive say as a good action game but as far as Action rpgs are concerned its a pretty involving system. Maybe the magic system could had been a bit more complex but I guess that wont work with a witcher's MO.

The contract quests (of which I didn't do too many) are a fun diversion as with the whole tracking and preparation that goes into every hunt. Exploring the game world also counts as a game play feature and like any good sandbox game worth its salt TW3 gives in spades. Visiting new towns, or small alcoves with enemies to fight, treasures to find, things to discover that litter the areas of Velen and Novigrad is quite exhilarating but for me the best area was that of  The Skellige Isles. Every island felt different, some had a heavy Norse feel about it while some had a deep Irish vibe! There was one island that felt something from the TV show Lost and one haunted isle which was scary to explore! Exploring on boat was awe-inspiring esp in the mornings with the rising sun glistening of the surface of the water. There is a discernible feel of peace and tranquility sailing which I don't think any game has been to get this feeling!

Production values of TW3 which were nothing short of outstanding. I remember there was A LOT of talk about how CD Project had 'downgraded' the visuals from the ones shows at E3 etc but in the end it was all for naught. If games look THIS good so early in the console cycle then I wonder how they will look 3-4 years down the line! Some of the vistas made me literally stop and stare the TV screen for a good 5-10 seconds! Not many games have done that to me. Moments of sun rises and sunset were just spectacular! As good as the real thing! The facial animations and character models were really good too, thankfully no dead fish eyes but bizarre repeat faces though! For me TW3 had the best visuals after Batman Arkham Knights.

The OST and voice acting was phenomenal! The voice acting was predominately British with bit of Irish thrown in for good measure. The dialogue delivery was spot on and while some of the big games had a decided Hollywood feel to its voice acting but in TW3 its more BAFTA than Hollywood!

While it took me more time to finish than my friends but I loved every second of the game. Sure the last 1/4 of the game I stopped doing side quests and concentrated on the main plot but that focus helped keep the story narrative streamlined which made me enjoy the game even more. My rating is a 9.5 out of 10!!