That’s right my friends, this week I’ve picked something for those of you with a shiny new handheld. Sadly I don’t have one, although I was allowed to look at one from some distance once. I’m not sure it was even on at the time, but still, I got a long, hard look at it. Somehow it was a disappointing experience.
Now, I know that picking a Vita title limits the audience this week somewhat, but it seems that quite a few of you have picked up the pocket powerhouse, bucking the trend that Sony’s sales figures seem to indicate. I’m just hoping that those of you who did shell out for your new console decided to pick up Drake’s first portable outing.
Given the undeniable quality of the main Uncharted trilogy, it’s not surprising that the reception to Golden Abyss was generally positive. The game may have been developed by SCE Bend rather than Naughty Dog, although they did oversee Bend’s work, but that doesn’t seem to have done any real harm to the title.
Dan certainly seemed to enjoy the game when he reviewed it back in January. He was very pleased to find that Bend had really managed to capture the feeling of the series, not just with the graphics or the audio but also with the game’s writing and characterisation. The games motion controls were slightly more mixed, but he still found the variety on offer worthy of praise and particular enjoyed the way it used motion controls to refine iron sights aiming.
In the end the game managed to rack up a very impressive 9/10. If you’d rather have a bit of text than a score here’s what he had to say about it in conclusion:
I’ll admit, I was nervous about the idea of Uncharted on Vita. This isn’t because I lack faith in Bend Studio’s ability, rather we have come to expect such a high level of polish from the franchise that I wasn’t sure the Vita could pull it off. I’m currently not only eating my hat, but a huge slice of humble pie.
As I said earlier, Uncharted: Golden Abyss really is a proper, 10 hour+ Uncharted adventure with very little in the way of compromise. The Vita’s launch line-up is strong, but Golden Abyss is certainly one of the titles at the top of the pile.
So Dan was impressed by the version of Drake that he can take with him, but what were your thoughts on being able to hold him in your hands? Did you think Bend managed to do the Uncharted series justice on the Vita, or did it fall a bit short of the mark? Were the variety of control schemes on offer well implemented, or did they just end up frustrating you? Most importantly did the game capture everything about the PS3 series that has made it so popular?
Wherever you sit on the game (something that’s particularly easy to do with a portable title) we’d like to hear your views. If you’re in a sharing mood all you need to do is drop a comment below containing your opinions on the game. Seems simple enough doesn’t it?
Once you’ve given us your opinion you need to attach your verdict on the game, selecting one category from the Buy It, Bargain Bin It, Rent It or Avoid It scale. Just make sure you place it somewhere in your comment, and in Monday’s verdict article I’ll count up everyone’s selections to form the overall community verdict. If you want to be included in that verdict article make sure you have your comment in by Sunday evening.
stueeeee
I feel this is one of the best launch titles along with WipeOut.
Although I liked the ps3 games, I did often feel I was being whisked about too much in UC3, and although the set pieces were great fun, it didn’t seem as focused as UC1 or even 2.
GA is a lot more like 1 and mostly benefits.
A lot of the places u stay in for a good amount of time and get to know the place. The gun battles are moderate and not seemingly endless, in fact I think there’s more exploring and traversing than gunplay. I think the Balence is striked well.
Some of the views look excellent and show that Vita is almost a ps3 in your hands.
Although the types of collections to find has increased, I found when I started looking for them I got more drawn into the game. I’m now playing through on Crushing (after the update) after collecting all there is to find.
Again the trademark charm of the series is there with the banter between all characters, and a few surprising levels (the waterfall was fun) which make up for the lack of set pieces. Although I thought the boss battles are frustrating on Hard, playing on Normal I thought they were a fantastic and creative way of doing them, far better than the final boss on 2 & 3.
The black market is still pointlessly annoying though.
Buy It.
teflon
Good game. Lots of good points, like sixaxis aiming, with only tacky “Look it’s a PS Vita!” silly control puzzles, maybe a slightly weak final boss and non-native resolution detracting from it for me.
UC Vita 2 will hopefully fix all these things.
BUY IT!
cam_manutd
Debatable in terms of its transition of gameplay from the PS3 to a smaller handheld. What cannot be argued is how techinically stunning and luscious the game is. Graphically for a portable title it is outstanding and rivals many home console HD games.
As for the game itself, it bears the most similarity to Nate’s first outing. There is a deep focus on exploration and treasure looting instead of the hordes of mercenaries incoming. That said the gunplay does hold up reasonably well. The sensitivity of the dual numbs is a bit cumbersome at first but with time is easier to grasp.
It is a proper Uncharted from top to bottom. The voice acting is as always spot on and the graphics, gameplay and length play out really well. The main critique here- the story. The overall plot, narrative and pacing is in Uncharted territory poor. The action feels disjointed because of it and the main romantic edge is lost somewhat. When Sully is introduced, that is when the game is at its beautiful best.
Regardless of how strong or weak the story is, its Uncharted on a handheld and suffice to say it is pretty darn good. Buy it.