• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Naughty Dog is the most critically acclaimed studio of all-time, dominating a decade, releasing 3 straight concensus GOTY, w/ 4 out of their last 5!

Greatness Awaits?


  • Total voters
    422

JonkyDonk

Member
I get you. It woudn't really make much sense to pretend most of these things in a game structured like this one, but i get you.

Even though these things you wrote are factually incorrect (most always, some depending on the area):

- There are no real significant choices to make or consequences to anything you do: Doesn't make any sense to me, it's a Survival, you are asked to make choices for every enemy in every encounter.

- You can't snipe from far away so they can't even see or find you: With a silencer in the open areas, you can.

- You can't scout ahead and set up ambushes for incoming enemies ahead of time: You can and i did it several times in my Survivor playthrough. Of course, still depending by the area you are in.

- There is a pseudo open-world part but again it's just a bit of flavour and doesn't have any real interesting choices or tension to where you go and what you do: Not true, there are more than one and they absolutely do have intersting choices or tension to where you go and what you do.. like the Bank or any optional area for instance.
Nothing that I said is factually incorrect.

You are talking about different things than what I am. Making choices during combat, like am I gonna sneak up on this guy or just shoot him in the head, is not the kind of meaningful choice I'm talking about. Any kind of 'sniping', 'scouting' or 'ambush' you do is all within the same small, controlled combat arenas. You can't see enemies from far away across a large open map and think about what you are going to do, you only see enemies once you have triggered the scripted checkpoint to make them appear and you either fight them or try to sneak past them. I did everything in that open area, and no, none of it was an interesting choice. It's not an interesting choice to say should I go to the bank and get an upgrade or should I not go get the upgrade; that's just you choosing whether to skip a part of the game. There is no real strategy in making that decision, nor does the getting of the upgrade require anything significant from the player in the moment or present them with a consequence later on. You are talking about small fleeting moments, I'm talking about the bigger picture fundamental game design.
 
Love their games. Their use of music to evoke emotion and enhance their storytelling is simply next level in video games

I really am a sucker for great music in media. Interstellar and Last of us are some of my favourite bits of media and they both have that in common.
 

Paltheos

Member
Not a fan of their output. Uncharted 1 was boring (but I hear that's kind of in line with the popular position on that game), and Last of Us 1 did little more to catch my interest. I did finish that one though! But it's... average? Nothing about it grabbed me. The relationship between Joel and Ellie is supposed to be the best part of the game and it's... fine. I couldn't shake this feeling of the game wanting to create a spectacle or an experience but it's not exemplary. The zombie scenario of bonding and protecting a child was more interesting in The Walking Dead where you had (the illusion of) choice. I think I would have liked it more if it was just a movie? Maybe my experience was diminished by watching a friend finish the game? 3rd person, stealth cover shooting isn't really my thing either without something extra on top to make it interesting. That part of the game felt functional, I guess?

The last Naughty Game I thoroughly enjoyed is Jak & Daxter, but that was ages ago. My opinions and tastes from back then are irreconcilable from today.
 
Naughty Dog have perfected a formula for narrative driven games. Whether it’s a movie or game with numerous sequels, the follow-ups don’t tend to hit as hard as the original and that’s a given. It’s incredibly difficult to continue the story in any meaningful way without branching off and developing alternate timelines or characters. You just simply run out of ideas for the main character(s) and must resort to spin-off stories. Uncharted with Drake as the lead deserves a break IMO but there’s tons of options for other characters to take the lead and for Naughty Dog to tell their stories. TLoU could potentially get a third but I’d honestly like to see ND do a completely new IP.
 

Vick

Gold Member
Nothing that I said is factually incorrect.
It is, but whatever. I'm not really enjoying defending a game which was for me a huge disappointment and from a studio i'm no longer a big fan of.

Making choices during combat, like am I gonna sneak up on this guy or just shoot him in the head, is not the kind of meaningful choice I'm talking about.
Why, given equipment and resources are carried over for the entire playthrough?

Any kind of 'sniping', 'scouting' or 'ambush' you do is all within the same small, controlled combat arenas. You can't see enemies from far away across a large open map and think about what you are going to do
But you absolutely do, multiple times. Off the top of my head i can think of at least three big areas in which that can happen.

you only see enemies once you have triggered the scripted checkpoint to make them appear and you either fight them or try to sneak past them.
Well, yes, that may be due to the fact it's a linear game?

I did everything in that open area, and no, none of it was an interesting choice. It's not an interesting choice to say should I go to the bank and get an upgrade or should I not go get the upgrade; that's just you choosing whether to skip a part of the game. There is no real strategy in making that decision, nor does the getting of the upgrade require anything significant from the player in the moment or present them with a consequence later on.
How does not collecting a weapon, an upgrade or an holster have no consequences later on?
 

JonkyDonk

Member
It is, but whatever. I'm not really enjoying defending a game which was for me a huge disappointment and from a studio i'm no longer a big fan of.


Why, given equipment and resources are carried over for the entire playthrough?


But you absolutely do, multiple times. Off the top of my head i can think of at least three big areas in which that can happen.


Well, yes, that may be due to the fact it's a linear game?


How does not collecting a weapon, an upgrade or an holster have no consequences later on?
It's flat out not factually incorrect. You are still talking about irrelevant minor things within limited confines, basic game mechanics like ammo conservation, and still completely missing the point of what I'm saying which is more about the wider design philosophy. I'm tired of repeating myself, let's leave it here.
 

Warablo

Member
I don't know, felt like the gameplay was awful in all the Uncharted games. Tlou 1 was great, Tlou 2 is okay, but suffers from severe pacing issues with the flashbacks and mid-late game.
 
Last edited:

sncvsrtoip

Member
They are the absolute best at their craft, but not without flaws. They need to branch out in terms of gameplay. They play it far too safe. Druckman has also taken the studio in an entirely too serious tone. He did that with UC4 and now TLOU.
Probably thats why u4 was easly the best in whole uncharted series. I wouldn't call lou2 too serious, it's jast dark but very consistent with it's horrible world to live and Ellie (also Abbie) experience. Brilliant game.
 
Last edited:

Woggleman

Member
TLOU series are two of my favorite games of all time but the Uncharted games were always just okay to me. They are nice popcorn games but nothing like TLOU.
 

Roberts

Member
They are technical wizards. That said, the last game of theirs that I truly enjoyed came out freaking eleven years ago. There are literally dozens and dozens of developers that make more exciting, immersive and memorable games.
 

Senhua

Member
After read thread title multiple times and start wondering about OP:
1. He/She/It is Sony marketing staff or
2. He/She/It is crazy Sony simp (just stop and have "sex" dude)
As an average (hardcore) gamers what the point making thread like this?

tenor.gif
 
Last edited:

Trimesh

Banned
Both Uncharted and TLoU were seen that way - which feeds into the OP. Sorry to hear about your launch PS3.

Well, all I can do is speak for myself - the original Uncharted was certainly a good looking game, but I can't remember being as impressed with the way it looked as I was by TLoU - and my original PS3 lasted for 7 years, which was a pretty good run for those machines since they really do seem to be time bombs (it's possible the reason it lasted as long as it did is that I cleaned the fans and heatsinks and replaced the thermal paste multiple times). It's also an indication of how much I was into TLoU that I immediately went out and got a replacement PS3 :messenger_grinning:
 
I did enjoy Uncharted games, as constrained as funneling as they were - they had the ancient ruins exploration vibe and snappy dialogues that kept me going...

unfortunately, not quite a fan of any former or recent titles
 
BIGGEST OVERRATED POS

Ghost of tsushima is far better game then that woke fuckery that was lou2.


you could defend ther technical achievement all you want but games like lou2 are sold on story base not on fucking graphics
 

turtlepowa

Banned
After read thread title multiple times and start wondering about OP:
1. He/She/It is Sony marketing staff or
2. He/She/It is crazy Sony simp (just stop and have "sex" dude)
As an average (hardcore) gamers what the point making thread like this?

tenor.gif
He wants to make sure that he made a wise decision with PlayStation. All the product wars on the internet are for the same reasons. People want confirmation and there are two ways to get it. Either praise your favorite product to the skies or shit on the other products. The desired result is the same: I am smart, because i bought X and you are dumb, because you bought Y.
 
Last edited:

Dodo123

Member
Congrats! Their crunch culture seems to bring a lot of benefits to them! Thankfully they're American, so they don't have to deal with a lot of hatred + they managed to finish the development of TLOU2 before the COVID pandemic hit the business really hard.
 
Last edited:
This is exactly why they have so many haters. When you're at the top of the industry people can't help but talk shit about them. Naughty Dog is an incredible team and a big reason alone why PlayStation is so successful.
 

Invalid GR

Member
As a person that has been gaming long time before the PS one arrived Naughty Dog is something phenomenal. I can't really recall a studio that went 4 generations of console with so many well built games. Of courses not all of them are GOTYs but I would gladly replay each and every one.
All games have great graphics and run great too.
Crash Bandicoot >Jak n Daxter > Uncharted > TLOU
 

JCK75

Member
Naughty Dog games are the entire reason I got a PS4 then PS4 Pro..
The route they are taking lately is the reason I am waiting for the PS5..
They have a lot of talent but the more bold they get in their wokeness the worse the end products will be.
 
The steam is coming out of the ears of the Naughty Dog haters.
When they see the name Naughty Dog or the Last of Us2 in a headline they come out like a hivemind spouting theyr hate. Its like they have a blinking alarm when ever the name ND ore TloU2 is mentioned on any website ore social media, so that they can in an instant spout there hate.
In a way that is funny😉
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
Naughty Dog games are the entire reason I got a PS4 then PS4 Pro..
The route they are taking lately is the reason I am waiting for the PS5..
They have a lot of talent but the more bold they get in their wokeness the worse the end products will be.
Are the games getting that much worse and worse or they just bringing up ideas you do not agree with? Are TLoU2 and U4 shit games in and of themselves or are we using the same argument that SJW use and hating an entire game because it contains/supports/gives a platform to ideas we do not like (which is the argument they usually make to label people fascist or dangerous or need to be cancelled)?

The TLoU2 and ND hate, which is different than calling all their games 10/10 masterpieces, seems to show how much of a mentality overlap there is between the extreme SJW and extreme anti-SJW camps sometimes: fighting a war, always on alert, using the same arguments and reacting very similarly just under a different banner.
 
Last edited:

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
I guarantee you Uncharted 6 is on the way yes Drake’s daughter and UC4’s ending left a lot of people sour but it was the right decision you don’t need UC6 if you’re NAUGHTY DOG but it’s reveal would be a HUGE moment.
 

Royal-Slime

Banned
Meh. Hyping up half-decent product that promotes the party's ideology has been happening since art became a thing. Remember that the very same scientists were dead-set on claiming that the Earth is flat back in the day. Let the Instagram thots and Twitter commies have their moment of happiness :D
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
Absolutely not. Naughty Dog has some serious talent but their games are hardly the pinnacle of gaming. IMO, Insomniac is leaps and bounds better than Naughty Dog.
 

Alan Wake

Member
Consensus GOTY? Few titles have been so divisive as TLOU2. I agree that ND have a great track record, though. I think they stumbled badly with TLOU2, but TLOU was a master piece and the Uncharted series, especially UC2 and 3, is amazing.
 

Magog.

Banned
Controversial opinion? I think Lost Legacy is their best Uncharted Game. The pacing is great, the locations were beautiful, the spectacle was top notch, the open world was utilized way better and most of all I loved the chemistry between the two main characters.
 
D

Deleted member 471617

Unconfirmed Member
Naughty Dog is a great developer but Druckmann/Gross are ruining that studio. They should both be long gone. The best Naughty Dog game for me this generation was Uncharted Lost Legacy because Druckmann had little to nothing to do with the game. TLOUP2 is excellent in every aspect but everything related to the story, characters, writing, narrative, pacing, structure, etc. was fucking horrible.
 
Controversial opinion? I think Lost Legacy is their best Uncharted Game. The pacing is great, the locations were beautiful, the spectacle was top notch, the open world was utilized way better and most of all I loved the chemistry between the two main characters.

Not controversial. Lots of folks really enjoyed it.
 

Magog.

Banned
Naughty Dog is a great developer but Druckmann/Gross are ruining that studio. They should both be long gone. The best Naughty Dog game for me this generation was Uncharted Lost Legacy because Druckmann had little to nothing to do with the game. TLOUP2 is excellent in every aspect but everything related to the story, characters, writing, narrative, pacing, structure, etc. was fucking horrible.

It has won the most GOTY of anything last year for a reason. It was incredible. You're allowed to hate it but a lot of people loved it. I found it to be perfect. Greatest game ever made in my opinion. I wouldn't change a single thing.
 
D

Deleted member 471617

Unconfirmed Member
It has won the most GOTY of anything last year for a reason. It was incredible. You're allowed to hate it but a lot of people loved it. I found it to be perfect. Greatest game ever made in my opinion. I wouldn't change a single thing.
I don't hate the game overall. Visuals, audio and gameplay/combat are all 9's or 10's. I didn't like the story, characters, narrative, writing, pacing, structure, etc. And playing as Abby, no thanks. Didn't like the ending and too many false finishes. It didn't win my goty which is all I care about. I believe that gamers/fans are 50/50 on it and can go either way. One friend loved it and it was his 2020 goty but two other friends disliked it and were disappointed which is the category I fall in.
 
Top Bottom