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New Uncharted 4 Amy Hennig details emerge and departure from Naughty Dog

mileS

Member
No Nadine would been wonderfull, in Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy..

This is really confusing to me. There is quite a few drive by posts saying something like this, but giving no reason why.

One dude said it was because of her exit at the end of the game, how she got put to the side so to say. So I guess he would rather not have her in the game at all because of that? I'm just having trouble understanding why people hate her.
 
When Jason Schreier was interviewed by Colin Moriarty he sounded a bit too self-important. However the take-away I got was that, unlike the many hacks out there, he has a real regard for games journalism.
I dunno, I think we need to see him play the first level of Cuphead to be sure.
 
That sounds like a game I would've disliked even more than the UC4 we got. Now anything is possible, of course, so maybe I'm wrong about that, and I'm definitely not celebrating anyone losing their jobs over this (especially since this played a part in Straley's sabbatical), but mannnnn... Why couldn't this light-adventure experimentation stuff start after a full on, super hype Uncharted finale.

At least we got Band-aid of The Year contender, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
 

Fisty

Member
This is really confusing to me. There is quite a few drive by posts saying something like this, but giving no reason why.

One dude said it was because of her exit at the end of the game, how she got put to the side so to say. So I guess he would rather not have her in the game at all because of that? I'm just having trouble understanding why people hate her.

I could see people thinking that she was flat and uninteresting, but I thought that was just good characterization. She's obviously the distant hard-ass that doesn't open up or stand out which fits well with her character in 4. She was even kind of imposing because you didn't really know what she was thinking or her motivations.

Lost Legacy shows she's got a personality, but she's only showing that part of herself because she's hangin with Chloe and forming a tight bond. She really becomes a great addition to the franchise with TLL
 
Because "here's my brother, a guy that I never mentioned and that had no real impact on my life except being a delinquent teenager and getting me into trouble with shady deals" is so much better.

It is. Nate never openly discussed about his past or his family so it totally makes sense.
 

Pein

Banned
I wish Nadine wasn't in the game, she tried to kill my boy drake multiple times and what redemption did she really have? Not killing him and leaving in a burning boat. Plus Laura bailey and her accent bothered me.
 

Dundar

Member
I had my gripes with U4 but I must admit, it looks like Straley & Druckmann directorial perseverance and a lot of crunch actually put this out of the door. We knew more or less that some details of the story were different, but the sheer fact that U4 (of all games, Sony's most important exclusive and franchise) was basically..... "not shaping well" is really incredibile, given the pedigree of ND.

They got scraps of a story and characters written by someone else, some gameplay experimentation and unfinished concepts, and in 2 years they basically directed the longest, most ambitious Uncharted ever, while also giving it a poignant meaning in the great scheme of things, a game which showed no signs of it being an originally diverse story. Again: I liked U4, I also found many flaws in it, but in hindsight, Straley & Druckmann work truly is exceptional.
 

zsynqx

Member
I'm not sure why "no Nadine" is a bullet point. Nowhere in the book does it say she wasn't a character in the original version, she isn't even mentioned, and it seems like an oddly specific thing to focus on.
 
Well if you're gonna make her a major part of lost legacy I would have tried to make her likeable I guess.

I hope if uncharted continues it's Sam and not Nadine in the future.
She's plenty likeable in LL and 4 and she's an antagonist in 4. Rafe's douchebag self certainly isn't likeable in 4, so what's your real problem with her
 

Psykoboy2

Member
I wish she could tell her story. Both the one she wanted to tell for U4 and the one about her abrupt end at Naughty Dog.

She can't though and she likely never will be able to while having any sort of career in the industry. Lawsuits are tough.

She's extremely happy where she is, however. And loves what she's working on I think more than she did with Uncharted.
 

Sande

Member
Not sure how I feel about the rest of that but I still can't believe how underutilized and frankly terrible hand to hand combat is in Uncharted. More focus on that could have been amazing if done properly.

TLOU is kind of in the same boat so here's hoping this is something they're addressing in part II.
 

Pein

Banned
She's plenty likeable in LL and 4 and she's an antagonist in 4. Rafe's douchebag self certainly isn't likeable in 4, so what's your real problem with her
I don't like rafe either??? I don't know why you guys find her likeable am I missing something? Her and her goons are assholes that's my problem with her .

I don't know why I'm supposed to like her, she spent the whole game trying to drake and Sam now I'm supposed to hope she gets the tusk?
 

Alienous

Member
Drake knowing but the player not rubs me the wrong way too because then the twist isn't internally motivated by the narrative or characters.

I prefer it to Drake believing his brother's story, when the player doesn't have any reason to find Sam trustworthy, which occured in the actual game.

Drake knowing and the player not knowing is the case throughout Uncharteds 1-3, so this seems like it could have been interesting way to have Nathan's inner-circle feel lied to, but also the player feel lied to. The twist would be the revelation itself, but that Nathan Drake isn't quite as honest and affable as he appears to be on the surface, I think.
 
I had my gripes with U4 but I must admit, it looks like Straley & Druckmann directorial perseverance and a lot of crunch actually put this out of the door. We knew more or less that some details of the story were different, but the sheer fact that U4 (of all games, Sony's most important exclusive and franchise) was basically..... "not shaping well" is really incredibile, given the pedigree of ND.

They got scraps of a story and characters written by someone else, some gameplay experimentation and unfinished concepts, and in 2 years they basically directed the longest, most ambitious Uncharted ever, while also giving it a poignant meaning in the great scheme of things, a game which showed no signs of it being an originally diverse story. Again: I liked U4, I also found many flaws in it, but in hindsight, Straley & Druckmann work truly is exceptional.

This post deserves all the praise.
 

Pancake Mix

Copied someone else's pancake recipe
I prefer the story we got. I'm really pleased that Sam didn't betray Nate, despite being a chronic liar. Was refreshing.
 

Alienous

Member
I had my gripes with U4 but I must admit, it looks like Straley & Druckmann directorial perseverance and a lot of crunch actually put this out of the door. We knew more or less that some details of the story were different, but the sheer fact that U4 (of all games, Sony's most important exclusive and franchise) was basically..... "not shaping well" is really incredibile, given the pedigree of ND.

They got scraps of a story and characters written by someone else, some gameplay experimentation and unfinished concepts, and in 2 years they basically directed the longest, most ambitious Uncharted ever, while also giving it a poignant meaning in the great scheme of things, a game which showed no signs of it being an originally diverse story. Again: I liked U4, I also found many flaws in it, but in hindsight, Straley & Druckmann work truly is exceptional.

Yeah, I do view the Uncharted 4 we got much more favourably now, and have a better understanding of how The Lost Legacy could have been made in such relatively little time and yet, perhaps, be a better game than U4 itself.

U4 seems to have been a game that was rescued right from the cusp of development hell, pieced together from disparate elements to form an experience that feels cohesive and organic. It's an amazing accomplishment.
 

Necron

Member
I'm a huge fan of Henning, but a big twist finding that Sam is Drake's brother just doesn't sound good.

I agree.

I would've liked the idea of Sam hating Nathan and both of them knowing, however. Him being the main villain could have been interesting.
 

Alienous

Member
I agree.

I would've liked the idea of Sam hating Nathan and both of them knowing, however. Him being the main villain could have been interesting.

In Hennig's version it appears that both of them would have known that the other was their brother, just that the player would discover that fact later into the game.
 

Megatron

Member
Well if you're gonna make her a major part of lost legacy I would have tried to make her likeable I guess.

I hope if uncharted continues it's Sam and not Nadine in the future.

You talk about Nadine being unlikable and then suggest the series go with Sam instead?

Drake's lame long lost brother who lies to him, guilts him into betraying Elena and puts him in an incredibly dangerous situation that realistically would have gotten anyone killed? And when he's discovered to be a lying piece of shit, Drake just shrugs? THAT guy??? Come on.
 
You talk about Nadine being unlikable and then suggest the series go with Sam instead?

Drake's lame long lost brother who lies to him, guilts him into betraying Elena and puts him in an incredibly dangerous situation that realistically would have gotten anyone killed? And when he's discovered to be a lying piece of shit, Drake just shrugs? THAT guy??? Come on.

Well somehow Sam IS more moraly ambigious and oppertunistic just like Chloe. They would make a great team, especially with Cutter in a Sully kind of role.
 
How Is it?

I like it a lot. 2nd best UC game for my tastes, which isn't saying much, but still. It acts as a sort of "Best of Uncharted," riffing off of vibes from UC2 and UC4, with particular attention paid to how the game ramps up from the slow UC4 stuff to what I think is clearly the best end run in the series. It probably has the best puzzles they've done so far (and finally a tangible reward for doing them), the traversal from UC4 is made more interesting through better environments and climbing/jumping paths, visuals are incredible (of course), Chloe is a good protagonist (of course, best choice, Drake you messed up), the dialogue is fun, it actualizes the potential of the Madagascar chapter in UC4, and it gets better as it goes along. With that said it doesn't have the same emotional impact that an UC3 or UC4 might because it's basically a smaller scale spin-off pilot episode for a new series, but what it lacks in drama and scope it makes up for with a more constant juggling act of puzzles, combat, traversal, and quips. Considering how good the UC4 base is (controls, combat, sound, visuals, etc), I could see TLL with one more location and a few newer major sequences challenging for the best in the franchise.

There's no desert though so 0/10 on the LastNac scale.
 

kyser73

Member
Thank god we did not get that then. Would be another Uncharted 3.

My thoughts exactly. It just sounds like a bunch of disparate set pieces & random mechanics, with a paper thin story behind it.

Can you imagine the outrage if there was a DanceDanceRev mini game? It would have been derided.

Glad we got the UC4 we did.
 

ItIsOkBro

Member
In both stories, Drake has a brother that he thinks is dead and doesn't talk about for three games. The sudden brother is my biggest problem with Uncharted 4, but I had always chalked it up to being a result of the story patchwork and salvaging that took place. But finding out that the original story may have done the same thing is surprising (and disappointing).

I really can't see how Sam the villain could work. So he's angry after 15 years, but if Drake honestly thought he was dead then this dude would be a pretty stupid villain for continuing to seek vengeance for more than 10 minutes. Or if Drake actually knowingly left his ass in prison then that is a character assassination of Drake that I don't think people would like and it wouldn't ring true to his character for the last 3 games. In both cases it makes no sense for them to hide that they're brothers for a big reveal later.
 
Well if you're gonna make her a major part of lost legacy I would have tried to make her likeable I guess.

I hope if uncharted continues it's Sam and not Nadine in the future.

She was super likeable in Lost Legacy. Also I don't get why people hate characters that aren't just nice and friendly. Having a (prior) antagonist join up is a great twist and makes for a great dynamic that isn't just chumming it up the whole way through. Also it's not like she was evil in Uncharted 4, she just got paid to help the other side but peaced out because she wasn't personally invested in either the treasure or murdering anyone.

She's a fun character specifically because of her brusque demeanor.

I prefer it to Drake believing his brother's story, when the player doesn't have any reason to find Sam trustworthy, which occured in the actual game.

I think the Hector Alcazar chapter makes you believe Sam. I certainly thought Hector would pop back up in the back half of the game somewhere.
 

zsynqx

Member
My thoughts exactly. It just sounds like a bunch of disparate set pieces & random mechanics, with a paper thin story behind it.

Can you imagine the outrage if there was a DanceDanceRev mini game? It would have been derided.

Glad we got the UC4 we did.

I don't think it's the worst idea in the world, they just couldn't find a way to implement it properly.

On paper think how dumb this scene sounds.

maxresdefault.jpg
It ended up being one of the most memorable moments in the game. It's all about execution.
 

Wiped89

Member
This is really confusing to me. There is quite a few drive by posts saying something like this, but giving no reason why.

One dude said it was because of her exit at the end of the game, how she got put to the side so to say. So I guess he would rather not have her in the game at all because of that? I'm just having trouble understanding why people hate her.

I have to admit I don't really like Nadine. She doesn't have many likeable or personable qualities, imo. And I say this as someone who just finished The Lost Legacy as well. Nadine comes off as a bit of a dick a lot of the time.

But in a way, I like that I dislike her. I'm impressed that Naughty Dog's character design is developed and nuanced enough to actually allow me to dislike the character for her traits and personality.
 

Persona7

Banned
My thoughts exactly. It just sounds like a bunch of disparate set pieces & random mechanics, with a paper thin story behind it.

Can you imagine the outrage if there was a DanceDanceRev mini game? It would have been derided.

Glad we got the UC4 we did.

Uncharted 3 was basically the result of a strict deadline due to pressure from Sony. They had to literally write the story around the set pieces and get it out the door before the holiday.
 

ZeroX03

Banned
Haven't played Lost Legacy, but I don't get the strong Nadine feelings for UC4. Like, what could she have possibly done to make people love/hate her so much? She had all of two memorable encounters with Drake.
 

Alienous

Member
Haven't played Lost Legacy, but I don't get the strong Nadine feelings for UC4. Like, what could she have possibly done to make people love/hate her so much? She had all of two memorable encounters with Drake.

She could have been an engaging character. Instead she's just the lead henchmen, with more screentime than that role warrants.

Her backstory - trying to keep her PMC afloat - is more interesting than any of her actions are. Perhaps incorporate more of that into the core narrative.
 

Sayad

Member
Uncharted 3 was basically the result of a strict deadline due to pressure from Sony. They had to literally write the story around the set pieces and get it out the door before the holiday.
Them writing the story around set pieces isn't a strict deadline problem, it's a design workflow problem(which is also seem to be the problem with the original UC4), why are you making set pieces before figuring out where they fit into the game?!!

Yea, UC3 had a deadline problem, it shipped with less polish than the other games and it really shows, but looking at the game's length, I really doubt they intended for it to be even longer originally and I don't see how adding two or three more stages would connect the disjointed story stuff any better!
 

Floody

Member
Sounds pretty bad to me. Like they didn't know what they even wanted it to be. Glad we got the Druckmann and Straley's Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy instead. Plus a Amy Hennig Star Wars game has a pretty good chance of being great, so happy she landed that too.

Only negative is we'd probably have a TLoU 2 by now if the original Uncharted 4 wasn't apparently a mess.
 

stryke

Member
Uncharted 3 was basically the result of a strict deadline due to pressure from Sony. They had to literally write the story around the set pieces and get it out the door before the holiday.

That's exactly how Uncharted 2 was made.

The train level was the first setpiece they started work on but didn't yet have a reason for Drake to be on it until the story came together.
 

Sayad

Member
I don't think it's the worst idea in the world, they just couldn't find a way to implement it properly.

On paper think how dumb this scene sounds.


It ended up being one of the most memorable moments in the game. It's all about execution.
It was still kinda dumb, but way less out of place and off putting than a "real" QTE dance scene would be.
 

kpaadet

Member
Uncharted 3 was basically the result of a strict deadline due to pressure from Sony. They had to literally write the story around the set pieces and get it out the door before the holiday.
That is not uncommon, they did the same for UC2, the train level was the first thing they started working on even before the story as well. The difference was Hennig was the sole write for UC3, unlike the previous.

Edit: beaten I see.
 

pantsmith

Member
Uh, just read about this in Jason's book (Blood Sweat and Pixels - its amazing, go buy it!) and I think it loses a lot of context just taking that tiny bit of the story and churning it out into a thread.

The actual thread should be "Naughty Dog had interesting ideas for Uncharted 4 that were ultimately scrapped in development, like every game ever."
 
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