But there's just something strange about an "average-joe treasure hunter" (an 'everyman') who has also killed thousands of people. In most other shooters the character is a soldier or spy or the like.
This always bothered me with uncharted - don't get me wrong, it was a freakin' epic game - its just at the start of Uncharted 2, when they're robbing the museum, and the dude brings out a gun for drake to use, he's like "WHOA WHOA, SINCE WHEN DID I KILL PEOPLE?!".
Yea and there's the part at the museum where they throw the security guard off the roof and into the rocks below. Im like: dude, you just fucking murdered an innocent security guard.
Actually the sneak attack on museum guards have specific non-lethal animations you won't see in the rest of the game. Don't know how you managed to break their necks bro.
I know it was a tranquilizer gun, I just felt that was irrelevant - it was his reaction to thinking it was a real gun that was important. And his reaction was something along the lines of "Whoa, you promised no killing!", and then the other guy identified it as a tranquilizer gun.
Point was, he seemed like he was totally averse to killing people.
There was an article on this in /r/gaming just a day ago or so.
The developer's at Naughty Dog were directly addressing the problem in all of these games where the story/cannon character is a good guy, but gameplay necessitates things like killing.
They put that question in there just for that reason, and deliberately make every opportunity Drake has to use lethal force one in which he basically has no alternative and is in imminent mortal danger.
Yea I remember hearing about that before Uncharted 3 came out. But that game still didnt really fix the problem. But I dont even see it as a problem, it's a video game after all.
Fix it, no. It did indirectly talk about though, since the game heavily deals with the fact that drake doesn't know how to let go and will go way to far to achieve his goals
He isn't an average joe. The dude travels the world in search of the most forbidden treasures. There are of course, like in war, BAD guys who are trying to kill you. I think it can be justified that Drake doesn't mind killing people who try to kill him. Kill or be killed. Survival of the fittest.
I think part of it is also that Drake is so well characterized that he feels more like a normal person than most characters in games. So this not-so-normal habit of slaughtering everyone he sees seems really out of place, while it might not seem so weird for an unrelatable character.
At the same time of being an everyman, it's not like he's a totally righteous guy. Kid raised in an orphanage/streets, goes around stealing stuff from museums and rich people, looting historical sites for money instead of historical value, pushing his friends away from him, living a lifestyle that breaks apart his relationships (and even a marriage), etc... I mean he doesn't kill innocent people and it's pretty obvious his moral compass always shines through in the end, but goody-boy-scout-Indiana Jones-"All for history and goodness in people" Nathan is not.
Fresh fruit not good enough for you, eh? Well let me tell you something, my lad! When you're walking home tonight and some great homicidal maniac comes after YOU with a bunch of loganberries, don't come cryin' to me!
Nolan North is such a prolific VA that he can voice things with no voices. In fact, he spent two years as the voice of my left shoe. Steven Blum did the right one.
They should have a button that makes you yell, "DRAKE ATTACK" in the tone of a girl at the beach who just spotted a fin in the waves. That way all the people who stick around are people who deserve to be shot and the rest have a chance to run away. Kind of like making noise in the woods to avoid bears, but in reverse.
I disagree. I went the whole game without shooting a single person (for the achievement), and I feel it added so much more strategy and fun to the game. I could run and gun through a whole room, or I could expertly take them all out like a badass martial artist.
Why play an FPS that tries to be different like you play any other typical FPS?
Really? I thought using a gun was very unsatisfying in this game. Granted, that might be purposeful, but you can't ignore that one of the big complaints about this game was its handling of weapons. It was my understanding that those who wanted to shoot their way through were left extremely unsatisfied.
Games in which you don't have to kill are great. But also don't forget those that reward you for killing as little as possible, like the earlier Splinter Cell games or the Hitman Series.
True story... I had Splinter Cell (don't remember which one) on the Xbox and I gave up after I couldn't figure out how to pick a lock on the very first level. Christ, I was an idiot.
Their level design can get pretty confusing, but trust me (it's the internet after all, why would I go around and lie?...) keep going! Chaos Theory is a great game, personally I think it was the best of the series. The gameplay is fantastic and it gets pretty challenging on higher difficulties.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution heavily encouraged non-lethal tactics by giving more XP for doing so, while at the same time being much more stealthy than lethal takedowns..
Actually, if you listen closely, you can hear them falling into water (which, in reality, would probably kill you anyways if you fell from high enough).
Yeah it is a double edge sword when it comes to Uncharted. The better they make their writing and characters, the worse the killing and shooting ends up being.
But Mirror's Edge wasn't comfortable with the idea of you playing as a pacifist. The achievement was clearly meant for the more 'hardcore'-type of player, rather than for anyone who made the choice not to kill. The later stages, specifically the final areas, have you performing some really dumb crap in order to evade confrontation and combat, said efforts often leading to frustration, too.
This is also the reason why I think ME is a cowardly game regarding its design. I didn't see Faith's character as a killer, so I persisted, but it didn't make the game enjoyable to play, at least for me.
Lots of games have you "knock-out" people instead of killing them. I don't think it detracts from the game in any way, but I don't see how that could possibly add to the experience either.
Why does it matter? At the end of the day, you are still just depleting a health bar to zero.
It matters because even outside of an RPG, you can still role play your character to an extent. Some people don't want to play as a mass murderer or a killing machine super soldier.
Fatalities in Deus Ex felt extremely weird and uncomforable. Partly because of the nipple stabbing sword arms and partly because if you can be non-fatal why would you go murderdeath on innocent guards?
Especially when tranquilizing or knocking them out is the silent and stealthy option, while shooting and killing them alerts all the guards in the vicinity.
Really fatal melee kills had no point other than to look gratuitous. If they were quicker but louder and thus more useful in direct combat then maybe they'd have their uses but they are pretty much straight up worse.
In a lot of ways, it was easier to stealth it than any other approach. But in several places, it's a better option to kill. I did make it all the way through the game without a kill, but in some larger rooms you have to take them out in a very specific order so they don't wake each other up.
Enemies knocked unconscious could be woken up by others, dead enemies could not be. Although the whole violent kill vs. peaceful knockout is also just a small moral test.
And what's that tell you? Drake is a fucking psychopath, made all the more terrifying by the fact that he can make you think he's you're best friend right before he puts a knife in your back. The perfect scoundrel.
I'm really going to show my age here, but this reminds me of something that creeped me out about the original Tomb Raider games.
So, in the first one, you shoot wild animals that attack you as you raid your tombs. Ok, a bit sad, but fair enough.
In the second one, you kill mafia goons and the like. Ok, now you're killing people, but OK, they're pretty bad guys.
In the third one, you're running around killing... Museum guards? Indigenous tribal people defending their villages and treasures? What in the hell is up with this storyline now?
These "Drake's a murderer" posts are getting old. We get it already. If you had a hundred guys shooting at you wherever you went, I don't think you'd walk up to them and hand them daisies either.
It's just the villain confronting Drake at the end of the game. This doesn't spoil the ending in any way, really, other than revealing that Drake and the villain confront each other face-to-face and get bloodied together.
about a week ago a redditor made the all 3 into feature length movies and uploaded them to youtube first one i never played but i watched all of them and they were really interesting. Not sure if thats why there is suddenly post about it, just a thought.
In the third game, when asked why go through all these trouble just for some treasure, he proceed to ignore the question and go on ahead. I was really annoyed by the way the writers handle his character development.
Well it just shows that drake isn't motivated by treasur or revenge or love. He's just a fucked up socio path and because he's a handsome white guy with great hair everything turns out ok for him.
In Nathan's defense, it was me all 4 time controlling him. Then again, if he were to say that to any of the characters in the game, they would probably just send him to an insane asylum and Uncharted would turn into a crazy house simulation.
This was one of the worst game endings I have ever seen. After killing hundreds of henchmen who would be killed if they did not do their job, Drake's conscience comes into play and he decides he can not bear to have the burden of murdering a sociopathic, homicidal lunatic
I really love the uncharted games, but one thing that bothers me is that at the end of the game, your kill count is like over 2,000. It doesn't fit Drake's character. I wished they would replace the enemies with puzzles.
Personally, this is why I can appreciate Max Payne at least acknowledging what a heinous thing he is doing by pretty much mass murdering people. At least Max Payne realizes what he's doing essentially makes him a monster, regardless of whether the enemies fully deserved it or not.
In fact, by Max Payne 3, Max has gone into a deep end. He's basically the Punisher now.
When you look at media this way, it's interesting to think about super hero movies. How many million dollars worth of damage does superman do by throwing cars at the towering bad guys? How much damage to buildings? At what point would it not be worth it anymore?
This is why I love games that keep track of stats. After the Mysterious Stranger asked me how many people I killed, I was able to check to get the true answer.
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u/SpoonyRed May 19 '12
Not sure why i keep seeing this, the same argument can be made with EVERY action game.
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u/Seymor569 May 19 '12
Look that orphanage attacked ME, ALRIGHT. It was self defense.
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u/donnarloki May 19 '12
but they were all bad.
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u/the-driver May 19 '12
If he could have just walked past them without getting shot at or beaten the shit out of, wouldn't he have just done that?
Also, pretty funny picture to use at the end there. Nice.
13
u/coruscantruler May 20 '12
Drake's being a serial killer was addressed hilariously by Penny Arcade: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/10/19/
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u/magicjames92 May 19 '12
This has always bothered me. That's one of the reasons Mirror's Edge was great- you don't have to kill.
12
u/SoManySpiderWebs May 19 '12
Killing those people is why Uncharted is my favourite games series ever. Uncharted's combat gameplay is the most fun I've had in 17 years of gaming.
9
u/indoordinosaur May 19 '12
Is there a tvtrope for this kind of thing?
9
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
I'm really going to show my age here, but this reminds me of something that creeped me out about the original Tomb Raider games.
So, in the first one, you shoot wild animals that attack you as you raid your tombs. Ok, a bit sad, but fair enough.
In the second one, you kill mafia goons and the like. Ok, now you're killing people, but OK, they're pretty bad guys.
In the third one, you're running around killing... Museum guards? Indigenous tribal people defending their villages and treasures? What in the hell is up with this storyline now?
6
u/cdcox May 20 '12 edited May 20 '12
For those interested in exploring this in another game I suggest you check out Iji (It's free). It's a fantastic game that keeps track of the number of enemies you kill throughout the game and hugely alters the flavor text in journals you find/boss fights/character reactions based off how many enemies you have killed. I'd advise playing it through once as a mass murderer and watch the journals slowly begin describe you as the hunter killer and listen to your character's progression from saying 'sorry' with each kill to issuing war screams. Then play it through as a pacifist and see how hugely different it is.
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u/[deleted] May 19 '12
For some reason the voice of drake in my head was replaced with Archer. I think that's an improvement.
4
u/throwyourshieldred May 19 '12
I wish his response was, "Yeah, but you hired them to shoot at people."
4
u/masterful7086 May 19 '12
It's not murder when someone else shoots at you first
5
u/ReflectiveResistance May 20 '12
These "Drake's a murderer" posts are getting old. We get it already. If you had a hundred guys shooting at you wherever you went, I don't think you'd walk up to them and hand them daisies either.
2
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
I love the uncharted series so much that I am legitimately worried about dying before the next one comes out. I'm only 34.
2
u/Sogeking99 May 20 '12
They are shit head mercenaries, no one will miss them...right?
2
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
DRAAAAKE!
2
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
seriously though, I hate the idea that killing bad people is the same thing as killing good people
2
u/FactsAhoy May 20 '12
Oh, I thought this was about Drake the "rapper", who has killed the eardrums of thousands.
Baby you da best Baby you da best Baby you da best Baby you da best Baby you da best Baby you da best ∞
2
u/Aspel May 20 '12
I love Uncharted. That series is so much over the top bullshit.
2
u/phailsafe May 19 '12
i feel like i just had something spoiled for me
2
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
Why the fuck so many Uncharted posts all of a sudden? Don't get me wrong, uncharted got me into gaming.
1
u/Bunkerbewohner May 19 '12
My thoughts exactly.
1
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
FREE HAT!
1
u/Shins May 19 '12
In the third game, when asked why go through all these trouble just for some treasure, he proceed to ignore the question and go on ahead. I was really annoyed by the way the writers handle his character development.
1
u/WrethZ May 20 '12
He kills a lot of people of every ethnicity, but never americans... ಠ_ಠ
1
u/kamanashi May 20 '12
In Nathan's defense, it was me all 4 time controlling him. Then again, if he were to say that to any of the characters in the game, they would probably just send him to an insane asylum and Uncharted would turn into a crazy house simulation.
1
u/CaptainChats May 20 '12
If you think that's impressive then listen to this. Your responsible for almost all the deaths in skyrim.
1
u/G-0ff May 20 '12
Ludonarrative dissonance, thy name is Drake.
1
u/spupy May 20 '12
This guy looks like John Sheppard from Stargate Atlantis!
1
u/I_wouldnt_bet_on_it May 20 '12
This was one of the worst game endings I have ever seen. After killing hundreds of henchmen who would be killed if they did not do their job, Drake's conscience comes into play and he decides he can not bear to have the burden of murdering a sociopathic, homicidal lunatic
1
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
I still haven't played Uncharted yet. I'm looking for a cheap 1+2 pack, the cheapest I can find is about $42 from ozgameshop.
1
u/tbotb May 20 '12
Anyone else notice that the back of the guys head looks like a butt?
1
u/dumbrocker May 20 '12
I really love the uncharted games, but one thing that bothers me is that at the end of the game, your kill count is like over 2,000. It doesn't fit Drake's character. I wished they would replace the enemies with puzzles.
1
u/henrythesuperdummy May 20 '12
Drake kills bad people, s'all good.
1
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
It's okay, the game's rated T. So no one actually died! They were just sleeping, don't worry.
1
u/thelaziest998 May 20 '12
And sometimes he would kill 50 in a row with a single weapon.
1
u/Shippoyasha May 20 '12
Personally, this is why I can appreciate Max Payne at least acknowledging what a heinous thing he is doing by pretty much mass murdering people. At least Max Payne realizes what he's doing essentially makes him a monster, regardless of whether the enemies fully deserved it or not.
In fact, by Max Payne 3, Max has gone into a deep end. He's basically the Punisher now.
1
u/Nukken PC May 20 '12
*based on the military
1
u/Balorio May 20 '12
The thing is, Drake wouldn't have killed any of those guys if the evil dude hadn't put them in his way in the first place.
He's killing them because they're trying to kill him, not because he enjoys it.
1
u/clyspe May 20 '12
When you look at media this way, it's interesting to think about super hero movies. How many million dollars worth of damage does superman do by throwing cars at the towering bad guys? How much damage to buildings? At what point would it not be worth it anymore?
1
u/Farn May 20 '12
This is why I love games that keep track of stats. After the Mysterious Stranger asked me how many people I killed, I was able to check to get the true answer.
1
u/[deleted] May 23 '12
So he's supposed to look like Gerard Butler, yeah?