Okay, so about this whole Uncharted 4 chase scene being ‘the best in gaming history’ or whatever. Let’s just say, I have some thoughts. For starters, it’s like every time I see these buzzwords, I can’t help but roll my eyes. ‘Ultra Realistic Graphics’ they say, which probably means that someone’s gonna try to convince us that the sweat glistening off Nathan Drake’s brow is practically lifelike. Spoiler: It’s not. I mean, have you ever seen sweat during a heatwave in July? It drips like a broken faucet, not neatly reflecting sunlight like an ad for bottled water.
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Anyway, this ‘best chase’ apparently involves some flipping 4K, 60FPS HDR magic. Yeah, as if resolution alone could transform a regular chase into the ultimate thrill ride. The scene’s set in some generic bustling market or abandoned ancient ruins (two settings every game developer probably blindly reaches into a hat to choose from these days). You’ve got your protagonist, a dude who’s the video game equivalent of an action movie stuntman. He’s barreling through marketplaces, vaulting over fruit stalls – because of course, there are conveniently placed fruit stalls for our heroes to leap over.
There’s a jeep, obviously. Because every epic chase (in what seems to be a universal law of gaming) must apparently include a vehicle. You know, just in case the foot chase wasn’t enough, they throw in some off-road madness complete with dust clouds worthy of a Mad Max film.
So, Drake (our beloved overly confident protagonist with the convenient rugged charm), is probably either running from gun-toting foes or chasing a target who’s absurdly skilled at parkour. Why do they always climb stuff? It’s like there’s a secret competition among video game characters to see who can ninja their way up a wall fastest. Meanwhile, the bad guys aim as if they’ve never held a gun before, missing shots like stormtroopers in Star Wars. Honestly, if they hired real henchmen (or better yet, placed fewer shootable objects around Drake), they might actually stand a chance.
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I get that gamers these days (myself included) crave visuals that pop, but calling it the best chase ever feels like a bit of a stretch. Sure, it tickles the adrenaline a little, but let’s not rewrite gaming history just yet. Hopefully, there are some people who geek out over nostalgic console chases that can’t quite be beat. But really, let’s try to pump the brakes on the hyperbole a tad. My eyes still hurt. I need coffee. Ugh.