Naughty Dog and Nonlinearity
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2017
- A look at the history of Naughty Dog's Action Adventure games and their different approaches to non-linear gameplay.
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Novacanoo's channel for anybody interested: / @novacanoo
Thanks to The Sphere Hunter for some of the Uncharted 4 footage in this video. - เกม
You're so good at explaining your reasons for liking or disliking something. You could shit on a game I love for like an hour and I'd still be content listening, completely understanding your point of view. Best game analyses I've ever heard.
That's what makes him a good critic. Whether he likes or dislikes something, he will always explain his point of view with valuable reasons. That's why I follow his stuff
It's very true. I enjoyed him shitting on Ratchet 3 a lot, even if it thought those negatives didn't outweigh the positives in that game.
This isnexactly how I was feeling while he was trashing ratchet and clank 3 haha I fully understand his reasons and actually by the end agreed
4 years late but thought I’d just hop in to say how much I agree with this. It really feels like he properly examines all of a game’s elements in a well thought out manner. Even a lot of very good game critics on TH-cam have trouble with that and tend to push a certain narrative even if just on accident. Like, Joseph Anderson is a well spoken, mature, and intelligent reviewer but for as much as I respect the guy, he falls into that trap quite a bit
lol I was just going to comment sarcastically how much I love a video that's merely about a topic without any main point. I got to what I thought was the end of the video, only to discover it was only half through. His video on 'How Ratchet Lost Its Edge' is so much better. That's got a main point that you can follow for 1.4 hours. This drags on for a century and says nothing.
He definitely predicted the open area for Last of Us Part II.
@Big Ben BooHoo cry about it
The hilarious thing is people clamor about the open area section of TLOU2 as the highlight of the game but not realize that EW2 did more of it as almost the whole game and did it incredibly well, if not better.
@@lipsontajgordongrunk4328 Evil Within, right? Fucking love that game. Honestly wished Last of us 2 went that same way. Have side missions that tie into the main plot in someway. Seattle is a good environment for the game they should have used that nonlinear design to flesh out the story more, allowing characters to just chat and internet with the world around them while finding collectibles and equipment.
@@lipsontajgordongrunk4328 The last Metro game did a good job combining both concepts.
Come at me scrublord, I'm ripped.
underrated channel
Overrated underrated
Ok Dan
underrated overrated
You love uncharted deep down. You are just tsundere.
Jak 1 is still my favorite Naughty Dog game, its so tight and well crafted. It has very little focus on plot because it's more a premise with a world that is really interesting thanks to a poorly understood energy source that was used by a now vanished civilization. The Lost precursor City is a fascinating place man, they got something to happen in that game.
masterofdoom5000 yep Jak 1 is the cream of the crop as far as naughty go as far I feel. Though Last of Us and Jak 2 are contenders.
I like Crash 1 the most because of it’s simplicity and how it kinda lends to it’s charm but Jak and Daxter 1 is still a complete fucking jam, it’s the tits.
15:00 Oh my goodness. You called it for LoU 2. I mean, it was a pretty small section compared to the rest of the game, but you were right.
Nice to see some love for Jak & Daxter. That was just an impeccably made, all-killer-no-filler platformer and my favorite Naughty Dog game overall.
It's the best Jak and Daxter game, that's for sure.
I still find it a little jarring that the Jak and Daxter series went from this light-hearted no-filler platformer to a "dark n' edgy" story-heavy third-person shooter. Even Jak's character went from a adventurous youth to angst.
Jak & Daxter is definitely my favorite of the series. I even prefer the structure of the world in this one because it actually feels more alive and organic and you feel more connected to it like being a part of that world instead of just dropping you in a huge sandbox in the sequel to fullfill your mission objectives in order to progress further in the game. And it is actually a full fledge platformer instead of an edgy third person shooter with platforming elements for the younger audience.
Shenyongo The Dragon Slayer At least they gave us a reason as to why he's angsty.
@@shenyongo He HASa reasin that he is like that.
The answer for Naughty Dog should be simple: real life sucks, and fantasy / sci-fi gives you more gameplay options. Plus, their older games had better stories on top of it, so they really should double down on what made them big.
You always gotta put Devil May Cry in your videos somehow huh? Love you man.
DmC 5 when?
DMC 5.
ElegeantFencer wrll
So what we can take from this is that, mechanically, Jak and Daxter is the best game from Naughty Dog
Pretty much, yeah.
Linearity in games like Uncharted, isn't a bad thing. I wish more people would realise the value in linear game design.
Nidorino Alliance Definitely agreed.
The whole point of the video flew over your head.
haven´t heard anyone complaint about half life 2 or god of war.
Same could be said about the Burnout games.
Nidorino Alliance Tell me about. I can give a good example of where linearity (imo) was handled pretty well in most areas, even if it pissed off older fans of the genre the game is in:
*Final Fantasy 13.*
I actually liked the Crystarium. Sure it was linear, but it managed to always put a hard EXP cap on the player so that way they wouldn't be able to over grind (which would make the game way too easy). Not to mention that the linearity of the Crystarium meant that you couldn't massively screw up your leveling, meaning that most of your focus on understanding mechanics was put towards the in-depth battle system instead of "how to efficiently level up".
That said you can make your life hell with Crystarium if you choose to nab abilities more often than necessary stat increases, so there's still potential for error in the Crystarium.
I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I also liked the linear over world. Since the thing I care the most about in RPGs is the battle system, I don't mind having linear level design if it means I get more opportunities to master the battle system.
J&D1 is the peak of Naughty Dog. The game just feels GOOD to play, 100% of the time. Possibly the best 3D platformer of all time, the only real competition is Mario
And mario is objectively worse than Jak
@Raven Reyes PTZ No it's not Naughty Dog fanboy
@@trevorphilips9065 IKR? Mario destroys Jak and Daxter.
when tgbs uploads a video, I experience many conflicting feelings
But the question is, does it make you want to help the economy by buying a Pixeliser?
I don't. Just glee.
Tenshi Cat I'll buy it once I search the area for skidds agent, he may need my assistance
I get a feeling so complicated*
TheKrigeron I don't think you understand the joke
One of the best gameplay analysis ive ever seen.
It‘s all about the „depth of gameplay“
Very rare perspective that most reviewers never analyse as exactly as you 🙏🏼
THE KID IS BACK BAYBEE
The Sphere Hunter BAYYBBBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Who noticed that the 60fps Jak and Daxter was just sooo much smoother than the 30fps uncharted. 60+fps is the way.
Woah... 60 fps is smoother than 30 fps? Who woulda thought?
Potato Thief It just frustrates me that devs haven't made the same realisation, constantly prioritising visuals over frame rate.
Toby Hendricks I know it‘s a late reply, but the PS4 and XB1 hardware were both outdated already on their release. They can‘t run most games in 60FPS, because otherwise the console would catch fire lol.
Well, at least now we have The Nathan Drake Collection on PS4 at 60fps
@@dunning-krugerreiner5631 They can run games at 60fps. It’s just that the devs have to make a decision, top of the line graphics or 60 FPS. They just always choose top of the line graphics. But they very well could dumb down graphics a bit and get them running 60fps on these consoles
17:00 Devil May Cry plug in.
I don't blame ya Brit.
Harris Zeboki Charlie always finds a way to shove in dmc
Damn, fake lad Novacanoo finally got a shout out from the legendary TGB.
The legendary feud continues!
Hey, he's gotta get subs some how
I'm confused, there's a feud?
youre not even good enough to be my fake
"I understood that reference"
What you illustrated really happened in TLOU2 three years later lol
Should have been a video on the REVOLUTIONARY Knack series of God platformers. Weak stuff Charlie, -1/10
My birthday was yesterday. I wished for new a GamingBrit video. Prayers have been answered
I totally forgot The Last of Us was a Naughty Dog game before you mentioned it in this video. Shit, they're making a sequel to that?
Yeah, they should bring back Jak.
I did just play a game that's both a linear game and an Open World game. It came out this year and is also a PS4 exclusive. Guerilla games made it.
This video is basically Nostalgia the Documentary: Jak edition.
And I love it.
The Jak and Daxter games are the best naughty dog ever made.
The ending of the video is the best part. Excellent analysis, and I've been eagerly awaiting you to tackle the Jak series in some capacity. Looking forward to more.
Man, I wish Naught Dog would revive the Jak series. There's so much more that could be done in that world.
I love your channel, been watching all of your older videos lately, I’m CONSTANTLY laughing out loud. Thanks for making all of this awesome content!
There's nothing wrong with linear games, especially in an era where more and more developers are shifting to open world.
10 years ago I preferred open world games because I liked the freedom and "do whatever you like" gameplay and side activities and stuff fooling around a bit. Now 10 years later I prefer mostly linear single-player games, Idk why it's just that a big open world seems like a waste of time (idk how to describe it) I just want to follow the story and be done with the game. Yeah I know you could do this in an open world game but it feels wasted. Maybe it has to do with that a lot of open world games are so mediocre and not worth running around in for that long. Only chasing markers on the map.
I'd like to believe that even though there weren't any optional paths in the Uncharted series the combat stages opened up as time went on, with enviroments that would let you get from point a to point b from different paths, like the castle in Syria and Ship Graveyard in Uncharted 3, the Sniper in the abandoned neighbourhood and the hospital in The Last of Us, Madagascar and At Sea in Uncharted 4 and The Western Gaths in Uncharted The Lost Legacy.
Also *spoiler alert*
Seattle in The Last of Us part 2 (please don't spoil the rest of the game for me, i've only played 2-3 hours past that section)
Uncharted 2 is one of my favourite games on the PS3. It feels soooo smooth, the levels vary in design, the villain is cartoony, and the online scene was punishing but fast to pick up. I loved it. It's one of the only games I ever cared to go back and get Platinum on.
I love The Last of Us so much. I don't know why but I love the combat.
Cynical Sheep same
I really agree with this
Well you were right about TLOU part 2!
Naughty Dog is one of my all time favorite developers. Jak 3 being one of my top ten favorite games of all time.
Great analysis of some great games.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT RE ANALYSIS SERIES?!?!
Matt Walker he's working on RE2. He had an update on patreon 🤔
Matt Walker He's got 6 more to go...
The same thing that happened to the Kingdom Hearts retrospective
Awesome video as always GamingBrit. I'll always love your more discussion-based videos talking about ways to make games better.
crash bandicoot 1 has aged amazingly. still my favorite.
I feel like Rise of the Tomb Raider really nailed that exploration and treasure hunting feeling that a Uncharted lacked. The world was juuust big enough to encourage going off the beaten path but also subtly funneled you towards the next story point. Also the rewards both provided lore and tweaks that slightly improved gameplay giving you multiple reasons to actually want to explore. It was less polished and pretty but an actually fun game to play.
I think Naughty Dog may be ambivalent on the value of non-linearity both because they like to tell stories and because they rarely do a good job of giving *context* to non-linearity. Crash 2 and 3 are only non-linear because you can skip some levels, not because you have a meaningful choice of where to go or what to do. The levels themselves are still straight-shot platforming challenges which demand that you *live up* to a preset challenge rather than *deciding* what challenge you'll face.
To me, Jak and Daxter is the pinnacle of level design from Naughty Dog in a lot of ways. The world feels like an actual world rather than a loose framework connecting set pieces and mini-games; *both* of its sequels feel a lot more artificial and "gamey". But they could only do that when they were confident that the world itself was engaging enough to make up for a hands-off story. They clearly don't feel that way any more, which is why their more recent games feel like interactive movies. Cinematic storytelling is very important to them now; atmosphere and player choice, not so much.
The Jak games and Uncharted games are some of the most amazing games ever
The problem with exploration in the Uncharted games is that it conflicts with the linearity.
Many times when I went outside of the path to collect stuff, I would encounter glitches when going to areas the game didn't want me to go to.
In the main path, Drake can jump super high/far to clear impossible gaps.
When exploring outside the path, Drake can barely jump 2 feet high.
"Do you want me to explore or not!?"
Jak and Daxter is still one of my favorite games. I've played through it like 10 times.
Naughty dog is such a good studio. Definitely enjoyed the games when I was young
Never change brit. Great video essays
Always enjoy your videos.
I've always thought that there was a way to implement linear storytelling in a truly open environment and Lost Legacy showed that it is indeed possible, if even it's just small scale.
God damn, hearing that uncharted music brought me back... I remember always loving it, especially since I had just recently gotten into band in school, and music was something I started to pay more attention to, but it's just so epic, and just makes you feel like it's time to explore.
One of the most interesting, nuanced game analysis videos I've ever watched. Really inspiring. As someone who has loved all of Naughty Dog's work for different reasons, it is amazing the inner conflict this brings up. At what point is a tight narrative worth player choice, and exploration? And at what point do we fall dangerously into "open world" territory where lackluster meaningless side objectives and an abundance of down time overshadow some cool key moments? Naughty dog is one of the few developers that have the talent, budget, time, and trust of their publishers to pursue a dense, rich, detailed balance of gameplay freedom vs thematic urgency, and as someone who worries if they can replicate some of the narrative magic of the first Last of Us, I completely agree and hope that they do make more bold gameplay choices. I especially hope they go in a bold direction for a new IP, something that they are particularly good at when compared to their peers. Fantastic video, really.
Before my comment gets buried, I want to say I haven't watched the video yet but thank you for your efforts in uploading content. I have thus far enjoyed every video of yours I have watched.
Bumping this so it doesn't get buried...
Hell yeah! Jak does have a more intricate plot then uncharted any day of the week!
@Raven Reyes PTZ They're not wrong. Uncharted has the plot of a typical action flick movie.
@Raven Reyes PTZ It really does though. It gets more plot heavy in Jak 2 and 3.
This is an absolutely brilliant video...
Great vid my man
While I can respect the views in this video, I personally, never had much attachment to Jak and Daxter. They were being released when I was a baby, so by the time I picked up games in 2004 (as a 4 year old), I was mostly just playing stuff that was already lying around the house. I got my start playing Tomba, Spyro 2, Crash Bandicoot, Battle For Bikini Bottom, Hit and Run. As such, when Jak 3 came out, I wasn’t interested in buying games because I still had such a wide catalogue of games available at any moment. When I got my PS3 in 2009, it was different. I no longer had a large catalogue of games because my parents never really bought PS3 games outside of the Resistance Trilogy, and the occasional other shooter here and there. So I began ravenously devouring any upcoming video game news. Watching E3 press conferences, etc. and while I did miss the pre release of Uncharted 2, when 3 was coming out, I couldn’t afford it and bought 2, instead. And to 11 year old me, you can give me 1,000,000 Crash bandicoots and Jak and Daxters, but for my money, nothing will ever touch the train shootout, jumping cars on the convoy, being chased by tanks and helicopters, solving puzzles, and running and gunning. That was the pinnacle of gaming besides Little Big Planet 2. So then I played 3 for Christmas that year and was amazed, but still let down for the end and went back to playing the uncharted 2 campaign. But if you ask me, having lived and replayed all the naughty dog games besides the cart racers since Crash Bandicoot, their linear stuff is the stuff I grew up with. I didn’t grow up around running and jumping to collect power cells, I grew up watching children get shot in their dad’s arms and with husbands lying about their adventures to their wives. That’s the Naughty Dog I grew up, and I wouldn’t trade the amount I’ve invested into these stories for the world because I feel like I carry the themes and lessons from them to this day. I didn’t learn anything from Crash Bandicoot, besides thinking it was weird that his girlfriend was so well endowed and getting mixed reactions from it
I haven’t played The Lost Legacy yet (didn’t particularly care for Uncharted 4) but your description really reminds me of the reboot Tomb Raider games that also had an emphasis on hubs and side content.
You should do another video on insomniac games.
What's the name of the channel at 3:20? I honestly couldn't pick it up (sorry. my hearing sucks). And it seems the annote isn't there yet.
felman87 Novacanoo.
Am I the only one that prefers Jak over Crash, Uncharted and The Last of Us?
No, but your definitely in the minority.
Specifically Jak and Daxter. Jak 2 and 3 were fun, but Jak 1 was the pinnacle of Naughty Dog for me.
Jack and Daxter 1 was fucking insane back in the day. Moving from ps1 to that was absolutely mindblowing.
Both franchises are excellent but Jak 1 & 2 are some of my all time favorite games
RedFlameFox imo ,uncharted 1 was their worst game . The series was good after that ,but I still think jak is far superior.
I’m so thankful Uncharted didn’t use the brown and grey color scheme that reminds me, could u do a video on color schemes?
Just found this video thanks to Mark Brown. It's great, thank you! I loved original Jak and Daxter, sequel not so much (probably because of difficulty). Original Jak and Daxter was something amazing to play in 2001, going from one point to other with no visible loading times, was incredible. And about Uncharted, I really liked the route Naughty Dog took opening the levels and I think that The Western Ghats in The Lost Legacy they really delivered, perfectly mixing classic Uncharted gameplay with a more open and non-linear approach that feels perfect for an adventure. Can't wait to see what they are preparing for The Last of Us Part II.
I wish all developers switched between linear and non-linear designs in their games, it would prevent stagnation much better.
I really wish that tLoZ: Breath of the Wild did what you described at 12:07 with their shine puzzles...
Best part of Lost Legacy was near the beginning where the villain says to Chloe “You have balls, I like that” and nobody reacts to it.
That was awesome lol
Bor Mik Seriously though, I would have thought that Chloe might have at least said, “uhh...phrasing?”
Totally agree about open, large areas just meaning more dead time, that "padding" is why I prefer a game like Devil May Cry over something like Darksiders (besides the superior combat system and lack of terrible puzzles, I mean).
When it comes to game worlds, the ability to interact with it in different ways matters a lot more to me than size. Ocarina of Time is my go-to example for this: in that game, you can talk to pretty much every NPC you meet and almost every building you see. The same cannot be said for many "open world sandbox" games whose worlds are much larger than OoT's.
Correction: : "in that game, you can talk to pretty much every NPC you meet and ENTER almost every building you see."
So when is the return of Samus review?
Maybe I've watched too much Farscape, but at 0:24 when the character said "I'm taking you with me", I thought "Huh... is that Claudia Black?"
I've never played this game, but sure enough, it's her voice.
Tgbs makes some really good cynical analysis!
Though the comments are always bizarre it seems.
Salokin I agree.
Salokin I wouldn't say this video is cynical in the slightest nor would I say cynicism is somehow good
+Matthew Lee I don't think he was saying cynicism is good, just that Tgbs is good at using it to analyze. I wouldn't say this video was cynical either, didn't get that vibe at all it seemed the opposite to me.
I agree with the smelly small boy!
Maybe you were going for the word "skeptical"?
Jak 3 being easier than Jak 2 isn't a bad thing. Jak 2's bullshit checkpoint system absolutely ruins any pace the story could build, after a while. Jak 3 is a lot better at this. I'm fine with hard games, but for such a story focused game, its detrimental and just kinda frustrating. Its forgettable characters become even more forgettable and placed in the background, when all you're focused on is escorting some tosspots through a sewer with no health crates or checkpoints. Also, there's the shit dialogue and dreary tone, but that's a discussion for another day.
So basically the last new tomb raider?
We really need another Jak & Daxter title, I'm sick of these dark and brooding scenarios that involve gameplay that's fun for only a bit. I could watch someone else play a game like Last of Us and wouldn't be missing out on anything revolutionary.
Didn't Jak 2 become dark and brooding?
@Raven Reyes PTZ Hey it's me from 2+ yrs ago.. I think I was being hyperbolic there, really all I was saying is I want a new Jak game lol
@@randomduck8679 Certainly much edgier.
@Raven Reyes PTZ It does
Yet another TGBS video with a DMC reference, there's no escape!
Brilliant. Couldn’t say better! :)
The Jak games were what got me into platformers, their great games especialy 3. As is the video awesome work!
Shoutout to Novacanoo for doing a passable job on Jak & Daxter.
Great video
Haha that end. I feel you, man. I just want him back too. Please, Naughty Dog...
This is now the second video where you've said that you liked the narrative of the Jak games more than the Uncharted games. Do you think you'd ever go in depth about that in a future video?
Is there gonna be a video on Metroid 2: Samus Returns someday?
When I was a kid, I didn’t even know about the forbidden forest until i went to search for 100 power cells. I remember seeing the monster and was like,”U really wanna fight me?”
What are your thought on the bluepoint remasters of uncharted 1 & 2?
The ending cracked me up!
what if you rode around on a horse and had to clear out like 3 or 4 bandit camps and infected neighborhoods and at the end of the side quest you came upon a or a few keys and they open a cage of a trained attack dog that can gaurd you and distract enemies and also snif out secrets like in the lost legacy i think that would be fun cool and innovative as well as provide you with an inventory's item
I really want to see your review of Jedi Survivor and Fallen Order. Those games are solid action adventure games with ACTUAL platforming.
This video is a credit to youtube. Perfect.
I'm guessing you won't be doing a Samus Returns review
Boi you have some good content
What you described for TLOU2 is exactly what *S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games* do. Scavenging and surviving is the core gameplay there. And the downtime adds to the tension, that lasts till the late game.
I also like Assassin's Creed II design of "letting us do whatever we want, and continue the main story later" thing.
Please do a video on mass effect series. I'd like to know your opinion on it. I think you will really like andromeda
I usually prefer linear games myself. Given that they usually feel more refined
Pausing video to add that yes hero mode basically reverses the order of unlockables so you can get the crazy OP stuff first. That being said the turret mission with the crimson guards and the on-rails turret stuff (kill 40 guards without dying) was INSANELY hard for me and I only ever got past that once and forgot to make a permanent save-file to make new ones off of. Never did get past that ever again on hero mode, so i'd be forced to quit game at 50% or so from then on :(. Turret missions really suck in platformers for me *squints at A Hero's Tail's turret missions/sergeant bird missions*.
17:00 A video about Naughty Dog and it still has a DMC reference. :)
Would you say that this the same issue with Assassin's Creed?
This video makes alot of sense. At times i do feel kind of lost playing uncharted because its not really as liner as you might think it is. Take off the "Hint" features in the options menu and yeah you'll get stuck on a lot of parts especially if you rented a bad disk like i have, where cut sense dont immense or certain parts arent progressing because of some weird glitch, sooner or later you'll be scratching your head. But overall the game is pretty easy to beat even on crushing mode.
you can tell how that 512MB of RAM limited devs last gen in pursuit of other things. the 5GB ram of PS4 really allowed ND to keep their cinematic quality going while branching out level design appropriately
How about that Resident Evil analysis thing you started?
Naughty Dog Inc.
Is absolutely splendid
Ergo, we need Jak 4.
We want it, it will happen someday, it's just a question of whether Naughty dog still remembers how to make games or not.
Mark Brown, is that you?
Why would you think that?
No
Mark Brown we got you trapped son. Your under arrest for hiding inside other youtubers comments on multiple accounts.
Sure? I mean, this video has graphs and talk about gamedesign in a sweet voice. It must be you...
Naughty Dog has definitely earned enough financial and critical praise to do just about anything, but I couldn't help but think about how Insomniac by comparison seems somewhat lackluster. The two companies did work close for a time (I'm not sure how the relationship evolved by the time uncharted came out) and have similar directions based on what they released up to a point. They both have roots in cartoon mascot platforming (Spyro and Crash). They had an edgy teenage shift as their core audience grew up (Ratchet&Clank and Jak&Daxter). They went into young adulthood (Resistance and Uncharted). And I can't recall Insomniac really going for something as adult as The Last of Us. The Ratchet phase never died where it arguably should have around the half-way point in the Future trilogy (Crack in Time would have been perfect based on it's ending) to the point where Into the Nexus is a game most people don't even know about ... so they reboot the franchise and lobotomize it in a desperate attempt to get the new generation on board (failing miserably in the most Steve Bushemi way possible). Heck, their most resent property is trying their hand at another movie tie in game: Spider-Man of all things.
Meh at least Insomniac doesn't have Neil
Spyro the Dragon = Crash Bandicoot
Ratchet and Clank = Jak and Daxter
RESISTANCE = UNCHARTED
Edge of Nowhere = The Last of Us
The most important thing about Uncharted series is the characters and their stories. By talking the Uncharted like this sells the series short.
Jak 2 is still my favorite game from this developer.
where's that positive Ratchet and Clank video Brit?
His Ratchet Deadlocked video. Although I would like to see a video on Going Commando, and why it is the best of the franchise.
@@Chico50445 agreed