Chapter 750: A Game with Narrative Depth
If anyone else had said that, they would have been swarmed with criticism, but when Josh Wilson said it, there was hardly any room for backlash.
Saying "you do it if you're so good" wouldn't fit either, because Josh Wilson actually had works with narrative depth surpassing *Uncharted*...
If any other designer had said that, it would have been pure jealousy, but with Josh Wilson, many people actually thought he was right.
Of course, plenty of players disagreed.
"Damn, can you really nitpick like that? Saying *Uncharted* has no narrative depth? The game's essence is its visuals and storytelling, okay?"
"Yeah, it's a commercial game to begin with. Dare to compare sales or profits with *Uncharted*? You, Josh, have a few decent games, but which one sells as well as *Uncharted*?"
But some players fired back.
"Josh Wilson's games are made for artistic merit, for winning awards. Who's competing with you on sales? His goal is awards. Judging *Uncharted* by artistic standards—what's wrong with that?"
The two factions had a minor spat online.
Admittedly, Chen Mo now had a massive fanbase. It could be said that most domestic players, even if they didn't regularly play his games, held him in high regard.
The reason was simple: Chen Mo had too many representative works, and he was already the most prestigious designer in the country. Whether in sales or reputation, he was on par with foreign designers.
*Uncharted* was a clear winner, and Josh Wilson was clearly sour about it. But because he had a few successful works, there was really no way to call him out...
He dropped a bomb and ran—how thrilling.
...
Some players wondered, could Chen Mo just let this slide? Clap back!
Make a game just like his, and show him what "impressive storytelling" really means!
But players also knew that Chen Mo was still busy filling in the gaps for *Uncharted*...
And that guy was so engrossed in selling clothes he'd forgotten all else. Whether it was the real-world "Warm Wardrobe" or the in-game shop, new stock arrived every few days, and players complained they couldn't keep up with buying...
The "Warm Wardrobe" brand was still expanding, and players speculated that it must be taking up some of Chen Mo's energy, right?
Many players said, let Josh Wilson say what he wants. Saelent doesn't care.
Last year's *Dark Souls* already won Game of the Year. This year, *Uncharted* and *PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds* were almost certainly nominated. Why bother getting angry with him?
He was just running his mouth. If Chen Mo actually took him seriously, it would make him look petty.
Two internationally renowned game designers trading insults online—how unbecoming would that be?
...
Many players wondered, did Chen Mo even know about Josh Wilson's remarks?
Obviously, he did...
Even if he hadn't been following it, his private messages on Weibo were flooded by players.
The bystanders loved a good spectacle, and stirring up trouble like this was exactly their cup of tea.
Of course, Chen Mo wasn't about to snipe back on Weibo. That would be too cheap.
As a designer, he had to let his work speak for itself.
But Chen Mo wasn't angry at all. In fact, he found it quite coincidental.
I was just about to go to sleep, and you hand me a pillow?
Chen Mo hadn't decided what to do next. At this point, many classic games from his past life were ready to be brought out, at least perfectly replicating their original quality without issue.
In other words, he had plenty of choices.
But deciding which one was still tough. For some classic games, Chen Mo wanted to make more adaptations, fixing flaws caused by the limitations of their era or technology.
Just like with *Warm*, the same concept but with vastly different game formats and specific gameplay.
This kind of refinement would only increase in the future.
But since this situation had come up, it was perfect. There was a ready-made game to pull out.
Zombie themes were abundant in Chen Mo's past life, and so were story-driven games.
Considering the game could win Game of the Year narrowed the field further.
Chen Mo didn't know how deep the story of Josh Wilson's Z Project was, but he was certain that no matter how profound it was, it couldn't match the game he was about to make.
*The Last of Us*.
Strictly speaking, it should be called *The Last of Us*, but *American Doom* was a widespread mistranslation that ironically became more popular than the original name.
The English title was *The Last of Us*, where "us" meant "we." Some mistakenly thought "us" was an abbreviation for the United States.
Actually, the abbreviation for the United States is "U.S.," and the official Chinese translation later became *The Last of Us*, confirming this.
Still, *American Doom* fit the game's content perfectly, so the name stuck.
For Chen Mo, the best thing about making *The Last of Us* was convenience.
Most of the game systems from *Uncharted* could be directly reused, since both were Naughty Dog works.
In fact, the producer of *Uncharted 4* was the same as *The Last of Us*, so *Uncharted 4* had many echoes of *The Last of Us*.
In other words, these two games were cut from the same cloth, sharing core elements. With *Uncharted* already made, creating *The Last of Us* was a very natural progression.
Moreover, *Uncharted* was indeed somewhat lacking in narrative depth. Although the game's positioning was different, and demanding deep storytelling from a "popcorn" type game was a bit odd, Chen Mo himself knew that relying solely on *Uncharted* to compete for Game of the Year was still a challenge.
As for *PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds*, it had a chance to be nominated for Game of the Year, but winning it was basically impossible.
Many players wondered, was Chen Mo the type to hold a grudge?
Absolutely!
Since Josh Wilson thought *Uncharted* lacked narrative depth, fine—he'd make a game with enough depth!
And he'd stick with the zombie theme, not afraid of overlap. After all, no comparison, no harm. With different themes, players wouldn't easily judge which was better.
Genius remembers this site's address in one second: