Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Review

So, the finale. I have reviewed all three previous games in the Uncharted series, and have gathered mix emotions from all of them it is safe to say. However, when it came to Uncharted 4, I had seen the images and heard the praise, and went into it expecting an experience that was on another level to the PS3 titles, and I was not let down. Without further a-do, a week after its 5 year anniversary, this is my review of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

Story and Characters –

The opening hour of Uncharted 4 was enough for me to be sold alone. Coming off the back of Uncharted 3, which had the slowest and most boring start in the series, to Uncharted 4, which has by far the most compelling, interesting and exciting start in the series, the difference was night and day. The intro ending on that credit sequence followed by the brilliant rendition of the Uncharted theme is something that made me feel nostalgic for the journey so far, despite my clear lacklustre experience of it.

The story telling in Uncharted 4, once again isn’t anything to blow you away, but it is on another level to the previous games. Moments that hold weight such as Nate’s brother dying, or Nate and Elena just having couple-banter at home discussing their day at work before playing Crash Bandicoot, for example, are moments that allow the player to feel connected to what have been shallow characters so far in the series. Along with this, it allows the player to be engaged in what is going on. There is consequences to the relationships between characters and how they interact, with twists and turns that are brilliant. I especially adore how much more developed and authentic the relationship between Nate and Elena is in Uncharted 4.

Game-Play – Action, Movement, Gun-Play

Visuals allow for the mind to wander when climbing or doing other repetitive and tedious actions, this is something that the older games tried to do although it just didn’t work when playing them in the modern day. The action feels constant, even in moments of down-time. The movement feels good, although a sprint button would still be appreciated. Lastly, the gun-play is the best it has ever been. Despite being the same formula as past games, feels more refined. Guns hold weight and the feeling of hitting a target is some of the most satisfying weapon-play in any of the PS4 library of games.

Obviously the general game-play could be a lot better in some areas, but when compared to past games, it is light years ahead.

Visuals and Graphics –

I am not sure how they managed graphics like this in 2015, but they did. This game is on-par, if not better, than games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War. The characters look and feel more alive and real than ever, and the general view of anything in the world is a joy to look at, no matter how mundane, due to the sheer detail put into every single nook and cranny of this game. Even if you are not interested in the story, characters or game-play, Uncharted 4 is something to experience purely for the visual accomplishments for its time.

Settings and Scenery –

The settings are something that provide variety. In previous games, there was change in settings, but the graphical limitations rendered them not feeling that drastic from one and other. However, in this game, the level of polish and detail, especially for the year 2015, is something that I genuinely was blown away by.

The areas you go to vary greatly too, making the scenery and visuals stand out even more as you can travel from the mountains of Scotland, which really blew me away in particular. This was the moment in the game where I really got gripped in and completely lost in the world of Uncharted 4.

From there, all the way to the volcanic area of Madagascar, which provides some of the most stunning scenery I have ever seen in a game.

This game truly set a new level when it comes to visual flair and scenery setting, especially when it came to 2015, I truly do not know how they did what they did.

Conclusion –

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End was a shocking surprise when it came to the huge step up from the previous games that it followed. Every single capacity of this game hits new heights for not just its own game series, but for gaming as a whole, especially for the year 2015. An interesting story with stellar performances and writing, combined with some of the most breathtaking visuals I have witnessed. This game was a surprise, especially after my feelings for Uncharted 1, 2 and 3. However, this is easily one of the best games I have ever played.

Final Rating – 9/10

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception – Retrospective

In the final of the three PS3 Uncharted games, I’ll be reviewing the third instalment of the series, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. You most likely get the idea so far if you’ve read my look back at the previous two games in the Uncharted series, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, so nonetheless let’s just jump right into it.

Story –

In terms of story, Uncharted 3 is one of the poorer ones. Despite the game taking you to a variety of locations, it starts off slow and is hindered by the sluggish pace that this game insists on maintaining for large portions of the story. The story takes incredibly long to become satisfying, with nothing outside of the final three chapters being of note. However, that being said, it does end on a good note with the three main characters walking off together.

By the point the story had become worth taking an interest in however, I had already played through hours of tedious boredom and was just waiting for it to end.

Game-Play –

Along with the story, the game-play is arguably worse than previous entries too, with there being seemingly more climbing sections than ever, along with more shuffling along ledges and other time-wasting activities than the previous two games combined.

However, the movement and gun-play is arguably as tight as it has ever been on the flip-side, that still isn’t saying much, but it isn’t as clunky and loose feeling as the original game for example.

Visuals and Graphics –

The improvements in this department is clearer than ever. The characters have brilliant facial details for 2011 and the environments can be large, sprawling and at times can provide a real sense of adventure and awe, specifically the section where you are hanging out of the back of a plane, which brought me back to my favourite section of the second game, the train-section. This is where the third game shines generally, with the sense of adventure in the second-half of the game rising and the visuals really shining as a result.

Conclusion –

Although shorter than my previous two reviews, that is mainly down to my lack of ability to really form any sort of impression regarding Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. This game, despite being the most visually impressive, is the most empty experience of the first three Uncharted games in my opinion, and falls far from the experience I had with the sequel.

Final Rating – 6.5/10

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Retrospective

My review of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was not the most positive for one of gaming’s most famous series origins. However, moving into the sequel I found that there was a lot more positives to speak of than that of the first game. So, let’s get into it.

Story –

The story of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves follows Nathan Drake, Chloe Frazer, Victor Sullivan and Elena Fisher as the main ‘good’ guys as they attempt to obtain the Cintamani stone to enter the mythical city of Shambhala over the main villains Harry Flynn and his boss, Zoran Lazarevic.

(Source: Pinterest)

The story this time around is a lot better. The villain, Lazarevic is miles better and is more ruthless and stern in his characteristics. The characters such as Flynn and Chloe create clear feelings from the player regarding their opinions on what a character is. By this I mean that there is obvious feeling whenever the player sees these characters, they are less of a generic blank slate. The change in settings provide a good outlet too for remained interest.

(Source: Pinterest)

Game-Play –

The game-play remains largely similar to Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. By this I mean the sluggish movement and general tropes of the series are holding stern in the sequel. Once again, even more than the first game, the game contracts most of its praise and captivation from its action sequences.

Visuals and Graphics –

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves does a far better job at being more of a cinematic experience than the first game, all you have to do is start up the game and play through the first 20minutes to see the proof through the incredible visuals of the famous hanging-from-the-train scene starting off the game.

(Source: Etgeekera)

The graphics are far ahead of the original game and the scale of the game is felt in almost every aspect in comparison to Drake’s Fortune, once again, this is also furthered by the constant change in settings.

Uncharted 2 As a Sequel –

As a sequel, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves does a fantastic job at being a sequel, with it improving in so many areas from the original. If you are having to choose between the original game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, then the experience will be night and day, with the sequel being by far the more compelling and interesting package this time around.

Conclusion –

Overall, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a great game. The only areas in which it is held back is the original down-points of the first title, however, it is a clear improvement and offers a far more interesting and compelling cinematic experience than the original.

Final Score: 8/10

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – Retrospective

Personally, I never really *got* the hype or praise around the Uncharted series. My only experience with the franchise prior to 2020 was playing the beginning of the second Uncharted game back in 2009. It is safe to say I wasn’t all too clued up regarding where my opinions were based from. However, this is the first of several retrospective reviews of the Uncharted series, in which I’ll play through and give my thoughts on each game. Nonetheless, there is no more obvious place to start than with the first game of the series, so let’s begin.

Story –

One thing I always felt was in question regarding Uncharted was the premise and story? I never felt intrigued or gripped enough by the concept of the series to really warrant trying it.

Regardless, Uncharted 1 is based upon the introduction to characters such as Nathan Drake, Victor Sullivan and Elena Fisher. In this first game, the quest is to obtain the treasure of Francis Drake before the villain, Gabriel Roman and Navarro. However, by the end of the game, something more evil and sinister is discovered as mutated humans run rampant before Nathan Drake and co. take on Navarro on a shipping unit.

This story is decent, and is paced quite well, however, it really is nothing special. It does a good job at introducing characters that are likeable, however beyond that they are nothing stellar nor are they characters that create distinct moments and personality traits that stand out to the player.

Game-Play –

In terms of game-play, Uncharted is a rollercoaster. The movement of the general game is slow paced and sluggish, which is especially highlighted through tedious puzzles and incredibly monotonous and generic climbing sections that will become a consistent complaint by me through my reviews of these games.

Elsewhere, the gun-play is the most enjoyable aspect of these games. It feels good and enjoyable, however the aiming does feel lightweight and difficult to remain precise sometimes. Essentially, Uncharted thrives in its moments of action, and falters in every thing else, which in comparison to the moments of action, are left to feel like nothing but filler.

Visuals and Graphics –

Visually, for 2007, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is quite good. However, when playing in the modern day it is hard to avoid the fact that it has aged. This is even apparent when playing via the remaster Nathan Drake Collection on PS4, which is how I experienced these first three titles. The menus, hints and more all feel representative of their time, which is understandable but still noticeable nonetheless.

(Source: UNILAD)

Uncharted’s Legacy –

Obviously with this game being the beginning of one of Playstation’s most well-known characters and series, I feel that Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune does gain some brownie points in retrospect as a result of birthing one of the most popular game series ever. As well as this, it sort of birthed a style of gameplay that a lot of first-party Sony titles follow in the modern days, with The Last of Us and God of War. However, it’s legacy has aged with the game, and this first game is obviously not the ideal experience regardless.

(Source: GameTrailers)

Conclusion –

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is a game that is captivating enough to have maintained my interest to the end, however there is so many boring elements and down-time that could have been better, even for their time. The story-telling and characters could have been a lot better too, with it not being something that left me on the edge of my seat desperate to find out more. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune thrives with its action sections, and that is what is mainly allowed me to maintain my interest until the very end despite all my annoyances with this game. Ultimately, my rating might seem low, but I am rating it upon what I experienced in the modern day, not what was experienced by players in 2007, with added bonus points for what it represents as the original title.

Final Rating: 6.5/10