Over the years Sony has had many icons for
their PlayStation consoles. Crash Bandicoot, Ratchet & Clank, Sackboy,
Kratos, Sweet Tooth, as well as several others. But since 2007, the character
that has become PlayStation's most significant icon has been Nathan Drake.
"Uncharted: Drake's Fortune" was released in 2007 to wide acclaim
from critics and audiences, and was considered to be one of the PS3's first
significant and outstanding exclusive games. Developed by Naughty Dog, the game
was lauded for its impressive action set pieces, but more notably its
storytelling. The plot, characters, and dialog were nearly universally praised,
and was considered to be one of the finest single player experiences ever made.
Two years later a sequel was released, "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves,"
which to this day is still considered to be one of the greatest games ever
made. It improved upon its predecessor in every single way, and while playing
it you felt you were in an "Indiana Jones" movie. And two years after
that, a third game was released titled "Uncharted 3: Drake's
Deception." While critics and audiences weren't quite as impressed as they
were with the previous games, it still was the recipient of many "game of
the year" awards from various publications. For years, people were certain
that "Uncharted 3" was the final game in the acclaimed series. But in
2014 a sequel was announced, "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End." Originally
slated for a 2015 release, the game was met with a handful of controversies,
the lead writer of the series Amy Hennig leaving Naughty Dog, and technical
issues resulting in the single player having a lower frame rate than originally
planned, the game was pushed back to 2016. But now after two years of waiting
it is finally out. And I can say without a doubt that not only was waiting for
"Uncharted 4" worth it, the game ranks among the best I've played in
years.
Nathan Drake spent
most of his life hunting for various treasures all over the world, but for the
past few years he's left his wild adventures behind. He married the love of his
life Elena, and works for a salvage company. Everything is perfectly normal
until he hears a knock at his door, his brother Sam. After a job gone bad 15
years ago that resulted in Sam being shot, Nate assumed he was dead. Turns out
he survived his wounds and has been rotting away in a South American prison. He
escaped with the help of his cellmate, a notorious drug lord; and the only
reason he helped Sam was because of pirate treasure. For years Nate, Sam, and
their partner Rafe spent years looking for the lost treasure of Henry Avery, a
pirate who in the late 1600s, with the help of various other pirate crews,
pulled a heist that would be worth around $400 million. While in prison Sam
told his cellmate about the treasure and that he knew where to find it, so in
exchange for half the treasure he broke him out; the problem is that if he
doesn't receive it in three months he'll kill Sam. Given no other option, Nate
comes out of retirement one last time to save his brother. But of course,
things are never easy with Nathan Drake.
I remember playing
"Uncharted: Drake's Fortune" very shortly after its release back in
2007; I rented it from Blockbuster and played it non-stop since I had to return
it within a week. Over the course of that week I fell in love with it and was
excited to see where it would go. When the sequel was released in 2009, I
picked it up on launch; and was blown away by how much of an improvement it
was. My mom was so impressed by the game when she watched me play it she asked
if she could give it a try. And in 2011 when "Uncharted 3: Drake's
Deception" came out, I lost myself in that world again. A lot of people
criticize the third installment in the series, but I still think that it's an
amazing game with some truly memorable set pieces. Upon completion the third
game I was sad; because I was sure it was the end. So when one final game was
announced I was so happy, and going into 2016 it was my most anticipated game
of the year. And after playing it, the game certainly met that anticipation.
First off, I just want to say how happy I am to see these characters again.
Nate, Elena, and Sully are some of my favorite characters in all of gaming and
seeing them in action again is so much fun. I also really like the new
characters, Sam and the various antagonists are a welcome addition to the
series in my opinion. The "Uncharted" series has always been known
for its top notch voice acting, and "A Thief's End" is no different.
Every actor puts a lot of character and emotion into their roles. And as
always, Nolan North is amazing as the game's lead character. For those who don't
know, North is one of the most famous, experienced, and respectable voice
actors in the business. When it comes to games, he's often considered the guy
who put the profession on the map. And in this game he partners up with another
voice actor who has become a legend recently, Troy Baker who played Sam. Over
the past few years Baker has played the lead roles in "The Last of
Us," "Bioshock Infinite," "Infamous: Second Son,"
"Middle-Earth: Shadows of Mordor," and "Tales From the
Borderlands;" as well as playing the main villain in "Far Cry
4," Ocelot in "Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain," and even
voicing the Joker in "Batman: Arkham Origins." He really has become
the go to guy for voice acting, and he was great as Sam. One of the biggest
improvements over the previous games has to be the visuals. The
"Uncharted" games have always looked good, but this one takes it to a
different level. The graphics are incredible, the world design and aesthetics
are beautiful, and impressive characters models make "Uncharted 4"
the best looking game I've ever seen on console. The PS4 has been criticized
for its lack of power in the past, but this game shows that a talented
development team can get a lot out of the system. The game also has an
astonishing level of detail, both in the environments and its interactions.
During one portion of the game you slide down a rocky hillside, and if you
shoot at the rocks you can actually cause them to slide. That is a level of
detail that most developers would have ignored. But "Uncharted 4" is
a showcase proving that Naughty Dog is the best development studio working
right now. What has also improved is the overall gameplay. Everything feels
more refined and tight. The previous games felt a little sluggish when you
moved around, but I felt it a lot less with this one. The combat feels more
dynamic and free-climbing feels more responsive. Now, what this series has
always been lauded for has been its storytelling; and this installment is no
different. The story is interesting and engaging from start to finish, filled
with non-stop excitement, clever puzzles woven into the story, and astonishing
set pieces and action sequences that I might never forget. The story and the
dialog is well written and can go from happy and hilarious to somber and
intense in a second. Very much like "Uncharted 2," this game manages
the impressive feet of bridging the gap between video games and movies. The
quality of the story telling, plot, dialog, set pieces, and performances feel
like something you would expect from a big summer blockbuster. Making this one
of the most exciting games I've ever played. In summation, I loved this game.
It is the best game I've played so far this year, and one of the best games
I've played in years. My complaints are minimal; the single player runs at only
30 frames per second which is a turn off for some people, and the big
open-exploration areas can feel overwhelming at times. But other than those, I
can't find much fault with this game. "Uncharted 4" is an astonishing
piece of gaming that may go down as one of the best games ever made. As far as
we know this will be the final installment in the franchise, if so
"Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" is an incredible ending to one of the
greatest series we've ever seen in gaming.
Pros: Incredible graphics, improved and refined gameplay, beautiful world design and aesthetics,
impressive character models, great
characters new and old, interesting
and engaging story, well written
story and dialog, top notch voice
acting, bridges gap between
movies and games, amazing set
pieces and action sequences, almost
non-stop excitement, several
clever puzzles, shows why Naughty
Dog is the best studio working, impressive level of detail, an incredible ending to one of the
greatest series in gaming,
Cons: Single player runs at 30 fps, big
open-exploration areas feel overwhelming.
5/5 Stars
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