Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Review

     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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