Some of the best moments with my Playstation 3 was playing any of the Uncharted games. One of my friends (and writers on this site!) Ryan introduced me to the first two games and I devoured them as quickly as I could. I was completely sold by the gorgeous cinematics, the story, the humour and the characters who were so loveable, it was clear that this was the Sony franchise that would keep me as a Playstation fan for as long as it was around.
It was no surprise that all 3 games were getting the remastered treatment for Playstation 4, while personally I was hoping for Uncharted : The Master Thief Collection (in a hilarious nod to Microsoft’s Halo rehack) the game is finally here, and rather than rehash all 3 games in review’s I have already done previously, I have decided to do more of a “Should You Buy It” thing (with an accompanying video review coming next week!)
What you get in this pack is the 3 console games, Uncharted : Drake’s Fortune, Uncharted 2 : Among Thieves & Uncharted 3 : Drake’s Deception. The Vita exclusive Golden Abyss is notably absent from this collection, but due to its inferiority, I don’t hear anyone complaining (well much…)
Uncharted : Drake’s Fortune
The game that started all has been beautifully restored, and while it doesn’t look as polished as The Last Of Us, the mechanics have dramatically improved with increased aiming ability and no more six axis motion controls when trying to walk over a log, it is already infinitely better than the PS3 version.
It does look dated a little as a complete overhaul would have been a garish task for BluePoint games to undertake, that being said there were still “WOW” moments when the vast scenery and sweeping camera motions took my breath away.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
The critically acclaimed “most popular” of the trilogy scared me a little at first, this game is considered by some as Naughty Dog’s greatest achievement (and to some degree it is true) so any attempt to rework this and something going wrong would surely rain down the wrath of a million fan boys, fortunately this is not the case at all. The levels, character models and gameplay shine on the Playstation 4 system, the climate, the falls and sheer terror are still as heart pounding and confronting as they were on the PS3 version.
Uncharted 3 : Drake’s Deception
The final game in the trilogy Drake’s Deception has a special place in my heart, the day of its original release, I took 2 annual leave days from work, it was raining, I remember rushing to EB Games to get my copy first thing, got back in my pj’s headed back to the couch and completely devoured this game for the next 2 days.
The graphics were mile ahead of the previous instalments, with the narrative and pacing switched up to give a “high stakes” feel that the previous games lacked. The blending of cinematic’s, action and story set the bar for big budget games and this translates just as well as The Last Of Us Remaster last year.
If you are new to the franchise, this is your chance to get into this experience before Uncharted 4 hits next year, dedicated franchise lovers (or ‘Charties as we like to call them!) will relish in this experience and is a great reason to finally let go of your old gen console, as now all the Naughty Dog GREAT games have been successfully remastered to the Playstation 4.
Look out for my video review next week on our YouTube channel, this is the FIRST game I have EVER given a 5/5 to! This is one of the hottest games on the PS4 this summer!
Review by Alaisdair Dewar
