[rwp-review id=”0″]
Not too long back, Naughty Dog studios ran a bit of an analysis of their consumer base and they came across an interesting statistic – approximately 80% of Playstation 4 users have never played the Uncharted series. This is both surprising and not really surprising because even though it’s perplexing to imagine that the figure is that high, yet at the same time if we logically reason it out, many of the PS4 purchases would have been made by those new to consoles or switching over console brands; it should be reinstated that I am merely assuming all this and the facts may be reasoned differently in the statistical date.
So, what was Naughty Dog’s solution to this? Remaster, remaster, remaster; a wise decision, indeed.
Now, I’m a part of 80% because I had switched over to the PS4 to satiate my current-gen gaming needs but before that I used a pre-gen console of a different brand, thus in the process I missed out many of the exclusives that the PS3 was renowned for and ‘Uncharted’ was one of them. So, as I write this review – many of the points I will be stating will not be from a perspective of relativity but from a fresh perspective of someone new to the whole series.
Bluepoint games were the ones responsible for converting the trilogy to current standards, and they have done a terrific job of doing so – the series looks stellar with its lock-in 60 FPS and resolution of 1080p, all with the exception of Drake’s Fortune. Now, it’s not to say that Drake’s Fortune isn’t at par with the specs but in process of conversion, it is quite apparent that the first in the series hasn’t aged all that well. The first couple of hours of the game gave off this ‘uncanny valley’ vibe that overtime subsided but could be jarringly obvious throughout certain moments in the game.
The same cannot be said about the other two – Among Thieves and Drake’s Deception look stunning!
I found myself at times roaming about in certain areas, not to solve a puzzle or find ways to move into the next section of the game but rather to just admire the beauty of the environment – be it from the lush greenery of wilderness to the dreary allure of temples, these two games have been polished meticulously and it really shows. Straying away from that objective because your eye caught the glimpse of a nearby wall carving or a frame of grandiose scenery will be commonplace, and that truly goes to show how good of a job this game does in terms of visually enticing the player.
The uncharted series back in its time wasn’t just known for its gritty graphics and intricate environments but also known for its hard-hitting gameplay, so how does it match up to current standards? Once again, yes for Among Thieves and Drake’s Deception, and somewhat no for Drake’s Fortune. The playthrough of the first title was a tad bit off-putting especially the platforming, which is surprising because Uncharted sells itself as predominately being a platformer. Coupled with this clumsy mechanic are environments that require precision traversing, so after watching Nathan Drake fall to his death off a cliff just because the controls make it tasking to maneuver 2 inches left after a jump, can be quite infuriating.
The shooting mechanics are boilerplate at best, with plenty of room for improvements especially to the occasional stiffness of the crosshairs coming in the way of precision shooting. Juxtapose to this is the tight mechanics of the other two in the series. Both games deliver strong platforming, with fluidity of controls coming hand-in-hand with the demand for precision movement.
This is exceptionally seen in few set pieces littered throughout both games, one of the set pieces being the infamous train wreck sequence from Among Thieves. Even the shooting and melee mechanics are an absolute thrill, with far less clunkiness bolstering the experience of the tight-knit action sequences that really bring the games to a full circle. Compared to the puzzles sections in Drake’s Fortune the other two titles boast more complex sequences.
You will find yourself repeatedly failing and trying again, and this in itself is a sign of a good puzzle platformer – it makes you work hard, and when it pays off, it pays off in abundance.
The one constant inconsistency in all three games are the camera angles. This jarring flaw is made very obvious during the numerous chase scenes in Among Thieves and Drake’s Deception, at times the camera works perfectly in inducing a visceral sense of fear when you’re frantically trying to make a break for it, and during the other times it gets stiff and consequently you find yourself running off a cliff just because the camera didn’t automatically pan down a bit to show the ground clearance; more often than not this diffuses the sense of urgency that is expected to be felt in those particular set pieces.
Finally, what about the story?
A trilogy such as this that sets its foundations on an amalgamated ground of Indiana Jones meets Lara croft, would naturally be expected to have a flawless storyline, sadly that isn’t always the case. Drake’s Fortune, once again, suffers from the lack of cohesive narration, with the majority of the middle section of the game being void of any actual character development. But yet again, the latter titles improve upon the shallow narrative and manage to create a heart-felt, captivating story. The only consistent blemish in the story throughout all three games is how the gameplay breaks away from the character portrayals.
Essentially, Nathan and most of his comrades are not killers and that is made quite apparent in the cutscenes and the interactions between the characters
But all that is defenestrated the moment bad guys come into the frame, and you find yourself mowing down enemies using machine guns, pistols and grenades…without even flinching. This sort of break in the story does make one ponder about whether if this whole treasure-hunter gimmick is just a guise for him to go with foreign lands and massacre lots of brown people.
One can see from Drake’s Fortune that Naughty Dog were still getting a hold of the ropes when creating the stepping stones for the series, it is plagued with a deluge of problems both in narrative and gameplay.
Thankfully, Among Thieves and Drake’s Deception go the extra 10 miles to make up for all the shortcomings of the predecessor. Relatively strong narrative and stronger gameplay drive those two games to the top of the metaphorical hill, all of this packaged with a heavy wallop of grittiness and rush.
For those of you who are well-acquainted with the series, there are some new modes to try out such as the speed-running mode which lets you time how long it takes for you to finish each game, and even the all-new ‘Brutal’ difficulty. Overall, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection offers something to both newcomers and veterans of the series as well as the genre of platform-puzzle-shooter.
