Uncharted is one of my favorite game series by my absolute favorite developer, Naughty Dog. This is a game I have played through countless times but I never really played it with a critical eye before. I love making list here so let’s review and rank all the Uncharted games. I may have to even dust off my vita for Golden Abyss. n

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Reviewed on PlayStation 5

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“Greatness from small beginnings”

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Uncharted originally came out in 2007 but I missed it when it first released. It was not until I saw a trailer for Uncharted 2 that I said “wow” and decided to play the first game. I was immediately hooked by the game and played through it twice back to back. I played it many more times over the years and when the Nathan Drake collection came out in 2015 I had a new way to keep playing one of my favorite franchises.

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Playing through it now in 2022 I took the rose colored glasses off and really took a look at the game and found some issues that I have always overlooked since the game was so much fun.

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Let’s start with the good. Even in 2022 the game still looks great. It shows its age in some sections but you don’t look at it and say it looks like an old game. The voice acting and animations are all top notch as well. Because of Nolan North’s performance as Drake I found my self playing other games he was the lead in just because I liked hearing him speak. I have a recent exception to this with Assasins Creed 3 but more on that at a later date.

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The story in Uncharted is similar to other stories we have seen but the cinematic presentation and fantastic voice actors elevate the story well above average.n

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I love the relationship building the game has between Nate and Sully, and Nate and Elena. I love all three of these characters and were always rooting for them all. The cast of villains in this game while a little stereotypical, was still decent. A more solid villain would have really added to the motivations you already have since the main characters are so well done.

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I remember for the time, the climbing in this game was so well done and so much faster and more fluid than we were used to seeing in other games. By today’s standards it’s still good but can get a little clunky in some areas.

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The core gameplay mechanic is shooting and sadly the shooting is the weakest part of the game. The shooting is not bad but it does not do special either. The guns all have a similar feel and sound to them making no one gun really standout. There is also a lot of sway when aiming your weapon making me miss a lot of shots. Nothing stops a heart pounding action movie moment like missing five shots in a row.

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Verdict

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Uncharted Drakes Fortune is a great stepping stone into what became a major game franchise. The main characters are all voiced and animated well and the overall story is great. The shooting may not hold up but this is still a game worthy of playing over and over again.

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Final Score 7/10