As alluded to in the last thread, this time we look at a popular franchise that will feel like it strains the definition of retro however, like several others that have and haven't survived till today, it began in the early days of the last generation of consoles to its origins now rest in the buried tombs of retro:
Mainline Entry 01 - Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Formats: Playstation 3 and Playstation 4
Coming off the back of wrapping up the Jak and Daxter series, Naughty Dog went for something much less animal led for their next game instead focusing on making something that mirrored big budget movies and with the visuals to suit that task. Taking on the role of treasure hunter Nathan Drake, you found yourself pulled along a spectacle fuelled adventure that was very story and character driven. Despite the stature of the franchise the original represented a place as a grower receiving mostly 8's in reviews on release and selling well but taking a few months to clear its first million. It was a solid beginning though with the game resonating with most who played it and Naughty Dog was quick to attempt to build on this foundation with a sequel.
Mainline Entry 02 - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Formats: Playstation 3 and Playstation 4
The aim of the sequel was simple, to refine the gameplay of the first whilst evolving the visuals and amping up the scale of the action. A few new characters appeared in the sequel that moved beyond the jungle setting of the original to showcase a variety of locations that began with the impressive and well known snowy train wreckage scene. Arriving in the middle of the PS3's prime the game caught attentions fast and on release was widely acclaimed for its polish as well as the success of integrating a multiplayer mode for the first time. The game would go on to sell over twice what its predecessor accomplished making the series a front runner of Sony's.
Mainline Entry 03 - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Formats: Playstation 3 and Playstation 4
The last entry of the generation and the last to be helmed by the series original creators. The third game didn't deliver as impressive a visual leap as the second game mostly due to how little the host system had left to offer but a heavy focus on European and sand based locations created variety from the previous game. With an expanded multiplayer mode the games tale of an ever weary Drake added new moves and was critically acclaimed on release, also outselling the lifetime sales of the first entry within days. The main criticism on release came regarding changes to the aiming controls however this was soon patched out and the aiming system from the second game reinstated. The complaint persisted for a long while despite the patch arriving around 4 weeks post-release. Lifetime sales for the game would go on to be only slightly behind the second game.
Spin Off Entry 01 - Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Formats: Playstation Vita
Arriving soon after the third game came this handheld entry that aimed to showcase Sony's new portable by not downsizing the franchise experience and instead offering a full adventure in the palm of your hands. The game did make obvious cuts to its visuals and scale but the small screen masked a lot of this and the transition was impressively close. An entirely new game, it included touch and motion controls which went down less well and the game received slightly lowered scores because of this. It remains to this day solely available on the handheld having been left out of later remasters.
Mainline Entry 04 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Formats: Playstation 4
Standing as the sole main entry of this generation, the fourth game also aimed to wrap up the tale of Nate. Typically Naughty Dog hadn't carried franchises over to the next generation of consoles so a fourth games existence was impressive and showed the clout the series had built. Internal scuffles and changes meant the final product was influenced by those who wrapped it up, the studios B-Team responsible for the highly successful Last of Us and the game shows this in some small ways. Once again a format visual showcase, the game expands Nate's moves again and folds those additions into the latest multiplayer mode. The game was yet another to receive widespread acclaim on its release and it now stands as the highest selling entry.
Spin Off Entry 02 - Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Formats: Playstation 4
Born as DLC for the fourth game, Naughty Dog expanded the experience and sold this as a stand alone title in lieu of the fifth entry. Following on from the fourth games events, the new title focused on Chloe instead as the lead going on a relatively similar adventure given the reuse of assets from the main game. Well received again it suffered a little due to issues being raised over how little it offered that went beyond the fourth game despite that not being the point of the project. The series now waits in a rested state though Naughty Dog remains open to the idea of continuing the franchise beyond Nathan Drake.
Share your thoughts and memories of the Uncharted series
Mainline Entry 01 - Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Formats: Playstation 3 and Playstation 4
Coming off the back of wrapping up the Jak and Daxter series, Naughty Dog went for something much less animal led for their next game instead focusing on making something that mirrored big budget movies and with the visuals to suit that task. Taking on the role of treasure hunter Nathan Drake, you found yourself pulled along a spectacle fuelled adventure that was very story and character driven. Despite the stature of the franchise the original represented a place as a grower receiving mostly 8's in reviews on release and selling well but taking a few months to clear its first million. It was a solid beginning though with the game resonating with most who played it and Naughty Dog was quick to attempt to build on this foundation with a sequel.
Mainline Entry 02 - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Formats: Playstation 3 and Playstation 4
The aim of the sequel was simple, to refine the gameplay of the first whilst evolving the visuals and amping up the scale of the action. A few new characters appeared in the sequel that moved beyond the jungle setting of the original to showcase a variety of locations that began with the impressive and well known snowy train wreckage scene. Arriving in the middle of the PS3's prime the game caught attentions fast and on release was widely acclaimed for its polish as well as the success of integrating a multiplayer mode for the first time. The game would go on to sell over twice what its predecessor accomplished making the series a front runner of Sony's.
Mainline Entry 03 - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Formats: Playstation 3 and Playstation 4
The last entry of the generation and the last to be helmed by the series original creators. The third game didn't deliver as impressive a visual leap as the second game mostly due to how little the host system had left to offer but a heavy focus on European and sand based locations created variety from the previous game. With an expanded multiplayer mode the games tale of an ever weary Drake added new moves and was critically acclaimed on release, also outselling the lifetime sales of the first entry within days. The main criticism on release came regarding changes to the aiming controls however this was soon patched out and the aiming system from the second game reinstated. The complaint persisted for a long while despite the patch arriving around 4 weeks post-release. Lifetime sales for the game would go on to be only slightly behind the second game.
Spin Off Entry 01 - Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Formats: Playstation Vita
Arriving soon after the third game came this handheld entry that aimed to showcase Sony's new portable by not downsizing the franchise experience and instead offering a full adventure in the palm of your hands. The game did make obvious cuts to its visuals and scale but the small screen masked a lot of this and the transition was impressively close. An entirely new game, it included touch and motion controls which went down less well and the game received slightly lowered scores because of this. It remains to this day solely available on the handheld having been left out of later remasters.
Mainline Entry 04 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Formats: Playstation 4
Standing as the sole main entry of this generation, the fourth game also aimed to wrap up the tale of Nate. Typically Naughty Dog hadn't carried franchises over to the next generation of consoles so a fourth games existence was impressive and showed the clout the series had built. Internal scuffles and changes meant the final product was influenced by those who wrapped it up, the studios B-Team responsible for the highly successful Last of Us and the game shows this in some small ways. Once again a format visual showcase, the game expands Nate's moves again and folds those additions into the latest multiplayer mode. The game was yet another to receive widespread acclaim on its release and it now stands as the highest selling entry.
Spin Off Entry 02 - Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Formats: Playstation 4
Born as DLC for the fourth game, Naughty Dog expanded the experience and sold this as a stand alone title in lieu of the fifth entry. Following on from the fourth games events, the new title focused on Chloe instead as the lead going on a relatively similar adventure given the reuse of assets from the main game. Well received again it suffered a little due to issues being raised over how little it offered that went beyond the fourth game despite that not being the point of the project. The series now waits in a rested state though Naughty Dog remains open to the idea of continuing the franchise beyond Nathan Drake.
Share your thoughts and memories of the Uncharted series
Comment