I Don't Get the Uncharted Phenomenon

Table of Contents

• I Don't Get the Uncharted Phenomenon
• But there's nothing here!
• Better does not mean good

Better does not mean good

I keep talking about the first installment, but this is a series of four games. I don't want to elaborate too much, so I'll just mention that it gets better. Every element is more interesting in the second installment, but not enough to suddenly make me say that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a brilliant game. It's correctly executed, but still with many drawbacks. They were all pretty much identical in terms of mechanics. Shooting got a bit better, the balance between sightseeing and clashes was improved, the characters are a bit better written. However, there were no major changes! It's also true for the third installment. Individual elements were improved, some minor novelties appeared, but the core remained unchanged. It's more of the same: a dry sense of humor, a mediocre shooting model, and, above all, automated, spectacle-oriented gameplay.

The elephant scene is arguably the best thing in the entire series.

It's a little better in the case of part four, where I finally got a reasonably good shooting experience (although it still can't hold a candle to Max Payne 3 by any means). Weapons seemed to have more unique character, enemies reacted better to gunshots, and gunplay became more satisfying. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is far too long a game, however. I wasn't entirely convinced by the implementation of a more open location, where we could freely drive around (fully linear games have been out of fashion for some time now). The pace of the game slowed down for some reason, and the fourth installment is surely not as intense as its predecessors.

Nonetheless, I found it to be the best installment for a while, even if it made me tired (as all of them did). Perhaps because of the slightly more serious tone? I can't quite find an answer. Especially since the protagonist was still the annoying Nathan, and his companion was the even more annoying Sam.

That leaves us with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy – a sort of add-on to the series that allowed you to play as Chloe Frazer, a side character so far. Today, this is my favorite installment. I definitely liked this smaller, more condensed form better. I also prefer Chloe and Nadine to Nathan and Sam. I found the dialogues and the relationship of the protagonists much more interesting to follow. I was a little disappointed with the main villain, but again – they weren't very convincing in any installment. Now, as I rehearsed the sequels for this text, I felt like I was seeing them for the first time. That's how memorable they are.

However, I'm convinced that without eye-catching visuals, these titles wouldn't be half as appreciated. Back in the days of PlayStation 3, people that used to scorn games ate their liver and became interested. Today, this is even more noticeable. Precisely because of the games that have a problem in being real life games. In the real sense of the word. That's my main issue with this series.

I am nearing the end of this text. So it would be appropriate to sum it up somehow and speak about one more key element. I definitely appreciate the graphics. The entire Uncharted series and The Last of Us are top-notch in this regard, and high production value can never be denied to games by Naughty Dog. However, I'm convinced that without the visual bells and whistles, the aforementioned titles wouldn't be half as appreciated. My dislike of the productions in question, stems largely from this. On the other hand, I find it easier to appreciate them today, as linear games are becoming a thing of the past, with open worlds being all the rage right now.