Side note: I'm skipping Golden Abyss as I did a full review of it many moons ago. This is for the three main series titles.
So yeah, Uncharted. Heard good things about the franchise and I got the dual pack with my PS3. The third game was only $20 so I figured I'd get that too. And what can I say, literally some of the best games I've ever played.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Appropriately the motto of Sir Francis Drake is "greatness from small beginnings." The franchise follows a similar path as well. Drake's Fortune isn't a really great game, it's a solid offering but there's nothing very special about it. It's got some rather bland, generic TPS gameplay paced with platforming segments. However I can't recommend not playing it as it still has a good story and lays a solid foundation for the other two games. While the games don't have interconnected stories, they do have interconnected characters. This one introduces you to obviously Nathan, Sully, and Elena, so playing it is highly recommended for the other two. And if playing a decent game is a prerequisite to the other two games, it's well worth it.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
I can easily say this is one of the best games ever made. Just everything about it oozes excellence. It sports a stellar story with interesting characters, a perfect mix of drama, humor, and action. Personally, I'm a sucker for Indiana Jones (particularly Raiders of the Lost Ark) and these Uncharted games feel like a perfect homage to that material. It's like the perfect action movie, where it's able to be exciting but also have good characters with good arcs and a good plot.
Now people seem to be appalled at TPS gameplay because for some reason shooting guns is just "too cool" for them but it's worth noting how this TPS stands out from others. I do find most other TPS games are just ducking behind a chest high wall and playing Whack-A-Mole. You pop out, shoot someone, and pop back in. In this game, I found the level designs to actually be amazing. There's a real flow to how the shootouts work. It's not just going from cover to cover. Most every shootout has multiple paths to go through. Each of them leads you to different ways, advantages and disadvantages, to take out enemies. Combine that with a mix of Tomb Raider-esque platforming and it becomes a rather diverse TPS.
U2 also introduces some amazing set pieces that the first game didn't. Real action movie type stuff. I will say this gets upped in Uncharted 3, but more on that later.
So quite honestly, it's a flawless game. It's a rare mix of amazing action, smart level design, and great storytelling. Play this game.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Now, I'm still a bit on the fence between if this is better than Uncharted 2. I'm leaning more towards Uncharted 2. I just can't say fairly because this also has a co-op and multiplayer I haven't explored (I didn't play the U2 multiplayer either). Single player wise though, I think I'm gonna say Uncharted 2. Don't get me wrong, this game is still amazing and, again, one of the best games out there, but Uncharted 2 had, in my opinion, better villains and was a bit better paced. Admittedly Uncharted 3 starts out slowly, but considering the intro to Uncharted 2 was escaping a train falling off a cliff, that's hard to beat. This game delves more into Nathan and Sully's past. It shows how they met and it emphasizes the relationship between the two. Which is nice, it just feels a bit different since the other games were usually ending up with the dynamic between Elena and Nathan. I will say though that it's good it wasn't so predictable in that it echoed the other two games.
Set pieces though are really quite amazing here. I'd have to say one of the best scenes was just plainly walking through a desert. There's no shooting, you can't even run, you just walk. But it feels exactly like a movie should. It shows passage of time, it highlights Nathan's determination and willpower, and it's just a strong, cinematic scene.
I guess the big changes here are an updated hand-to-hand combat system which is a bit of love-hate for me. In past games, hand-to-hand combat was usually just a short segment. Drake's Fortune was a few punches and they fell down, Uncharted 2 it was a few punches and a counterattack, here it's a lot more elongated and it alternates. It improves the cinematic feel of the game but it becomes a real pain in the ass during gunfights, where you'll still be vulnerable but stuck in this hand-to-hand sequence. However, it does look really good, and it also adds environmental factors (using random items to defeat enemies). It kinda sets the foundation of The Last of Us in terms of dynamic gameplay.
While I can't say fully if this is better than Uncharted 2, it's still one of the best games I played. Also play this.
So overall, some of the best games ever made. Cry more.
So yeah, Uncharted. Heard good things about the franchise and I got the dual pack with my PS3. The third game was only $20 so I figured I'd get that too. And what can I say, literally some of the best games I've ever played.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Appropriately the motto of Sir Francis Drake is "greatness from small beginnings." The franchise follows a similar path as well. Drake's Fortune isn't a really great game, it's a solid offering but there's nothing very special about it. It's got some rather bland, generic TPS gameplay paced with platforming segments. However I can't recommend not playing it as it still has a good story and lays a solid foundation for the other two games. While the games don't have interconnected stories, they do have interconnected characters. This one introduces you to obviously Nathan, Sully, and Elena, so playing it is highly recommended for the other two. And if playing a decent game is a prerequisite to the other two games, it's well worth it.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
I can easily say this is one of the best games ever made. Just everything about it oozes excellence. It sports a stellar story with interesting characters, a perfect mix of drama, humor, and action. Personally, I'm a sucker for Indiana Jones (particularly Raiders of the Lost Ark) and these Uncharted games feel like a perfect homage to that material. It's like the perfect action movie, where it's able to be exciting but also have good characters with good arcs and a good plot.
Now people seem to be appalled at TPS gameplay because for some reason shooting guns is just "too cool" for them but it's worth noting how this TPS stands out from others. I do find most other TPS games are just ducking behind a chest high wall and playing Whack-A-Mole. You pop out, shoot someone, and pop back in. In this game, I found the level designs to actually be amazing. There's a real flow to how the shootouts work. It's not just going from cover to cover. Most every shootout has multiple paths to go through. Each of them leads you to different ways, advantages and disadvantages, to take out enemies. Combine that with a mix of Tomb Raider-esque platforming and it becomes a rather diverse TPS.
U2 also introduces some amazing set pieces that the first game didn't. Real action movie type stuff. I will say this gets upped in Uncharted 3, but more on that later.
So quite honestly, it's a flawless game. It's a rare mix of amazing action, smart level design, and great storytelling. Play this game.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Now, I'm still a bit on the fence between if this is better than Uncharted 2. I'm leaning more towards Uncharted 2. I just can't say fairly because this also has a co-op and multiplayer I haven't explored (I didn't play the U2 multiplayer either). Single player wise though, I think I'm gonna say Uncharted 2. Don't get me wrong, this game is still amazing and, again, one of the best games out there, but Uncharted 2 had, in my opinion, better villains and was a bit better paced. Admittedly Uncharted 3 starts out slowly, but considering the intro to Uncharted 2 was escaping a train falling off a cliff, that's hard to beat. This game delves more into Nathan and Sully's past. It shows how they met and it emphasizes the relationship between the two. Which is nice, it just feels a bit different since the other games were usually ending up with the dynamic between Elena and Nathan. I will say though that it's good it wasn't so predictable in that it echoed the other two games.
Set pieces though are really quite amazing here. I'd have to say one of the best scenes was just plainly walking through a desert. There's no shooting, you can't even run, you just walk. But it feels exactly like a movie should. It shows passage of time, it highlights Nathan's determination and willpower, and it's just a strong, cinematic scene.
I guess the big changes here are an updated hand-to-hand combat system which is a bit of love-hate for me. In past games, hand-to-hand combat was usually just a short segment. Drake's Fortune was a few punches and they fell down, Uncharted 2 it was a few punches and a counterattack, here it's a lot more elongated and it alternates. It improves the cinematic feel of the game but it becomes a real pain in the ass during gunfights, where you'll still be vulnerable but stuck in this hand-to-hand sequence. However, it does look really good, and it also adds environmental factors (using random items to defeat enemies). It kinda sets the foundation of The Last of Us in terms of dynamic gameplay.
While I can't say fully if this is better than Uncharted 2, it's still one of the best games I played. Also play this.
So overall, some of the best games ever made. Cry more.
