Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection Is A Timely Reminder Of The Series’ Brilliance

If ever a trilogy of last-gen games was worthy of a next-gen remastering – then this award-winning Playstation-exclusive series is it.

Comprising of Drake’s Fortune, Among Thieves and Drake’s Deception – we see treasure hunting Nathan Drake span the globe partaking in perilous white-knuckle adventures, all with incredibly intuitive award-winning gameplay among the backdrop of some gorgeously luscious jungles, deserts, and ancient cities.

What made the Uncharted games so damn good though is that feeling of adventure. Developer Naughty Dog was able to encapsulate that sensation of wonder, awe and mystery that we got while watching films like the Indiana Jones’ series or The Goonies.

Series hero Nathan Drake is that Goonie, chasing adventure and treasures, just all grown-up and with an AK47 in his hand.

But does that magic of those first discoveries hold up in the second time around? A profounding yes.

All three games from the core series, from Drake’s Fortune through to Drake’s Deception, emerge at 1080p resolution and, with rare exception, 60 frames per second. The crisp gains in image quality do wonders for Uncharted’s already ridiculously gorgeous locales and character models, where everything from the dense rain forest foliage to the stone walls of Nepal are jarringly detailed enough to almost touch.

The smoother frame-rate and refined visuals do also do wonders for the combat element of the Uncharted games (particularly the first game), which, to be fair, is fun but of its lesser loved facets. Shooting is now a bit more accurate and responsive, but you’ll still have to deal with some bullet-sponge mercenaries and cheap deaths (I’m looking at you, grenade-launcher bad guys).

Along with the lack of multiplayer (which featured in the latter two games), the package does come up a bit short when it comes to extra behind-the-scenes materials (likely in order to squeeze all three games onto a single disc). That said, it’s still a valuable package that delivers the bang for your buck.

As for the overall experience itself, it’s hard to not recommend the Nathan Drake Collection. While put together by BluePoint Games, this is a true testament to the labour of love from Naughty Dog’s efforts over the past 8 years with the franchise. It’s still that Indiana Jones-style adventure full of glorious shootouts, acrobatic fisticuffs, and one spectacular catastrophe after another, and playing them again will undoubtedly whet your appetite before the fourth game – A Thief’s End – which hits next year.

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