Uncharted Ranking - Into the Unknown

The good, the bad and the quippy

Earlier this year, I finished playing through the entire Uncharted series. Well, nearly the entire series. Uncharted: Golden Abyss is locked to the Vita, a console I don't have, and I understand that the less said about that card spinoff, the better. After I played through Tomb Raider's 'Survivor Trilogy' I was hungry for more action-adventure, globetrotting content. With how much they said this trilogy was inspired by Uncharted, it was the natural next step to take and made for a great birthday present. 

These games are lovely, Indiana Jones-style action adventure games that were the PS3´s premiere series for a reason and I enjoyed my time with them. With the series´ own birthday in November pushing it back in my mind, a list started to form. Which ones are my favourites and which ones are less favoured? And so, the list you see here came to be. Maybe not the most fitting way to the end of the year, but I don't care. It's the post I'm ending it on simply because I want to. 

With the quick disclaimer that this is my personal, subjective list based on enjoyment and not an objective quality-based ranking, let's talk about Uncharted and get this list started. 

5. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

The first game on my list is also the first game period. 2007's Drake's Fortune. Why is it at the bottom? Because out of all the games, it's just the roughest to get through. Because in gameplay, to me, it felt more like a PS2 title than a PS3 one. Why? Well, it's very much a feeling I had when playing the game but the best description is that it didn't feel very refined. 

Even in the PS4 remaster with its improved controls, I remember the game didn't control quite right. There was a lot of finnicking involved in positioning and aiming and that wasn´t very enjoyable. I also felt the level design was... constrained. More claustrophobic and linear. Ugh. Describing feelings and impressions can be hard sometimes! Anyhoo, I think you get the picture. 

The last, and perhaps the biggest, thing I didn't like was the supernatural element this title threw in with those mutated humans and the curse of El Dorado. I have no issue with Tomb Raider's magical shenanigans, I'm even crossing my fingers that the new Tomb Raider will play that up a bit more, but I don't find it fits Uncharted. 

Before playing, I was under the impression that Tomb Raider having magic and Uncharted not was one of the big differences between the two series. When I look at the supernatural elements of Drake's Fortune and Among Thieves, I´ve got 3 complaints with them. 

One, they're not very interesting with how it's just monsters and plagues. Nothing more. Two, they come very late in the game which makes them feel that much more like an afterthought. Third, Nate's quippy everyman persona works well when it bounces off humans but not when monsters are on the receiving end of it. 

And that's really all I have to say. For the rest, I was impressed by the game and enjoyed it very much. I didn't give it a positive review and played the rest of the series for nothing after all. However, if you take these issues and the fact that later games would refine the series' identity, it all adds up to the least enjoyable game in the series. One that I wouldn't mind getting a remake one day.

4. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Following the first game in the series is... the last game in the series. 

The Lost Legacy is one of those 'half-sequels' Sony has done a couple of. What is a half-sequel? Well, it's my preferred term for a title that is smack dab in the middle between DLC/Expansion and a full-blown sequel. It's bigger than your typical expansion and is its own standalone release but is not big enough to be considered a full game. Well, in its genre at least. 

It's this status as a half-sequel which is why it's only number 4. It just doesn't hit that hard nor does it have the time it needs to develop its unique ideas. When I say 'ideas' I am mostly talking about one thing: the open-zone playground that is Act 2. Expanding on the large driving section in A Thieves' End, the Indian Jungle you visit has a couple of ruins littered throughout that Chloe and Nadine can visit in any order you want. 

In other words: it tries its hand in turning Uncharted's linear experience into a more open one. A neat idea that is the one thing I'd point to as to why this is an interesting title to check out. 

The rest of the game is well-made, but underwhelming. Chloe is not a bad protagonist at all but she doesn't have that Nathan Drake wit. The story is fun but shallow and there are only 2 action set pieces, one of which has already been done before. I know, I know, all of this is a natural consequence of the small size of the game and that's what you pay for, but other half-sequels such as Spider-Man: Miles Morales offer more while in the same boat.

  

3. Uncharted: Among Thieves

And there is my controversial pick for the number 3 slot. The jump in quality between Drake's Fortune and Among Thieves is a big one. With one successful outing under their belt, Naughty Dog was no longer in uncharted territory (wink, wink). They had invented this action-adventure wheel for themselves and now knew what worked and what didn't. They had solid ground to build on top of, and built on top of it they did. 

Uncharted 2 has none of those rough edges of Drake's Fortune I talked about. Every area has been touched up, from more open-level design to more gameplay layers to more precise and smoother controls. With a greater emphasis on spectacle and hitting right around the time, Sony cut the price of the PS3 and launched a new marketing campaign to turn the console's fortunes around, I understand why it is so revered these days. It was a great game that came out at just the right moment. 

I, however, am not in this 'Among Thieves is the best' camp. I'm still not down for the mythical elements at play here, which this game even pulls a fake out on that made me believe Naughty Dog had learned its lesson. I'm disappointed Sully isn't in the game much, I think Chloe in this game is more annoying and aggravating than anything and else the less said about the big bad, the better. 

Looking back, I also don't remember as many moments from this game as I do the games that follow it. You can thus say it didn't leave as big of an impression on me. Not enough to remember more than just the big swings. For a game that has such thrilling action and a snowy mountainous region as its main setting, a setting I usually eat up, that's quite telling.  

2. Uncharted: A Thieves' End

Just one step away from the top spot is the grand finale to Nathan Drake's story and the biggest game in the franchise, in no small parts thanks to the PS4 arriving on the scene. The game I was playing when my right eye decided to conk out but that´s a whole other story. 

With arguably the most in-depth narrative in the series you might´ve thought A Thieves' End would be number one to a self-proclaimed 'story guy' like me. That isn't the case due to a few flaws it has but that story is still a big factor in why it's number 2. 

This is the title that doesn't just put Nathan through the wringer in ways the other haven't but is one that looks back at the last 3 installments to create an introspective adventure for Nate. 

It gives us a well-told story, yes, but it's still flawed with some usual suspects. The bad guys remain an issue, bland as always. I also am not too happy with the ending. I respect it but it's not the direction I would've gone and did leave somewhat of a bitter taste in my mouth. I feel, and emphasis on the feel, that this is due to Neil Druckmann taking over the director's chair halfway through development. 

That really is it with this game. Gameplay wise there's not much that really matters here. Yes, I would've liked it if you could still pick up and throw back grenades and whatnot but all the other stuff is pretty great. Especially Nate and Sam's big chase sequence through that one city. 

1. Uncharted: Drake's Deception

I feel that putting Drake's Deception at number 1 invites a bit of controversy. With Among Thieves, the series went from walking to running. Drake's Deception, by this comparison, didn't sprint but just kept on running at the same pace. It pulled the same tricks as Among Thieves but, for many, not as well. Combine this with the step back that is the reworked gun mechanics and you get a game that many fans see as good, but not as good as its big brother. 

I can see these criticisms, especially in the gunplay, but this is my favourite Uncharted title regardless. How come? It all comes down to three points really. The story puts a lot of focus on Sully and his relationship with Nate, the action setpieces and visuals and, to a lesser extent, all the stuff you can do in combat. 

Sully is perhaps my favourite character in the series so putting firmly in the 'deuteragonist' spot for this outing with lots of screentime, a flashback to his youth and a deep dive into the bond he has with Nate was a treat to experience. That the big bad is a woman from Sully's past and is finally a villain that doesn't bore me is just icing on the cake. 

The (action) setpieces for Drake's Deception are the ones I immediately think of when this trademark aspect of the series comes up. The plane sequence got borrowed for the movie for good reason and the ship graveyard has a sense of scale and awe that has yet to be topped with the subsequent upside-down cruise ship being no slouch either. 

Then there is the combat. Yes, the gunplay is not as fluid or responsive as it was but the better stealth and the increased versatility of Nate more than makes up for it. Stealth is a very viable option here and there are plenty of interactable environment elements to play with and strategize around in combat encounters. That and throwing a grenade back in a goon's face is oh-so satisfying. 

In short, whenever I think of Uncharted and everything it brings to the table, all the examples my mind comes up with are from Drake's Deception. That is the best reason why it's number 1. Simply put, I had the most fun with it and the one that remember the most. 

Nuff said.