UNCHARTED: The Nathan Drake Collection - PlayStation 4

I have never played any Uncharted games before purchasing this collection. I have a PS4 and thought, "why not get some of the best games for the PS3?" I have also played, and thoroughly enjoyed The Last of Us, which is by the same developer (Naught Dog) as Uncharted 1-3. For the price this might be one of the best gaming values since The Orange Box. Three fantastic games, each one taking about 8-10 hours to complete (could be much more if you are a trophy hunter) and every second of the time is enjoyable, particularly Uncharted 2. Fantastic. It is also very nice to have them all on one disc so when one is finished just hop onto the next one. Here is a review of each individually.Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - This game was released in 2007, and can at times feel a bit, but I am getting ahead of myself. You play as Nathan Drake, a descendant of Sir Francis Drake searching for the fabled city of gold, El Dorado. There are other important characters, all of which get their own development (except the bad guys) and overall the story feels pretty solid, even if sometimes you are not exactly sure why these people are shooting at you, they just are. The mechanics leave something to be desired at items, but overall are pretty good. Drake is very physically adept and spends much of his time leaping and climbing from ledge to ledge and you occasionally leap to a ledge and the game thinks "Jump to that ledge or drop to your death? I am pretty sure you meant drop to your death" And it does. There are various difficulty levels from “Easy” to “Crushing” so it does allow you to choose your own frustration, depending on how experienced you are with shooters. The graphics look better than 2007 graphics due to the game being remastered by BluePoint Games and really, they’re pretty good, nothing special, but they never get in the way. Overall though, the game play is fun, the shooting mechanism is pretty good, and the story is excellent. Also, you don't NEED to play this one first, but I do highly recommend it for story pieces in the second game.8.5/10.Uncharted: Among Thieves - Among Thieves was released in 2009, but feels almost brand new when you play it. This has been called one of the greatest video games of all time, and I can see why. The gameplay in this one is relatively similar to the first with Drake climbing and Jumping all over the place, and shooting the baddies with the copious amounts of ammo lying around. However, almost every gripe about mechanics in the first Uncharted is fixed for this one. The game is incredible. The physical things Drake does feels more natural and intuitive, falling to your death on accident is less common and even the shooting mechanics are improved. The story is very solid now with pretty much every aspect being explained clearly, but the real bonus to this game is the variety of landscapes, scenery, characters and mechanics required throughout the story. Each plot arc feels like it could be its own game. I would love to say I have something bad about this game, but it is pretty much perfect. If I absolutely had to pick an issue, I would say that sometimes, the game can’t tell if you meant “jump to the ledge” or “reach for the ledge” which can make the movement a little spotty, but believe me, that is rare and just me searching for a problem.9.9/10Uncharted: Drake’s Deception – Drakes Deception was released in 2011, but the graphics look great and the game feels very modern. The stellar reviews for this game are legitimate. I will have to agree with most and say it is not quite as good as Uncharted 2, but it is only because 2 was so extraordinary. The story again is good, going into the backstory of Nate and Sully’s relationship and introducing a new main character. It all works together and keeps you engrossed throughout your play through. The puzzles in this one seem to be more complex and fun than the other two as well, challenging, but still relatively quick to get through. I enjoyed them most in this game. This game did feel a little more glitchy than the other two however, when it came to just general exploring and gun battles. Enemies would be dead, but still standing (sounds creepier now that I write it) so you keep shooting them waiting for them to die, wasting time and bullets. There was also an instance where a treasure or collectible was sitting on a table and the game would not let me pick it up. I don’t know what it was, but there are achievements for collectibles and if I was attempting them on this play through, that would have been extremely frustrating. All of that aside, the game is still great, and is worth a play if you have a PS4.9.2/10This collection is an incredible value. The gameplay is great, the graphics are beautiful and they are worth playing for the story alone. If you have a PS$ there is no reason not to own this collection.9.5/10NOTE: This collection is only the single-player parts of the game; no multiplayer is included.

After seeing the film, I felt compelled to try this franchise, and I'm very happy with the gameplay, it's exactly my kind of game.

I was an Xbox owner for years which kept me locked out of the Uncharted world, so when I finally shelled for a PS4 in July, I eagerly awaited the release of The Nathan Drake Collection. I spent the last month playing through all three games and I can confidently say that this is one of the best values in gaming. Now for a quick run through...Drake's Fortune is a competent game with some gorgeous environments that serves as a gleeful homage to films like Indiana Jones or National Treasure. While the story and setting captures the spirit of those movies, the gameplay is pretty redundant and limited and alternates between climbing same-looking walls and shooting a bunch of enemies in large open areas. In short, it's fun, but shows its age and is easily the weakest of the three. However...Among Thieves opens with a bang and never lets up. The gunplay, the platforming, the environments--just everything in the sequel to Uncharted capitalizes on the promise of the original and shifts the appeal from the cutscenes and general aesthetic to the gameplay. Uncharted 2 is filled with scripted moments that feel thrilling and cinematic, but also totally organic. I can't tell you the number of times I jumped from one moving vehicle to another at just the right second or shot something that resulted in a huge and explosive chain reaction leaving me with a stupid grin on my face. All of this looked as cool as anything in Uncharted cut-scenes, but this time it was happening while I was in full control of Nate. Uncharted 2 is the first time I've played an action game that truly felt like I was the star of some nutty Hollywood blockbuster. Which brings us to Uncharted 3.Drake's Deception is also a really, really good game. It is an evolution much like U2 and focuses on an even more cinematic approach to storytelling, which is admirable, but also its greatest fault. U3 is arguably every bit as good as 2, but to me, it feels a bit more on-rails. The storytelling is visceral and exciting, but occasionally at the expense of 2's interactivity.Summary: even with the first Uncharted's lackluster gameplay and lack of variety, this is still an incredible collection. If anything, the first game being a comparatively lesser experience only serves to highlight the improvement of Uncharted across titles. The visuals and 60fps presentation make for one of the best-looking next-gen experiences I've had and the second two games are two of the very best I've ever played. If you (like me) never played these games for PS3, then I cannot recommend this collection more highly. This is one of the best franchises in gaming. Period.