The original version of the first Uncharted game was the first game I ever played on my PS3, back in 2017. I was fairly late to the party, having only played PC games before finally got a PS3 to check out all the exclusives I kept hearing about. As a fan of Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider, Uncharted was the natural starting point.
I'd love to say that I instantly fell in love with the series - except I didn't. I was under the impression that I'd get to experience a globe trotting adventure, but the game mostly took place on a single island with repetitive environments. The jungle Drake traversed didn't even look that great, didn't this come out the same year as the first Crysis?! The game's atrocious performance didn't help it's case either.
In hindsight, I was perhaps too harsh on the game. Knowing more about the PS3's particular architecture, I can now recognize Uncharted as the impressive game that it was. It's also a noticeable step towards the cinematic presentation Naughty Dog games are known for today, although still fairly reliant on video game tropes.
That's not to say the writing is bad, the opposite is the case. All three leads feel like fully formed characters, and none of them are stereotypically "good guys". Elena suprised me again and again on my second playthrough, for example when she remarked that she wishes she had her camera with her after finding the body of an impaled soldier. She even pushes Drake to continue the hunt for the treasure when he's about to give up, a very welcome reversal of the role women often have in these adventure stories.
The story is campy at times, which I quite enjoyed. Some plot points border on the supernatural, and I wish the insanity of fighting off zombie-like creatures with Nazi machine guns had carried on into some of the later sequels. I'm genuinely suprised the game still carries a Teen rating considering some of the content in the game.
Combat is much more enjoyable in this remastered version, mainly because of the jump to a more stable 60 fps (the original often struggled with reaching 30). It's perhaps not as polished as Gears of Wars' combat loop was on the competing 360, but still a lot of fun. Guns feel powerful, especially the shotgun and Desert Eagle. Both send enemies flying backwards in a hilariously over the top fashion. Melee combat feels underdeveloped in comparison, but is thankfully optional.
It is worth mentioning that Uncharted can be a pretty brutal game at times. I opted for the second lowest difficulty ("easy") and found the challenge mostly enjoyable, but I can imagine that on normal or higher, things look different. Enemies with laser targeting always kill in a single hit, and enemies carrying a grenade launcher also occasionally one shot me.
Climbing, the other half of the core gameplay, is fairly simplistic and linear. Some of the climbable ledges can be a bit hard to spot due to the heightened detail of the remaster, but it's almost impossible to get stuck due to the hint system. Nate's jump distance seems to vary depending on the set piece and it often feels like he's dragged towards ledges during jumps, making it occasionally difficult to judge whether he can reach certain spots. I've also had the game bug out on me at one point, with Nate repeatedly not grabbing a ledge.
Boosts in resolution and frame rate aside, the most obvious improvements of the remaster have to be the reworked environments. There are more plants, making the jungle seem more densely grown, and textures see resolution boosts. As for the negatives, the game's lighting is often flat, especially noticeable in cutscenes. Faces often lack self-shadows and seem almost waxen at times. The game does certainly look better when compared to the original, but it's far removed from from the likes of Uncharted 4.
All in all, I've had a fun time with this remastered version. The game is fairly short and the writing and shooting mechanics kept me engaged throughout. At the same time, the series has come a long way and the novelty the game had in 2007 has worn off over time, making its flaws more visible.
I'd love to say that I instantly fell in love with the series - except I didn't. I was under the impression that I'd get to experience a globe trotting adventure, but the game mostly took place on a single island with repetitive environments. The jungle Drake traversed didn't even look that great, didn't this come out the same year as the first Crysis?! The game's atrocious performance didn't help it's case either.
In hindsight, I was perhaps too harsh on the game. Knowing more about the PS3's particular architecture, I can now recognize Uncharted as the impressive game that it was. It's also a noticeable step towards the cinematic presentation Naughty Dog games are known for today, although still fairly reliant on video game tropes.
That's not to say the writing is bad, the opposite is the case. All three leads feel like fully formed characters, and none of them are stereotypically "good guys". Elena suprised me again and again on my second playthrough, for example when she remarked that she wishes she had her camera with her after finding the body of an impaled soldier. She even pushes Drake to continue the hunt for the treasure when he's about to give up, a very welcome reversal of the role women often have in these adventure stories.
The story is campy at times, which I quite enjoyed. Some plot points border on the supernatural, and I wish the insanity of fighting off zombie-like creatures with Nazi machine guns had carried on into some of the later sequels. I'm genuinely suprised the game still carries a Teen rating considering some of the content in the game.
Combat is much more enjoyable in this remastered version, mainly because of the jump to a more stable 60 fps (the original often struggled with reaching 30). It's perhaps not as polished as Gears of Wars' combat loop was on the competing 360, but still a lot of fun. Guns feel powerful, especially the shotgun and Desert Eagle. Both send enemies flying backwards in a hilariously over the top fashion. Melee combat feels underdeveloped in comparison, but is thankfully optional.
It is worth mentioning that Uncharted can be a pretty brutal game at times. I opted for the second lowest difficulty ("easy") and found the challenge mostly enjoyable, but I can imagine that on normal or higher, things look different. Enemies with laser targeting always kill in a single hit, and enemies carrying a grenade launcher also occasionally one shot me.
Climbing, the other half of the core gameplay, is fairly simplistic and linear. Some of the climbable ledges can be a bit hard to spot due to the heightened detail of the remaster, but it's almost impossible to get stuck due to the hint system. Nate's jump distance seems to vary depending on the set piece and it often feels like he's dragged towards ledges during jumps, making it occasionally difficult to judge whether he can reach certain spots. I've also had the game bug out on me at one point, with Nate repeatedly not grabbing a ledge.
Boosts in resolution and frame rate aside, the most obvious improvements of the remaster have to be the reworked environments. There are more plants, making the jungle seem more densely grown, and textures see resolution boosts. As for the negatives, the game's lighting is often flat, especially noticeable in cutscenes. Faces often lack self-shadows and seem almost waxen at times. The game does certainly look better when compared to the original, but it's far removed from from the likes of Uncharted 4.
All in all, I've had a fun time with this remastered version. The game is fairly short and the writing and shooting mechanics kept me engaged throughout. At the same time, the series has come a long way and the novelty the game had in 2007 has worn off over time, making its flaws more visible.