The entire main-line Uncharted series is very near and dear to me, by far one of my favourite game series ever made. I bought the Nathan Drake Collection in late 2016 for like $30 on Amazon, because it looked like fun and had some good reviews. I was blown away by every instalment, and something I noticed on my first play-through was that even though I had never played this game before, it carried a sense of nostalgia. Playing this game made me feel like it was 2007 again and I didn't have a care in the world. The same can ultimately be said for 2, 3 and 4 as well, which is probably why the series holds such a special place for me and so many others.
Story: It's noted in a lot of reviews from the original 2007 release that this game, to its benefit, plays like an interactive blockbuster action movie. While this type of game is more pervasive nowadays, it was clearly groundbreaking at the time - and the game really does play like some kind of modern-day spiritual successor to Indiana Jones. The story centres on Nathan Drake, a tomb-robbing treasure hunter chasing the fabled El Dorado and following the path of his supposed ancestor, real historical figure Sir Francis Drake. Even outside of the story, the cast of characters make the game wildly entertaining, and most importantly, the three main characters are all incredibly likeable in spite of their flaws. Nathan's selfishness is superseded by his heroism, and he makes for a very charismatic gaming companion. Elena Fisher's relentless pursuit of a story gives way to genuine investment in the history. Victor Sullivan... kind of remains a greasy old bastard throughout the story - but his care and concern for Nate (and eventually, Elena) reveals a genuine heart under the gruff exterior. All 3 protagonists grow closer to one another, and the chemistry with all of them is just spot-on throughout the whole game. The story itself is not without its cliches, but they are easy to forgive. It also gets ridiculously outlandish at times, but the game does the right thing by sort of leaning in to the crazy nature - in a way, it relies on the power of pre-established cliches and plot elements to allow the player to just have fun with the game by accepting those elements at face value. You're not supposed to scoff at the idea of a race of mutant, centuries-old, Buff-Gollum-looking Spanish pirate zombie monsters that show up out of nowhere in the last quarter of the game - the game simply doesn't take itself seriously enough for that criticism, and that makes it easier to just enjoy the experience. What this game has figured out is that it doesn't need to have an airtight, logically flawless story to be a great story-based game. The engine that really drives the game is its cast of beautifully-realized and performed characters, and that leaves room for the writing to take liberties without detracting from the enjoyability of the game. In addition, the pacing of the game from start to finish just feels so consistent. It's not relentless explosions and action set pieces - there's room for navigational challenges and puzzles, along with some great character moments in the cut-scenes between gameplay. The game also features a couple background narratives - the feel that this path has been walked before is shown through in the story. This is one of my favourite elements of the Uncharted series, and would go on to become a series staple - especially in A Thief's End.
Graphics: I have only ever played the first 3 Uncharted games as part of the PS4 Remastered box set, so I cannot speak to the graphics of the original PS3 game here, but the remaster is mostly stunning. Graphically it is much more consistent than the remaster of God of War II, which originally came out in the same year. The environmental design is so immersive and beautiful that it kind of makes it a shame to move on from any one area, because you're barely done taking in the beauty of the place you're leaving. The majority of the plot unfolds across one island which the player discovers piece by piece, which keeps the overall environment of the game feeling very consistent. Somehow, even the elements of 20th Century / WWII German architecture fit into the overall vibe without feeling truly out of place in the game. The landscapes are all beautiful to behold, and pretty much every room or environment in the game is worth a look in Photo Mode. The one thing I will say is that the hair on the character models could really do with an update - especially Elena's, as they all simply look like odd helmets worn by the characters, and don't really behave like hair at all. I'd also like to call out whoever signed off on giving the 400+ year old skeleton of Francis Drake a full head of hair and thick beard. I can forgive the skeleton still being solid after so many years, but the hair just looks comically out of place. Jokes aside, though, these are minor gripes that are more than easy enough to look beyond when balanced against everything the game does right in the field of graphics / environmental design.
Gameplay: In this game is the birth of a gameplay formula that is central to every subsequent entry in the franchise - a balance of platforming/navigational challenges, ancient puzzle-solving, and wildly unfair gunfights with dozens of enemies at a time. It's ultimately a winning combination, and the franchise rightly refrains from reinventing that wheel in future entries, but that's not to say that it appears here, flawless and with no room for improvement. The gunfighting is a little clunky at times, and the aiming system is mercifully improved by future entries, but it's still enjoyable here, much as the improvement is remarkable by the 4th entry. There's little to be said for the hand-to-hand combat in the game - Nate has 2 basic combos to use on enemies, and you shouldn't use them in the middle of a gunfight. It doesn't need a great combat system, though, as the game is a cover-shooter and that's how it's supposed to be played. The puzzle-solving also changes drastically in the sequels, as it's pretty clear that the solutions to every puzzle in this game are basically handed to you in the form of explicit notes from Sir Francis's notebooks and maps. There's not a lot of critical thinking or puzzle solving required from the players here, but the puzzles do make a welcome change of pace from the gunfights. Last, there is the traversal system, which is really solid right from the get-go, and never feels boring or forced. The traversal flows really well, and for the most part it is easy for players to both intuit what their next move should be to get to the goal, and to then execute that move. This was a merciful change from the first Assassins' Creed game, which I recently played for the first time. The navigation system in that game had the potential to be great, but the user interface and controller commands just made it difficult to use properly. Uncharted suffers from no such problems, save for one or two points where you have to let go of the analogue stick and then re-position it to jump from one ledge to another - but I could probably count those instances on one hand. In addition, it's worth mentioning that the game takes an abrupt detour through the Survival Horror genre for about an hour of gameplay in the last quarter, and the gameplay transitions through that shift pretty seamlessly.
In conclusion, Uncharted 1 is a solid foundation for a truly brilliant series of games, even though it doesn't reach the level of prestige storytelling that one might expect from Naughty Dog based on their recent releases (which I also love). When I was reviewing God of War II, I figured that games should be judged on how well they succeed at simply being what they are. If you try and take Uncharted more seriously than Uncharted takes Uncharted, you're not going to enjoy it. But if you take this game as what it is - a wildly-entertaining thrill ride with lovable characters, some cheesy writing, and bombastic action set pieces - you'll see this game as it is seen by its many fans - myself included. Its cast of lovable characters and their electric chemistry make this game a comforting, familiar and nostalgic experience even for a first-timer, and give this game everything it needs to keep players thoroughly engrossed through its 8-10 hour experience, and keep coming back for more. The only reason I give this 8/10 is for the minor gripes I mention above that are remedied by future entries.
