Uncharted's been in a weird place for a while. They're fun games and an easy showcase of the Playstation 3's power for Sony, but calling these titles "art" was always a little bit silly. They're fun adventure games with tons of spectacle and that's totally fine! But after Naughty Dog put out The Last of Us, a landmark title that's become one of the most respected games EVER MADE partially due to its dark, emotional core, how could Nathan Drake survive with the prestige the studio earned?

The answer, it seems, was to create EASILY the best plot in the series. Uncharted 4 won't win any Oscars but its grounded, emotional story about two brothers, obsession, and betrayal elevates it so much further than the bang bang shooty type stories of the previous games. The actors' performances, the animations, the writing....it's all SO GOOD. So many games have incredibly lifeless or inhuman or robotic characters but Naughty Dog hits it out of the ballpark EVERY TIME MAN.

And the graphics?? This game is SEVEN YEARS OLD but i'm still over here taking screenshots every five minutes!! It's so smooth and so pretty! (Granted I played the PS5 remaster so that might account for it but still). Say what you will about "photorealism bad blah blah blah" IDC THIS GAME LOOKS INSANEEEE!! And it feels so smooth to play too! The climbing, the action, the shooting. The shear amount of location and gameplay variety is out of this world, I don't even want to think about how many man-hours this took to build. And how much crunch, because, ew. Yay.

Really my only major critique is I wish a lot of the gameplay had more...substance? I was pretty tired of the gunplay by the end, and I wish its stealth and combat options were deeper. But even if Uncharted doesn't have the best combat, or the best climbing, or the best stealth, or the best puzzles, it's its ability to pace everything together into one full-steam-ahead blast of an adventure that helps it stick the landing.

Triple-A video games might be in a bad situation with variety, visual styles, development time, and actually being fun these days. But Uncharted 4 is proof that sometimes, the big expensive games can be worth keeping around too.

very good game, I enjoyed it very much :)
I'm reviewing this again because I feel I didn't do it justice with just that

This game is amazing, one of the best games i have played in the past years. the story of this game is amazing and had me invested in it the whole way through. I was really attached to all the characters and i think a big part of that has to do with the voice acting which was amazing. from start to finish i was invested in the characters and the story without a single break. normally in a game there are parts were i couldn't care for the story but not this one.

the gameplay was phenomenal, there were no parts of the gameplay that i dislike. the combat was well made and challenging. the stealth wasn't terrible and actually felt satisfying to pull of. the climbing was a part that i really enjoyed, i thought it was very well detailed and it allowed for me to see the scenery of the very detailed environments.

the only reason this game doesn't get a 5 star is because i did encounter a couple of bugs in the game that slowed down the pace of some action sequences. they broke my emersion for a few seconds which was a little sad but it happened so little that i only count it as a half star.

in total this is a really fun experience and one that i will probably come back to again.

There are not a lot of games that surprised me more than Uncharted 4. The trilogy was really good but even with a lot of fantastic highs I didn't absolutely fall in love with the series yet. Uncharted 4 took all the great things in those games and made it all better.

It just looks so damn good and the gameplay is soooo smooth. There is a lot of variety and I didn't get bored for a single second through nearly 20 hours. One of the best action-packed games I've ever played.

But the thing that made me fall in love with this game is definitely the story. It was fine for the most part in Uncharted 1-3 but Uncharted 4 feels miles more mature and I was so invested in everything that I've even shed some tears at the ending scene. I certainly didn't expect that before playing the game.

Just beat this for the second time.

This game just has it all. Enthralling gameplay with stunning set pieces. Top of the line graphics (Still). A bombastic soundtrack that knows when to take a step back and let the game breathe. Industry defining acting. It also has one of the smartest stories ever told in a game. The parallel between Avery's descent into madness and Drake's own pursuit of treasure is nothing short of genius.

Quite frankly this game shouldn't exist. Every cog in it's design fits perfectly with the rest. Truly an exceptional game.

My all-time favorite video game. Uncharted 4 is a masterclass of action-adventure and cinematic storytelling. Boundary-pushing and utterly unforgettable. You're playing a movie and it's just brilliant.

PROS
+ Breathtaking visuals throughout. Characters and environments are lifelike and full of impressive detail. A major upgrade compared to past Uncharted games.
+ Larger and more explorative than previous installments. You'll spend hours just admiring your surroundings and exploring every nook and cranny.
+ Instinctual and reaction-heavy gameplay that constantly keeps you on your toes. The set pieces are mesmerizing feats; especially the Jeep chase in Madagascar. It could've easily been a QTE but you're actually playing the chaos and it never gets overwhelming and/or clunky.
+ A poignant and exciting character-driven narrative that is grounded in reality but doesn't stray from the over-the-top nature of the franchise. It's the most mature game of the series and ends Nathan Drake's story on a powerful note.
+ Strong performances by Nolan North, Troy Baker, Emily Rose and Richard McGonagle. Furthers the potential of motion capture acting.
+ Adventurous and rip-roaring soundtrack by Henry Jackman that amplifies the action but also knows when to be slow and moving.

CONS
- Nothing to report. This is 10 out of 10 perfect game.

Greatness from Small Beginnings….What a way to finish off an incredible journey. Playing through these games back to back really helped me appreciate the references and little inside jokes sprinkled throughout the title. Best mechanics out of the entire series, climbing, swinging to the next cliff while shooting a assault rifle never has felt so good. The story is unarguably the best as well, antagonist actually have compelling motivations and the treasure this time around had a lot more lore revolving around it, making it all the more interesting to find the next clue. Nolan North nailed it, hell, he slaughtered it, he understood what makes Nate such a great character and his performance made this a staple when it comes to the medium of Voice Acting. Sam, performed by Troy Baker, (yeah he’s great, always is) what a great addition to the main cast, throughout the series Nathan would have these moments when he completely geeks out over discoveries, leaving the rest of the cast to be completely lost on what is going on, but now with his brother, Sam was equally as engaged on what was happening with his little brother and it was so fun to listen too. Elena, if it werent for the former, would easily have my favorite moments in the game, I dont believe I have never cared more about a companion to the protagonist than her, she completely holds her own and through this whole series is able to bounce off Nathans witty energy with such intensity, shoutout Emily Rose. I love Nathan and Elena, they have given me some of my favorite character interactions in gaming. The set pieces, though it wasnt as in your face as navigating through a moving locomotive or fighting tooth and nail to not fall out of a deteriorating airplane, they had a constant build up, exploring Madagascar or discovering Libertalia, the sheer scope of these locations is astounding, making them some if not the best in the series. Puzzles were incredibly digestible, allowing you yourself to get more involved with Drake’s journal without it just telling you what the answer is. With jumping from location, to location, to location, I simply could not put this game down. And now I can see why so many third person adventure games have tried to find success in the same formula, all because of how truly great the Uncharted series is. Side note, limited the FPS to 40 and its fantastic on the Steam Deck, its how i played the entire playthrough. Probably will knock out Lost Legacy soon.