Sic Parvis Magna

You probably know what I am taking about. An adventure which was started back in 2007, saw Naughty Dog transition to PS3 for the first time, and boy did they achieve something extraordinary. Before you move forward with this post, let me tell you its not any kind of review for the series (you can find plethora of that over the internet, and anyways I am just too late for that now). These are just some thoughts of a nerd about a 'video-game' which he feels deserve all the praise and accolades it rightfully so received, and much more.

My journey with Uncharted began somewhere around mid-2013 on PlayStation 3 with Drake's Deception being the the first game of the series I played. Its been 4 years since I first played any Uncharted game but I still remember the day as if it was yesterday. An experimental title for me, ignorant of its accomplishments, 'it' began with its iconic theme. What followed was 8 hours of binge gaming which ended not because I wanted to but needed to (too bad we aren't machines, sigh!!!).

Lets go back in time when we all had our own little Dr. Jones inside us. A can-do-it-all archaeological professor traveling around the world, fighting bad guys and finding obscure secrets and treasures along the way. No one can be Indiana Jones in real life (I am sure I can’t be), but virtually, thank God for Sony and Naughty Dog.

The story-telling and characterization is a notch or two above the rest here. If you follow the series closely, you will eventually develop a sense of connection with the lead cast, sort of ‘never felt before in games’ kind of emotional connect which was an ‘uncharted’ territory for me, at least at that point in time. It is because of this only that I prefer immersive story telling types of games more than any other kind. Imagine a summer Hollywood blockbuster with you as the protagonist, feels good doesn’t it.
If you have continued with this article till now, you will probably have any idea about my undying love and bias towards Mr. Drake and friends. Should to choose to move forward, I will be discussing some of the moments/locations/set-pieces from the main series (I am one of those unfortunate souls to have played only the main four PS3/PS4 titles), after putting another capture from Uncharted 4.

• Probably the most consenting fact about the series, but the opening sequence of Uncharted 2 is really one of the best, if not the best ever. It sets the tone perfectly for what follows is a breakthrough in this industry. Perfect example of how to hook your audience from shot 1, kudos!!
• Now my personal favorite, the car/bike chase through the Madagascar while shaking off the enemies in Uncharted 4 (too bad I don’t have any photo capture of it, too much adrenaline rush!!). Kind of what you expect from the last adventure of Nathan Drake but it never gets old.
• A shootout through the desert of Ubar in Uncharted 3 just before the final act. Lawrence of Arabia, anyone.
• Uncharted 3 also had some of the most authentic locations with London and Syria standing out for me. Apart from these, be it Istanbul or the Himalayas from Among Thieves or the South American geography in Drake’s Fortune, the locations were pretty amazing ( and I am not even talking about Uncharted 4 because that was the best looking PS4 game till date, period).

A fun gameplay with the epitome of story telling and character development, it was the announcement of Uncharted 4 that forced me to upgrade from PS3 to PS4 and trust me, it was the best decision ever. More than 100 hours spent over the course of this quadrilogy ( I have completed first 3 both on PS3 and PS4, and I don’t regret it), I was spectator to some of the best moments in my humble gaming career. To sum up this wonderful journey and achievement by Naughty Dog, I would like quote Nathan Drake himself to Naughty Dog, “Yeah, good luck pal, that’s almost impossible to- oh, you did it. Nice.”

Play it, live it, be a part of it!!
Signing off.