My apologies for the length, but I couldn't trim this down while doing the game justice. I tried.



Uncharted 4 brought about the end to a long running and well loved game series about the adventures of Nathan Drake and friends. It brought us an entire crew of loveable characters along with a few we wish we could forget, but Naughty Dog refuses to let us *cough*Lost Legacy*cough*.

The series is known for it's intense action sequences, witty dialogue, and of course, it's parkour elements. There's always climbing. Much climbing. The formula is a tried and true one, and various elements of it have evolved over the course of the series, sometimes for better, and sometimes for worse, but all of the console iterations are worth at least one play, if not several.

So when it was announced that there would be an Uncharted 4, and that it would be not only the final Uncharted (which, surprise, it wasn't), but it would also be subtitled "A Thief's End", everyone began speculating as to whether or not this could mean that the legendary (those who have finished 4 will get that reference) treasure hunting hero in thief's clothing would meet his end. And I am here to tell you that...you have to find out for yourself because I'm not allowed to spoil the story.



Graphics: 10/10
Incredible.

It was an undisputed claim by Naughty Dog that this game had the best graphics of any [console] game ever at the time of it's release, and a year later I still have to stand in awe at what they accomplished here. However, there were a few things that left me less than impressed, but only because of how great everything else is.


So let's start with the characters: they look great, at times looking more like actors than video game characters. I found myself taking screenshots at different points just to capture the detail that a certain camera angle or area lighting highlited. If there are better looking console game characters out there, I've yet to find them. Though I hear they may have met their match in a recent PS4 game, but I've yet to play it personally.


Next we have the environment, which is, much like the characters, a real cut above the rest. Just as I did with the characters, I often stopped to take screenshots just to admire the detail and beauty of the environments. They range from dark and gritty hidden caves, to intense rainstorms at sea, to colorful splashes of plant life amid the desert sands, and beautiful ocean views from mountain peaks. And best of all, if you can see it, odds are you can traverse it.


I could ramble on for a while yet, but let's keep this as short as possible while doing the game as much justice as possible, yeah?

I did find a few things to complain about though, such as the tall grass in the Scotland mountains just popping in and out from a distance, or Sully's and Sam's very poorly handled movements during non-cutscene discussions, and in fact this happens with a few different characters in conversations that take place during normal gameplay. However these and the few other issues I found wouldn't have stood out enough to really notice if I hadn't been so wowed by the game pushing the realism boundary in the graphics and animations departments. If a game looks so good that it raises your expectations, that's saying something.


Highlights:
•The best graphics I've seen personally
•Beautiful scenery
•Is this Memorex, or is it video game?



Sound: 10/10
Incredible.

The music always compliments the action in the game, but even better is that it manages to capture the emotions which run high at several points over the course of the story. It's definitely a testament to the abilities of the composers behind this title.

But good music and music that you want to listen to on repeat aren't always the same thing. The music here, while perfect for the game, stays in the game. You can buy the soundtrack but I can't see why you would. It works beautifully with the game, but I didn't remember any of it afterward.


The sound effects are spot on, entirely believable explosions, echoes in enclosed spaces, gunshots, they all sound great. But where the audio shines is the voice acting. Let me just say this right now: you won't find better voice acting than you'll find here. Seriously, it's that good.

Sad as it is to see the storyline and Nathan Drake's adventuring end, equally tragic is seeing a vocal team this solid finish their final project together. Elena and Nathan together take the well written script and sound like a genuine married couple, Sam and little Nate couldn't be more believable if they were real brothers, and Sully's voice carries genuine emotion in the few moments where he reveals his concern for the reckless "Kid". And that scripting was incredibly well done, but I'll touch on that more later.


Highlights:
•Dramatic musical score
•Solid sound effects give a good sense of immersion in the environment
•The best voice acting I've found so far



Depth:
9/10
Excellent.

I had to think for a while on this one because the game, much like the other Uncharted titles, is pretty straightforward. However, A Thief's End puts a few twists on the depth side of things, shaking the gameplay up in unexpected ways that could potentially make or break your taste for the series.

First off there's the usual: tons of hidden treasure to find as a sort of collectathon side quest, and it may be worth noting that the treasures are back to their former appearance of blinking specks, hearkening back to the first two titles in this area.


But this is where things start to change.
The environments are a sort of pseudo open world setup as opposed to the perfectly linear worlds of the previous titles. By pseudo open world I mean that they often present you with various ways of getting from point A to point B, but that you'll always end up in the same place, and the openness is often just an option of climbing this or swinging from that, or taking the high road or the low road. The diversity of open world gaming is there in ways, but the linearity remains at the same time. And that isn't a bad thing: Uncharted wouldn't work as an open world game. The change up is interesting, even if it makes my job as a completionist a bit more frustrating.


Then there's the stealth and awareness systems. This is the only Uncharted to date (at the time of this writing) that places any emphasis on Stealth beyond one or two scenes where it's made obvious that being quiet is preferable. At several points throughout A Thief's End you will simply not survive without using stealth. It's quite the interesting experience seeing a game that's all about high speed chases, intense gunfights, and explosive action scenes, embracing a heavy focus on Stealth gameplay. Polar opposites, yet they somehow mesh together well.


Finally we have new means of traversing levels: the grappling hook. It's entirely unrealistic in it's usage, but it's still fun nonetheless and it gives room for some very well streamlined adrenaline moments when your quick reaction time and grappling hook are all that save you from plummeting to your death. There's also one other new mechanic, but given how late into the game it comes in, I'll leave that in spoiler territory. A shame too, because it's pretty awesome.


Gameplay changes aside, there's a final depth touch that I won't dwell on for long, but the fact that you can actually find hidden areas in this one is a nice addition.


Highlights:
•Sort of open while being closed yet unclosed or somethingowmybrainhurts
•Nathan has been promoted to Ninja Thief
•Grappling hook. That is all



Addictiveness:
10/10
Incredible.

So this may not be the most addictive game I've ever played, but once I started playing it I couldn't stop without sinking at least two or three hours into it. And since the description of the addictivemess rating says it's about how likely I am to play it again, anything short of a 10 would be a lie, but this is the truth about all of the console Uncharted games.


As I stated earlier, A Thief's End changed how Uncharted played in many big ways, and while some were for the better, if I'm being completely honest then I have to say that some was changed for the worse. Namely the ability to throw grenades back has been removed, and the fist fighting has been dumbed down so much that it isn't nearly as enjoyable as before. Uncharted 3's biggest improvement was the big changes that it made to hand to hand combat, and to see that taken away in 4 was saddening. The new additions to the gameplay made up for it, but it would have been nice to have it all. Man that sounds entitled...


Highlights:
•Must...play...moar



Story: 9/10
Excellent.

This game won several awards for it's story, and it deserves them. However the story was started by Amy Hennig, the woman who wrote for the other three, but after she had started, she left Naughty Dog and the story was scrapped and started over by Neil Druckman and Josh Scherr, and it shows in a big, big way. The game is Uncharted to be sure, and it thankfully draws frequently from the other three with inside jokes between the cast and various other references, but it also smells strongly of The Last of Us, which was more than a little disappointing to me personally.

Chapter four in it's entirety felt like the beginning of The Last of Us with a husband and wife instead of Father and daughter, and to be clear I'm referring to the discussion between Joel and his daughter. Sure, the story manages to capture the humanity and reality of real life moments shared between spouses and family, and it's nice to see that level of humanity, but it also smacks of familiarity.

I didn't want to see the story shift focus in such a big way from previous titles the way it did, but it worked well as a story and filled in all of the holes left in Nathan's story, and it was a good story all things considered. It would have been nice to see something more old school Uncharted in the story, but at least it gave closure in the end.


I said a lot of negative things here, and they were all true, but what's also true is that the story was very well written, engaging, and managed to successfully throw a few plot twists that I didn't see coming at all, and that's not something I can say for most games or even most stories. And as a bonus, the dialogue is always believable and sharp.


Highlights:
•Very well written story
•Expertly crafted dialogue
•No zombies



Difficulty:
4/10
Easy.

I'm rating this based on my experience in Light mode, but the game is fairly easy, albeit more difficult than previous installments in the series. The difficulty change comes from the incorporation of new gameplay ideas, and more focus on strategy than before. There are times where you have encounters that will make you have to watch your every step in order to survive the fight, challenge, or puzzle. And should you fail the stealth test, you need to be prepared to run for cover because fighting against the often overwhelming number of enemies is simply not an option.


The game challenges you at times, but once you get the hang of it, you can pass it's tests with a little patience.


Highlights:
•Puts up a fight, though not too hard



Overall:
9.6/10
Excellent.

Well this was a strange review, wasn't it? I started off praising the game almost incessantly, then I went into criticizing every aspect of it. It's like I said at the start though: the faults I found were only because when a game is as solid as this one is the things that aren't amazing stick out more than usual. It really is a great game and deserves the overall rating that I gave it.

If you currently find yourself in possession of a PlayStation 4, or if you ever do for that matter, do yourself a favor and pick this game up. In fact, if you haven't played the first three console Uncharted titles, do yourself two favors and get the Nathan Drake collection first, then get this one. This whole series (excluding Golden Abyss on the PS Vita) is something you should experience. It's one of the few things I've found that deserve every bit of the hype it enjoys. You should be able to score the Nathan Drake collection and Uncharted 4 for both for less than $60, but if you have to pay the full $60 For each of them, trust me, it's a worthwhile investment.

The Last of Us and the word "disappointing" should not be used in the same sentence You need your head checked man ( lol jk ). 

I loved the Uncharted series, but never did manage to finish 3 when I had the opportunity to play them. I need to go back and do so the next chance I get, and hearing that the writers of The Last of Us worked on 4's story really makes me want to get caught up at least through this entry of the franchise. Sadly I don't have a PS4 ( and probably won't any time in the near future ) so it might be awhile before I ever find out what they really mean by "A Thief's End." 

Anyway... Excellent review as always man. The community chose wisely when you were voted Best Reviewer this past December ^^

Freakin' awesome review right here but my grammar-related OCD has only one question: "Addictivemess?" XD

Seriously though, this is a masterpiece meant for a masterpiece. I can pretty much standby everything you've mentioned about the game with the exception of the difficulty. But the only reason I say this, is because I've been playing on the hardest difficulty ( Crushing ) since I got the game and it's like 10 times harder than previous titles. And I think the reason for this, is the amount of enemies they were able to place in the open world. They filled every nook and cranny with at least one guy with some kind of weapon, who kills you at the last moment when you think you're in the clear.

I started cracking up the first time I used the grappling hook. The first thing I thought of was "How the hell did he get it unhooked so fast?" lol. He really turned into a modern day Indiana Jones in this game. It's a fun idea I suppose (especially for MP even though I haven't played yet but I've seen videos) and it fits in with Nathan's profile of making impossible jumps and climbing impossible walls. That's what makes him great, right?

It is sad to see this series come to an end but we all know that it's not the end of Naughty Dog; not by a long shot. If you haven't seen The Last of Us Part 2 trailer yet, then I encouraged you to do so right now because the graphics in that video are just as stunning ( if not, better ). But I believe this series as a whole has accomplished true glory, just as the first Uncharted game quoted Sir Francis Drake about the "beginning of any great matter... unto the end... yields true glory." So. Damn. Glorious.

Mynamescox44 : Thanks man, I'm flattered that you would say so. I'm not so sure that I deserved it, but I was honored to be voted for.

As for The Last of Us: lol I never played it, so I didn't mean to say that it was disappointing, I meant to say that the fact that I could get a strong sense of Deja vu while playing Uncharted 4, and that the deja vu was there because of the strong similarities to a game that I had barely even seen anything, of was disappointing. That and I didn't want "Uncharted of Us", I wanted Uncharted -- Nathan and Elena and Sully and their usual antics. The things that made me fall in love with the series to begin with. The story was still one of the best out there though, so I won't complain too much. I do wonder what Amy had written to begin with though. What would the story have been had she finished it?


The entire Uncharted series on console was an incredible experience. I like that I can refer to all four of them as a singular experience, because that's exactly what it is: a single experience, a single adventure with several highlights. And as 3 goes, you should definitely get it and play all of it. It has some really annoying things like the villains (ugh) and that stupid globe puzzle, but it's worth it I think. Plus you really don't want to miss playing any of the first three before picking up 4 because of all of the plot references and such.
And for what it's worth, you can usually get the PS4 bundled with the Nathan Drake Collection or Uncharted 4 for around $250. Though if you're like me, that's still a small fortune. xD


Kruger: Oh wow, thanks man. I really appreciate the kind words. Again, I'm not sure I deserved them, but it means a lot to hear it anyway. lol
And yes, addictivemess. It is a term denoting a great amount of adictive qualities. Addictive + mess (a large portion). Have you never heard this term before? o__O Ueah, I don't really expect anyone to believe that was intentional, but I had to try. xD

That actually excites me for my next play through. I almost always play a game on Easy first, and in this case I did so because I want to go through the story as smoothly as possible. Run 2 is reserved for Crushing, and run three for collectables and various other trophies. And I can honestly say this is the most excited I've been for a hard play through in a long time, if not ever. Maybe I should save it for last, since it's probably my favorite of the series with the possible exception of the first, even though this one is much more refined and explosive. I just can't get past the first one still.

I couldn't agree more: this series lived up to that quote, and made for what was quite possibly the greatest experience I've ever had from a game series. As for The Last Of Us 2, does it compare to Horizon: Zero Dawn in graphics? That's probably my next serious "hardcore" game to pick up.

Eirinn : Hmm, maybe you're right. Now that I think about it, this review sucks and you should delete it immediately. Dude, are you kidding me?!

In terms of the many different reviews that have been posted on this site, this one is pure gold. I mean, it's not perfect ( AddictiveMess... really? ) but you can't tell me that this isn't above the norm when it comes to making a decent game review. You're probably just too damn gullible to see it, I guess

Hey, be careful what you wish for. You just may regret stepping up to the more challenging difficulty and find yourself overwhelmed. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Please, Horizon: Zero Dawn is nothing compared to the greatness of Naughty Dog. Though, I haven't seen any official gameplay from The Last of Us 2 yet but the motion capturing is just phenomenal. Easily another "Game of the Year" award for the series. No other PS4 game comes close from what I've seen ( neither XB1 nor PC for that matter ).

I highly encourage you to play through The Last of Us, if just for the story alone. Joel is for sure in my Top 3 favorite video game characters of all time, and Ellie is just so endearing you can't help but root for her to succeed. They bring a realness to them I don't often see in fictional characters. 

It's also worth mentioning that the opening and closing cut-scenes of the game are about as emotional as you can get, in the best possible way. Never before has a game made me nearly tear up before you even truly started playing. I'm so excited they finally announced the sequel, but will have to wait ( probably a long time ) until I can get a PS4 to actually play it. 

Kruzer : xD I think that's the first time I've been called gullible and could consider it a compliment.

I fully expect to rage now. Thanks for the warning. lol

Really? That's surprising. Neill Druckman recently was interviewing Herman...Hulst(?) or whatever the Gorilla Games lead man's name is, and he said he was amazed and wondering how they did what they did graphically in Horizon: Zero Dawn, and said he was going to tell his team that this was the new standard they had to strive for. He did relate it specifically to the foliage though, so maybe it was more of an environmental detail thing?



Mynamescox44 : I would love to man, but I won't play anything with strong language (yeah, Uncharted really pushes the limits of language for me), also zombies. I hear the story is incredible though. I did watch the opening a few years ago though, and it was...wow. Wow is literally the only way I could describe it without going on a 1,000 word ramble about it. How I was so attached to a character after maybe ten minutes, I have no idea. They felt real, that's for sure. And in fact, that same humalike touch is present in Uncharted 4, though the setting doesn't make it as emotional in most places. It did manage to move me more than the others did (well, except the semi-cliché ending of Uncharted 2).

I'll give Naughty Dog that: they made Nathan feel human More so in this one, whereas the other titles made him feel like an action hero. He felt in this one, and had more realistic reactions... well, in some places. He wouldn't have been Nathan Drake had he not made an out of place silly quip in the face of danger... repeatedly. xD


Since I'm not going to play it, I need to have you tell me how it ends sometime. Based on what I knew of the ending (virtually nothing) it didn't seem like a sequel would make sense. Apparently it does though.


Finally, I have to wonder where Naughty Dog will go after this, since they claim Lost Legacy will be the last last Uncharted (lol) and surely The Last of Us can't go on much longer than 2 entries without losing something of it's urgency... What next?

Eirinn :  
I got you man. It might be a 1,000+ word story, but that would be the only way I could do it justice. More than anything it'd be summing up the big points that happen along the way, just so you understand how intense the twist at the end is lol. 

One of my favorite little details of the game, is they put in little notes scattered through each "level" left behind from people during / after the outbreak. At one point you go through a college, and the (remaining) people there had taken shelter in what few buildings they could. You find a note about how one person threw away another student's stash of weed "because they need to keep a clear head." Lol that note made me roll over laughing. Though if someone had ever pulled that on me during a literal apocalypse, I'm pretty sure I would stick a shank through their neck XD 

Sorry, I'll stop rambling on now lol. It's one of my favorite games of all time, and I could go on about it for days.