The Uncharted franchise has been one of Sony's biggest guns for years now. While exclusive franchises aren't nearly as important as they used to be, Naughty Dog's action-adventure series has proven that they can still sell systems.
The adventures of Nathan Drake and his fellow treasure hunters helped define the PlayStation 3 library — and now, with Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Naughty Dog is simultaneously making its mark on the current generation of consoles and closing the book on one of video game's most storied franchises.
Granted, while all of the games in the series have been fantastic, there's definitely a hierarchy. Some of the games haven't aged nearly as well as others, and tumultuous times over at Naughty Dog has influenced the direction of the series from time to time.
Not all Uncharted games are created equally — and now that the series is ending (for the time being, at least), we thought that it was time to look back at the franchise as a whole.
SPOILER WARNING:
We won't be discussing any sort of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End spoilers here, but the rest of the series is fair game. You've been warned!
4. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Again, just because the first Uncharted is at the bottom of this list doesn't mean that it's a bad game.
That being said, it's the only game in the series that hasn't really aged all that well. The graphics were amazing at the time, but nowadays, they look far more chunky than any of the other games in the franchise. The pacing doesn't really hold up either, as the game is stuck between long (and mostly boring) vehicle sections and seemingly endless waves of repetitive bad guys. It's clear that the game was rushed in order to launch alongside the PlayStation 3, and some of the quality may have been sacrificed along the way.
Yet, despite all that, the first game in the series is still a blast to play. It created the foundation that the rest of the franchise would continue to polish for years, and the relationships between Nate, Sully and Elena are still some of the best in the industry. Sure, it may not be the crown jewel of the franchise, but Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is still a fantastic game in its own right.
3. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
It's hard to describe just how many ways Uncharted 2: Among Thieves pushed the envelope forward.
It was breathtakingly gorgeous, and a massive step forward from the first Uncharted. The gameplay and controls had been fine-tuned, and it was clear that Naughty Dog had listened to the criticisms leveled against its last game. Multiplayer made its debut, and added in a unique take on PvP that didn't feel tacked-on or extraneous. Jaw-dropping setpieces unlike anything gamers had ever seen kept them on the edge of their seats all the way through the end credits.
On top of all that, the story stands tall as the best in the series — some may argue that it's Naughty Dog's best story ever. In Uncharted 2, characterization is king: the overarching plot may not have revolutionized the genre, but the interactions between all of the game's characters is unrivaled in the industry. Nate, Sully, Elena, Chloe and the rest of the cast didn't feel like something out of a video game, they felt like real people. This sort of storytelling has always been one of Naughty Dog's greatest strengths — and the studio absolutely nailed it with Uncharted 2.
Long story short, if there's one game in the series that you absolutely have to play, it's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
In all honestly, each and every one of the games mentioned above is worth checking out. It's hard to find such consistent quality in today's video game industry, but Naughty Dog somehow manages to keep pumping out amazing games year after year. If you own a PlayStation 4, you have no excuse not to own one of the best gaming franchises of the past decade.
For more on Uncharted 4: Among Thieves, check out our full review.
