Naughty Dog came up with an action adventure third person shooter in 2007. It was named Uncharted and more often than not, it reminded us of Tomb Raider fused with a little of Indiana Jones and further combined with the enigma that was slightly reminiscent of Tintin perhaps. But all these nuances and similarities didn’t mean that the game was in any way a sloppy one. Far from it, Naughty Dog taken upon themselves to coalesce all the paradigms of the action-adventure genre and come up with something splendidly beautiful.
Uncharted had a beautiful story which had momentum and the graphics were something to swear by. The second installment in the series was Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. It wasn’t a lot different from the first game. It had the same characters, a similar plot with Nate hunting down another treasure relic with a miniscule bit of improvement. Yes, the game was brilliant, we loved it but at times it felt too much like the first one. All these ‘issues’ though, never triggered our finicky sides enough to grumble and complain about it much. 
"Even the people at Naughty Dog have been apprehensive about ‘ruining’ the series. They had earlier claimed that Uncharted was never meant to be a trilogy but that Naughty Dog was ready to deliver if the fans liked and enjoyed what they were doing. Cheers to that.”, it becomes more of discussion as to what they may do and how they may take us on unawares. "
Even if we had any reason to be galled by anything in Uncharted 2 , Naughty Dog amended it right away and rolled out the third iteration of the game. Uncharted 3 was the pinnacle of ingenuity and improvement. After the high expectations after Uncharted 2, Drake’s Deception swept us away with its arrant magnificence.Every passing moment in the game seemed to have received meticulous attention, from the set pieces, to the characters, the world in general and the music; everything in the game was perfect. And all of that was delivered within a year. That’s no small feat.
The game steam rolled all competition and baffled gamers and critics alike. It’s always difficult to follow up to a deliverance as immense as that of Uncharted 3. But Naughty Dog has heard the outcry of the series’ fans and decided to bring out the next game in the Uncharted series. Now, Naughty Dog has plainly stated that they won’t be doing the ‘One year-out’ like they did with Uncharted 3. Even the people at Naughty Dog have been apprehensive about ‘ruining’ the series.
They had earlier claimed that Uncharted was never meant to be a trilogy but that Naughty Dog was ready to deliver if the fans liked and enjoyed what they were doing. Cheers to that. Keeping in mind the benchmark that Uncharted 3 had set, it’s small wonder that Naughty Dog is taking its time to develop and put together the game. The studio has let us muse over the little information that we have of the game and with a teaser trailer.
"Although it’s appreciated that a very culturally rich backdrop has been sought for Uncharted 4, Naughty Dog should make sure that they don’t limit themselves to such a tiny stretch. Drake and consequently the Uncharted series have been widely associated with a lot of travel. "
Now the teaser trailer lot going on. First off, the voice. It’s not the Drake we know. The voice in the video is of Todd Stashwick in place of Nolan North. Either Naughty Dog is planning something radically different vis-a-vis the character facet of the new game, or it’s the usual recipe that game developers often go with, i.e., the past of the protagonist. Or maybe, it could be an older, more mature Drake recounting the times of a long forgotten yester. Or even some comrade betrayed by Drake (In the teaser Stashwick says, “You left me, rotting in that hell hole and never looked back”). In any case, it shouldn’t matter a lot if the game manages to surpass its earlier set touchstone.
Both the prospects open up a whole new world of possibilities that can be capitalised upon. The video has us looking at an archaic map as the camera pans from Cape of Hope in South Africa to Madagascar which is slightly up north-east. This particular area has a host of things that can keep us busy with the game for hours on. The stretch being pretty rich in biodiversity, could be infested with pirates, treasure troves or even other treasure hunters roving about the area. Many of us would even be looking forward to a Far Cry 2-esque world only not as confined. Although it’s appreciated that a very culturally rich backdrop has been sought for Uncharted 4, Naughty Dog should make sure that they don’t limit themselves to such a tiny stretch.
Drake and consequently the Uncharted series have been widely associated with a lot of travel. Some people even go ahead to call Nate ‘Globe jumper’. And please, it’s just moronic when oblivious people confuse ‘lustre’ with something else entirely. I do not want to associate the Uncharted series with the likes of ‘Lust Seeker’ courtesy of utter ignorance. Either way, it’s lame. Regardless, considering the reputation Naughty Dog has of taking players on a joyride around the globe, we shouldn’t worry about being stuck in one place for too long. Hopefully.
"All those hours spent in huge lichen ridden ancient structures trying to figure a way out is precisely what comes to our minds when we hear that the next Uncharted game is on its way. "
One thing that is evident is that this time, the protagonist will be seeking revenge. Todd Stashwick’s voice leaves no doubt whatsoever that the voice actor’s character is hell bent on seeking out his torturers and paying them back in kind. There’s nothing much apart from that which has been let on by anyone officially about the game. Knowing that Naughty Dog would set a splendid backdrop for a brilliant game to a splendid series, we move onto the game itself. Yes, we all moaned about Uncharted 2 being a bit too familiar at times but we never really want to let go of it either.
The name ‘Uncharted 4’ itself brings forth fond memories and years that we spent gleefully frolicking through caves and forests, through rain and storm all the while dealing with gun-toting hooligans and their masters. All those hours spent in huge lichen ridden ancient structures trying to figure a way out is precisely what comes to our minds when we hear that the next Uncharted game is on its way.
Of course the guys at Naughty Dog aren’t idiots but we have had too many times when haughty game developers had us bear witness to seeing our beloved game series lay to waste in their adrenaline fuelled fame fever. We do not want a CoD: Ghosts or Resident Evil 6 kind of stuff happening after something as loved and great as the Uncharted series. But then again, maybe that fear is exactly what has Naughty Dog take their time with this one. Go on, we don’t mind.
"The forceful and powerful narration that we saw in Uncharted 3 is also something we eagerly look forward to. The friendly banters and snide jokes were often took our minds off the dangers that we faced whilst letting us take a deeper peek into the personalities of the characters."
Talking about the graphical prowess that all the titles in the Uncharted series have held, we need not worry about that with Uncharted 4. First off, it’s coming on the new generation Sony console and secondly, I think we can all rely on Naughty Dog to deliver sublimely on the graphics front. They have awed us more than enough with the games extant in the Uncharted series. Giant set pieces in the game are something which we fervently look forward to. That’s something that has been there since the first Uncharted game.
Puzzle solving goes without question. There HAS to be a lot of puzzle solving. Puzzles have been there since the days of the yore in the Uncharted games and they are of essence to the series. Rifling down a man is all good and cool. We all enjoy that. But fist fights are something that let you experience your power. There’s nothing quite like remembering how you landed punches on some dudes trying to get to your treasure or smashed someone’s head against a wall or on a bar counter in Uncharted 3.
Uncharted 4 can keep us enthralled and enraptured with some slick and well executed fist fights. The forceful and powerful narration that we saw in Uncharted 3 is also something we eagerly look forward to. The friendly banters and snide jokes were often took our minds off the dangers that we faced whilst letting us take a deeper peek into the personalities of the characters. These coruscating moments of joy and temper tantrums, the moments of panic and fear made even better by the brilliant graphical prowess of the game was what made it memorable.
"Clever enemies that employ a mixture of brute force and shrewdness can very well set the pace of the game and enhance the experience incredibly. "
Uncharted 4 is expected to have its own set of beautiful moments of surprise. It’s be great if we’re treated to a few secret rooms and areas on the map. Rummaging through the ancient ruins would mean that we’d naturally come across dilapidated things. It’d be good to have moments like say, after a hell run to get away from a gang of thugs and their cronies you come to an underground safe haven to, catch your breath and sigh with relief as you spot a ladder to the surface and as soon as you try to climb, it breaks or there’s a new threat in the area.
These unexpected times are what makes our wits run in all possible directions to figure out alternate ways and if such instances are well handled by the developers, they could very well take the gaming experience to a whole new level. It goes without saying that the AI has to get a new makeover. Undoubtedly, Uncharted 3 had a brilliant AI with the enemies not hesitating to charge at you when you were taking cover. Clever enemies that employ a mixture of brute force and shrewdness can very well set the pace of the game and enhance the experience incredibly.
Online modes need only a little polishing. Uncharted 3 had built upon the great online experience that Uncharted 2 had provided. One other thing that Uncharted 4 can have, is co-op. It’d be great to have a companion hunkering and trundling through the debris as you plan out a way to get past those hubris gun wielding treasure hunting hobos.
"It’s hard to forget that robust, adventurous and slightly coy and charismatic bloke named Nathan Drake. Uncharted had humble beginnings and it became one of the most iconic game franchises that we have ever acquainted ourselves with."
So there’s that. Uncharted was something that emerged from an almost rotting pile of games to shoot straight up and suffused us with its prowess and the maelstrom of fun it brought. It’s hard to forget that robust, adventurous and slightly coy and charismatic bloke named Nathan Drake.
Uncharted had humble beginnings and it became one of the most iconic game franchises that we have ever acquainted ourselves with. Naturally, our expectations from Naughty Dogs are quite high to say the least.
But as before, seeing how Naughty Dog has always delivered to us with their best, evident from Uncharted and The Last of Us, we aren’t as worried as we might have been otherwise.
The release date of the new Uncharted game is yet to be released. So all we’re left to do is twitch our ears to any news and shout down anyone trying to undermine the Uncharted series.
Share Your Thoughts Below (Always follow our comments policy!)