And not just because Nathan Drake is a fox, either.

I have recently played through the entire Uncharted series – I’m still technically playing it if you include Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End extremely fun multiplayer mode, which I will delve into later – and I can safely say that this is probably one of the best game series I’ve ever played through.

All four PlayStation exclusive games are in the action-adventure genre with elements of platforming and third-person shooter. All of those elements are blended into captivating storylines that really tugs at your heart strings.

I’m going to get into the most appealing part of the series, and the main reason why I decided to start playing it in the first place: Nathan Drake. Not even from a physical perspective – because the character himself is one good looking fella – but from an overall standpoint, Nathan Drake is a great character. The game designers did what most others can’t do; they made him human. Nathan is flawed: he stresses out, and he isn’t that morally clean as most other standard male protagonists in action-adventure games. But that’s what makes him great. He isn’t unreal. On top of being human, he is really funny with stellar comedic timing, adventurous, fearless, brave and someone you can really get behind because you want to see someone this likeable succeed.

Deadset fox, isn’t he?

The supporting characters in the series also supply some great moments. My personal favourite secondary character is Chloe Frazer, a feisty Australian jewel thief and fast-and-furious car driver who is so confident in her femininity and sexuality that you can’t help but love her. Along with Chloe is the old-timer Victor “Sully” Sullivan, Nathan’s long-time confidante, friend and father-figure who travels with Nate on his extraordinary historic adventures, and really comes in handy because he smokes.

The flexibility of the playability between casual gamers and the more extreme kind also makes this series one of the best. I’d like to think I’m a good gamer, but truth of the matter is my hand-eye co-ordination is pretty slow, and I have a naturally slow reaction time to things, so unfortunately I’d rank in the above-average casual gamer. In saying that, this game is great because no matter how unco you may be, this game is quite easy to navigate. The storyline is generally linear, and the gameplay is easy to understand and quick to master. On top of that, the platforming and puzzles in the game brought a real sense of enjoyment to me because it was fun, yet also challenging. And if you’re like me and you keep dying because you thought that ledge was much closer than you thought, or you didn’t see the gang of cronies behind you violently shooting at you with an AK-47, don’t fret, because you can just restart from a checkpoint and correct your errors. It’s like Run Lola Run except more adventure, and less red hair.

The visuals in all four games are stunning – which they would have to be considering all the places and lost cities Nate visits – and they all look so realisitic and aesthetically pleasing. There’s a cool little Easter egg in the fourth game, but when Nate says “These graphics are pretty good”, that would definitely apply to his own game series. The only issue I would have with the graphics – or appearances, more likely – is Chloe’s damn low ponytail. Urgh. So atrocious.

In some areas of the game – you MOSTLY control Nate, but I won’t spoil anything for you – you will have a partner character or partners following you and fighting with you, but majority of the time, you’ll be by yourself, and the isolation from safety will really ignite your adrenaline. The struggles Nate faces in all four games just reiterates the statement I made beforehand: you really want to see Nate succeed. And the challenging storyline and gameplay will leave you in your video-game-playing-groove for hours on end.

Probably my most favourite feature of Uncharted – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End to be precise – is the multiplayer feature (which should be played after finishing the main campaign, otherwise you might spoil the story for yourself). It compares elements of first-person shooter games like the Call of Duty series, with a third-person perspective shooter like Resident Evil 5, and mixes it together. If you suck at COD like I do, then you’d be pleased to hear that Uncharted multiplayer is much easier to get. It’s so pleasing to note that I don’t actually suck at this kind of multiplayer. Plus, you get to play as your favourite characters – Nate, Chloe, Rafe for me – and dress them up in cute outfits with cute bunny ears and you can make them twerk over your fallen opponent.

If you haven’t already, I suggest you buy these games and see what all the fuss is about. And if you’re an XBox user… well…

PS4 currently has Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection which features the first three games on the one disc, which you can then follow up with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. The trilogy is quite cheap considering, while the fourth and final installment is a bit more pricey considering its recent release – and the fact that it’s a bloody good game.

Happy adventuring, fam!

– by The Black Widow