What I\u2019m Playing<\/p>\n
\u2018Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection\u2019<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t own a PlayStation 3 so my first encounter with Naughty Dog\u2019s \u201cUncharted\u201d franchise was watching videos of the cinematic trilogy cut together like a movie. Then, in preparation for \u201cUncharted 4: A Thief\u2019s End\u201d coming out on the PlayStation 4, a remastered collection was released. I don\u2019t remember much from the videos, so I decided to pop in the disc and finally play the first three.<\/p>\n
Like an interactive \u201cIndiana Jones\u201d film, the game follows the escapades of explorer Nathan Drake and his pals Elena Fisher, Victor Sullivan and Chloe Frazer. There\u2019s the whole laundry list of tropes and trappings we expect in adventure media: cursed treasure, collapsing bridges, old temples, car chases and train heists. What\u2019s not to love? I\u2019m only mere minutes into the third installment, but the first game centered on finding El Dorado, while the second took Drake and the gang on the hunt for the mythical kingdom of Shambhala.<\/p>\n
The difference between 2007\u2019s \u201cUncharted: Drake\u2019s Fortune\u201d and 2009\u2019s \u201cUncharted 2: Among Thieves\u201d is almost as big as the first entries of Naughty Dog\u2019s earlier series, \u201cJak and Daxter.\u201d The graphics are more vivid and detailed, the gameplay smoother, and the story more compelling. You can see how change in direction led to Naughty Dog making more exploration-heavy games such as their award-winning post-apocalyptic title, \u201cThe Last of Us.\u201d<\/p>\n
For those who aren\u2019t into video games but want in on the fun, a movie adaptation may finally come to light with Tom Holland (\u201cSpider-Man: Homecoming\u201d) recently being casted as Drake. Though I\u2019m partial to Nathan Fillion playing the protagonist (not only because he did a stellar job in a fan film), this is supposedly a prequel, so I think the younger Holland will do just fine.<\/p>\n