Video Game Review: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Last night I just finished playing the 4th game in the Uncharted series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is no secret that I am a huge fan of the series and I think is the best game so far. Fortunately there is another installment in the form of "Lost Legacy." I will give that a shot after playing a few other games in between.

The game starts off with an exciting boat chase and then moves to the beginning of the story. Doing this received a lot of acclaim when they did it in Uncharted 2. The thing that I didn't like with the 2nd game is that when you got back to that part of the game, you had to go through the whole scenario again. I appreciated that Uncharted 4 just shows highlights of the encounter and lets you continue without having to redo anything.

The scenery in all of the Uncharted games is amazing and the 4th game does not disappoint. There are the usual tropical islands but other parts of the world as well. While pictures can give you an idea of the detail in the game, you really need to play the game to appreciate it.

I felt a real connection with the story and think it is the best one yet. I felt that Uncharted 2 really just repeated the same story from the first game. I also didn't like the "mystical" aspect of those two games. With Uncharted 4, the story is very believable and it really felt like I was discovering ancient ruins.

During the story, you continually add entries to a journal. Once I completed the game, I would have paid a healthy sum of money to get one sent to me in print. Perhaps Naughty Dog, the game developer,  should make a completed journal available for fans of the game like myself. You can purchase a blank journal but I want one already filled in with drawings from the game.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and Uncharted 4 is the last game featuring Nathan Drake as the main character. It is clear that he won't be going on any more adventures. When I first heard that, I thought something bad happens. I don't want to give any spoilers but it is a happy ending and not tragic.

Uncharted 4 is rated "M" for mature because of violence and language. You wind up killing a lot of bad guys and people do use some colorful language. The language is not as bad as some of the other "M" games I have played but you should be aware of it. You can purchase the game new for around $40 or used for $15. I don't know why anyone would sell their copy as this is one of the few games I would consider replaying. I definitely recommend this game for teenagers, young adults, and those of us older guys that still like playing video games. I got my copy using an industry discount for around $11 and plan to keep it in my library.

My standard disclaimer is that I do work in the video game industry, know several people who worked on the game, and may even be associated with the developers in some way shape or form. I still hope you find the review somewhat objective.