Uncharted 1- a great start to a thrilling series of run n’ gun style games, though this first one was a lot more about the “gunning” than I remembered. It seriously seemed like one firefight after the other, the entire time. There was almost NO treasure hunting/puzzling at all, but it was still a relatively enjoyable game regardless. The sequels just make this one pale in comparison but you have to start somewhere, and this isn’t a bad start by any stretch.

Score Breakdown

“The Tale”
Story- 7
Pacing- 7
Characters- 8
Originality- 7
Linearity- 6
Length- 7
Epicness- 7

“The Presentation”
Visuals- 8
Display- 8
Music- 8
Sound FX- 9

“The Mechanics”
Ease of Use- 6
Innovation- 7
Replayability- 6

Uncharted 2- certainly an improvement over the first game in pretty much every conceivable way, especially in terms of pacing. No longer just full of gunfight after gunfight, this game chugs along at a premium pace that few games can match. And with the improvement in visuals and pretty much everything else regarding the production, it paints an amazing adventure that never slogs and is thrilling form start to finish. No wonder it’s considered to be one of the best video games of all time. I would pretty much agree, if there weren’t so many cheap deaths from too many bad guys, but don’t want to have it be too easy I guess. Amazing indeed.

Score Breakdown

“The Tale”
Story- 8
Pacing- 9
Characters- 8
Originality- 8
Linearity- 7
Length- 8
Epicness- 8

“The Presentation”
Visuals- 9
Display- 8
Music- 8
Sound FX- 9

“The Mechanics”
Ease of Use- 7
Innovation- 7
Replayability- 8

Uncharted 3- ups the stakes in terms of meaning for the characters, giving them more backstory and purpose which is awesome, but can feel a bit “samey” as the other two before it. Will say, felt more innovative than the second, implementing hand to hand combat better and mixing up the scenarios Drake goes through. A totally solid three-quel that gives plenty of gravitas to the characters, but only slightly falls short on making it epic scale like the stellar second one. Great game either way though.

Score Breakdown

“The Tale”
Story- 7
Pacing- 8
Characters- 9
Originality- 7
Linearity- 6
Length- 8
Epicness- 7

“The Presentation”
Visuals- 10
Display- 8
Music- 9
Sound FX- 9

“The Mechanics”
Ease of Use- 7
Innovation- 8
Replayability- 6