CREDIT: NAUGHTY DOG
The Nathan Drake collection is being released for PS4, rebooting the popular Uncharted series. The series was originally only available for PS3.

This console generation, the PlayStation 4 in particular, has seen a large number of remasters come to the system as developers seek to use the increased power of the new console to boost the appeal of some of their best titles. Many of these releases have been met with indifference, with multi-platform titles such as Tomb Raider and Darksiders II getting seemingly unnecessary touch-ups and no significant added features. Yet the remastered edition of GTAV was a huge success, largely thanks to the addition of a first-person view, and The Last of Us is a must-play title on the system. The latter release was particularly important to Sony, as in addition to adding improved textures and framerate, it allowed the large population of PS4 owners who had never owned the PlayStation 3 to experience one of the finest games ever made.

The significant number of new adopters on the system presents a problem with some of Sony’s long-running franchises, as sales could be hurt by people not wanting to jump into a story part-way through. So when it was announced that the fourth installment of the acclaimed Uncharted series’ fourth and final instalment would be coming to PS4, no one was surprised when The Nathan Drake collection was announced.

Released in 2007, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was one of the first titles to truly show off what the PlayStation 3 was capable of. Though not an immediate commercial hit, critics praised the environments, the gameplay and the lead characters. The follow-up title Among Thieves in 2009 is regarded as one of the finest games of the last generation, and the only criticism of 2011’s Drake’s Deception is that it didn’t hit the insane standards set by its predecessor.

So now that the trilogy has arrived on the PS4 is it worth revisiting? The short answer is yes, especially if you’ve never experienced these games. Paying launch price for titles you already own may be a sticking point for anyone who has a PS3 still kicking around but even if you do, the games have never been better.

Drake’s Fortune is the biggest beneficiary of the upgraded visuals and framerate, as the rather plastic look of lead character Nathan Drake has been replaced with the much more realistic character model of the latter titles, but even more significant are the gameplay changes. Gone are the gimmicky motion controls that the PS3 used to throw a grenade and balance on beams, replaced with the more traditional control scheme of Uncharted 2.

Among Thieves also received a hefty visual boost, making a game that has already aged tremendously well look even better. The updated framerate manages to make both the environmental set pieces, and the climbing and shooting gunplay much more satisfying. The third game’s improvements are mostly found in performance and framerate, as it was already one of the best looking games on the PS3 and could only be improved so much without completely rewriting the code.

The Uncharted franchise is a masterful trilogy, and having them all together on one disk makes this the definitive way to experience the series. If the PS4 is your first Sony console, these games are simply a must play. They remain a delight even after a dozen plays and the adventures of Drake are too good to be missed.