The release of a remastered Uncharted collection for the PlayStation 4 was basically inevitable. It’s one of the tentpole franchises of the PlayStation brand, and all three titles received rave reviews at launch.
What I’m saying is that Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection was a no-brainer, but thankfully, the teams at Naughty Dog and Bluepoint Games appear to be handling the project with the care and attention it deserves.
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On Wednesday evening, I had a chance to sit down with the game for a few brief moments at an event in Manhattan. I was handed the controller just as the infamous building collapse scene from Uncharted 2 kicked off, forcing me to reacquaint myself with the controls more quickly than I had expected.
The representative I was sitting with told me a few things about the project that you may or may not already know, but I figured the best way to discuss a collection like this would be to pick out the most worthwhile highlights.
So here are the things you need to know about the Uncharted collection:
- By handing off the port to Bluepoint Games, Naughty Dog was able to spend more time on the little things that might have been glossed over otherwise, such as the water effects, the textures, the characters models and the lighting.
- The characters models in-game are actually the same as the models used in the cutscenes this time around.
- The game runs at 1080p, 60 frames-per-second. Of course, the visuals don’t stand up to the latest current-gen releases, but when a game moves as fast as Uncharted, those extra 30 frames make a huge difference.
- Although the controls evolved over the course of the series, all three games will play the same on PS4. It was important to Naughty Dog that moving from one game to the next would be a smooth transition.
- There will be a new, even harder difficulty for players who want a greater challenge.
- Multiplayer will not be included in the package, but everyone who purchases a copy of the collection will have access to the Uncharted 4 multiplayer beta later this year.
- Sony is planning to release a free demo of The Nathan Drake Collection on PS4 before the game launches in the fall.
Having only spent ten or so minutes with the game, I can’t say definitively one way or the other whether this remastered collection is worth your $60, but if you never got around to playing the Uncharted games, this is a great way to get caught up before Uncharted 4 drops next year.
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection will be available for PS4 on October 9th.
