Editor’s note – We’ve not added Horizon Forbidden West to this list (which launched February 18 on PS5 and PS5) because we believe it’s best experienced on the newest hardware. 

Despite the fact that some of these have now made their way to PC , these are still PS5 exclusives when it comes to consoles. Most are available to play on the PS5 via PS5 backwards compatibility too, so their legendary status lives on. Plus, a lot of these titles will now be included for free as part of the new PS Plus Premium games libraries at the mid and upper tiers.

Before we get stuck in though, here are the rules we’ve laid down: this list of the best PS4 exclusives deals with console exclusivity, so some of them can be found on PC. Exclusivity has to be permanent and not timed (so we had to remove Nier: Automata when it released on Xbox One). Plus, the games have to be full-price releases, and not DLC or add-on content – though if we’re lucky they’ll show up on the free PS Plus games (opens in new tab) list at some point and there are always the best free PS4 games (opens in new tab) if you’re feeling thrifty. 

20. GT Sport

The best racing game on PS4

Specifications

Release Date: 2017Developer: PolyphonyGenre: Racing

Reasons to buy

+Enhanced for PS4 Pro+Compatible with racing wheels+Online tournaments and events

If you’re looking for a driving experience on PS4… there’s only one choice. Sure, DriveClub was the previous favorite, but GT Sport (opens in new tab) offers everything that game had a way more. There’s the usual raft of high-end sports cars to choose from, and a bunch of high-performance models from commercial manufacturers, along with many of the world’s best tracks, lovingly recreated in game. But what sets this apart is the online options, offering tournaments, special events, and loads more – you can essentially live the life of the most exciting, well-travelled professional racing driver… er, without the risk of crashing (or the millions of dollars they’d probably earn). 

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19. Concrete Genie

A magical adventure that will capture your imagination

Specifications

Release Date: 2019Developer: PixelopusGenre: Adventure

Reasons to buy

+Heartfelt story+Beautifully stylised+Creative and imaginative

Concrete Genie offers an enchanting, creatively unique experience using the DualShock 4’s motion sensor controls to paint. Yep, that’s right, you create beautiful artwork by tilting your controller in different directions. While it sounds like a bit of an unconventional way to compose art, it actually works really well. Pixelopus offers a deeply heartwarming adventure that explores the impact of an environmental disaster on a now abandoned seaside town. You play a young bullied teenager called Ash who discovers a magical paintbrush that has the power to restore the town and bring his artwork to life. The story also touches on the issue of bullying with sensitivity, and it also shows you a different side to the bullies that you might not expect to see. 

18. Yakuza 6

The other great crime sim on PS4

Specifications

Release Date: 2018Developer: SegaGenre: Action RPG

Reasons to buy

+Enhanced for PS4 Pro+Fully localised for the US and UK+Massive game, so great value

If you’ve never experienced the PS4 exclusive Yakuza series… what the hell have you been doing with your gaming life? It’s time to rectify that mistake with the latest Yakuza. No, really, the sixth core outing for the series is actually one of the best places to start as it does a great job of telling the story so far, while offering the best action and elements from previous games in one, meaty adventure. It’s essentially an action-RPG set in Japan, where you play as ex-Yakuza boss Kazuma Kiryu, who is now a good guy fighting for his adopted children and the people of his town. There are mini-game distractions galore, loads of wonderful side-stories to experience, and a gripping overall narrative.

17. Street Fighter 5

The fighting legend finds a home on PS4

Specifications

Release Date: 2016Developer: CapcomGenre: Fighting

Reasons to buy

+Massive list of characters+Also available on PC+Compatible with fightsticks

It might’ve launched in relatively rough shape, but after over a year of additional content, new characters, and countless refinements, Street Fighter 5 (opens in new tab) has realized its full potential as a phenomenal fighting game. Its ever-growing roster of unique characters has the perfect fit for any playstyle, and the inventive V-Skill and V-Trigger systems add another layer of excitement and strategic depth to each intense match. Whether you go with an old favorite like Ryu or opt for an oddball newcomer like Necalli, Street Fighter 5 delivers more of the infinite replayability and limitless skill ceiling you’ve come to expect from Capcom’s fan-favorite fighting game series.

16. inFamous: Second Son

A superhero adventure that’s not to be missed

Specifications

Release Date: 2014Developer: Sucker PunchGenre: Action adventure

Reasons to buy

+Brilliant superhero action+Great use of the DualShock 4+Top notch graphics, despite it’s PS4 launch date release

Reasons to avoid

-Empty List

Despite the fact it was one of the original PS4 launch games, inFamous: Second Son is a wonderful example of how technical tweaks for the PS4 Pro release can change the quality of a game dramatically. Sucker Punch’s brilliant smoke-fuelled superhero story looks fantastic even four years after release, and its tale of origins, family, and brotherhood is still one of my favourite PS4 games to date. It make Seattle your playground, and nothing feels quite as good as chaining together attacks with your newly found powers to stop the big bad that’s threatening your town, and your family. Utterly brilliant. 

15. The Last of Us Remastered

The best game story ever told

Specifications

Release Date: 2014Developer: Naughty DogGenre: Action adventure

Reasons to buy

+One of the best game storylines of all time+Looks fantastic on Pro+Epic stealth sections

Reasons to avoid

-Empty List

Okay, okay, so technically The Last of Us was one of the best PS3 games (opens in new tab), but it’s tricky to compile a list of the best PS4 exclusives without at least mentioning this fantastic remaster. Not only do you get the original The Last of Us game in glorious 4K if you’re rocking a PS4 Pro, but you also get a load of additional content bundled in as well. Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic tale is still one of the best video game stories (opens in new tab) ever told. So if you’ve not experienced Ellie and Joel’s tale yet, settle back (although not too far, this is a tense game with mutants in it), and immerse yourself in one of the best games of all time. 

14. Tearaway Unfolded

A papercraft adventure where you’re the star

Specifications

Release Date: 2015Developer: Media MoleculeGenre: Platformer adventure

Reasons to buy

+Best use of the DualShock 4’s unique feature+Adorable papercraft world+Puts you right in the game

Reasons to avoid

-Empty List

Tearaway Unfolded is one of those rare games that is a sheer delight from start to finish. Its beautiful paper craft world is one that you’re immersed in from the get go, using the touchpad on the DualShock 4 to draw and craft your own creations that get placed inside the game. And, the more you play, the more the world of Tearaway Unfolded becomes a reflection of your artistic talents. Trust me, you don’t need many, thank the PlayStation Gods, but even a shambled together star adds some pizzazz to this already stunning world. Of course, there’s a story here too – it’s not all scissors and glue work – and it’s up to you to help rid the world of the evil Scraps and restore order once and for all. Meet some adorable creatures along the way, make friends, earn yourself some sticks and poke and prod the world using the power of the DualShock 4, and more in this unique PS4 exclusive adventure. 

13. Ratchet and Clank

A wonderful remaster of the PS2 classic

Specifications

Release Date: 2016Developer: Insomniac GamesGenre: Action adventure

Reasons to buy

+An animated space odyssey+Brilliantly silly weapons and story+A PS2 classic brought into the present day

Reasons to avoid

-Empty List

If you played Ratchet and Clank back in the days of the PS2, you know how amazing the duo’s adventures are. This oddity of a space odyssey will have you chuckling at the ridiculousness of the guns, groaning at the brilliantly awful jokes, and dazzling at the stunning world that Insomniac Games has created, with a colour palette to make any galaxy jealous. This is absolutely the magic of the original brought onto the PS4 in a beautiful remaster that proves that games don’t need to be totally overhauled to be brought onto current gen consoles. This is fun, imaginative and utterly wonderful.

12. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

The female-led Uncharted that you absolutely have to play

Specifications

Release Date: 2017Developer: Naughty DogGenre: Action adventure

Reasons to buy

+Incredibly compelling fresh protagonists+Storyline is one of the best in the series+Absolutely stunning visuals

Reasons to avoid

-Empty List

While Nathan Drake has been the face of the Uncharted series since it debuted in 2007 on the PS3, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (opens in new tab) is all about giving someone else a turn. Drake moves aside to let two female characters from the series – both former villains/double crossers, I might add – in the form of Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross. The two women are a compelling double act that still retain the feisty, tongue-in-cheek antics that’s synonymous with the Uncharted series, but with a fresh take on the boisterous bromance of Sully and Drake. Brilliant set pieces, top notch puzzles, and a touch of the supernatural all add up to make this an Uncharted spin-off that could just be the start of a new Uncharted tale. 

11. Shadow of the Colossus

Epic monsters on an epic console

Specifications

Release Date: 2018Developer: Team IcoGenre: Action adventure

Reasons to buy

+Atmospheric and intriguing world building+Cinematic and thrilling boss battles+Monsters look fantastic

Reasons to avoid

-Empty List

Shadow of the Colossus (opens in new tab) is one of those games that everyone wanted to be remastered for years upon years. And then it happened. Announced at E3 2017, but arrived in February 2018, this is the kind of game that makes huge ripples in the gaming industry, because it still felt as thought-provoking and artistic as it did when it originally released some 13 years earlier on the PS2. This is a genuine slice of gaming history, and you owe it to yourself to experience it. 

Turn to page two to see which titles fall into our ultimate top 10 best PS4 exclusives…

10. Ghost of Tsushima

A beautiful swan song for the PS4

Specifications

Release Date: 2020Developer: Sucker PunchGenre: Open world

Reasons to buy

+Empty List

Reasons to avoid

-Empty List

You’ll be thankful for every minute you spend in the beautiful, full, and surprisingly chill world of Ghost of Tsushima. Sucker Punch’s latest takes an Assassin’s Creed-style Japan, adds a Red Dead Redemption 2-sized world, and blends in an entire library’s worth of Akira Kurosawa movies to create this tribute to the Japanese culture is so clearly reveres. This is a fantastic swan song for the PS4.

09. Detroit: Become Human

One of the smartest narrative games ever made

Specifications

Release Date: 2018Developer: Quantic DreamGenre: Adventure

Reasons to buy

+Enhanced for PS4 Pro+So many endings to see+Looks incredible

The latest game to join this exclusive club, Detroit: Become Human is a tour de force of storytelling. It follows the story of three Androids, who all break their programming to become ‘free’ in the year 2038. As well as looking insanely pretty, this game does some interesting things with player choice – not only do you genuinely feel in control of the destiny of each character, but you’re also made aware of the different story paths you could have taken at the end of each level. It’s light on action, but heavy on talking, but that’s the point here. Once you invest in the various characters, and their struggles, you’ll be hooked… and you’ll genuinely fret over some of the game’s tougher moral choices.

08. Persona 5

One of the finest JRPGs around

Specifications

Release Date: 2016Developer: AtlusGenre: JRPG

Reasons to buy

+A classic JRPG+Masses of depth+Looks amazing

Playing Persona 5 (opens in new tab) borders on overstimulation due to its sheer sense of style, where everything from the colorful visuals and snazzy soundtrack to the vibrant menus and peppy voice acting is vying for your rapt attention. This accessible-yet-deep JRPG is like a playable anime, following a group of Japanese high schoolers who become empowered as the Phantom Thieves, bettering society by stealing the coveted items corrupting the hearts of delusional adults. Whether you’re infiltrating the psychological palaces of your chosen target or simply hanging out and building friendships via a wide variety of after-school activities, Persona 5 offers over 100 hours of joy to anyone with even the slightest affinity for JRPG adventures. And yes, you can technically play it on PS3 – but then you’d be missing out on that sweet, sweet 1080p resolution.

07. The Last Guardian

A sweeping epic that began life on PS3

Specifications

Release Date: 2016Developer: SonyGenre: Adventure

Reasons to buy

+Enhanced for PS4 Pro+Prequel to Shadow of the Colossus+Unique story

Fumito Ueda’s games are renowned for the way they stir the player’s emotions and sense of wonderment, and after years of waiting and wondering if it would ever see the light of day, The Last Guardian (opens in new tab) lives up to the same high standard as Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. You play as a young boy marooned among ancient ruins, befriending a humongous bird/dog hybrid named Trico as the two of you make your way towards freedom. Trico’s unique, at times disobedient, AI makes him feel like a truly living creature you need to coax and cooperate with in order to solve a variety of third-person puzzles, creating a bond between player and animal that’s not unlike the companionship of a real-world pet. 

06. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Nathan Drake’s latest and greatest

Specifications

Release Date: 2016Developer: Naughty DogGenre: Adventure

Reasons to buy

+Enhanced for PS4 Pro+Incredible looking game+Cracking multiplayer options

Like all the greatest action movies, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (opens in new tab) knows when to balance explosive set-pieces and riveting car chases with quieter moments of human drama and warmth. Nathan Drake’s still a lovable modern-day Indiana Jones, hunting for treasure and evading armed goons with panache, but watching him interact with his loved ones – Elena, Sully, and even his newly introduced brother Sam, all brought to life via fantastic mocapped performances – is more rewarding than the discovery of any ancient secret. Uncharted 4 is a fitting end for Nathan’s story, and playing it feels like completing the satisfying final chapter in a beloved adventure book that’s made an indelible mark on your heart.

05. Bloodborne

From the creators of the Dark Souls series

Specifications

Release Date: 2015Developer: FromSoftwareGenre: Action RPG

Reasons to buy

+Super hardcore game+Amazing gothic atmosphere+Going cheap in 2018

The night is dark and full of terrors, the majority of which will mercilessly kill you in seconds if you’re not careful. But that’s a risk you’ll just have to take to explore and experience Bloodborne (opens in new tab)‘s gorgeous gothic city of Yharnam, the setting for From Software’s brilliant spin-off that experiments with the studio’s own Dark Souls designs. This elegant third-person action RPG opts for a quicker pace of play compared to classic Souls without devaluing the need for constant caution and alertness, lest you fall prey to a diverse range of horrific monsters lurking through the Victorian-era environments. The dual forms of each melee weapon, mixed with the careful timing of pistol-enabled parries, gives you even more room to express your preferred fighting style as you claw your way from one memorable boss encounter or picturesque vista to the next, guided (or hostilely invaded) by the ghosts of other players.    

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04. Marvel’s Spider-Man

The greatest superhero game of the generation

Reasons to buy

+Movement is incredible+Looks amazing+Loads to do

Reasons to avoid

-Empty List

Easily the best superhero game of recent years, Spider-Man is an absolute storming exclusive for PS4. It looks incredible, is stuffed full of things to see and do, and it feels glorious to play. From the moment you take your first swing around NYC, to the later stages when you’re mixing together movement, combat, and powers this is an absolute delight to just sit and play. The story is gripping, funny, and genuinely surprising in places, and the presentation is slick as hell. It very much captures the spirit of both the comics and the new Marvel versions of Spidey. If you’re looking for something brand new, which will wow your friends and keep you playing for weeks and weeks… this is the one for you.

03. Horizon Zero Dawn

An incredible open-world adventure

Specifications

Release Date: 2017Developer: Guerrilla GamesGenre: Adventure

Reasons to buy

+Enhanced for PS4 Pro+Beautiful photo mode+A massive adventure

We’ve seen far too many desolate, lifeless, post-apocalyptic wastelands in games, to the point where they’ve become as dreary as the crumbling world they portray. But Horizon Zero Dawn (opens in new tab) dares to push far, far beyond the fall of modern society to give us a glimpse at a new chapter for humanity, where primitive tribes have slowly begun to rebuild among unique species of sentient, robotic wildlife that roam and own the now-verdant ruins of metropolitan areas. You explore Horizon’s expansive, enchanting open world as Aloy, an instantly likeable lead who’s a capable and courageous hunter in this far-future frontier. Establishing diplomatic relations with other human tribes, exploring the breathtaking environment (and capturing Kodak moments with the delightful photo mode (opens in new tab)), hunting down every last secret tucked away in the sprawling landscape, trying to bag yourself a massive dino-like Thunderjaw – whatever you set out to do in Horizon Zero Dawn, it’s going to be incredible.

02. God of War

The best action PS4 title

Specifications

Release Date: 2018Developer: Sony Santa MonicaGenre: Adventure

Reasons to buy

+Enhanced for PS4 Pro+Looks incredible+A brilliant, action-filled story

Yes, it’s that good. The latest God of War, which essentially reboots the franchise and takes it to a whole new setting, is the best game you can play on PS4. And that’s something we may well be saying until PS5 inevitably rolls out. Ditching the linear action structure of the originals, this outing lets you explore a fully realised, utterly beautiful Norse world, picking fights and solving puzzles as you go. The story is both well written and well paced, with Kratos far more than a one-dimensional murder-machine now. Enemies are well constructed too, and the combat is just as fluid and thrilling as it always was. There are heaps of things to discover, and each new area is more jaw-dropping and feature-packed than the next. Only Horizon comes close to showing the power and versatility of the PlayStation in the same way, making God of War an essential purchase for anyone with a Dualshock in their hands and a hankering for a fresh experience. 

01. Last of Us Part 2

The best PS4 exclusive ever

Specifications

Release date: 2020Developer: Naughty DogGenre: Action

Reasons to buy

+Powerful storytelling+Fierce, brutal combat+Ingenious level design

Naughty Dog has closed out the PS4 generation with its most ambitious game to date. Not only does this exclusive justify its existence as the sequel none of us thought we needed, but it’s an outstanding achievement in its own right. Visually astonishing, absurdly ambitious, and utterly epic in scale, The Last of Us Part 2 (opens in new tab) is a game that will be a part of you for many, many years to come.

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The post The 20 best PS4 exclusives appeared first on Game News.

Speaking to GamesRadar+ earlier this week to mark the imminent launch of Uncharted: The Legacy Collection, Naughty Dog leads Kurt Margenau and Sean Escayg commented on the possibility of Uncharted ever returning for a successive installment.

“I think we can say for certain that we can never say never,” said Escayg, creative director on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. “Yeah. Uncharted is a franchise we love – that the studio loves. I love, and Kurt loves. It’s a world we want to see more of. So I can certainly say that,” the development lead continued.

Rumor has it a new Uncharted game was actually in the works, just not at Naughty Dog. Last year in April, a report claimed that Days Gone developer Bend Studio had been tasked with developing a new entry in the Uncharted franchise, but had since successfully requested to be taken off the project. As a result, we don’t actually know whether the supposed new Uncharted game is continuing in development elsewhere, or has sputtered out entirely.

What we do know is that Uncharted: The Legacy Collection arrives tomorrow on January 28 for PS5, with a PC launch slated for later this year. The collection packs together Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and The Lost Legacy with a bumper 60FPS upgrade, which can actually increase to 120FPS if your TV supports it. Check out our Uncharted: The Legacy Collection impressions for what we made of the new collection package.

Check out our upcoming PS5 games guide for a full look at everything else on the radar for Sony’s new-gen console.

The post Uncharted 5 is a “never say never” for Naughty Dog appeared first on Game News.

“It’s all about how do we take advantage of this awesome technology to really, you know, fully immerse our fans and new players. The PS5 is the best way – literally the best way – to experience these stories and to live with these characters,” explains Escayg. “You experience things differently now, playing it on PS5. The market in the opening sequence [of The Lost Legacy] with Chloe and Meenu and they’re bartering, I was geeking out on it. When I was playing it, I was like ‘oh my god, this stuff is amazing’. Like, you can feel all the clothing and almost touch it. You can see the temples in the background. The places become more alive.”

 Once more, with feeling 

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection has been upscaled – 4K resolution, up to 120fps in Performance+ Mode – but the PS5 has some other tricks up its sleeve too. There’s 3D spatial audio technology, and the DualSense’s nuanced haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. Even what we might see as a simple scene – remember the opening of Uncharted 4 on the boat? – becomes a totally new experience when you can really feel it. 

“The boat in the opening of the game was the very first thing people experienced so we were like, ‘OK is a big deal, we want to make sure that this feels good,'” says Margenau.

“We know where the body of the boat is scraping against the water, so we’re actually modeling that in stereo. When the boat turns to the right, you’ll not only feel that on the right side of the controller but also through two other layers of feedback. There’s a g-force meter, so any impact to the boat is being reflected on a pulse, which is based on the physics of what’s happening. And there’s a ‘propeller chop value’ in the simulation of the boat, which is like the propeller getting out of the water and skipping; we have a special haptic just for that. All these layers of those things are all running at once.”

And when you’re in full-action hero mode, feeling Nathan Drake’s heart thud as he’s in peril, driving off-road, or taking down the bad guys in a shootout, the haptics will deliver there too. Escayg says that you’ll want to continue cycling through the in-game arsenal just to try everything out. 

“Those things stand out in a big way, even when you’re changing weapons. The 12-gauge or the P90, you feel it in combat. It’s a very unique experience, just a subtle way the gun vibrates through the controller, right? I’m literally going through every gun I can play with just to see what the differences are – how they feel makes me feel more powerful and in control. It’s really interesting to see how just the subtle shifts change the experience.”

And adding those haptic effects was no easy feat, so spare a thought for the developers when you’re enjoying the feel of that Condor semi-automatic shotgun. “We had to build a new pipeline to author them because it’s such a higher fidelity haptic experience than the old controller rumble. So we had to think about it in a different way and involve audio programmers, because the fidelity of the haptics is so high that it’s an audio signal that we’re sending to the controller,” says Margenau, with the saintly patience of a man explaining a very technical system to a total layperson. “So when you get shot, you can feel it only on the side of the controller where you got shot. 

“It’s a subtle effect, but it’s something you couldn’t do on the old controller because you had asymmetrical motors, you had a big motor and a small motor. Whenever those things rotate, the entire controller feels like it’s vibrating, which is kind of by design of the hardware. But on PS5, you have the same motors on both sides, vibrating somewhat like speakers. So you can actually do very specific effects of kind of stereo panning and things.”

 Uncharted futures 

 While Uncharted 4 was released in 2016, and the amazing standalone follow-up with Chloe Frazier as the hero – Lost Legacy – was released in 2017, the adventures still feel fresh, aging like an ancient golden relic. A big part of that is the writing, Chloe, Nathan, and their allies and enemies all have heart. OK, some enemies have less heart, but they still feel real. 

“Uncharted is about heart, it’s about struggles, it’s about complex characters and seeing them persevere, and I think that struggle is in all of us,” says Escayg. “Being light-hearted and being able to laugh at certain things during these epic adventures when you’re trapped and enemies are firing at you, and you still have witty banter. That’s the special sauce of Uncharted, it just makes you want to go back for more. You just enjoy the world so much.” 

But with Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection reminding us why the series is so special, fans will want to know if we’ll ever get an Uncharted 5. Perhaps even one where a new character, like Chloe, takes on the role of the treasure hunting hero? Of course, neither of the Naughty Dog guys would spill the studio secrets, but there was a sliver of hope. 

“I think we can say for certain that we can never say never. Yeah. Uncharted is a franchise we love – that the studio loves. I love, and Kurt loves. It’s a world we want to see more of. So I can certainly say that,” says Escayg.

At least fans have the movie, Uncharted, which will be released on February 18. Unfortunately, despite their roles as the daddies of the original, neither has had a chance to get a sneak preview.

“The two of us aren’t directly involved in that. And, you know, I’m excited to see Tom Holland’s take on the character. I don’t know anything other than the trailers we’ve seen,” says Margenau. “I’m just excited. It’s like, it’s finally here! We have Uncharted on the big screen, and it’s not going to change directors again, and it’s not going to be in development for even longer. And I think Tom Holland is a great choice.” 

“And they’re pulling inspiration from the games, so it’s really satisfying to see that gets to be on the big screen.”

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection will be released on PS5 on January 28, and will come to PC later this year. Read our thoughts on the remaster here.

The post Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection and the art of the remaster with Naughty Dogs experts appeared first on Game News.

Speaking in character names, those present included the intrepid hero Nathan Drake, Elena Fisher, Victor “Sully” Sullivan, Chloe Frazer, Charlie Cutter, and Atoq Navarro. Amy Hennig, writer and director behind the first three Uncharted games, was also a major part of the event and as always, a great source of behind-the-scenes insights.

Now that the future of the Uncharted series rests mostly in the uncertain hands of the Uncharted movie (opens in new tab), it was refreshing seeing so much of the cast back together (well, sort-of). Emily Rose (Elena Fisher) even seemed to dress the part, right down to the hairstyle and wardrobe.

The roughly-one hour stream saw the whole crew take part in nostalgia-dripped reminiscing; sharing stories from development, randomly pulling up behind-the-scenes pictures and sharing them across the screen, and casually bantering. North makes for a great host and lets the conversation flow naturally, but everyone in the stream got plenty of time to share their Uncharted experiences.

North hosted the event on his Retro Replay (opens in new tab) YouTube channel, which features a revolving cast of Uncharted alumni and other industry workers. Up until very recently, the show was co-hosted by Troy Baker, who plays Joel in The Last of Us. At the end of the stream, North announced that the “definitive” playthrough of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception would be his next big gaming project.

With Nathan Drake back in the spotlight, check out our Uncharted 4 retrospective (opens in new tab) for a re-examining of the series’ misunderstood conclusion.

The post Nolan North hosts Uncharted reunion with castmembers and director Amy Hennig appeared first on Game News.

Naturally, we demand an action-adventure film that feels like part of the games’ expanded world, and it’s obviously got to be good. Fingers crossed we get something more akin to the cinematic gloss and atmosphere of Silent Hill, rather than an unholy mess like Super Mario Bros or Doom. But aside from quality… what themes and ideas should it borrow from the games? 

Right place, right treasure

One franchise staple is the way the game’s narrative takes us through an array of exotic and, frankly, stunning locations. Granted, it’ll no doubt echo the likes of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and virtually every James Bond film you can think of, but mouth-watering locales are what make Uncharted the rich experience it is. Basically, it’s anywhere you might find fancy treasure and dirty mercenaries in need of a good punching. Possible locales? Well, the obvious one would be the Secret City of Paititi (opens in new tab) in Brazil, where historians reckon an estimated $10billion treasure is waiting to be found. For a more nautical theme, maybe movie-Drake will go looking for the Flor de la Mar, a fleet of ships that sunk off the coast of Sumatra, carrying an estimated haul of $2.4 billion in gold. That’s 55,000kg of solid gold! Not sure how Nate would actually carry all that…

And to go with these stunning vistas are the action-packed set pieces. Obviously as gamers we are the ones playing out the adrenaline-fuelled scenarios but seeing Drake defy death with every insane escape, chase, or getaway at the cinema will be just as immersive. Among Thieves made us sweat our way through that precarious mountain-dangling train; Drake’s Deception gave us that memorable, hasty evac from a torched, collapsing house; and A Thief’s End got made us sweat with that epic jeep chase. Huge, inventive action sequences will be what sets this apart.

Everything must break

Speaking of action sequences, it’s not an Uncharted game if Nathan Drake isn’t leaving entire ancient civilizations in shambles. Every time Nathan leaps for a plank of wood, it needs to break out from under him. A massive stone bridge should crumble behind him as he darts across. You need to look at a set of footholds on a cliff face and time how quickly it takes for one of them to slip out from under him – anything longer than five seconds is too long. Heck, Drake should pick up a coffee cup and instantly drop and shatter it because it scalded his fingers. If the world around Nathan Drake isn’t crumbling into the dust from whence it came, it’s not Uncharted.

Bring back the gang

Any great film is made up largely of sharp scripting and, ahem, all the best words. Each game is packed with witty, top-notch dialogue; whether it’s a snappy retorts as Nate and Sully navigate their way through a heavily guarded jungle, or if the pair are bombing it through a shanty town in a battered jeep – the exchanges are always spot on. We need our key characters to appear in some capacity. After all, an Uncharted movie wouldn’t be complete without the cigar-smoking, huskiness of an ageing Sully – someone like JK Simmons would be ideal, likewise Bruce Campbell. A young Sam would be a good shout too, after establishing himself so well in the final instalment. Nate won’t have met Elena yet, but a younger Chloe is possible. A fresh baddo is essential though, obviously.

Foreshadowing to events in the games

In focusing on the life of young Nathan Drake, the filmmakers actually give themselves a lot more leeway in what kinds of stories they can tell. I mean, we already know what kind of man Drake is, but how did he get there from his younger days? This offers interesting opportunities to provide all kinds of references – both overt and subtle – to the games themselves. Maybe Nate has to get information from a young Eddy Raja. Or maybe he sees a quick aside to the Cintamani stone made by one of the explorers Drake is chasing down. It’s a way to inject a sense of scale and history into the film, while also giving Uncharted superfans something to nudge their bud’s shoulder about in the movie theater.

Maintain that sense of serialized, 1930s adventure

One of the biggest tenants of the Uncharted series is that, no matter what happens to our heroes, they make it out the other side alive. They might be changed by the experiences they’ve seen, they might have a few broken ribs, but the villains always lose, the heroes always win, and everything is generally peachy once the credits roll. That’s because Uncharted is pure pulp, taking inspiration from movies like Romancing the Stone, Indiana Jones, and serialized adventure stories from the 1930s. They’re about far-flung locales, the wonder of unearthing hidden chambers and priceless artifacts, and the human cost of awakening mysterious forces we can’t even begin to understand – and of course, our hero Drake has a perfect quip for every occasion. That’s not to say there shouldn’t be stakes involved, but an Uncharted movie should focus on the fun and excitement of adventure – the world doesn’t need another dark and gritty reboot.

Love, not romance

While the series offers us high octane thrills, it has surprisingly little in terms of sex. That’s in complete contrast to mainstream Hollywood movies that insist on salacious helpings of hot and steamy action to attract audiences, but it’s really not necessary here. Sure, bring over the simmering sexual chemistry and sharp-tongued flirtations but we don’t need to hear (or see) Nate grunting and groaning… unless he’s clambering up an unstable rock formation, that is. Uncharted is one of the few games that actually paints a realistic picture of love and relationships – U4 especially highlights the problems of marriage (opens in new tab) – so having some kind of air-brushed Hollywood romance would be a massive step backwards, if it appears in the movie.

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We saw an even younger Nate in Uncharted 4’s flashback scenes, but those were used to  establish his relationship with his (mysteriously unmentioned until now) older brother. When Uncharted 3 dipped into the past, it set up Nate’s obsession with the travels of Sir Francis Drake and introduced the young thief to Victor Sullivan in his prime. They met at opposing sides of a museum heist but quickly established a treasure-hunting mentorship. Sounds like fine material for a film adaptation.

I was never excited about the idea of an Uncharted movie before now; the games are quite cinematic enough. But I have always wanted to see more of young Drake and Sully’s adventures. Tom Holland has proven he can do the excitable jokester as Peter Parker, now we just need a Victor Sullivan with the right balance of suave charm and wisecracking wit. Maybe a young Elena too, if we don’t care about mixing up the timeline. I am (tentatively) on board.

According to Deadline, Stranger Things executive producer Shawn Levy is still set to direct the Uncharted movie with this new angle but screenwriter Joe Carnahan (and presumably his R-rated Uncharted treatment (opens in new tab)) is out. If only Neil Druckmann wasn’t so busy with The Last of Us Part 2 (opens in new tab) and Amy Hennig with that Visceral Star Wars game (opens in new tab).

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Apart from the upcoming Lost Legacy expansion (opens in new tab), Uncharted is really behind you now. How does that feel?
It’s a little bittersweet obviously to finish a series that we’ve felt so close to and that’s done so well for us, surprisingly so. We have a lot of emotional investment in it. But I think when we were working on the story for Uncharted 4, knowing this was the last one for Nathan Drake, there was a level of seriousness to it and we really put a lot of thought and effort behind it. It feels really good for us to end in that mode, and we were able to have that sense of closure with the way we did it. The game has closure and actually served as closure to us as well.  

What do you think of the reaction to The Last of Us 2 so far? All the fan theories – Joel’s dead, not dead etc?
We look at it, and it’s always fun to look at a lot of the fan theories. We’re fans of movies and TV shows, so when we see the same type of things for those shows we totally get into it. So seeing that for one of our games… We always try to craft trailers, craft things that leave questions open, leave interpretations open. To see some of that and to see where all of that goes is always a thrill for us, we get a kick out it?  

Neil Druckmann has talked before about lying in trailers to mislead fans…
He was specifically referencing when we look at crafting our campaign. As far as trailers and information we put out we want to bring our fans on a journey like we do with our games. The highs and the lows. So we will purposely obfuscate the truth or provide a little bit of misdirection so that we’re providing the right types of surprises, or highs and lows, that we do with our games as well.   

You’re now in a position where the PS4 Pro exists at the start of game’s development (not announced midway through). Has that had an impact?
We defintely think about it from the beginning of development even though Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is using the Uncharted 4 engine. It’s still something we were thinking of when we started development on Lost Legacy and how we were approaching it. But the thing is we still have to provide benefits for both consoles so we’re really excited about the stuff the Pro allows us to do. I think you may have seen everyone’s really been geeking out about HDR and how picture quality goes. But we’ve always tried to provide the best experience no matter what platform we’re on, no matter what constraints or capabilities we have, and so this adds some more options. But we always look to optimise what ever platform we’re on.  

How do you feel overall about a what’s basically a 0.5 incremental console update?
I think for us, the part that really excites us, is that we always try to push whatever hardware we’re on to the fullest, so for us it gives us an opportunity to try to explore somethings without having to revamp our engine. It’s exciting to say ‘alright we can really push things a little bit further without having to really refactor everything we’ve been working on.’ It’s great to look at those opportunities that it give us.  

You became a two game studio back when you were working on The Last of Us and Uncharted back in 2011, is that still the case? 

That’s right… We have 2 teams at Naughty Dog now and our next game on PS3 is ‘The Last of Us’ #LastOfUs #naughtydogDecember 11, 2011

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You’re saying that, but the reality of it is that really we’re kind of a one game studio. While we do have maybe some pre-production teams spinning up here and there, we’re not that disciplined to not say we’re going to borrow this person, we’re going to borrow that person. So pretty much the entire team is working on something, and I think we’ve come to terms with that’s the way our studio is going to operate. We hire very slowly, very deliberately. We’re just over 200 people right now, so we don’t have the capacity to really work on two games in parallel that way without trying to steal resources from either end. So for us to make the best game possible we really have to focus on one game.  

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Each match of Survival has 50 waves to fight through, but it won’t always be about killing all the things. Sometimes you’ll need to collect treasures spread across the map, take down a special, marked enemy, or defending a specific area. There will also be special modifiers (such as making enemies immune to all but one type of damage) turned on and off to make things extra challenging. Every 10 waves you’ll face a boss – a pirate lord of Libertalia.

But enemies won’t be the only ones getting help. Survival mode will have its own progression system, letting you earn upgrades and items as you rank up. The more you play and longer you survive, the stronger you’ll become. Make it through all 50 waves and you’ll earn bragging rights, plus vanity items for use across all of Uncharted 4 multiplayer. Survive on Hard mode and you’ll unlock Crushing difficulty, the hardest of the hard modes.

Not a bad way to pass the time for an aging treasure hunter.

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Say wha’? That’s right. Cast a beady peeper over A Thief’s End’s teaser trailer (opens in new tab) – released back in the quaint old days of November 2013 – and you witness a flash of a decidedly less chilled Sam. “Some chains can never be broken,” hisses the narrator. “I lost 15 years. Buried alive. Erased. You left me rotting in that hell hole and never looked back.” Over a decade wasting away in a pee-pee soaked heck hole, you say? That sure sounds like a certain denim jacket-loving, chain smoker’s time in a Panamanian pokey.

Now, a whole lot changed between that trailer and Uncharted 4’s release. Long-time series director Amy Hennig left Naughty Dog in March 2014 – replaced by The Last Of Us’ chief collaborators Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley. Next, the voice of that teasing vid, actor Todd Stashwick, revealed his role had been recast. While it was never officially confirmed he was playing Sam, it doesn’t take a Baker Street-residing detective to work out his role based on that narration.

And boy are original Sam’s words bitter, too. “You can’t outrun the past… and when it catches up, when all your lies collapse around you, I’ll be there, sifting through the wreckage. You owe me.” Why the eventual change in tone? My guess is Druckmann and Straley softened Sam so that he could act as an AI partner – Uncharted 4 is drenched with TLOU’s DNA, after all.

Still, imagine narrator Sam going after Drake, an unhinged sibling ruined by resentment, who blackmails our hero into pursuing Henry Avery’s treasure. Forget Rafe and Nadine, Sam Drake 1.0 would have been the ultimate baddie – one driven by deliciously malevolent motivation. Part of me will always pine for that never seen, bitter big bro.

This article originally appeared in Official PlayStation Magazine. For more great PlayStation coverage, you can subscribe here (opens in new tab).

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The video was created by Eurogamer (opens in new tab)’s Digital Foundry, the same people who often give extensive technical breakdowns of console hardware and game performance comparisons. It’s not native gameplay – which is to say, Uncharted 4 does not run at 60 fps. Instead, what you’re seeing is Uncharted 4 running on a PS4 with the slow-mo mode enabled, and the footage has been sped up 200 percent. It’s a nifty visual trick discovered by NeoGAF user Kanuuna, who has even more of this type of footage:

When we saw Uncharted 4 (and a plethora of other games) at the PS4 Pro reveal, it was still running at the old 30fps framerate. One can only imagine how reactions (opens in new tab) would’ve been different if this had been the sales pitch (opens in new tab) highlighting the November-bound console’s increased specs.

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