It was Uncharted’s 10th birthday this past weekend, yay! Sony and Naughty Dog did a look back at the series recently, but we thought we’d go ahead and share our top moments as well. We’re going to start with a not-that-spoilery one, but needless to say: Spoiler warning from here on out in case you don’t want anything from the series ruined for you at all.
CRASH BANDICOOT THROWBACK – UNCHARTED 4
Naughty Dog got their big break when the company first developed Crash Bandicoot back in the late 90’s, and in Uncharted 4, the team decided to go all the way back to the beginning by incorporating Crash Bandicoot into an Uncharted scene. Drake turning on his PlayStation and challenging Elena to a game of Crash was one of the best moments in Uncharted 4 that made me smile like a kid on Christmas day. You can play a part of Crash Bandicoot in an Uncharted game! Like what? It was so cool to see Naughty Dog bring up their history in what would be Drake’s last grand adventure.
WHEN WE THOUGHT SULLY DIED – UNCHARTED 3
Oh boy, this scene – let me grab a tissue first. Okay, we all know that Sully didn’t actually die in Uncharted 3 – or at all for that matter. But when we thought Sully was coming to his end in that one scene, it tore at our heartstrings. But later on we come to find out that it was all a hallucination caused by Talbot’s toxins in the water that Drake decided to sip on. Still, seeing our Sully get shot in the back while we were so close to the treasure was dreadful. Chasing after Talbot and Marlowe was fueled by hate and disgust which made the following firefights very intense.
PLAYING AS YOUNG DRAKE – UNCHARTED 3 (and 4)
Leave it to tricky ol’ Naughty Dog to surprise is with one chapter in Uncharted 3 that allowed us to play as a young Nathan Drake. None of the promotional material for the title showed any gameplay of this section, and it ultimately became of the most memorable moments – not just from Uncharted 3 but for the entirety of the franchise.
We get to see the first time Drake met Sully, and we also get a glimpse of what the youngster was like before getting sucked into the dangerous world of treasure hunting and insane jumps off of cliffs. It was such a wonderful surprise, that we had no choice but to add it to this list.
EPILOGUE – UNCHARTED 4
When you have 10 years of Uncharted games and are expected to wrap up the series with a nice big bow while also appeasing fans everywhere, it can be pretty challenging. Luckily Naughty Dog’s conclusion in Uncharted 4 proved to be very satisfying and at the same time, left room for sequels in the future, thanks to Elena’s and Drake’s daughter – Cassie.
In the epilogue, we see an aged Drake and Elena living on a beach with their daughter, who seems to be a young teen at this point. Not only do we get to control her for a few minutes, but you can peek around and examine all of Drake’s trinket and artifacts that he’s obtained over the years. It was such a sweet ending that brings up the possibility of one day, Cassie, going on her own adventure just like her parents before her. The ending of Uncharted could not have been more perfect. We’re all ready to eventually play Uncharted: Cassie’s Legacy.
DRAKE AND ELENA’S ALMOST FIRST KISS – UNCHARTED: DRAKES FORTUNE
The meeting of Drake and Elena would end up with them eventually getting married and having a child, but flirtatious relationship between them in Drake’s Fortune was everything. At first, they acted as if they didn’t like each other, but at the end of the game they get very close to kissing until the moment gets ruined by none other than Sully. We were yelling at the television screen at this point because who doesn’t want the hero to end up with the girl he’s supposed to be with? Their blossoming relationship all started here and those last few scenes were some of the cutest between the two.
NEPAL TRAIN SEQUENCE – UNCHARTED 2
There have been a healthy amount of spectacular train sequences throughout Drake’s travels, but none of them compare to the firefight that takes place in Nepal in Uncharted 2. Making his way from the back carriage all the way to the front to rescue Chloe, Drake fights a ton of bad guys and has to even shoot down helicopters with a rocket launcher and a turret. Can we also bring up the fact that not only are you on a moving train the whole time, but you’re actually going through one large set piece that seems to never end. The train goes through a wooded area, a long tunnel, and even on top of a snowy mountain. It’s technically and graphically impressive how all of this craziness happens all together without a hitch.
TRAIN OFF THE CLIFF – UNCHARTED 2
The cold open to Uncharted 2 shows us a bloodied Drake who just so happens to be sitting in a train cart that is halfway fallen off a cliff – that’s a way to start a game. It made us think so many things: how did he get here? Why does he have blood all over him? How has this train not fallen over yet?
After climbing through broken windows and over upside-down chairs, Drake finds his way to the top and on the snowy cliff. The story then cuts to the actual beginning of the game where Drake is very cheerful and not bloody – at all. But the whole time you can’t help but think about just how bad things are going to end up for Nathan Drake down the line.
ESCAPING THE SINKING SHIP – UNCHARTED 3
Uncharted 3 is best known for its massive set pieces that seem to never end. The sinking cruise ship from the game is probably one of the most memorable. The action comes to an immediate start once water starts filling up the huge cruise ship all while Drake has to deal with idiot henchman. If you don’t kill them fast enough, you will drown. It’s all very intense and stressful. You would think that everybody would want to get out before they die, but nope, they would rather make sure Drake is defeated before saving their own skin. There’s a lot of running towards the camera while water is roaring after you and climbing up hallways that are now sideways because the ship is halfway sunk into the water. Somehow – like he always does – Drake manages to break out before sleeping with the fishes. The whole cruise made us so anxious to get out of there, so much that we felt like we were about to drown ourselves.
CRASHING THE PLANE ABOVE THE DESERT – UNCHARTED 3
The famous plane scene from Uncharted 3 is really what makes Uncharted ‘Uncharted.’ It plays out so much like an action move that it’s hard to remember that you’re actually playing a video game. You end up fighting some bad guys in the back hatch of the plane, which then leads to Drake dangling off a baggage holder – trying to shoot enemies and avoiding falling suitcases. Of course, the plane ends up crashing nose-first into a desert, but at least Drake survived; man that guy gets into so much trouble- we would have just took a parachute and bailed on everyone.
NADINE PUNCHES CHLOE OUT OF BETRAYAL – UNCHARTED: THE LOST LEGACY
Nadine and Chloe’s unexpected partnership in the Lost Legacy proved to be one of the best in the series. Nadine simply considers it a work partnership, while Chloe tries to be more friendly and less professional. They slowly and slowly start to become pals, laughing at each other’s jokes and learning more about each other’s inner thoughts and feelings.
One big problem that halted their budding relationship was Chloe failing to mention that Sam, Drake’s brother and Nadine’s “enemy,” was a part of the deal. Nadine, feeling betrayed and angry gives Chloe one big punch to the face. It’s one of the big climaxes in the game that really makes your heart hurt for the both of them. You only want them to be there for each other at the end of the day and seeing Nadine so obviously hurt really tugs at the heartstrings. The Lost Legacy was meant to serve as a sort of expansion to the story of Uncharted 4, but it ended up being much more than that.
That’s our top 10. What are your favorite moments? Let us know in the comments below.
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