Uncharted: The Lost Legacy vs. Previous Entries in the Series
For the video version of my article, here's the link
https://youtu.be/CzPDigHagMs
Hello, everyone, it's drmuffin1080 here. The release date for Uncharted: The Lost Legacy was announced last month, releasing August 22, 2017. The price will be $39.99. Also, if you pre-order, you'll receive a free digital copy of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. I've never played that game, so I'm definitely pre-ordering.
This release date is very close. Only three months away. When E3 hits, it'll be only 2 months away. So, what I'm wondering is whether they'll show any gameplay of The Lost Legacy at E3 since the game is so close. I want to say yes because Sony wants to put on a great conference, and including The Lost Legacy would definitely do that, but it's just so close to release that it seems weird. Then again, games have been included in big conferences before close to release and it'll hype the game up.
So, one thing I wanted to discuss in my post to set myself apart was how will The Lost Legacy stack up to previous Uncharted games. Does the fact that it’s an expansion hold it down, or will it beat previous main entries in terms of impact and fan appreciation.To try and answer this question, I’m going to go through each Uncharted.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was released in 2007 to critical acclaim, sitting at an 88 on Metacritic. It’s a fun action-adventure game and a fine foundation to a future series. However, I got some complaints. The combat got tedious in the game. Fighting the monsters was a damn chore and had very little variety. I played the game in 2015, so I cut it slack. It was probably more fun back in the day. The characters are also great and leave one hell of an impression. Storywise, it’s definitely the weakest of the series. I think that Uncharted: The Lost Legacy will easily beat out Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Naughty Dog has improved a lot gameplay wise and the introduction of new more varied locations will help The Lost Legacy a lot. Drake’s Fortune also didn’t have a ton of puzzles, or at least not any memorable ones. The Lost Legacy can easily beat it out in that area. Other than Golden Abyss, which I’ve never played, Drake’s Fortune is my least favorite in the series. It feels like a game that was truly testing the waters for the franchise. And even though the Lost Legacy is only an expansion, it’s an expansion built upon four entries.
Then we have the question as to whether it will stack up when compared to Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. To me, that’s a no. When released, The Lost Legacy may be a more polished game overall than Uncharted 2, but it won’t hit that impact or critical acclaim that Uncharted 2 achieved for its time. Just look at the 96 on Metacritic. Uncharted 2’s set-pieces are probably the most memorable of the series, from the tense chopper attack to the marvel of game design that is the train sequence. Every single way that Uncharted 2 could’ve beaten Drake’s Fortune it does, and by a mile. I literally can’t believe the game was created in under two years. It won the most game of the year awards of 2009 and I’m not surprised. So when questioning as to whether or not Uncharted: The Lost Legacy will beat out Among Thieves, I’m gonna have to say no. Like I said, The Lost Legacy will possibly be more polished as a game. The gameplay will without a doubt beat it. Level design will probably win. What The Lost Legacy has going for it is time. As the years go by developers get more experienced. But that doesn’t change the fact that Among Thieves will beat it out in terms of impact.
Our next game is Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. I’m actually thinking that The Lost Legacy has a chance to beat this one out. Drake’s Deception’s gameplay, mainly the shooting mechanics, took a dip from Among Thieves. So much that Naughty Dog actually gave out an update to revert the mechanics back to Among Thieves’ style after the complaining got so bad. Drake’s Deception is also surprisingly difficult. I usually play on moderate for the Uncharted games (higher difficulties for Uncharted 4 now since I’ve gotten much better at that game). Out of all the games in the series, I had the hardest time with number three. It kicked my ass. Like, a lot. I was restarting the hell outta checkpoints, and this was all on moderate difficulty. I don’t know, maybe I suck. And maybe a lot of people like this amped up difficulty. But I’ve seen people on forums comment about the difficulty, so at least I’m not the only one. I gotta give it to Uncharted 3 for having some of the best set-pieces in the series. Nate hanging out of the plane is now a signature moment of Uncharted. The cruise ship sink and Sully rescue with the horses was also pretty badass. I’ve never played the multiplayer, but supposedly it was very fun. However, that doesn’t really save Uncharted 3 from having some really annoying gameplay moments and just straight up boring puzzles. Uncharted 3 is probably the most divisive one in the series. Some people hate it, some people love it. I’m one of the people who just like it. I think it’s a very good game. Hell, a game with a 91 on Metacritic has gotta be at LEAST that. However, because of the divisiveness and other problems that I’ve mentioned, I think that Uncharted: The Lost Legacy will ultimately beat this entry out.
Finally, we have Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. This was my game of the year 2016 and is one of my favorite games of all time. It does so many things right. The gameplay is incredibly improved over previous entries. Combat is both addictive and cinematic. This feels like an action movie that you can actually play. The introduction of stealth also mixes up gameplay in a new way. There are fewer set-pieces in Uncharted 4, that’s for sure. Uncharted 2’s train sequence will always be the most memorable. But when Uncharted 4’s set-pieces hit, they hit hard, combining everything that is great about the series. The car chase in Madagascar will probably go down as my favorite moment in the series. The Lost Legacy, in my honest opinion, won’t beat Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. A Thief’s End isn’t just an action packed thrill ride, it’s an emotional adventure led a great deal by Neil Druckmann’s outstanding writing and direction and some kickass performances from each and every cast member. Uncharted 4’s story proves that this isn’t just an incredible blockbuster. This tale of love, greed, and the lure of adventure is something to be taken seriously, and it’s no surprise it won about every narrative award for 2016. I simply can’t see The Lost Legacy beating out A Thief’s End. Technically? Yes. Gameplay? Maybe. But with the absence of two leads like Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley, it’ll be a hard feat to achieve. Josh Scheer is the writer of The Lost Legacy. He wrote some of Uncharted 4 with Neil Druckmann, so I’m expect a worthwhile story. Scheer was also much more of the humor of the story, stating that whenever Druckmann got too serious, he’d come in with some lightheartedness. Does that mean we can expect more humor from The Lost Legacy? I don’t know. I just know that I’m *** hyped. This is drmuffin1080, signing out.