Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
Remastered trilogy of the first three Uncharted games.
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection bundles remastered editions of the first three mainline Uncharted games, originally created by Naughty Dog. Released in October 2015 for the PlayStation 4, the compilation was handled by Bluepoint Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It features *Uncharted: Drake's Fortune* (2007), *Uncharted 2: Among Thieves* (2009), and *Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception* (2011). Players step into the boots of Nathan Drake, a globe-trotting treasure hunter who unravels historical enigmas. Only the single-player campaigns are included; the multiplayer modes from *Uncharted 2* and *Uncharted 3* are absent.
Bluepoint began work on the collection in June 2014, after *The Last of Us Remastered* shipped, and development lasted 15 months. It became one of the studio’s biggest projects, with a peak team of 48 people—13 engineers and 17 artists. The team first ported *Uncharted 2* to the PS4, then *Uncharted 1* and *Uncharted 3* in sequence. During the improvement phase, they started with *Uncharted 2*, moved to *Uncharted 1* once that was done, while *Uncharted 3*’s remaster ran concurrently. The oldest game, *Drake’s Fortune*, required the most work; according to Bluepoint’s CTO, “almost every system in U1 was touched” to bring it up to players’ memories. Naughty Dog chose not to remaster the multiplayer because the servers for the original games were kept active on PS3, and the remaster focused solely on single-player campaigns.
The remasters run at 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second, with enhanced music for surround sound. Bluepoint unified the gameplay across all three titles by overhauling *Drake’s Fortune*’s aim assist and grenade mechanics, adjusting *Uncharted 3*’s camera, and remapping buttons for consistent controls. Cutscenes were re-rendered with improved lighting, visual effects, and more detailed models and textures. New features include ambient occlusion, motion blur, friends leaderboards, extra difficulty settings, trophies, and a photo mode. The collection was announced on June 4, 2015, and launched in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand on October 7, with a US and UK release on October 9. Buyers got access to the *Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End* multiplayer beta. The three games were sold individually in Europe starting November 16, 2016.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
- Developer
- Bluepoint GamesOriginal games developed by Naughty Dog
- Publisher
- Sony Computer Entertainment
- Platforms
- PlayStation 4
- Series
- Uncharted
- Released
- PAL · October 7, 2015 · NA/UK · October 9, 2015
- Genre
- Action-adventure, third-person shooter
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Development of The Nathan Drake Collection began in 2014, and required the largest team ever assembled by Bluepoint. The team originally considered remastering Uncharted: Golden Abyss, a spin-off developed by Bend Studio, but the plan was scrapped as the team felt the story was too tangential. The multiplayer modes from Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 3 were not remastered because the servers for the original games were kept active on PS3, and the remaster focused solely on single-player campaigns. Bluepoint's CTO Marco Thrush stated the studio began working on the collection in June 2014 when The Last of Us Remastered shipped, and development took 15 months. During peak development, the team had 48 people, including 13 engineers and 17 artists. The team first ported Uncharted 2 to the PS4, then Uncharted 1 and Uncharted 3 in succession.
Reader's Guide
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection received generally favorable reviews from critics, with praise for its updates and improvements to the games, namely the graphics, controls, and visuals, and was deemed a worthy remaster of the original trilogy. Critics believed the compilation was a worthy remaster and praised Bluepoint for introducing graphical updates. Sam Byford from The Verge described the collection as a 'perfect primer' and an excellent entry point for players who had not played any Uncharted games. Uncharted 2 remained the highlight game in the trilogy, with critics praising its pacing and attention to detail, while Uncharted 3 was lauded for its spectacle and cinematography. However, Uncharted 1's remaster received a mixed reception as many critics wrote that despite the graphical enhancements, the design of the base game did not live up to modern industry standards. Many critics considered the omission of multiplayer and behind-the-scenes videos as well as the lack of extra content as missed opportunities. The collection was the ninth best-selling retail game in the United States in October 2015, and the second best-selling retail game in the United Kingdom during its release week, only behind FIFA 16. As of March 21, 2019, the game has sold 5.7 million copies.
Did You Know?
- The Nathan Drake Collection was developed by Bluepoint Games, who had previously worked on God of War Collection and The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection.
- About 80% of PS4 owners at the time of development had never played an Uncharted game before, according to Naughty Dog.
- The collection was released as a free title for PlayStation Plus subscribers in January 2020, and later as part of Sony's Play at Home initiative from April 15 to May 5, 2020.
- Players who purchased The Nathan Drake Collection gained access to the multiplayer beta for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
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