If you’re reading this, I’m gonna assume you know about Uncharted already.
Starting its life on the PlayStation 3 and concluding with one last big adventure for Nathan Drake (Nolan North) and company on the PlayStation 4, it was another smash for Naughty Dog. It also saw fan favourite, Chloe Frazer (Claudia Black), get her own adventure directly after it with The Lost Legacy!
And now they’ve both been upgraded for the PlayStation 5 with the Legacy Of Thieves Collection.
I was wondering why we didn’t see an upgrade for it with The Last Of Us Part II. But keen marketing sense has seen the title get a packaged upgrade to lead the upcoming film release. Smart. And with it we actually get a lot of fun stuff! The DualSense sees its haptics and adaptive triggers utilised well. I still enjoy the sensation of rocky terrain or the pitter patter of rain delivered through the controller. And the slight crunch or resistance in the triggers is still a nice treat. Albeit, a short-lived one as I typically turn them off to allow myself to have finer control. Ahh, you thought I was gonna be one of those people complaining about battery life eh! No, I’m fine. That’s what my 4 controllers are for.
But what about the visuals?
I remember thinking “how can they really improve these games visually?”. It was much the same with The Last Of Us Part II. They are already stunning games. But what they lacked were the FRAMES. While it ran in gorgeous 4K resolution, it wasn’t hitting the frames. While TLOUPII took advantage of Game Boost and started pushing toward 60 frames, the Legacy Of Thieves collection is essentially a remaster. Sporting new visual modes, it’s saying it’s a bit MORE than Game Boost. Fidelity sees the game running at 30FPS in 4K (similar to it’s PS4 Pro counterpart), while Performance is 60 frames with upscaled 4K. And then there’s Performance+. Thankfully I now have monitors that can do it, as this mode is 120 frames in 1080p. There is a certain silkiness in the motion that lends itself well to the franchise. With its massive action sequences and environments, Uncharted is definitely a title that takes advantage of having more frames.
“But I already own them!”
Yes hey, look. You’re a good Uncharted fan and I appreciate that. So do Sony. If you own these digitally, you should see an option from your Uncharted tile or within the store on your console to upgrade it! This should be around $15 NZD. And this purchase covers both titles! This is also the same if you own it on disc! HOWEVER…you will need the disc to play it. So don’t just…download it, then sell the disc because you won’t be able to do that haha. And at this stage! If you acquired the game as part of the PlayStation Plus collection (and didn’t purchase it), then you currently can’t apply this upgrade. Makes sense! It was free after all. But maybe it’s something they’re looking at in future.
Outrageously fun and entertaining to romp around, UNCHARTED 4 and THE LOST LEGACY see the best versions of themselves on the PlayStation 5. While the controller options are fun, it's the even more improved load times (or lack thereof) and stunning visual eating of all the frames which make already great games greater.
And if you already played these titles, then you now have a new best way to play and replay them again.