Let's get this out of the way quickly. If you're wondering if Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is worth purchasing, the answer is indubitably yes. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a masterpiece and represents the pinnacle of adventure gaming on any platform. The title follows Nathan Fi.. Drake, his relationship with his brother, Sam, their family history, his struggling marriage with Elena Fisher, paternal friendship with Sullivan and, ultimately, his struggle to define himself, his passions, his responsibilities and his family. The game is a single player adventure game that is replete with incredible set pieces and a truly fulfilling ending.

To say that Uncharted 4 is a beautiful game is an understatement. From the game's aesthetics, to its expansive and historically conscious world-building to its protagonists' builds/dress/camber, Uncharted is obsessively meticulous about its visual presentation. As a result, when combined with the fluid character animations and its excellent graphics performance, Uncharted 4 is a triumph of how AAA-level visuals can truly elevate a game experience to something special. Uncharted 4 also has excellent voice acting, a great musical score and wonderful, world-building sound effects. All of this stimulating media combines with excellent directing and storytelling to provide a fantastic tale.

And boy, does the tale deliver. The Uncharted franchise had its job cut out for it, with many perceiving it to be a rote copy of an Indiana Jones and Lara Croft mash-up but through steady world-building, Uncharted 4 now stands as a legitimate adventure IP in its own right, interestingly eclipsing the often-neglected Tomb Raider franchise. Uncharted 4 has a plethora of likable and deep protagonists, that interact in interesting and reasonable ways with each other. Ahead of the pack is Nathan Drake, who is a complex, real person caught in extraordinary events, coping with a slew of obligations and challenges. To say that Uncharted 4 would make an exceptional season of television streaming is an understatement, with surprises, twists, turns and a helluva climax.

Uncharted 4 tells the tale of Nathan and Sam, orphan brothers that were separated after a botched attempt to locate the lost pirate colony of Libertalia. Nathan goes on to have a series of fantastic adventures, discovering El Dorado, Shambala and a myriad of other archaeological discoveries and eventually settles down with the capable and formidable reporter Elena Fisher, when Sam enters his life once again. Risking to upend his new stable life with Elena and to collapse the bonds of friendship with others like Sully, Nathan agrees to help Sam find Libertalia. What happens next is a race against time to beat an old, ruthless business associate from finding the colony, while dodging and defending against a paramilitary group of mercenaries that been hired to kill them and secure the treasure.

Throughout the course of the game, Nathan and company travel to various locales, including Scotland, Madagascar, tropical islands and other locations. Nathan must use his wits, his climbing skills and archaeological knowledge to discover what truly happened to the colony, while saving everything that matters in his life. The game includes all sorts of set pieces from ancient graveyards, sepulchers and castles, to sleek mansions, posh auctions, bazaars, clock towers, and islands teeming with pirate traps and untouched riches. All environments are staggeringly rendered and beautifully presented.

While the game moves relatively linearly, it forgoes the illusion of choice and large, expansive worlds to instead shepherd the player through a parade of extraordinarily polished experiences and set pieces that would keep any non-jaded gamer's jaw firmly planted on the floor. Vehicle chases, battles against armored APCs, multi-level shootouts and even a cutlass duel in a sinking pirate ship conflagration await the audience within Uncharted 4. Throughout it all, the game plays beautifully with excellent character handling. Nathan and company sprint, jump, mantle, climb, swing, fight, and dodge all how you would expect them to move in a game of this caliber. Shooting play is rock solid with a wide variety of weapons. Stealth is complex, rewarding and well-executed.

In short, Uncharted 4 is the closest thing you can play to simulate living an action-adventure serial/movie in 2024. It is exquisite and well worth your time and money, at any sale price. I've avoided the DLC The Lost Legacy because Uncharted 4 is more than worth your money and, truth be told, the Lost Legacy is a shallow echo of its patron game. The Lost Legacy deals with Chloe Frazier and her cohort Nadine Ross, in a race in India, to find the tusk of Ganesha, an artifact of both power and wealth. While the premise is good and Chloe is a well-known and liked character of previous Uncharted adventures, the DLC is is a big miss most notably attributable to the massive woke infection that promptly consumed Naughty Dog proceeding the release of Uncharted 4.

While beautifully visually realized and with good production values, The Lost Legacy is tone deaf in giving gamers what they want and reproducing what was so special in Uncharted 4. Characters are relatively unlikable and arrogant to a fault. They are heartless and opportunistic up until a moment when the plot decides they are not and the game reproduces all the game play mechanics from Uncharted 4, without addressing how the weaker Chloe would address challenges instead of the larger, stronger Nathan. Animations are 1-1 the same, (including melee combat to a hilarious effect), and the inclusion of villain/killer Nadine Ross in the title, her rapid conversion to protagonist and whitewashing of her crimes and brutality make the story ring hollow.

Ultimately, the DLC fails because it falls into the trap of "she does it better-ism". Chloe ultimately stumbles upon a hidden Indian city that is literally dotted with mile-high statue, after mile-high statue, as well as 50-story temples and underground caves that are the size of 10 football fields, filled with massive, ornate, reliefs and impossibly complex, multi-gear automations that appear more at home in a Geiger-esque Alien film, than in a pre-Roman civilization. Aqueducts, complex gearing, combustive chemistry, predicative astronomy it turns out that the Indians did it all first... and better. It gets absurd and the one-upping "up-to-eleven" tone of the game becomes ridiculous, causing gamers to become quite jaded by the end. As an aside, character models also take a step down with Chloe looking neither as realistic nor charming as Nathan and giving more than a few "more than meets the eye" vibes.

None of that matters however. The Lost Legacy is just icing on an already unparalleled cake and Uncharted 4 easily carries any gamer's purchase. The Lost Legacy's polish and execution are strong enough to serve as nice post-credit content and should be considered only as such.

Bottom line, when considering Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, the verdict is simple, especially in light of the waning that the Indiana Jones IP has suffered as of late: Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is a masterclass game and a must-buy. A helluva ride.

Highest possible recommendation.

9.5/10.

Let's get this out of the way quickly. If you're wondering if Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is worth purchasing, the answer is indubitably yes. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a masterpiece and represents the pinnacle of adventure gaming on any platform. The title follows Nathan Fi.. Drake, his relationship with his brother, Sam, their family history, his struggling marriage with Elena Fisher, paternal friendship with Sullivan and, ultimately, his struggle to define himself, his passions, his responsibilities and his family. The game is a single player adventure game that is replete with incredible set pieces and a truly fulfilling ending. To say that Uncharted 4 is a beautiful game is an understatement. From the game's aesthetics, to its expansive and historically conscious world-building to its protagonists' builds/dress/camber, Uncharted is obsessively meticulous about its visual presentation. As a result, when combined with the fluid character animations and its excellent graphics performance, Uncharted 4 is a triumph of how AAA-level visuals can truly elevate a game experience to something special. Uncharted 4 also has excellent voice acting, a great musical score and wonderful, world-building sound effects. All of this stimulating media combines with excellent directing and storytelling to provide a fantastic tale. And boy, does the tale deliver. The Uncharted franchise had its job cut out for it, with many perceiving it to be a rote copy of an Indiana Jones and Lara Croft mash-up but through steady world-building, Uncharted 4 now stands as a legitimate adventure IP in its own right, interestingly eclipsing the often-neglected Tomb Raider franchise. Uncharted 4 has a plethora of likable and deep protagonists, that interact in interesting and reasonable ways with each other. Ahead of the pack is Nathan Drake, who is a complex, real person caught in extraordinary events, coping with a slew of obligations and challenges. To say that Uncharted 4 would make an exceptional season of television streaming is an understatement, with surprises, twists, turns and a helluva climax. Uncharted 4 tells the tale of Nathan and Sam, orphan brothers that were separated after a botched attempt to locate the lost pirate colony of Libertalia. Nathan goes on to have a series of fantastic adventures, discovering El Dorado, Shambala and a myriad of other archaeological discoveries and eventually settles down with the capable and formidable reporter Elena Fisher, when Sam enters his life once again. Risking to upend his new stable life with Elena and to collapse the bonds of friendship with others like Sully, Nathan agrees to help Sam find Libertalia. What happens next is a race against time to beat an old, ruthless business associate from finding the colony, while dodging and defending against a paramilitary group of mercenaries that been hired to kill them and secure the treasure. Throughout the course of the game, Nathan and company travel to various locales, including Scotland, Madagascar, tropical islands and other locations. Nathan must use his wits, his climbing skills and archaeological knowledge to discover what truly happened to the colony, while saving everything that matters in his life. The game includes all sorts of set pieces from ancient graveyards, sepulchers and castles, to sleek mansions, posh auctions, bazaars, clock towers, and islands teeming with pirate traps and untouched riches. All environments are staggeringly rendered and beautifully presented. While the game moves relatively linearly, it forgoes the illusion of choice and large, expansive worlds to instead shepherd the player through a parade of extraordinarily polished experiences and set pieces that would keep any non-jaded gamer's jaw firmly planted on the floor. Vehicle chases, battles against armored APCs, multi-level shootouts and even a cutlass duel in a sinking pirate ship conflagration await the audience within Uncharted 4. Throughout it all, the game plays beautifully with excellent character handling. Nathan and company sprint, jump, mantle, climb, swing, fight, and dodge all how you would expect them to move in a game of this caliber. Shooting play is rock solid with a wide variety of weapons. Stealth is complex, rewarding and well-executed. In short, Uncharted 4 is the closest thing you can play to simulate living an action-adventure serial/movie in 2024. It is exquisite and well worth your time and money, at any sale price. I've avoided the DLC The Lost Legacy because Uncharted 4 is more than worth your money and, truth be told, the Lost Legacy is a shallow echo of its patron game. The Lost Legacy deals with Chloe Frazier and her cohort Nadine Ross, in a race in India, to find the tusk of Ganesha, an artifact of both power and wealth. While the premise is good and Chloe is a well-known and liked character of previous Uncharted adventures, the DLC is is a big miss most notably attributable to the massive woke infection that promptly consumed Naughty Dog proceeding the release of Uncharted 4. While beautifully visually realized and with good production values, The Lost Legacy is tone deaf in giving gamers what they want and reproducing what was so special in Uncharted 4. Characters are relatively unlikable and arrogant to a fault. They are heartless and opportunistic up until a moment when the plot decides they are not and the game reproduces all the game play mechanics from Uncharted 4, without addressing how the weaker Chloe would address challenges instead of the larger, stronger Nathan. Animations are 1-1 the same, (including melee combat to a hilarious effect), and the inclusion of villain/killer Nadine Ross in the title, her rapid conversion to protagonist and whitewashing of her crimes and brutality make the story ring hollow. Ultimately, the DLC fails because it falls into the trap of "she does it better-ism". Chloe ultimately stumbles upon a hidden Indian city that is literally dotted with mile-high statue, after mile-high statue, as well as 50-story temples and underground caves that are the size of 10 football fields, filled with massive, ornate, reliefs and impossibly complex, multi-gear automations that appear more at home in a Geiger-esque Alien film, than in a pre-Roman civilization. Aqueducts, complex gearing, combustive chemistry, predicative astronomy it turns out that the Indians did it all first... and better. It gets absurd and the one-upping "up-to-eleven" tone of the game becomes ridiculous, causing gamers to become quite jaded by the end. As an aside, character models also take a step down with Chloe looking neither as realistic nor charming as Nathan and giving more than a few "more than meets the eye" vibes. None of that matters however. The Lost Legacy is just icing on an already unparalleled cake and Uncharted 4 easily carries any gamer's purchase. The Lost Legacy's polish and execution are strong enough to serve as nice post-credit content and should be considered only as such. Bottom line, when considering Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, the verdict is simple, especially in light of the waning that the Indiana Jones IP has suffered as of late: Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is a masterclass game and a must-buy. A helluva ride. Highest possible recommendation. 9.5/10.