Welcome to You Should Play, a series where we highlight the video game that you absolutely must get your hands on this week, from big budget releases to obscure indie games.
It’s a big week for Sony and its PS4, with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End set to become the console’s biggest selling point to date. Naughty Dog’s action/adventure sequel, the most high-profile exclusive release the PS4 has received thus far, looks to be Nathan Drake’s swansong before Naughty Dog move on to other projects, such as (fans hope) The Last of Us 2.
With that being, let’s take a tool at why You Should Play Uncharted 4 this week:
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Uncharted 4 looks to provided a fittingconcluding chapter to Nathan Drake’s story, providing the action beats fans of the series have come to love along with an emotional farewell to this particular cast of characters.
The Uncharted franchise has always provided Sony with a gorgeous demonstration of what its consoles can achieve, with Uncharted 4 being no different. Arguably the best-looking game to have appeared on the PS4 (and perhaps any platform) to date, Uncharted 4 raises the bar for consoles in terms of its visuals, though developer Naughty Dog has overhauled its fundamentals, too.
This time around there are fewer linear environments, allowing for a greater degree of exploration and experimentation when it comes to how you’ll accomplish objectives, along with providing players with the opportunity to choose whether to tackle enemy confrontations all guns blazing or opt for a more methodical, stealthier approach. There’s more character development for Nate this time around, too, with his long-lost brother Sam being brought back into the fold, along with his newlywed wife Elena and series stalwart Sully.
Uncharted 4 looks to live up to its role as the perfect game to demonstrate the power of the PS4, taking players on a whirlwind journey across the world that many hope will take the crown from The Last of Us as Naughty Dog’s magnum opus.
For your consideration… DOOM
There’s a big question mark over Doom at the moment, making it impossible to recommend. With review copies not arriving until the day of its launch, along with a suspicious lack of marketing on behalf of its publisher Bethesda, there’s a concern that its creators have recognized it as underwhelming and are trying to discreetly launch it without raising too many eyebrows.
This may be the case, but the footage of Doom that I’ve seen has hinted at it being a return to form for the series, with a strong focus on wanton violence and over-the-top gore over the flawed survival horror leanings adopted by its predecessor, the underwhelming if technically revolutionary Doom 3.
All that’s been shown of Doom thus far highlights that the focus has placed upon big weaponry and even bigger hellish enemies to shoot down, with its multiplayer beta revealing its online component to be a refreshing leap back in time, sharing more in common with arena shooter classic Quake 3 than its legendary predecessors. I hope it exceeds all of our expectations, but we won’t find out whether or not that’s the case until its launch.
