Overview of the Uncharted series:
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune ***
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves *****
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception ****
Uncharted: Golden Abyss ***
Drake's Fortune was decent but felt unpolished and lacking in variation during combat. The traversals were a good break between encounters albeit lacking in challenge. Production values were high with the graphics being particularly impressive. The successful execution of the "active cinematic experience" is what most notably separates Among Thieves from being just another third-person shooter like the first game. The "dynamic object traversal system" allows the combat scenarios to make full use of the stellar level design most importantly in the vertical plane which had been previously lacking in cover-based third-person shooters. The pacing is near-perfect with various stunning locations cementing a superb game. Drake's Deception is not quite as good due to pacing issues and a few parts being inferior copies of the second game but extends on the verticality and still has many great combat scenarios and setpieces. Golden Abyss is most similar to the first game with incorporation of some of the mechanical advancements from the second one but tainted by the poor design decision to make melee swipe-based.
The series' lead designer on the second game:
http://www.richardlemarchand.com/games
Richard Lemarchand wrote:Every once in a while comes a project where the joy of the creative process translates beautifully into the finished game. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was one of those projects. An unprecedented success in the history of Naughty Dog, this game drew new attention to the series with its 'active cinematic experience' and character-driven story. I was honored to work as Co-Lead Game Designer alongside Neil Druckmann, now Creative Director of The Last of Us, in what was one of my favorite design adventures. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves went on to win ten AIAS Interactive Achievement Awards, five Game Developers Choice Awards, four BAFTAs and over 200 Game of the Year awards.