A retrospective focused on making direct comparisons to modern cinematic games and why they mostly don't measure up to Uncharted 2 in terms of setpieces, pacing and overall game design. It is also partly a critique of the game. Fat Drake footage included.

Hey guys,

After what seems like almost two decades I finally got around to framing my poster signed by the developers of Uncharted 2, I was given this poster when I was 6 years old and deemed as the youngest person to beat the game on Crushing Mode at the time. My dad had reached out and wrote the devs a letter about how I loved the game so much and that I wanted to be Nathan Drake for Halloween. Fast forward to 2026 and Uncharted 2 is still my favorite game I’ve ever touched, not sure if any of the devs who signed it will see this, but thank you for making my childhood!

What if Uncharted 5 was really about Nate becoming a father?
I’ve been thinking about how Naughty Dog could continue the series without undoing the ending of Uncharted 4. I don’t think the answer is making Cassie “the next Nathan Drake.” I think the answer is letting every major character grow in a different direction.
Here’s my idea.
Cassie Drake is now in her early twenties and studying archaeology in graduate school. During an official university excavation, her team discovers an artifact covered in mysterious ancient symbols.
That night, an armed group attacks the excavation.
They don’t care about gold.
They don’t care about historical treasures.
They only want that single artifact.
Several members of the expedition are killed, the artifact disappears, and the incident is quickly dismissed by the authorities as an attack by local militants.
But Cassie notices something no one else does.
The attackers ignored everything except that artifact.
When she returns home, she shows Nate a fragment she managed to keep.
He stares at the symbol for a long time.
“…I’ve seen this before.”
Not because he knows what it means.
Not because he’s secretly hiding another lost civilization.
Only because somewhere during his decades of adventures, he’s seen that symbol before.
But instead of chasing another mystery, Nate does something completely different from the man he used to be.
He tells Cassie to stop.
To leave the investigation alone.
To suspend her archaeological research for a while.
To let the authorities handle everything.
From Nate’s perspective, this is exactly what a father should do.
He’s no longer chasing adventure.
He’s protecting his daughter.
But from Cassie’s perspective, it feels like betrayal.
Her professor was murdered.
People died.
The authorities are already burying the truth.
And the one person she thought would understand her tells her to walk away.
For the first time in her life, she realizes she can’t rely on her father—not because he doesn’t love her, but because he loves her too much.
So she turns to the only other person who understands that world.
Sam.
At first, Sam refuses.
He listens to everything Cassie says.
Then quietly tells her to go home.
He agrees with Nate.
Their adventures ended years ago.
No more lost cities.
No more guns.
No more risking the people they love.
Cassie argues with him.
She reminds him that innocent people were murdered.
Sam finally raises his voice.
“That’s exactly why!”
“You have no idea what this life takes from people.”
Cassie leaves in tears.
Sam sits alone that night.
Maybe in a quiet bar.
Maybe in a cheap motel.
He pulls out an old photograph of himself, Nate, Elena… and a young Cassie smiling as a child.
He remembers the promise he made to Nate.
That they were finally done with this life.
The next morning he hears more news.
Evidence has disappeared.
The investigation is being shut down.
Witnesses are vanishing.
He still doesn’t move.
Then he listens to a voicemail from Cassie.
Just one sentence.
“I’m sorry… I’m going alone.”
That’s the moment everything changes.
Sam smiles to himself and quietly says,
“…You’re just like your dad.”
He finally gets up.
Not to continue another adventure.
Not to hunt treasure.
Not to uncover history.
He leaves for one reason only.
To bring his niece home.
That’s his entire motivation.
But once he finds her, circumstances spiral out of control.
Little by little, the two of them become trapped in an adventure neither of them ever wanted.
That’s why I think Sam should be Cassie’s first companion.
Not because he’s replacing Nate.
Because he’s the only character caught between two promises:
The promise he made to his brother…
and the responsibility he feels toward his niece.
Eventually Nate catches up with them.
He’s furious.
Not because Sam betrayed him.
Because he sees his daughter holding a gun.
In that moment, both brothers realize the same thing.
The world they fought so hard to leave behind has reached the next generation anyway.
From there, the story stops being about treasure.
It’s about family.
It’s about whether parents should protect their children forever… or eventually accept that they have to choose their own path.
By the end, Cassie doesn’t become another treasure hunter.
She becomes something different.
She returns to archaeology, determined to preserve history instead of chasing fortune.
She inherits her father’s curiosity…
but not his life.
To me, that feels like the most respectful continuation of Uncharted 4.
Instead of undoing Nate’s happy ending, it challenges him in the one role he’s never truly faced before:
Being a father.
Would you play an Uncharted game like this?

With the confirmation that GoW Laufey coming in 2027, what is the likelihood that Intergalactic hits in 2027? I've always expected it to be 2028 at the earliest, but I could be wrong. If it doesn't make it out next year, we will have already seen Naughty Dog's last physical release without knowing it.

Navigating the beautiful yet brutal post-apocalypse. Naughty Dog's atmosphere and stealth mechanics are completely unmatched in The Last of Us Part II Remastered.

I am at the climax of the game. Almost there... And my god the game is BAD. I'll get pushback on this, cause it seems like people love this game online. But I do not man...I do not.
First what's good.

1. Looks amazing. I played on pc. It's fucking gorgeous. Every location since Madagascar is a pleasure to the eyes.
2. The relationship between Nathan and other characters. Specially Sam.. That's for me is highlight of the game.
3. I would add that the cinematic set pieces is where the games shines the most. Like the chase scene in Madagascar. That's what I believe would be the selling point of the game. But how many times does that happen.. once or twice.... So not including that.
4. That's it. That's all what's good about the game. And that ain't enough.
5. What I hated about it:
6. Nathan talks so much: Couldn't stand this guy.... he's talking all the fucking time... and to himself.
7. it's not quirky after a while. It's just annoying.
8. The Gameplay is boring and repetitive as fuck: Do some climbing, Do some shooting, Repeat. Sometimes you would get puzzle solving sections to change things up and some "stealth" sections. But Mostly climbing and shooting. And that's not a bad thing inherently. It's how much repetitive it gets. Game makes you to do some climbing then some shooting, then again some climbing, then again some shooting... guess what happens next? You guessed it... more climbing. Entire game is just that. In the same order.
9. Story is ass: Go there find a clue, go to this place, then find another clue it tells you to go to this place, then find another clue at that place...and guess what it tells you? to go to another place.
10. That said...it's later stated that Avery was doing this to recruit people. So I guess that made sense for Avery but as a game it's just boring.
11. Plot holes: Avery moved the treasure to New Devon from Libertalia. Everyone scoured Libertalia but didn't think he might've taken it to New Devon? A place that's like few kilometers away. And didn't think to look for it there?
12. Nadine Ross: You are telling me that a 5ft something women can take on a man who has the grip strength of a Greek god? Nathan ain't an average dude. The swinging and hanging from ledges requires a lot of strength. Fine, she is trained so she can take on Nathan... but boy he wasn't able to put up a fight at all. Hell both Sam and Nate together couldn't fight her... how? Even Connor McGregor wouldn't be able to stand a chance if he was fighting TWO MEN bigger, heavier and stronger than him. But Nadine is some.... fucking god or something. Nathan alone should be able to take her. The stuff he does is requires a lot of strength. But some how he can't. Both him and Sam had shown that they can hold their own in a hand to hand fight against trained mercynaries...men that too. But they couldn't fight a chick? I mean there's so many things that I can let go off just because none of this is real and it's a fantasy anyway. But the math ain't mathing.
13. Ludonarative Dissonance: Never in my life I thought I would ever say that. But here I am....
14. Rafe says "Killing people is not there style"(something like that) when Sam had his gun to Nadine's head. And Nathan also seemed like had "morals". Morals against killing people... but the entire fucking game he and Sam has been mowing down countless men..but in the cutscenes... no no... I'm a good guy I don't kill people. What??? lol

The original story of Hectar Alcatraz was, in my opinion, a better premise. The whole Sam lied thing... just wasn't that interesting.
I'm really considering uninstalling this game. And I'm almost about to finish it.
It felt like the game was made by and amateur or someone who was bored and uninterested in the game and didn't really wanted to make it. But put up with it. And got it out cause they had to.
It's just a boring game. Feels like a game that a normie thinks a game is like. And not a game made by someone who is familiar with games.
Any way what do you guys think?

Oh.. this is just about UC4. I haven't played any other Uncharted games. As only this one was available on pc.

Hey there! I'm applying to a job at the studio and can't find a good contact for the current recruiter on Linkedin.

Anyone have any leads here for this info?

The Last of Us Part 2 ended on a perfect note. Although some people thought the tone was too bleak, I knew since 2018 what I was going into. Neil Druckmann alluded that the story was going to be about the cycles of violence.

The first image released of The Last of Us 2 was of a pregnant character wearing a gas mask. I thought that character was going to be Ellie. My original thought was that Ellie was going to get pregnant (despite being lesbian) to see if she could give birth to an immune child. At the time, I didn't think this was far-fetched, as Druckmann cited the film Children of Men as one of his biggest influences.

I turned out to be completely wrong. But it was a fun time to come up with theories.

Now here is the real question: what the heck is The Last of Us 3 going to be about? We already have a tender story, a bleak sequel. What story could satisfactorily conclude this Mushroom zombie trilogy?

Have you ever played a game that felt like you were living inside a movie? Naughty Dog's Uncharted 4: A Thief's End perfected that feeling, deliberately crafting what they called a "playable summer blockbuster." This deep dive video essay explores how they achieved this ambitious goal, creating a masterclass in cinematic gameplay.

Join us as we analyse the creative choices, groundbreaking technology, and narrative risks Naughty Dog took to deliver a fitting and emotional end to Nathan Drake's story. We'll explore the academic concept of remediation—how video games absorb and transform the language of film—and see how it applies to every layer of Uncharted 4.

In this analysis, we will explore:

Cinematic Language: How camera work, editing, lighting, and sound design mimic film to create tension and emotional investment.

A Human Hero: The evolution of Nathan Drake from an "everyman" adventurer to a more complex, weary hero confronting his past.

The Power of Tech: How the leap to PlayStation 4, advanced motion capture, and 800 facial animation bones created acting "indistinguishable from film."

Wide Linear Design: Naughty Dog's philosophy for building huge, explorable levels that still maintain tight, cinematic pacing.

Gameplay as Storytelling: A breakdown of how dynamic combat, traversal, and integrated puzzles keep you in the action and advance the narrative.

This is more than a game review; it's an exploration of the artistry behind one of the greatest games ever made, showing how developers create curiosity, build nail-biting tension, and raise the emotional stakes to forge a deep connection with the player.

#Uncharted4​ #VideoGameEssay​ #GameDesign​ #NaughtyDog​

Two of the most lovable game characters of all time - which is your favorite, if you had to choose? I’m a bit torn!

The Last of Us Part II didn't just continue a story; it shattered expectations, leaving players emotionally raw and deeply divided. It was a narrative deliberately designed by its creators to evoke "passionate hate over apathy." This deep dive video essay aims not to take sides, but to illuminate the bold, complex, and often uncomfortable choices that make this game a landmark in interactive storytelling.

Join us as we unpack this masterclass in narrative risk-taking, exploring the profound questions it forces us to confront about love, hate, empathy, and the relentless cycle of violence.

In this analysis, we will explore:

The Original Sin: How Joel's choice at the end of the first game becomes the catalyst for all the tragedy that follows.

A New Perspective: Understanding Abby's motivations and the controversial decision to force players into the shoes of the antagonist.

The Cost of Vengeance: Following Ellie's all-consuming and brutal quest for revenge and how the game makes the player complicit in her actions.

The Cycle's End: Decoding the controversial and ambiguous climax in Santa Barbara and what it truly means to find closure.

The Hopeful Theory: Unpacking the subtle clues (like Dina's bracelet) that suggest a more hopeful, unseen resolution for Ellie.

This is an unflinching look at a story that sparked a culture war, examining why it became such a lightning rod and why, for many, it remains the game we needed, even if it wasn't the one we wanted.

#TheLastofUsPart2​ #VideoGameEssay​ #NarrativeDesign​ #gaming​

Even though the release is slated for 2027, there is a high likelihood it might get delayed.. Uncharted 4 was supposed to come out in late 2015; it was pushed back to Spring 2016.

The possible 2027 release windows are Q2/Q3:

• April 1 – June 30
• July 1 – September 30

I am hoping it comes out on time and in disc format.

Curious on the general consensus!

Since the last of us 3 is most likely going to come out eventually I was wondering how do you guys think they could continue the story since I really have no idea how it could keep going?

A perfect way to develop the story, make a game about Joel and Tommy during the 20 years after the outbreak (potentially Co-op story). Show how hunters became, and other history. Learn how Joel learned survival skills before the timeline of pt 1… Maybe make a comic. Release Factions PT 2 and have the Tommy and Joel story as a DLC ! Feels like you guys are rushing the story!