November 11th and the 17th marks the 5th year that Sony’s PlayStation 3 console has been on the market in Japan and North America, respectively. What better way to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the console than by highlighting some of the new IPs created exclusively for the system.
Today we begin with one of the best new franchises ever to grace a console, Naughty Dog’s Uncharted. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception was released around the world earlier this month with a high amount of praise, but before we make the jump to Naughty Dog’s third PS3 installment, let’s go back to the year 2007 when the very first Uncharted landed.
-Greatness from small beginnings-
Before its release many had written Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune off as a simple Tomb Raider knock off. While Lara Croft and Nathan Drake do spend a lot of their days shooting enemies, jumping over obstacles and unlocking hidden secrets of a time long passed, the similarity between the two franchises end there. In 2007 Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune provided PS3 owners with a short but impressive gaming experience. Drake’s Fortune was well received by gamers and video game journalists alike, winning numerous accolades as well. It was also the first PS3 game to add trophies via a later released patch.
As successful as Drake’s Fortune was it wasn’t until the release of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves back in 2009 did the series begin to make a name for itself. No longer was the franchised being compared to the legendary Tomb Raider series. Among Thieves’ stunning visuals, compelling story telling and immerse gameplay raised the bar and set a new standard for all action adventure games. With an outstanding single player mode and an addictive multiplayer component U:AT gained a huge amount of praise from around the world.
Over four years after the franchise’s humble beginnings on the PS3, this month Naughty Dog has released the third installment to the Uncharted series. If the second game managed to redefine the genre then one can only say that Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is in a league of it’s own. Drake’s third outing is completely bigger and better than previous titles. From it’s superb graphics, engrossing combat, intriguing cast of heroes ( and villains ), and thrilling moments that will keep your fingers glued to your controller, U3 is like no other video game you’ve ever played before on your PlayStation 3.
We don’t know what kind of magic the guys and gals over at Naughty Dog have at their disposal that contributed to the release of three spectacular video games that have managed to change the shape of the genre in a span of four short years but our hats go off to everyone involve in bringing the unforgettable world of Uncharted to life, only on the PlayStation 3.
Check back tomorrow when we shift the spotlight from Uncharted to another new, innovative series that was born on the PlayStation 3 a few years ago.
