Uncharted 2 Among Thieves PS4 PlayStation 4

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. It's a notable game for so many reasons, but many will simply remember it as an unbelievably strong sequel. Naughty Dog was already a highly regarded studio, but with its follow-up to Drake's Fortune, the developer cemented itself as one of the most talented in the industry. Memorable characters, breathtaking action sequences, fantastic writing, incredible presentation -- the game had it all. Subsequent Uncharted titles are still measured against this iconic release. It's truly one of the greats, but it's more than that: it's emblematic of Sony's rise to PlayStation exclusive prominence.

For the last decade, the platform holder's Worldwide Studios group has put out some of the most celebrated and influential new material in the industry. Sure, Sony had been producing some quality games prior to Uncharted 2, such as Warhawk, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, and LittleBigPlanet. The building blocks of the first party resurgence were in place. However, everything seemed to come to a head with Nathan Drake's second outing.

Bloodborne PS4 PlayStation 4

It's seriously impressive how Among Thieves has been followed by a train of almost constant PlayStation exclusive hits. Not every game Sony's released has been a blazing success, of course, but the company has put out at least one corker pretty much every year for the last decade. We won't bore you with a full list, but the likes of God of War III, Gran Turismo 5 and 6, Heavy Rain, Infamous 2, and of course The Last of Us saw the PS3's final years go out with style.

With a new console launch, you'd expect software to take a dip, but the momentum didn't really slow down on PS4 at all. Killzone: Shadow Fall and Infamous: Second Son entertained at launch, but it wasn't long before Sony started really swinging for the bleachers. PS4 has had an excellent track record of exclusive titles: Bloodborne, The Last Guardian, Horizon: Zero Dawn, God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, and Days Gone are just some of them. It all seems to stem from a huge push in PS3's latter years for top tier titles only found on Sony's machines.

God of War PS4 PlayStation 4

It's a strategy that appears to be paying off big time. Uncharted 2 raised the series' profile sky high, and suddenly, it was a sales juggernaut. It's sold in excess of 6 million copies on PS3, and further sequels are even bigger; Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is sitting at over 16 million. Other PS4 exclusives have gone on to break sales records, too.

To think that the console still has Death Stranding, The Last of Us: Part II, and Ghost of Tsushima in the wings is pretty crazy given that PS5 is sat on the horizon. The last decade has been a fantastic time for PlayStation owners, and that only looks set to continue. Uncharted 2 boosted Sony's reputation as a publisher and, whether intentionally or not, was a statement about the company's renewed vision for first party games. Here's hoping it can carry forward that momentum for another 10 years.

What do you think? Has Sony maintained a consistently high standard of games since Uncharted 2? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

What's your favourite PlayStation exclusive from the last decade?