Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, the first game in Naughty Dog’s buccaneering franchise, celebrates its 15th anniversary this year – meaning its virtually old enough to apply for its learner’s permit in most American states. The game, first released in 2007 on the PS3, represented a seismic change in approach from the Californian first-party, which was previously known for the Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter games.
While characters like Nathan Drake and Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan are larger than life, they were much more grounded than the talking animals that Naughty Dog had promoted in the past. The developer helped to pioneer performance capture, proving that video game heroes could be as compelling and engaging as those in film. It’d later perfect the formula with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
As far as we’re aware, the game actually launched on 19th November, so we think Naughty Dog’s jumped the gun a little with its celebratory tweets – but we’ll let its community manager off. Close enough, eh?
While the first game in the franchise is admittedly a little one-dimensional by today’s standards, it was a competent cover shooter with some of the best visuals on the PS3 at the time. You have to remember that in 2007 a lot of third-party developers were struggling with the system’s complicated CELL hardware chip, but the studio proved what was possible with a little extra elbow grease.
The franchise wouldn’t truly explode until its successor was showcased during a memorable E3 press conference, but it was the first game to receive a Platinum Trophy – and has since spawned multiple sequels, and a movie starring Tom Holland. The series seems to be on hiatus for the time being, but Nathan Drake very much remains a PlayStation icon, alongside the likes of Kratos and Aloy.
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I remember getting to the German u-boat in the river and just being in absolute awe of this game. I ended up playing through it about five times in the end, I think.
For me, this was the beginning of PlayStation's first-party becoming a powerhouse. They'd made great games before, of course, but this set the tone for all the amazing story-driven single player games that would follow.
I wonder when we’ll get a remake? I’d love to see this redone to be fair
Your heading and subheader had me confused. I thought they'd lowered the age limit. I forgot we were the 51st State 😊
It's weird for me as I like this game but when 2 came out it really showed up this one's flaws.
This, Motorstorm and Resistance first played on an older 28 inch CRT TV still at this point lol and was still perfectly playable. Wasn't till the following year got an HDTV. This feels like a whole lifetime ago now. No bits of grey hairs on head back then too
@Beerheadgamer82 I miss Resistance MP and the 40 player sniper rifle only lobbies
I played it for the first time a few months ago. I play U4 first after I got PS5. It was a helluva game. Nice and short with a great difficulty
I had it preordered. The game came out a week early at my Gamestop and my wife already had plans to take our kiddo to her mom's house for the day. It was a win win for me. I sat and played through Drake's Fortune from start to finish in the span of about 9 hours. It was the last time I've done a marathon like that and it was awesome. The series remains my favorite to this day.
@riceNpea miss them both. Unfortunately Insomniac are busy with Spiderman 2 and Wolverine and Motorstorm team don't exist anymore. While Insomniac are still going as strong as ever there's always gonna be hope for Resistance making a return one day remastered collection, sequel or reboot I'll take any type
This series personifies greatness! Though it also certainly had small beginnings. Happy birthday Uncharted!
This should have been the remake. Not TLoU
Another ten years and it’ll be old enough to drink.
I have very special memories with this game as it got me back into gaming. I just got my first salary. Having that amount of money at once was tempting, so I bought a PS3 because why not, you got to treat yourself, right? I liked playing on PlayStation 1 and 2 although I hadn't done so in maybe 2 years, so what could go wrong? What ended up happening was I used my PS3 primarily as a Bluray player and didn't really game on it. Some day, I saw a very brief snippet of Uncharted and thought: I've loved Tomb Raider back in the day, so that looks fun, pre-ordered it on Amazon and forgot about it for months. Later that year, I had knee surgery and was released home. The doctors said I need to rest the leg for another 10 days, so: Just chill and don't move unless you absolutely have to. But man was I bored. The next day my grilfriend came home with an Amazon package and I absolutely didn't know what it was since I hadn't ordered anything. Obviously, it was my Uncharted copy. Although I was so done with gaming at the time, the boredom took over, so I popped it in and started playing. The game reignited my love for the art form, so it holds a very special place in my heart. Uncharted is one of my favorite franchises until today.
I still remember watching the reveal of Uncharted and Assassin's Creed at the E3 Expo the year before that, and being so excited for what the PS3 generation could bring. Both were very revolutionary in their day.
It does hit me hard that games which came out the year that I turned 30 are now 15! My young adult gaming days are in the rear view mirror.
Such an amazing game and endlessly replayable.
@get2sammyb Same for me re the U-boat. Also that Drake’s clothes stayed wet after he’d gone through water. Mind blown 😂
Never really played Uncharted as i mained a 360 at the start of that gen. Eventually tried the first for a couple of hours but seemed too slow, too boring, too beige, too…western.
Back then, and probably still now, I’m much preferred the fantastical Japanese games. Every couple of years, especially when a sequel is released, I get the urge to try. But there is just so much to get through now, much of it repetitive cover shooter based…
Ah, nostalgia thread 😄
Played Uncharted 4: A Thief's End in the winter of the year it came out. I was a complete novice to the series, but I'd seen some amazing promo or some gameplay footage for it and was absolutely mesmerised that games could look like that and it hooked me.
And playing it, I was not disappointed (apart from not quite getting the gunplay to feel right in some areas and failing over and over haha)
But my god, the set pieces, the story and the characters were all so perfect in this beautifully created world that looked even better directly from my console. And I guess I got the feelings that some will have gotten by playing the first 3 games when they came out.
It was honestly so memorable and it's clear that they pioneered creating grounded characters that can connect with people in videogames in a much more realistic way. A lot of games since have drawn from this approach, and the making of games into truly cinematic events that could go on and on way beyond what could be achieved in cinema.
They truly showed that making games that had all the positive draws of gaming, cinema, TV and Novels all wrapped up in to one, could be a real achievable goal for game developers.
Other than Rockstar when their writers were on point with Max Payne and GTA, nothing much else stands out as doing a similar thing before Uncharted. And Naughty Dog clearly did it their way, and made something completely new and wonderful that has pushed many others to try this approach since.
I've since gone back to play the Uncharted collection, and am on the the third at the moment, taking a little break from it. But they are all still really enjoyable today, ignoring the failure loop that can sometimes kick in 😄
I used to be a massive Xbox fan, so I didn’t play Uncharted until 2015. I remember I was staying at my brothers and I stayed up all night playing Uncharted and God of War III. I’m pretty sure it was that night that made me decide to move over to PlayStation and I’ve not looked back!
My brain does a double take when I realise 2007 was 15 years ago
My favourite game of the series. Not the best one but my favourite nonetheless.
If a game needed a "remake" it was this game. But I guess that was too much work. Still hope they someday do a trilogy remaster someday.
First game i bought with my PS3 - and i was just in awe with what this new generation was able to deliver. Really the start of Playstation's first party dominance
@thefourfoldroot1 'Tried the first for a couple of hours but seemed too slow, too boring, too beige, too…western." I remember it being a bit of a slow burner but it was really colourful and being set in south america it was kind of a western themed game lol..
@Tharsman the uncharted collection on the ps4..they were remasters yes?
Unsharted: Drake's Misfortune 😳
I still remember playing this and the second game back to back. They blew my mind.
I remember first playing this at a friends house that had both a Xbox 360 and a PS3. In 2007 I think...
Got to try both of them the same evening and I still recall how damn colourful Uncharted was compared to the brownish hues of Gears.
Both great games in their own right though.
Even though I played Among Thieves before this one (didn't get a PS3 until 2009) this game was a thrill. Very challenging and the six-axis controls already aged by then. Still though, the story is gripping and it really is a time capsule of gaming in the mid-late 00's.
Learners permit? What country is this?
Drake can watch a 15 cert film and nothing else.
Rule Britannia.
I was honestly hoping they'd have announced a remake of Drake's Fortune with the 15th anniversary. Oh well.
What a game, must of played this through a good dozen times.. I remember when trophies first came on the scene too, my first-ever Platinum
love this game first rime play through was amazing, have played many many more time love the latest rerelease on the ps4 i play through all 4 once in a while. would love to see a 5th game
@nicc83 Possibly has a paper round as well.
Do younguns still do paper rounds?
I believe it's the most hyped game ever. I got very disappointed back when I played it, and throughout the game I was looking for something worthy of all those hypes but couldn't find any. Uncharted 2 was a masterpiece though
@Boucho11 the remaster on PS4 was good but even there it's showing it's age
I still enjoy the first uncharted.thst was and still is a amazing game.word up son
@HUMPERDOO Yes! And his clothes only got wet as far as he'd been in the water and then dried off. Ground breaking at the time.
@Tharsman @Boucho11 I would be there day one for an Uncharted Trilogy remake...however that would probably be alot of work on the team.
@KidBoruto they would likely sell us every entry for $70 individually.
@Tharsman I would not support that move at all.
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