So I played them on the OG PS3. I tried Uncharted 1 a few years before and I remember not liking it and not seeing a point, I remember thinking how incredibly overrated the game felt to me with a poor gameplay and poor game mechanics. I had also tried Uncharted 2, thinking I would like it better, I didn't.
Then recently I gave it another shot, and I got better at aiming with the controller, I'm still not a great shot mind you, but I got better. Then I started to like the game better. I think I now have a more objective view on the game(s), and I'll talk about the last of us as well since they share several points. I know it's controversial but I liked Uncharted 3 better than 2. The gameplay and game mechanics feels more polished. Overall after the second gameplay, I liked them, and I kinds liked the last of us as well.
Good parts
Graphics: Playing it on an old ps3 and the game(s) still look very pretty to me. It's clear ND puts a lot of effort into their artistic design and it shows. All the different sceneries are very beautiful to look at. Dated? I never cared about dated graphics tbh, that stands for every game, and when the art direction is good it stands the test of time imh.
Art and acting: As hinted before, all art related stuff I feel they're really good on almost all ND products. Acting is great, Nolan North and Victor's actors do a great job in bringing those characters to life. They gave them personalities and all and created the franchise.
Story: absolutely great in the last of us 1, and quite good in U2 and U3. Again, this is ND's forte. They're great at this stuff (except in U4 and TLOU2)
Gameplay: All those specific gameply bits, not sure what to call them, like the train sequence in U2, the plane and the ship in U3 are really nice and very well done. Overall the gameplay is fun but not great and here we go to bad parts
Bad parts
Mechanics: Lacking. They're not great, but they have been improved in U3 over the previous game and I hear they're even better in U4. THe cover system doesn't work well for me. Also the controls aren't great, especially during climbing.
Gameplay: It's not great either but it's ok. It's probably great for people who just like to cover and shoot, and that's not a bad thing. It's just a matter of opinion. I feel though ND has all the resources to do better on this
Cinematic stuff: This is a problem mostly on TLOU where too many times the developer takes the controller from you to tell their little boring story. That's universally known as bad game design. A good story teller is able to blend in the story parts within the game. In the TLOU for instance you get to fully sprint only in combat mode. About 40% of the game is you strolling at turtle speed listening to boring dialogue. This is much less of a problem in the U series with a few exceptions. I think they should have cut down the desert sequence significantly. Also the drugged Nate sequence drags for too long without much to do.
Quick time events: That's bad game design and very old. ND please take notes, it's not fun to press triangle or square in a scripted event. Good games don't do that, they shouldn't either. If it's not fun to do, then it's not a good mechanic. Kinda like the ladder sequenceces in the TLOU or the pressing triangle to pick up stuff in TLOU, though to be fair they removed that in TLOU2 and made it optional which is great
Conclusions
Uncharted 2-3 as gameplay is concerned is better than TLOU and it's a good series. I wouldn't call it a 10/10 series by a stretch. It has many parts great, but some are mediocre and I believe they can improve them if they want. I know some of those issues have been partially addressed in TLOU2 and U4, though they also doubled down on the cinematic crap and the scripted boring stuff, so it's a mixed bag. Also starting from U4 to TLOU2 the stories have turned to shit.
I'd give U3 a 7.5 and U2 a 7. TLOU I'd give it a 6.5. Overall they're good games, but not great and the main thing that takes them from greatness I think is the gameplay and mechanics. I know it's probably controversial on an Uncharted sub, but is there anybody who shares my view?
