On Nathan Drake and Uncharted 4

There’s a normal life to consider. This is where Drake resides during his time off. Reaching near death in the deserts of Uncharted 3 must have slowed his adventurous sense, forcing him to reconsider what matters. He now dives for treasure as part of a salvage company. A video game protagonist with a playable day job—how odd. The Mario Bros. may be plumbers, but they’ve never unclogged a residential toilet in-game.

Read my full feature on Uncharted 4 on Playboy

Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (PS4) Review

“Unlike his theatrical progenitor, who punches indefensible Nazis in the early days of WWII, Nathan Drake ceaselessly murders those in a contemporary time. Between three games, the number rises to over a thousand lives ended in a search for wealth or personal gain. Drake shoots, people die. It’s normal to him. Rational concern is discarded for complacency. Uncharted refuses to provide necessary context. In all of the series’ well-groomed, brain-at-the-door entertainment spectacles, killing exists because it’s what video games do…

… Reality is often too difficult for this medium to confront. Then again, Uncharted’s goofiness may not be the proper discussion space. In three games – four counting the Vita’s Golden Abyss – Uncharted never addresses Drake’s special ops-esque gun use. He’s American. Apparently it comes natural at birth.”

Read my full review of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection at GameSkinny