Since the beginning of the seventh generation of consoles, a handful of gaming studios cemented themselves as legends in the market and Naughty Dog did so by delivering incredible AAA games in the form of The Last of Us and Uncharted.
Now seen as the studio’s trump cards, these two series are guaranteed system-sellers whose games are universally praised. The cool thing to consider is that a lot of the features seen within these franchises are similar, yet they feel totally different. For you to understand which franchise does certain things better than the other, here’s a list of things either one excels at.
10 Intro: The Last Of Us
Out of the four intros that the Uncharted series had, only Among Thieves had a truly amazing beginning where we were intrigued beyond measure. The Last of Us achieve this accomplishment in the first go, as the full idea behind the zombie apocalypse was made painfully clear.
Very smartly, the game had us in the shoes of Joel’s daughter instead of Joel himself, in order to illustrate how it would feel if you were someone so small and powerless fighting a situation you didn’t understand. It was the riveting intro that just doesn’t get better, and Uncharted has only managed that once in four goes.
9 Multiplayer: Uncharted
To be honest, neither of these two series have very memorable multiplayer options compared to other games out there. Still, The Last of Us is just awful in this regard, and Uncharted’s multiplayer is a lot of fun, if not spectacular.
Uncharted gives us many maps to play through, as well as the abundance of supporting characters to choose from here. The Last of Us’s multiplayer shouldn’t even have been a feature, as it just seems too dark and depressing to be any kind of fun. It doesn’t have much to choose from and feels out of place.
8 Story: The Last Of Us
With such a harrowing tale that was told, The Last of Us was a piece of art that we experienced as it was unfolding. The character development at play with such a small cast of characters was remarkable, and you can even appreciate the story without considering the zombie world aspect.
Uncharted’s stories have always been self-contained within the particular installment, with the times the developers have tried making Nathan’s story take centerstage not having a huge impact. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception’s story, in particular, was really pretty bad, reflecting the failure of executing a plot that was heavy-handed; an area The Last of Us excelled at.
7 Supporting Characters: Uncharted
You can’t go wrong with characters that have so much unique personality that they stand out on their own regardless of whether the main protagonist is present or not. This has been a fabulous part of the Uncharted series.
You can pick out any character from the games, even those who were there for just one installment, and they have their own attributes, traits, and tendencies that make them one-of-a-kind. The Last of Us’s supporting characters depended heavily on Joel and Ellie, without whose presence they just wouldn’t have been strong enough for us to want to follow their adventures.
6 Combat: The Last Of Us
Melee combat has been terrible in the Uncharted games, and even after four main installments in the series it just flopped hard. Drake’s Deception’s attempts at making fighting fun was laughable, and the fourth game got rid of that to return to the straightforward style from the first two games.
The Last of Us itself wasn’t a champion or anything in melee fights, but it communicated to the player of the apocalyptic setting. After all, you’re not going to be an expert fighter just because of a zombie outbreak, and this is what the fighting styles of Joel and Ellie reflected. The crafting of guns and weapons added some variety to combat, an option Uncharted never could pull off.
5 Level Design: Uncharted
This is an easy victory for Uncharted, which has breathtaking details in its environments. The main draw for the series has been its ability to bring an Indiana Jones type feel to them, and we get to have the best kind of fun in platforming sequences thanks to the puzzles before us.
It’s still understandable, though, as to why The Last of Us doesn’t have the scale Uncharted provides, seeing as the genre doesn’t allow it. However, even with the potential it had with platforming and creative level design, The Last of Us chose to keep this mild and focused on the gritty combat.
4 Dialogue: The Last Of Us
There are a whole lot of scenes you want to rewind back to in The Last of Us, purely because the script that’s being followed here is top-notch. The conversations between the characters show the player what’s going on in their minds, and we understand where they’re coming from whether they’re scared, angry, or just confused.
Being an action-adventure game that’s heavy on the style and the comedy, Uncharted doesn’t rely on the dialogue being too philosophical, and instead opts for one-liners, jokes, and cheesy quotes to keep the characters funny along with the action. Still, The Last of Us manages to be more memorable here.
3 Replay Value: Uncharted
Sure, it’s great seeing just how much Joel and Ellie went through and bonded over the year they were together, but it’s just too harrowing a journey for us to want to take it again and again. Once the main story is played through, there’s not as much incentive to go back.
One the other hand, we have the gorgeous worlds of the Uncharted games, where the pulsating sequences give us such a rush we want to experience it all over again. The puzzles themselves are so innovative that the satisfaction at unlocking them another time is just as much fun as the first.
2 Emotional Impact: The Last Of Us
It’s a proven fact that you dwell on the things that make you sad more than that which makes you happy. Uncharted is like a fast-food meal where you have a yummy time while it lasts, only to feel hungry soon enough. The Last of Us is like an acquired taste which, while you might not grasp the flavor fully, is one that you’ll congratulate for its creativity.
The times where Joel and Ellie face off against the world that is out to get them have certain messages attached to them, and you don’t take that lightly. The ending is one that will have you questioning morality for days to follow, and you want to have these questions in your head. That’s the beauty of the emotional punch that is delivered here.
1 Better Protagonist: Uncharted
As engaging as Joel and Ellie might be, there’s no denying that Nathan Drake is hands down in the upper echelon of greatest characters to ever exist. This guy has it all in his characterization: he’s funny, an everyman, an action hero, and carries an emotional toll that adds many layers to his personality.
It’s a shame Naughty Dog decided to retire him rather than make use of him more, because we could have had Nathan as the player character for Uncharted for many decades to follow. He’s the kind of guy that will never get boring, and you just want to follow him wherever his awesome adventures take us.