Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection review for PS5

This week sees the launch of Naughty Dog?s Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection for the PlayStation 5, bring with it the first PS5 specific remaster of the Uncharted franchise, packing in 2016?s Uncharted 4: A Thief?s End, and 2017?s Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Both are pretty stellar entries in the long-running Sony series, for me it?s a toss up between Uncharted 4 and Uncharted 3 when it comes to best game in the series, and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy makes for a pretty good argument that the Uncharted series could potentially continue sans Nathan Drake, allowing supporting characters like Chloe Frazer the opportunity to shine. 

That said, is this a remaster worth owning, considering it?s likely that you?ve already played one, or both of these titles in the past 5 years? All in all, I think it is, provided you?re making use of the upgrade program offered by Sony. If you own one, or both, of either title on PS4 you can just drop another $10 to own this new collection on PS5. And considering that neither title is particularly expensive via PSN, I think that?s a solid enough deal, and the visual upgrade available on PS5 is significant enough that both games are worth a replay. They were already visual spectacles on the PS4, and that remains true on the PS5.

Both games offer up three graphics options. One is native 4K targeting 30fps throughout, which looks absolutely fantastic and should satisfy those visual snobs out there that are looking to showcase games on their respective high-end televisions. The second is a 1440p mode targeting 60fps, and the third is 1080p going for a whopping 120fps. While I appreciated the stellar fidelity present in the 4k mode, once I tried the 120fps option, I never looked back. I?d be hard-pressed to point out any frame drops in this mode to my naked eye, but my experience playing the majority of both games in 120fps was absolutely fantastic. If you have the option to do this on your 4K set, I?d highly recommend it. 

As far as other bells and whistles go, there isn?t a lot to note. The game does make use of the DualSense haptic feedback, so you?ll get a variety of rumble features to help emulate climbing, falling, shooting, etc, but nothing that really felt on the level of the PS5?s Astro’s Playroom tech demo. Likewise, while the game does make use of the DualSense adaptive triggers, I had trouble noticing any significant difference while shooting, but driving sequences seemed to make better use of the feature, mostly by allowing you to accelerate and brake without needing to press all the way down on the triggers constantly. 

That said, even if there haven?t been any significant upgrades here other than the various visual options, both of these Uncharted games are still a blast to play through. I actually found myself finishing both again prior to review, and find them to be among the best that the Uncharted series has to offer. Some of the action sequences in Uncharted 4, and the driving/chase sequences in both Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy, make for the most exciting, dynamic action moments found in any modern game, and that still holds true 5 years later. 

So if you?ve never played one, or perhaps both games, then I think this collection is a no-brainer for sure. And even if you have, the upgrade discount path makes this collection a worthy addition to your growing PS5 library, and it?s sure to be the game that you pop up in when you?re trying to show off modern console technology to your friends and family. It?s a solid remaster of two excellent games, both of which are well worth playing through again. 

Note: Sony provided us with a Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection PS5 code for review purposes