Winner: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Nathan Drake has been the poster boy for blockbuster PlayStation exclusives for some time now. The first time players got to take control of the charming adventurer as he set out to find the legendary El Dorado, it just clicked. He was quick witted, careless, was clearly born with a rabbit’s foot somewhere within his body, and knew how to take players along for insane rides. But time moves ever forward, and there was no way that wouldn’t come back around. It’s that use of time and an adventurer that has spent a life avoiding death that grounds Uncharted 4. It is a masterpiece that is not only one of the best exclusive games on the PS4 to date, but easily one of the best games we’ve seen in quite some time.
That charming, careless Nathan Drake is older, wiser, and scarred by the years of adventuring he devoted his life to. But a life of boredom is not a life for him, and when his long-lost brother comes out of nowhere, things become interesting. How does a man choose between his new family and his brother, a life of peace and one that almost killed him? Naughty Dog managed to make A Thief’s End about more than just one last ride, it was the culmination of everything we’ve been through with Nate and his friends. The weight of a life well lived and the pressure of trying to decide what’s right brought a more mature, less brash adventure to the experience, and it was absolutely beautiful.
What the developers managed to do with the characters and action that millions of fans have come to know and love is nothing short of special. Nate was the same, but yet still somehow different. His heart cried for adventure but you could see in his incredibly detailed eyes that this was a man growing tired. It was time for his end in one way or another, and we wouldn’t have wanted to see it any other way. Those with a PS4 have no reason not to check out what is our favorite exclusive console release of 2016.
Congratulations to Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, the winner of our Best Console Exclusive Game category for 2016! Be sure to visit back this week more award announcements including the big one, our game of the year for 2016! For the full list of award categories for 2016, visit our nomination page here.
