Uncharted 4 vs. Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Story
Director Neil Druckman has been lauded as one of the gaming industry’s most accomplished writers after having co-written The Last of Us, and Uncharted 4 features that same level of quality. All of the characters are brilliantly well-written in Nate Drake’s final adventure, and we get to see a different side of Nate and his relationship to Elena. There are also new characters in the form of his brother, Sam Drake, and Nadine Ross –though we weren’t quite as enamored with them as we were with the rest of the returning cast.
Overall, Uncharted 4 has to be one of the series’ best stories. There’s all the nostalgic comradery between Nate and Sully, a new dynamic with Sam in the mix that takes us back to he and Drake’s childhood, and a gripping wider story that has them globe-trotting around exotic locations on the trail of pirate’s treasure. It’s glamorous and heart-pounding stuff.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider caps off the rebooted trilogy story, and really ups the stakes from previous games. Lara is once again battling against the dangerous Trinity organization, except this time there are cataclysmic events to contend that threaten the entire world. There’s also plenty of the supernatural incorporated into this particular Tomb Raider story. It’s a tonally darker and more serious affair than even her previous recent adventures, totally opposite to Uncharted’s cheeky wit and over-the-top action. But it’s never really engaging in the same sort of way, despite all the drama and tension. Lara Croft isn’t especially likable throughout the game and we found her overly serious without any tension-breaking moments to balance the narrative.
The rebooted Tomb Raider games haven’t been praised for their stories and Shadow isn’t any different. It’s not poor, but it can’t hold a candle to the nuances of Uncharted 4’s superb writing. Uncharted 4 takes this one easily.
Winner: Uncharted 4
