I started Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End on stream yesterday, and I am pumped. I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while.
This is one of those games I’ve told people for years is my favorite of all time. Not “one of.” The one. And now I’m jumping back in years later with a completely different perspective and a completely different setup.
The Stream Didn’t Go Smooth… At All
Let’s not pretend this was some clean, polished kickoff. It never is over here.
We had issues right out of the gate.
My controller bindings were completely off, which, if you’ve ever dealt with that mid-stream, you already know it was instant stress.
It threw me off more than I expected.
We ended up switching to mouse and keyboard just to keep things moving, and that might be how I run the rest of the playthrough. Still undecided, but it worked way better than fighting the controller the whole time.
Not ideal. But real.
And that’s the point with this whole thing.
Getting Back Into a Story Game Feels Different
I’ve been deep in ARC Raiders for a while now.
Uncharted 4 is much, much different than ARC.
It slows you down.
It pulls you into something.
And within the first session (even with all the technical hiccups), I could already feel that shift.
There’s something about a story-driven game that just hits different. No pressure to perform. No leaderboard. No meta to keep up with.
Just you, the world, and the story unfolding.
And after months of fast-paced, high-intensity gaming, that felt refreshing.
“Games Looked Better Back Then” (Or Did They?)
One thing I noticed immediately:
I remember this game looking insane.
Like, untouchably insane.
And don’t get me wrong, it still looks great. The environments, the animations, the cinematic feel, it’s all still there.
But you can tell.
It’s not quite what my brain remembers.
It’s that nostalgia effect. When you play something at the time, it feels like the peak. Then you come back years later, after playing newer titles, and your brain recalibrates.
What used to feel cutting-edge now feels slightly dated.
But…
That doesn’t take anything away from it.
If anything, it makes you appreciate how far games have come and how well something like Uncharted 4 still holds up.
Because even now, it still feels like a movie you’re playing.
If You’ve Never Played It… This Is Your Sign
If you somehow missed Uncharted 4, or you played it years ago and haven’t touched it since, this is one of those games that’s worth going back to.
Not because it’s the newest.
Not because it’s trending.
But because it’s a reminder of what games can be when they’re built around story, characters, and experience instead of just engagement loops.
What’s Next
We’ve got the intro done.
The playthrough is officially underway.
Controller might be out. Mouse and keyboard might be the move. We’ll figure that out as we go.
But the main thing?
We’re running it back.
Full story. Full journey.
And this time, you can follow along from the beginning.
Watch the playthrough here:
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End | Full Playthrough Part 1
Follow the journey at:
https://channlerg.com/