Featured Image Credit: Sony Computer Entertainment
Topics: Uncharted, Naughty Dog, PlayStation, Sony
I’m sure I’m not the only one who remembers the opening scene of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves as clear as day. It is, quite literally, a cliffhanger. Nathan Drake awakens bloodied and bruised in a train car that just so happens to be hanging from a cliff. Across a tense few minutes, we climb our way to safety only for the game to cut to a very clean and safe Nate drinking a beer.
It’s sometime before we chronologically reach the train sequence once again, although it’s worth the wait given that it’s one of the greatest gaming sequences of all time - and the short snippet we experience during the opening deserves our credit too. It’s tense and cinematic, and yet we’re very much involved in what’s happening. It’s no wonder that many fans have declared it to be one of gaming’s very best opening sequences.
Fair to say, we're all crossing our fingers for a new Uncharted entry.
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The question “Which video game has the best opening scene?” was posed by Reddit user Majestic_Snow7613. “Uncharted 2. Drake waking up badly injured on a train, only to realise the train is hanging off a cliff. What a way to drop into an adventure,” wrote Mahhyz, garnering over 1,200 upvotes. “Man, the pacing of Uncharted 2 is really unrivalled. From the moment you get to Nepal, everything pushes you forward, every set piece connected to the next. It’s so good,” said hearsay_and_rumour, while TheOncomingBrows added, “I believe JJ Abrams once said something like this was his favourite opening to a piece of media.”
That’s true. During a playthrough on the Retro Replay YouTube channel, actor Troy Baker referred to the opening as “the best beginning to a video game ever,” to which Nathan Drake star Nolan North replied, “By the way. Not just your opinion, [also] the opinion of one JJ Abrams. When I got to meet him and work with him, he did say that he thought the opening of Uncharted 2 was the best opening of anything cinematic - TV, film, game - that he’s ever seen.”
Of course, Uncharted 2 wasn’t the only opener that got a shoutout from fans. The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, BioShock, Mass Effect 2, Skyrim, and Breath of the Wild also garnered praise. I think I’m with the majority though. Naughty Dog knows how to nail an opener.