Nathan Drake Meets Naughty Dog's Past
May 12, 2016
Developer Naughty Dog continues its video game creation winning streak with the recently released Uncharted 4: A Thief's End for the Sony PlayStation 4, but early on in Nathan Drake's latest adventure he crosses paths with a piece of the developer's history. Spoilers for Chapter 4 follow!
We join Drake as a married, settled down man who has retired from treasure hunting and adventuring. Drake and his wife Elena end up in a micro-argument over who will wash the dishes after dinner, so to settle it, Drake proposes a challenge. He'll try to beat Elena's high score on her "TV game thingee" which turns out to be the original Crash Bandicoot for the Sony PlayStation, classic boot-up sounds and all. The scene has heart thanks to Elena coaxing new player Drake on how to play and gently teasing him over his failures. I actually felt as if I were watching two real people who love each other and have built a life together. It's very relatable and adds some extra dimension to their relationship. As for the PS1 game, it is playable and that's me blundering my way through the game before dying an embarrassing death. I'd love to get another shot at that moment, but there are no retries in this part of Uncharted 4. Crash's appearance is a fun look back at Naughty Dog and PlayStation's legacy, and while many believe it's an extended tease for a new Crash game, I say we just take the moment to appreciate its appearance here no matter what it may or may not mean.