There’s no doubting the similarities between Uncharted and Tomb Raider. On one hand, we’ve got Nathan Drake, the wise cracking, cocky treasure hunter with a thirst for adventure, and on the other we have Lara Croft, the attractive female protagonist whose persevering attitude has molded her from victim to hero. Both of these characters have raised the bar and shaped what we expect from an action game.
So what makes these two great titles so similar?
For one, both Lara and Nathan have a passion for ancient history and mythology. So much of a passion in fact, that they put themselves in grave danger just to pursue their own curiosities.
Tomb Raider and Uncharted have created such breathtaking visuals for our eager eyes to feast on. From lush forests, to abandoned shipwrecks, each area that these two brave characters explore is nothing short of stunning.
The way that they traverse these areas have large similarities, particularly in the way they scale their environments. Their climbing abilities are unmatched as they make unreal leaps and ledge grabs that can only be possible within the realm of a videogame.
The amount of pain and punishment these two endure is unimaginable. From taking bullets to falling from insane heights all while trying to escape burning structures and exploding bombs is entertaining to watch and play. Nathan and Lara accomplish all of this with a sense of style that is only seen in blockbuster summer movies.
Where do Lara and Nathan’s differences lie?
The personalities of these two protagonists are quite different. The way Nathan may approach a hazardous situation may be a lot different than the way Lara would. Drake seems to deflect his fear with humor, cracking jokes in the midst of battle. Lara on the other hand approaches each situation with a sense of caution.
Fear fuels Lara’s confidence and her motive seems to be the survival of her and her friends. The emotions she portrays range from remorse for killing an enemy in self defense to grieving for a fallen comrade. Her struggle seems to be more internal than Drake’s but as each near impossible task is overcome, her confidence grows. She fights with more virility and focus. She is still learning on how to deal with her new set of survival skills.
Nathan’s ambitions on the other hand are more selfish so to speak. His motives are not only to find the treasures he seeks but to prove to himself that he can accomplish these death defying tasks. He sets out to create a name for himself and his confident yet cocky attitude has found him on the wrong end of a situation more than a few times yet, he still seems to retain a likeable and admirable quality.
From what we have learned from developer Naughty Dog, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End will bring closure to the story of Nathan Drake. If that means we won’t see another game within the Uncharted universe is yet to be seen. It seems unlikely this is the case considering how successful of a franchise it has become for Sony.
Lara Croft’s next entry; Rise of the Tomb Raider will see Lara just begin to come into her own. It is likely that developer Crystal Dynamics will continue this rebooted franchise and see it to its full potential.
Both titles are slated for a holiday 2015 release with both being exclusives…sort of. While Uncharted 4 will be exclusive to the PS4, Rise of the Tomb Raider will be a timed exclusive for Xbox One with the title most likely seeing its way onto the PS4 in the near future. Either way, you can surely bet both titles will be fighting for holiday sale supremacy. The question now remains: which blockbuster game are you putting your money on?