More charting than ever before

There is a high-level misstep in Uncharted 4's early hours, haphazardly combining the flash-forward technique of Uncharted 2's opener with the flash-back technique of Uncharted 3's. So it's a big credit to the game's narrative implementation that this misstep is almost unnoticeable.

The way that Nate's brother, Sam, is introduced, you'd think that he was part of the series all along. And although Nate's lifestyle has slowed down since his last adventure, the human conversations and high-tension banter between teammates is as excellent as it's ever been.

As are the set pieces, with new navigation mechanics like sliding down hills and grappling rope points -- not to mention the incredibly welcome addition of stealth indicators; now you can have an idea of how and where enemies are seeing you, making it much more realistic to sneak around and take them out silently.

But of course, the most obvious and awe-inspiring improvement in Uncharted 4 is the overall graphical fidelity. Uncharteds 2 and 3 were no slouch in this department, but 4 raises the bar even higher. Clothes ripple believably in the wind as Drake climbs a sheer cliff. Facial animations are so fluid and expressive that you hardly even need to hear what a character is saying. And despite the game's pace, every now and then it's tempting to stare out at the far-reaching scenery (especially when the water is nearby, which is frequently).

I've got plenty of charting left to do, but this is already shaping up to be a more-than-fitting end to Drake's adventures.

Progress: Chapter 10