The Five Best Naughty Dog Games
From Crash Bandicoot to Uncharted: Naughty Dog’s Best Games
Naughty Dog games have become synonymous with greatness.
From the Uncharted series to the Crash Bandicoot franchise, some of the greatest franchises on PlayStation have come from Naughty Dog’s studios. But Naughty Dog has a long history: it started in 1985 with Math Jam, a fun game that promoted learning.
Well, over the years we’ve learned a lot about what Naughty Dog has to offer. This time, we’ve done the maths to our own jam, and come up with what we believe to be the best Naughty Dog games of all time.
Bear in mind that we’re judging games based on how good they were when they came out, and not always to modern expectations. But, of course, you can’t teach a naughty dog new tricks, and who needs to when the tricks are this good?
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Nathan Drake had become the poster boy for Naughty Dog, and with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, it was his first full game on the PlayStation 4. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End boasted some incredible visuals, perhaps the best we’d seen on PlayStation 4 at that point. The Uncharted series has always taken the player to exotic and far away settings, and with the power of the PlayStation 4, Naughty Dog did something really special.
But who just plays an Uncharted game for the settings? Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is the smoothest an Uncharted game has felt. Enemies had better AI, gun fights were much more tense, and the ending was just so good. A great end to the Drake series, but not the best Uncharted game.
Read our review of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Crash Bandicoot
Nintendo had Mario, Sega had Sonic, and Playstation had Crash. Crash Bandicoot brought platforming to the PlayStation 1 like never before. It was fast, it was frantic, but most of all: it was fun. Crash Bandicoot also made players collect as much Wumpa Fruit as they could, and that was far from easy.
Based on today’s standards, Crash Bandicoot is very difficult. It’s unforgiving, requiring perfect timing and complete concentration. But we all kept going back to Crash Bandicoot because of how engaging it is. Crash Bandicoot was the first sign that Naughty Dog had something unique about them.
Buy Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy on Amazon
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
The original Uncharted introduced some great set pieces and gameplay, but Uncharted 2: Among Thieves took that formula and built on it. From the very start, as Nathan Drake clung to a train hanging off a cliff, it was clear that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was something special. The way the game used flashbacks to tell the story was brilliant, leaving the player, quite literally, on the edge of a cliff.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves also built a great story for Drake. He was well written, more likeable, and had even more one-liners. It wasn’t just the fantastic gameplay that meant we couldn’t put Uncharted 2: Among Thieves down: the plot was gripping, the characters developed well, and the way the plot was told perfectly. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the best of the Uncharted games.
Buy Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection on Amazon
The Last of Us
The Last of Us showed just how far Naughty Dog had come. More than just another zombie-filled game, The Last of Us is an emotional rollercoaster with great twists and turns. Joel was so raw, so real, and so well written. His bond with Ellie built in a natural and compelling way, and we all quickly fell in love with the two protagonists. The Last of Us features one of best stories of all time.
The Last of Us also created some of the most tense gameplay going. Ammo was scarce, so were materials for health packs. This made sure we were always on edge whilst playing, and who knew what was around a dark corner? The Last of Us is a genuine masterpiece.
Jak 2: Renegade
Jak 2: Renegade is arguably one of the best games on the PlayStation 2, and I would argue it is the best. This classic adventure followed Jak and his comedic sidekick Daxter, as they traversed through the new sandbox of Haven City. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy brought platforming back to PlayStation, showing that Naughty Dog hadn’t forgotten its Crash Bandicoot roots.
But Jak 2: Renegade was so much more than just a great platformer. Naughty Dog had developed the series into a more mature game, riddled with crime and weapons. Jak could now arm himself with a variety of guns, and had many different metalheads to take aim at. But the most impressive part of of Jak 2: Renegade was Haven City. It was a dense area full of NPCs, and felt like a living world. The air was full of transports, the city was diverse in character, and the backstreets were crawling with criminal organisations and rebels.
Naughty Dog showed the ability to take a good game in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy and build on it to create a truly brilliant game. Many may see Nathan Drake as Naughty Dog’s new mascot, but for me it’ll always be Jak and Daxter: the greatest duo in gaming history.
