Yesterday Sony Computer Entertainment released the first batch of screenshots of the remastered version of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves included in Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection.

It's often hard to compare two versions of the same game, especially when the original was as good looking (for the time) as Uncharted 2. Rose-tinted glasses driven by fond memories often set in, so a good ol' fashioned screenshot comparison is a good way to gauge just how much the game has been improved.

Below you can see four screenshot pairings. The ones on top are from the new collection, while the ones blow them are direct feed captures from the PS3 version of Uncharted 2.

Unfortunately, it was impossible to reproduce camera angles perfectly, because the PS4 screenshots have been apparently taken with an unlocked camera, as opposed to the gameplay one. That said, the elements portrayed are still roughly the same, allowing you to check the difference.

To see it even better, you can click on the label of each screenshot to open them in a new window, and then flip between the two different versions.

Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (PS4)

Uncharted_Collection_PS4_002

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

Uncharted2_PS3 (3)

Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (PS4)

Uncharted_Collection_PS4_004

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

Uncharted2_PS3 (2)

Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (PS4)

Uncharted_Collection_PS4_003

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

Uncharted2_PS3 (4)

Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (PS4)

Uncharted_Collection_PS4_001

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

Uncharted2_PS3 (1)

From the screenshots above, we can easily notice that the higher resolution makes an enormous difference, reducing aliasing massively, and improving details. Textures also show a much higher definition. Even the skybox is much more detailed, with the clouds benefiting from the higher pixel count very visibly.

Resolution isn't the only visible difference: tessellation adds a considerable depth and detail to materials, while shaders seem to have been improved slightly, alongside lighting. Models also appear to have been overhauled, and there are even additional objects here and there.

One of the most visible differences is the disappearance of the very intense depth of field effect that was implemented in Uncharted 2, and that really didn't look that good, It probably had the purpose to hide differences in level of detail with the background. Apparently it has become obsolete in the remaster, where the backdrops look quite awesome.

One thing is for sure: while the graphics haven't been completely revolutionized, pretty much like we have seen with God of War III: Remastered, the improvement is very visible.