Uncharted is a "Popcorn" flick for your PS3. It is super fun, and looks great, but wont win any GOTY awards.
It has been said 100 times already that Uncharted is Tomb Raider + Gears of War. This is very true for many reasons. The level of originality in Uncharted is, unfortunately, very low. But it counters that with a high level of polish for what it does do. Think of this game as the highly refined mash-up of all the other games that is borrows from. A lot can be said about a perfected idea.
For starters, the game looks absolutely amazing. The graphics are quite simply the best I have seen on a console to date. The backgrounds are buried in top-notch production values. The textures are all very high resolution and add a great deal to the overall look. The water effects are extremely well done, as well as the vegetation animation. This is one of the very few games in history to make a jungle feel "thick" if that makes any sense. The indoor environments suffer a bit from some cranking textures and overly shiny effects. This all works great on plants that are supposed to be wet, but seeing rust that appears to have been polished to a shine is a bit odd.
The character models are also highly detailed. There are only a handful of models for the main "cast", but each one has clearly gone through a lot of hands on time with the modeling and animation teams. It is great to see the same gameplay models used for the in-engine cutscenes (at least they appear to be the same ones) simply because the game keeps you immersed throughout without having the jarring effect of going from a 100 polygon gameplay model to a pre-rendered cutscene. I for one, am very pleased that gaming technology has come this far. Uncharted is just evidence for the positive effect this has had on a gaming experience.
The sound in Uncharted keeps up the quality level that has been achieved with the visuals. All of the usual sound elements are done quite well, from music, to sound effects, and voice acting. To call the voice acting "superb" would be accurate. There seems to be a trend these days wtih games having terrific voice acting (Bioshock, Mass Effect) and Uncharted can easily be considered tops in this regard. The actors hit there comedic, and dramatic, lines with perfection.
In terms of Gameplay, Uncharted successfully hits a great mix between platforming and shooting elements. There is some minor puzzle solving, but to call it a light presence would be accurate. The platforming is similar to the style from Prince of Persia and Tomb Raider. Plenty of jumping, climbing, shuffling, rope swinging and falling to be had. These portions of the game can be a mix between stupid easy, to somewhat more difficult. Meaning, you shouldn't ever really get too frustrated unless you keep making the same mistake over and over, which I did a few times.
The shooting elements are borrowed directly from kill.Switch and draw many comparisons to Gears of War, that other "duck and cover" shooter for the 360. Although the main mechanic is similar, it is actually done a bit smoother in Uncharted. There are fewer instances of accidentally taking cover against an exposed wall here. It happens, but not nearly as often as it did to me in Gears. The gunfire itself is nicely tuned. Each weapon, save for a few pistols, feels unique and has benefits/disadvantages. As the game progresses you start to run across different types of guns that are dropped by enemies. These typically start to pack more of a punch then the early weapons. My personal favorite would easily be the Desert Eagle. (If you don't know what a Desert Eagle is, go rent Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) This hand-cannon packs an appropriate punch and makes for some seriously fun times during firefights.
The story could have been a lost script for an Indiana Jones movie. It plays to the same tune as most of the "Adventurer in search of treasure" films ever made, and it does it really well. If anything the game feels like something of a homage to these movies, rather then a direct theft of them. The cutscenes that are scattered throughout the game do an excellent job of introducing the nuences of the different characters, and also leave you feeling a connection to them. You can't help but thinking that the good guys are people you would get a kick out of hanging out with.
Just like Naughty Dog's previous games in the Jak and Daxter games, Uncharted is really funny. The opening scene alone made me laugh out loud a few times, and this trend continues right up to the very last sequence in the game. I'd trade all of the best "Bad-itude" in the world away for a bit more humor in a game. Uncharted is definitely an answer to that wish. None of the characters come across as trying to hard (without knowing it) and are not afraid to make fun of themselves a bit. I really hope any sequels to this game will stay true to this format.
The length of the game has come into question for many people. I spent roughly 16 hours completing the game. I played the game one difficulty setting above the default, so this may account for some extra time versus those out there that stated it was 8-10 hours. Why experienced gamers insist on playing "normal" when it is the 2nd out of 4 possible settings, then complaining about how easy/short it was is a big mystery that deserves an answer. Well duh it was easy, you have it on "stupid easy" mode. What the heck do you think that means?
For me, this is the sweet spot for game length. For it to have gone on an additional 2-4 hours may have pushed me over the edge and left me hoping for the ending to come soon. With how long it was I definitely felt like I got a great experience that didn't crawl itself to the finish line.
The game also contains plenty of extras. Unlocking "tweaks" that let you get different weapons and modifications are done by the ingame "achievement" system similar to what is found on 360 games. There are also all kinds of trinkets to find throughout the game, of which I found 31/60 after not really trying until half way through the game. I didn't spend a whole lot of time with these myself, as playing through it once is enough for me. Many people may find this kind of thing interesting and important for extending replay value.
Uncharted was definitely a surprise to me. I have only a handful of games for my PS3, and this one easily races right up to the top to park itself next to Resistance for being a "must have" for the system. It's got a few quirks that bring it down a tad, but quite simply, if you have a PS3 and do not have Uncharted, you are seriously missing out on one of the best experiences for the system so far. Go get it. Now.