An unforgettable thrill ride that features some of the best visuals and cinematic storytelling in videogames. Ever.
Visually, this game is a stunner. There were times in this game that my jaw literally dropped to the floor in awe. Lush jungle settings beautifully decorated by foliage, immense ocean views stretching as far as the eye can see, sun-bathed cliff tops and draping waterfalls--the environments are truly a sight to behold.
But the game's graphical prowess doesn't stop there. The detailed character models, along with an unparalleled animation system, give the characters an uncanny lifelike quality that is all the more evident during cutscenes. Sound-wise, the game features a great score that really reflects its uniqueness.
From a gameplay perspective, Uncharted meshes two popular genres: platforming and the duck-n-cover third-person perspective shooter popularized by the Xbox 360 hit Gears of War. It executes both fairly well--the game is fun to play and well-paced, and consistently so all the way through.
But Uncharted's shining quality lies in its storytelling and cinematics. All of the game's cutscenes are motion-captured, and extremely well voice-acted. The characters are lively, down-to-earth, and funny--and over time, they become endearing. The story and dialogue are extremely well-written, and the tale takes a number of unexpected twists and turns that catch the player off-guard.
Uncharted's story sequences encapsulate a great mixture of humor, action, drama...and even a little romance. All that is capped off with fantastic real-time cutscene visuals virtually unrivaled in the console arena. Playing through Uncharted--with its cliff-jumping, pirate-shooting gameplay and its engaging storytelling--was like playing through Indiana Jones, if Indiana Jones were a game.
Yet the game is not without some serious faults. I often felt like I was fighting the controls during the platforming sequences, but even more so during combat sections. The realistic animation system made platforming imprecise, resulting in some frustrating do-overs. The pop-n-shoot gameplay worked most of the time, but because the direction for "roll" and "dive to cover" are mapped to the same button, I found myself in a lot of situations where I tried to roll, but ended up sticking to a wall instead on the wrong side of the divide.
And although pacing was relatively well done, the game simply throws too many waves of enemies at you during combat sequences--so much so that fighting them becomes tedious. Futhermore, the gameplay is pretty predictable toward the end after many iterations of the same alternating pattern between platforming and shooting.
Despite its faults, there are so many amazing aspects about Uncharted that it is difficult to overlook the good and focus on the bad. I believe Uncharted delivers an experience like no other on the market, with its compelling blend of great action, stunning visuals, and engaging storytelling. In all of these aspects, Uncharted pushes the medium forward--especially in the departments of graphics and story. Anyone with an appetite for playing rather than watching a great pulp action adventure should give Uncharted a try.