Pros
+ Excellent Production values all throughout
+ Cinematic feel matched by few
+ Unbelievable animations for the characters
+ Game-play is just fun and addicting
Cons
-Some of the gunfights can be a bit frustrating courtesy of endless waves of smart enemies
- The cover system can sometimes doom you rather than save you
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is Naughty Dog's first foray unto the PS3 hardware and one of the most anticipated titles for the system. Often referred to as "Tomb Raider meets Gears of War", Uncharted makes a name for itself with its easy to pick up game-play, likeable cast of characters and incredible production values, making this easily one of the best games for this holiday season, as well as the best game the PS3 has to offer yet.
In Uncharted, you'll assume the role of Nathan Drake, treasure hunter extraordinaire and a supposed descendant of 16th century legend Sir Francis Drake. It seems Nathan has discovered Drake's lost diary, which in true adventure story fashion, holds the clue to finding El Dorado. So is up to Nathan, sassy and tough as nail TV reporter Elena Fisher and old pal, the suave yet trouble magnet Victor Sullivan to uncover the secrets of the mythical treasure. Of course, it wouldn't be a memorable pulp adventure without some ill-nature group going after the same treasure with more than just questionable intentions, providing for lots of chases, explosions and gunfights for Nathan and co to deal with.
Though not original in its premise, Uncharted certainly delivers up on its promises, offering a complete and cohesive package that is beautiful to look at, a marvel to listen to and just plain fun to play. There really isn't anything bad to say about Uncharted other that is not very long. But at around eight hours, the amazing campaign throws enough action; puzzle solving and vehicle chases that you'll be more than satisfied. It also helps that the story, while having a few clichés here and there, is highly entertaining and very well written. Nathan's wit and sense of humor is sure to get at least a chuckle out of most serious gamers, and his constant bickering with Elena is highly amusing as well. Of course, there is a certain amount of seriousness to the tale as a whole and it has its share of dramatic moments along with its own urgencies, but its often-lighthearted tone is a very welcome change to the more gritty and violent stories we are getting now at days.
The entire game is divided into two main sections, plat forming and gunfights, often times one following the other or vice versa, but are overall very well-paced all throughout. The platform sections of the game tend to be pretty straightforward and often times downright easy, but every jump comes with an awe factor. The camera tends to give you the best vantage points and very rarely will you wonder where exactly your next jump should be aimed at. Along with the jumps, there are some occasional puzzles here and there to spice things up. These aren't very tough and most of the times, Drake's journal gives you the answer to them anyway. This is not entirely bad, as it keeps the game moving at a quick pace, but players looking for some substance in their puzzle sections might walk out a little disappointed.
The other portions of Uncharted are the shootouts. These tend to take place in fairly open areas, giving enough cover points for you and your enemies to maneuver around. These are often times exhilarating and just plain fun, since most shootouts require some different approaches using the overall same strategies. The enemies, though their appearances to every shootout are scripted, are smart enough to move between the different vantage points and are surprisingly good flankers and grenade throwers, even on the default difficulty. In fact, Uncharted is a pretty tough game on the regular setting anyway, as most shootouts, particularly towards the end, tend to throw wave after wave of pirates and mercenaries, so you'll be dying pretty often. It is a good thing that the game has plenty of checkpoints, as some players might find the amount of dying and retrying frustrating. It doesn't help that Drake can't take much fire before kicking the can, while enemies take at least three hits before going down, unless you score a headshot. The cover system employed by the game is very good, but sometimes you might find yourself attaching to surfaces in a way that you did not intend, which can result in you getting killed. These instances aren't very common, but when they do happen, it can be a bit annoying.
There are also some vehicle sequences; one where you'll be manning a truck turret while Elena races through the forest and others will have you driving a jet sky while Elena provides cover fire. While these aren't mind blowing, they still break up the action nicely and are very fun too, especially when you have to brave your way up a roaring river. The game also features four difficulty settings, sixty treasures to find and one thousand medal points for players to obtain by achieving different criteria's. The more points you rack up, the more unlockables you'll uncover, and there are plenty, so even with a relatively short campaign, there is a ton to do in Uncharted.
Graphically, Uncharted is as much of a technical success as it is artistic. In fact, words cannot describe the beauty that Uncharted is. Never have forests, rivers and ancient ruins looked as good. The quality of the graphic engine is such, that some backgrounds almost look photo-realistic. There are some texture pop in and clipping here and there, but you really have to look for them in order to notice it. The characters look just as good, be it heroes or enemies. Sometimes they seem to have a certain kind of plastic look to them, but feel natural overall. Kudos to Naughty Dog on their animation engine however, as characters in Uncharted animate in such a way that sometimes it'll be hard to differentiate from the real thing. From Nate's flailing in mid-air after a dangerous jump to his covering his head as bullets whistle, never have animations looked this natural. This achievement is shared by the game's facial expressions as well.
Sound wise; Uncharted hits it high, with a bombastic soundtrack that fits every situation just right. Guns and explosions are of equal caliber, packing the punch that you would expect them to. The voice acting in the game is also top-notch with each character sounding just right. The actors do an excellent job at portraying the emotions of each character and are always a delight to listen to. The script is fairly well written as well, so is nice to see that everything worked out nicely in the final product.
In the end, Uncharted is an action packed adventure that is a blast to play and will be in your memory for a while to come. Even with its small blemishes, this is one ride you definitely shouldn't miss this holiday season.
C-Himura
That's my review for the game. I am like on my seventh playtrhough. I already unlocked and did everything, but the game is just fun:D
Log in to comment