Wow, Uncharted sure took a lot by surprise. Me for one. When I first purchased it, I was expecting a somewhat fun yet dull adventure with cheap thrills and gunfights. Boy was I wrong. There are so many elements to this gameplay that I hope I mention them all. Its simply done right.
The star of the show, Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter who just so happens to be Sir Francis Drake; the famous voyager/explorers nephew. Nate is looking to strike it big with his lovable pal Sully and girl companion Elena Fisher. It starts off with a bang, pitting you on a boat out in the middle of the ocean being attacked by pirates. And right away the action begins. And might I say, the action sequences are intense and fun to interact with. The controls are very simple and are easy to get the hang of. After you finish the pirate scene, the real game begins...
I'll start off by saying that the story and cast and action packed scenes that you will encounter are all amazing. Nate is a lovable guy, funny, handsome, well spoken and has a knack for finding treasure. And tough may I add. Sully, the older companion of Nate is your tag along support pal. He is looking to strike it big as well and his goal is simply find the damn treasure. He is funny as well and his voice over is great. Elena Fisher, a reporter, is just accompanying the two in hopes of capturing their finds on film or at least she thinks she is. I wont give too much away here but lets just say that early on, Sully is taken by some mean thieves named Gabriel Roman and Navarro. Nate stumbles upon clues as to where El Dorado may be. The City of Gold. Needless to say Roman and Navarro rob Nate of his treasure map and clues and try to kill Nate and Sully. I wont give anymore away but that is how the story begins and off we go into the wonderful world of Uncharted.
The environments are beautiful. Lush, tropical jungles with flowing waterfalls galore. Don't let it fool you though, there appears to be more to this paradise than meets the eye and there are traps that if stepped into will kill you. You will probably be amazed at how beautiful your surroundings are as I was, and rightfully so. The battle system is great. Its simple and fun. Take cover and pick your shots as wisely as you can. Some of the enemies will flank your position or throw grenades at you in an attempt to get you to expose yourself. The gunfights are fun to watch as well, it almost feels like a Hollywood screenplay at times and the aiming system is on key. Another huge factor of the game is the dangers you encounter outside of the guys pointing guns at you. You will be forced to cliff hang, rappel down and up walls and make long jumps over gapped drop-offs and these are all done so well that it keeps it intense for the player. For instance when climbing along a wall, your footing may give away forcing you to act quickly or the bridge your crossing may start to collapse and its in these scenes that it almost feels like a movie. But that is in a good way. UC manages to keep you focused and anticipating what is gonna happen next. Its not just cheap thrills and dull and boring battles. Their all exciting and some even require the quick button press to escape danger.(Not sure of the legit term).
As the team looks for the lost treasure of El Dorado, of course they get more than they bargained for. But the adventure is so enthralling and manages to captivate your attention and keep you plugged in. The dialogue is another big plus for me. The voice overs are great, but also the sense of humor and jokes even in the eye of danger is appealing and will probably make ya chuckle a few times. Basically, to sum it all up, its an intense summer blockbuster action flick, only you control it. And trust me, it might not sound appealing but you cant help but love the characters, the scenery and the weapons and battle systems. Also, being it is a treasure hunting game, you can also collect treasure along the way which will unlock special things for multiplayer mode. Its fun to try and find em all and I still haven't managed to find em all. Some are in the wide open, but others will take some backtracking and exploring. So, there is a capability of replayability.
I'll end by saying this. Its not the typical shoot em up, no storyline action game that many may be accustomed to. UC brings some valuable goodies to the table, an A+ cast, dialogue, beautiful scenery, and amazing cutscenes and amazing quick time events that will require you to be on your toes. Now, being as I've played the sequels after reviewing, I may be a tad biased by saying that it doesn't quite live up to the epic role UC2 & UC3 bring, but it provided a great start to an amazing franchise that I think any player can relate to.