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 “All the PS3 needs are some great exclusive games!”
These are words that we’ve all been hearing since day one of the console’s launch. Now developer Naughty Dog has jumped into the ring with its exclusive title for the PS3, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Sure, on the surface this may look like a Tomb Raider game without our favorite big-busted heroine involved, but as the adventure unfolds you’ll see that this game has a lot to offer, and is just what the PS3 needed this holiday season.
Hit the jump, we've got a full review of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Nathan Drake is a fortune hunter who looks like he just stepped out of a Gap ad, wearing blue jeans and faded shirt. He’s kind of goofy looking, and in no way muscular; just your average guy who has stumbled into an adventure that even Lara Croft would back away from. As soon as you press start you will see that Uncharted is trying to avoid being boxed in as just a game and is aiming more at being an interactive movie. There’s not even a HUD or any permanent on-screen icons, and this enhances the cinema feel. On this level it succeeds, with a storyline revolving around a dairy found in the mysteriously empty coffin of Sir Francis Drake that may lead to the infamous treasure of El Dorado. Things get complicated when a rival gets hold of this information and attempts to get the treasure before you, sending in a team of pistol toting mercenaries to hunt you down. Along for the ride as your grumpy mentor Sully, and a Cable TV hostess named Elena Fisher, who wants to tag along so she can scoop the story of the century and propel herself as a real journalist.
You control Drake in third person mode as he does some of the smoothest moves you’re going to see in a game. It completely shows that the developers put a lot of time and energy to insure that Drake’s movements and how he interacts with the environment around him were in no way diminished by sloppy controls. Even though a lot of the actions Drake does are similar to Ms. Croft’s, Drake’s animations definitely flow more natural. When Drake is leaping from one cliff top to another you will believe his actions, right down to the expression on his face when it seems like he may actually fall, but then manages to pull himself back up.
There are three styles of gameplay structured within Uncharted. One is a platformer where Drake finds himself in various situations where he’ll have to climb, descend, or maneuver his way across various natural and man-made obstacles. Then there’s the puzzle element where Drake must figure out how to unlock something to proceed forward. Finally there’s the shooter, which is the biggest portion of the plate. The shooting mechanics are handled over the shoulder style, similar to Gears of War and Resident Evil 4, giving you a variety of weapons to choose from such as Drake’s trusty sidearm pistol, shotguns, rifles, grenades and machine guns. For situations when close confrontations work best, a fighting system has been thrown into the mix, letting Drake go fist-to-fist with a baddie. The fight system is not going for a Virtua Fighter style, but instead more of a two fisted old style cowboy movie feel.
Unlike the Tomb Raider games, the emphasis in Uncharted is on the action. It seems as if everybody Drake encounters is trying to kill him and there are gunfights a plenty. Whenever Drake kills an enemy he can pick up their guns and ammo, so there’s always firepower on hand when the action gets hot. A cover system allows Drake to brace himself behind structures and peek around to let off shots in close situations. It’s not as fancy as Gears of War, but it works very well and adds to the thrill. The main reason being that the enemy AI is really strong, with gunmen who will not just run out firing wildly, but at times stand behind cover patiently waiting for you to poke your head out of hiding so they can blow you away. And nothing is more satisfying than seeing Drake fire his shotgun, sending a gunmen flying ten feet backwards.
Like Indiana Jones, Drake gets to venture through a variety of cool locations, and in many instances finds himself in the same kind of dangerous situations as Indy, such as trying to escape a plane that’s lost its engines, or finding his way out of a cave before he is sealed in a permanent tomb. Whether you’re running through an old capsized Nazi U-boat, exploring a castle, scaling up the side of a cliff, or racing a jet ski up a river dodging exploding barrels, by the end of the game you’ll be out of breath.
An achievements system has been implemented into Uncharted, sort of like what you would normally see in an Xbox 360 game. Whenever you pull off a certain amount of headshots, or trigger an explosion that takes out four gunmen at once, a bar will monetarily display at the top of the screen letting you know what you’ve just accomplished and how many points you got for it. These points can then be used to access certain features like new costumes, artwork, and movies from the extras section in the main menu. For those of you who keep asking why the PS3 doesn’t offer an achievements system, this is proof that something is brewing at Sony and we’re sure to see it expand as the system adds more features to the PSN network.
Uncharted is not perfect. For instance, whenever you and Elena are in a shootout with gunmen, she doesn’t seem to be doing much to help you out. Occasionally she let’s off a shot are two, but it seems as if the game has been designed so that you do all the work even when you’re paired up with her. Also, there’s nothing original about the game because Lara Croft has done this all before when Nathan Drake was only a mere pixel. But for some reason it all works and you feel completely satisfied, because you really like this guy and want him to win. Drake is like Ash in the Evil Dead movies; more clumsy than cool, but he finds a way to get the job done in style. And the chemistry between Drake and Elena is better than the characters you’ll see in most movies. Without a doubt, Uncharted is a great game.
Some may argue, but in my opinion this is the finest looking PS3 game to date. Uncharted is an animated movie that you control, pumping out graphics that you knew your PS3 was capable of, but just never had the chance to shine. Besides the fantastic character animation and jaw dropping scenery, there are other visual elements that you may not realize at first, but when you look again you’ll be impressed. Notice that when Drake is swimming and gets out of the water his clothes are wet; take a look at Elena’s arms to see all the scratches on her skin resulting from rough handling; watch how Drake’s expression shows how worried he is when he’s hiding behind cover as constant gunfire bursts all around him; look at the rust that covers the Nazi U-boat. There are so many little touches like these that make what are already great graphics stand out even more. Yes, the are some visual flaws such as occasional screen tears that occur at times when you shift the camera around, and there are instances when Drake’s hands and feet may disappear in the wall he’s climbing across, but these are so minor that you’ll let it slide because everything else outshines them.
In a game that relies so heavily on story and characters audio is an extremely important part of the immersion, fortunately Uncharted delivers. There have been a slew of recent games with excellent voice acting such as Mass Effect and Bioshock, but now Uncharted can be added to that list. The sound effects within the game are also done well to match the action, and if you’ve got surround sound you’re speakers will get a thrill out of sequences like the jet ski chase. The music featured in Uncharted is top of the line, sounding like a cross between Raiders of the Lost Ark and 300.
Uncharted is not a long game and you’ll probably whip through it in about 8 hours, but that time will be well spent with solid gameplay. There are no multiplayer options (this game doesn’t need it), but you will definitely want to replay the game to get the remainder of the 60 hidden treasures and over 40 medals you didn’t get the first time around. More achievement points can also be acquired so you can unlock more extras. There’s various featurettes showing how the game was made, including interviews with the developers, clips of the motion capture work, and early concept designs. But basically Uncharted earns its replay value because the ride is so fun that you’ll want to just get back on.
Will Uncharted be a system seller for Sony? Who knows, but all of you who currently have a PS3 will want to play this game. There’s nothing completely unique about it, but the presentation pulls you in from start to finish. This will obviously become a franchise for Naughty Dog, and I’m personally looking forward to going on another adventure with Nathan Drake. He may not be a babe like Lara Croft, but if you found yourself surrounded by a gang of trigger-happy pirates trying to get that map you have inside your pocket, he’s the guy to call. Bring on Uncharted 2.
Final Score: 8/10
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