I'll get this out of the way right now, Uncharted employs nothing that hasn't been done before. But, that's what makes it great. Uncharted is the closest game on the market that can be seen as 'movie quality'. It's storyline is unique, and is different than a lot of games that are out, you actually start to care about the characters more than in others. You actually get engrossed in this story and the characters and are in the game all till the end. The story itself is nothing original, as ideas and concepts like this have been done in movies and Tomb Raider before. Yet, the facial features, voice acting, animations and script is all top notch and delivers a b-e-a-utiful experience that won't be topped.
The visuals are a huge plus for the game, as it's the best looking game on the console market at the time of it's release. The attention to detail is simply stunning, how you are wet when you get out of water, the ripple effect in the water, the branches and the lighting effects on your body, your characters movements while running and walking, his reaction to the environment and much, much more. Everything has been finely tuned to give a perfect visual experience unlike any other console game at the time.
But, all that can be classed as useless fluff if their isn't solid game play to boot. Uncharted delivers quite well...Utilizing a Gears of War type cover system that will be your best friend, with a slightly lacking array of varied guns, and a perfect execution of a modern 'platformer' taking homage to it's predecessors in Crash and Jak, and games like Tomb Raider. Each of these has been executed well, and adds to the overall experience. The movement, climbing - the platformer aspect of the game is pretty much a narrow path that is continually bombarded by enemies. It works. And the firing mechanics work as well, it just clicks and feels like a smooth overall game. The onslaught of unintelligent enemies blocking your path works, as you are not fully loaded with ammo, and scavenging for ammo in the middle of a fire fight can be extremely exillerating - it, as I mentioned, all works. Although the numbers may cause a problem at the start and getting used to the mechanics of the game can be somewhat of a hurdle, the game does a good job at introducing the controls and keeping a steady learning curve. The 'duck-and-cover' system that worked so well in Gears of War is also done well in Uncharted as you will not beat the game if you do not use it. The ability to cover pop out, kill, and come back to reload is a joy. With addition of useful grenades and the ability to jump smoothly over cover, jumping from one cover to another in the middle of a gun war really makes the fire fights an enjoyable experience, and not just a hassle.
Note: The use of the six-axis didn't actually fail in this game, it was used quite effectively for grenades and crossing small gaps, it didn't feel like an after thought to me, like in other games, but a clever addition.
Overall, a solid game. It does take a majority of it's concepts and techniques from other game, but the fact that a majority of those games were made by Naughty Dog(ie. Crash and Jak) makes it acceptable. The game works. It works well. And now with the addition of the trophy system, owners now have a reason to replay it. Giving it great replay value.
I would recommend a rent for those not fans of this genre, a buy for those that are. 4/10 for solid gameplay that works and is apart of a b-e-a-utiful scenary.
