Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is a PS3-exclusive title from Naughty Dog. Naughty Dog are formally of Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter fame, which are both kid-friendly platformers with mass appeal, and so the really big debate here is if Naughty Dog have what it takes to create a third person shooter with a more mature storyline and set of characters than they have shown in the past. The truth of the matter is that Naughty Dog don't just have what it takes, they have really shown what that studio is capable of!
The most notable thing about Uncharted is it's presentation. Much like Heavenly Sword, it has some truly stunning visuals which are, at some points, breathtaking in HD. The cutscenes are really well developed, and the story, although slightly controversial with fans, is well thoughout, and really works, connecting the gameplay and cutscenes perfectly. There aren't really any loading times in Uncharted, save for a couple of fairly long loads when you first boot it up, and this really helps to keep the flow of the story, and keeps gameplay fluid. The voice acting is incredible, with some truly realized characters, and combine this with Naughty Dog's "expressive" facial animation (look at the character's eyes, and then go back and play Crash Bandicoot... it's a very similar concept, just slightly more subtle), gives a very convincing story.
There are basically two main gameplay sections to Uncharted. The first of these is the majority of the game's worth, the shooting. This incorporates an over the shoulder camera and the usual RE4 / Gears Of War style shooting system, as well as the latter mentioned style of cover. This works really well, and the controls feel tight and precise. There are a variety of weapons, although you may find yourself sticking to a couple of your favourite guns throughout most of the game (unless you're looking for the all important trophies!). There are a few tricky spots in the game, where there is a lot of enemies, and the AI is pretty smart, even on the easiest difficulty setting, which will lead to some frustration for a lot of players, but getting through these sections usually doesn't take too many retrys. The melee combat is a great idea, but it only really works when there's one enemy around, because more often than not, halfway through your power combo, someone will shoot you dead!
The second gameplay section is the platforming sections. These are well implemented, but coming off of the back of Assassin's Creed, you do realize fairly early on that Drake is no Altair! Although most of the time the controls are fine, there are a few moments where the controls will do something strange you don't expect and (usually) send you crashing to the ground. Overall, there sections aren't as strong as the gunplay, but it breaks up the shooting greatly and gives a needed burst of variety.
There are a couple of driving sections and an on-rail shooting section, and these are generally very good, although the latter driving section has some wierd handling where shooting and driving cannot be achieved at the same time, so you have to drive, stop and then shoot, while at the same time accounting for the downwards stream sending you backwards. This can prove frustrating, but considering the size of the segment, it's not really that big a deal.
The soundtrack is incredible, adding a great vibe and atmosphere to the proceedings, and the sound design is top notch, as expected. Although I finished it in just under 7 hours, there's plenty of call to play it again (which I have), with tonnes of unlockables, and some trophies to earn!
So overall, I really enjoyed Uncharted. I think it's one of the best Playstation 3 games you can pick up right now, and in actual fact one of the better next gen games in general. If more developers would try doing shooters which don't involve you being in the military that would be great! It's a great looking, well paced, action packed shooter, with some slightly tricky segments and a couple of odd design choices, but go pick it up, it's well worth your time!
