Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is a third person action adventure game created by
Naughty Dog. It stars Nathan Drake, a fortune hunter, on a great mission to
discover the lost treasure of El Dorado. Plain and simple the game borrows ideas
from a variety of different sources and blends them well. Platforming and a duck
and cover system combine and give the user a fresh new experience on the PS3,
moreso if you have never been a fan of Laura Croft and have not played Gears of
War (which I am not and have not).
Graphically, the game is astonishing,
even on a standard television! The vibrant jungles are fully texturized and
everything seems alive. Character's expressions are fully realized, making them
seem alive as well. Shadows, vines and trees swaying, running water, even Nate's
wet clothing add to a graphical experience I've never witnessed before. Naughty
Dog did a great job blending the cutscenes with gameplay and you have a
difficult time telling the difference between the two
graphically.
Pause
I must address the whole wet clothes issue. You
can see his clothes become wet and then once out of water, over time you can see
his clothes return to its initial dry state! I believe this is what Sony was
referring to 4D
graphics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcc3xxvanUc
But I
digress...
The sound is wonderful with top notch voice over acting.
Everything seems natural as if the actors themselves were in the game. The story
is a common treasure hunt story, but the action is fast paced and plentiful. The
only lull is during some platforming areas, but the majority of the time these
areas are mixed with other elements to keep you on your toes.
The game
can be completed in just under ten hours. This includes searching (but not going
crazy) for scattered pieces of treasure. The game's difficulty is not too great
as was dictated by other reviewers. If someone was turned off by the supposed
"wave after wave" of enemies I'd have to think that they weren't that good at
the game to begin with...put it on easy and stop crying...but I digress yet
again.
The enemy AI is very good as they will flank your position in a
convincing manner if you stay in one spot too long. They will flush you out with
grenades or send a thug armed with a shotgun in to make you take action. There
were not glitches discovered as it was clear that Naughty Dog took their time to
polish this game COMPLETELY (which is rare now-a-days) to deliver an experience
that is a definite must for ALL PS3 owners. If you own a PS3 and have not played
Uncharted...well...WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? I guarantee...you won't be
disappointed!!!
Final Score: 9.3 (~4.5 stars)
