Uncharted is one of the best looking console games around. Everything
reflects in the water as it ripples, the lush, jungle environments are
hard to ignore, the explosions light up the screen, the character
animations look incredibly organic and real, the vistas are great
looking, the buildings and caves are brimming with detail, the lighting
effects are more than stellar, and it does it all at a silky smooth
frame rate. Uncharted is the kind of game to make your mouth water, and
make long run on sentences explaining just how great it looks. There is
no doubt that Naughty Dog is one of the first developers to really
utilize that little thing called the Cell Broadband.
From the opening cut scene under the Pacific Ocean, you can already
tell that Uncharted is a pretty game. The game kicks off when Nathan
Drake, a tough young fortune hunter, and news reporter Elena Fisher
uncover the empty coffin of Sir Francis Drake. They find Drake's diary,
which they believe can lead them to the lost treasure of El Dorado.
Shortly after, their boat is attacked by multiple pirates who want that
diary and the treasure. Here's where the adventure begins, grabs you by
the throat and never lets go.
The story in Uncharted is really top notch, supported by superb voice
acting, and nice facial animations. Nathan and Sully, are on the trail
of El Dorado, and news reporter Elena has tagged along for the story.
Unfortunately, things are never easy for the trio, as they are
constantly being swarmed and chased by these gun wielding pirates, who
are henchmen of an old "friend" of Sully's. Early in the game, the trio
get separated, and eventually the story opens up. Everyone on the
island has their thoughts that maybe the island is "cursed", there are
large trust issues inside the groups, and overall, the story is told at
a fast paced, Hollywood style way.
The variety of the gameplay in Uncharted is really nicely sorted out.
Mainly, this is a third person shooter, using the same camera mechanics
of Kane and Lynch, Gears of War, or Mass Effect for the aiming.
Luckily, the aiming is silky smooth, and you should be capping pirates
through the forehead in no time. There is a large arsenal of weapons to
Nate's disposal at anytime in the game, although he can only hold 2 at
a time. There is a variety of pistols, grenade launchers, shotguns,
assault rifles, and there is even a magnum. At a few uncommon
instances, if you are lucky enough, Drake will be at the helm of a
turret, and a seemingly endless swarm of enemies just keep coming for
more. Awww yeah... There are a few missions, where you are driving a
jet ski upriver, while blasting enemies on the river bank. These are
really well choreographed, and are fun at that. The one mission that
will have everyone talking is the getaway mission, where Elena is
driving a jeep at top speed through the jungle, on a cliff, through
waterfalls... and Nathan is on the back, with a machine gun, and a
grenade launcher shooting at ATVs chasing you. And trucks will also be
chasing you. When these guys blow up, it really looks phenomenal, at a
fast pace, and it really makes you feel like you are controlling an
action film.
Most of the pirate battles will have you taking cover Gears of War
style, and popping out at the precise moment to take down enemies.
These guys have unlimited ammo almost, and their AI is pretty good, as
they will try to flank you with grenades, and won't just run out into
the open begging to get shot. The tough guys with the shotguns might,
but they have to prove they are tough. Until they're dead. These
battles occur frequently throughout the game, but don't slow down the
pacing. These battles are incredible fun, and that's good, because they
are what the core gameplay is almost entirely consisted of.
When you aren't capping pirates, you will be platforming through the
jungle. There are many cliffs and walls to be scaled, waterfalls and
rivers to jump, and even many dark caves to be explored. The animations
are great, and make what Nate's doing seem real. There is some variety
in this, even, as there are wide open areas to be explored, there are
traps to evade, there are cliffs to jump, and there are even a few side
scrolling old school parts a la Mario.
The story is really fast paced, and has some signs of horror near the
end. The whole game, you've been playing a certain way, and near the
end, the theme of the game is completely shifted, as there are 2 big
twists that happen almost simultaneously. It's really perfect when it
happens, and it will shock anybody who it hasn't already been spoiled
for. I know it shocked me.
Uncharted isn't relatively easy. Nathan will die a lot your first time
through. That's because the pirate battles are pretty tough, and maybe
a little frustrating at a few points in the game. This is what keeps
the game from perfection. You won't hate it, but it will definitely
keep you on edge. Luckily, the plot twists shake things up to keep you
awake. The game takes about 8 hours to beat the first time, but there
are 4 difficulties, and there are many unlockables. There are 60
treasure spread throughout the game, and finding them gets you points.
The most points you have, the more content you unlock. There is the
ability to play the game in a mirror world, where everything is sort of
backwards, and this is a little trippy at first, but really cool. There
are also challenges like killing 50 guys one way, or beating up 10 guys
this way, and it is a good motivator to play through the game at least
twice. There are a lot of bonus videos and art to get, so you will play
Uncharted at least twice through. Adding to that, the game is simply so
much fun, and that is worth doing the game at least 3 or 4 times. It is
really one of the best Ps3 games, and possibly the best action games
ever.
Uncharted is one of the prettiest games to ever grace the gaming world,
and it is also a non stop action ride. Unfortunately, it is over a
little too soon, but that's not necessarily bad, as there are plenty of
unlockables that will keep this game in your Ps3 for a long time. The
production values that went into this game are astronomical. The
variety in gameplay is welcome, and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Without a doubt, Uncharted is a must buy for ps3 owners, or just plain
action adventure fans.
