An Uncharted Retrospective Courtesy of The Nathan Drake Collection - Part One: Drake's Fortune!

So apparently around 80% of PlayStation 4 owners haven't played the Uncharted series. If I had to guess that's down to how Sony have retaken the lead over Microsoft, after the Xbox 360 (deservedly) controlled much of the console audience last generation. Nonetheless, I am amongst the 20% that has played the Uncharted series, one such honour that I'm sure I share with many on these forums, and would definitely say I'm a fan. Enough so that getting to play such a generation-defining trilogy in 1080p60 was tough to resist - and the early Uncharted 4 multiplayer beta access certainly helps, too.

I don't think it's a particularly controversial opinion to state that the PlayStation 3 is Sony's worst console, and this is coming from someone who spent all of his gaming time on such a console for the last generation. The first couple of years of its lifespan in particular were utterly brutal. I mean, consider this:

• It didn't have any sort of achievements equivalent.
• There was no cross-game party system (nor has there ever been in fact).
• First-party offerings were rather slim, and what was there consisted of a lot of mediocrity. (Resistance: FoM was alright at least)
• A striking majority of multi-platform games were inferior to their 360 counterparts - sometimes drastically so.
• Download speeds were a travesty.
• A number of DLC exclusivity deals that left the PS3 out of the loop.
• No rumble function, and the controller itself isn't PlayStation's finest even with it.
• No ability to change your username, which has even carried over to the PS4 for whatever reason!
• Absurdly over-priced.

Honestly it's a miracle Sony managed to regain a foothold in the later years when you consider how dire things currently were with their console! Though in spite of it all, there still existed a glimmer of hope, released in 2007. It was the next-generation debut of famed Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter game developers Naughty Dog, titled Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

I myself as hinted before opted for the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360 during such years because, well, I stuck with what was familiar. I didn't really follow the industry like I do nowadays, and so I was essentially something of a Sony fanboy at the time. My decision was lead by the memories and 'loyalty' to the PlayStation brand that had been accrued throughout my life.

As such, I skipped over a pretty important little game by the title of Gears of War. It's important to note because Drake's Fortune was thusly my introduction to third-person cover-based shooting. OK, I had actually played KillSwitch, but it hadn't quite fully realised the cover-taking concept by that point, so I think it's fair to say that Uncharted was my first 'proper' cover-based shooter. I had a rather distinct blind spot in any case, and at least part of my budding adoration of Drake's Fortune undoubtedly stemmed from the fact that I didn't know any better. I didn't know what else existed out there, which still wasn't much by this point, but Gears of War is a whole different level of quality to the shooting found within Drake's Fortune.

Upon release I completed Drake's Fortune maybe around eight times in total? I never bothered to collect all the treasures, but I did at least complete the bastard on its ball-bustingly difficult and appropriately titled Crushing setting. One of my playthroughs also involved a number of the unlockable doodads that are available - it specifically entailed me playing through the entire thing wearing the Eddy Raja skin, equipped with Eddy's Golden Gun (naturally), with infinite ammo, set on Hard Mode, while all playing out in slow-motion. Suffice to say, I certainly got my money's worth and was really rather smitten with the debut swashbuckling adventures of Nate and Co.

However, long before this compilation came to pass, the perception of Drake's Fortune began to sour a little, and for good reason. I myself played through Drake's Fortune again before and after the release of Drake's Deception, and was somewhat heartbroken to realise that... the shooting kinda stinks. It has a few noteworthy qualities that can still appeal, but time ultimately hasn't been kind to Drake's original adventure.

And yet...

Upon playing through Drake's Fortune once again on the PS4 running at that sweet 1080p60, I ended up completing it within one single 7-hour sitting, and am currently nearing the final third of a Hard mode playthrough, too. There's still plenty to bemoan Drake's Fortune for, but the visual touches and minor gameplay refinements have done enough to where I can come away enjoying myself with what is still possibly the worst Uncharted game. Bluepoint Games truly deserve all the kudos for this one, considering how not every remaster can often manage to run at 60fps, nor do the developers even try in some cases. Yes, these consoles are already out of date and underpowered, but they surely have enough juice to be able to run any game from pre-2014 at 1080p60. The Uncharted games already looked rather stunning to begin with, and all of those additional p's have given them the legroom to present a game from way back in 2007 still looking rather impressive. There's a mesmerising amount of colour on display (beyond some painfully drab interiors) that makes the mere act of existing within this world tantalising.

The production values in general is what carries most of the game. The graphics are one thing, but the soundtrack too is highly evocative, abley contributing to the mystique and exoticness of your surroundings. The chemistry of the core trio of Nathan Drake, his shady mentor Victor 'Sully' Sullivan, and the level-headed love interest Elena Fisher can reliably fall back on a series of spot-on performances to bring their characters to life. He had done other stuff before, most notably a fantastically corny soap-opera, though it was his debut as the affable adrenaline junkie that lead to Nolan North becoming a household name in the video game industry.

Greatness from Small Beginnings...?

The character of Nate has sort of lost a little of his charm over time, however. It's not necessarily the character's fault, but for how the game industry took to him. Nate was hardly an original character to begin with, though the combination of Nolan's performance with this quip-happy rogue-ish figure set ablaze throughout the industry with an all-manner of also rans, some of which included Nolan himself like Dark Void and the 2008 Prince of Persia. Characters akin to Nate are a dime a dozen these days, and while he can still suitably stand above the crowd, that particular style of archetype is starting to wear thin.

Though what's always sucked about game's story are the primary villains. Both Gabriel Roman and Atoq Navarro barely factor in the game at all and never feel like much of a threat. Dear ol Gabe at least makes a decent first impression, as he shoots Sully shortly upon his introduction, but from that point onward he ceases to really matter. Then by the end of it all he's betrayed by Navarro, who is even more forgettable than Roman and exists as nothing more than a generic henchman until his unforeseen betrayal. I say unforeseen, but that's only because he's so devoid of any character that considering the possibility of him betraying his boss was more thought than I ever would have put towards him. That they situate the final chapter as a ''Showdown'' between Nate & Navarro feels completely unearned, as of all the game's villains he is without the doubt the least involved. Each of the dastardly duo are voiced by some Grade-A talent too, with Roman making for a particular disappointment due to him being voiced by Simon Templeman of all people! Robin Atkin Downes, another heavy hitter, voices Navarro, though he eventually gets his time to shine in Uncharted 3 at least.

Fortunately there's the secondary villain, Edward 'Eddy' Raja to balance things out a little. He's still not the series best, but he more frequently comes into contact with Nate directly. He fits in well as the villain who is sort of incompetent and too hot-headed, often always trailing a few steps behind Nate and Co. Though he too perhaps doesn't get as much screentime as I'd have liked, his previous relationship as an ''associate'' is still able to shine through with what dialogue there is. The stand-off that forces Nate and Eddy to survive against the Spanish zombies was well done, too. It helped establish that not everything they share between them is filled with animosity, and it also emphasises just how dangerous of a foe the race of Spanish Smeagols truly are to bring these two together. I admittedly always wished Eddy could have gotten a better send-off, though. While it's fitting that he essentially falls demise to his own temper and bravado, a quick plunge into a bottomless nothing with a newly acquired zombie knapsack is a bit anti-climatic.

There's much less to be said about the actual story. It's all really simple stuff, primarily utilising its structure of Handsome Hero Man hunts treasure while Evil Men oppose him to serve the characters themselves, with the requisite supernatural twist during the end stretch to add some message about how somethings are too good to be true and to quit while you're ahead ect... Only to then finally end it with Sully arriving with a boatload of non-cursed treasure...

Still, despite the overall sucky selection of villains, the story makes for a fun little romp. It's lighthearted and jovial, with a solid set of performances that mesh well together and make for some engaging viewing.

However...

OK, the header admittedly makes it sound a little more dire than it is. I mean, as mentioned above the actual playing of the game is really not all that bad. It's perhaps not the reason you're coming to Drake's Fortune, but on Normal mode certainly it's all generally breezy enough to not get in the way too much.

The shooting has definitely been touched up a skosh for sure and is a little snappier. The cover system, however, is still a bit too sticky for its own good, and transitioning in, out and between different pieces of cover isn't nearly as smooth as one would want. That Nate often always tends to transition into taking cover with a roll, regardless of how close you are to the cover in question, gives off a certain clumsiness to it. Grenades too are still as unwieldy as ever, and the way Drake will first pop out to blind-throw a grenade adds enough of a delay that discourages their use. That, and they always just seem to be wholly inaccurate.

The people you'll be shooting can go down relatively easily, though the way they dart around in an attempt to avoid your reticule (not bullets, simply aiming at them triggers them to start doing the Jay & Silent Bob neck thing) looks pretty ridiculous in motion. Headshots can still be surprisingly easy to nail under most circumstances, however. The variety of enemies is a little thin, as they're mostly dictated by the rather small weapon selection. Most common enemies are equipped with pistols or AKs and they operate the same. Shotguns are wielded by heavier set folk who can take a little more punishment, though a headshot will still immediately drop them to the ground like a sack of bricks. You'll have guys with grenade launchers too, and infinite ammo at that annoyingly enough, that are forever your first priority should one be within a horde of pirates. It's all pretty standard stuff really, though their AI is aggressive enough that you can't always rely on just hunkering behind cover. Shotgunner's will often advance towards your position, and there's usually someone ready to also start throw grenades of their own to flush you out. Certain pieces of cover is destructible as well, which further forces you to adapt. Your dwindling cache of ammo is perhaps the best motivator to keep you on the move, as while individual enemies don't take too many bullets, the sheer number means that it won't take too long before you'll start shooting thin air.

The first half has you combating against Eddy's pirates, while the second introduces Navarro's legion, which are all tougher to kill and have more advanced weaponry. Though they're primarily just slightly more powerful versions of the guns you'd previously used - the M4 replaces the AK, the SPAS replaces the MOSS ect. Though this section of the game does also introduce enemies with laser-sighted Desert Eagles, which require you to periodically roll to avoid dying immediately. They help to freshen things up a bit and are often spawned in while you're heading towards something and are thusly in the open away from cover, making their presence a mildly intimidating one.

Besides riddling your enemies with bullets, you can also engage in some simple and slightly clunky melee. From my experience what the melee primarily serves is to finish a guy with a single hit after he's already been softened up with gunfire. The actual melee itself is... fine. You can mash the square button, which will get the job done but takes a few seconds, or perform a 'brutal' melee combat, which requires you to properly time a square, triangle, square input to Drake's animations. It's good enough to serve the combat overall, though isn't particularly involved. Some of the animations are sorta cool, though. There's also, technically, a stealth element, though it's halfbaked to the point where it feels unfinished. This would eventually be refined in the later games, though in Drake's Fortune it feels like it exists as a mandatory formality. There'll occasionally be a guard with his back to you, specifically design to allow you to snap his neck or whatever, but his pirating fellows have outstandingly good peripheral vision and it doesn't take long before you're spotted. Even simply taking cover near one will somehow alert them to your presence. Once you're spotted it's impossible to lose their sight at that, so again, it's barely even a feature.

In the final stretch of the game are the aforementioned zombies then thrown into the fray, though they're wholly uninteresting unfortunately. Despite their supposed tenacity as portrayed in the cutscenes, they're actually really rather easy to dispatch - constant blindfire does the trick, and it's actively encouraged in fact as aiming down your sights leaves you highly exposed to attacks at your periphery and tends to result in a quick death. They do at least lead into some occasional bit of AI on AI violence, as Navarro's men tries to defend themselves from the very same zombies. However you often tend to take priority even still, so should you be spotted then it's common for the braindead fucks to start gunning for you instead, completely ignoring the ravenous mole people that are trying to gnaw their face off. But then there is perhaps a smugness about Nate that's enough where I could see why someone who really want to shoot him at all costs... If you're going to make habit of casually quipping for every person you kill then it's only natural that they're thusly going to want to kill you that much more!

Yes, The Jet Ski Segments are Still a Drag

Drake's Fortune doesn't wholly consist of third-person shooter arenas, though it definitely takes the focus. Still, when you're not entering into areas conspicuously filled with waist-high cover, there's first a pretty decent turret sequence that has you manning the gun of a jeep while Elena drives. You're bombarded with a whole convoy of quads and lorries to explode into fire, complete with Nate's somewhat psychopathic cries of elation per kill. The turret feels powerful to utilise and the vehicles explode awfully nicely, and explosions in general look really attractive overall. The gust of dust that soars into the sky from a grenade launcher shot in particular really sells its power.

What's perhaps most memorable, and not entirely for the best of reasons, is the two jet ski segments. Both technically have you control Nate & Elena together, with Nate driving and Elena shooting. The first has her equipped with an infinite ammo grenade launcher that doesn't even need to be reloaded!.. Pretty silly, but whatever. The second then for some reason restricts her to the 92FS pistol. Regardless of your weapon, both segments primarily play out the same, which is gunning down goons and... red barrels. For starters, the enemies can actually be difficult to spot at times as they sometimes blend into the environment, leaving you frustrated as you keep spinning the camera around in trying to find the fucker while he gleefully keeps shooting you with near-perfect accuracy. And secondly, having a bunch of red barrels dumped into the water is such an incredibly video game-y, but most importantly lazy, attempt to ramp up the difficulty. It isn't too bad for the first segment, but the second has you riding upstream - a cool concept if it weren't for the infinite number of red barrels that keep floating your way. You will eventually encounter the twat who's dumping all the barrels, though that only makes it seem even more ridiculous! I mean, this is actually supposed to be a tactic they're employing? How did they know I was even coming?? Where did they get all these barrels from?? Riding upstream while avoiding a supply of explosive barrels feels like something that'd be more at home in a Crash Bandicoot game than something that is trying to be semi-realistic.

The jet ski segments basically act as an antithesis to what is supposedly fun about riding jet skis, which is the sense of speed. They're like motorbikes for the water. Only in Drake's Fortune you're to instead slowly inch your way forward, keeping an eye on any goons with guns or for the next red barrel to show up. It's just dumb.

Ah Yes, Puzzles. We Have Dismissed That Claim

So, there are technically puzzles, but are they really puzzles when the solution is to just open up Nate's Journal and have it tell you the exact solution? The way Nate will question the 'importance' of 'numbers' and what have you honestly feels rather patronising at times, as if Nate somehow being stumped by what is a plainly obvious obstacle is supposed to then make us feel smart once we put the pieces in place. The worst of it all is when you uncover this large, labyrinthine-esque maze. Though the actual 'maze' part of it all is skin-deep. Nate explicitly refers to it as ''a really elaborate way to hide the treasure'', which couldn't be further from the truth - despite first appearances it's actually really straightforward. You have a map that has three Roman numerals written on, which is to signify which paths to take, however even without the hint it'd be blatantly obvious where you're supposed to go anyway as every numeral that isn't one of the ones marked on the map is a dead end.

Another also requires that you simply turn two dials the other way around. That's it. Just press triangle next to the two things and woolah - now watch as the whole world marvels at your ginormous brain and exclaims with Holy shit are you a wizard by gawd?!! I suppose they break up the pace from the sometimes exhausting stream of combat arenas, but it'd be nice if they broke up the pace by then giving you something to think about. As is they simply exist as something else to do aside from shooting people.

Then there's of course the traversal mechanics, which like most of the game is resoundingly simple. Where you need to go is often telegraphed, and any attempt at going off the beaten path, even if it looks like something that you should be able to grapple onto, results in death. In some cases pressing the X button over and over will get you where you need to go it's that simple. That's not to say it's unengaging, as the animations are well done and it can feel surprisingly satisfying in jumping and clambering along, even if certain segments like climbing across the fort is more video gamey than most with its array of conveniently placed grapple points.

Oh! Conclusion!

Suffice it to say, Drake's Fortune is game comprised of widespread simplicity. The shooting is serviceable, if still unremarkable; the traversal is largely automated in a lot of cases; the puzzles practically spell it out for you; and the story is paper-thin. What it primarily attempted to accomplish is to use these elements to deliver on what was a well told character-driven tale that was of a quality to where it could stand out amongst the crowd, while you get to 'ooh' and 'ahh' at the pretty eye-candy along the way. In that sense Naughty Dog have succeeded, as 8 years later and Drake's Fortune is still home to an enjoyable story--in spite of its simplicity--with an art style that can compete against most of what comes out to this day. Drake's Fortune doesn't look great for a game 8 years old, it just looks great - full stop.

Now the gameplay may be average, but it's not terrible or anything. It's just good enough to keep you playing to see (and listen to) everything the game has to offer. As mentioned already I've completed it once and I'm currently in the midst of another playthrough on Hard. I doubt I'll then try my hand at its Crushing difficulty, as I've already completed such a feat on its PS3 version and certainly don't wish to put myself through that again. Though that it could still see me to the end the one time, let alone two, speaks to the level of seduction it has. I've perhaps completed Drake's Fortune more than any other Uncharted, and most of the game is thusly wired into my brain. I could already remember like 90% of the dialogue before it was said. I could remember where enemies would spawn and what would transpire when. I could even solve some of the puzzles from memory without needing a refresher from the journal. Drake's Fortune definitely holds a special place in my heart, and I was lucky to have already had most of my memory shattered years before. It helped me head back into its PS4 remastering knowing what I was getting into; it helped me understand its strengths and weaknesses, and to focus on the strengths in order to mine what nostalgia remained.

Drake's Fortune isn't a great game, and it isn't a game I'm quick to defend, but it's a game with enough going for it that I'm not opposed to giving it a recommendation. If only so people can witness the foundation, to spend some time with these characters before they then go on to embark on a significantly more entertaining adventure that would come about just two years later.

Some Music, cuz

...Props to anyone who gets the relevance!