Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

review

Gameplay - 8

Graphics - 10

Audio - 10

Story/Multiplayer - 9

Chin Factor - 9

TrueScore - 9.2

"Despite it's flaws, Uncharted weaves a terrific pulp action plot, beautiful graphics, memorable characters and great level design into one superb package."

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is the latest offering from developer Naughty Dog, famous for their Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter franchises. Don't be fooled however, Uncharted is a whole different bag of tricks, moving the company away from stylized fantasy worlds into a realistic modern day action romp. Uncharted plays out like an Indiana Jones movie or one of those old pulp serials from the 30's. The subject matter is serious and the game even moves into the realm of horror at one point, but it still maintains that wonderful devil may care adventure attitude throughout

The protagonist is Nathan Drake, a witty young adventurer and possible descendant of famous New World pillager Sir Francis Drake. As adventurers and pillagers are wont to do, Nathan is in search of treasure, and not just any treasure. Setting his sights on the grand prize from the get-go, Nathan goes after the legendary City of Gold, El Dorado. Tagging along for this rollercoaster ride is his old friend and ne'er-do-well gambler Victor Sullivan and Elena Fisher, a stubborn journalist in search of a good scoop. Along the way you'll also meet Nathan's older, eviler British counterpart Gabriel Roman (resembling Belloq from Raiders) and a loud-mouth Indonesian pirate going by the name of Eddy Raja. The characters all have depth and believabality, which really helps the story overcome some of it's more cliche moments. After getting conveniently shot down over the very island they wanted to get on, things get hectic for our trio, thanks to the pirate army present. The story plays out like a lost Indiana Jones movie, with some twists and turns thrown in for good measure. Close to the end of the game we are introduced to a third party in the story, one which took me totally by surprise. It delivers a nice pay off in the end, despite feeling a bit tacked on at first.

"Looks hard, but even a blind person could do it"

The gameplay is made up of two very different concepts; platforming and gunplay. The platforming is strongly rooted in Naughty Dog's previous offerings and as such, it is highly refined but way too easy. The game is very forgiving in regards to the controls and your placement of Drake. A lot of the time it's simply enough to steer Nathan in the right way and press jump at the right time. While this might be good news to those of you fed up with the more precise and demanding gameplay of early Tomb Raider games, it still manages to suck some of the fun out. Sure enough, swinging from vine to vine and climbing up cliffs towering over an ocean filled with jagged rocks looks intense and harrowing, but it doesn't feel like it. The second concept is gunplay, which also suffers from some poor design choices. In addition to some obvious faults like a wonky aiming system which takes a lot of getting used to and a cover system that seems to have a mind of it's own, Uncharted also stumbles in a few profound ways. In an odd reversal of well-established gaming logic, you the player are actually weaker than your enemies. Whereas Nathan can only take a few direct hits before buying the farm, his enemies regularly suck up an entire clip from your AK before going down. Adding insult to injury, the enemy AI is extremely aggressive and extremely fond of rushing your position. On the one hand, the health system favors a cautious approach, maximizing cover and playing it safe. On the other hand, the enemy AI makes sitting behind cover for even the slightest of periods tantamount to a death wish. All these things add up to some extremely annoying and tense firefights, especially near the end. It takes a lot of trial and error, though eventually you'll either get lucky or learn to try some different approach. Nathan also has some close combat moves in his repertoire should foes get too close, but thanks to the enemy having pinpoint precision, fighting is more of a triviality than a viable tactic.

Early on the game tries it's hand at SIXAXIS motion controls, which turn out to be pretty half-assed. Apparently the design team realized this as well, since after a few portions during the early game, they never crop up again. Also making an appearance are the ever so popular dynamic cutscenes (which are decent but scarce) and vehicle sequences. Vehicle sequences either have you driving away from pirates while letting loose with a machine gun or traveling upstream on a jet ski, avoiding explosive barrels and shooting any pirates that pop up on the way. Both are well executed and oftentimes dramatic.

Uncharted also features some light puzzles. And I do mean light, as in light even for someone working at McDonald's. Occasionally you're tasked with flipping switches and turning levers to open up the way forward or if the game really feels like testing you, it presents you puzzles tasking you to rotate statues or other objects to face a certain way, thus exposing a secret passageway. However, a generous hint system (available by pressing L2) and a notebook that practically spells out the solution leave little reason to actually use your brain. Rest assured, if you know your basic Roman numerals and how a compass works, this game will not test you.

"She can blow me any day. Up, that is"

At the time of release there was little doubt as to the fact that Uncharted was the prettiest PS3 game around. Now, almost a year later, it still stands proud and beautiful. There is something to be said of the startling contrast between the lush jungle vistas overflowing with color and the dark, muted underground halls and passages where the dynamic lighting system really comes into it's own. Also worthy of a special mention are the water effects, which are some of the best this side of Bioshock. Most impressive however, is the fact that Uncharted crafts all these stunning visual delights without so much as a single hiccup or framerate drop. Indeed, the game remains buttery smooth even through the most intense firefights and largest set pieces. If I had to find fault with the visuals though (and since this is a review, I do), the weapon effects range from lackluster to outright ridiculous. Bullets ricochet off every surface accompanied by a shower of sparks, much like in the Bond movies of Pierce Brosnan. Most jarring however are the explosions; bright, round balloons that turn into hilarious black clouds that drift upwards and slowly dissipate. The environment is extremely static with only a few, obvious destructible objects scattered throughout. These minor annoyances turn potentially visceral gunfights into regrettably tame affairs. Some might see this as an extension of the game's pulp motif, but since it's set in the modern day, there's really no excuse for such understated effects.

"Looks flashy, but is utterly useless. Just like me!"

Continuing along it's path of excellence, Uncharted crafts a sound world seldom heard in gaming. Each weapon packs a unigue, powerful punch that punctuates the action marvelously. The soundtrack is pure awesomeness, with a mix of soaring orchestral scores and indigenous jungle music, reminiscent of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto. Using a variety of wind instruments and other "archaic" tools of the trade, the soumd department totally nailed the atmosphere of an uncharted island lost in time. The score effortlessly eases from care-free, happy-go-lucky tunes to scary, mythical notes whenever the game requires it. Perhaps the crowning achievement though is the voice work. Everyone from Nolan North (Nathan Drake), Emily Rose (Elena Fisher) and Richard McGonagle (Victor Sullivan) to Simon Templeman (Gabriel Roman), Robin Atkin Downes (Atoq Navarro) and James Sie (Eddy Raja) delivers an impeccable performance that really sells the characters and story. Even incomprehensible snarl expert and monster man Fred Tatasciore makes an appearance. Aurally, Uncharted delivers on so many fronts, you'd wish every game would achieve such a high pedigree.

Underneath Uncharted's super slick presentation and charm lies a thrilling game. Like all games, it has it's share of faults, but once you acclimate yourself to the controls and learn to accept the relatively short length of the game (the main drawbacks), you're guaranteed to have an experience unlike any other. And even though there is no multiplayer, a reward system and integrated Trophy support will keep you coming back at least once more, if only to unlock some more concept art and making of featurettes.