A great, but flawed PS3 game.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is a game released by Naughty Dog that has elements from games like Tomb Raider and Gears of War, and uses those elements together in an action adventure game that takes the player on a treasure hunting adventure. Uncharted is a great game, but it isn't perfect. It has flaws which dampens the experience.
Let's start with the pros. Uncharted was one of the best looking games of its time (before being squashed horribly by its successor two years later), and is still one of the best looking games available on the PS3. Environments, especially, look incredible. One of the most amazing things is that whenever your character goes in water, he will come out wet and stay wet for a good amount of time. It has a consistent frame-rate; unfortunately, animations aren't entirely fluid and realistic.
The voice acting is a real highlight of the game. All the characters have terrific voice actors, especially Nathan Drake, who is voice by Nolan North. It makes the characters much more believable. Also, the music is delightful to listen to.
The story is not entirely revolutionary or groundbreaking, but it's a good one nonetheless. Treasure hunter Nathan Drake attempts to search for what Sir Francis Drake did over 400 years ago. What makes the story most interesting is the believable cast of characters. The script is very well written; facial animations are realistic; and, as said before, the voice acting is incredible.
Gameplay falls flat on its face. First off, it's so incredibly linear. There are only set things that can be climbed, even when other things look like they can be climbed. It makes it so there's only one set path, and the other paths are around for treasures and treasures only. Also, the acrobatic animations aren't great. The SIXAXIS motion sensor is used to keep balance on logs that are being crossed, which is so annoying.
The cover based shooting mechanics are not horrible by any means, but that doesn't mean it is flawless. It has its problems. You have to get to your cover before you can crouch behind it. There's no sliding or sprinting or anything like that for it. Also, throwing grenades is possibly the most painful part of this game. Not only is the right analog stick used for aiming, but also the SIXAXIS motion sensor is. It's a flawed throwing mechanic. On top of that, enemies take a beating before going down.
For replay value, there isn't much more than getting all the medals, which is the same as getting all the trophies in the game. Thankfully, the game was patched for trophies a month after the trophy system came out.
Overall, Uncharted is a solid game that has its flaws and its annoyances. It is still a game worth playing through for ten hours of enjoyment. If not for the gameplay, then for the great cast of characters, the amazing graphics, and the witty script.
