Instant Classic
Pros:
-Great graphics and art direction
-Excellent storyline and characters
-Great voice acting
-Enemy AI is highly intelligent and provides a good challenge
-Cover and shoot mechanics are good and solid
-Platforming elements are fun
-Hand to hand combat is intense
-Amazing set pieces will make you want to replay Uncharted again and again
-Character animations are very well done
Cons:
-Puzzles are a bit easy
Uncharted Drake's Fortune is easily one of the highest quality games to ever be made. It provides all the great elements of a great summer Hollywood blockbuster adventure film, but in gameplay form, and it perfects it. Like a great classic movie, Uncharted is a game you will want to relive again and again. This is an adventure you do not want to miss.
Uncharted puts you in the role of Nathan Drake, a wise cracking treasure hunter who claims to be a descendent of the famous explorer Francis Drake. The game begins with Nathan Drake and a reporter named Elena digging up the coffin of Francis Drake, however instead of finding a body they find the secret journal of Francis Drake that details the route to the fabled golden city of El Dorado, and this set's you out on your adventure in search of it. The storyline and characters are all similar to character arch types that are found in many films, however Uncharted makes each character interesting and enjoyable, and thanks to excellent dialogue and well done acting, every aspect of the story and characters comes to life.
Uncharted makes you interested, it makes you care about what is happening in it's storyline. This is something that very few games achieve, and it's all the more amazing how Uncharted not only succeeds at this, but perfects it. You will laugh at the humor, see the hardship in the the characters face and hear it in their voice in the times of trouble, and see the relief portrayed excellently when they over come a struggle. Uncharted simply is top notch when it comes to it's storytelling and characters and it's animations.
In terms of visuals Uncharted is also very impressive, you can definitely see the strong production values from Naughty Dog. Light shines peacefully though jungle trees, water ripples and flows realistically, dirt stains the characters' face and body, old ruins look neglected, textures are very detailed, everything about Uncharted's visuals is astounding. Even to this day it still looks very good. The art direction also helps, however the best thing about Uncharted is that it plays even better than it looks. Uncharted has a variety of different gameplay types, it has a cover based shooter mechanic, but also platforming, melee, and even puzzle solving aspects as well. But what's so great about Uncharted is how it does all these aspects extremely well, and how it uses them all at the right time.
The result is an experience that is fresh and varied. Drake takes cover with ease, guns are all feel great to shoot, climbing and platforming segments are scripted but fun, melee combat feels powerful and intense, the gameplay is completely solid. Well except for the puzzles, they are creative in their designs but far too easy to solve, especially due to how Drake's Journal reveals the solution to you.
Uncharted only has a story mode and it will last you around 12 hours on normal, however the quality of the game is so good that you will come back to replay it again and again, the game also features harder difficulty settings and plenty of secrets to find like the various treasures that are hidden throughout the game. The AI also keeps the game constantly challenging, they are in a word, amazing. They adapt to the situations, take cover and hid behind objects, will try to outflank you, and can be fearsome in groups. However the great thing is that they never feel cheap, they are challenging and you will love facing them time and time again.
Final Verdict:
Uncharted is simply a game you need to play, there is no excuse not to grab it and it's worth buying a PS3 alone for. Uncharted is a great adventure that everyone should experience.
Uncharted Drake's Fortune get's a 5/5
