Heart pounding action to the very end...
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is a third person action adventure game created by Naughty Dog. It stars Nathan Drake, a fortune hunter, on a great mission to discover the lost treasure of El Dorado. Plain and simple the game borrows ideas from a variety of different sources and blends them well. Platforming and a duck and cover system combine and give the user a fresh new experience on the PS3, moreso if you have never been a fan of Laura Croft and have not played Gears of War (which I am not and have not).
Graphically, the game is astonishing, even on a standard television! The vibrant jungles are fully texturized and everything seems alive. Character's expressions are fully realized, making them seem alive as well. Shadows, vines and trees swaying, running water, even Nate's wet clothing add to a graphical experience I've never witnessed before. Naughty Dog did a great job blending the cutscenes with gameplay and you have a difficult time telling the difference between the two graphically.
Pause
I must address the whole wet clothes issue. You can see his clothes become wet and then once out of water, over time you can see his clothes return to its initial dry state! I believe this is what Sony was referring to 4D graphics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcc3xxvanUc
But I digress...
The sound is wonderful with top notch voice over acting. Everything seems natural as if the actors themselves were in the game. The story is a common treasure hunt story, but the action is fast paced and plentiful. The only lull is during some platforming areas, but the majority of the time these areas are mixed with other elements to keep you on your toes.
The game can be completed in just under ten hours. This includes searching (but not going crazy) for scattered pieces of treasure. The game's difficulty is not too great as was dictated by other reviewers. If someone was turned off by the supposed "wave after wave" of enemies I'd have to think that they weren't that good at the game to begin with...put it on easy and stop crying...but I digress yet again.
The enemy AI is very good as they will flank your position in a convincing manner if you stay in one spot too long. They will flush you out with grenades or send a thug armed with a shotgun in to make you take action. There were not glitches discovered as it was clear that Naughty Dog took their time to polish this game COMPLETELY (which is rare now-a-days) to deliver an experience that is a definite must for ALL PS3 owners. If you own a PS3 and have not played Uncharted...well...WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? I guarantee...you won't be disappointed!!!
Final Score: 9.3 (~4.5 stars)
