Uncharted
In late 2007, Sony's PS3 was still lagging way behind Microsoft and Nintendo in terms of both sales and good games. Naughty Dog's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune looked to turn that around and deliver PS3 owners with a cinematic yarn that delivered the goods like a big summer blockbuster. Luckily, what they set out to do was successful and their game turned out to be one of the best PS3 games of 2007.
The first thing that pops out at you (no pun intended), is the beautiful look of the game. While the graphics are hurt somewhat by the pop-in problems, the game still stands out as one of the best looking on the system. The bright, jungle environments are a relief and are quite refreshing, seeing as most games' color palate consists of about three colors: brown, green, and gray. The environments don't get repetitive thanks to slight variations in the landscape, such as including castle, ruin, and cave levels.
The game can look great, but if it don't play well then there's no reason to play it. Uncharted, plays great, so there are no worries. If you want an idea of the controls, think of Gears of War in a jungle. You are allowed to carry two weapons, one large and one smaller, along with grenades. You use the circle button to latch onto cover. From there you can peak out and shoot the tons of dudes that are there to kill you. There are also some driving levels, along with one or two on a jetski (which has become the butt of many jokes), but I think these additions help round out the game. There are a few problems, however, as the camera can get in the way of things, as well as the platforming elements being a bit frustrating, as judging your next landing can be a little screwy.
The gameplay delivers pretty much what you'd expect, but if it weren't for the story, this would just be a decent adventure game. The story really drives you to finish the game, which isn't that short, but not that long either. The characters, including protagonist Nathan Drake, are some of the best and most lovable in video game history. As I said before, the story plays out much like a summer blockbuster and is paced in just that way. Towards the end of the game, the players are thrown an amazing twist that is only hinted at in the beginning. It's coupled with a new gameplay style that may seem a little weird at first, but it works perfectly in shocking the gamer.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is a damn good game, one that I would recommend to any PS3 owner who hasn't touched it yet. Whether you rent it or buy it, you won't be disappointed.
