Previous Next

A real treasure.

The humid tropical air of a South American jungle sticks to the moss covered rocks and vegetation lining the forest floor. It's palpable, almost overtly so, but that's the art direction that Uncharted developer, Naughty Dog, decided to take - wet, moist, humid, jungle environs, with greasy, sweat-covered characters, all rendered with high detail and vividly bright colors. Even sweeter, everything runs at a smooth frame-rate with a real-time lighting and shadows system worthy of applause. It's definitely an acquired taste, but after making it through the adventure, you not only grow accustomed to the visual style but will probably end up loving it. Uncharted is arguably the best looking console game currently available, and that includes heavy hitters such as COD4 and Gears of War.

Speaking of which, the levels and game play of Uncharted can be described with surprising accuracy as a cross between Gears of War and Tomb Raider (with a dabble of Prince of Persia thrown in for good measure.) Jungles and caves are similar in design to TR, while dilapidated churches, mausoleums, and ancient cities look like they could have been ripped directly from Gears. Stop'n Pop shooting makes up the vast majority of Uncharted's action with simple platforming portions dividing up the gun play and preventing tediousness. If anything, Uncharted performs these tasks better than the games from which it was derived by using an ever-so-fluid animation system.

While it's not easy, when you do pull off a bout of fisticuffs it's quite satisfying not only because of how good it looks, but also because it's context sensitive. Sometimes you'll push opponents into a wall before unleashing the fury, other times you'll jump on their back and break their neck, or, if nothing else, you'll just kick their ass where they stand. It's a much appreciated addition to what would have otherwise been standard (and boring) melee attacks.

Probably the game's biggest appeal will come from the believability of the characters, again achieved in large part by the incredible animation. Nathan Drake, the protagonist that you control, moves in and out of cover, jumps across large gaps, and scales brick walls with understated realism. After spending some time with Drake, you'll quickly realize he isn't the pompous, wisecracking, smartass his hair-style suggests he is, but rather just a guy looking out for his friends (although he does have his fair share of wisecracks.) Graphical details, such as having the wrinkles in his shirt move as he walks or his clothes only getting wet up to the height they've been submerged, help to make him an even more convincing entity on screen.

Aurally the game's no slouch either. As mentioned, the voice acting is top-notch, with each character sounding exactly as they should. The audio team seems to have gotten the feeling just about perfect with the music too, as the original orchestral score crescendos at just the right times, heightening the drama, action, or beauty of what's happening on screen. The simple formula - Jungle Setting + Jazz Flute = Awesome - holds true in Uncharted as it's fun to listen to and serves to pull you into Drake's world even further.

This brings us to the Uncharted's real star: its story! It's important to note that the delivery of Uncharted's narrative is what makes it so compelling. The graphics, sound, animation and tight gameplay are what present the game's story in a manner that is far above average. At its core, Drake's Fortune is comprised of a standard and, for the most part, predictable adventure tale - think Indiana Jones, think Clive Cussler books, and think over-the-top treasure hunting, because that's essentially what this game delivers. But because it does so in such a nice package, with such outstanding support from every area, it works incredibly well in game form.

In order to increase replayability Uncharted uses something called Rewards, which are more or less 360 achievement rip-offs (e.g. "Get 50 kills with M-14", "Find 10 Treasures", etc.) What makes Uncharted's rewards worthwhile is that the points you earn for obtaining them are used to unlock cool extras. New character and villain costumes, behind the scenes videos, and even different render modes (black & white, sepia, "next-gen") are just a few of the dozens of different extras you'll eventually have access to. Since the game isn't terribly long and there's no multiplayer, these unlockables (along with the tight gameplay and streamlined pace) do an impressively good job of making multiple play-throughs the rule, rather than the exception.

To say Uncharted is the best PS3 game of the year is as undeniable as it is encouraging. With other great exclusive titles like Ratchet & Clank Future, Heavenly Sword, Motorstorm, Resistance, and Warhawk, Uncharted is the icing on the cake for the system in 2007 and in many ways a restorer of faith in the PS3. Production value exudes from every pore on Nathan's face; great graphics, audio, and gameplay are used with lethal detail to tell an over-the-top adventure story that draws inspiration from big budget adventure flicks. And it actually manages to pull off everything with enthusiasm, leaving you wanting more. If you've been waiting for fun, easy to get into PS3 exclusive, there is no reason you shouldn't play Uncharted (or at least download the demo).