Reviewed: November 23, 2007
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer
Naughty Dog Software

Released: November 20, 2007
Genre: Action
Players: 1

10
10
10
9
9.8

Supported Features:

Accompanied by the annoyingly cute female reporter, Elena Fisher and macho sidekick Victor Sullivan (Sullie), Nathan digs up an ancient clue inside the coffin of Sir Francis Drake and sets off for the fabled (and cursed) treasure of El Dorado. But Nathan isn’t the only one searching for the lost treasure. A seemingly endless supply of heavily armed mercenaries is already scouring the island, and Nathan will have his hands full dealing with them as well as all the natural obstacles that you might expect in a game titled, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

Easily, one of the most hyped PS3 games since launch; Sony finally delivers a title that single-handedly should convince any gamer still sitting on the PS3 fence to cough up a few Ben Franklins. Epic in scale, grand in vision, glorious in graphics, and with some of the best motion-capture animation and voice over performances in the history of next-gen video games, Uncharted is a game you don’t want to miss.

There is a great cover system built into the game that allows you to stick to nearly any object or surface in the game while standing or crouched. You can then peek out and take aimed shots or just do blind fire to send the enemy diving for cover. You can run and fire or run and roll, jump, grab, shimmy, and drop on objects, structures, and natural ledges.

There are entire sections of levels designed around some thrilling acrobatic feats not for the faint of heart or those who fear heights. One memorable section has you traversing the side of an ancient fort built into the cliff. You’ll jump and grab from ledge to ledge, many of which crumble away after a few seconds, then leap to a vine and grab on then build momentum as you run back and forth on the wall until you can leap to the next ledge, all from vertigo-inducing camera angles.

There are numerous signature action moments that would make Hollywood envious. One of my favorites had me jumping from rock to rock at the top of these massive falls. About the time I had gotten across a truck of mercenaries showed up. I blew up the truck, which came flying toward me, wedging in the rocks and sending the ledge I was currently on falling into the abyss.

Uncharted includes all of the staples of any great action adventure. You have maps and clues and curses and legends and even a rusty U-boat stuck at the base of a tropical waterfall. There is a partially submerged city you get to Jet Ski around as well as terrifying rope bridges, creepy tombs, temples, libraries, and even a cursed group of zombies.

Nathan has a journal that contains clues and a map you can reference. There are a handful of puzzles in Uncharted, mostly the type where you rearrange objects to point in certain directions to open a secret passage. None are terribly difficult once you realize that the clues are all in your diary. There are even times during the game when you’ll be prompted to hit a button for a “hint” or to look at something noteworthy. I never felt this was cheating. It was just the director’s way of making sure I saw something critical to the story, and was often quite cinematic.

Numerous things impressed me with the gameplay in Drake’s Fortune. One of the biggest was the AI for Sullie and Elena, one of which is almost always with you. While they certainly provide a great sounding board for playful banter, these characters actually become quite useful in that they will provide valuable assistance in combat and puzzle-solving, without actually stealing any of the gameplay away from the player. Elena is a better shot than many starring video game characters, and Sullie is the man to have watching your back in a brawl.

Another technical marvel was the controls, and Nathan’s ability to jump and grab from ledge to ledge with easy and relative safety. Much like the most recent Tomb Raider game, you no longer have to be lined up perfectly to make these jumps and grabs. Nathan will dangle from a single hand until you can steady his grip. It really makes the game fun and fluid when you can run and jump with peace of mind. The SIXAXIS motion control was rarely used, and only to balance yourself on narrow beams or logs.

Uncharted checkpoints frequently, or at least a major events or when entering a new area, but you are also free to save the game whenever you like, which I highly recommend saving often, especially near the treacherous ending sequences. There is a nice progression of difficulty leading up to the finale, although the final boss fight is somewhat disappointing when you balance it with everything it took to get to that moment.

The sheer scale of the adventure was immense. I was sure the game was over or at least nearing the conclusion when I saved my game after my first 6-hour session only to see I had only completed 65% of the adventure. The game just kept going and going, even after numerous places where it could have ended quite satisfactorily. Not that I got tired or bored mind you…it was great that Naughty Dog could keep me interested for the entire 11-hour experience.

There were a few times when I did find myself falling into a rut, not so much with the story, but the seemingly endless nature of the combat and the way it was presented. I would find myself entering an area that would suddenly swarm with mercenaries, forcing me to take cover and peck away at the small army blocking my path, usually to the point where I would run out of ammo, forcing me to sprint forward, collect ammo or new arms, dive for cover and repeat.

Thankfully, the environments provided a nice way to break up the monotony with numerous indoor and outdoor locales perfectly suited for combat whether I was hiding behind a broken stone column of an ancient ruins or ducking behind a tombstone in a cemetery. The enemy AI was relentless and extremely smart. They would rush my position during any lapse in fire on my part and they would make organized attempts to flank my location or strategically use their own grenades to force me from hiding.

My one and only true complaint is more of a logic issue. Regardless of whatever death-defying feats I was required to perform to get to some obscure location in the game there was already a few dozen mercenaries waiting for me. I wish I knew what paths they were taking. Sure, I know you have to suspend a bit of disbelief to make a game like this work, but when I am solving complex puzzles to gain access to a tomb that hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years only to find mercenaries have blasted a back door and are already waiting inside just grinds my gears.

The best thing I can say about Uncharted is that this is one of the first games to truly capture the cinematic action and flavor of movies like Indiana Jones and those old serial adventures from the 50’s and 60’s. As games and movies slowly come together, Drake’s Fortune has already arrived, and this is the stuff that summer blockbusters are made of. Uncharted is a thrill ride from start to finish with few pauses to catch your breath.

The colors are rich and vibrant, possibly a bit oversaturated at times, but that might just be because every other so-called "next-gen" game favors washed out earth tones. It was a refreshing change to see some actual colors on my PS3. The only game that might possibly compare would be Ratchet and Clank, but despite the vivid colors, Uncharted never sinks into comic book territory. It's more of a stylized vision of reality, and it works great.

The water totally steals the show, and early interviews with the designers stressed the importance of bring realistic water into this game. It looks good standing still and it gets even better when it starts to move. Nathan will splash through it and even get his clothing wet and suitably shiny when he exits from a swim. This is the first CG water that actually looks WET.

The cutscenes are all rendered with game-engine graphics and fully acted out by real actors and mo-capped. You can see how this is done in some of the unlockable bonus footage and it’s really impressive. But even more impressive is the physics system implement in the animation for Nathan as he runs and jumps. All of his individual animations are seamlessly integrated with attention to body kinetics, so you actually see Nathan (and others) lean as they make a running turn or even stumble or reach out to catch themselves after a long jump or fall. It’s easy to take for granted in the heat of gameplay, but you’ll just sense that something extra is being presented as you play the game.

Mo-cap work is also used for extreme close-ups in the cutscenes, which actually gives these characters a life and emotion that is dramatic and totally captivating. It also creates some of the best lip-synch of any game to date.

But not all is perfect with the graphics. First, the game is limited to 720p – not a huge deal and certainly understandable given the scope of these levels and the desire to maintain a fluid framerate, which is upheld for the most part. There are a few moments of jerkiness, but they are almost always in sweeping cinematic shots and never in actual gameplay. And while you can get the game to reveal some pop-up in a few scenes, most of the time you can’t see the forest through the trees, so it’s not a problem.

I was able to get some tearing on a few textures on a few screens but only if I was manually adjusting the camera to some funky angle. Most of the time the game handles the camera flawlessly with little interaction on my part.

The sound design is fantastic; not only in Dolby Digital, but also in DTS with an immersive mix that puts you in the middle of numerous sound effect overlays. You’ll hear the wind, the snap of a twig, the rush of some far off waterfall, the sounds of a dozen different birds and jungle life, the rattle of falling rocks…the list goes on. Every action and interaction within the game has an appropriate sound that brings it to life.

And finally we come to the dialogue, voiced with perfection by a cast of names I’m not familiar with but I hope to hear again real soon. Nathan was perfect as the rogue treasure hunter while Elena came off as the dedicated journalist who would risk anything to get a great story. Sullivan was played to perfection, even to the point where you just weren’t sure if you could trust him or not and Eddy is the villain you can’t help hate with a smile.

And while not as publicly rewarding as Xbox 360 Achievements, Drake’s Fortunes does offer 1000 reward points that you can earn for completing certain objectives within the game. These can be used to unlock movies and other bonus items in the Extra’s menu. Sadly, and much like Heavenly Sword, many of the bonuses you must pay for in the game are already available for free in the PlayStation Store.

Within its genre, this is easily the best looking and best playing game of its kind. Heavenly Sword might edge out this game in technical visuals, but in overall presentation, nothing can touch Drake’s Fortune, especially with its epic story rooted just enough in factual events to be somewhat believable, great acting, and great fun.

It’s taken a year for the PS3 to come into its own, and with more and more quality and benchmark-setting games arriving for the system, there has never been a better time to get a PS3 and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune should certainly be one of the first games you add to that next-gen library.