Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune came out about a year after the release of the PS3. We finally purchased our PS3 in November of 2008 and we got the Uncharted Edition. After having the PS3 for a year, I finally sat down to play the “new” Sony exclusive action-adventure title. OK, so I got Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and had to play the first one before moving on to the sequel and I was really glad I did.
I am a big fan of the Tomb Raider franchise…oddly enough, I played Tomb Raider 2 and 3 before touching the first Tomb Raider. Norm and I would play the game together, splitting up levels or each taking a turn at more difficult parts of the game (and there are a lot of difficult moments in a Tomb Raider game, especially the older ones). I was hesitant to play Uncharted due to my loyalty to Lara Croft and her legacy of games. What I did was deny myself the pleasure of playing an action/adventure “tomb raider” game that did the genre a favor. Uncharted introduces adventurer Nathan Drake, who is a cross between Indiana Jones, Han Solo, Lara Croft, and Malcolm Reynolds (Firefly/Serenity). He is a good looking, fast talking, sarcastic man with a knack for finding artifacts and treasures as easily as he can find trouble. The control was very intuitive and easy – you don’t have to set Drake up for jumps like you did in some of the old Tomb Raider titles (most of this was fixed in the new TR games.) You can do a lot of the jumps quickly and without having to think too hard about it. There are still those parts you need to scope out with the camera to see where you could go, but they were pretty obvious in both Uncharted games.
I think what makes Uncharted a great game is the story and how cohesive it is. The game is about as close as you can get to “playing” a movie as I’ve been able to find. You can easily play or watch the game and still get an enriching experience either way. Of course, playing the game is the preferable way to experience it but this would be a great game to “play” with a spouse who may not be as into games as you, especially if they enjoy the Indiana Jones-esque quality of the game. The voice acting featured in the game is top notch and watching the cut scenes is an enjoyable break while playing the game. Nathan Drake is voiced by Nolan North and his sidekick, Elena Fisher is voiced by Emily Rose. The characters are lifelike and have very consistent personalities and character. I really fell in love with Nathan Drake, I especially loved his banter with his partners, Victor “Sully” Sullivan and with Elena Fisher. I enjoyed some of the comments he would make throughout the game as well. Although I finished the game in two sittings in about a day, I was never lost in the story line and game play, it was like pausing a movie and coming back to it the next morning. While game play is number one in my book, it is closely followed by story line. I like to be sucked into a great story and truly want to care for the characters that I am playing. Of course, the two go hand in hand since it’s difficult to get into the character if the game play is too frustrating.
While controls are a big part of what makes a game, it is also the camera and camera control that can make or break a game. The camera controls weren’t perfect, but I can tell you that they were damn close. It was relatively easy to chart your course while hanging from a ledge. There were a few moments where the camera wasn’t where I wanted it to be but it was not something that was so frustrating that I could blame the camera for my troubles. The rest of the controls were fine as well, I had little to no problems with combat. I have to admit that when I first attempted to play the game when we first got it, I had issues with the reticle and combat. The reticle does not turn red when aimed on an enemy and can be difficult to see if you don’t have an HDTV. When we got our LCD, it made a huge difference but I think I was making it a little harder than it needed to be (chalk it up to my loyalty to Lara). Drake is a little loose to control which sometimes made it difficult to line up some of the more precise jumps or when on ledges or skinnier platforms. While the game is similar to Tomb Raider, there is more focus on the action than on the adventure. Drake can perform melee attacks by rapidly pressing the square button and can perform combos including the “Brutal Combo” which, if executed correctly, will kill the enemy as well as drop more ammo. He can also perform a Gunslinger combo which mixes hand to hand and shooting into the combo. Drake can do just about everything Lara Croft can, albeit with less flare. There are no acrobatics, handstands, cartwheels, or swan dives, but that’s ok because what Drake does, he does well enough and it makes him a more accessible character to the masses. Drake is the the everyday hero – a man who pushes himself to the limits of his abilities and still manages to get out bruised but alive. He can jump, traverse ledges, climb ropes, swing from ropes, vines, and poles, and swim. He can also operate a jet ski which offers some really fun and challenging chases. And of course, there are puzzles. The puzzles, however, are not horribly impossible and you can use Drake’s journal to give you clues as to what you need to do. There is plenty to collect in the game with 60 Treasures to be found. There is also a plethora of weapons for Drake to use. He can have one pistol, one rifle, and up to four grenades in his possession at any given time and often has the opportunity to change them out as he finds them lying around or picks them up off defeated enemies. Tomb Raider fans beware because his pistol ammo is finite and if you aren’t careful, you could find yourself without ammo in the middle of a fire fight. Ammo is plentiful in the game so if you do run out of ammo, there is usually some lying around nearby. The game also features a cover system which will help Drake during combat as well as keep him out of sight of enemies as he scopes out an area or attempts to sneak behind an enemy and perform a stealth kill. You can easily move from cover to cover to nearby objects or walls. This sometimes caused issues during close combat since the same button is used to roll while running. I cannot tell you how many times I was rolling to evade an attack only to find myself taking cover in a nearby crate only to be in the line of fire. You can also duck in and out of cover as well as blind fire from cover, which is helpful when you find yourself overwhelmed by enemies.
Overall, the experience I had playing Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune left me thirsting for more. More Drake, more Uncharted, and more adventure. Lucky for me, I had Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. There is no multiplayer featured Uncharted – online or local co-op. Even though several levels feature either Elena Fisher or his partner Sully, there is no option for someone to drop in an control them. There are some logistical issues with it so I can forgive it but it would be an interesting option maybe for future titles. Replay value will depend on a few things – if you are a Trophy collector, you will want to play again to attempt to unlock more trophies. If you like a challenge, there are Rewards you can unlock like alternate outfits, infinite ammo, and tweaks like Mirror World – where left becomes right, Flip World – where the world flips each time Drake dies, One Shot Kills, and Fast Motion, Slow Motion, and Super Slow Motion – which offer game play in fast, slow, or super slow motion. You can also play the game on several difficulties including Easy, Normal, Hard, and Crushing.
If you haven’t played Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, I suggest that you run out to your nearest store and either rent or buy this game. You won’t regret it.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is rated T for Teen and is available now exclusively for the PS3.
[...] Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the highly anticipated sequel to Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. I first caught a glimpse of the sequel at this year’s E3 Expo at the Sony Press Conference. I had not yet played the first Uncharted game but I was very impressed by what was shown and could not wait to play the game! I purchased the game a few weeks back but before I could play it, I had to play the first Uncharted. You can read my review of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune here. [...]
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