Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

What many people don’t remember is beneath the pyramids that jutted from Lara Croft’s chest was actually a solid adventure title. At least, this was the case in the first Tomb Raider. 11 years later the team behind Crash Bandicoot is trying a different approach… Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is a solid adventure title first, and a great looking game as a bonus.

Of course Nathan Drake isn’t top heavy – the game looks good in other respects. This whole game looks absolutely AAA, except for one thing – shiny skin. Every character in this game has really shiny skin. They look like the tropical rainforest they just traversed was actually the world’s greatest source of baby oil. It’s not deal breaking though - the environments in Uncharted are so slick, the other visual effects and animations so good this shiny skin thing is barely a blip on the graphics radar.

The aural atmosphere in the game is at the same gorgeous level as the visuals. The environment feels alive thanks to great sound effects, and the voice acting is great despite an abysmal script.

The dialogue seems to suffer from trying. Despite the actor’s best efforts to make it seem natural, the offhand remarks are painful mimics of real conversation, the actual conversation pieces peppered with awkward jokes at each others expense – it’s painful.

The story, on the other hand, is actually better for the extra effort. The over-the-top plot tears you through the gorgeous environments at an ever growing pace. It’s designed so you don’t have time to get bored – and it generally works. Occasionally the story slips and feels a little too cliché or convoluted – allowing boredom to slip in – but most of the game will have you enthralled.

Playing the game, you’re treated to the cover systems that are permeating current shooters as well as a good nod at the climbing features from games like Crackdown and Assassin’s Creed. Nathan can’t climb up any surface with 5 cm jutting out but he’s still quite nimble – the fantastic animations help in this aspect. The way he swings around the environment reminds me of the acrobatic prince for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. As Sands and its two extremely popular sequels show, this style of game is always fun.

The gunfights get a little annoying towards the end of the game – even at the start of the game you’ll notice it takes more than a few shots to put an enemy down. It’s a common factor in games – if they ramp up enemy health they can increase the difficulty without increasing the AI – and it’s a lazy way to go about gunfights. It’s not a game-breaker, just sub-standard.

The puzzles in the game are a bit of a joke – they’re blatantly obvious most of the time and when they’re not the game holds your hand through them with the use of Drake’s journal. It’s a little disappointing as they don’t really challenge you, but they’re typically combined with the fantastic environmental acrobatics the game has perfected.

The game includes a rewards system which rewards you for finding treasures and completing tasks throughout the game – this is reminiscent of the Achievements system on the 360. To be honest this is typically the only reason I’ll try for Achievements – they’re actually worthwhile when they earn you something within the game – so this is an excellent way to apply it in the PS3’s case.

Nathan Drake can replace Lara Croft I think. Uncharted does everything Tomb Raider did so well, but it brings it into this generation with its looks and production values. If you ignore the at-times frustrating shoot-outs and the occasionally painful dialog Uncharted is a fantastic title, and it’s definitely worth your money. The rewards system and story are enough to keep the game fresh, and the gameplay is fun and engaging. It’s not the killer app the PS3 has been waiting for, but it’s a great title with heaps of value.