I found the-Uncharted: Drake's Fortune review

DAMN! That's a long way down...

Uncharted? Isn't that a PlayStation game? Yes it is. Good ol' money bags Ranvier decided one game system wasn't enough and flaunted his riches for the "other" gaming system. Then he decided to drop this off at my house before I drove him to the bus stop; payment for the ride? Homeboy owes me way more than a PlayStation  babysitting session. Truthfully if I had the bucks I would buy one too. Not for the games that come out on the Box, but the ones that don't.


I've got a nice list of games I'd like to play on the PlayStation, may it be 2 or 3, Uncharted was one of them. Luckily Ranvier decided on Uncharted, he also got God of War 3 but I decided I'd beat this one and leave God of War 3 until after I finished my copy of God of War 2 on PS2; fingers crossed and own a PS3. 


First of all this game felt very familiar, *cough*Tomb Raider*cough cough*, but a nice update. Nathan Drake the main character is the great great great great great grandson or something like that of Sir Francis Drake of historical fame during pirate times, arrgh! Drake is on the hunt for the for Sir Francis famed hidden treasure along with Elena, a photojournalist and hottie. Nathan also partners with cigar chewing Sullivan.


The story was very enjoyable with a nice twist, but I won't give it away. It had me questioning the storyline halfway though and it did a fantastic service of answering my quizzical thoughts. The cut scenes ran the story very smoothly and keep the pace tense and interesting. 


The game-play is above average with ease of use and proper button placements. Couple of "button" escapes and fights but nothing overboard, thankfully. This is a platformer, the jumps, ledge grabs and vine swinging was very intuitive, with minimal headaches-there were some. Most of the "puzzles" have the answers in Sir Drake's diary, they weren't all that head scratching. Most of the big puzzles were the, "how do I get up there from here?" platforming questions. The enemies were cookie cutters for the most part, but change over the course of the game as the factions change. Shotguns, pistols, assault rifles, grenades, and sniper rifles, oh my! All familiar if you played COD series. 


Graphically I like the PS3, it was very pretty, especially since the game is set within the jungles, creepy darkness and some really beautiful scenic views. On the topic of the PS3, it is a very different animal compared to the Box, it's interface is very simple and plain. While Xbox is all flash and pretty colors when you turn it on and flip through it's menus, PS is very reserved. 


The levels were varied and different, even though they recycled, bastards! Not really, it's was actually a good thing, the story excelled from their double or triple use. "Wait I have been here before, Huh!? Cool." Had your chase with the bad guys chasing you, fun. Couple of PWC missions, not so much fun. (Personal Water Craft, a Jet ski) Platforming was usually taking the long way around to get into the building in front of you. This became inevitable every mission for awhile, "hey there is vine or a jutting brick, I guess that's where I need to go, hey whatta ya know!" The enemy AI was actually decent, they would sneak up on you and they had good aim too. 


My biggest bitch I have with this game is the same I hated about the Tomb Raider series. The, "HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET HERE!" Okay let me explain, I'll use a mission from the game, vaguely. You enter a courtyard, there are enemies there, you dispense bloody fury, this court yard has two exits, one you came through and a locked door. There is no other way though, you must find the keys. So, you climb to the very top of this tower, jumping around like a monkey, falling a couple times, and grabbing those keys, unlock the door and on to the next area, YES! Wait what? WHAT THE FUCK! How the hell did another eight guys show up behind the locked door, that I had to climb that tower for the keys, HUH! Happens...a lot. BS.


The Rating System

1 Inu - This Inu is bad. It eats baby birds out of trees, craps in you shoes, and scares any potential female friends away with its ferocious demeanor.

2 Inu's - This Inu has been taken to obidience training, but failed. The dog tried hard, but just never got any of the tricks right.

3 Inu's - An average loveable Inu, sure its not gonna win any awards, but it is a faithful companion

4 Inu's - This Inu is special, he knows all of his tricks, everyone loves him, and he sits by your side every time you come back from the bar... alone.

5 Inu's - This is Inu is legendary. He is a dog among puppies. One day there will be movies made about how awesome he is.


I hadn't played Tomb Raider from this gen, but Uncharted reminds me of the solid platforming and tomb raiding, huh, huh huh, from that series. It's Indiana Jones's wit, Lara Croft's super human endurance and ledge grabbing abilities and National Treasure's trail of clues all wrapped in a nice package. The story moves fluidly and I am looking forward to seeing Hollywood really mess this one up, Mark Wahlberg as the lead is a mistake in my opinion. Other than the tele-porting enemies through the locked doors, the game was a change of pace that anything I had played since Tomb Raider just with less switch pulling and running for the door. 4 out of 5 INUS. I really hope I get the opportunity to buy a PS3, so I will get the chance to play Uncharted 2 and, I found out, Uncharted 3 coming out in November. And have Kratos kick some ass in GOW3.