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PS3  Treasure Hunting Just Got Better... 4.7
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by PangTong_Blademaster
from oxford, , england		May 23, 2008
For those of you familiar with the classic Tomb Raider series and want more, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is the only next gen game for the Playstation 3 to rival it. Uncharted comes from Naught Dog, the guys who bought you classic playstation gems such as Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter. Uncharted mixes platforming, epic gunfights and teasing puzzles to create an experience like no other...

The plot of Uncharted starts off quite simple but as you go along you may get confused in some places. The whole story starts off with Nathan Drake, a wily treasure hunter believed to be a descendent of the legendary Sir Francis Drake himself. With the help of a reporter named Elena Fisher who is filming a documentary, Drake pinpoints the locations of Francis' coffin in the middle of the ocean in hopes that he will find ancient treasure but the coffin is empty apart from a small journal that Nathan pockets. Suddenly your ship is attacked by modern age pirates but Nathan's old accomplice, Victor Sullivan or "Sully"ť comes to the rescue in his plane. Drake's journal reveals the location of one of man's most well kept secrets, the city of El Dorado. Sully convinces Nathan to leave Elena and help him find the treasure. Reluctantly, Nathan does so and the two journey out into the jungles. Upon finding a Nazi U boat on a running waterfall they are ambushed by Roman, a tough-nut treasure hunter and his band of pirates that were hounding you earlier. Nathan just manages to escape but Sully is shot down. You loose the journal and your companion. Things get better though, Elena finds Nathan and the two set off on another search for the treasures of El Dorado. Be warned there is something not quite right about the treasure of El Dorado and that Nazi U boat you found...



The gameplay of Uncharted is best described in three parts. The platforming in Uncharted is one of its main features. You have the generic platform stunts such as leaping from crumbling platforms or scaling walls but Uncharted adds its own little touch by having quick time reaction button sequences which occur out of the blue and can kill you if you cant respond fast enough. Also the types of traps used are excellent and authentic such as the average boulder fall or the wooden spike trap are used to great effect in playing out your ideal Indiana Jones scenes. There is a downfall however… some of the traps become far too repetitive and you can tell if they will go off which can ruin the suspense a bit.

The gunfighting is surprisingly good for an action game from the guys at Naughty Dog. Uncharted is fought in third person and uses a very successful cover system which allows blind fire and gives you enough solid protection. The guns themselves can vary in power, range and clip size but you may only carry two at a time plus some grenades so be careful as to which two you pick up. You have the standard pistol and machine gun but then you start to find more unique guns such as the Desert Eagle or the M37 which is more like a flare gun. The trend of the invisible + rechargeable health guage is also used in Uncharted, if you get battered up you can fall back a bit and wait for your health to regain but this can be difficult with enemies flanking you. The enemy difficulty is based on the game difficulty selected at the beginning of the game which can be changed at any time if the player wishes to choose. The puzzles are quite nifty but nothing out of the norm in action platformers. Most puzzles include rotating statues or pressing pads in a correct sequence to advance in the game.

There are a lot of extra features in Uncharted that make this game even better and better. The most noticeable feature is the 360-like achievement system. There are 1000 points to be gained from completing tasks such as kill 3 men with a single grenade or gain 30 kills with a single weapon type which is a nice touch and unlocks extras such as “making of” videos, alternative costumes and weapon select options. Another feature is the 60 pieces of treasure spread across the game, some harder to find than others. In finding them gains you achievements and not a lot else but they are still a nice little add on.

The graphics of Uncharted are mindblowing in some places as you look over the tropics from the tip of a Nazi U boat for example but there are some glitches such as the invisible wall treatment and the occasional layering of Nathan if you get too close with the camera which are very minor but other critics may want to expand. The sound in Uncharted is wonderful. There is a sort of main theme that you hear traces of throughout the game and wholly at the very end but there are also some impressive scores to be heard. The voice acting is prefect and each voice actor suits the characters which rarely happens nowadays in video games.



Overall Uncharted is a total thriller of a game that shouldn't be missed by any platform fanatic or just anyone who is simply in need of a decent PS3 title. Tomb Raider has been officially outmatched...

Gameplay: 4.3/ 5.0
Story: 5.0/ 5.0
Sound: 4.8/ 5.0
Graphics: 4.5/ 5.0
Bonus Features: 4.8/ 5.0
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PS3  Great Game 4.5
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by Mnmfan
from Athlone, , Ireland		Mar 8, 2008


From the creators of the excellent Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter series Drakes Fortune is yet another triumph for Naughty Dog.

Drakes Fortune follows the story of an explorer named Nathan Drake. On a ring passed down to him through the generations he finds coordinates to the coffin of his ancestor Francis Drake. After locating the coffin and finding nothing but a diary inside Nathan, friend Sully and reporter Elena continue the quest to discover the treasure left behind by his great grand father.

If your fond of games like Lara Croft, Prince Of Persia and God Of War and if you love films like Indiana Jones and National Treasure then you will love Drakes Fortune as it combines elements of all the above into one immersive and damn fun game. It has a mix of everything from platforming, shoot outs and even combat. The odd puzzle is thrown in for good measure too.

The Graphics are outstanding. The forests are beautiful and extremely life like. Every detail is added from the grass moving as you walk through it to the wind blowing trees and bushes side to side.



Take special note of the water effects and shadow effects. As Drake walks into water his trousers (pants to you Americans) gets wet gradually as he gets deeper into the water like real life. Shadows are also spot on. In one section Drake and Sully enter a dark tunnel. They turn on their flash lights and as Sully walks behind Drake you can see Drakes shadow cast perfectly onto the ground and walls.
The graphics truly are outstanding especially at the U-Boat section. Unfortunatly though the second half of the game brings you away from the lush forest and into underground passageways and bland crypts.The colours are darker and simply not as nice to look at. Don't get me wrong the graphics are still gorgous but you can't help feeling yourself longing to go back outside.

The cutscenes are equally as attractive. The characters look amazing and act realistically thanks to the technique Naughty Dog used. Each cutscene made use of actors to both act out the scene and the dialogue at the same time meaning that none of the cutscene characters were animated in a computer, they were mapped from the movements of real people. This technique also meant that there are no voice overs added in later. This makes the cutscenes much more believeable and life like because the characters move and act as real people do. Both actors that played Drake and Elena really brought the characters to life with some excellent acting and voice talent.


The Gameplay is top notch. Drake has a vast array of moves available to him. From shimmying along a ledge to swinging on ropes. His moves are not the impressive part though. It's the way he pulls them off that really stands out. Drake is a normal guy in extraordinary circumstances. So unlike Lara he doesn't pull off every move to perfection. Occasionally he might trip a little or stagger slightly after a jump. Jump to a platform and instead of landing a perfect jump he might loose his footing and his foot will slip causing him to stagger. All these imperfections makes the character feel like less of your usual hero that performs everything by the book and more like a character that does make a few mistakes here and there. He's a guy, he's not perfect. Another thing to mention about the platforming is how smooth it feels. You don't need to take a step back and line yourself up with a jump before running forward and jumping like Drakes female counter part. The ledge you're jumping to doesn't need to be directly ahead either. Drake can jump diagonally and grab a ledge just as easy as any other jump. It feels fluid and smooth and the platforming is a lot of fun. Shame there's not more of it though. The whole game seems more focused on the shooting then the platforming which is a major shame.

Aside from platforming there is the shooting and combat. Both are very well implemented. With Drake being a normal guy he can't just run around in the open shooting everyone. Instead he has to be carefull and find cover to hide behind so he can pick off his enemies one by one. Pressing O next to a wall causes Drake to press himself up against the wall. Then when you press and hold L1 Drake will peek out with his weapon aiming. Use the right stick to aim and fire with R1. Release L1 and Drake will return to the cover of the wall. That move is vital to your survival and you will be using it a hell of a lot throughout the game. There are many weapons that Drake gets his hands on during the game such as Shotguns, MP40, Sniper Rifles, Grenade Launchers, Desert Eagles and Grenades. The grenades are great to use. You use the Sixaxis to control the grenades arc trajectory to determine where it's going to land. It's responsive and easy to get the hang of. (The sixaxis is also used to keep your balance while negotiating narrow beams and logs and it's also used near the end of the game to shake off any mutants (yes there are mutants near the end).
Then there's the hand-to-hand combat. Occasionally you will be so close to an enemy that using your gun seems pointless when he's just 2 feet away. So by pressing square Drake will punch the enemy, follow it up with triangle and square again to finish them off in a dramatic sequence of hits. The Hand To Hand Combat is handy and good for when you're bored of shooting. You hardly ever run out of ammo though (even on the hardest setting) unless you're a really bad shot so it's unlikely you will ever be using your fists to save your life.



Another gameplay element used for a couple chapters is the Jetski. The Jeep sequence was a lot of fun but the Jetski sequences are tedious and frustrating. It's not that it's hard because it's not, it's just that it's annoying. Drake drives the Jetski and Elena sits on the back shooting. Sounds fun but there's a catch. You control both Drake and Elena at the same time. So instead of speeding along the rapid currents while Elena shoots or visa versa we are forced to stop every few seconds so Elena (you) can shoot a Barrel that's in the way or an enemy that's shooting at you from the banks. Someone explain to me why hitting a barrel with a Jetski would cause it to explode. It makes no sense. Add to that the frustration of riding against the current upstream and you've got the recipe for a really annoying segment. If you stop accelerating to avoid an oncoming barrel the current takes you back a few meters all while trying to shoot an enemy in the far distance that seems to hit you with every shot.
Naughty Dog should've left the Jet Ski segments out or maybe made it so that we are riding shotgun while Elena drives.



There are also some puzzles throughout the game but they are pathetic. Probably the easiest and worst puzzles I've experienced in any game. The problem is that many of the puzzles only have one solution and it's usually solved by simply pressing triangle. For example, you enter a room with 2 candlesticks on the wall. You press triangle and Drake turns the candle upside down. You repeat with the other candle and a door opens. Not very mind taxing is it?
Another problem with the puzzles is the game literally tells you the answer using 3 methods. Firstly the Diary that Drake found in the coffin at the beginning of the game contains the solution to each puzzle. Secondly when you enter a room that contains a puzzle you are prompted to press L2. This makes Drake look at something of interest and then Drake will mention what needs to be done. A good example of this is a puzzle near the end. After a gun fight you find yourself in an empty room with circlular stone plates with pictures on them on the walls. You are prompted to 'Press L2'. Drake looks over at the plates on the wall and he says 'There's something in the journal about this', up pops the journal and it shows exactly what needs to be done to solve it. All the pictures that are on those plates are in the journal. The only thing you can do with these plates is press triangle and turn them using the left analogue stick. Another look in the journal and you see that some of the pictures are upside down. Simply go through each plate turning them as it instructs in the journal and a door opens up.
Sometimes Drake will talk to himself and tell you what needs to be done; 'I need to press these buttons in the correct order, there's something about this in the journal'.
It's a real shame that the puzzles are so damn easy and require little to no brain power at all. Changing the difficulty doesn't effect the puzzles either. They are as easy on the hardest difficulty as the are on the easiest difficulty.

The Replay Value is okay for the type of game it is. There are 61 Treasures scattered throughout the 22 Chapters and it may take a few playthroughs to find them all. There are also Medals to be earned for doing certain things like killing 3 people with one grenade and stuff like that. You earn Medal points everytime you complete a challenge and for every 5 treasures that you find. Medal points are used to unlock bonus material like Concept Art and Making Of Videos. You can also unlock cheats and costumes this way too. Some of the cheats are fun to try on your 2nd or 3rd playthrough such as Flip World which Mirrors the game world left to right making each level feel different.

Unfortunatly the game is pretty short. I've completed it 4 times now and achieved the maximum 1000 Medal Points but I only got the game last week. My first playthrough took me just over 7 hours. My second was the longest because I spent a lot of time trying to find treasures so that took me 13 hours. My quickest was my third playthrough with 6 hours and 26 minutes even though I was playing on Hard and my last playthrough which was the Hardest setting called 'Crushing' took me 7 hours and 15 minutes. So within a week I've exhausted the game and done everything I can do with it and now it's back on my shelve collecting dust. Was it worth 60 Euros? Yes.

To Summarise Drakes Fortune does have flaws. All of which are pretty minor though. The Jetski sections I mentioned were pretty short so it really is not that big of a deal and as for the puzzles, well I suppose Lara beats Drake with that regard hands down. I also found that there was way too much shooting and not enough platforming for my liking as the platforming sections were great fun. I wasn't too fond with the mutants at the end of the game either. They took away from the realistic setting of the entire game. Everything up to the mutants felt like real life events and the mutants suddenly made it feel like a fantasy world.
Even so, the excellent story, excellent sound, excellent graphics, excellent acting and excellent gameplay makes this a game to remember and a game you have to experience. It is short especially if you only plan on beating it once and not bother getting the Medal Points. If that's the case then a nights rental should be enough. However this is a great game to have in your PS3 game library and if the ending is anything to go by there will be a sequel.

I'm looking forward to it already.
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PS3  Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Review 4.5
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by RebelAssasin311
from , MI, USA		Feb 9, 2008
This review is a little late in coming, and I’m sorry, I didn’t get my hands on a copy for a while after it came out. But here goes nonetheless.

In Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, you play a character called Nathaniel Drake, who is a self proclaimed descendent of Sir Francis Drake, the famous English explorer circa 1500s. The game opens with Nathan uncovering the journal of his ancestor, in which is written instructions to a lost treasure. We later find out that the journal’s “instructions” are not more than clues to solving some of the puzzles down the road. No matter! The game continues from here, throwing our hero into a variety of environments and predicaments reminiscent of Indiana Jones.

Gameplay

Drake’s Fortune brings something fresh to the Playstation 3 with its simple, yet addictive game play. The learning curve is very smooth, and progresses along a path that continually builds difficult, yet never quite overwhelms the player with frustration. The games combat is predominantly stop-and-pop, with Drake hiding behind various objects of cover whilst attempting to shoot his enemies, also hiding behind various objects of cover. I know it may seem rather dull, but the action doesn’t slow for a second, smart AI and well built levels keep the gunplay going while still giving the player enough time to think out his next move.

In addition to gunplay the combat also features a hand-to-hand system which is used sparingly and often ends up in the player getting shot at from all directions.

The gameplay is solid and I don’t have many complaints. The Sixaxis controller is used on the occasion but is more of frosting, rather than the cake itself. Watch out for grenade throws however, you’re require to use the Sixaxis to judge the distance of Drakes throw, and often this takes longer than you want it to, it’s a rather touchy system.

The final spin to this game is a sort of achievement system, utilized by collecting small treasure hidden around the game, or completing various tasks i.e. “30 kills with ____.” These achievements will allow you to unlock artwork and other fun extras. Rumor has it that a patch will be released to allow these achievements to be used with Playstation Home whenever it’s finally released.

Visuals

The visual style of Drake’s fortune is incredible, a shining of example of the powerful hardware the PS3 boasts. Beautifully rendered jungles, great light reflection, and good character models all join together to create an exciting environment.

Sound

Another aspect of this game that truly got me excited was the soundtrack. Whenever an adventure type game comes out we all cross our fingers as to the voice acting, it can make or break a game. Drake’s Fortune does not disappoint. Fiery dialog and humor keep the story going and make us really feel close to the characters. The best performance is easily Nolan North (Drake). He brings Drake off-screen and makes us wonder why we can’t have friends like that.
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PS3  An Amazing Adventure 4.8
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by dragonclawz
from Belleville, ON, Canada		Jan 13, 2008
THE GOOD:
- Amazing graphics/visuals (one of the best, if not the best on the PS3)
- Great Tomb Raider/National Treasure-esque storyline and gameplay. I loved it, even moreso because I have never played Tomb Raider games before. The story and gameplay is very exciting, and I did not want to ever put the game down. It was cool how the game made me feel that I was basically alone fighting for my line, and that everyone was against me. I thought my two "allies" had turned on me at many points in the game
- Perfect music and sound. Everything works so well with environments, weapons, etc.
- Great voice overs/cast. I really believed them as characters
- Brilliant environments. You really feel like you are in these places. It is quite stunning. I also love how you travel to various places in the world to continue the story
- Amazing attention to detail. There are so many little things you will notice that will amaze you
- I like that the main character has flaws, and is not some super-human guy who can do anything. He does not perform every jump, landing, etc. perfectly
- 60 secret items to collect. Most are pretty well hidden, and I enjoyed hunting for them
- Scaling cliffs, swinging on vines, jumping crazy jumps, and all of these things that you do are so much fun, and really awesome to see in a game. Quite impressive
- Love the vehicle scenes. They were very well done
- Lots of different weapons to use, including your fists
- The puzzles are really good, and really force you to think through them. Very well done
- Hand-to-hand combat is surprisingly very good. I found myself using it a lot, especially towards the end of the game when you run out of ammo a lot
- The occasional hint the game provides is nice
- You run out of ammo at quite a few points in the game, so you really have to fight for your life. That is actually pretty refreshing to see. Switching weapons because another has more ammo happens very frequently
- Enemies are challenging, take cover, and even come after you if you stay in the same place for too long. It is pretty cool and nice to see in a game
- Not having a map was interesting. You never really needed one, and it added to your freedom
- 15-30 hours to beat (for me anyways, near 30 hours)
- Ending of the game is very challenging and fitting to the story. The guy even gets the girl

THE BAD:
- There are some pretty annoying fights that last awhile and the enemies seem way too strong, as well as a few irritating jumping/scaling sequences
- Towards the end of the game, enemies can take way too much damage before they die. Thank god for headshots
- The game is free-roaming occasionally, but there is basically a main set path at all times. Little to explore, which is pretty sad since the environments are so amazing
- I would have rather faced the real enemy in the end, not his "sidekick"
- A few camera issues
- More twists in the storyline would have been cool
- Wish I could have piloted the off-road vehicle, and even the plane
- Some parts of the game are too dark, and it's hard to see what's going on
- Hints the game give you are sometimes pretty unclear
- You basically use the same two-three weapons throughout the entire game (or at least I did)
- If you play a few hours every day, it will take you a week or less to beat. That was actually fine with me because I loved the game, but I loved it so much that I wish it was longer. 15-30 hours to beat is not that bad if you think about it, but I wanted more. I'll be praying for a sequel

SUMMARY:
I could not wait to rent this game when it first came out. It looked like a lot of fun, and the visuals looked amazing. The game does not disappoint in any way. It quickly became one of my favorite games ever, and I think it is one of the best games ever made, especially for the PS3. To sum up some of the main points:

The graphics/environments are stunning. They feel and look so real, like you are actually in them and fighting for your life through them. Attention to detail is amazing. Sunlight, shadows, glare, moving trees and grass in the breeze, and so much more can be seen. Everything looks and feels so real.

The storyline is really cool. Basically, you are a treasure hunter caught up in a deadly fight to make history by finding hidden treasure (and get rich), trying to unravel the mysteries and not to die at all times. You get right into the adventure right from the start, all the way until the end. You are basically alone, fighting for your life at all times. You never feel safe, and at some point or another, suspect your two "allies" of betraying you and helping the enemy. I honestly suspected them of turning on me like every 5 minutes (I'm actually pretty sad that they didn't). The puzzles are very well done, and you actually have to think to pass them. Great use of logic. I also really loved the parts of the game where you are scaling cliffs, castles/towers/buildings, swinging from vines, making crazy jumps, etc. Very fun and nicely done.

The weapons and fighting are pretty cool. There are a lot of cool weapons to find and use, though I found I was using the same three throughout the entire game (rapid-fire handgun, machine gun rapid-fire weapon, grenade). You often have to change with other weapons you find because you have run out of ammo, which is cool. Running out of ammo is very nice to see. This forces you to mix in some hand-to-hand combat so you can get a new weapon from your enemy so that you can stay alive and keep fighting. Slightly frustrating in most situations (such as heavy combat), but refreshing to see in a game. Ammo is not scattered everywhere at all times: you actually have to find and fight for it. I found this happening to me all the time, which was actually awesome. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to stay alive. Also, the hand-to-hand combat was very well done (even though I never used the combos). I used it a lot towards the end of the game, because you run out of ammo so frequently, so you actually have to fight for a new weapon to stay alive. Very cool. Quite challenging gameplay at times, which I loved.

Regarding the challenge of the game, it was great. I found it pretty challenging at all times. You are never safe, and almost never have a moment of peace. It gets harder as the game goes on, which is good. Towards the end, there will be wave after wave of enemies, and they get stronger as well. The end of the game is especially hard. It took me a few times to get it right.

The only real bad point about this game is that it is quite short (if you play a few hours a day, it will be beaten in less than a week). I loved this game so much that I really just wish it was longer, so I could enjoy it for longer. A sequel would be great in the future.

I am not sure that I would recommend this as a must buy game because of the length (15-30 hours). It is defintely a must rental for sure, and I will probably buy it myself when it drops in price a bit. The game is so good that playing it through more than once is needed.

So to sum up briefly, very amazing game that you have to play. One of the best for PS3, and all-time for that matter.

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