 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | Naughty Dog |
| Publisher: | SCEA | |
| Genre: | Adventure | |
| ESRB: | Teen | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | HDTV 720p/1080i | |
| Buy Now: |   |
Naughty Dog has propped up Sony’s other first-party efforts for some time now. On the original PlayStation, the company was still a third-party developer when it produced Crash Bandicoot…and instantly gave the console a bonafide mascot that easily held his own against Mario and Sonic. After Sony bought Naughty Dog, the Jak franchise was one of the PS2’s defining franchises and yet another viable mascot, even if the console itself needed it less than before. Now, with Sony’s PS3 thus far failing to connect with the masses, Naughty Dog has been called upon yet again to deliver a hit exclusive. Once again, Naughty Dog has delivered another stunner, and perhaps the PS3’s greatest exclusive to date.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is a big-budget romp from beginning to end, designed to mimic the best pulp adventure movies of modern times (such as the Indiana Jones trilogy) with memorable characters, dramatic sequences, impressive environments, and plenty of action. It stars the dashing Nathan Drake, purported ancestor of the legendary Sir Francis Drake. While Nate was designed to represent the everyman, his male model looks, chiseled chin, amazing dexterity, and deadly accuracy with several types of weapons suggest otherwise despite occasional clumsiness. If this truly is Naughty Dog’s idea of the everyman, then no doubt millions of eligible bachelorettes are stalking Naughty Dog HQ right this very moment.
The story begins with Nate on a boat in the middle of the ocean, looking for the coffin of his prominent ancestor. Along for the ride is TV reporter Elena, a cute and spunky blond that’s actually legitimately proportioned for a change, which in itself is a rarity in the video game world. While Nate and Elena don’t actually find Sir Francis’ body in the coffin, they do find his diary, and that sets them out on a wild adventure in search of his lost treasure. Although the player takes on the role of Nate, he will frequently partner up with Elena in addition to good buddy Victor Sullivan, a cigar-chomping middle-aged treasure hunter with debtors (the bad, gun-wielding kind) on his tail that acts as Nate’s mentor.
The storyline is rollicking from beginning to end, as Nate and friends find themselves getting into and out of sticky situations time and time again. Nate isn’t quite perfect despite his looks, and he does make a mistake or two along the way that gets him in hot water. The storyline features a very interesting script that keeps the game moving along at a brisk pace, although the liberal “borrowing” of plot devices from other sources (most notably the Indiana Jones trilogy) had me rolling my eyes on several occasions. This was particularly bad towards the end of the game, when I was able to predict virtually everything that happened both before and after the final boss fight.
Despite some clichés, more than anything Uncharted’s storyline works thanks to the strong characters that drive it. All of the characters speak frequently when they’re on-screen, for example with Nate and Sullivan trading one-liners as the player explores the game world. Nate himself is given plenty of backstory while not filling in every blank, and Elena is brought to life well as a young and ambitious journalist (and natural love interest) that’s there to encourage him when he doubts himself. Meanwhile, Sullivan holds his own against the best middle-aged gruff heroes the movie industry has ever produced, and the villains are given just enough time to properly make the player want to take them out. Speaking of which, this game thankfully doesn’t follow the very bad trend of taking the cheap “to be continued” route with its ending that many recent games have, wrapping up this game’s storyline nicely while leaving things open for the inevitable sequel.
Posted: 2008-01-21 16:47:27 PST