Uncharted - Drake's Fortune

Title: Uncharted - Drake's Fortune
Platform Played On: PlayStation 3
Release Date: November 16, 2007
Date Played: October 2009
Time Played: 8 hours
Completed (Y/N): Yes
Score: 5/5


Opinion:
I didn't have a chance to play Uncharted (for the lack of a PS3) until right around the time Uncharted 2 was due to come out.  Having bought a PS3 for MGS4 earlier that year (June 09), I borrowed a copy of Uncharted from my friend Roger and set off to chart the uncharteds.

At a first glance I thought, hmm this is just Tomb Raider with a dude... oh how wrong was I... I should be smacked for even thinking that. Naughty Dog (developer) took the Tomb Raider idea, and completely reinvented it from the ground up.

The story is very Indiana Jones like, both in the plot and character actions. It is semi historic with some twists to make it intriguing and interesting, which is done superbly. The basic premise is that Francis Drake (a legendary English captain) found El Dorado and detailed its location in his journal. You are Nathan Drake (a descendant of Francis Drake), are a simple guy, who doesn't like to risk his neck too much, but loves the idea of getting rich by finding a treasure.  So having stumbled upon Drake's journal, you set off to find El Dorado.

Talking about Nathan Drake brings me to the next point about how Uncharted reinvented the genre. Lara Croft is a stale, big boobed, never get hurt, always kicking ass character.  Nathan Drake on the other hand is a pretty simple guy, who gets shot, beat up, and betrayed. These factors along with excellent narration and offhand comments throughout the game make drake an extremely believable and likable character. Unlike Lara Croft, you actually care about Nathan Drake.

Third facet, which is mostly due to the technological advances,  is the fact that every single texture, animation, vista, and sound are spot on. It is full of jaw dropping moments where I couldn't believe how sophisticated and realistic the scene looked.

Combination of all these qualities create an amazing and unforgettable movie like experience. At times your mind is completely absorbed by the story and visuals to the point that you say to yourself "oh, right, this is a game not a movie".

Uncharted - Drake's Fortune is an excellent game (I don't even want to call it that), its an experience that everyone that likes adventure movies (that's right adventure movies) should check out.  What I am trying to get across is that this game is not only for gamers but for those that may not even like games but like adventure movies. Good job Naughty Dog, you made a masterpiece. You showed Tomb Raider that it is not even close to its full potential.