Revisiting Uncharted

Kube00 Says: Uncharted is by far one of the best new IPs to come out for the PS3. It is also one of the best looking games on the PS3, to this date. Following its release in 2007 I ignored it in favor of Assassin’s Creed due to the fact that I saw Uncharted as no more than another Tomb Raider clone. So instead using my shrewd bargaining skills, I traded in a bunch of PS2 games and using credit at my local Hastings Entertainment Store, I snagged Assassin’s Creed. Big mistake, although Assassin’s Creed had been super hyped by Ubisoft and looked cool, after about five hours I was beyond bored and it was tossed aside like yesterday’s trash. About a month later, I traded someone on craigslist for my copy of Assassin’s Creed for their copy of Uncharted. I soon discovered I got the better deal and I sat down and played straight through the game, which is rare for me to do.

Uncharted was developed by Naughty God, the guys behind the Jax and Daxter series. Uncharted is as much of an action/adventure game as Tomb Raider is, minus the girl, the bad controls, and the complicated puzzles. The game revolves around small puzzles, gorgeous environments with vivid color jungle/temple/cavern/ruins/water effects, and a twisting plot. The killing system, which features your fists and firepower, doesn’t get old. The action is simple: duck-and-cover, blast, sneak up on your enemies; or better yet, hit them with a brutal melee combo while gunfire peppers the ruins around you.

Throughout your adventure things get tossed in the mixed, there’s a rail shooter opportunity in a jeep, as well as a frantic splashdown jetski ride. The puzzles are never more then pull this, push this, or destroy this; most of them take about 30 seconds to do. I would say the game forces more on the action, and the story, which is told through very good looking in-game cinematics. Speaking of which, the associated wiki has this to say about the story, “… the game charts the journey of protagonist Nathan Drake, supposed descendant of the explorer Sir Francis Drake, as he seeks the lost treasure of El Dorado, with the help of friend Victor "Sully" Sullivan and journalist Elena Fisher...” Bit of a spoiler for fun: Sully ends up betraying you later in the game; oh the things some of us will do for money.

Although the game is short, you can beat it in 8-10 hrs, it’s worth at least 2 replays for the stuff one can unlock; new weapons, costumes for Drake and for the enemies, color tints, artworks, cinematics, etc. With the recent addition of trophies there are at least a few reasons to get back into the game.

The sequel was announced earlier this year and it looks even better with more action. It’s titled Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. It looks to hit shelves in fall of 2009. Although Uncharted is worth 750 Goozex points, and the line is long, do yourself a favor and get this game. It is a must have for PS3 owners everywhere.