Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

This was one of the first games I played on PS3 and I was very surprised how great it was. The climbing is great, and the player control is smooth. The visuals are beautiful and the story is unique and detailed. I was in awe of the player models and especially the incredibly realistic water effects and jungle settings. A very bright and green game-setting which is rare in todays games which all seem to prefer the GTA4 style of grey gritty worlds.

Def. buy this game, I eagerly anticipate the second.

Bought this to use as single player learning. Playing with my son and son in law, I had to learn the controller. We have played RE5 and were just sent into a time warp. My problem was trying to keep up with them. Thought this was a great way to hone my skills so I could at least help them. This game has great graphics, great story. Makes you think. I'm one that likes to gather everything. Quite challenging. Can't wait for Uncharted 2.

This is a great game, the story reminds me of something Hollywood would come up with such as treasure in a jungle, well armed locals trying to stop you, and a sidekick reporter. The graphics are top-notch for an early PS3 title and the controls are intuitive. Since this is an "Indiana Jones"-esque title, there are, of course, puzzles and traps. The health meter is also inventive in that you don't have one, the screen slowly fades to black and white as you take damage. Many of the trophies are easily obtained since the majority are acquired through weapon usage and finding treasures. Now for the bad stuff. In the beginning, the difficulty is balanced. At about halfway through the game, it jumps when the enemies have unlimited ammo and the ability to cause head shots from very far away. This can be a problem when you are being swarmed. Also, many of the later puzzles can become needlessly difficult due to the camera, but once you figure them out you can easily finish them. Overall, this is a great game with some very frustrating (as in hurl your controller against the wall) moments.

Take equal parts Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones and Gears of War and you get Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Developer Naughty Dog struck gold with this PS3 exclusive which puts you in the shoes of Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter of sorts, and sole relative to Sir Francis Drake, a great treasure hunter. Following Sir Drake's diary you will traverse exotic locals, solve puzzles, shoot it out with thieves and modern day pirates, and do a lot of platforming; and the genius thing about Uncharted is that all these aspects work seamlessly and perfectly.

First off, the cinematics, dialogue and story line are top-notch; we're talking Hollywood stuff here, stuff you would commonly see in an Indiana Jones, National Treasure, big summer blockbuster film. The dialogue delivery and the voice work is among the best ever commited to a video game.

Uncharted, though released a few years back still has some of the best looking graphics on the PS3. I am constantly wowed at how detailed and polished the graphics are. From the lush jungles to the gritty interiors; there is lots of eye candy to satisfy your graphical desires. Character models are excellent, and animations are super smooth and realistic; heck, Naughty Dog even got facial expressions down to a tee, along with eye movements. Sure, there are some hitches here and there such as pop-in, but any problems you may find are miniscule compared to the insane grahical detail. We're talking Gears of War level here.

Now, an ambitious game like Uncharted, which meshes three different types of gaming together could easily fall apart if the controls were shoddy, but thankfully they are buttery smooth. As far as the combat goes, Uncharted feels a lot like Gears of War. The game takes place in Third Person, so you get the whole over the shoulder view, which really compliments the combat. You can take cover behind objects, blind fire, hip fire as well as aim, and it all works really well; surprisingly well for a platformer. I honestly am blown away every time I engage enemies in this game because the action is so well done; Uncharted easily rivals Gears of War in this aspect. The platforming is done amazingly well also; Nate can grab onto various ledges, pipes and platforms, he can climb, hang, jump over objects, and it all handles really well. There is some puzzle solving, though its nothing you'll seriously hurt your brain over; but it'll still keep you engaged and keeps the game from being boring.

Oh yeah, there are also some driving missions to break up the shooting and platforming. There are actually two variants; you get to drive a jeep (and also get to man its guns at one point in the game), and you get to drive a Jet-Ski. Both of these driving missions are rather fun, and they control really well.

The soundtrack is very fitting for an action/adventure game, with audio cues and climaxes during intense shootouts and other action scenes. Oh, and the voice work is simply amazing; some of the best in the video game world. Nathan's witty one-liners are delivered as if they were from a top paid hollywood actor, which gives the character a realistic personality.

Overall Uncharted: Drake's Forune is a must own title for PS3 owners, and its one of those games that makes you feel good about owning said system. The PS3 has a limited number of exclusives, and Uncharted is definitely one of the better ones. With superb graphics, awesome audio, a great playing experience, and an overall package that reeks of polish and professionalism, Uncharted: Drake's fortune is an instant classic.

Dude, this game is an unbelievable surprise! It's so much fun that...well, let's just say that you're going to take two or three days and play it straight through...you WON'T be able to stop. This game is so cheap now anyway, you might as well get it!

Now, if this game is this good, can you imagine what Uncharted 2 is going to be like when it hits stores in the Fall? And have you all seen the preview for the game yet? HOLY GOD! It's looking to be a MASTERFUL upgrade!