Imagine for a second a game that has a storyline similar to that of Tomb Raider and gameplay that is like Gears of War. Meet Naughty Dog’s Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. A game which is filled with exciting set pieces, real cinematic scope and some of the most breathtaking visuals you’ll see for a PlayStation 3 exclusive.

You play as a Nathan Drake, an independent adventurer with a sarcastic sense of humor and claims to be the descendent of Sir Francis Drake. That fact figures prominently in the narrative as you go on an adventure in search for an ancient relic believed to be hidden somewhere on an uncharted tropical island. Along with your character you’ll be with Sully, a cigar-chomping fellow with a taste of trouble; and a young lovely woman by the name of Elena, a confident TV report who splits her time to be your friend as well as a damsel in distress. Nathan will meet some villains on his journey, such as his British counterpart and some belligerent pirates.

Most of Drake’s Fortune takes place in jungle environments and a wide range of ancient ruins, which the game renders with nearly photorealistic level of detail. Plants will sway in the breeze, water will trickle, and a lot of the textures really look like they have texture to them.

The animations for Nathan are well developed. He will do a half-step when traveling on uneven terrain, and you’ll notice him flinch when a bullet gets to close for comfort. His arms will flail during a big jump, and afterward he’ll dangle unsteadily by one hand on the edge he was aiming for. When Nathan gets into fistfights he seemingly performs impossible aerobatic tasks with ease, and the animation gives him a real sense of imperfection. There are some amazing facial animations, which you’ll be able to see during cut scenes, and occasionally a glimpse of it during gameplay. When a grenade lands next to Nathan’s feet, you can notice the fear within his eyes.

The music in Uncharted goes hand in hand with the combat. Usually in the game when you are walking through the lush jungles all you hear is the wilderness, but when music starts that’s an indicator that a firefight is about to begin. The noise of birds and leaves are definite. The weapon fire has a real clap to it and the voice cast nails the characterizations. You’ll hear Nathan mutter to himself to try to calm himself down as well as the muffled ring you hear when an explosion is nearby.

Combat in Drake’s Fortune unfortunately consists of gunfights, and you’ll be using shotguns, handguns, assault rifles and grenade launchers. Nathan isn’t your average tough guy. It only takes roughly two shots before you start to notice the screen becoming rather red. Your enemies however takes practically a whole clip from an assault rifle before they go down. Headshots will make combat a lot easier, oddly enough the pistol is more effective than a sniper rifle, even from a large distance away.

Enemies in Uncharted are intelligent, if you are in one place for a while, they will flank you. Some gunfights can be frustrating, wave upon wave of enemies who can flank you while in cover and take almost twice as much damage then you can. A good combination hand-to-hand combat can be very helpful when dealing with the enemies that flank you. You’ll find yourself fist-clenching you controller as you cuss away at the game because you will most certainly be frustrated with some of the combat in Uncharted.

Uncharted Drake’s Fortune can be beaten in roughly seven to nine hours depending upon your gaming style. Beside getting frustrated with the combat of Uncharted, the game is put together well. The graphics are gorgeous and the voice casting is outstanding. Give Uncharted a try!

RATING: (9.0/10)

Gameplay: A-

Storyline: A-

Sound: A-

Graphics: A

Replay Value: High

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

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Uncharted: Drakes Fortune