Game Reviews: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Review

October 11th, 2014

              While I rarely get to modern games there’s a certain system I want to dive into that has a flagship title in the Uncharted series so it was time to get this one done, more on that system in the future. As for Uncharted, where do I stand? After all this time and hype toward these games, Sony going so far as to make them a mascot of sorts, alongside many other exclusives, it has remained one of the big Sony franchises and doesn’t look to be stopping soon with a 4 on the PS4 I can only assume it will go on indefinitely like Metal Gear even long after the end they’ll make up something to get you to buy the next one. Anyways, let’s get to the game shall we?

                Ever wanted to be a treasure hunter like Ben Gates or Indiana Jones? This is the game for you. The story and characters on display here are exactly those display in such a movie, the adventurer, the girl, the elderly wiseman, and the villain. Motives are little more than to find a giant golden statue and hopefully some treasure to pay off a debt Sully has. Drake, the main character, is likable enough. He is for all intensive purposes Indy or Ben, has the charisma, the comedy, and the skills. The other main characters are all fine and welcome additions that aren’t too intrusive and usually are competent enough. In typical Naughty Dog fashion you don’t have to worry about them dying in combat or anything they only exist to aid you. This is a huge plus. Also, they know how to kill enemies and will do so.

                Let me just get it out there that this game initially rubbed me the wrong way. Why? Well, I made a fatal mistake prior to playing this series. Last Christmas I got the brilliant and beloved character driven and stealth oriented game The Last of Us. Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t fuck around when it comes to playing games in order. How was I to know that the same mechanics that game used were refined to make a superior control system later on? I didn’t think it essential to do these games first and that’s my fault. That being said, going back to a clunkier system were the stealth mechanics are next to nonexistent and the cover system only allows clinging to some walls versus ducking or hiding literally anywhere is a very hard transition to make.  Nevertheless I stepped down a notch and buckled in.

                As I said initially combat was met with frustration. I wasn’t a fan of Halo mechanics to where if I was out of sight I’d just heal again, that was rather frustrating. With time these gripes became bearable though as eventually I got used to how everything worked. I was really scared going in though that I’d come out of  this game with disappointment that it didn’t control as well as The Last of Us, that it would have aged badly given the new strides that game made. I’m happy to report his not be the case though. I think now I can still appreciate the origins of these controls and if they really only progress in the next game like everyone says they will then that will be a minor complaint. In the end I lost a fair number of lives in anger at times when I barely messed up but I adjusted and can now forgive it’s short comings. I’ve seen how it’s a different game obviously.

                In terms of combat, the two gun system was limiting and made for some good, tense decision making. Enemies tend to take a lot of hits which is ok I guess but you take so few that it really is a game of strategizing how and when to strike. The hand to hand stuff was also very poorly implemented in my opinion. It wasn’t a huge part of the game so it’s fine but at the same time its worth mentioning Naughty Dog nailed in later on. Everything they had going was good but a little unpolished.

                Another thing that bothered me was the platforming and at time the control sensitivity in general I would say. It was a cool gimmick to be jumping on different ledges and scaling castles and what not but tell me this, what is the challenge there? To know where to go and not slip on your jumps and that’s it. It felt sloppy at times especially with those damn vines that if you weren’t a hundred percent accurate and were off by centimeters it wouldn’t grab the next ledge and you’d fall to your death. There is a certain rush associated with scaling all of the areas you do but for me this was honestly the cheapest part of the game. It’s not bad but I didn’t always care for it. It felt like I wasn’t really doing anything and it was just there to progress the area and look cool. The only reason this is often worth it is discover secrets anyway which are usually treasures which don’t do much but are fun to collect regardless although most are incredibly well hidden.

                Though I can’t fault this game on its presentation. This was a solid A all around. The landscapes and buildings were well crafted and look good visually for their time. The story while cliché and kind of a parody on the big adventure/ treasure hunting movies really worked and I was always invested until the end. Just the fact that you’re hunting for treasure is great and all the clues make it feel closer and closer. It’s the same feeling you get in National Treasure when they find the next clue and the mystery progresses. Speaking of which the similarities between this and National Treasure are a bit striking to say the least. Since this came out in 2007 I’m assuming they took a lot of inspiration from that movie. The part with the statue also feels a lot like the Lost Arc in Raiders. To kick off this franchise, the story was good. Not to forget the incredibly intense and perfect mood setting atmospheric soundtrack that makes you feel like you really are on an adrenaline filled treasure hunt. A grand and sweeping score guaranteed to work to the scene it’s cover.  It’s that National Treasure vibe that makes you feel the history and intensity of the action. Speaking of intensity, shout out to that part near the end where the game attempts a bit of a different genre, really tense that part, so tense they even refined that and made it part of The Last of Us.

                 At the end of the day, I can’t be too hard on this one. The second half really did get me a lot more than the first and I always wanted to keep playing so there’s that. I know I’ve been giving it a hard time and comparing it to The Last of Us because the mechanics are similar but it’s a fun game in its own right. While the combat and platforming could have used some tweaking, it wasn’t honestly that hard. For an action game it actually even delves into a lot of other genres: platforming, horror, racing, and adventure to name a few. It’s a unique game in the fact that we haven’t had a lot of games that have done a large scale treasure hunt with a cinematic angle yet. There’s something about controlling Drake through that that is awesome. Perhaps because I feel like I’m there or because I’m solving the puzzles and stopping the bad guys but it’s all good fun. In the end this game is very solid, earning a 7.5/10 for me. Looking forward to that sequel.