Game reviews: Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – 68

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is a third-person RPG/shooter/platformer that bears more than a passing resemblance to Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom and, of course, Far Cry – and that’s a good thing.

As Nathan Drake, a descendant of the Spaniard-spanking Sir Francis, you set off looking for treasure supposedly found by your ancient ancestor. Where Drake’s Fortune could have been a brain-dead jump, shoot and solve title, I was pleasantly surprised by its rich storyline, which saw me in a boat searching for Francis Drake’s coffin and ending up in El Dorado via an array of eclectic and incredibly detailed locations.

The in-game puzzles are a welcome distraction from shooting, jumping, running and fighting, even occasionally proving to be somewhat challenging (fortunately, the designers built in helpful visual hints for idiots like me). Throughout much of Drake’s Fortune you’ll be severely outnumbered and definitely outgunned. Thankfully, a documentary-making, gun-toting woman by the name of Elena Fisher decides to tag along, often providing cover fire (which helped no end as I was frequently cornered while running out of ammo). Speaking of weapons, Drake’s Fortune only allows you to carry two weapons at once. These were usually a combination of a pistol or machine gun, a sniper rifle and my personal favourite, the shotgun. Running out of ammo was a common occurrence and I quickly became pretty good at unarmed combat and sneaking up and beating the crap out of unsuspecting enemies.

As you’d expect with a second-generation PS3 title, Drake’s Fortune takes full advantage of the console’s raw horsepower to produce stunning environmental effects and jaw-dropping graphics. Wading through water gives our hero wet clothes (which gradually dry). Blasting objects with the shotgun was a lot of fun, but I quickly discovered the hard way that destroying my only cover was definitely a bad idea. Textures, lighting and atmospheric effects all add up to make Drake’s Fortune a real high-def treat in 1080p, especially in jungle levels where lush 3D vegetation drives the pixel count through the roof. Cool dynamic reflection effects made water features look stunning, too.

Nathan’s movements are also incredibly lifelike and even had me feeling for him on several occasions. Several times I missed while attempting to punch the snot out of a baddy and found myself stumbling off balance (getting my ass kicked in the process). Under fire, Nathan looked genuinely pissed off, while strenuous activities such as climbing or swinging from a ledge had him straining with effort.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune isn’t exactly original but it is superbly executed. Thanks to an engrossing gaming environment, a reasonably believable story and lifelike characters, game play borders on the cinematic and genuinely addictive. Could it be that the PS3 finally has a must-own title?

Written by: PAT PILCHER