Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Voices of: Nolan North, Emily Rose, Richard McGonagle, Simon Templeman, Robin Atkin Downes, James Sie, Fred Tatasciore
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Directed by: Amy Hennig
Rating: T
Genre: Action-adventure
System: Playstation 3
2007

Times Completed:
Tim: 1

Summary: Nathan Drake embarks on a globe-spanning adventure to find the lost city of El Dorado.

Review:
Tim: I'm a huge fan of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. This game delivers a wonderfully fun adventure story, a globe-spanning treasure hunt, while establishing memorable characters and providing players with some amazing action sequences. I know some people complain when it feels like you're "playing" a movie, but I loved the experience here. This game truly feels cinematic and I was as interested in the story and characters as any of the gameplay. In short, I had a total blast with this game and I loved it.

Naughty Dog is one of the premier video game developers in my mind. The way they focus first on story and character is a lesson for all other developers. In this case, we get to know Nathan Drake, an extremely cool treasure hunter, a descendant of Sir Francis Drake. He's in the same vein as Indiana Jones, but certainly his own character. His mentor is Victor "Sully" Sullivan, a memorable rascally character. I loved stepping into this world and learning about these characters. They are on a memorable, twisting, surprising journey to find El Dorado. What that actually is, the mystery behind it, why it was hidden from the world- that's immensely fun to figure out. I got caught up in the adventure and wanting to figure it all out. It's so much fun to step into this adventurer's shoes and experience this wild ride.

The game delivers so many unforgettable moments, too. While much of the game is a third-person shooter, the platforming aspects were some of the most fun- to solve puzzles and figure out how to get Nate where he needed to go, really engaged the mind. One of the highlights is the jeep shooting- Elena is driving and Drake has to shoot bad guys along the way. It really felt like you were playing a movie during that sequence. Climbing up fortresses, the boat and jet ski sequences- there's so much action and adventure packed into this game that the time just flew by. I wouldn't say it was especially easy- there's some really challenging sequences. However, you're typically having so much fun that it didn't feel like a chore to figure out how to survive and advance the story.

One thing that did feel like a chore was collecting the treasures. There's 60 to collect and they are a real pain to find. I played a few levels and realized I missed nearly all of them. I have to admit, as much as I loved this game, I wasn't going to replay levels searching in plants for a faint glimmer to find the treasures myself. I was interesting in seeing where they were hidden, so I used a guide in each level. This might be considered cheating by some- but I'm fully transparent that the majority of the treasures, I used a guide to find. I still got to find them all, but I didn't have to replay levels in perpetuity. That allowed me to focus more on the story and the characters. I had a much better playing experience this way. I do wonder how I'd approach this in future games. It was annoying to have to use a guide and the rewards for finding the treasures felt minuscule. I might skip in them in the future, honestly.

I do want to touch once more upon the character of Nathan Drake. I found him so human and relatable. The banter he has with other characters, his flaws- he's such an engaging protagonist. I found I loved playing as him and seeing what he would do next. This is one of the harder challenges in video games, but Naughty Dog creates an iconic adventurer here. I'd put Drake up there with the best characters in this genre.

One other thing I liked about this game- there's no onscreen health bar. So, as you're playing, if you take damage, the color starts to seep out of the screen. That's your indicator that Drake is near death. You need to huddle up, safe from damage and let the color come back. I thought this was a very clever and cool way to communicate your status.

As I've said, I had so much fun playing Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. It was like playing a movie, and it establishes a wild adventure and memorable, likeable characters. This game has its flaws, but it was still a fun and exciting experience.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Game, We Recommend: Tomb Raider, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, The Last of Us