The intro-
I always love a great adventure story from Indiana Jones to Tomb Raider there is something about these stories that really get you, the viewer or player, immersed. The search for something of value, unlocking a mystery and beating the bad guys to the treasure is always appealing. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune falls right into this category and does an amazing job of immersing the player into a really intriguing story. On the surface Uncharted is basically Tomb Raider with a dude - or as my roommate called it: Dude-Raider. Underneath that gimmicky looking surface is a game that backs up its hype with a solid story and addictive gameplay. 

The good-
For titles like this to be great they need an involved and well paced story. Uncharted covers that with a treasure hunt that dips into real world history making it that much more interesting and engaging than it would be if all of it was fictional. The folks at Naughty Dog have also managed to create and almost perfect pacing to the game. At the hardest level - it's challenging but not obnoxious allowing a player to move through the game at a decent pace, progressing enough to keep you hooked. Uncharted falls in around 11 hours on the hardest level if you actually take the time and look for hidden items. The length alone is not that impressive, but everything else makes up for it. Graphically speaking Uncharted...well pretty much uncharted- they've managed to render some of the most impressive water effects ever rendered. The character animations are great - although at times too much (see: bad) - as a PS3 first round title they really show what the system is capable of doing. Environments look amazing - and the physics engine falls right into place, making these environments look and feel alive. Personal favorite touch - the quick switch over the should view - thank you. Replay value is moderate with various unlockable and hidden items - enough to make it interesting - although I find that once finishing an epic story like this it's tough to want to go back, but that's just me. As an added bonus you can unlock very cool 'making of videos' as you gain more rewards - nice touch and thanks to blu-ray it's very smooth and crystal clear.

The Bad-
I don't know many FPS or Third person shooters that have really figured this out yet, RSV has a decent system in place, but the cover system is weak and at times non-functioning and completely annoying. This single button auto-stick to surfaces thing is not working. Although the character animations are great - it's almost as if the physics engine takes over too much when shooting a baddie. Who gets shot and flails their arms up then stays still for a second then gets flung about 20ft away on a second shot - not me. Could be the way they wanted it - or could be an over sensitive physics engine - either way it gets a next-gen lame.

The Ugly-
I don't know what kind of bullet proof vests these guys were wearing but 4 shotgun shots or unloading an AK-47 on an opponent should take him down. Nothing more annoying when you make two great hits - and the guy is still standing. 


The End-
Overall Uncharted is on the perfect game level. Between the great story, amazing graphics, gameplay - even with it's so-so cover system, and pacing - Uncharted lands itself on the top end of this gen games. It has set a bar and hopefully the sequel can at minimum meet that - because even then it would still be a great title.