Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Preview
Posted on November 13th, 2007 at 8:09pm by LimeSpiderI recently had the pleasure of playing the long awaited Uncharted. Developed by Naughty Dog, who brought the likes of Jak and Daxter to the PS2, comes a more serious and realistic game which is arguably one of the more sought after titles to grace the PS3.
My preview opened with a wonderfully rendered scene showing the game engine off in all its glory, as well as canvassing the superb voice work by the characters. Naughty Dog has always been very slick with their design and implementation, with Jak and Daxter 3 being one of the finest games ever to grace the PS2, making no surprise about how this game looks and feels. The game engine is absolutely stunning, and while the graphics do not look as though they show the touted brute strength of the PS3, the animation is just too impressive for words. Drake controls well, but it is the subtlety of his movements which steal the show. Obviously similarities with Tomb Raider will be said, but Drake feels real to Lara’s somewhat OTT antics. However by in far the most impressive special effect was the water, and although again it does not have the holy grail of looking photo-realistic in real time, Drake gets wet in the most realistic manner, particularly his t-shirt, which only soaks water to the level you run him in. Again difficult to explain, but beautiful to behold.
The play through I had began with a brief tutorial before running into the game proper. The jungle looks lovely although strangely does not have the same level of effects as say Crysis, with limited movement in the foliage. It’s a shame considering the level of detail with everything else. The platforming elements that made up the first area were really wonderful, showcasing the design of the levels and also how you can approach areas. Unlike Tomb Raider where the platforms are laid out for you so you have no qualms as to how to proceed, Uncharted makes the area look realistic. So if it looks like you can climb on it, you probably can. I had a go at jumping on various areas, with most of the time having a climbing animation. Ruins are great with moss covering the sides, and where water is present shimmering realistically. This beginning part really did feel like you were in a jungle. The came the combat…
One of the things I was really looking forward to was a more serious and adult type Tomb Raider/explorer game, but sadly the demo I had only showcased this for the first third. After this the combat mechanic came into the foray, and this is where Uncharted went all Gears of War cover ducking. It’s great and works very well, but if you have played the latter game then it will come as no great shock or innovative. Sadly the large majority of the game seems like it might encompass this, instead of the platform cross breed that made Jak and Daxter 3 so deliciously enigmatic and entertaining. The guns are nice and feel meaty, and the level of claret that comes out of the bad guys looks good and was shockingly more graphic than I had expected. However for me I felt that given how many action games there are on the PS3, Uncharted could have had a chance to shine here, showing it might be doing something different.
Overall the game seems interesting and could hold a lot of promise. However with a very similar platform/action hybrid on the way in the form of Assassin’s Creed, it seems strange the Naughty Dog are choosing action over adventure when the game quite clearly leads to the latter being potentially more interesting considering the engine. However this might be due to the fact the wanted the WOW factor of guns and blood to grab peoples’ attention in the short 20min preview window. I was impressed by the look and feel, but I cannot help but say that I feel this will just be another “good PS3” game instead of one that excels. The only way to be sure is in a few weeks time when it goes on release.
LimeSpider
