So I started playing Uncharted:Drake's Fortune last night, and I have to say, I had a great fucking time. I've logged about 4 hours on the game so far, and I haven't gotten bored yet. I'm quite picky about my games, so that's pretty rare for me.

The game started off with a bang. We find our hero Nathan Drake and a female reporter on a boat, about to open the empty coffin of Sir Francis Drake, who the main character believes to be his ancestor. Then, the pirates show up. Suffice to say, they aren't very nice to you. So you and your companion bust out the guns and have a nice old shootout. It's a nice introduction to the game, although for some of the less skilled players out there it could be a bit much.

As many of you may know, the game features an over the shoulder shooting mechanic, drawing inspiration from both Gears of War and Resident Evil 4. Some may not like the real lack of originality, but Uncharted is different enough to feel a bit fresh. Besides, what 3rd Person Shooter isn't raping those games just a little bit? Sometimes, derivative can be good. While not as exciting or polished as Resident Evil 4 or GoW, it's still provides some fun and engaging gameplal. It never got repetitive for me, even though the game throws a ton of enemies at you over and over again. It can get a bit hectic, but that's where the cover system comes into play.

Again, using a similar approach to GoW, Uncharted utilizes a basic cover system by pressing the O button on the PS3 controller. You can duck if the wall is low, lean out and pop pirates with a satisfying headshot, and can also switch over to both Nathans left or right shoulder, helping to once again get a better shot.



In terms of platforming, it's easy to see why many people have called the game Dude Raider. Lots of climbing walls and rocks, jumping from ledge to ledge, swinging on vines and stuff like that. There are also some context sensitive sequences that are used effectively overall. Again, derivative but different. After all, this is Naughty Dog folks. You can always expect finely tuned gameplay mechanics and lots of polish from them. Personally, I feel the platforming easily bests Tomb Raider. I can't really put a finger on why, but it's far more engaging than Lara's game.

Last but certainly not least, Uncharted features some beautiful graphics. This is already evident in screenshots and the like, but seeing the game in motion and actually controlling what you see is a joy to experience. The animations are for the most part silky smooth and the enemies react and move realistically when attacked, be it by gunshot or one of Nathan's simple but effective physical attacks. The environments are beautiful looking, and you'll enjoy looking at your surroundings thank to some great art direction. Everything looks authentic and how you would expect. Overall, very pleasing to the eyes.

As I said before, I only played for about 4 hours, but those 4 hours have been action packed and a ton of fun. Heck, even my wife enjoyed watching me play. As for wether or not the game continues to keep my interest all the way through, I'll be sure to write up a review when I'm done. I've hear the game can take anywhere from 8 to 12 hours, which honestly is completely fine with me. I don't have as much time to play games these days, so if a game is short but a lot of fun then it's worth a purchase to me.

In my opinion, this is the first game that validates my $600 purchase and makes me feel like I'm getting my moneys worth. I can't wait to get back to playing it.