RipTen Videogame Blog » Nathan-Drake

Are Sony’s Mascots Coming Together for an Epic Battle at the VGAs?

Justin Carter — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 18:10:18 +0000

Something that I’ve always respected about Sony is that they’ve put out at least four great franchises for their consoles. Back in the good ol’ PS2 era, we had Ratchet, Jak, Sly, Kratos, and Sweet Tooth. This generation, we’ve got Nathan Drake, Sackboy, Cole McGrath and Nathan Hale. The only thing missing from Sony’s franchises is the chance to get them all together and pit them against each other to see who would win Smash Bros. Style.

According to the Pale Gale Network (this guy is some kind of Know-It-All), Sony’s getting ready to change that. With the help of Superbot Entertainment, a new indie development studio, Sony’s going to pit all their mascots together in a bloodbath and see who’ll come out on top. The roster will feature characters above like Kratos and Sly Cooper, along with others like Sweet Tooth from Twisted Metal, and maybe even James Bond. The only downside is the rumored name: Title Fight. Meh.

PGN also says that the “To Michael!” commercial from October was meant as a tie-in to this game due to SuperBot’s Chris Molina tweeting up a storm about it. The tweets have since been deleted as has his Twitter account. SUSPICIOUS.

We also know that a big PS3 exclusive is being revealed at Spike TV’s Video Game Awards next week. Could Title Fight be it?

RipTen will be live at the VGAs to find out.

Sony hasn’t responded at the moment, but we’ll keep you posted if and when they do. In the meantime, who do you think would win in a fight between all the Playstation mascots? I know a lot of people would think Kratos, but I’d put money on Cole. He can just call down a lightning storm, bitches.

Source: [PGN] via [GameInformer]

RipTen Review: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3)

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:00:57 +0000

For anyone with a PlayStation 3, Uncharted 3 has been one of the most anticipated games of the year and for good reason. Uncharted and more specifically Uncharted 2: Among Thieves flat out rocked. Uncharted 2 especially delivered the perfect blend of varied and engaging gameplay mixed with an engrossing story and top notch presentation. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to consider U2 a masterpiece as it won near unanimous GOTY awards back in 2009. Obviously, Drake’s Deception has large shoes to fill and herein lies the problem many people will undoubtedly encounter – how do you rate a sequel to a game many considered perfect? Furthermore, what if Uncharted 3 falls short of expectations?

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception tackles a few of the major questions fans of the series have had for years, namely who is Nathan Drake and how did he meet his friend and mentor, Victor Sullivan? Drake has always been a whimsical and charming adventurer in the vain of his apparent inspiration, Indiana Jones and in a style very similar to Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, we finally get to learn a bit about the origins of this iconic gaming character. While the game does not go into great detail, it does get quite ambitious and stands as a testament to the story’s depth provided to us by Naughty Dog creative director Amy Hennig.

You're In Over Your Head, Kid.

The story is also a bit darker than that of its predecessors. Instead of Drake’s usual motivation of getting the priceless relic for profit or simply keeping it out of the hands of the villains, Drake’s motives are deliberately never very clear. This lack of clarity is addressed by a few of the main characters who openly question his motives on whether the costs of this latest and greatest adventure are outweighed by the benefits. The quest itself is grand in scale and involves following the footsteps of both Sir Francis Drake and T.E. Lawrence. Indiana Jones would be proud and George Lucas should take note.

The added complexity of the story extends to the characters as well. While we’ve met many of these characters before, they often fall into two categories: the happy sometimes reluctant adventurers, or the diabolical villain. Drake’s Deception adds needed depth to these archetypes. What is behind Drake’s and Sully’s relationship? Why does Nathan and Elena’s relationship never seem to have that happy ending? The way these characters relate to each other is far more realistic than before and it definitely adds to the player’s emotional attachment.

Not So Fast, Nate.

The antagonists are equally more compelling. In Uncharted 3 we are introduced to Katherine Marlowe. Katherine is sophisticated, cold, calculating and definitely has a past with our heroes. She is never portrayed as particularly evil and is never given the obligatory villain hate scene. She has such meaningful dialog with Drake and Sully that at times makes you wonder about thier motivations. Her sidekick Talbot never reaches her level of complexity but is a suitably sophisticated professional killer who comes across as both menacing yet slightly feminine. A character you can easily see giving James Bond a difficult time.

As great as characters and story are, they do not make or break a video game. Let’s face it, no one played Uncharted 2 for the characterizations. It was mostly celebrated for it’s killer gameplay and creating action sequences more grand and pulse pounding than anything you’d expect to see in a summer blockbuster. The train mission alone provided such a sense of shock and awe that even friends of mine who don’t play video games enjoyed just watching me play it. Hell, it was playing that mission at a friend’s house that inspired me to get a PS3 (or want one for Christmas – Thanks Marni!) at a time when I was a self confessed Xbot. Ask me, I know you want to. Does Uncharted 3 have any more of these “holy shit” missions? My answer is an emphatic “HELL YEAH”!

Get Offa My Boat

There is one mission which starts with Nathan Drake’s interrogation in the hull of a ship. As Drake you escape from your interrogators only to realize you were on a derelict ship and in the middle of a ginormous ship graveyard crawling with pirates. You can climb, swim, take cover and commandeer turrets as you fight waves upon waves of enemies. While I’m sure there’s a way to sneak through with silent kills and discretion, it would probably involve some deep planning – besides it’s more fun to slug it out anyway.

This battle is not the highlight of the sequence either, after working your way through this graveyard you eventually get to a converted cruise ship. As you fight on this ship it is rocked by a serious storm that throws both enemies and cover across the deck with each crashing wave. Eventually you get to the point where you relive a few of the events taken straight out of The Poseidon Adventure (the 1972 classic, I’ve never seen the newer one) and these scenes are simply breathtaking and easily stand among the most memorable in video game history.

New Uncharted 3 Video Highlights ‘Play, Create, Share’

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:30:00 +0000

The latest video by Naughty-Dog explains how the phrase ‘Play, Create, Share’ applies to Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception multiplayer.

Among the features include taunting, customizing characters (including clothing and voice options) and creating a personal emblum. During multiplayer if you are dominating, your emblum will appear in game. At level 10, players can unlock Drake.

Check out the video to get a more detailed picture.

Uncharted 3 releases November 1st.

The Real “Indiana Jones” Plays Uncharted 3 In Japanese Commercial

Garrett Hartman — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:40:31 +0000

You’ve got to hand it to the Japanese. Their ability to get A-list US actors to star in commercials is both entertaining and surreal. And who wouldn’t like to see Indiana Jones (Harrision Ford) playing Uncharted 3?

Of course it’s not groundbreaking and Ford is without his trademarked fedora but you get the idea.

Harrison seemed to be having a difficult time. Perhaps someone from Sony could have turned his controller on.

Comparing the Uncharted series to Indiana Jones is definitely not new (duh) check out this Italian Uncharted 2 commerical where a familiar theme song pipes in about halfway through.

I’m not sure if this one is official, but it sure was enjoyable.

New Uncharted 3 Multiplayer Trailer Discuses the Buddy System and Treasures

Garrett Hartman — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:18:20 +0000

Sony and Naughty Dog have released a new Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception trailer in which they discuss the “buddy system” and treasures. Among the more intersting things discussed are the “high fives”.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception releases November 1st. Watch the trailer below.

Uncharted 3 – Exciting New Gamescom Trailer and Stunning New Screens

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 22:35:10 +0000

Uncharted 3 is coming and you can smell the HYPE! Developer Naughty-Dog is pulling all the stops to make sure Nathan Drake’s newest adventure lives up to the aforementioned hype when the game releases November 1st.

Check out the new Gamescom 2011 Trailer and 20+ new pixel busting screens below.

New Trailer for ‘Uncharted: Golden Abyss’ Shows Off Cool PS Vita Tricks

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 22:12:06 +0000

Just as the title says, this new Trailer shows off some interesting PS Vita gameplay tricks used in playing Uncharted: Golden Abyss.

What kinda tricks? Well, let’s say strumming the back of the Vita to make Nathan Drake climb and when switching to sniper mode positioning the Vita itself to squeeze off that perfect shot. Definitely the type of innovation to give the 3DS some competition. You’ll have to see it for yourself.

Check out these tricks in the trailer below.

Walberg Claims He is Nathan Drake, also Confirms Pesci, De Niro

Garrett Hartman — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 05:23:30 +0000

Drake’s Deception? Walberg claims he is Nathan Drake and confirms Joe Pesci and Robert Deniro.

In an interview with Moviehole, Mark Walhberg answered questions about the Uncharted Movie:

“David O. Russell is writing right now and hopes to direct,” said Wahlberg. “It’s myself, Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro.”

Recent deceptive reports claimed Wahlberg might not be the only option for Drake’s role and the Pesci and Deniro’s involvement in the project was speculation.

Sorry Nathan Fillion fans, It seems Marky Mark is likely Nathan Drake.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Trailer and Official Release Date

Stephanie Gutowski — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 03:02:43 +0000

The Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception debuted tonight featuring all in-engine footage. Nathan Drake, stuck in a desert. This will end well, of course. It always does.

11-1-11. It’s coming.

Uncharted 3 Screens, Boxart and Even More Details

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 21:09:33 +0000

Feels like today is Uncharted 3 Day, but something tells me Saturday may be even bigger. After Geoff Keighley’s tweet and a release of plot details many believed that was all we’d get today – they were wrong. We’ve got more details, screens and boxart.

Info Courtesy of @PlayStationTEAM

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is pleased to unveil the latest instalment in the multimillion-selling action adventure franchise, UNCHARTED. Developed exclusively for PlayStation(R)3 [PS3TM] by the team at Naughty Dog Inc., UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s DeceptionTM blurs the entertainment boundaries, delivering the cinematic scale, adrenalin rushes, thrills and mystery that are the UNCHARTED trademark; together with its unique and enhanced multiplayer experience.

Fans of the franchise and newcomers alike will relish the opportunity to catapult themselves headlong into a real adventure, in a search for the fabled “Atlantis of the Sands.” The journey propels fortune hunter Nathan Drake on a daring trek into the heart of the Arabian Desert, a journey that pits him and his mentor Victor Sullivan against the occult treachery of a shadowy clandestine organization and its ruthless leader. When the terrible secrets of this lost city are unearthed, Drake’s quest descends into a desperate bid for survival that strains the limits of his endurance and forces him to confront his deepest fears.

Key Features:

Bigger set pieces and more explosive adventure, driven by Naughty Dog’s signature storytelling and cinematic presentation. Competitive and co-op multiplayer return with brand new experiences and massively expanded feature sets. The UNCHARTED universe provides online players with a unique Action Adventure multiplayer experience, bringing the cinematic elements of the single-player campaign into multiplayer. Nathan Drake can now take on opponents in more ways than before: hand-to-hand combat with multiple opponents, contextual melee attacks, and new stealth options. UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception also features expanded and diverse traversal moves with deep gunplay. Naughty Dog introduces new physics, visuals, and environmental effects. UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception features new innovations in sand, fire, smoke, and water dynamics and effects. UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception will be playable in Stereoscopic 3D.

With its award-winning storytelling, blockbuster cinematic action sequences, immersive high resolution 3D and stunning environmental detail and effects, UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception is the chance to lose yourself in the world of Nathan Drake – and to experience the true power of PlayStation 3.

-END-

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Confirmed for Late 2011 With Story and Setting Details

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 15:28:14 +0000

Thanks to a tweet from GTTV’s Geoff Keighley and details from Entertainment Weekly, we now know that Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception will be officially unveiled this Saturday at the VGA’s and quite a lot of details.

Plot
Uncharted 3 will be about Deception. With “Drake doing the deceiving to Drake being deceived to some mysterious deception about Drake’s very identity” (sounds complicated). The story will focus on Nathan’s relationship with mentor Victor Sullivan as they search for a legendary lost city known as “Iram of the Pillars” and the “Atlantis of the Sands” and will take player through the wasteland Rub’ al Khali Desert.

The story will connect to reality with a backstory involving ancestor Sir Francis Drake and Lawrence of Arabia’s T.E. Lawrence.

Setting
As was mentioned earlier, Uncharted 3 will take place mainly in the Arabian Peninsula presenting new technical challenges to developers Naughty Dog in dealing with water, fire and sand.

Gameplay and Multiplayer
Drake’s Deception will feature several new gameplay enhancements including “backward climbing” and the ability to fight “multiple baddies” at once.

Online and Co-op will be getting a makeover creating a market for additional DLC. More details are expected to be revealed soon.

“We want to take on the big boys of the multi-player genre, it has become something here at Naughty Dog that will become an important part to all our games.”

Release Date
No specifics have been given but it’s expected to be released around the same time that the first Nathan Drake novel, Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth as part of an effort to make Uncharted a “transmedia” entertainment brand.

We’ll give you more details as they come, but it would be a good idea to watch the VGA’s on Spike TV this Saturday Night!

Mark Wahlberg To Play Nathan Drake in ‘Uncharted’ Film

Dave Ernst — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:54:57 +0000

It looks like the Uncharted movie is finally coming together as it’s script is currently being written and fine-tuned. David O. Russell will be writing/directing, and he’s now a seasoned pro with movies such as “Three Kings” and “The Fighter” under his belt.

Recently, It was rumored Nathan Fillion would play Nathan Drake, but it looks like Mark Wahlberg will be the star of the upcoming movie.

Wahlberg sat down with MTV and talked about his involvement in the movie.

“David is one of the best writer/directors I’ve ever worked with. The idea that he has is just insane. So hopefully we’ll be making that movie this summer.”

O. Russell is currently writing parts for Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro who will play Wahlberg’s uncle and father respectively. The two actors aren’t confirmed as part of the cast, but O. Russell is extremely interested in casting these fine actors. Wahlberg also expressed the amount of effort being put into making this a great, action-packed movie.

“I’m obviously in whatever David wants to do but the idea of it is so off the charts: De Niro being my father, Pesci being my uncle. It’s not going to be the watered-down version, that’s for sure.”

David O. Russell hopes to expand the Uncharted universe with a new story and new adventure. If all goes according to plan, Uncharted will be filming this summer.

Source: MTV Multiplayer

BONUS: Here’s my original header image. This one’s for the ladiez.

Amazon France Lists ‘Uncharted 3: World of Deceit’ – A Fake? (Update)

Garrett Hartman — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 15:41:26 +0000

The gaming world has been buzzing with Uncharted 3 rumors the past couple months: first Emily Rose mentioned voice work in passing and then there’s been the case of loose lips at the UAE media firm. Well, now Amazon France lists Uncharted 3: World of Deceit. Unfortunately the listing is a bit of deceit and does not seem to be connected to the popular series. Rather, it seems to be the designs of a concept artist and if he was seeking publicity, it seems he has succeeded

Although, I would like to say ‘World of Deceit’ makes for a nice title. It sounds as if Nathan Drake is on another adventure with many enemies and few he can trust (yeah, like in the first 2 Uncharted games). It’s quite unlikely to be the title of the game.

Excitement for any news on Uncharted 3 is beginning to hit fever pitch. Hopefully the developers from Naughty Dog will throw us a bone soon.

UPDATE:

Arne Meyer posted on the NeoGAF forums:

“The guy used the Uncharted universe as the basis for mock work for one of his classes and even listed it as such where the pieces were posted: Uncharted 3 pieces I did for architecture class.”

So there you have it. Uncharted 3: World of Deceit has been definitively declared a fake.

Source

Uncharted Movie ‘Drake’s Fortune’ Gets a Writer and Director

Garrett Hartman — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:53:37 +0000

Hollywood has been excited about making an Uncharted Movie. What could be better than creating a modern take on the Indiana Jones series? The Uncharted games set a benchmark in creating the perfect summer blockbuster video game experience.

Columbia pictures currently own the rights and have been laying the framwork for a movie adaptation. Fortunately they’ve been doing the right moves in steering the project from the Paul WS Andersons and Uwe Bolls of the world by hiring a quality director in David O. Russell.

Here’s the official press release:

David O. Russell (Three Kings, The Fighter) has been set to write and direct Columbia Pictures’ Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, an action-adventure based upon the bestselling PlayStation 3 game, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach, presidents of Columbia Pictures. The film will be produced by Avi Arad, Charles Roven, Ari Arad, and Alex Gartner.

The story follows the adventures of treasure hunter Nathan Drake.

Commenting on the announcement, Tolmach said, “David is a tremendous choice to take on this film. He’s equally adept at combining all the classic elements involved in this property: great character development, strong comedy, and amazing action sequences. He has a brilliant vision for this material and we know he will bring his original, unique voice to this adaptation.”

The game, developed by the acclaimed team at Naughty Dog, was one of Sony Computer Entertainment’s best-selling and most critically acclaimed games for the PS3. Named IGN’s Best Action Game and Best PS3 Game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune sold one million copies in the first 10 weeks of its release at the end of 2007 on its way to moving more than 2.6 (confirm) million copies and spawning a sequel. That sequel, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, was a major commercial and critical success, winning Game of the Year honors from several influential critics, being named the most critically acclaimed game of the year by Metacritic, and selling more than 3.8 million copies worldwide. Both games are among the all-time best-selling games for the platform.

The project will be overseen at Columbia Pictures by Tolmach and Jonathan Kadin.

Russell could be an excellent choice. He is known for his fantastic visual eye and great character work. Uncharted: Drake’s fortune has the potential to turn into a successfull film adaptation and a terrific Hollywood Blockbuster.

MK Viral Johnny Cage: Actor, Martial Artist, & Nathan Drake Mocap Man

Chad Lakkis — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:25:35 +0000

You know that Mortal Kombat Movie viral clip that we showed you all a few days ago? The one everyone has been talking about ever since? Well, it’s got ties to gaming after all.

It turns out that the actor (Matt Mullins) who played the badass Johnny Cage in the clip (never thought I’d call Johnny Cage badass but he was that good), is not only an actor, but a trained martial artist. A black belt in Shorei-Ryu Karate to be more specific.

Not impressed? Okay, how ’bout this. Mullins was also hired to do the motion capture work for Nathan Drake in Naughty Dog’s original Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune game. Thought that would perk your interest.

So if you want to be technical about things, Baraka not only claimed victory against Johnny Cage in the viral, he kicked the snot out of Nathan Drake too.

[Source: Kotaku]

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Review

Patrick Steen — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 04:27:29 +0000

It would be predictable for this review to start with, “The Playstation 3 needs some killer A-class games to justify its price tag, and Uncharted is it.”. But I won’t (even though I ironically just did start with that…hmm), because it simply isn’t true. No one game should justify the purchase of a console, but Uncharted is a AAA title and it should tempt you to buy a PS3. Naughty Dog’s first PS3 game is the definition of epic, and will make you say “wow” out loud more often than a pubescent teenager in a strip club.

The Naughty Dog team is known as one of the most technically proficient developers in the industry, pushing each of Sony’s systems to it’s limits. From Crash Bandicoot on the Playstation to Jak on the Playstation 2, Naughty Dog have always been at the top of their game. However, it is only with the arrival of the Playstation 3 that they felt they could fulfill their desire to create believable human characters in a realistic setting.

Through this new technology, Uncharted promised to bring a human intensity and realism never seen before in a video game. And though some may insult the game with “Dude Raider” catch phrases, I’d say it just about delivers on its promise.

Uncharted tells a compelling story of an ordinary man (not a buffed up, heavily armoured blokey bloke that is so common in games these days) in extraordinary circumstances, that’s not only set in the jungle, but in a pre-Incan temple, derelict U-boat, abandoned Spanish colony, and more.

The lead, Nathan Drake, believes he’s the descendant of Sir Francis Drake and in search for proof, things go awry. In discovering a 400-year old clue in Sir Francis Drake’s coffin, Nathan finds himself on a hunt for a fabled treasure, but instead ends up stranded on an island hunted by mercenaries. Outnumbered and out-gunned, Drake and his companions must fight to survive as they begin to unravel the terrible secrets hidden on the Island.

Sounds like a pretty great blockbuster movie plot, doesn’t it? It also sounds slightly generic, but the way the story is delivered in cutscenes and during gameplay is spectacular. Heavenly Sword started to perfect the way a story should be told in a game, with very expressive, life-like characters, but although the facial animation and performances were stellar in that game, the delivery in Uncharted is even more immersive.

Here, the cutscenes aren’t a side spectacle from the game, they are more embedded into the gameplay experience. Much of the story is told while you’re in the game, since you are accompanied by Elena and Sully who provide incidental chatter as you traverse (with accompanying facial animation), smoothing off the transition from cutscene to gameplay.

With characters so endearing that deliver witty one liners (“This is like looking for a bride in a brothel”), a sound track to rival the movies, and a story that twists and turns like the best of plots, this game is going to drag you through at a hell of a pace. And trust me, you won’t be kicking and screaming.

While we’re on the subject of the game’s pacing, lets just say that Naughty Dog’s age and expertise shows here. It might be a bit over the top to say that Uncharted is the best paced game you’ll play this year, but Uncharted is the best paced game you’ll have played this year. Starting the game, the narrative and gameplay build up is quite gradual, leading you through the story with platforming and simple puzzles, but then things pick up. From here on in, lengthy and exciting gunfights are built up to a crescendo and then reigned back by rest periods of exploration, cutscene, or a simple puzzle.

Plus, when you think things are starting to get a bit similar, Naughty Dog will throw you into a completely different environment, or into one of the vehicle sections in the game. The level design here is second to none. Each environment is so well designed and varied that most developers would be happy to use just one of them for their whole game, and as you get to the latter part of the game you may be able to think of some games that do indeed take this design philosophy (Gea…Resi… ok, no names).

But Naughty Dog has created such a wide variety of environments, from jungles, to forts, underground caverns, to… well we’ll keep that a secret – you’ll want to shoot through them just as much as sit back and marvel at them as Drake places his hands on his hips (I looked for a picture of Drake with his hands on his hips, but no can do, so this will have to suffice).

As for the graphics, let’s get some minor criticisms out of the way first. The framerate is generally very stable, and even surprisingly so when other games on the market struggle to keep up with lesser graphics, but there are a few moments of tearing. Now, my advice to you is to play the game in its intended 720p resolution, rather than the later added 1080i (to aid those with televisions that don’t support 720p), to make these moments of tearing few and far between.

Second, at the beginning of a couple of the levels there is some texture pop-in. This means the high-resolution textures haven’t loaded onto the objects yet, and “pop” onto them. I shall now tell you why this doesn’t really matter. It could be criticized as something that takes you out of the game, but since the game’s environments are so detailed and compelling, they usher you back in oh so very quickly, making you forget it ever happened.

Plus, there is no loading in the game. Zero loading, nothing at all after the initial load. Want to skip a cutscene and carry on playing? You’ll be put right back into the game environment. Keep on dying? Well you’ll respawn at a handy automatic save point, immediately. So if we have to suffer a little bit of texture pop on a couple of the many levels, then so be it. I’ve seen worse.

Moreover, the textures in the game are a step up for consoles. Every surface is painted with a collection of distinct textures, meaning a wall not only has a brick texture, it has a dry moss texture, a shiny painted surface, sections broken off revealing the cement below, and it’ll look wet if it’s by water. The wet effect is very convincing for the game’s visual style. This layering has in a sense been done before, but not to this extreme, or with such a strong artistic vision.

You see, before Uncharted most textures would reveal a repeated pattern when you get up close, making all textures very similar and even pixelated when you got closer. But Naughty Dog went to the trouble of painting all their textures by hand (usually textures are photographic based) creating as many as possible so they could layer them on top of one another and make every section look unique. Oh and a common cop-out by developers is to have low-resolution ground textures, but not here, they are just as good as the rest.

Uncharted has great textures. So what? Well Gears of War is lauded as a graphical show piece mainly due to both its artistic vision and its high resolution textures. Uncharted, however, trumps Gears of War, for the sheer amount of unique texture surfaces, even when in similar dark sections.

Uncharted also has the best graphics you’ve ever seen on consoles for many other reasons. Your HDTVs are going to be flooded with water– the best looking and moving water you’ve ever seen. Naughty Dog put a hell of a lot of effort into this, and it shows. The reflections and the movement of the water when Nathan is swimming in it makes you want to lick your television, though that’s because of Nathan and not the water (Ooh, Saucy).

Oh, and Nathan gets wet quite realistically, with only the parts of him that touch water getting wet. It must be said though that the water splashes don’t hold up as well as the water itself, looking more like 2d sprite effects, something which Naughty Dog should tackle in their next game.

What helps make the water and everything look so good though is the lighting. Watching the reds and oranges of a sunset glint on the water and merge into the reflections of the green jungle is a triumph of modern graphics engines. The lighting continues to impress in the jungle, filtering through the many leaves and foliage, casting shadows on the forest floor.

Shadows that are crisp like potato chips, unlike other games that have jaggy or flickering shadows. And since the jungle is living and breathing, the plants and trees sway in the wind and cast moving shadows over the ground and Nathan himself. All this is a marvel, and continues to impress even in the tombs, where torches and flames create ominous shadows over ancient carvings.

When we look to Nathan Drake we can see an “every man” character, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt that gets dirtier throughout the game. His clothes wrinkle dynamically to his movement and heavy breathing, and his face animates realistically during combat, from fear to anger.

What makes him an every man? Some might say that if Drake can scale walls, wield an AK-47 and kill pirates with relative ease, that he can’t really be an every man? However, the description seems to influence his character design, his dialog, but mostly his movements, which see him stumbling during platforming and combat.

Naughty Dog’s animation system really comes up trumps here, with Nate changing from state to state fluidly. Drake has over 3500 animations that really bring him to life and make sure you seldom see him perform the same action more than once. For example, throughout the game you’ll be taking cover, which will never induce deja vu because Drake has a multitude of cover positions.

What makes the animations even more impressive is that Naughty Dog can layer animations on top of one another. This means that when Drake is running he can dodge bullets, jump over obstacles, reload and show fear on his face all in one smooth movement. It’s very satisfying and convincing during combat and traversal, putting Uncharted at the top of the animation game, alongside Assassin’s Creed.

One minor problem with Drake’s animation is that he begins to move slightly before his walking/running animation has started, giving the impression that he’s stepped on a banana skin every time he sets off. However, this isn’t too noticeable unless you’re looking at his feet, which you won’t be.

Onto the most important factor of any game – the gameplay. Everything makes or breaks right here. And I’m glad to say, Uncharted makes it and wraps it up in a badass bow. The main bulk of the game is combat, which takes the form of cover-based shooting. Drake can take cover behind objects by pressing circle (the same button for rolling), so it’s both easy and intuitive. You can roll into cover, and from cover to cover, which all happens quickly and as expected.

Once behind cover you can aim and shoot at the many enemies. It’s also possible to shoot blindly, meaning Drake just pops his gun over the cover without looking. This is also helpful in run and gunning if you don’t feel you have the time to aim – taking on more prominence later in the game.

The shooting mechanics work gloriously well, with the level design helping enormously, since there’s a number of ways to kill your foes depending on your tactics. The AK-47 does feel slightly underpowered, but as you move on through the game, the guns increase in power and usefulness. There will be a lot of encounters, but what makes these fire fights so compelling is the enemy and companion A.I.

The pirates have been on the coffee that’s for sure (apart from the fat shotgun guys). They’ll take cover like you, and if you hang back too much they’ll either come charging after you, or they’ll throw a well placed grenade to flush you out. You’ll be on your toes the whole time, but the key to success is locating all the enemies, and being mobile. Don’t be passive, you must be active.

With the A.I. being so clever, and incredibly active in Hard (and Crushing), each firefight is going to play out differently – especially when you have a limited amount of bullets. You’re going to have to make sure you down the pirates quickly just so you can get their ammo to kill the rest.

Much of the game also sees you with Elena by your side, who isn’t a slouch. She’ll down enemies when your firing skills are lacking, and she’ll even push you forward if you’re being a coward. There’s many a time when you’ll shout “Elena slow down, you’ll get killed”, when actually she’s got herself into a much better position than you have.

To up the variety, Drake can also melee using a number of combos. Brutal combos, pure punch ups, and even stealth kills that come in very handy when you want to get your Metal Gear on. You couldn’t really ask for more, except for maybe the ability to whack enemies round the head with a stick or crowbar.

In our demo preview we mentioned that Drake cannot crouch. This is true, but generally isn’t a problem. The reason being that the combat sections are so fast paced and there’s always high and low cover to hide behind, that you seldom feel the need to squat, except perhaps when you’re on higher ground. Naughty Dog should definitely consider including this ability in their next game – as crouching and crawling through tight spaces would also increase Drake’s exploration and platforming capabilities.

It is these capabilities that make Uncharted such a well paced game after the action packed combat sections. These platforming sequences are compelling, accompanied by sweeping camera angles that induce vertigo and a sense of urgency. Although engaging and accompanied by spectacular views and stellar animation, this traversal can be a tad simplistic. Drake generally won’t miss a jump, and the traversal’s difficulty doesn’t really ramp up as the game goes on.

A similar concern can be placed towards the game’s few puzzles, which can be solved with a glance at Sir Francis Drake’s notebook (a nice addition). I myself would prefer a bit more difficulty in these sections, but then again this would conflict with the action pacing of the game. Furthermore, what makes you want to replay the game is the combat, and having to traverse some lengthy areas that throw you to your death would make you turn the game off quicker than you can say “Spaniard”. Thus, learning from the school of God of War instead of Soul Reaver for puzzles, and from Ratchet and Clank instead of Prince of Persia for platforming is fitting for the game, but I wouldn’t mind more challenge here. Moreover, the games finale could have been more epic if it incorporated some platforming to continue the battle, since it feels slightly simplistic, but I’ll leave that for you to discover.

The few vehicle sections in the game are generally impressive and satisfying. A Jeep chase is fast and exciting, with some of the most impressive visuals in the game (and thus of all time) as the trees fall down on your pursuers when you shoot at their trunks (the tree’s trunks, not your pursuers…there’s no time for swimming unless you’re Drake and sadly you don’t get to see him in his trunks).

The jet-ski levels are also godly to look at, with moving water reflecting the surrounding buildings, but when you have to stop to aim your weapon and avoid fuel barrels, the pace is not as exciting. Although being in control of both Drake (driving the jetski) and Elena (wielding the gun) is important, the ability to shoot whilst moving might have helped here, something which is solved in the final very creative jetski section. Nothing like this has been seen before and should be praised for what it does. Sadly, both many others (myself included) presume that you still have to stop to shoot in this chapter also, until we slip our finger across the shoot button. A signpost might have helped here.

What of the replayability? For a single-player game, this is the best you’re going to get. Naughty Dog has outdone themselves, giving you everything you’d want for your hard earned monies. The adventure lasts around 10-15 hours depending on how much you gawk at the environments, and even then the game underestimates how much time you’ve spent on your run-through.

To bulk this out there are four difficultly levels, which increase the A.I.’s cleverness as you move to Hard, and then to the insanely difficult Crushing. There are then medals to earn, such as 100 headshots, or 5 stealth kills, in addition to 60 treasures hidden throughout the levels. These can be a bitch to find, but when you have a llama or monkey rendered in real-time to show off for your troubles, who can complain?

To top this off, the medals and treasures tot up a score that will unlock new character skins, new rendering modes (black and white, an amusing next-gen mode), art work, behind the scenes films, and options to slow everything down, speed it up, or mirror the world. This latter option will mirror the levels (and cutscenes – nice touch Naughty Dog) making them almost brand new – creating an extra challenge after you’ve completed crushing, since the cover and enemies will no longer be in their expected places. All in all, the longevity for this single-player game is immense.

Before we conclude, lets make this very clear. This ain’t no Tomb Raider! Drake isn’t Lara Croft. He can’t do somersaults, doesn’t have disproportionately large knockers (oh well), and he doesn’t suck at shooting. The perfected cover mechanics displayed in Uncharted put it so much above Tomb Raider in this area, that mentioning them together just doesn’t make sense. The isolation felt in Lara’s world, isn’t felt here. You have companions, you have non-stop action, and you have a likeable character, with the English taking their rightful place as the villain, not the protagonist (that’s coming from a Brit). Plus Drake is far more attractive *wink*.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune succeeds in so many ways. It has the best console graphics to date, gob-smackingly good cutscenes, a modest yet twisting plot, an incredible soundtrack, perfect pacing, and combat that you’ll want to keep returning to. Only the simplicity of the platforming and puzzling, as well as the slow paced jetski levels hold it back from being a true masterpiece.

But if you don’t play this game, you really are missing out. You need to buy this game…right now. Because with games struggling to hit the wow factor this generation, Uncharted is one game that surely does, and should definitely be in your runnings for Game of the Year. So long, and make sure to mind your head on the way out. Drake, you devil you.

(Check out some more of Richard Diamant’s artwork for the game here.)