In 1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark set a new standard for the action/adventure genre. All the traps, chases, and shoot-outs made for a thrilling experience. Over 25 years later Naughty Dog would do their best to transition that experience to players via the Uncharted series. With the PS3 the technology was finally there to make an incredibly realistic looking world to match those of the movies. Although they were just finding their groove with the first game Drakes Fortune is still a very enjoyable experience that paved the way for some of the best games of the last decade.
In Uncharted you play as Nathan Drake, a bold young adventurer. You embark on a journey funded by Elena Fisher, a journalist looking to film any discoveries you make. Drake's ancestor, Sir Francis Drake, was a legendary explorer and you quickly find yourself in possession of his journal. This journal leads you in search of the legendary El Dorado, the city of gold. This quickly gets the attention of some shady characters; thankfully your mentor Victor Sullivan (Sully) has your back. It turns out that Sully's old business partner Gabriel Roman doesn't trust the three of you to quest and has littered the island with his lackey's to take you out. However, everything isn't as it appears and the treasure may turn out to be more than bargained for.
The journey to El Dorado is no walk in the park. The island you find yourself on is full of peril. For one thing Roman's soldiers have it out for you and you'll find yourself in one shoot out after another. The combat is nice but not nearly as refined as it is in the later games and can be frustrating at times on the higher difficultly levels. Head-shots however aren't terribly difficult and feel very rewarding. When your not on the ground you may find yourself running away in a jeep or exploring on a jet ski. There are a lot old structures on this island that are begging to be climbed, thankfully Drake is quite agile, You may at times even need to brake out your journal to solve a puzzle or two
The story is fairly light but filled with some wonderful characters that will continue to develop throughout the series. The visuals are still quite remarkable even today. Naughty Dog games have become the gold standard for realistic looking games and Drake's Fortune was the game that started it all. The motion capture combined with superb voice acting really bring this game to life. Although it my not do much for variety the fact that the game takes place on one big island really helps to immerse the player with a realistic sense of adventure. Your path seems very natural and it doesn't seem to surprising when you end up returning to places you've already visited before.
Although Drake's Fortune falls a little short of the heights of the rest of the Uncharted games it is still worth checking out. This is a classic, by the book, action/adventure games. Jump from ledge to ledge, shoot some bad guys, and rescue the girl all while hunting for the big score. This is a simple, well-crafted, linear story without too many bells and whistles. At the very least this helps kick-start the numerous adventures you get to experience in the many superb sequels. It may not have been game-of-year but it sure is a lot of fun.