Naughty Dog has still got it, but where did the talent for cinematic flair come from?
The game succeeds, I think, because of Nathan Drake. He's a likable protagonist, you want him to survive, he's genuinely funny, and he even seems nervous and confident at the same time when traversing sheer walls or fighting waves of enemies.
The "fighting waves of enemies" part is the part I have a slight problem with. I am fully willing to admit that I most likely just suck at this game, but I died a lot. Like, a -lot-. Enough to be incredibly frustrated at some points. But that's what "Easy" difficulty is for, right? Except there's barely a difference between Easy and Normal.
Now I've never had problems with third-person shooters before, so I don't really know what it was. Still, I was able to beat it in a couple days. Be aware, though, that it might be challenging, and there are a couple Jetski segments that REALLY suck.
Anyway, the story itself was alright, if extremely generic. There's a treasure, there's a curse, there's an I-can-handle-myself girl who loses all ability to handle herself the moment a bad guy tries to kidnap her, all the same cliche's you're used to seeing in stories like this. However, you can look past that because Nathan Drake, at least, is an interesting character.
I wasn't interested in the others, myself. The girl was your typical female sidekick who ends up with the hero because that's how it goes in these things. Drake's partner, Sully, was annoying half the time and useless the other half, but he was at least entertaining while being useless. I never really cared about anyone but Drake, though, and at the end of the game I didn't even know the villain's name, despite story always being the most important part of any game to me.
The platforming was fairly solid, if linear, but I think I'm just spoiled by the Assassin's Creed games in that regard.
But alright, let's get into the good stuff: first of all? My GOD this game is beautiful. And I don't just mean the graphics are good, though they are, I mean it's a work of -art-. Every five minutes you stop and stare at a view you'd love to hang a picture of on your wall. There are vibrant, full-of-life colors all over, a welcome departure from the "realistic" browns and greys we so often see in games these days. Character movement and facial animation is also quite impressive and natural, and the water effects are among the best I've ever seen.
The guns are varied and enjoyable to use, and they all feel powerful. When you fire a shotgun or magnum, you -feel- it, and it feels dangerous. The assault rifles and even the pistols feel great. I -can- say that shoot-outs felt intense, dangerous and real at many times, as do explosions.
On a counter-point, I felt the hand-to-hand combat was lacking not only in variety, but in opportunities to use it. Usually you'd have no chance to run up and hit people because you'd get shot down trying. It seemed like a cool idea with lacking execution to me, especially when it's used in the final boss fight and turns it into a simple quick-time event.
Speaking of, the game's ending was a bit underwhelming and anti-climactic in my opinion. I think that's only because this was an introduction story to an intended franchise, and I'm hoping for better in Uncharted 2, which I'm about to play.
Still, I believe Uncharted is worth your time if you're looking for a fun, cinematic adventure that will make you feel like you're playing through a movie. Taken in that context, the unrealistic events and crazy coincidences take on a very charming feeling, and I myself really enjoyed the fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Uncharted is fun, witty, beautiful, and worth at least one playthrough to anyone, -especially- anyone with a love for the classic adventure tales.