While it's not true if one were to say that Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is a completely original idea considering it borrows elements from other games and even movies, Naughty Dog has done a fantastic job to create something highly entertaining which has paved the way for one of the best series out there. To compare the game with another will not do it justice as Uncharted progresses in the same lines as blockbusters action adventure movies would. There is a fascinating blend of fast paced action mixed up with intriguing amounts of challenging puzzles. Moving to this genre was a gamble, Naughty Dog had previously focused on its Jak and Daxter series, but it paid off.
You will play the game as the main protagonist Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter who claims to be the descendant of the explorer Sir Francis Drake. Although it was not historically proven that Francis had children, Drake has a certain artifact that belonged to the explorer to prove his ancestry. The story focuses on the chase to find the legendary "City of Gold", El Dorado. Accompanying Drake on his quest is his mentor and longtime friend Victor "Sully" Sullivan and eccentric reporter Elena Fisher. The story starts off with Elena funding Drake's search for Francis's coffin, soon after Drake and Sully ditch her after they realize she was likely to attract attention. Now there's no treasure hunt complete without another party trying to find the exact same thing and this is where the games antagonist's make there entry in the forms of Gabriel Roman and Atoq Navarro. From that point on the game switches to a faster pace of action filled with plot twists with the climax standing out the most. The game is not short on humor either with occasional scenes and some well placed dialogues providing comic relief mainly featuring Sully.
Uncharted is a third person shooter which relies heavily on cover based offense. Unfortunately one of the weaker aspects of the game is the fact that enemies are more resilient than they should be. This is why it is extremely vital to remain in cover as prolonged exposure will result in Drake dying more often which is frustrating. Enemies are actually so strong that it may take about half of your clip to dispose of one while they have been blessed with extremely precise shots which makes cover all the more vital. When you aren't being hoarded by enemies you can take a chance and fight through hand to hand combat, this will help if you are low on ammo. Hand combat had potential but was not perfected, enemies can be defeated either by repeatedly pressing the square button or using a "brutal" combo, which is more effective but not simple. Nate has a variety of weapons he can use against his enemies ranging from machine guns to pistols. Its not particularly hard to find ammo for your guns but you could find yourself in quite a situation if a lot of enemies surround you. The best way to avoid it is being accurate with your shooting and picking up ammo regularly. Nate can only carry one pistol and one rifle at a time, picking up a different firearm switches that weapon for the new one. Grenades are also available at certain points but are not particularly useful.
It's not all guns and explosions, the diversity of level designs are apparent in missions where Drake is required to swim across or crawl through tight space, these are usually a prelude to puzzle solving sequences. Puzzle solving is a welcome break from shooting and helps avoid repetition, You will need to think a bit more than usual but it is not that big of a challenge to go through these save for a couple of them. At these points it is Drake's journal which is the key to unlock your path. Most of the game involves platforming, jumping from one ledge to another is normal work for Nate but thats not all, you'll have to defy physics and jet ski up waterfalls and shoot bad guys in a speedy car on bumpy roads which are the more entertaining points of the game.
At the time of its release Uncharted had to be one of the best looking games available although this will of course wear off as time passes but the game can still hold its own with its backdrop mainly comprising of lush green environments with occasional rivers in the way. Theres a good attention to detail visually as well as with sound, in the jungle you can clearly hear the sound of birds, the rushing of the river and the silence before an expected attack. To increase replay value there are 61 treasures strategically located throughout the game which you can find anytime you replay a level, however it is a challenge to locate all of them as they are placed in difficult spots. Extras feature the making of the game along with some input from Naught Dog about the actors' experience with it.
An average gamer should take about 7-8 hours to finish the game but with the level of intrigue and so many treasures still left to be found, it would take a few more hours to completely finish the game. Occasional hiccups do only little to stop Uncharted: Drake's Fortune from being a solid game and the overall result is surely a hit for Naughty Dog and another game series which keeps fans excitedly waiting for the next installment to be released.
November 19 marks 15 years since the release of the Uncharted game that started it all.
I hope they don’t make another until the end of the ps5 lifecycle…. Show us a better jungle
VGChartz's Issa Maki: "I finally have a proper designation akin to what I've always referred to internally as 'the line that must be crossed' or 'The Line', for short – ludonarrative dissonance – the separation from a video game's story in relation to its gameplay. Why isn't PETA all up in Mario's grill for jumping on turtles and killing fish, or charging Samus Aran with the extinction of the Metroid species? Ever notice how fire has that habit of making bosses in Resident Evil stronger? Read on my friend, for I endeavor to imbue you with the ability to engage in basic queries concerning the concept."
KeenGamer: "Which Uncharted game is the best? Uncharted is widely recognized as one of the most groundbreaking and consistently great franchises in gaming. For both long-time fans and newcomers to this action-adventure classic, here’s a ranking of the franchise’s four main games."
No Golden Abyss -_-, otherwise I agree with the order.
UC2: Best overall
UC4: Best graphics, best gameplay, best locations, best environements
UC3: Best set pieces IMO (the boat and desert fights will always be amazing)
UC1: A rough Draft of what was to come
UCGA: Basically UC1 on Vita
Great list and great article nicely writen and explained. Although for me personaly i would put Drakes Fortune above Drake’s Deception and Uncharted 4 is absolutely my favourite of the franchise and number 1 for me.
U2 is the only game playable on crushing without causing a great amount of frustration. Not to mention just how much influence it had that they redid some of U2s set pieces like the caravan twice, and armored truck chase in U4.
I'd rate it as the following.
1.) Uncharted 2
(Close to perfection of any game I've played in years. Single Player/Multiplayer/Co Op all amazing.)
2.) Uncharted 3
(On par with UC2 multiplayer/co op wise minus the kickbacks [aka killstreaks]. I really liked the Lawrence of Arabia story.)
3.) Uncharted 4
(Single player is amazing. Multiplayer was meh. Co Op had potential. Absolutely hated the health revive system it slowed down the game way too much. Always preferred the fast pace action of UC2/UC3. Made it way more fun that way. Recoil was too ridiculous that most people in lobbies would only do hip firing, using power weapons and using that OP grappling hook to melee people after dropping them. Nobody wanted to revive anyone.)
4.) Uncharted
(It's the first in the series so it's hard to judge. Though I loved the story.)
I agree here but it’s also a series you can play from front to back and truly enjoy. Story-wise, they are all great and flow so well. I wish they threw both Golden Abyss and Lost Legacy on this list. Lost Legacy is the best mechanically in my opinion. You can see it’s stepping stone framework for TLOUS2.
uncharted 2 is one of the few games that actually surpassed its pre-release hype.
I am a single player gamer...I barely ever touch a multiplayer component. The only exceptions over the years have been the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, TLOU factions, and the Uncharted 2 multiplayer. The Uncharted 2 multiplayer saw me spend more time playing it than all my other multiplayer experiences over the years combined. That game really was a masterpiece all around.
I agree completely, those are all stellar MP experiences, coming from another SP gamer who only occasionally gives MP some time.
Come to think of it, the step between Uncharted 1 and Uncharted 2 is huge. It goes from the weakest in the series to one of the best games ever made.
I think I'm going to play all of them again soon.
is multiplayer still up for the remastered trilogy? or did it never have UC2 mp?
That's what I would give this game 9/10, a fantastic game and a good introduction to the series.
Still my favorite in the series. Everyone raves about Uncharted 2.. Drake's fortune is the one for me..
I really liked the first Uncharted. My biggest problem with it was how lose the shooting felt. I probably played this game 100 times. In fact it was the first game that I ever got a platinum trophy on.
The best game series ever? Debateable.
Drakes Fortune an amazing game? Undebateable, this game rocks.
Enemy's too strong? Dude, head shots, 2 bullets max.