It took me some time, but it was well worth the effort. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is the best action-adventure title I’ve played this generation, and in fact, one of the best games period.
Few other games can rival Uncharted in terms of sheer overall production quality. There’s not a loose bolt or rusty nail to be found in Uncharted’s design and execution. The game is a graphical powerhouse, and easily my pick for best-looking game this generation. The gameplay is a perfect blend of combat, platforming, and puzzle solving,; each and every one of these aspects are fun to play, and control fantastically.
Lush
But it isn’t just razor-sharp mechanics that make Uncharted what it is. I like to describe the game as the closest thing to Indiana Jones the gaming world has ever seen, and that’s quite a compliment. The likable characters, fantastic dialogue, and fast-paced, thrilling narrative give the game the game a summer blockbuster quality – and frankly, I found Uncharted a more entertaining experience than any summer blockbuster I’ve seen in a number of years.
I could go on for days, but seeing as how the game is two years old, I think a full review might be a tad redundant. Suffice to say, I’m extremely excited for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Although, unlike the many other sequels set for release this holiday season, I’m unsure as to how such a flawless experience could be improved. Regardless, I can’t wait to be back in Drake’s shoes once more.
Uncharted 2 has officially replaced Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 2 as my most anticipated game of 2009. In fact, I’ll be quite interested indeed in seeing how the two compare.
Could Uncharted be the definitive action-adventure franchise of this hardware generation? In my eyes, that title belonged to the Prince of Persia trilogy last generation, but Ubisoft definitely lost that honor with the recent series reboot. The first Assassin’s Creed was a beautiful, but flawed experience; however, the upcoming second entry might make quite a case for the franchise. But then, aside from all that we’ve seen already, it’s important to remember that a certain God of War has yet to make an appearance since the hallowed PS2 days…
