Title - Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (part of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection)
Played on PlayStation 4
I don't think this game need an introduction but for those who may not have known about this "little" franchise, here's a brief intro. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is the first game in the Uncharted series released way back on PlayStation 3 in 2007. Developed by Naughty Dog, the game received praise from game critics and gained quite a number of fans, which give rise to a couple sequels and even a film which starred Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg.
In 2015, a remaster of the first three video games was released, titled Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, for the PlayStation 4. This is the version that I played but I will only review the first game for today.
Time to Explore
Obviously, I'm late to this party. I played the game more than a decade after its initial release. I know it's the first game in a successful franchise but I have to be honest, my first impression of the game visual-wise was not great. I can definitely say that it was underwhelming...and I know the reason why. Throughout the years, I have been keeping up with the news on this franchise; reading articles and reviews, watching walkthroughs and reaction videos, et cetera, et cetera. So in a way, I am aware how the games have grown and evolved throughout the years. I think maybe the greatness that I saw of the 4th game in the series somehow cloud my judgement and I was expecting the visuals of the first game to be at the same level as the latest installment, which is foolish of me. I somehow forgot that this is the first, the very first, game in the series, and furthermore it's just a remaster, not a remake. But as I spent hours playing the game, the visuals grew on me, and I can finally see how beautiful the game is.
Even though it looks a little dated visual-wise, the game still managed to mesmerize me with its beautiful locations and settings; the lush jungles, the winding rivers, the ancient structures; they were all quite fascinating to behold. You get to walk around and explore these great locations and as a player, it feels amazing. Something that I wish the game would have though is more varieties for its locations because sometimes there are a little bit of sameness to some of the locations.
One of the strong points for me is the main characters; the design looks distinctive from one another and they have colourful personalities to match. Well, at least that's what I feel for the good guys, the villains however...not so much. I don't think they are quite memorable enough. Having said that, I still think the overall performances for all characters are great; from good guys to bad guys, from big characters to even the background characters. I love the small things that happened like the dialogues the background characters would have when they were engaged in a fight or cross-fire with the player; it creates a level of realism that elevates the player's immersion of the game.
Guns, Guns and Guns!
So, the visuals is nice, the characters are great, what about the gameplay? It was actually quite a treat! You get to explore the environment and solve puzzles, then few minutes later you were engaged in a gun-fight with enemies. It's roughly alternating between those two, with few action-sequences like driving a jeep or motorboat thrown in-between. All of those segments are fun to play but personally, some of the gun-fights and action sequences are a bit challenging for me. It took several attempts (sometimes dozens!) for me to clear some of the sections. Still, it didn't take away any enjoyment that I have playing the game.
I really like the gunfight combat in this game. It's really fun to pick up a variety selection of weapons and fire your way through the enemies. You could fight with bare hands as well although that would be tricky to do alone without the guns. You start with limited type of weapons but as you fight through multiple groups of hostile mercenaries, you were presented with more weapon options to try your hands on. I must warn you, the gameplay is very addictive.
As mentioned before, there are certain sections in the game where you get to control certain vehicles like a jeep or a jet ski. This part of the game, unfortunately, is the one I like the least. The jet ski section, for example, was really frustrating to play. I can't seem to control it the right way and I kept dying several times. It's a skill issue, I know. At least the water graphic is pretty to watch.
A Remarkable Adventure?
Story-wise, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune play itself like an average adventure movie. It was a simple story, nevertheless it was still fun and enjoyable. I didn't like one thing though; you were put right in the middle of the action once you get to control the character for the first time. It was a total panic for me! I usually like to take my time learning the control every time I play a new game so this sort of things kind of get me off my balance a little bit. Maybe the developer felt it was more interesting to put the player right into the action, which kind of make sense when you think about the story. So I guess this is more of a preference for me, and not really an issue otherwise.
Conclusion
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune remastered is a game that needs no recommendation because I believe everyone that wants to play it, already have, and those that haven't play it yet, I bet already have a plan to buy the game sometime in the future. Right! RIGHT?!? If you don't have a plan to play it, you're just not into this genre I guess, which is okay. Personally, I feel this is a really fun game to play and suitable for all ages. I don't really recall any swear words...is there any? Even if there is, I would still recommend it to young players because it must be so minor that I can't even remembered it. It's a fun game, honestly, and a great introduction to this franchise.
Now off to the 2nd game!
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