Monday, December 03, 2007

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Is it possible to review only a portion of a video game? The first 90% of Uncharted is, without a doubt, one of the best games I have played this year. The level design can serve as the ultimate blueprint for developers trying to understand how to make a treasure hunting adventure. The shooting, platforming and puzzle solving are combined in a realistic manner, making the quest a pure joy that never suffers from boredom, repetition or unrealistic leaps of faith. The story, which appears to be a standard tomb raiding affair on the surface, offers a few twists towards the end that offer more than a slight nod of inspiration towards the literary classic Robinson Crusoe. The only thing holding this back from hyperbolic-less perfection is a harsh turn away from the established gameplay conventions towards the very end of the adventure. For a game as focused and well-constructed as Uncharted, it's a shame to see Naughty Dog's vision falter slightly. Those small sections aside, this is a landmark of game design and a true video game marvel.

Uncharted does borrow elements from some of the most popular video game franchises in the world, but it tweaks the ideas to make them fit into this ultimately unique adventure. First of all, the shooting elements seem to be ripped straight from the code of Gears of War. In other words, you can use cover in Uncharted. But the comparisons start and stop immediately. There are three main elements that separate Uncharted's gunplay from Gears'.



First: weapon strength. Fights in Gears of War seemed to drag on far too long because your enemies were overpowered Locusts from the center of the Earth. In Uncharted, you use man-made guns against humans, so individuals fights can be won in no more than three shots. I found myself wishing the fights would last slightly longer in Uncharted rather than growing tired long before the last enemy fell like I did in Gears.

Second: agility. Gears of War has you controlling a rather large man with the innate quickness of a dying slug. Your movement was restricting to plodding from one piece of cover to the next, making each fight seem like an extreme case of deja vu. In Uncharted, you control a man who could have been a world class gymnast had his love of treasure not gotten in the way. You can approach battles just like you would in Gears if you prefer. Or you can run around the battlefield, taking down one enemy at a time as you quickly zoom around your enemies. Or, if you're feeling particularly nasty, you can use your speed and athleticism to get close to your foes, breaking their necks to send a message to everyone else. The ability to approach each battle from many different angles is a welcome addition to duck and cover gunplay.

Third: level design. In Gears, the battlefields were artificially covered with huge rocks to make sure the stop 'n pop technique could be used ad nauseam. Because of the unabashed repetition of the level design, Gears actually reused landscapes, making players fight through the same arenas multiple times. Not only were your techniques extremely limited in Gears, but the battlefields all looked the same. In Uncharted, the level design varies in every new location. Some sections could have been pulled straight from Gears but others offer much more variety. Certain sections remove almost all the cover, so you are forced to brave into the open. Other times, you will have to traverse platforms while avoiding gunfire. The world is also much more vertical than any section in Gears. You'll have to fight your way up and down stairs, take down snipers perched up high and climb up statues to find tactical position. By using a combination of these elements in every fight, the game is able to avoid the repetition of the world's most famous cover shooter.

Basically, aside from the most superficial element of using cover in a gunfight, there is nothing in Uncharted that actually feel like Gears of War. Comparisons have been brought up in almost every review, though, so I thought it was important to address this concern. I just hope I don't have to go through the same checklist with every game that uses cover. Just like every open world shooter does not feels like Doom, every game that uses cover will not actually resemble Gears of War.



Another apparent inspiration: Prince of Persia. Nathan Drake, the star of Uncharted, is almost as agile as everyone's favorite Prince. Uncharted is not in the same league as The Sands of Time for platforming prowess, but it doesn't try to be. Like the gunfights, the platforming in Uncharted is organic. Have you ever stood atop a building (in real life), looked across the way at the building next door and said aloud "I bet I could make that jump." That is how the platforming is designed in Uncharted. Instead of arbitrary constructs and conveniently placed handholds, Uncharted realistically emulates crumbling ruins. This is a slight distinction, but the fictional tombs present in Uncharted are so expertly designed, so utterly realistic, it makes the platforming seem somehow real. Though the complexity of PoP's awesome levels is never even attempted in Uncharted, the platforming elements are still very entertaining and do a good job of providing a break from the shooting.

Now that obvious comparisons are out of the way, I can bring up the story. First of all, I have no clue where the idea that Nathan Drake is an "every man" springs from, but that is decidedly false. From that description, I always assumed Drake found himself trapped on an anarchistic island and had to fight his way off it. This couldn't be further from the truth. Drake is a treasure hunter. That's actually his job. He is fluent in ancient Spanish, can wield a wide variety of guns and is in peak athletic condition. He is not some lost Gap model who can't figure out how to take the safety off his gun. He has been in this position before. His companion throughout the journey, Elena, brings back fond memories of Jade from Beyond Good and Evil fame. Attractive without defying physics, and even brings a camera with her.

Towards the end of the journey, you find out there are other people inhabiting this island. Unfortunately, all the fighting techniques you learned through the majority of your quest are thrown out the window at this point. Whereas before, cover was vital and any time spent in the open all but assured your untimely death, cover is completely eschewed while fighting your final foes. They are not intelligent, so if you duck and cry behind the nearest brick wall, they will simply climb over and attack you. The most efficient way to kill them is to simply stand in the open and let your auto aim do the rest. It's not bad, and can still be quite fun, but it is a drastic departure from what made Uncharted so great. When I think about how focused the journey was before these new enemies appeared, I can only curse with frustration. Like I said, these few battles at the end are the only thing keeping this game from perfection.



When these new foes appeared, I initially chalked it up to lazy video game conventions. Many games change enemies at the end, a twist to unnecessarily prolong an adventure. But then I realized how this story mirrors Robinson Crusoe. You know how weak I am to classic British literature. First of all, both stories have a lead character shunning the standard ideals of humanity and making their own way through life. Crusoe deliberately disobeys his father's wishes and becomes a sailor, looking to get rich on supposedly uncivilized islands. Drake is a treasure hunter. He's looking to get rich by discovering his dead ancestor Francis Drake's lost fortune on some supposedly deserted island. Still not convinced? After settling in on an island and assuming they are fully aware of every obstacle they might face, both characters happen upon a lone footprint in the mud. Both characters realize the implications of a footprint, but a long time passes without any change in their respective circumstances. Eventually, Crusoe realizes the peaceful island he has been stranded on is really overrun by tribes of warring cannibals. Drake also finds new life on his island, though I won't go into specific details what he finds.

Since the parallels are pretty obvious, I assume there are one or two more major points that I have forgotten since I read Robinson Crusoe. But I find it pretty awesome that Naughty Dog was able to seamlessly bring one of the first and most well-known works of literature to gaming. I'm really interested to see if more developers try such a convergence in the future. It may not be long before the cannibalistic cravings of Gulliver creep into a holiday blockbuster. Personally, I can't wait until Link utters his first words, "Can I have more gruel, sir?"

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the jaw-dropping graphics at some point in this review. Uncharted is easily the best looking game I have ever played. Period. I may not know the names of the fancy graphical techniques Naughty Dog has on display, but I do know that nothing - not Bioshock or Ratchet or even Earth Defense Force - comes close to this game. The lighting is completely realistic, from the shafts of light breaking through thick foliage to the dimly lit underground tombs; it looks just like I would imagine a crumbling Incan rune would. And the animation! Oh my, how impressive. Every little nuance is on full display here. It's almost eerie. The cut scenes are also brimming with life. Sure, they aren't in the same league as Heavenly Sword, which more closely resembles an animated film than a mere video game cinema, but the impressive animation and well-thought out story make the usually abrasive cut scenes something I eagerly anticipated.

Despite one unfortunate design choice towards the end of the game, Uncharted is one of the most focused, well-designed and overall fun games released this year. Though it may seems like a clever combination of the best elements from Tomb Raider, Gears of War and Prince of Persia on the surface, the end result is an entirely unique adventure. Yes, the idea of buying a system for just one game is still a poor idea at best. But, if you are looking for a justification for owning a PS3 and Blu Ray movies just aren't cutting it anymore, Uncharted is without a doubt the best game on the system and one of the best games, for any system, released this year.

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