http://direct.asda.com/Uncharted-3%3A-Drake%27s-Deception/003720324,default,pd.html

- Rax

Game:

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception once again puts you in the role of chisel-jawed every man Nathan Drake, and his gang of treasure hunting friends, on a globe trotting roller-coaster ride that’ll take you from the dingy back streets of London to the barren deserts of the Middle East. The game’s developers Naughty Dog have upped the scale in almost every respect, including more characters, more varied locations, and a beefy multiplayer mode with dozens of unlockables.

It is very clear that they have set out to make a cinematic game, with plenty of cut-scenes, and oodles of expository dialogue. It is just a shame that their cinematic ambitions go no further than slavishly recreating Indiana Jones.

To those unfamiliar with the series, the basic gameplay revolves around climbing, fist fighting, gun play, and light puzzle solving. Drake, who claims to be a descendant of Sir Francis Drake (Elizabethan explorer extraordinaire) is a charismatic rogue that is part Lara Croft, part Indiana Jones, and part Calvin Klein underwear model, with all the grace and elegance of a rowdy gibbon.

Most of the game’s platforming sections are completely linear, and this sometimes works against the game. On a number of occasions I found myself in densely populated areas, just looking around admiring the scenery when I happen to notice a ledge that is clearly within my grasp. What is hidden on those low hanging rooftops? Unfortunately we will never know what treasures were lurking up there because Nathan Drake is incapable of climbing anything, no matter how low it is, unless it furthers the narrative.

This would not be such a problem if the rules for the platforming sections weren’t so incredibly inconsistent, with Naughty Dog punishing you with an instant death if you dare to go off the beaten track. For instance, in one level that revolves around navigating a ship graveyard, one moment you will be required to swim through water to get from ship to ship, and then the next moment if you go in the water you die instantly, simply because it is not the place that the developer wanted you to go.

The fact that the game is linear isn't necessarily the problem...

This decision to punish exploration is in direct contradiction with the game’s side quest revolving around collecting 100 hidden treasures. I lost count of the number of times that I could see a ledge or platform, that may be housing a hidden treasure, only to find that Drake was incapable of grabbing on to it, despite clearly touching it. I know that means that there is no treasure located there, but I have to wonder why they even bothered to put said platform there at all. When compared to the sublime navigation systems in games such as Assassin’s Creed, Infamous, and Arkham City, which essentially let you grab on to any possible ledge, the game seems incredibly archaic. Even if there is no substantial benefit from climbing on to these ledges, being given the choice to do so would dramatically improve the overall experience.

Another instance in the French Châteaux, revolves around lowering a chandelier in order to gain access to a platform across the other side of a room. When navigating my way back I decided to lower myself off of the edge of the platform, a drop of less than 10ft, in order to save myself from a little backtracking. I was surprised to see that lowering myself safely to the ground resulted in an instant death. I was even more surprised (and to tell the truth a little angry) to see that, upon trying to jump over to the chandelier, I managed to miss my target entirely, falling to the ground below, to the exact spot that has resulted in my death earlier, and at a greater height than before, but I barely received a scratch.

This inconsistency prevails throughout the game, particularly in high speed chase sections. In the game’s first chase sequence, in which you are being pursued by armed men across the rooftops of a South American city, you have to follow a predetermined path in order to escape. Deviating from said path will always result in random inexplicable death. For instance, I climbed over a ledge on the side of a building after seeing a lower roof some five foot below me. Dropping down on to the roof resulted in my death. While it is all very well and good that the developers had a very clear idea of where they wanted you to go, more often than not the game’s clumsy camera obscures your view of where you are actually supposed to be going.

Even in the desert there's only one way to go

Fortunately there are frequent checkpoints, and they load up quite quickly, which helps to stave off some of the frustration. Having tightly scripted sections has been a mainstay of the Uncharted series, however, never before have the developers given you the false illusion of multiple branching paths – Uncharted 1 mainly took place in a jungle, while Uncharted 2 mostly took place in the mountains, and what little time you spent in civilisation was mainly on the ground. It is clear that Naughty Dog have been incredibly ambitious with the setting for this game, however their refusal to change their navigation system, and instead rely on cheap random deaths as a deterrent from exploring, is incredibly disappointing.

That’s not to say that Uncharted 3 is a bad game by any means, nor am I saying that linearity in games is a bad thing. It is just the fact that it is incredibly disappointing and, more importantly, frustrating when they offer you the illusion of choice on where to go, only to kill you for no good reason other than it isn’t where they wanted you to go. A number of linear scripted climbing sections, such as the escape from the French Châteaux or the frantic scramble through a capsized cruise liner, are brilliantly tense and work really well (especially if you have a stereoscopic 3D TV) because there is clearly only one way to go. Whenever ambiguity is introduced the whole illusion of this vibrant world falls apart.

The second frustrating issue revolves around the game’s clunky combat system. The Uncharted series has always suffered from some clunky melee combat, and really that hasn’t changed in this outing. New additions include a counter, and the ability to use objects in the environment during combat. Triggering the environmental objects can, at times, seem completely random. During the opening section during a bar brawl in a London pub I smashed an enemy through a table and then, squealing with glee, moved Drake over to the next table in an attempt to smash another enemy through a table. No matter how hard I tried I could not get it to happen a second time.

While many have complained of the game’s slugging gun controls, I found that increasing the sensitivity in the options counteracted this issue. However, one frustrating issue with gun play is the way that you are forced in to fist fighting if an enemy gets close to you during a gun battle. When enemies get close to you they become extremely hard to shoot, especially when you consider that Drake enters his fighting stance as soon as they get within a certain distance. As there is no longer a dodge button (the dodge button instead initiated a grapple in fist fighting) you are left at the mercy of armed enemies that are further away. This is especially frustrating when, towards the end of the game, there are a number of snipers armed with guns that kill you in one hit, who don’t hesitate in shooting you down like a dog.

Melee combat is at times clunky, but mostly satisfying

Another issue regarding the enemies is the AI, specifically during mandatory stealth sections. Should you accidentally alert a single enemy, even if they are on their own, every other enemy becomes alert and aware of your location, even if you kill the alerted enemy before they make a sound. At times you have a team of up to three other characters fighting with you, but for the most part they don’t actually do anything. In fact, invariably, I found that they may as well have not been there at all, as the majority of enemies focused their fire on me, pretty much ignoring everyone else.

For many these problems likely won’t be an issue, because they will be content enough to just follow the story. Thanks to the series’ trademark witty banter and strong performances it is quite easy to like this game, even if the story is fairly generic. Although there are a number of sections in the game that seemed almost like they were shot for shot remakes of sections from Uncharted 2 – how many times has drake discovered a lost city, only to find that something inside of it drove the natives mad/killed them all, only to end up bringing the whole place crashing down?

Another issue that will likley only bother me is the way that you come across puzzles that no one has been able to solve in centuries. Of course you manage to solve them in a few short minutes, and once solved, invariably your enemies also solve it, or have solved it long before you and are waiting inside to deal out some death. When the writers mention real historical figures and bring up how they dedicated their lives to solving said puzzles, and failed, only for you to come in and solve it in a few short minutes is actually quite disrespectful.

The game’s multiplayer modes are a welcome addition that potentially add a lot of replay value. These take the form of your standard multiplayer modes (death match, team death match etc.) and a fun co-operative mode. Completing games earns you money which can be spent on a number of unlockable costumes, weapons, and perks. Naughty Dog should be commended for incorporating a strong sense of verticality in to their multiplayer games, essentially recreating the Uncharted experience in its entirety.

The multiplayer's maps are mostly based on levels from the singple player

If you’re the sort that doesn’t do well at multiplayer shooters then thankfully there are multiple ways to earn cash. You can earn cash bonuses for helping with kills, or you can collect randomly spawning treasures that appear regularly through the match. This is a great feature that allows everyone a chance to take part without feeling like an impotent bullet magnet.

The co-op mode mostly takes place in various locations from the single player, with less of a focus on puzzles. Apart from an annoying habit of having enemies spawn behind you when you’re in cover, this mode is a fun distraction that can be played online as well as in split screen.

Review Round-Up

Graphics: 5/5 – One of the best looking games ever made. Period. The addition of stereoscopic 3D, for those with a 3D TV, adds a real sense of depth without downgrading the graphical quality too much.

Sound: 5/5 – Excellent voice acting coupled with a very strong recognisable score.

Gameplay: 3/5 – While the game itself plays perfectly well (aside from clunky button mashing combat and sluggish gun play), the biggest let down is the illogical inconstancy in the game world. One minute a drop of 5 feet will kill you, the next it’ll barely cause a bump. This has been done to force you to stay on the predetermined path, but it results in a number of frustrating moments, especially if you’re on the hunt for collectable treasures.

Longevity: 4/5 – The actual single player game is of about standard length (between 8 and 10 hours), and there is a fairly beefy multiplayer mode. There are 100 treasures to find in the singleplayer, which could increase replayability… if the game didn’t punish you for exploring.

Overall 4 out of 5

Nathan Drake’s latest adventure is an incredibly cinematic experience that is a lot of fun, so long as you don’t try thinking for yourself. Much like a roller-coaster it is best enjoyed if you sit down and enjoy the ride – trying to get off and do your own thing at any point can be fatal.

- Luke Mears

Now, I REALLY hope I didn't leave my trophies in the front of the plane...

An interesting list came into our possession this morning, and it looks suspiciously like a trophy list, furthermore, it looks like a trophy list a certain Mr Drake may be very interested in.

Bronze
30 Kills: Mag 5 (Bronze) – Defeat 30 enemies with the Mag 5.
30 Kills: Arm Micro (Bronze) – Defeat 30 enemies with the Arm Micro.
30 Kills: TAU Sniper (Bronze) – Defeat 30 enemies with the Tau Sniper.
30 Kills: KAL 7 (Bronze) – Defeat 30 enemies with the KAL 7.
30 Kills: M9 (Bronze) – Defeat 30 enemies with the M9.
30 Kills: G-MAL (Bronze) – Defeat 30 enemies with the G-MAL.
30 Kills: SAS-12 (Bronze) – Defeat 30 enemies with the SAS-12
.30 Kills: Dragon Sniper (Bronze) – Defeat 30 enemies with the Dragon Sniper.
30 Kills: T-Bolt Sniper (Bronze) – Defeat 30 enemies with the T-Bolt Sniper.
30 Kills: RPG7 (Bronze) – Defeat 30 enemies with the RPG-7.
30 Kills: PAK-80 (Bronze) – Defeat 30 enemies with the PAK-80.
30 Kills: Mk-NDI (Bronze) – Defeat 30 enemies with the Mk-NDI.
First Treasure (Bronze) – Find one treasure.
Apprentice Fortune Hunter (Bronze) – Find 10 treasures.
Skilled Fortune Hunter (Bronze) – Find 40 treasures.
Adept Fortune Hunter (Bronze) – Find 60 treasures.
Expert Fortune Hunter (Bronze) – Find 80 treasures.
Relic Finder (Bronze) – Find the Strange Relic.
20 Headshots (Bronze) – Defeat 20 enemies with headshots.
Headshot Expert (Bronze) – Defeat 5 enemies in a row with headshots.
Side Arm Master (Bronze) – Defeat 30 enemies in a row with your side arm.
Blindfire Marksman (Bronze) – Defeat 20 enemies by blind-firing while in cover (without aiming with L1).
Run-and-Gunner (Bronze) – Defeat 20 enemies by shooting from the hip (without aiming with L1).
Hangman (Bronze) – Defeat 20 enemies with gunfire by aiming while hanging.
Land Shark (Bronze) – Defeat 20 enemies while swimming.
Pro-Pain (Bronze) – Defeat 10 enemies with propane of acetylene tank explosions.
Grenade Hangman (Bronze) – Defeat 10 enemies with grenades while hanging.
Drop the Bomb Headshot (Bronze) – Make 5 enemies drop their grenades by shooting them.
Throwback (Bronze) -Kill 10 enemies with thrown-back grenades.
Throwback Master (Bronze) – Throw back a grenade and defeat two enemies at once.
Bare-knuckle Brawler (Bronze) – Defeat 20 enemies in hand-to-hand combat.
Bare-knuckle Slugger (Bronze) – Defeat 50 enemies in hand to hand combat.
Master Ninja (Bronze) – Defeat 50 enemies with stealth attacks.
Riot Rocker (Bronze) – Defeat 5 Riot Shield enemies by running over their shield.
Brute Beater (Bronze) – Successfully counter all of a Brute’s damage-giving attacks.
Quick Study (Bronze) – Inspect every display case in the Cartagena Museum.
Ride the Crocodile (Bronze) – Stand on the crocodile in the Secret Library.
He’s Gonna Need a Sturgeon (Bronze) – Hit three enemies with fish in the market.
Marco Solo (Bronze) – Play in the swimming pool on the Cruise Ship.
Truck Brawler (Bronze) – Defeat 10 enemies using hand-to-hand combat on the back of the convoy trucks.
Charted! – Easy (Bronze) – Finish the game in Easy Mode.
Thrillseeker (Bronze) – Complete one Competitive Multiplayer game.
Buddy System (Bronze) – Complete one Cooperative Multiplayer game.

Silver
Master Fortune Hunter (Silver) – Find 100 treasures.
Survivor (Silver) – Defeat 75 enemies in a row without dying.
Combat Leapfrog (Silver) – Defeat 10 enemies in a row, alternating hand-to-hand combat and gunplay.
100 Headshots (Silver) – Defeat 100 enemies with headshots.
Reload Master (Silver) – Defeat 50 enemies in a row without auto-reloading.
Rolling Ammo Master (Silver) – 20 times in a row, pick up ammo while rolling.
Dyno-Might Master (Silver) – Defeat 5 enemies with one explosion.
Expert Ninja (Silver) – Defeat 5 enemies in a row using stealth attacks.
Charted! – Normal (Silver) – Finish the game in Normal Mode.
Charted! – Hard (Silver) – Finish the game in Hard Mode.

Gold & Platinum
Charted! – Crushing (Gold) – Finish the game in Crushing Mode.
Platinum (Platinum) – Secret (Most likely grab all the other achievements).

I always feel like a trophy / achievements list can give a real flavour of what to expect from a game… so what to make of this one? More awesomeness certainly seems imminent!

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

We’ll keep ‘um peeled for more on this, and let you know as soon as anything else is leaked, but if you’d like a chance to be involved in the early access, we’d advise you grab a PlayStation Plus membership, if you don’t have one already, or look out for specially marked copies of Infamous 2.

I think it’s fair to say that Uncharted 2, Among Thieves is one of the most hyped games to hit the Playstation 3. In the build up to release, even the most newbish among us would have been hard pressed not to have seen some kind of marketing – be it billboard posters, TV ads or magazines – it’s everywhere. The question remains “does it live up to the hype?”

The game is from the 3rd person (camera over the shoulder) action-adventure genre and the basic game-play recipe boils down to climbing, jumping and swinging through various terrains. Throw into the mix a very substantial measure of gun-play and melee combat and top it off with a dash of problem solving. The end result is a tasty morsel that should appeal to most pallets.

First and foremost it’s important to set the scene as the cinematic feel of the game is one of the areas in which this game excels. You play Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter who, although decent enough at heart, tends to mix in dubious circles and isn’t afraid to bend the occasional law. The story starts by sending you in search of Marco Polo’s lost fleet of ships because the fleet reportedly carried a massive treasure trove. However the plot is diverted and soon turns into a quest to find the fabled Shangri-la. It’s hard to cover the story in any real detail without spoiling it, and given that said story is one of the strongest aspects of the game, I really don’t want to do that. Don’t get me wrong, this is no Schindler’s List, but compared to a lot of other video games, its story is Oscar worthy.

For me, one of the most appealing elements of the game is that Nathan Drake is a flawed character. He’s not the perfect super-hero type that you never really connect with. The game manages to humanize him through story telling, superb voice acting and great in-game character animation. The developers have managed to convince you that every leap, grab and fall is only just executed safely. Nathan’s arms and legs will flail as he flies through the air, his hands frantically grasping for a hold, you hear the fear in his voice whenever he makes a perilous leap. All these factors seem to take his character down a peg or two and make him a little bit more relatable in spite of his near unrivalled talents.

Nathan Drake > Spider-Man

The control scheme is very easy to get to grips with and the melee combat system has been greatly improved since the first game in the series; Uncharted, Drake’s Fortune. You tap out punches and kicks with the square button, which will occasionally be blocked. If you are not careful, the enemy can grab hold of Nate and deliver a brutal blow. When this sort of event triggers, the game slows down ever-so-slightly to give you an opportunity to hit the Triangle button, which is your counter-attack button. When successfully executed, this looks fantastically well choreographed and is very satisfying. You are also able to execute various stealth attacks which will despatch enemies silently. The gun play is an improvement on the first game and you get a decent array of weapon types as you progress through the levels. One big issue raised by many players of the first game was that many of the enemies were “bullet sponges” – i.e. they would take a ridiculous number of shots to fell. This has definitely been improved for the sequel. There are a handful of puzzles to solve within the game that aren’t particularly difficult and in fact seem to have been put in purely to give your PS3 a bit of a breather, as Naughty Dog have produced a game that really pushes the Playstation very hard.

The Circle button gives you access to the cover system, which is essential if you play on the harder difficulty levels. Hit the Circle and you will quickly duck behind the nearest object, sometimes tipping over a desk for better cover. Once in this mode you can move around either crouched or standing tall depending on the height of your cover. Holding the circle and direction stick will allow Nate to move carefully to the next piece of the environment you can hide behind. When in cover, you “blind fire” and raise your gun above your head shooting from safety. You sacrifice accuracy but you’re much more protected from return fire.

Using X, you can jump around to your hearts content. If there is a useable hand hold within reach, Nate will grab on. From there you use the direction stick to climb or move laterally. You can also leap from hand hold to hand hold using X, a great technique for traversing some of the climbing areas quickly.

Drake looks amazing

The graphics are, in my mind, the greatest I have seen in any console game. Some of the vistas are absolutely spectacular and I have often found myself stopping just to take a look around and really appreciate the graphical beauty. For me this is best represented in the various “snow” levels. You spend plenty of time in the mountains of Nepal and the environmental effects left me breathless. It’s almost as if they have taken the time to animate each individual snow flake; making them all reactive to the environment. This comes in particularly useful when you are trying to take out multiple enemies silently without alerting the other goons. If you take some time to make careful observations, you can see tracks in the snow and use them to work out the mercenaries patrol patterns. Then it’s just a case of making your way to a quiet point on their patrol route and waiting for them to make their rounds before you pull them over a cliff face.

The game has five difficulty levels – Very Easy, Easy, Normal, Hard and Crushing, with the latter only unlocked if you first complete the game on Hard. Beating the game on any difficulty unlocks the benefits for beating the game on all the lesser difficulty levels, so you don’t have to go through each setting to get all the in-game medals. These medals are awarded for various in-game achievements, with some unlocking official trophies. In fact, you can get all the trophies for this game and still have a load of in-game medals to unlock. There’s a definite reward for trying to be a completionist and getting all the medals, as each one comes with a financial benefit. Each medal grants you an amount of in-game currency, which you can use to purchase perks for the single player or the multiplayer aspects of the game.

The multiplayer was something that took me completely by surprise because I honestly wasn’t expecting much from it. I thought it would be haphazardly tacked on as a sort of obligatory nod toward the growing trend of online gaming. However I was very pleasantly surprised. The multiplayer comes with various modes that can be found in a lot of online shooters. There are two teams: Heroes and Villains, who compete in matches of five vs five. The game types include:

• Plunder (retrieve treasure and return it to a safe spot before the enemy)
• Deathmatch (kill all on the opposing team)
• Elimination (like Deathmatch expect killed players do not re-spawn)
• King of the Hill (hold an area on the map for as long as possible)
• Chain Reaction (take areas in sequence)
• Turf War (hold as many areas as possible for as long as possible)

Plunder, Plunder, Plunder Cats. Hoooooooooooooooooo!

There is also a Co-Operative mode available online. Teams of three players, made up of you and two others, compete against the computer AI in either Survival mode; where you have to make it through wave upon wave of increasingly tough enemies or Gold Rush; essentially the Plunder mode, but the enemy AI is trying to kill you while you retrieve the treasure. There is more than enough content here for any online enthusiast. Just like in the single player game, you can earn in-game currency to purchase boosters to use in the multiplayer games (things like extra ammo and accuracy) or enhancements to weapons you use in the Co-Op game. You can even purchase different character skins to use online if you’re a little bored with the standard array of characters. The more you play and the more you earn, the more you level up and unlock benefits for your online character. This should provide enough legs for the multiplayer fans to run on for some time to come.

The game mechanics from the single player game transfer seamlessly into the multiplayer game, so you’ll find yourself climbing up buildings and leaping across chasms looking for a safe spot to snipe from. The level of map design for multiplayer is so good that there are no spots where you can camp safely. Each area has multiple entry and exits options, so you can be sat, taking out a couple of guys whilst someone sneaks up behind you and snaps your neck. The multiplayer has the same polish as the single player game and looks just as good, if not better than anything on the console, including Killzone 2.

The game doesn’t do anything spectacularly original, but what Uncharted does, it does spectacularly well.

REVIEW ROUND-UP

Graphics: 5/5 The best graphics I have seen on any game. It’s hard to believe that they could improve on Drake’s Fortune but they have.

Sound: 5/5 Another, best in show award here for the voice acting. The environmental sounds are exceptional as well.

Gameplay: 4/5 Not perfect, but improved on the original. There are still some times where you can get a little frustrated with the cover system. Also the puzzles seem incredibly simple and drawn out.

Longevity: 5/5 Fantastic. The single player has a huge reward system for in-game achievements that goes further than just trophies. You can unlock perks, character skins and weapons to replay the game with. The addition of a hugely enjoyable multiplayer game means this will keep people busy for a long time yet.

Overall: 5/5 Quite possibly the best game on the system. Something that I think every PS3 owner should at least play, if not own.

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If I was a treasure hunter, I would always be the last guy to raid the tomb and I’d get crushed by the over-sized rolling boulder.  Yes, I’m often the guy following behind rather than the guy out in front.  That’s why it’s probably no surprise that I have only recently played Uncharted, Drake’s Fortune but I tell you something.  I’ve not come away empty handed from the experience.
 
I became a PS3 owner earlier this year, so I have a considerable backlog of titles to catch up on.  One in particular that had been recommended to by many friends was the subject of today’s review.  Spurred on by the tidal wave of excitement that currently accompanies Uncharted 2, Amongst Thieves, I decided to pick up a copy of its predecessor and see what all the fuss was about. 
 
The game was initially released back in 2007 with a Platinum re-printing the following year.  The game is, at its heart, an action-platformer with quite a lot of gun play thrown into the mix.  The lead character, the man you control, is Nathan Drake.  A full time treasure hunter who, although an honest fellow himself, mixes in dubious circles.  The story revolves around his quest to find the lost treasure of El Dorado.  The story starts with Nathan raising Sir Francis Drake’s coffin from the depths of the ocean.  Nathan, supposedly being a direct descendant of the historical explorer, finds a clue to the location of the treasure inside the coffin.  From here on in, the story takes a dramatic turn involving modern day pirates and a chase for the treasure.  I don’t want to give anything away but the story is fantastic and everything you could want from a good adventure film.  
 
One of the first things you will notice about this single-player game are its stunning visuals.  Often, a video game review will harp on about frame-rate this, pop-in that.  Not here though.  Even the most newbish among you will see that this game is simply beautiful.  Two years on, with developments in game design progressing, the graphics still stand out as some of the best on any console.  Your character, Drake, moves in a very natural way with superb animation.  When you make a death defying leap, you’ll grab hold of a ledge at the last second and the character animation is such that there is a real level of tension accompanying the acrobatics.  Drake will stumble, frantically grab at outcrops and other desperate actions to make him feel fallible.  This is an essential balance because he is, quite clearly, the most talented free-climber ever seen.  The guy can drop twelve feet and grab a finger hold to stop him falling to his doom.  Obviously this is a super-human level of ability, but the animation makes you believe that although he’s pulling off these incredible moves – he’s only just about achieving it.  This is backed up by clever voice acting.  You hear the desperation in his voice as he “just” makes the leap to the next hand-hold. 

Spider-Drake, Spider-Drake, does whatever . . .

The actual game play is very good, but not without its flaws.  You run around, shooting bad guys, climbing walls, leaping chasms and solving puzzles.  The climbing aspect is very well executed for the most part.  As I said above, the animation and audio gives that aspect of game play a real, tangible sense of tension.  Pressing [X] and the direction you want to jump will pretty much take care of you.  Pressing [X] to leap onto a wall hold and then the left stick will allow you to climb.  Occasionally, the next grip will be out of reach and you will need to leap from hold to hold using the [X] button.  It’s all very slick for the most part.  However where it falls down is that because the scenery is so alive and vivid, it’s sometimes hard to see where you’re supposed to climb.  I spent quite a bit of time jumping aimlessly hoping to grab hold of a ledge or grip that wasn’t completely conspicuous.  An associated minor gripe is that when you do leap and whiff, the animation is a little weird.  Compared to the realism of the rest of Drake’s animation he can look like a Thunderbirds puppet when leaping against a wall for a non-existent perch. 
 
The gun play is decent with a good cover mechanic.  Pressing the [O] key will see you stick to the nearest piece of scenery.  From here you can blind fire (shooting without looking), using the R1 button.  This is often an effective technique when surrounded by numerous enemies.  When you do have a little more time to breathe, you can hold L1 down for more deliberate aiming.  You can hold two guns at a time – one pistol and one rifle as well as carrying a handful of grenades.  Some of the enemies you face can take quite a few hits to take down, unless you hit the headshot, which can be frustrating at times.

Using cover can be an essential part of the gameplay

 
The puzzle elements are sporadic and Drake carries a journal with him that provides hints and tips as to what you need to do to solve them.  The puzzles themselves are quite straight forward, but the presentation in this respect is excellent.  In fact, the whole game is superbly presented, from the simple and attractive menus, to the incredible cut scenes.  The polish the Naughty Dog (the game developers) have put into this title is very impressive.  Well, it’s time to wrap this baby up but stay tuned as I’ll have a review of the sequel Uncharted 2, Among Thieves up in the next few days
 

REVIEW ROUND-UP

 
Graphics: 5/5 Quite simply the benchmark against which all PS3 games should be judged.  Beautiful colours, vividly rendered with superb animation.
 
Sound: 5/5 A superb audio track with some of the best voice acting I’ve heard in a game as well as incredibly clear incidental audio.
 
Gameplay: 4/5 The basic gameplay is done particularly well with just a few minor gripes to detract.
 
Longevity: 3/5 This is where the game suffers.  As a single player only experience, and with 60 treasures to find in the game, once you’ve played it a couple of times, there’s not a lot to bring you back.
 
Overall: 4/5 Absolutely one of the must buy games for the system.  A few small points tarnish an otherwise magnificent game.

[starreview tpl=16]

GamerDork UK 18: Oh so we’ve bothered, eh?