One thing I love about Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is despite the fact that it is this "grand adventure" you never see anything in the game that you really consider out of the realm of possibility. With exception to the cliff jumping I never found my self thinking "oh come on". Naughty Dog provided a great story that never makes you feel like it couldn't actually have happened (with a little embellishment here and there).
The game opens with the apparent discovery of Sir Frances Drake's coffin. However inside the coffin they find his journal instead of his body and from there they are off on a quest for the treasure they believe he had found. Upon searching for the treasure Nathan stumbles across a map that he believes leads to the treasure they are searching for. After narrowly escaping a confrontation with some mercenaries/pirates Nathan is once again off to discover the treasure of El Dorado. I won't spoil the game for anyone who hasn't played it but the story includes some twists and turns before it concludes. All you really need to understand is that Nathan Drake is looking for Sir Frances Drake's long lost treasure.
Now I thoroughly enjoyed Uncharted. The cover and shooting mechanics work very well and the AI is fairly intelligent and keeps you on your toes. The game incorporates the sixaxis controls well but does not rely on them for a significant amount of game play which is a definite plus. Graphically Uncharted is almost a masterpiece. I'm not prepared to say it is the greatest looking game I have ever seen but it comes pretty close. Everything from the grass to the character models look fantastic. Another big plus for me was the great voice over work. Very seldom do I get drawn into a games story the way in which I was drawn into Drake's Fortune. I am not exaggerating when I say that Drake, Elena and Sully could very easily all be real.
My grievances with Uncharted are fairly minor and do not really take away from the whole experience. First the cover mechanic can feel clunky at times and will on occasion make you think about the controller which is never a good thing. Another control hiccup is the occasional jump to nowhere that Nathan will make. On more than one occasion I wanted to jump off a ledge one way and he jumped another. My only real issue with Uncharted is the lack of a multiplayer component. This game was designed for co-op and probably would have worked well as a multiplayer but unfortunately neither is in the game.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is a very good game with a lot to offer. Despite it's lack of multiplayer and co-op you will probably find yourself putting it back in just for all the unlockable extras. If you are looking for a good action adventure game for the PS3 then you have found it.
