I'm here watching the end credits roll to the PS3's critically acclaimed Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and I can't help but feel disappointed and underwhelmed. This is supposed to be one of the can't miss titles for the PS3, a killer app, a system seller. Aside from an engaging story and multidimensional characters that clearly surpass the throwaway industry standards of storytelling and characterization representative of the guns-blazing, testosterone-infused machismo of 80s action films, Uncharted is undeniably plagued with some of the industry's most undesirable tropes. How can a recipient of such high praise rely on archaic control mechanics, mechanics that feel so markedly unpolished? How does a game of such allegedly high caliber get away with engaging the player in banal guesswork, both in its shooting and platforming segments? Are we, as players, so starved for good stories and characters that we're willing to forgive such abysmally poor mechanics?
Nathan Drake is a fortune hunter who traverses the globe in an effort to unlock the past of his ancestor, the famed English sea captain Sir Francis Drake. Accompanied by journalist and love interest Elena, who films and comments on his exploits, and Sully, a gruff veteran fortune hunter, Drake unearths clues to his ancestor's past that lead to the pursuit of the lost city of El Dorado. It is no surprise that a rival group of fortune hunters is also in search of the lost city, and will stop at nothing to ensure that they beat Drake and his pals to the punch. The plot plays similarly to something like Raiders of the Lost Ark or National Treasure, as both groups are in hot pursuit of clues that will lead them to unearth this fabled city of gold. The cinematics in the game are very well-done, and serve as a reward for completing the frustrating and often tedious action scenes. It is within these cut scenes that the relationships between the characters really take form. While the animation of the characters' mouths leaves something to be desired (there is a marked abnormality to the shape and movement of their mouths, especially when they laugh or smile), the voice acting all but makes up for it. This is some of the most natural and realistic sounding interplay that I've ever witnessed in a video game, and it's backed by a crisp, dynamic script. The combination of the clever script and the kinetic interplay between the voice actors made the game come to life, so much so that I felt as though I was watching a captivating movie at times. These aspects of the game -- the story and cinematic elements -- are what ultimately pulled me through the experience. Were the characters and story not so interesting, I would have given up within the first couple of hours.
Now, onto my complaints. First, the gunplay was stiff and unrewarding, the cover mechanic sticky and unreliable. A gunfight in Uncharted typically consists of finding Drake cover behind a decrepit wall, waiting for an enemy to pop out from behind his own cover, and firing away. The problem is that the supply of enemies is ceaseless, and -- this is the first and last time I'll likely ever complain about this -- the enemy A.I. is simply too smart for its own good. Every gunfight sequence involves a seemingly endless chain of enemies emerging from a multitude of angles, making it very difficult to move in and out of cover, and leaving the gameplay to feel stagnant and dull. Unlike a game like Gears of War, where the player is encouraged to use strategy and to sleekly move from cover to cover, Uncharted denies the player flexibility in gunfights by placing extreme restrictions on his movements. When the player does attempt to move in on the enemy, the unreliable cover system often forces the player out of cover, sticking him awkwardly to the side of a wall right out in the open. Furthermore, the cumbersome targeting system is too slow to react appropriately to encroaching enemies, leading to a repeated onslaught of frustrating deaths.
This is not the only way that the game frustrates with stultifying deaths, though. The game's platforming segments demand a trial-and-error style of play. There are many times throughout the game when you aren't quite sure if you can make a particular jump. At the time, you see no other alternative, so you go with it, only to realize that's not what the game wanted. You are punished for experimenting, and as such, are constantly reminded of the linearity and one-dimensional nature of the experience, restrictions that continually pull you out of the immersion of the story and characters. This is not to mention that the game's checkpoints are often distant from your death plummets, forcing you to clamber all the way back, only to die several minutes later, this time from a different, but no more forgiving, platforming sequence.
In both its shooting and platforming segments, Uncharted feels like an unrelenting cycle of frustration. Dare I say that these mechanics are the leftover artifacts of an earlier time in gaming history: they are unrefined, careless, and nearly mindless. It is unfortunate because the story and characterization demonstrate such incredible advancements, and, I would argue hold profound meaning for the development of the video game medium. At the end of the day, however, we're not talking about a movie or a television show. We're talking about a video game. And a video game needs to be grounded in reliable and responsive controls, and a feedback system more profound than mere trial-and-error gameplay. Legendary game creator Shigeru Miyamoto advises that developers ought to create their control scheme and gameplay mechanics before worrying about anything else. While developer Naughty Dog makes some impressive strides in terms of evoking some feelings that often remain dormant while playing games, the team fails to provide the excitement and thrill of precise aim when shooting or a well-timed jump when platforming. In fact, just the opposite is true: these segments almost inevitably lead to frustration and the all-too-easy thought of simply putting the controller down and moving on to something else. That being said, the story and characterization redeem Uncharted just enough that I could recommend renting it to those who could summon the requisite patience to endure its often torturous gameplay sequences.
Score: 6.5/10
I am going to give Uncharted 2 a try. Here's to hoping that developer Naughty Dog will show how much it has grown since the first game. Look forward to my thoughts when I finish!
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