Previews// Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Quick plot overview (as far as the preview code takes us at least): a likeable Yankee rogue (Nathan Drake) discovers Elizabethan explorer, Sir Francis Drake’s, lost diary with a page ripped out. That page contains a (or is it ‘the’) map to El Dorado - the lost city of gold, not the failed BBC soap opera. Said loveable rogue is accompanied by a lovely, spunky/fiesty documentary film-maker – Elena Fisher - (there is, of course, sexual tension) who films the entire finding-the-diary escapade. She, you see, has an agenda.

Oh, despite Sir Francis Drake having died without issue (he’d spent a great deal of time at sea), aforementioned rogue is – apparently – part of the family. Thickening of plot – as is the ring tied around his neck.

Nat’ is also partnered with a father-figure (Sully, I’m not sure if that’s his first or last name but I do no that it’s a verb meaning ‘to dirty’). Sully has no time for lovely documentary film makers.

To be honest, Sully has no time for much of anything save for treasure!

Okay, any more plot and we’re into spoilers so… quickly now:

Find diary – need page – seek page – fire guns – jump on things – jump between things – fire more guns – solve puzzles – fire more guns – have a bit of a shock – develop more motivation – jump / fire / solve. Do all this in a third-person format.

You get the idea, I’m sure. But now you’re going to say something like, “But I heard it was just Tomb Raider for chicks or for blokes who like looking at other blokes!”

Well, shut up. Yes, just, Mmmm, shut up.

For a start I have it on good authority that “chicks” (as you so sexistly put it), liked Tomb Raider. In fact Ms Croft was a major influence on the Spice Girls-lead, Girrrl Power revolution that so changed all our lives.

Secondly, Nathan Drake’s dashing good looks, roguish charm, strangely strangulated morals and ability to talk to himself at odd moments… actually stop right there. Yes, he does talk to himself… if he’s about to crouch, roll and take a shot via the really quite easy to use control system, he’ll bloody talk to himself. For me – I don’t like FPSs with all their pretence that you’re the character – that actually helped the game-play along.

Where was I? Oh yes, the Tomb Raider comparisons. Look, sure, if that’s what you want to do then fine. Frankly because there are jumping, shooting, puzzle solving and searching, sure… why not make the comparison. It won’t get you anywhere – I mean Family Guy and The Simpsons both have roughly similar constituent factors, but they both make me laugh. Get over it… move on.

So, Tim, how does the bleeder play? Well, I enjoyed it. The control system works logically and efficiently (this is a preview not a sodding manual, so I’m not going into the detail). By this I mean no combination of buttons, no [L1] or [R2] pressing interfered with my general (and I must say) great enjoyment of hacking through jungle, leaping off and on things or targeting my mighty weapon(s). In short, it all just worked.