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The analogy is irresistible; the star of Crash Bandicoot developer Naughty Dog’s latest adventure feels like the spiritual offspring of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft. Nathan Drake takes most of his style and humour from Indy, and dashes off into the relic-strewn jungles that, until now, have been the heavily trodden territory of a certain buxom video game heroine.
After unearthing a 400-year old clue in the empty coffin of Sir Francis Drake, his apparent descendent is sent on a sprawling race against an army of archetypal bad guys, lead by a well-spoken English villain to hunt down the ultimate treasure that is El Dorado. In case you need clarification, that’s the priceless gold-statue, and not the short-lived soap concerned with the coital adventures of leathery skinned English ex-pats.
While it would be easy to lazily discredit Drake’s Fortune as a slothful copycat of Eidos’ crowning jewel, vaguely disguised as an unofficial Harrison Ford portrayal, it’s actually shaping up to be a hugely exciting game bursting with character, and spearheaded by one of video game’s most alluring male leads.
The staggering facial expressions of Heavenly Sword may not be present, but this is a game that exudes personality. Nathan is a loveable rogue and, in an almost unique departure for video games, he has a masculinity that will impress women, based far more on whit than weaponry. He is attractive, hilarious and tough, and many male players may yearn to be a touch more like him. You can imagine him getting expelled from a boarding school, or spending nights in exotic prison cells, without really doing anything particularly bad.
It seems peculiar to dwell too hungrily on the game’s protagonist, but he is so engaging he makes the cut-scenes as enjoyable as the game. Thanks to some brilliant scripting and perfectly cast voice acting, he has the kind of allure more commonly seen in hard-boiled black and white detective movies. More surprising still, is that he is surrounded by some equally believable associates, both in terms of his friends and his foes, to the point that when he looses a close friend, it is a truly heart wrenching moment.
In the open stages of the game, various twists and turns in the plot mean that you spend most of your time working with an accomplice, and the dialogue is without exception defined by an astute pace and loaded with whit, bringing a great deal to the experience, and grasping your attention like a film.
It is indeed a testament to the writing and performing that they almost distract you from some utterly stunning visuals. The preview build of the game occasionally lets out a glitch or reveals a torn edge, but mostly it is sumptuous to behold. The environments are packed with detail, not only in terms of texture and surfaces, but also with regard to the wealth of objects that cover the walls and clutter corners. Walls deep in tombs are strewn with ramshackle shelving and stacks of wood. Pots gather dust in corners and roots of giant trees hang through ancient cracks in the ceiling.
As you step outside though, into the warm sunlight of the jungles that make up the large majority of the game’s most impressive stages, things begin to get truly impressive. The lush bushy foliage and gently swaying ferns are nicer than most of us have seen before, but it is the lighting that is most striking. From dappled plumes of daylight shining through the canopy to the warm sunsets that make the backdrops of some truly impressive vistas above the tree line, throughout the temptation to pause and take in the views is irresistible.
Yet while Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is looking to be perfect for showing off your PlayStation3, its first purpose has to be as an enjoyable game to play. Fortunately, the substantially developed preview code is already thoroughly engaging. It must be said that a large chunk of the gameplay will be hugely familiar to anyone who has spent some time with Tomb Raider, but the shooting sections of the game, which account for perhaps a half of the gameplay, give Drake’s Fortune enough of a distinction from its closest virtual comparison – it actually feels a little like Gears of War.
The gunplay mechanic itself is fairly basic, giving the action an arcade feel, though there is a snappy system for hugging even the smallest slither of cover, and an instinctive technique for diving from one wall to another. The targeting reticule could do with being made a little clearer, as its diminutive size can easily be lost at the moment you need it most, but it does stop a generally clear-cut game from being too easy for the hardened player.
The real enjoyment inherent in Naughty Dog’s sun-kissed adventure, however, comes from the platform leaping sections. Diving from ruins and shimmying along ledges never loses appeal when the levels are well-designed Pandora’s Boxes, filled with puzzles and challenges that at first appear gentle and serene.
Sony have every right to be confident of this spiralling yarn packed with modern pirates, hidden temples and overgrown jungles, and Nathan Drake could well become a poster boy for the blossoming of the PlayStation 3. If a next-generation Indiana sounds like your cup of tea, keep an eye on what is looking like a hugely absorbing adventure.
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