As soon as the Audio Visual Amplifier switches itself to DTS (Digital Theatre System) and the powerful ethnic drums beat to reveal an auditory vista of adventure and exploration you know you’re in for a treat. And then you hit the start button!

Naughty Dog – renowned for their previous gaming development for Crash Bandicoot as well as Jax and Daxter – these guys have produced an exhilarating next generation action adventure game exclusively for the Playstation 3 – ‘Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune’.

Set on a gorgeous Tropical Island, you play Nathan Drake (a fictitious descendant of Sir Francis Drake) a humorous T-shirt and jeans clad guy – yet (and contradictorily so) a heroic figure in every sense. Nathan sets out to discover some ‘truths’ and an ancient relic believed to be hidden somewhere on the Island and whilst doing so has an even more action packed experience than Indiana Jones, Lara Croft or even that meat head from Gears of War.

Throughout your journey be prepared to be immersed in a rich, lush environment. Whether it’s trudging through a jungle with wind gently manoeuvring throughout the scenery, shadows being cast upon the ground, or splashing through some of the most realistic water you’ll have encountered in a video game.

There are some nice uses of the six axis controller like shaking off attacks or balancing whilst trying to cross tree-made bridges. Nathan’s movements are incredibly slick; he runs, swings, hangs, pulls himself up with a naturalistic-human quality – his hand slips from ledges, he misplaces his feet, he winces as he dodges bullets and panics if a grenade in about to explode in his face. The cut scenes are plentiful and beautifully rendered and add to the game rather than retracting from the experience. There are also some nice God of War ‘dodge moments’ (you simply press a corresponding button represented on the screen). There are plenty of shooting battles and they are challenging; the bad guys are certainly out to protect ’something’. No fear, as you have a diverse range of weapons to pick up and/or steal from the opposition as well as some brutal combat moves to inflict pain on the bad-boys, should you run out of bullets.

The sound supports both DTS and Dolby Digital which further adds to the games immersion. Tweeting of birds, the rush of water, bullets whizzing past your ears, dialogue, all presented in 5.1 not to mention that incredibly powerful thuwamp kick from the shot gun – that’s gotta hurt!

Believe it or not I’m not usually into action/adventure games I just don’t have the patience to spend ages working out puzzles, I prefer instant gratification (typically driving simulators) but I do try and keep an open mind. And so with this release – I’m glad I did. Whilst there are plenty of puzzles through out the game – if you’re taking too long to work them out you’ll get a hint. Ah!

The exceedingly high production values held me tight until I had finally completed the game all within ten hours – more than enough time for a game of this caliber. There are plenty of replay moments as you can unlock achievements and doing so unlocks bonuses like extra footage; behind the scene videos, interviews with developers, concept art and the like. It’s insightful and adds further value to the presentation of the game.

This is a true next generation game that oozes quality. It should definetely be part of your collection – if only for a short while. You won’t regret it. What’s more, Naughty Dog deserves the support of the Playstation community for creating such an incredible game, with support comes even greater games – thanks Naughty Dog!

10 – Production Values
10 – Graphics
10 – Sound
09 – Gameplay
08 – Plot

Total: 9.5
This review has been graciously provided by Killed Bill

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