Preview: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Yup, this is what Naughty Dog, of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter fame, has been hard at work on and very secretive about of late. And it is paying off. Uncharted is looking spectacular, and was the most-impressive and surprising game on display this week.
Naughty Dog president Evan Wells was on-hand to show us the good, but the game was also playable, so I got my hands on it (more on that later). Here's what was talked about and shown:
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is a game that will showcase the PS3 as a platform
- The story is of utmost importance: The main character is searching for lost treasure of the El Dorado, a huge chunk of Spanish gold.
- The gameplay is an action-adventure, focusing on things like exploration, rope swinging, hand-to-hand combat and shooting The jungle environment looks a lot like it took a page out of Tomb Raider, but the gameplay and combat system feels a little like Gears of War
- It's set in a modern-day, real-world environment, but the story has a historical basis and feel set in a lost Spanish colony
- The engine was built from the ground up
- There is a focus on animation with human-like, believable motion and real-life facial expression
The demo consisted of a mix between paltforming and shooting, and lasted about 10 minutes. To start, there were a bunch of rocks and ledges to traverse, all of it showcasing the gorgeous surroundings of lush foliage and realistic water. After getting though the hopping around, there appeared some dude that really took a liking to shooting me. you carry a standard pistol, but you can apparently hold up to four weapons, including grenades and the ability to take someone on with plain old fists, which is most helpful when someone gets right up in your face.
To take out enemies from afar, the combat system of cover is much like it is in Gears of War. The circle button attached me to a rock or other form of cover, and the L1 button allowed me to pop out, aim, and fire. It's a little rough around the edges right now, but the cover system seems to work adequately well and with a little polish, should be one of the game's great core mechanics.
It was pretty much a gunfire fest after that, and I picked up a machine gun and a shotgun, but of which were such for medium to close-ranged combat. There were about 20 total enemies to take care of, and while the demo didn't really dig deep into the game, it did scratch the surface of the core combat mechanics and platforming techniques that will be used in the final game.
Looking for the scoop on other hot PS3 titles? Then check out our preview of the ridiculously hot Heavenly Sword. Then stop by for a peek at the loveable LittleBigPlanet, the next Ratchet and Clank, the latest installment in the SOCOM franchise, and the PSN-exclusive PAIN.
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