Earlier this month, Naughty Dog released a patch<\/a> for last year\u2019s hit PS3 game Uncharted: Drake\u2019s Fortune<\/em>, a patch of tremendous significance for making Uncharted<\/em> the first full-blown PS3 production to feature trophies, as designated by the one and only platinum trophy currently up for grabs. Since the patch went live, I\u2019ve spent the past two weeks exploring Uncharted<\/em>\u2019s dense jungles and dark catacombs, playing it, replaying it and replaying it some more to unlock every last trophy. After three trips through the game and nothing short of 20 hours worth of adventuring, I\u2019ve come out the other side — platinum trophy proudly in hand, of course \u2013 and figured now would be as good a time as any to fill you in on the addictive beauty of the new trophy system and finally review this wonderful work of action\/adventure gaming. <\/p>\n

Before getting into the trophies, though, let me first sing the praises of the game itself for a moment. As I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve well heard by now, Uncharted<\/em> absolutely rocks. In quick summation, it\u2019s like Tomb Raider<\/em> \u2013 tomb diving, treasure hunting and acrobatic adventuring — crossed with Gears of War<\/em> \u2013 intense, cover-based gunplay — infused with the brash, swashbuckling tone and attitude of an Indiana Jones<\/em> movie (the old ones, not the crap new one).<\/p>\n

From start to finish, the story, following the handsome, young treasure hunter Nathan Drake on a quest to find the legendary treasure of El Dorado, is a breathtaking cinematic thrill ride rivaling any modern-day Hollywood blockbuster action flick. It has the gameplay to back up the narrative, too, with its smooth controls, challenging gun battles and abundance of platform-jumping, vine-swinging, wall-climbing adventure moments. It\u2019s even got a few vehicular action sequences that not only don\u2019t completely suck but are actually a heck of a lot of fun. That\u2019s not to say it\u2019s perfect, though. I do wish that the level and puzzle designs were more free flowing (this is a very linear game), and the cover system could\u2019ve used a little extra fine-tuning (when there are multiple cover points in close proximity Nate doesn\u2019t always duck behind the one you want). But in the grand scheme of things these are minor flaws.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Graphically, it\u2019s magnificent, too. Other than MGS4<\/em> and maybe Heavenly Sword<\/em>, you won\u2019t find higher-end production values anywhere else in gaming. From lovely jungle environments bursting with lush vegetation and rich lighting to water effects that rival BioShock<\/em>\u2019s to animations and facial mapping so realistic they\u2019ll leave you dumbstruck, Uncharted<\/em> is a showpiece of some of the most sophisticated graphics and animation technology in game design today. And of course I can\u2019t leave out Nate\u2019s famous half-tucked shirt which wrinkles realistically with every single movement he makes and wets and dries in real-time. I know it\u2019s just a shirt, but the tech behind it is impressive. The occasional Unreal Engine 3-like texture load-in bug, on the other hand, is a yucky, unfortunate glitch in Naughty Dog\u2019s powerhouse engine that I wish could\u2019ve been cleaned up. Fortunately it\u2019s a split-second blemish that really only ever happens when loading into a scene for the first time (like after a story sequence), so it\u2019s not that unsightly. <\/p>\n

Now, my friends, let me tell you about the trophy system. It\u2019s built upon the game\u2019s existing medal system, so the unlock requirements are exactly the same (the trophies aren\u2019t retroactive, though, so even if you\u2019ve earned all the medals before you\u2019ll have to start all over from scratch to get the trophies). That means you\u2019ve got a total of 48 trophies to earn (36 bronze, 8 silver, 3 gold and the elusive platinum) by completing a wide range of challenges, be it basic things like killing a certain number of enemies with all the different weapons, completing the game on all four difficulty settings, or hunting down all 60 of the hidden treasures (you get a trophy in increments of five discovered treasures), or more advanced tasks such as killing five enemies in a row with one punch after first softening them up with gunshots or killing three enemies with one explosion five separate times. Beating the game on the Crushing difficulty is no joke either. You better have mad patience and precise shooting skills if you hope to survive. <\/p>\n

It may be hard to believe, but the introduction of trophies has had a skyrocketing effect on the game\u2019s replay value. At least for me it has. Sure, you could already perform the same challenges and earn some sweet bonus material for the effort (behind-the-scenes videos, costumes, cheats, etc.), but for some reason having the extra trophy incentive makes the accomplishments even more satisfying. My experience is proof of this, too. I only played the game once last year when it first came out and that was it, but since the advent of trophies I played it through three times in succession. You may say \u201cso what?\u201d to that, but for as many Xbox 360 games as I own and have played, not a single one has ever enticed me to replay it multiple times for the sole purpose of achievement hunting. I don\u2019t know why but I simply couldn\u2019t stop playing until I had all the trophies. That\u2019s proof positive of how rewarding a trophy\/achievement system can be, it\u2019s just surprising that it has taken this long for a game to pull the feature off so perfectly.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Until Metal Gear Solid 4<\/em> came along, Uncharted<\/em> was the best thing going for the PS3, and even now it\u2019s still right up there with Kojima\u2019s masterpiece. The addition of trophies and DualShock 3 support (oh yes, rumble was also added recently in case you forgot) have only made it better with age, too. If you have a PS3, Uncharted<\/em> should be in your collection. If you plan on picking up a PS3 anytime soon, you\u2019d be wise to make it one of your first game purchases (Sony\u2019s making that choice super-easy this holiday season with the upcoming 160GB bundle<\/a>, and it\u2019ll also surely be going Greatest Hits sometime soon, so you\u2019re running out of excuses). And of course if you already own Uncharted<\/em>, now is the best time to go back, relive Nate\u2019s adventure and earn yourself some trophies along the way.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Pros:<\/strong>
\n+ Trophy system adds new replay value and an extra layer of reward to the existing medal system
\n+ Rock solid gameplay all around: gunplay, puzzles, platforming… it’s all great
\n+ Compelling story accentuated by superb music, voice acting and characters you become attached to
\n+ Out of this world production values<\/p>\n

Cons:<\/strong>
\n– Levels and puzzles are extremely linear, as you’ll notice over repeated playthroughs
\n– Occasional texture load-in bug uglies up what is otherwise a gorgeous game
\n– Trophies aren’t retroactive<\/p>\n

Game Info:<\/strong>
\nPlatform: PS3
\nPublisher: SCEA
\nDeveloper: Naughty Dog
\nRelease Date: 11\/16\/07
\nGenre: Action\/Adventure
\nPlayers: 1<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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