Chart your own course

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, impresses with its lifelike environments

Title: Unchartered: Drake's Fortune
Developer: Naughty Dog
Console: PlayStation 3
Price: Rs2,799

The first thing about Unchartered that you notice is the way the plants sway as freelance adventurer, Nathan Drake, brushes past them on his search for treasure left behind by an 18th century explorer. It may seem strange to highlight this innocuous feature considering that Unchartered: Drake's Fortune has bigger things to boast about –– interesting characters and fantastic graphics. However, it is the brilliant lifelike environment, and realistic features, that give this action-adventure game an edge over others in its genre.

The story revolves around Nathan Drake (the character you control), who finds a map of an island where 18th century adventurer Francis Drake had supposedly found a fortune. Drake, though attired in a worn-out, dirty grey shirt and jeans, exudes charm, confidence and dry wit.

You are joined on your quest by a determined TV reporter Elena –– who becomes your sidekick –– and the cigar-chomping Sully. But a mission to locate hidden treasure is no cakewalk, and is fraught with danger. As Drake, you must combat enemies, and solve different puzzles. There are a number of memorable sequences in the game. The first among them is when you find the missing piece of the map on a rusted U-boat, marooned on boulders in a river. The sight of a U-boat, Germany's World War II era submarine, is a surprise in itself. You navigate your way through the U-boat before finding the missing piece. The other sequence involves a jeep chase, where you man a gun mounted at the back of the vehicle.

Your primary weapon is a pistol, but as the game progresses you can obtain some serious firepower. The pistol, however, proves to be a better weapon than the machine gun, as it is much more accurate than the latter.

The gunplay is the title's big letdown. Aiming can be frustrating, and considering your enemies are a tough lot (it takes more than two shots to kill an opponent) you have to rely heavily on your sidekick.

Comparatively, the hand-to-hand combat is fun. It looks great and, most importantly, makes for different gameplay, which is always welcome.

Now, getting back to the way the plants sway. Unchartered uses the PlayStation 3's processing power to make the game realistic, as well as graphically enriching. Also, the facial expressions look very real, and add that extra edge to the game.

Though there are some irritating elements in the game, overall Unchartered stands out with its excellent graphics and brilliant lifelike environments.