PixlBit

Great early PS3 game that holds up well.

After much urging from my PS3-owning buddies, I finally checked out the Uncharted series.  I was told to go straight to Uncharted 2, that I could play that and enjoy it without playing 1, but I wanted to keep it real.  Plus, my buddy owns a copy, so I was able to borrow and play for free.

What I enjoyed the most was the quality voice acting.  Some of the enemies' generic statements -- "He's over here!", "Get him!", "Keep your head down." -- do get old after a while, but the dialogue of the main characters is professional and believable.  I also like the simplicity of the overall inventory and mechanics.  There's no sub-screen to deal with, save a few moments when you're prompted to read your treasure book for puzzle clues.  

I was surprised by the amount of shooting involved in the game.  I'd say that led to the only belief-breaker for me: when Nathan would kill dozens of enemies, then seem completely unaffected by the traumatic reality of it by zinging one-liners immediately afterward.  Maybe his sense of humor is his way of dealing with PTSD.

After playing a while, I noticed a distinct formula for ammo acquisition.  When a wave of enemies appear, the first few fire off weaker weapons, then after that 1 or 2 would have stronger weapons.  After they're all dead, collect the ammo and continue.  While on hard difficulty, there is no way to run and gun, you will die.  Every shootout boiled down to covering and sniping around the corner.  It's somewhat of a shame, because this approach renders the shotgun useless for most of the game.  For the most part, I stuck with a handgun and a machine gun.  Perhaps a larger weapon-carrying inventory would have added value to weapons that hold less ammo, but as it stood, having the option to carry only 2 guns at a time -- 1 small, 1 large -- limited what could be a well rounded arsenal.

Overall, I like Uncharted.  It's pretty straightforward, allowing the player to enjoy the adventure without getting lost in submenus, subquests, with a story that's interesting and well delivered.  Plus, it looks great, very colorful.  I already picked up a used copy of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.  Let the adventure continue!