For a long time charming Tomb Raider with the ubiquitous pigtail personified for gamers the world a whole layer of adventure games. And not had a single direct competitor - the days of Pitfall, Rick Dangerous and Indiana Jones have passed, but in modern times to compete with Lara Croft, almost single-handedly created a new genre, fools do not. Every "follower" and "spiritual successor" always turned off from the track toward one or another geympleesmesheny, taking over from the successful formula just acrobatics and flexibility of the lonely heroine, somehow believing that in this lies the success of the phenomenon of Tomb Raider. In fact - "boevikovaya" part in each episode, at best, only non-irritating and at worst ... Well do not talk about it. It is important to another - literally on the surface is seemingly obvious idea: "There is no need to fix that, and because everyone likes, let's rather obviously mend broken!". Perhaps it is because they reasoned bosses Naughty Dog, deciding to dump their new - laropodobnuyu - the game is well-proven combat mechanics of popular third-person shooter. That fateful veni, vidi, vici, enunciated by the developer: platformer, action, fighting game. No sooner said than done! Let's get acquainted.
 | |  | Check with the card or diary old Francis allowed only at certain points in the game. And relno need is the strength of two or three. | | In places where the enemies are always grow boxes and broken columns. By the middle of the game developed a reflex: see box - dive for cover! |
Technically, not a revolutionary Uncharted: Drake's Fortune manages to look wonderfully - a paradise of countless acts and embossed textures, the true feast for the eyes! Slightly grease a first impression "oily" seawater and funny "gas" explosions, however, looking at the riot of colors in the magnificence of the local nature, instantly forgiving the game and this and other, less noticeable, blemishes, because the overall impression of the picture so that uploads . After a dismal series of realistic "serious" fighters of all shades of gray, Uncharted looks very cool, bodryasche - becoming the PlayStation 3 in the same breath of sentiment, some fans of the Xbox 360 at the time was Kameo: Elements of Power - a summer rain is a fantastic adventure, stridently-bright flower in the middle of the desert sands.
 | Wounded pride |
The closer to the end of the game (among other things, offensively short), the stronger the feeling that Uncharted hastily altered shortly before the release to the public, in particular - merely by changing the ratio of adventure and boevikovyh elements. The first eventually to carefully and elegantly worked out, and the latter is simply much more.Probably, the publisher of reasoned (and not without reason) that the beautiful and terribly expensive game for the PlayStation 3 is far easier to recover as a shooter rather than a sterile clone of Tomb Raider. However, at the end of 2007 from the relentless shooting, frankly, already slightly sickened, and excessive competition from pure-blooded members of the genre is clearly not good. Rumor has it in competitiveness: it is said, Sony was so anxious to outdo last year's examples Gears of War, that not only is Resistance: Fall of Men from the creators of Ratchet and Clank, but also an adventure Drake's Fortune was put on the field. And, should recognize beauty, or addictive brainchild Naughty Dog is not far behind the famous "gear." The only pity is that in order to maintain this bravado has shot hundreds of mercenaries and special forces, rather than solve ancient mysteries and shine acrobatic data in the scenery of the architectural puzzle. Action also served effectively, but without imagination, fans krutosvarennyh fighters will be well fed, but not likely to find in it consolation.
 | |  | Several swim on a water scooter is very invigorate and diversify the game. Sorry, but yes they still chase in a jeep (here it is - the most vivid episode!), The authors and treated. | | Primitive type puzzles "pull for each lever, the door opens and, alas, not in a position to make a puzzle from Tomb Raider decent competition. |
The story of Nathan Drake's adventure takes a dynamic start and manages in just a quarter of an hour to impress the new Tomb Raider sort of time. From one minute to the similarity is so strong that not even fit to talk about the conceptual relationship, but about the present borrowing. By climbing, jumping puzzles and the architectural antiquities get used to instantly greet them like old friends now and then noticed, how comfortable did the developers not ideal, but the usual scheme, when suddenly ... a delusion dissipated in the smoke of gunpowder gunshot firing: after a preparatory phase, Uncharted is transformed into mediocre "bellboy thriller with Shelter. Painstakingly copying the numerous "shooters, similar to Gears of War», the story of Nathan Drake from roller to roller gets three skukozhivshis ruin in the woods, leaning back against the cold rock, changing the gun on the Kalash and Kalash on the grenade. Ancient tombs and great treasures of Spanish conquistadors without a fight, pass the position remove Rambo, from head to toe hung with weapons, and rarely shy about reminding ourselves a series of jumping from platform to platform, during the occasional respite squeezing between tens and hundreds of dead bodies, explosive barrels and label rolls grenades.
 | |  | Something seriously not be able to break even with a machine gun turret - the world around armored as necessary. But somewhere in the middle of the game you start to notice that some shelters are partially and fully destructible, and the explosions up into the air not only the corpses of enemies, but the clods, and debris of the same shelter. | | Miracle features SIXAXIS game uses exactly three ways. First, as seen in the screenshot, integrated gyro is recommended to balance on the balance beam, and secondly, only tilting pad, you can normally take aim with a grenade, and third, get ready to shake convulsively towards the end of the game.Why? Read the sidebar about the spoiler. |
Comparisons with Tomb Raider damped, though the candle flame under the carpet bombing, puzzles for the entire game is two or three in an hour and a half after its start, and she ceases to be perceived "adventure with shooting and appears before the audience one more" militants with jumps . This loss is frustrating, because the phase of the adventure really knew how to impress - elegance, inventiveness, attention to detail and nuance, platform design, finally! The work here done a lot: every detail is taken into account, tamed camera, delightful animation. A shooting ... Yes the shooting as shooting, the right word at the end of 2007, we are no longer so easy to her surprise. As well as excellent grace, but still primitive and unnecessary in the local conditions melee combat. Each shooter this fall, sought to surprise some discovery, the novelty of gameplay to shine, such as the promotion of the genre to polshazhka forward. Alas - not Uncharted, its authors have diligently copied the base, but regretted raisins, choosing as a final touch to all the same jumps from ambush to ambush yes graphical polish. Yes, and the behavior of adversaries in such a volume of action, a sensation no pulls, even though the shooting themselves sometimes are given long and relatively complex - the bullets are not enough, the shelter fail.
| Elephant and whale |
There is not unreasonably felt that Uncharted today - winner of the best graphics on consoles. And it can be how to support and challenge. Thus, all the technological tricks have already been implemented and run-on engines class Unreal Engine 3.0 a year ago, and close to all the same Gears of War and Unreal Tournament III brainchild of Naughty Dog looks like a winner just by a rich palette and the rejection of claims " realism "in favor of more" cartoon "characters. This is a definite plus - the jungle and abandoned temples Uncharted you can admire the breathless, especially since the local art-design did not yield nahvalennoy "Destruction of Beauty" from Epic. A little sad excessive dilution of some sketchy landscape furnishings (like a completely foreign cars), excessive and sometimes completely unfounded "blestyuchest" anything and everything, and other tricks of the trade for which the authors have gone to reduce the time podgruzok and lightly push the "invisible wall" around the core levels. However, such trifles only indicate growth opportunities for future games, which - it is terrible to even think! - Will be able to give even more impressive picture. Viva, Naughty Dog!
 | |  | Nathan is with him only two weapons - any gun or ultrasound so that something bigger: automatic, shotgun, grenade launcher or a sniper. Cartridges ever end, but you just are not my only weapon the entire game can be run through their favorite barrel. Except, perhaps, sniper rifles, cartridges for it are usually given several times smaller than the enemies. | | All statements made by the developers of the melee fight turned out to be zilch. Yes, the possibility can fight the enemy without a weapon, if you want you can even bring the gameplay base: famously weighed to some commandos lyuley, we get a double dose of patrons. The whole "fighting" was made only to please the player a dozen different beautiful animations for each of the, shudder to think of two combo series. |
And yet played Uncharted avidly - arguing it goes, not to occupy.Perhaps by posting their creations to the junction of genres under such an unusual angle, the developers made the right move? Perhaps the soul arrow and a thug more than others yearned for a colorful and vivid scenery from the lush foliage and lush colors of wild orchids? And these ancient ruins so modern pirates with Kalashnikov assault rifles to his heart, his relatives and close all military bases and gloomy commanders? Let Nathan Drake is not Lara Croft and Indiana Jones, charm he does not hold, and go through it like adventure from beginning to end. And then catch your breath and knocked with a spoon on the table, requiring additives. As Naughty Dog has achieved this effect? Kinematografikoy. Podsmotrim for a moment in the column "Advantages", what is there? Movies, the heroes, a sense of real adventure - everything that usually lies beyond actually playing. It would seem, well, what's the difference who it was under our control famously cracked down on an entire army of an hireling?
 | |  | Finally, modern engines are able to easily survive the "real" leaves. Suppose that before it's too honest, but leaves to the leaf - pleasure to! Pity about the grass is so warm words will not tell ... | | Camera, most of the time free, then it takes primacy over, making one or another piece of the game in "The Set" in the manner of the very first Resident Evil. Sometimes this is done for the sake of beauty, sometimes - tips for. |
But no, the fathers so mothers Crash Bandicoot and Jack with Dexter on this a long time the dog ate. Adventurer and an adventurer who sincerely believes himself a descendant of the legendary explorer and royalist knight Francis Drake, and a talented TV journalist Elena Fisher, a stranglehold on clinging to his theme, perfectly suited to each other, between them, indeed there is some chemistry, and jokes, this joke couple perfectly. The remaining heroes are invariably lost on their background, but act out their roles properly. Videos in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is extremely abundant and the setting will not give other Hollywood movies - they are the real reward for playing the flesh and blood, the essence and meaning of the local adventures. As is the case with Gears of War, the line between gameplay graphics and pre-rendered high quality video virtually erased: one scene flows seamlessly into another, the hero, sort of, still talking, but the game is eagerly pushing in the back - which rose a column? Well run, adventures await! And it will feel a substitute for only the most meticulous so attentive. For example, a roller pushes Nathan out of the way so mugs ferns, while the game itself, the owner is very selective and "decorative" physics, the hero carries right through them.
| SECRET! |
Uncharted is familiar to fans of "achievements" system "rewards".Finding treasures scattered around the levels, otveshivaya left and right spirited Headshots, without special needs and life-threatening nokautiruya enemies to death with both combos and shooting counter-cross on the rug pieces of each type of weapon, you make these very awards and get points. And, in contrast to the achievements on the Xbox 360, this joy does not end there: the more points you earn (the possible maximum: 1000), the more bonuses will open the corresponding menu item. Here you will find some movies to create games, picture illustrations, and also be able to experiment with the settings of the game, in particular - to replace the model heroes (hooray, you can still play for Helen Fisher!) Unmirrored output to the TV screen, change the type of rendering as the main award to get infinite ammo for all weapons.
But not everything is known alone diligence - and you need a secret code that allows you pulled on Nathan's his favorite shirt from a memorable trailer. Otstuchite in the appropriate menu the following combination: Left, Right, Down, Up, Triangle, R1, L1, square.
 | |  | Passing game, as it should, you will be able to change enough nabalovatsya 3D-models. This screenshot clearly shows: calf enemies worked very badsome, although certainly not as good as the main characters. | | The local pirates - awful mods - the glasses pulled, then a cap. In this variety of models do not. Well done, developers simply created a system that she dresses the same man in different duds. Turn the page and see exactly how it works. |
It is noteworthy also that the cinematics themselves - most of it spoken, their advantages lie in the field of drama. They reveal the deeds of heroes, submit new actors, encourage the viewer to emotions and empathy. Animators went for a risky trick: all the facial animation, facial grimaces and characters were created separately from the mocap-production story scenes - a special technology of direct control facial "muscles" of three-dimensional models, which typically use when creating 3D-animation studios such as Pixar Animation Studios. Thus, in the Naughty Dog have the desired degree of caricature, cartoon-like emotions that are inherent in the whole game in general. Characters do not just talk or cry - they are really "play face" and the script was able to preserve inherent good cartoon "mime comedy", so out of place in other, competing for realism, video games.
| Black and white |
Rare fan of video games remain indifferent to the lovely Helen Fisher, an outstanding blonde with a chasm of charm. However, not everyone knows that her appearance was subjected to radically change just before the surrender of the game in print. According to the original author's idea, Elena - short haircut brunette with quite different features.This image was transferred to the work of 3D-modelers and animators, just used it to create movies and even more - it is this, an unusual Helen flaunts one of the posters advertising the game, which was subsequently never saw the light. We do not know all the details, but this image was finally recognized as unacceptable, and all scenes involving Helen developers had to adapt quickly. Thank God, motion capture technology allowed to leave the entire footage - only the replacement cost of one 3D-model, and actress Emily Rose (btw, the blonde) did not have to work overtime. However, facial animation, as you may remember, was created by hand, it had to be adjusted by adjusting a new face. Perhaps, therefore, mimics Elena looks a bit strange and even some kind of wrong. And, perhaps, lies precisely in this part of her charm.
 | |  | The picture fades, when Nathan gets injured. If it suddenly became very black and white - urgently looking for a safe haven! | | Oddly enough, all the "jungle" areas of the levels, in contrast to "interior design", have almost no forks and represent a pipe with invisible walls and a beautiful view of the past. |
But the noisy action and special effects staged violent scenes, on the contrary, a little bit - the authors saved up for the game itself, rightly judging that to get away from the chase in a jeep, climb up the mountain river flow on a water bike and make a dizzying jumps over the picturesque gulf every gamer wishes itself. Alas, such gifts are rarely falls, and everyone - literally worth its weight in gold. But the more precious memories of their experiences, the more games you want to go for a second time, forgetting all her faults, and that cheerful story - only digest adventure clichés from movies and video games a few decades. Erudite gamer, passing Uncharted, does not get tired to bend the fingers, noticing all copyright rasklanivaniya with adventure film classics eightieth, Tomb Raider, Pitfall, Gears of War, and even Silent Hill. But the trouble Uncharted is not that its creators recklessly borrow someone else's ideas, but that does not bring her, content with the role of successful compilers. Perhaps it is - the only good reason for not allowing to assign a miracle, but still not a perfect game, all nine points. Does not prevent, however, called Uncharted: Drake's Fortune one of the most exciting and memorable games of the year. If you have a PlayStation 3, to pass it - a real crime.
| Warning, spoiler! |
One of the drawbacks of unpleasant game could be called a small variety of enemies and combat situations - all pirates yeah pirates, albeit in different rags and with a different weapon. Developers, obviously, themselves have noticed this trouble, and as time permits, try to fix.Thus, the closer to the finale instead of motley mercenaries with Kalashnikovs on the player set against a tight all black military special forces under the cover of snipers. Plot is almost never justified, but allows plenty of shooting with a sniper rifle, euphemistically called the Dragon Sniper, hastily tacking between predatory prowl ray laser sights. The second justification for the lack of bosses (except final) - an unusual and apparently extraneous piece of the game, brought from the survival horror. Nathan's fate will throw in a thoroughly corroded boiler room, literally unimaginable swarming mutants. Strengthens the already obvious resemblance to Silent Hill pitch darkness and light a torch, sparingly snatched from her typical for any horror film scene. Suddenly, it's interesting, well dilutes podnadoevshie shootout. But some crocodiles, sharks, snakes and other hunt up blood adventurer fauna, as appropriate in the Tomb Raider films and about Dr. Jones, would suit the game much better. Maybe in the sequel?
A rare opportunity to compare this artist Naughty Dog illustration (left), a frame from the video (center) and a screenshot of the finished game (right). Find the ten differences! |
