E3 2007: 'Uncharted: Drake's Fortune'
There's this guy Drake, and he's got a fortune.
The list of notable PS3-exclusive games thus far has been thin, to say the least. While first-person shooters and driving games are well represented, a good traditional third-person action/adventure has not. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, first seen at a Sony press preview a few months ago, aims to fill that niche with elements lovingly lifted from popular games such as the Tomb Raider and Far Cry.
It's pretty standard third-person exploration, as Drake clambers over obstacles in a remote jungle location, a la Lara Croft. Of course, the location isn't remote enough to prevent untold numbers of anonymous evil henchmen from trying to stop your progress, leading to some pretty intense firefights.
Unlike the Tomb Raider games, the shoot-em-up sections of Uncharted require actual skill (instead of simply holding a button to lock onto enemies and blasting away). The few firefights we encountered were surprisingly challenging, requiring us to hide behind cover to avoid a painful demise.
The overly familiar jungle locale and Indiana-Jones-lite protagonist aren't particularly inspiring, but as a basic Saturday afternoon action/adventure, Uncharted is a satisfying bit of video game junk food.
New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan. 
