Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

[Extra Terrestrial]

I said nothing bad but I actually really hated the part where you have to go upstream in a jetski with exploding barrels coming downstream towards you, that was just plain irritating.

The first jet ski sequence wasn't too bad where you went around some ruins and occasionally shoot the odd pirate or two lurking around the environment but the upriver section is pretty much the only below average part of the entire game.

Clearly, the developers have never been on a jet ski before. It is quite bad on normal difficulty but on crushing, it is very frustrating at times.

It really feels like old school Tomb Raider too, did anyone else get that vibe?

I think nearly everybody in this thread has had that vibe one way or the other. Unfortunately, there is a little bit too much shooting going on and too little adventuring, platforming and puzzles to make it an all-round Tomb Raider-esque experience.

The game reminds me of Indiana Jones more than any other influence.

I would say that the first half of the game is better than the second half as the combat is more frequent and the exploration is completely chucked out of the window in most of the latter half chapters.

It is still to this day one of the best PS3 games though.

[Brad]

Best action adventure game ever IMO. Loved both jetbike sequences too.

[Darwock]

Finished normal mode after a solid day playing... I don't often do that as I like to make story driven games last. Still need some time to digest it I think, currently I'm still thinking it was an enjoyable romp but not much more. I'll be going back to the higher difficulty modes.

There were a couple more minor irritations towards the end - points where I was literally just dying over and over and over in the space of a few seconds trying to figure out what the hell I should do.

First one was after the

->Open Spoiler<-

monkey zombies first appear

(do I need spoiler tags?) and you have to escape. A tip came up on the screen to tell me how to do it, but I was killed instantly before I could register what it said. When the game put me back at the checkpoint the tip wasn't given >< I died about 10 times more just trying to figure out which buttons I needed to press to be able to run and fire at the same time.

The other similar bit was the last boss, at the very end of that section - I was just put in front of him then BANG I'm dead, put in front -> BANG -> put in front -> BANG etc etc. Again it must have repeated about 10-15 times before I sussed out how to stay alive. Sections like that annoy me in cinematic games like this as they really break the flow and take you out of the experience, I wish they had designed it a little better. The final QTEs were nicely done though.

As for the previously mentioned

->Open Spoiler<-

monkey zombies

, I was a little disappointed when they appeared. I would have preferred if things had stayed more grounded in reality, it put it back in the realms of the typical FPS game I originally thought it was (when I had zero interest in it) and further away from being a historically themed action game.

Mind you I was already a little narked by the fact I kept opening all these sealed chambers that nobody had seen for 200 years, only to go in and find out the pirates had already gotten in and set up floodlights everywhere

P.S. The first few pages of this thread are an amusing read, good thing attitudes have changed eh (or have they?)

[Welrain]

I also find it disappointing that you would solve a puzzle to get into a secret chamber...and the pirates would already be there! ffs!

[Extra Terrestrial]

I also find it disappointing that you would solve a puzzle to get into a secret chamber...and the pirates would already be there! ffs!

Urgh.

That's another thing Naughty Dog needs to cut-out of the sequel.

When you solved the puzzle to find your way down the underground ruins where the Roman numericals helped to guide the way, I let out a groan when you get halfway through the environment to see the pirates making an unwelcome return by blowing a random section of the stone wall away.

I like the combat sessions in obvious outdoor locations but when you have found a secret or tomb-like area, there shouldn't be any enemies around in such a desolate environment. It builds up the atmosphere and tension!

[Darwock]

Do you have to do something special to unlock the highest difficulty? I just finished the game on hard mode and got the corresponding trophy but the difficulty settings still only have easy/normal/hard to choose from.

[Extra Terrestrial]

Do you have to do something special to unlock the highest difficulty? I just finished the game on hard mode and got the corresponding trophy but the difficulty settings still only have easy/normal/hard to choose from.

I believe you can change the difficulty setting somewhere in the options menu.

Did you finish the game on hard then went to the 'new game' option? You can select the first chapter (ambushed) on the chapter selection screen and you should be able to change the difficulty that way too.

You are certainly going all out to get every platinum trophy for all of your games Darwock! I admire that as long as you are enjoying the experience.

I highly recommend - judging by your PSN profile - that you should buy and play inFamous and Mirror's Edge.

[Darwock]

I believe you can change the difficulty setting somewhere in the options menu.

Did you finish the game on hard then went to the 'new game' option? You can select the first chapter (ambushed) on the chapter selection screen and you should be able to change the difficulty that way too.

When doing hard mode I set difficulty in the game options and just selected 'play' from the menu (so it continued from ambushed), that's what I tried for crushing and it wasn't available. However I just tried starting a new game and I could select it there, cheers for the tip!

As for the trophies, well I certainly wouldn't bother if I didn't like the game. Surprisingly all the titles I have played this year have been top notch so I've wanted to do them justice by getting the 100&#37;. I imagine that developers would want players to get deep into their games and design the trophy lists with that in mind... don't know if that's true but certainly lots of times it appears that way. Chasing the trophies has taught me how to play a few games better than I could before.

However in this case the trophies are tied into unlockable content anyway, so it's more about unlocking everything!

[hush]

I just started to play this again last night am upto chapter 15 and am having alot of fun with now hope to play abit more of it tonight , so hope to finish it this week

[Number45]

I've been playing this again in anticipation of the sequel (Total U2 media blackout for me, so this is nicely building hype). I completed it on release on Normal, so took the opportunity to go through on Hard and get the Trophies as I went along.

What a fantastic game. Played through completely from Monday to Friday, and got all of the medals along the way. Enjoyed it so much I started again immediately on Crushing, which is all I need for the Platinum.

[Number45]

Well I'm not findind Crushing terribly difficult. I don't know if it's because I'm so familiar with the game now having just completed it on Hard, or if I've got the difficulty set wrong, in which case I'll be pissed because I'm half way through chapter 19 now!

[Darwock]

I didn't think it was all that hard either, nothing compared to stuff like Killzone 2 on Elite.

I was expecting the 'the bunker' stage to be hellish cos of the different enemies, but turned out they were exactly the same as on lower difficulties. Probably cos they don't use guns, so they can't headshot you.

[Number45]

I actually like the way that they handle the difficulty in that respect - there's nothing worse than having to unload round after round into a single enemy (Hi Killzone!). You are able to take much less damage and the enemies seem more aggressive (So you can't often sit behind a single cover point) and accurate, which ultimately just means you need to approach each fight with a clear positional plan. Which works for me.

[rmoxon]

Oddly I found this more difficult than Killzone 2 on the harder difficulties.

I think its becuase there are certain sections in the game where enemies seem to surround you, which means cover dosent really work as well for you as it should. As fantastic a game as it is I dont think I'll ever bother finishing it on crushing really.

[Number45]

It's no lie to say that there are certain points in this game that I struggled with hugely on Normal, slightly less on Hard and even less on Crushing. One part that I played last night and wasn't looking forward to due to past experience was the skirmish in the customs house (When you first get the sniper rifle).

I used the rifle to take the dangerous ranged enemies out (Fixed gun dude and a guy on the balcony) and then used the pistol/AK to take the rest - all from a single point of cover that they can't approach from any other angle. I actually favour both of the standard pistols in this (PM and 92FS) over all of the other guns in the game - once you can survive with those the other weapons are just icing on the cake.

As I mentioned being aware of your environment is paramount, if there's a route to the left make sure you have identified some cover to the right; and always prioritise those targets that are closing you down to make sure it happens as little as possible. If you can get them to approach you from directly around a corner (So they don't have a clear shot until they're right next to you) you can take them with a brutal combo and get double ammo into the bargain.

And a tip for the 'Spaniards' is to always run and gun. Maintaining manoeuvrability against those is a must, a shotgun to the face from a few feet away is an instant kill. Last night, I got through both the initial encounter and the generator room with no deaths and in next to no time at all, by being aggressive and getting in their faces.

Despite playing this through twice in quick succession I'm still watching all of the cut-scenes/cinematics as well. I do love this game; one of the best of the generation for me.