Uncharted: Golden Abyss Review

Posted 12 years ago by myetvmedia

8/10

Uncharted is for many THE PlayStation franchise. Nathan Drake (the hero of the series) has been dubbed by many to be thePlayStation 3’s unofficial mascot. It makes a lot of sense that an Uncharted game would debut alongside Sony’s PS Vita, as a handheld launch needs a strong franchise to carry the weight of uncharted territory. But when a beloved franchise so specific is translated or adapted for a new medium, especially one that features new mechanisms and technologies such as Vita’s touch screens, fans tend to worry that their beloved game will lose its edge and suffer mediocre production. Now that the Vita andUncharted are out I’ve got them both with me in my pocket, and for the foreseeable future that’s what I’ll be rocking on my handheld of choice, and for good reason.

Between playing poker and Kingdoms of Amalur, I’ve had the chance to spend some real time with Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and this is the conclusion I’ve drawn; Golden Abyss could have been released for the PS3 at full price, on a disc, and I would gladly pay for it. This is a true console experience in the palm of your hands – little concession has been made in bringing Uncharted to theVita. The game looks absolutely fantastic; comparing it with the rest of the series it is closest to Drake’s Fortune. Its big jungle environments and plenty of onscreen action push what I thought would be capable on the system and evoke my earliest memories with this series.

Photo courtesy of Sony PlayStation

Though many people will assume that this type of game will not be able to compete with big console games they are of course mistaken as the visual fidelity falters only in the smallest of ways. While the games fire effects look decent enough from a distance they can look pixelated up close (you really have to look for it) and the game does not feature the anti aliasing that its console brethren do. Water, particles, level geometry, models and textures are however really tight and a few minor issues wont detract from the overall experience; just don’t expect the scope of Uncharted 3.

Photo courtesy of Sony PlayStation

Golden Abyss is set before the events of Drake’s Fortune, making this story a prequel to rest of the franchise. Drake is helping out a fellow treasure seeker in south America when he gets thrown between a girl next door type named chase and a militant revolutionary obsessed with discovering a city of immeasurable wealth. The story for the most part is classic Uncharted fare; meet cutes progress to puzzling out ancient relics and familiar double crosses. Nothing plot wise will surprise or confuse but the writing is so well done you won’t notice how familiar the story seems. The characters come across as genuine and fan service is present and much obliged. The narrative scores points for staying true to uncharted hallmarks though it does not carry the same weight as the other games do.


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Uncharted: Golden Abyss Review

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