Sorry for taking over a month. I was enjoying my last few days of freedom without distraction. Actually, I'm not. Sorry, that is. This isn't a job; just for funsies.
General Stats
Concept: 8/10
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 9/10
Playability: 10/10
Entertainment: 9/10
Replay Value: Very High
About the Game
Genre: Action/Adventure Shooter
Length: 8-16 hours
Platform: PS3
Review and General Storyline:
Okay, so this is definitely a Top 5 game, behind only Legend of Dragoon, Assassin's Creed II, and Persona 4/Persona 3 FES for me.
Plotwise, this game ranks pretty far up there. It's like DaVinci Code, Indiana Jones and Iron Man (for the snark content and sheer awesomeness) all squished together and molded into the form Nathan Drake. You begin the game by finding Sir Francis Drake (the explorer, like, duh)'s empty coffin at the bottom of the ocean, the only thing inside is Drake's journal.
And then you get attacked by pirates.
(Let's suspend our disbelief for a moment: why shouldn't the notebook be a sodden mess after spending who knows how in the ocean?)
And this is the part of the game where you decide what kind of player you are. If you play on easy (and even normal) thise first few guys can be taken down with very little effort on your part. Your auto-aim (there is a better word for this, I just can't remember it... -edit- correct term after research is, I guess, "aim-assist" -edit/-) makes very short work of these guys.
That is, assuming, you aren't as badass as me, taking them down with a brutal combo, or getting behind them to snap their pretty little necks.
If you play on hard, well... Let's just say that the pirates' aim increases dramatically while your durability is next to nothing. One shot, and bam. Dead.
Ahem. So, eventually, your buddy, Sully, (Victor - GODDAMN - Sullivan) shows up to rescue you from the pirates, and Elana (Drake's eventual love interest) has some issues with priorities--I mean, come on! Ship is on fire, pirates are just a hairsbreadth away, and she goes back to get her
camera? Hello?!--but you get outta there quickly.
(I am vividly reminded for a moment of Hermione Granger; "I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed - or worse,
expelled. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."Just a thought.)
And then, in the span of a cut scene, you ditch the girl, decipher a clue on a treasure map, and pretty much act like jackasses. More or less.
That brings me to one of the most impressive things about this game: the graphics. The transitions between the cut scenes and the game play is utterly flawless. If you aren't actually playing, just watching, it is ridiculous. Absolutely impossible to tell the person playing is actually doing anything.
I recommend that you do that, at least once, for this game--to watch, not play. At times, it honestly feels like you are watching a movie, it is that good. Well, if the person
playing is that good. If the person sucks, or he's playing on hard or crushing, then it is so obvious that he is playing a game. The added dialogue of the annoyed player is always interesting to listen to, though.
Side-note: I really shouldn't talk, because I've never actually finished it on Hard/Crushing. Just cuz it's so fucking hard. Not to say I haven't tried, I have, but shit, man. Not easy.
The different difficulty settings is what makes this game absolutely great for all gaming types. My sister, a very, very casual gamer, was mostly able to play on easy; and it just gets progressively more difficult for those more serious gamers.
The game follows a linear structure, and you can't deviate from it at all, sometimes you can explore a little, but the creators of this game were adamant about sticking to the story. So, no divergences for you. If they gave you a little more room to move about in, the concept would have probably been higher (though you can't get much higher than an 8).
Again, you will note a major fluctuation in the times--and I intended for this to include just the first play through. You can conceivably get all the trophies in two play throughs (to unlock the more difficult settings), and for experienced game-players, they can go through on normal in about 8 hours, if they push it and skip cut scenes.
It can also, more reasonably, take 3 play-throughs to get everything down, but that isn't the point. The point is, it is possible to take anywhere between 8 and 16hours to complete a run through of the game.
Overall, this game gets a 9 out of 10 for three reasons: the dialogue between Sully and Drake is hysterical ("You brought a hooker to church?!"), the graphics are phenomenal, and it is a great game for all player types--everyone can gain at least a little amusement from this game.
This game will constantly have you either: chuckling, cursing, and/or on the edge of your seat.
