11/18/07 - 6:12pm - Chapter 13
Yeah, been awhile since the last update, but life tends to mess up good weekends. Anyways, Ive advanced further into the game and theres a good deal to update you on and talk about.
Progressing though the chapters, the game has thrown some new gameplay sequences at me, all of which I love to varying degrees. There is a sequence involving a speeding Jeep in an awesome chase that was just a blast to play through. This sequence was just amazing to look at it. As gorgeous as the environments look normally, its incredible that they made it look just as good as you speed through it at breakneck speeds. Ill admit, I did get pumped up playing it.
The game also introduces a jet-ski as you progress into the game and that doesnt get it quite as excited. So far, theres been two chapters involving it; one of which is straight forward while the other is a little bit more frantic. During these bout of water fun, you drive the jet-ski as Nate while Elena shoots down explosive barrels that litter your path (insert barrel joke here) and baddies that spring up trying to gun you down. This last time youre on the device was a little bit more frantic but due to the circumstances of the scene, the control of the jet-ski quickly becomes unwieldy. It reminded me of Wave Race 64, except Im not racing and Im trying to control this thing through a hail of bullets and barrels. It wasnt exactly the most fun Ive had with the game thus far.
One aspect of the game I truly feel deserves a ton of praise is the sound design. This is, bar none, the best sounding game on the market today. Coming through in DTS 5.1 surround sound, everything in the game comes to life with amazing clarity and excellent direction. Guns sounds powerful and ring out from all around you (alerting you to the possible location of the attacker), engines roar, speech is crisp. and environmental sounds envelope you completely. To top it all off, the soundtrack is outstanding with an exotic flair and a main theme that will truly define this franchise when it continues past this game. IF there were any sort of reputable Soundtrack of the Year award for games, Uncharteds would be a nominee.
Now, I realize Im heaping tons of praise on the game and thats simply because its just that good. However, I (and others) have been running into a little problem. Lock ups. Especially through these chapters, Ive been experiencing a ton of game lock ups that make progressing through the game right now a pain in the ass. The lock ups are random. Sometimes quick, sometimes youll think youre free of them until they come back and kick you in the nuts. Most people believe this is due to the latest firmware from Sony (2.00) and there is already a fix on the way. Some solutions might be found in replaying a previous chapter and making a brand new save to continue and hope that works. Either way, I hope Sony sorts this out ASAP. Anything that keeps me from this game grinds my gears.