Overall disappointed -- 8.5 out of 10 non-purchase.
My wife watched me play the demo, and I giggled like a kid describing all the new graphical touches that put Uncharted a step beyond anything that has come before it. I couldn't ask for better graphics. The context-specific animation selection is amazing. For the first 5 minutes, I had the time of my life running into water, watching the steam flow, and observing the shadow detail. Platforming was solid throughout -- jumping across ledges was easy and intuitive.
The gunplay was disappointing. My biggest complaint is L1 aim position reset after cover (e.g. if you have the baddie in scope, let go of L1 to cover, then hit L1 again, your scope will be in a different spot). Never realized how nice this was in Gears.
As mentioned by others, it's difficult to pop off 3 rounds and drop a baddie because they have prolonged post-hit animation, often causing miss. So I end up having to wait a second between shots to make sure they land clean. Not satisfying.
The weaponry was disappointing. Sound effects were realistic but weak. It's hard to go back to pop guns once you've spent time with a Lancer in Gears. Ammo capacity was also more limited than I would like. Realism versus playability, I suppose.
The general combat feel was good. I cannot come up with any complaints, but I also cannot come up with any strong compliments. Cover mechanic worked well, fast moving and plentiful AI targets require quick thinking on proper positioning and rush tactics for better cover location.
I played on Easy, and the main initial combat location (around 10 opponents) was a bit frustrating. I died 5 times from a number of factors: running out of ammo, guys on the high ledge were difficult to spot but would pop me wherever I ran, frustration with the above mentioned aim-reset post-cover, and going a bit balls-out on occassion.
I settled down and got past it, but I had to play in a more reserved style than I would have liked. I'm not demanding run-and-gun, but stronger mechanics would have made the fight more dynamic. Too bad I cannot pinpoint the exact mechanical weaknesses -- not a developer. The fighing felt light -- I miss the bashing, crashing, and general feel of Gears more.
***
I've mentioned it a few times already, but the game is very realistic. My wife left after the first fight because the realism made her uncomfortable -- she'll watch me chainsaw in Gears all day but this was too much. Kudos to ND for pulling this off. At the same time, realism isn't always the most fun. And for me personally, I like bald space marines with pre-installed subwoofer rifles.
Some people want to play Indiana Jones, others want to play Aliens. For the Indiana Jones folks, this is a great game. I fall into the later category and will not pick this up (given the release timing with Mass Effect).
Solid effort from ND. This is the perfect game for many.
