Uncharted Golden Abyss Review : PS VITA
Developer Sony Bend
Publisher Sony
Platform Vita
Release Date 22nd Feb 2012
It’s Uncharted only smaller! It comes as no surprise that when Sony launched their impressive PSVita would want their most impressive franchise out in front showcasing what the machine can do. The main difference here is it is not developed by Naughty dog but rather Sony Bend (similar to how Resistance Burning skies is being handled outside of Insomniac). The guys at Bend have done a wonderful job of fitting the antics of Nathan Drake into the tiny Vita and making it all work incredibly well.
For the Vita to work it needs games to be designed specifically for it, and not just get simple ports of PS3 games with the graphics turned down. This was a pet hate of mine on the PSP and this was proven every time a PSP specific game was released. MGS, Killzone, God of War all made a handheld version of their franchises with shorter missions, shorter cut scenes and they worked incredibly well.
A similar thing has happened with Uncharted Golden Abyss, the shooting/climbing sections are shorter but that is not to say the game is missing out. You get a lot of short bursts that keep the game moving along at an enjoyable level for a handheld version.
The story follows one we have seen drake in before, he is off looking for treasure with a dodgy (possibly double crossing) friend and low and behold a beautiful woman for Drake to flirt with! Of course it’s not Uncharted without an Evil villain, this time a stereo typically styled corrupt general. Expect twists and turns, wise cracks and plenty of cinematic moments.
The gameplay is just what you would expect from the Uncharted series, inbetween the smart ass jibes from Nate you get into fire fights and fistfights, Nate has to climb his way out of a lot of situations and there are of course lots of puzzles. The puzzles and the climbing make the best use of the touch controls. Climbing a rope can be done by making a hand over hand movement on the back touch pad. Climbing along ledges can be done using the front touch screen, tracing a line along the route you want Drake to take is a clever addition.
The puzzles that use the touch controls consist of torn up maps or letters which you must piece back together for one example that is used a number of times. It is a good mechanic and makes the puzzles far more interactive than before.
Visually the game looks amazing and for the majority of the time it is the actual gameplay rather than the cut scenes that look incredible. The stunning screen on the Vita creates an amazing sense of depth that gives the world in Uncharted an amazing 3D quality on the 2D screen.
The one major let down, and this is true of the whole series is the shooting which has always been pretty slapdash. However due to the Vita’s Six Axis control you have an extra feature. The cross hair can be controlled by the Vita itself, moving it around allows you to make precise alterations to the cross hair. This is incredibly effective in the sniping missions.
Overall : The visuals are amazing and for the vast majority of the game the controls are smooth, responsive and the story is very entertaining. It thankfully doesn’t just try to mirror its PS3 counterparts and Bend Studio’s have created a excellent handheld version of the best selling franchise.
While it is made by a new studio it does have Naughty Dog’s paw prints all over it, for a launch title it is incredibly solid. If this is what the start of life with the Vita is like I can’t wait to see what they can do in a year’s time.
Score 9/10
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