Quarterlies 2007
TomChick - Features - Comments - 12/20/07
Most Surprising Game of 2007
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
 Oh, look, a Tomb Raider clone… Oh, look, it's another Playstation 3 exclusive, like Lair… Oh, look, it's the guys who've been fumbling around making Jak games… Oh, look, it's some beefcake dude with a shotgun on the box… Oh, look, he hops around like the Prince of Persia… Oh, look, it's actually very good…
Wait, what?
Yep, Uncharted rocks. From my review, to be posted on a site that launches in January: [Uncharted] knows when to tip its hand and when to play it close to the vest. It's carefully calculated to dole out the gunfights, puzzles, vehicle sequences, and cutscenes for maximum effect. And it does a great job of keeping you guessing. What kind of game will this be? What kind of story is it going to tell? Uncharted understands the power of delayed gratification. Like Raiders of the Lost Ark, it gets a lot of mileage by staying so consistently perched on the verge of the real. Like Moonlighting, it knows that romantic leads denying their attraction is a great hook. Will Nate and Elena admit they like each other? Will they kiss? What exactly is the deal with that statue anyway? Will there be Nazi zombies at the end? Stay tuned for the next exciting episode/level of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune! This momentum and expectation is the very stuff of pulp fiction and it's refreshing to see a game that "gets it" so thoroughly.
I'm afraid there's no room for Uncharted on the list of my ten favorite games this year, but it's easily the biggest and most pleasant surprise of 2007. And where Warhawk, Ratchet & Clank Future, and Heavenly Sword were all somewhat of a letdown for not making the Playstation 3 feel like a must-have system, Uncharted swings in and saves the day.
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