some games just stand as examples that represent a certain era of a console and for the early ps3 uncharted is just one of those, the early ps3 was expensive and mysterious but it was also at the forefront of tech in its gen and a shining example of what games could be in that gen, it felt like a glimpse into the future and in many ways that's what uncharted was. it felt and looked ahead of even it's 2008 release date and would basically be a showcase of a style of game that would really start to come into prominance, it wasn't the first of its kind, but it was the one that felt like it got the ball rolling on that cinematic shooter trend that even now is still kind of alive, albiet now more influenced by later sony games like the last of us. even beyond the areas where it begun that trend the game just, feels early ps3, when i first started looking into buying a ps3 in 2009 it was just one of the games you saw a lot of in showcases and early ps3 trailers, it looked amazing with its lush jungles and blue skies, it's big money action setpieces and its explosive gameplay, it wasn't the only game shown off that helps rep this era for me, the physics of pain, the horrifying atmosphere of siren blood curse, the beautiful colours of genji and the amazing social spaces of playstation home, all of these are that era of ps3 to me, but above all uncharted feels like it *is* the early ps3.

it plays like a more big money take on a resident evil 4 formula, it has that over the shoulder view but with more mobility and a two weapon limit, it has the explosive barrels even. but it does enough to really differenciate itself, it has platforming and a really cool form of it that feels very much like it was in the ps2 era prince of persia games and here it's used less as a real challange and more as a cinematic moment to show off how big money the ps3 really was, because at the time very few games had this vibe and even this scale, there were games like shadow of the collossus on ps2 obviously but at the time this just felt bigger than even that and it felt dynamic, though it wasn't really all that dynamic, and even now it's still a fun ride, it's a silly b-movie treasure hunt with dumb villains and quips and set pieces, you have turret section chase sequences, horror elements and trap filled tombs, jet ski shooter segments and even hunting for your own trasures off to the side as the games main collectable. it nails that vibe better even than the later games in its own series which feel less like a treasure hunt and more like just, well, action movies, great ones granted i still think 2 and golden abyss are the series peaks, but this was the one where i think it hit that vibe most perfectly. another cool thing is that this was actually one of the first games to recieve retroactive trophy support alongside games like MGS4 and super stardust HD, just something i thought was really cool.

the game looks the part too, for it's time the detail is staggering and the jungles look amazing, the sega-blue skies, the water that has amazing looking effects and the really realistic animations all give off a big money vibe, which suits that era of PS3 well, it was the big money console and this game looks big money, the effects and the sheer realism for the time, though now you can def see the game as being more stylised really made the ps3 feel like this sophisticated machine that could do what other consoles couldn't. the sound is good to, good VA and the more plain cinematic score works here, the game is meant to be an action movie analog and for that, it's about as perfect a score as you can get, just don't expect to see me listening to it outside of the game. the story is also really fun, the cast all bounce well off of each other and it works, the annoyed mentor, the quippy mc and the reporter out of her depth, and it shocked me that elena was handled well at all, for a game of this era i fully expected them to damsel her, a trope games even now with the likes of FF16 are regularly doing, but they don't really, she's competant in her own right and gets things done, it's so refreshing even now to see and i think it helps add to the overal positive vibes the game has, it's not cynical or self aware, it's just dumb and having fun with itself, big dumb story for a big dumb game and that's all it ever needed to be!

the game did super well and led to what would be a full blown revival for the ps3, while you could attribute it also to things like the trophies, playstation home, the price drop and the better advertising but i would argue it was the games that got the ps3 that status and those sales and led to an end to the meme of the ps3 having no games, there were tons of other great games that came out shortly after like LBP, infamous and the games sequels. all those sequels were naturally massive hits and all were very good, of special note for me was the second game, that kind of hits the action the best it ever got as well as the vita game, which had a ton of fun gimmicks and felt the most in line with this original game, it's probably my favourite one, but the original is still well worth playing.