Joystiq

An updated build of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune was on display at Sony's pre-TGS media briefing. The new demo comes a long way from its previous E3 presentation, which featured some serious technical glitches, and control issues. Almost immediately, players will see that the aiming has been far improved, feeling far more accurate and responsive than before. Thankfully, players will be able to fine-tune their control settings through adjustable control sensitivity, and invert options for horizontal and vertical controls.

To show off the new and improved controls, the demo featured some truly menacing levels. One level took place in a decaying courtyard, not unlike one that would be seen in Gears of War. Laser sights will aggressively pursue your character, as you hide behind cover. Grabbing a sniper rifle, the player must quickly try to kill his aggressor -- a single shot from the sniper's gun will mean instantaneous death (as we regrettably found out). The scope of your rifle focuses around whatever your vision is centered on: a nice touch that makes sniping much easier to manage.

The gunplay and hand-to-hand brawling all feel a lot better than before. But, that doesn't mean things are quite perfect. The camera never feels perfect, and the action lacks the visceral punch of Gears. Regardless, the platforming and puzzle solving on display certainly add a nice touch of variety to the game. The platforming feels satisfying, thanks to Nathan's natural animation. Each jump feels weighted down by real gravity, and seeing Nathan barely make a jump, only to hold on to a ledge, adds a sense of real danger to the environment. The puzzle solving takes a page from Folklore: Nathan must read the notes from Drake's diary to progress. In the demo we played, we had to do a simple statue rotation puzzle, but we see a lot of potential in the concept.

Overall, we're glad to see that Uncharted has made so much progress. PS3 gamers are thirsty for a good adventure game, and with a little bit more polish before its November release, it looks to fit the bill.