While few Empire readers can contain their excitement about the new Indiana Jones movie, the thought of a geriatric Harrison Ford cracking whips and snatching treasures still makes Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull a worrying prospect. But with stunning graphics and a rollicking action-movie atmosphere, Uncharted will take players to swashbuckling heaven while Indy hobbles back onto the big screen.
Essentially Lara Croft-style grave plundering blended with intense gunplay, what makes Uncharted remarkable is its stellar production values; the motion-captured animation is amongst the best on any console, imbuing all characters with a distinct personality, and the heros facial expressions wincing when bullets whistle past too close for comfort, his brow knitted with concentration when swinging from a perilous platform makes it easy to become attached to your roguish avatar.
Players who arent seduced by the games silky visuals will doubtless find the combat relentless and unforgiving. But with a cinematic sense of scale and dramatic pieces that hark back to the golden age of pulp-action movies, Uncharted is a thrilling ride from beginning to end.