Visuals:
Talking of environments, it's hard to think of a single game that's ever included such lush and staggeringly detailed gaming environment. As much as Gears of War provided a stunning next-generation shooter setting, the moody greys and browns made it a harsh, dark, hostile, and monochromatic place to be. In Uncharted, it's not just superior to Gears in terms of out and out detail, but brings a feel-good factor with the sheer level of environmental variety on offer. Covering the full spectrum from 'destroyed beauty' to lush, tropical jungles (and all points in between), it has the kind of action adventure template that Eidos and Crystal Dynamics must be looking at with a great deal of envy right now. In truth, it may take years before rival brands find themselves with game engines as effortlessly capable as this one. Truly, Uncharted is the first game I've seen to date that makes me wonder if it could be done on the Xbox 360, and as a huge admirer of the software line-up on Microsoft's system, that's saying a lot.