Nate Drake vs Lara Croft
As opposed to reviewing Uncharted, I decided to put both Nate Drake and Lara Croft head to head, only because reviewing Uncharted without referencing to Tomb Raider was seemingly an impossible task. On the one hand we have a new, albeit immediately popular game by the name of Uncharted, and on the other we have a well established franchise that’s had over a decade to hone its formula. I wish I could sit on the fence with this one, but what fun would that be? Here goes…
Puzzles
I’ve been an avid fan of the Tomb Raider series since it first surfaced in the 90’s. Having stuck with Lara throughout her many iterations - both good and bad - there’s no doubt I’ve familiarised myself with the developer’s method in regards to puzzles. Having said that, after 9 releases there’s still a scale of intimidation that accompanies every Tomb Raider puzzle, big or small. Yes, it can be seemingly insurmountable to the extent genuine frustration sets in. But the sense of satisfaction upon cracking a puzzle is what makes Tomb Raider so rewarding, and in essence a great game.
Uncharted, on the other hand, is close, but puts itself at an immediate disadvantage by dumbing things down for the player. When faced with a puzzle, you’re presented with the option of triggering a hint by pressing one of the bumpers. This isn’t an ambiguous sense of direction either, but a concise description of what you’ve got to do. It strips away any sense of achievement.
There’s no competition here. Lara 1 - Nate 0
I don’t have anything derogatory to say about Alan Wake. My advice to you? Spend a night in Bright Falls and soak up the eerie atmosphere. Alan Wake excels at thrilling you psychologically. Which is why it’s called a psychological thriller, I guess…
